Chapter 1170: Void Emperor

Chapter 1171: The Void Emperor

Facing an ancient enigma, it was a difficult choice, one that filled people with both a desire for exploration and an overwhelming sense of dread. Those from the Eternal Main Star naturally yearned to uncover the reason behind their ancestors' mysterious demise.

Now, with the boundless dark void gone and only a colossal coffin appearing in its place, their resolve grew even stronger.

"Indeed, perhaps we can dispel the mist and uncover the truth of what happened back then. The terrifying crisis is likely over," another marquis responded. This was a monumental event spanning the ages, and if they could unravel it, immense prestige and benefits would follow.

The eyes of some unruly marquises gleamed. One hundred thousand years ago, that ancient and mysterious era had warranted the mobilization of four great saints who swept across the stars. There had to be a significant reason behind such an undertaking.

The four ancient great saints had not returned empty-handed. They had secured the ancient coffin and begun their journey back, escorting what could very well be a priceless immortal artifact.

The danger was obvious, of course, but it was worth the risk. Any discovery would likely have profound implications, potentially shaking the entire era.

"You, go investigate!" a marquis commanded, sending several death-sworn warriors forward to explore at the risk of their lives.

According to the various terrifying legends, there was no mention of the ghost ship actively attacking observers. Sending the death-sworn warriors to investigate should not bring disaster to the mothership fleet.

Regardless of the era, there was never a shortage of those who walked on the edge of a knife, hovering between life and death. Their choices determined their fates, leading to different lives and different manifestations.

The black-clad figures were formidable; two of them had already severed their paths, which was precisely why they were willing to become death-sworn warriors. Only through the cultivation of ancient immortal families could they obtain precious medicines and evolution fluids for advancement. Now was the time to prove their worth.

Silently, without a word, they flew towards the vast, dark fleet, a tomb of death constructed from a jungle of steel, which had existed in the universe for a hundred thousand years.

Ancient saints, marquises, and others watched intently as the death-sworn warriors silently entered the fleet. Everyone held their breath, hoping to unveil an age-old mystery.

More crucially, if there was no danger, this would represent an unimaginable fortune. Whoever acquired it would instantly become a dominant power.

Four great saint-level motherships and countless escort vessels, capable of sweeping through star regions a hundred thousand years ago, remained intact and just as powerful now.

Soon, the six death-sworn warriors approached the four ancient great saint-level ships, each twenty thousand zhang long, entering the space they surrounded.

"They're approaching, and nothing has happened!"

Everyone was excited; some marquises could barely contain themselves. If there was no danger, they could rush over and claim this collection of supreme holy artifacts.

If the bodies of the four great saints were still there, they would undoubtedly contain divine treasures!

"Quick, see what's different about that ancient coffin!" a marquis urged impatiently.

The most uncertain factor was naturally the massive coffin. Perhaps all the danger emanated from it; otherwise, why would the four ancient great saints have bound it?

The death-sworn warriors were very cautious. They circled the coffin from a thousand zhang away, gesturing back to indicate no danger had been found.

Suddenly, one of them seemed to stiffen, causing immediate tension among the cultivators who instantly followed his gaze to the direction he was pointing.

"We can't see from this angle. Move the mothership and circle around to take a look!" an ancient saint instructed.

People began to move, heading to another part of the starry sky to observe. Ye Fan gasped, as from a different angle, he further uncovered the ancient coffin's secret.

A corner of the outer coffin had been shifted, revealing several gaps. Inside the sarcophagus lay a coffin, or rather, multiple layers of coffins, all made of the same material.

"One, two, three..."

Eight layers of the ancient coffin had been opened, but the ninth layer resisted, unyielding. The shift was so slight that it would go unnoticed without close inspection. Only the final layer of the coffin remained perfectly intact, appearing as a solid, seamless body.

The Nine-Layered Coffin of a Divine Spirit!

Ye Fan was stunned. Just as he had suspected, this colossal coffin was far from ordinary. It was a divine spirit's sarcophagus from countless ages past, meant to be interred high above the nine heavens.

At that moment, he finally understood why the Eternal Kingdom had mobilized such forces a hundred thousand years ago, dispatching four great saints whose names echoed through history: what they intended to do was truly extraordinary.

They had actually traversed to the nine heavens and stolen the divine spirit's sarcophagus!

"The four great saints forcibly opened eight layers of the sarcophagus, but when they touched the ninth, true coffin, they encountered a devastating catastrophe!"

These were ancient great saints, invincible throughout heaven and earth. In an era when ancient emperors did not appear, who could contend with them? They swept through the nine heavens and ten lands without rivals.

Yet, these great saints, working together with their boundless fleet, merely faced a deceased divine spirit and were utterly annihilated.

A chill ran down Ye Fan's spine, from head to toe. This was not the first time he had seen a nine-layered coffin from the mythical era. He had one in his cauldron; Saint-Slayer Qi Luo and others had advised him to discard it, to bury it in the cosmos, but he had kept it with him to this day.

Back then, he had used his golden saint blood to open the outer layers of the coffin. Now, thinking about it sent shivers down his spine. If he had continued to open it like those great saints, he would likely have been dead for years by now, wouldn't he?

A divine spirit, dead for countless ages, could not be disturbed by even the most astonishing great saints of all time. What extreme level of power did that represent?

"Go take a look inside the great saint's ship," a marquis ordered.

Two death-sworn warriors boarded a magnificent giant ship. Even though time was merciless and fleeting, the great saint-level vessel remained intact, emanating a faint luster.

The two death-sworn warriors disembarked. A short while after they went inside, one emerged, excitedly waving towards them, signaling a major discovery within.

"The great saint's physical body, perfectly intact!"

Just eight words, yet they held a strange magic. Neither marquises nor ancient saints could remain still; all were utterly thrilled.

The value of the mysterious coffin was undoubtedly immeasurable, though its grade remained uncertain. However, the great saint's divine treasures were tangible. One could imagine that acquiring even a single corpse would be worth it, as their bodies must contain ultimate secrets.

Perhaps they could even find Seventh or Eighth Stage evolution fluid. It was important to remember that a hundred thousand years ago was a glorious pinnacle, producing many great saints, inseparable from the most powerful evolution fluids. Those four were the rulers of their time; how could they not possess immortal fluid?

A commotion erupted!

An ancient saint spoke, forcibly suppressing the people's impulses. Although the crisis seemed resolved now, and the ghost ship no longer devoured lives as it had in ancient times, they could not afford to be careless.

Many high-ranking figures discussed the situation. Finally, one ancient saint led a group to board the great saint ship and remove the divine treasures.

The death-sworn warriors who had gone ahead could not even approach the fallen great saints' physical bodies. They were obstructed by terrifying supreme Dao marks; another step forward would have shattered them to pieces.

An ancient saint personally led the team but did not immediately enter the forbidden zone. Instead, they lingered beside the vast, dark fleet for a good half-day, only relaxing once they confirmed that the death-sworn warriors inside were still fine.

Over a hundred people boarded one of the great saint ships. Soon after, hearty laughter echoed, indicating their excitement at discovering the world-shaking divine treasures.

"Haha... perhaps we can obtain great saint-level evolution fluid! Everyone, there's no danger here. All these warships and motherships are ours!"

A Half-Saint emerged from the ancient ship, laughing heartily and delivering this news, which immediately exhilarated the crowd, making their bodies tremble.

Aside from anything else, if this expedition yielded such a magnificent fleet, it would be worth more than anything. The strength and foundations of the twelve great royal families would advance by leaps and bounds!

"Four great saint-level ancient ships, numerous Saint-King-level warships, and even unparalleled mechs!"

A sudden uproar erupted. Everyone was stunned, then nearly went mad, all wanting to charge forward.

Suddenly, an ancient saint's expression changed, and he urgently cried out, "It's bad! The disaster is back! Come back quickly!"

His face was ashen, veins throbbing on his forehead, and he roared loudly, wishing he could rush over and pull everyone out.

"What's wrong? What's happening?" The bewildered crowd all looked forward.

"What did they touch? Why has the ancient coffin grown dark, utterly impenetrable, turning into chaos?" people cried in terror.

Hadn't the ancient ghost ship always been like this in the past? A boundless dark void, representing death and desolation, between the four great saint ships.

Now, that situation had reappeared!

"Come back!"

Everyone cried out. Even the saints could not remain calm, their eyes blazing with divine light as they stared intently ahead.

However, it was too late. All one hundred people vanished without a sound, swallowed by the ancient ship, never to be seen again.

"No!"

Many high-ranking figures screamed. The terrifying legend of the ancient ghost ship had resurfaced, devouring even a saint and severing his path to life.

Suddenly, the void trembled, and a figure burst forth from the great saint ship. It was the ancient saint, struggling desperately to escape, his face contorted with terror from whatever he had encountered.

"Save me..." He stretched out a hand with difficulty, rushing out of the ancient ship, on the verge of escaping the fleet.

Outside, another ancient saint, seeing this, quickly moved to help, as the struggling saint was only a dozen steps away from breaking free of the ghost ship's area. Though his steps were arduous, he was close to escaping.

However, something even more terrifying occurred. It was as if an invisible giant hand was pulling the escapee back, slowly dragging him away, preventing him from emerging.

The ancient saint who had rushed forward to help also let out a shriek of terror, his face utterly drained of color, as if he had witnessed the most horrifying sight imaginable.

He, too, became unable to move, seemingly pulled by an unseen hand, and was drawn into the ghost ship's area. Then, his features contorted, and he vanished silently into the void.

Everyone's backs were drenched in cold sweat. These were two saints, invincible beings capable of sweeping across an ancient life-bearing star!

Yet now, they appeared so helpless and fragile, simply taken away like that. This was a terror beyond compare!

"Why? What is going on?" Many marquises trembled.

However, it wasn't over. A strange ripple of energy spread, surging towards them all, threatening to make them part of the ghost ship!

"No!" they roared in terror.

Ye Fan's heart was shaken even more profoundly. While others might not realize it, his perception was the clearest: within this terrible fluctuation was a force of the void, eerily similar to the Ji family's Great Dao of Void, and it was heading straight for him!

"The Void Emperor... It's the Void Emperor!" Ye Fan was shocked. The Nine-Layered Coffin of a Divine Spirit, buried above the nine heavens, likely belonged to the Void Emperor.

"No, that's not right. There are two other forces as well, supremely powerful and terrifying, no weaker than this void energy, intertwining with it." A tempest of thoughts raged in his mind.

Three ancient great emperors—their powers were intertwined!

Upon realizing this possibility, Ye Fan was utterly shocked. How could this be? Yet, the light… it was truly real!

"It's over! We're all going to become part of the ghost ship!" At this moment, many marquises despaired.