Chapter 1174: Who is the Prey

"I have important news for the Prince!"

After being scanned and questioned, Ye Fan finally boarded the Sun Never Sets Clan's mothership. This vessel was home to the clan's direct lineage; mercenaries were generally not permitted to board.

The bronze-gold mothership was an impressive four thousand five hundred zhang long, a rare Saint-level treasure ship with incredibly powerful combat capabilities. Unfortunately, no Saint was stationed on board.

Allowing Ye Fan to board could only be described as a grave disaster. In the current world, who below a Saint could subdue him?

"What do you want?" a strong individual from the Sun Never Sets Clan asked, a hint of disdain in his eyes. They held little regard for mercenaries and temporarily recruited cultivators, viewing them primarily as cannon fodder. Now that the planet appeared to be safe and abundant in resources, these individuals seemed less important and, in fact, might only incur excessive costs.

"I've come to take possession of this ship," Ye Fan replied with a smile.

"What?! Are you insane? How dare a lowly mercenary say such a thing!" The powerful Sun Never Sets royal clan member leaped to his feet.

Ye Fan pointed a finger. A spray of blood erupted from the man's forehead, killing him instantly. His expression froze on his face as he fell stiffly to the ground.

Chaos erupted in the cabin. Everyone nearby jumped up, their faces paling in shock at this unexpected turn of events.

"Who are you, and why are you betraying your employer?" a middle-aged man shouted.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ye Fan. I come from this ancient planet, what you would call a native," Ye Fan said.

"You're the ascetic... who challenged the Cao family and humiliated Heaven? You... you're from here!" The others were astonished.

"Quickly, spread the alarm throughout the fleet!" a leader cried out, furious and exasperated.

The others also sensed trouble and began to retreat, but it was too late. Ye Fan's combat power was immense; with no Saint to obstruct him, his divine techniques manifested in an instant. His Saint Body phenomenon erupted, sweeping everyone away and incapacitating them.

"It's useless. One of my Dao bodies has already gone to the main control room, cutting off this ship's connection with the outside world. It's completely isolated now!" Ye Fan's voice was cold and merciless.

The mothership was formidable; in external combat, it could rival an ancient Saint. However, with Ye Fan inside, all its defenses became ineffective against him.

In the main control room, Ye Fan's Dao body flashed with five-colored divine light, instantly shattering over a dozen masters and stunning the Sun Never Sets clan's princes who had rushed there upon hearing the commotion.

He quickly isolated and sealed off all critical areas to prevent the clan members from resorting to desperate self-destructive measures.

The events unfolded too suddenly. The Sun Never Sets Clan was completely bewildered; the mothership changing hands was utterly surreal and unacceptable.

While Ye Fan's Dao body took control of the main control room, his true body swept through the massive mothership like a human tyrannosaurus, crushing numerous masters. No one could block him for even a step wherever he went.

Half an hour later, he had completely taken control of the mothership!

"Ah..." Some leaders of the Sun Never Sets Clan died, while the rest became captives, confined within a sealed compartment. They were filled with frustration and resentment.

It was like a myth: one person had captured their mothership, and so swiftly. They were utterly defeated, completely powerless to resist!

Ye Fan immediately located the evolution fluid. Upon opening the stopper, essence energy permeated the air. He took a sniff and instantly confirmed that it surpassed third-tier evolution fluid.

"They said it's not as good as fourth-stage evolution fluid and requires conditioning and refinement, so for now, I'll keep it aside."

Ye Fan did not kill the captives, as they would be immensely useful. They understood how to operate ancient Saint-level war tools, motherships, and battleships, all of which could be given to Sky Village.

Afterward, he controlled a Sun Never Sets Prince by implanting his divine sense into the Prince's skull, issuing command after command to mobilize the hundred-plus battleships surrounding the mothership.

He ordered the fleet to enter the Northern Region but to refrain from rash actions. Then, he piloted the mothership himself, performing a space jump directly to Sky Village.

The big black dog was stunned, its bell-like eyes glowing green. Having learned the value of spaceships two years prior, it salivated profusely and declared, "It's mine! My imperial mothership has arrived!"

The little monk scurried over, tattling, "Master, when you weren't here, the Black Emperor and Duan De kept coaxing me to drink and pilfer others' treasures. None of it was my own will; I missed you."

"Haha... I never thought we brothers would meet again, and so soon!" Li Tian appeared, his demeanor as captivating as ever, his roguish charm undiminished, the essence of a scoundrel unchanged.

"Your third disciple wasn't led astray by others; he's simply mischievous by nature," Yan Yixi said, his white robes flowing even more elegantly than before.

"Wahahaha, I can't believe I get to catch aliens one day, this is great!" The Dragon Horse, always ready to stir up trouble, appeared. Possessing extreme speed, it shot forth like a streak of crimson light, its mane like flames, and dazzling scales on its robust body.

Sky Village was completely roused. Many people emerged, all greatly astonished by the sight of the colossal mothership.

They were even more bewildered upon seeing Ye Fan, as no one had expected to see him again.

Those who embarked on the ancient starry road, taking the path of the strongest trial, rarely returned calmly throughout history. Even if they survived, it was usually many years later.

Yet, only two years had passed, and Ye Fan had reappeared, full of vigor, and moreover, he had "kidnapped" such a colossal ship. It left everyone speechless.

"Hey kid, did you even set foot on the starry trial path? How are you back so soon? You didn't just desert, did you?" said Old Saber Handle, the grandson of Killer Saint Qiluo.

The others burst into laughter at his words.

"Divine Son!" Little Sparrow also appeared, happily waving towards him.

A large crowd surrounded him. Even Killer Saint Qiluo arrived. After two years, he seemed even more detached, completely devoid of a killer's aura, resembling more a philosopher with a serene disposition.

"It makes no sense. How did you return so quickly? I heard from the old Saint of the Qi Shi Mansion that it's extremely difficult to find the way back once you leave, as the starry coordinates here are not apparent. You can only slowly grope your way back once you're powerful enough," Killer Saint said, full of doubt.

"Heh, I missed everyone midway, so I took a little detour. I specially came back today to visit you all and bring a grand gift!" Ye Fan chuckled.

Everyone was speechless. Throughout history, this was the first time someone had returned midway after embarking on the trial path. It was truly defying the heavens.

"I've already sent people through the domain gate to deliver the message. The Saint Prince, Wildman, Ji Zi, Yao Yuekong, and others will arrive soon," the Black Emperor said, its eyes gleaming. It knew this was going to be a major undertaking.

The Dragon Horse snorted, its eyes rolling. It circled the mothership, tapping and prodding, and upon realizing it was a Saint-level artifact, it immediately grew excited, shouting about plundering everything.

Ye Fan explained to everyone why he had returned, then urged Sky Village to act quickly. First, all the captives had to be detained, as they would be of great use in the future.

The Black Emperor was the most attentive and excited, saying, "That's right, there are many things this Emperor hasn't figured out yet! This time, I'll become the overlord under the starry sky. By deciphering their stargates, I'll probably be able to comprehend the five-colored altars of the ancient Great Emperors!"

"Master!" Ye Tong was the first to return, his eyes brimming with tears. He had thought they would never meet again in this life and was overwhelmed by such a quick reunion.

Ye Fan patted his shoulder, noting that in two years, his eldest disciple had become vibrant and heroic, his strength advancing by leaps and bounds, close to "Severing the Dao" and about to take that crucial step!

Afterward, Li Heishui arrived, followed by Wu Zhongtian and Jiang Huairen. All were emotional at being able to reunite.

"Haha..." A monkey with dazzling golden fur appeared, exuding overwhelming vitality like a nascent deity, making one sense the immense and terrifying potential within him.

The Saint Prince's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. He had visited Mount Sumeru two years prior and had been in secluded cultivation since returning, achieving remarkable Dao fruits and making great progress in his spiritual path.

However, upon seeing Ye Fan again, he first laughed, then was filled with astonishment, saying, "Severing the Dao, eighth layer! You... that fast?!"

Ye Fan smiled and said, "Later, when we deal with those motherships and seize the evolution fluid, our cultivation will advance by at least one level, perhaps even several."

He explained the entire sequence of events, causing everyone to nod, their eyes gleaming with divine light and immense excitement.

The Black Emperor clamored, "There's such a great benefit! I think this is perfect. This Emperor will meticulously study the stargates and will surely decipher them soon. Then, we can go directly to the Eternal Main Star and plunder them for a long time!"

The Dragon Horse was also immensely proud and declared, "Heh, this seat will gallop through the starry sky and enter the Eternal. Call that grave robber; let him go dig graves there!"

"Me too, me too!" The little monk raised his small hand, jumping vigorously as if afraid of being left behind.

This group of troublemakers had only just heard some information and were already plotting against the Eternal.

"Be careful. There's an organization called 'God' over there, and many other strange and terrifying things," Ye Fan warned, urging them to focus for now. The most critical thing was to act quickly, otherwise, he feared that group would truly attack the seven great life restricted zones.

"Let's go, time to capture some wild aliens!" The group laughed and boarded the mothership simultaneously. If the people from the Eternal Main Star heard this, their noses would surely wrinkle in fury at being treated as prey.

To be on the safe side, Killer Saint also set off, as those motherships were Saint-level, with Saints guarding them, and also possessed powerful war tools.

At this time, war had erupted in various places. The Lantu Clan truly headed straight for the Primordial Ancient Mine. A huge mothership leading dozens of battleships was outside this restricted zone and immediately sensed something amiss.

"Something's wrong. There's a terrifying, anomalous force here, causing all the instruments inside the spaceships to become inaccurate."

"It's barren here, devoid of any life. This should be an ownerless land. The ancient Saints they spoke of shouldn't be here."

Ultimately, over a dozen battleships proceeded to scout, flying in to explore thoroughly, as the Primordial Life Stone was more precious than their lives to them.

Boom! However, something astonishing happened: every battleship that entered the restricted zone lost control, plummeting toward the ground and then shattering into pieces.

On another battlefield, the Vast Sea Clan from the Eternal Main Star achieved great gains. They passed through an ancient clan gathering area, launched an attack, cut off their main mountain peak, and seized a large amount of resources.

Not all ancient clans possessed Ancestor Kings, and the clan in this region was not very strong, being suppressed with no power to retaliate.

"These natives truly are weak. Let's head to the Fire Kirin Cave and see what great gains we can find in that sacred land."

The clan's Prince nodded and said, "The Lantu Clan is rushing to the Primordial Ancient Mine, and the Cao family and the Mo family from the Primordial Demonic Sea are heading to the Immortal Mountain. We must act quickly and not fall behind!"