Chapter 1023: A Ray of Hope Amid Dark Willows

"Why is this ancient planet so strange?" the Dragon Horse exclaimed. The ground was riddled with enormous holes, and even the distant rocky mountains were pockmarked and full of perforations.

The group couldn't help but look bewildered. This area was too peculiar, with giant holes everywhere, as if it had been hit by a meteorite shower, leaving deep pits and massive craters.

"Something's not right. These don't look like meteorite impacts. They resemble tunnels bored by some kind of creature, but covering such a vast area is truly unusual."

When they gazed into the distance, they found that many regions on the planet were like this; nearly half of the ancient star was in this condition, and they had no idea why.

"Let's not worry about this for now. We need to find the five-colored altar first. The sooner we leave, the sooner we might reach the Big Dipper Starfield."

They split up to search. Such a teleportation array, capable of crossing starfields, was incredibly precious and usually protected by a formation. Without a special method, it would be impossible to find.

"Damn it, the five-colored altar has been moved. It's not here anymore."

They found the ancient formation, but it had been destroyed. The area was pitted, with a large expanse of caverns, and the Dao patterns were incomplete. The array was ruined.

Their expressions changed. They had a premonition that something bad was happening. A barren planet like this offered no basis for survival; being trapped here would be a dead end.

"Who took the five-colored altar?" They were all filled with doubt and alarm. This was not a good sign. The thought of being stranded on a dead planet filled them with worry.

"Let's split up and search. I have a feeling this planet isn't simple. These strange holes look like something drilled them."

They began to act separately, each heading in a different direction, extending their powerful divine senses to conduct a meticulous search for any hope of survival.

From this, it was clear how insignificant individual power could be. Being trapped on a barren planet meant their path forward was cut off, and they could potentially die in the vast cosmos.

Only by reaching the Saint Realm could one hope to travel through the universe; otherwise, they would remain like ants, unable to traverse the stars by their own power.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, Ye Fan heard a piercing sound of wings, like a Dao sword quivering, faintly emitting a power capable of piercing metal and shattering stone.

A sharp divine light slashed down from the night sky. He saw a creature resembling a pterodactyl, several meters long, swooping down and spitting out a dazzling blade of light from its mouth.

"Thud!" Ye Fan extended a finger, and a blazing golden light shot out, instantly piercing the creature's brow. It died on the spot, its body plummeting from the sky.

However, the matter was far from over. The sound of flapping wings above the clouds continued without end, and then similar creatures descended en masse. Dozens, even hundreds, of pterodactyl-like beings spat out a barrage of light blades, slashing downwards.

"Everyone, gather together!" Ye Fan shouted. He feared Zhang Qingyang and Long Yuxuan might be isolated and killed by these unknown creatures, whose numbers were incalculable.

"Break!" With a soft cry, a flash of light emanated from Ye Fan's brow, and a cauldron flew out, vast and mighty, directly shaking the sky. In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere as hundreds of pterodactyl-like creatures were pulverized into a bloody mist and killed in the sky.

The Divine Knight, Zhang Qingyang, and the others hurried over. They gathered together, gazing up at the sky with caution, certain that this was just the beginning.

They were now convinced that the ancient planet's pockmarked appearance was definitely related to these creatures; almost half of the star had been hollowed out, which was unimaginable.

"Look, what's that?" Long Yuxuan pointed towards the horizon.

The mist there was so thick it seemed impenetrable, especially oppressive on this star-studded night. It surged forward like a mountain torrent, threatening to suffocate them.

"A giant battleship?!"

At the edge of the sky, a vast shadow truly loomed, obscuring the starry expanse. It rapidly approached them, a dark, overwhelming presence that made their blood run cold.

"It's a massive island, and it can fly!"

Calling it an island wasn't quite right; perhaps it was better described as a floating continent, like a celestial realm high above, overlooking everything on the ground.

"Buzz!"

The sound of flapping wings echoed through the night sky as tens of thousands of powerful, pterodactyl-like creatures swooped down. They simultaneously unleashed their spells: lightning and thunder, raging storms, and various sword lights danced in the air.

Individually, none of them could harm the group, and even Zhang Qingyang and Long Yuxuan could hold their own against them. However, their combined numbers were terrifying. An army of ants could indeed kill an elephant!

"I'll handle this!" The Dragon Horse's four hooves lifted off, ascending into the sky. It let out a mighty roar, and towering flames erupted. When a Dao-Slaying King unleashed their fury, it was terrifying. Immediately, vast numbers of "pterodactyls" rained down, thick and fast, like dumplings being boiled.

In the sky, infernal flames raged, and the scent of roasted meat filled the air. The Dragon Horse charged across the heavens, invincible, battling in mid-air until nearly all ten thousand monsters were annihilated.

"Things are looking grim!" Ye Fan frowned, staring at the floating continent in the sky. It looked suspiciously like a giant mother nest.

Sure enough, a piercing shriek echoed across the land, and the earth's crust immediately began to boil, spewing out various lights as one creature after another burst forth from underground.

"This is bad! This ancient planet is swarming with these monsters. There are too many; we can't possibly kill them all!"

These pterodactyl-like beasts had been dormant, but now they all awakened from deep within the earth's crust, scrambling to rush out and attack Ye Fan and his companions.

"How many are there? They're everywhere, from the sky to the ground!" Even the Dragon Horse felt apprehensive.

This was no longer a matter of mere tens of thousands; their numbers were simply uncountable. They were densely packed. From beneath the earth's crust and the floating continent in the sky, continuous waves of dark clouds, formed by these creatures, streamed forth, covering the heavens and obscuring the earth.

"Humans, how rare. So many years have passed, and we meet again." A powerful spiritual fluctuation emerged from the continent.

Then, a swarm of five-colored "pterodactyls" burst out. They were many times more powerful than the previous ones and numbered in the tens of thousands.

Ye Fan quickly stored Huahua in a spatial artifact, then he and the others soared into the air, fighting with all their might. There was no way to survive without slaying all these creatures.

"Pfft!" The Divine Knight battled fiercely in all directions, his spear becoming a true dragon-slaying weapon. It flew horizontally and vertically, and with each strike, a group of powerful creatures fell, blood blossoms continually erupting.

The Dragon Horse also fought desperately, having slain tens of thousands of "pterodactyls" until its body was stained crimson with blood. But they were inexhaustible; their sheer numbers were dizzying.

"Die, all of you!" The Dragon Horse opened its mouth and spat out an alms bowl, a damaged holy weapon it had obtained from Spirit Mountain. This ancient weapon possessed immense power and the might of a Saint. Instantly, over a hundred thousand pterodactyls were reduced to bloody mud, perishing in mid-air.

However, from the continent above, multicolored lights shot into the sky. Seven dragon-shaped monsters leaped out, their bodies emitting seven-colored light, collectively activating a powerful forbidden artifact, which then blasted towards them.

"Boom!" A dazzling, intense light illuminated the entire ancient planet, as if covered in white snow, or as if ten suns had exploded simultaneously. Powerful energy fluctuations spread out, forming an unparalleled sword qi that cleaved down.

"Clang!" The alms bowl trembled, then cracked with a sharp sound, a massive fissure appearing on its surface. It was nearly split in two. Clearly, this forbidden artifact, left by an ancient Saint, had damaged even the incomplete Buddhist weapon.

"Pfft!" The Dragon Horse coughed up a mouthful of blood, having sustained serious injuries. The forbidden artifact's power was utterly formidable, causing it a great loss.

"Humans, I have been waiting for you for a long time. Have you come for this altar?"

A nine-colored dragon-shaped creature appeared in the sky, even larger than the others, like a small mountain, standing on the floating continent. It was undoubtedly a formidable Dao-Slayer.

Between its palms, a five-colored altar floated, shimmering with five-colored light. It was precisely the ancient starfield teleportation array Ye Fan and his companions were searching for.

"How about we cooperate? You tell me how to activate the formation, and I'll provide the array platform, and we can leave together." This was clearly the king of the mother nest, and all the pterodactyls filling the sky were its subjects.

Ye Fan indicated that he was willing to talk, completely fearless. He told the Divine Knight and the others to wait, then ascended into the sky alone.

"Do you know how to activate this altar?" the most powerful dragon-shaped creature asked.

"Of course." Ye Fan stared at the altar, noticing it wasn't damaged. The reason it couldn't be activated was simply that a few stones had lost their luster, having exhausted their internal power. He wasn't worried, as he also possessed such five-colored stones and could extract that specific spatial energy to infuse into the altar.

"In that case, you can stay!" the dragon-shaped creature said coldly, summoning an even more powerful forbidden artifact to suppress and kill. It intended to destroy Ye Fan's physical body and leave his primordial spirit behind.

However, with a flash of light and shadow, this Ye Fan vanished. This was the wondrous technique of One Qi Manifesting Three Pure Ones. Ye Fan had allowed this wisp of clear qi to disperse in advance, while his true body had already landed on the continent, unleashing his cauldron with full force to suppress and kill!

"Boom!" Since slaying Dao, he hadn't encountered a true match. This time, he unleashed the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron with a full-power strike. His divine power surged, vast and boundless, instantly shattering the massive, continent-like mother nest into pieces.

Tens of thousands of creatures, an unknown number, instantly turned into bloody water, falling in vast swaths, staining the entire sky crimson.

The explosion of the nest was like disturbing a hornet's nest. From the sky to the ground, powerful pterodactyl-like creatures were everywhere, all roaring, their eyes red, collectively chasing Ye Fan.

"Let's go, to outer space!"

Ye Fan had a terrible feeling. These creatures were inexhaustible. Those from beneath the earth's crust combined with those in the sky to form a vast ocean, and they were completely submerged!

Fortunately, he, the Divine Knight, and the Dragon Horse were powerful enough to carve out a bloody path, break free from the planet, and finally escape their pursuers by reaching outer space.

"This is too much! Unless we destroy this ancient planet, we'll never be able to kill them all. What exactly are these things?" the Dragon Horse fumed.

The Divine Knight said, "Ancient texts record these as ant-dragons. They possess strong vitality, reproduce exceptionally fast, comparable to ants. Their required living environment is vastly different from humans; they directly consume ores and similar substances to sustain themselves."

"Although this planet is small, nearly half of it has been consumed by them. That's still quite unbelievable. Who knows how many generations they've survived?"

"Their numbers are too vast. This entire ancient planet is filled with these strange insects. We simply can't kill them all. We can only assault the strongest few and seize the altar."

However, they were somewhat hesitant, fearing they might accidentally destroy the altar while targeting the insect kings.

"These ant-dragons have been reproducing on this ancient planet for countless millennia. A few of them have definitely reached the Dao-Slaying realm and even wield forbidden artifacts of ancient Saints. They are truly difficult to deal with."

Ye Fan pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's use the power of faith from inside my cauldron to deal with them."

As he spoke, he inverted the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron. Within it was an endless supply of faith power, which poured out like a great waterfall, flowing down towards the not-so-large ancient planet.

"Boom!" It was as if an ocean had descended. For those who believed in the Heavenly Court, this was the purest holy power, but for others, it was karmic fire!

When all the power of faith descended, the area below seemed to transform into a sea of fire. Millions of the divine insects roared, turning into countless torches!

"Let's kill those ant-dragon kings amidst the chaos!"

They charged down once more. Ye Fan took out his black arrow and continuously fired, slaying several giant leaders and resisting the Saints' forbidden artifacts.

Without the densely packed divine insects blocking their way, confronting a few giant leaders directly became much easier. However, they still fought a battle that obscured the sun and moon. This wasn't a clash of individual strengths; it was a grand war between holy artifacts and forbidden artifacts!

One side was holding back, wary of damaging the altar, while the other wielded powerful forbidden artifacts. A protracted tug-of-war ensued, yet it still caused the heavens to collapse and the earth to crack, with wails of ghosts and howls of gods, the battle reaching a fever pitch.

Although the use of forbidden artifacts was limited, each activation consumed a portion of the artifact's lifespan, yet they were terrifyingly potent and unparalleled in their might.

The Dragon Horse's alms bowl was almost shattered, causing it immense heartache. It roared with anger, wishing it could exterminate all the insect kings.

Relying on the formidable power and high lethality of Ye Fan's black arrow, they had already destroyed two forbidden artifacts. If not for their concern about destroying the altar, they might have already succeeded.

"That insect king's forbidden artifact is terrifying! It was personally refined by an ancient Saint and is even more potent than ordinary holy weapons!" The Divine Knight frowned. After fighting for so long, he was already severely wounded.

Finally, all the forbidden artifacts were destroyed.

At the crucial moment, Ye Fan's primordial spirit merged with the Dao. Time and space seemed to freeze, and only a golden dwarf carrying a cauldron flew out, suppressing and killing the insect king under its incredulous gaze.

This was a forbidden technique he had used before: after forming a divine figure, his primordial spirit merged with the Dao, and carrying the cauldron, he transformed into the "One that escaped," transcending the world and briefly freezing time.

The five-colored altar was recovered, having nearly been destroyed by the enraged insect king in its fury. They had finally obtained the starfield teleportation array platform as they wished.

The ancient planet was almost flattened. After days of protracted battles, Ye Fan and his companions finally achieved their goal.

"It's time to go!"

However, their next destination still disappointed them; it wasn't the Big Dipper Ancient Starfield. They had arrived at another dead planet.

Moreover, over the next half year, they only traversed eight or nine ancient planets, each time encountering fierce battles that consumed an enormous amount of time. Their hearts were heavy; this was likely the path leading to the "Flying Immortal" ancient planet.

"Sigh!" Ye Fan let out a long sigh.

On this particular day, they silently stepped onto the five-colored altar. When they appeared in another world and stood on the ground, Ye Fan's expression changed dramatically, and he exclaimed, "Undying Mountain!"