Chapter 1231: Ancient Star

Wuxia Novel

A book's beginning and end unfold in due course, always relying on the author's boundless creativity. Yet, sensing the publisher's displeasure, I submit my ideas to continue the narrative.

Chapter 1232: Ancient Star

It was an exceptionally massive cosmic mothership, resembling a meteor streaking across the sky, oppressive and suffocating in its sheer dark presence.

It was jet black, bearing a single character, "God," written in an ancient divine script, exuding a strange and powerful aura.

The arrival of "God" sent a chill down everyone's spine. Members of the Holy Light Mercenary Group dared not provoke it, opting to evade its path and watch it pass overhead.

The Tanmu starfield was vast and boundless. While spacecraft were frequently spotted here, none possessed the same deterrent power as "God."

"This organization is mysterious and unpredictable," said veteran mercenary Huo Bai. "It's rumored they can penetrate into the ancient ends of the cosmos, leaving their footprints in many places. They are not to be provoked."

"The 'God' organization is incredibly powerful," another mercenary added. "Some cultivators say they don't originate from the Eternal Main Star; they've merely established a base within our dominion."

Dao Yi remained silent, simply staring as the "God" mothership vanished into the distance, a contemplative expression on his face.

Whoosh!

A brilliant light streaked across the sky, and a distant battleship was shattered, blossoming like fireworks and disintegrating into cosmic dust.

Dozens of spacecraft charged forward, attacking the fleet ahead. Battleships there exploded one after another, as beams of light crisscrossed the void.

"Quick, let's go!"

The Holy Light Mercenary Group's mothership opened a stargate, performing a spatial jump with all its battleships to leave the area, unwilling to be drawn into the conflict.

"It's the Cao family pursuing the Flame Mercenary Group."

In the cosmic starfield, rival factions inevitably clashed upon meeting. With many major powers entering this region, conflicts were bound to arise, and accumulated grudges often led to all-out battles.

The Tanmu starfield was vast, and the Holy Light Mercenary Group conducted a gradual search, covering the entire eastern region, but consistently found nothing.

"Alas," sighed the veteran mercenary. "The ancestors of the Suthra tribe once descended upon that ancient star, but it hasn't been seen again in the sixty thousand years since. Coming here now, it's likely we'll only have wasted our time. Otherwise, why would they have surrendered the ancient divine skin scrolls?"

Several days passed, yet their life-form sensors yielded no results. If there were any ancient life-bearing sites in this starfield, they would have registered by now.

During this time, they only encountered more spacecraft, all like theirs, searching for the Ancient Tree of Life.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch," many despaired. "I don't think anyone will find that ancient site. Perhaps it has long been lost in the river of history."

A violent explosion erupted. A mothership ahead was unexpectedly sunk, and many experts perished. Two hostile factions had encountered each other and launched a fierce attack.

The Holy Light Mercenary Group performed another spatial jump, altering their course to avoid involvement in the conflict. The Tanmu starfield was extremely dangerous at this time.

"This is bad," said the veteran mercenary. "If this continues, we might also be attacked. It's truly inexplicable—why has that ancient star vanished? Are the Suthra tribe lying?"

Ye Fan also offered his opinions, participating in the discussion. He believed the ancient star might have been destroyed; otherwise, it wouldn't be untraceable.

The universe was boundless, and sufficiently powerful beings could fell stars. With such a vast expanse of time having passed, anything was possible.

"There's another possibility," Dao Yi began. He was kind, radiant, and loved to smile, making him very approachable. "The Suthra tribe's ancestors might have entered a heavenly realm created by deities, and later its entrance closed, leaving them unable to find it again."

"A heavenly realm created by ancient deities... encompassing an entire ancient star?" Other mercenaries were astonished. What terrifying divine power that would be!

The dark universe was endless, with numerous major powers scattered throughout the Tanmu starfield, occasionally encountering one another.

Everyone was searching with all their might. This was no longer just about the prosperity of a single tribe; it held the potential to bring glory to an entire starfield.

"That planet ahead looks somewhat strange; let's land there." The Holy Light Mercenary Group's mothership detected a small planet and dispatched battleships to land and explore it thoroughly.

It was a planet of considerable size, completely barren, covered in meteorite craters, and appeared utterly desolate.

The mothership's scan revealed an unusually deep sinkhole on its surface, resembling a black hole, which immediately drew their attention.

Ye Fan and his crew were assigned to land their mothership here for a careful examination.

"Hmm, this sinkhole is a bit strange," remarked veteran mercenary Huo Bai, whose extensive experience led him to an immediate conclusion. "It doesn't look like a meteorite impact; it seems to have been deliberately made."

If this proved true, it would undoubtedly be an important clue, indicating at the very least that powerful beings had once frequented this area, and that life had appeared in this starfield.

The hatch opened, and Ye Fan, Huo Bai, Dao Yi, and several others stepped out one after another, circling the sinkhole with expressions of surprise.

"Could this have been blasted open by a single punch?"

The sinkhole was enormous, hundreds of miles in diameter, but it wasn't fist-shaped; it appeared to have been struck by a sharp instrument.

"Could it have been created by a single sword thrust?" Veteran mercenary Huo Bai frowned.

"It was likely formed by a single finger," Dao Yi suggested. "The point where the sinkhole enters the ground strongly resembles the tip of a finger, as if a finger had pierced through!"

A chill ran through everyone. This would imply at least a Saint. What had happened in the past? Had someone intended to split this star apart?

"Are there divine minerals here, and did an ancient Saint descend to excavate this star?" Someone's eyes glowed with fervor, considering it highly plausible.

On the Eternal Main Star, countless exploration spacecraft ventured into space annually, tasked with finding divine mines, and an unknown number of stars had been destroyed in the process.

"Not so," Dao Yi said, shaking his head. He floated into the air, his golden hair shining brightly. With one hand, he pointed towards the sinkhole, and with the other, he gestured towards the star-filled sky.

Veteran mercenary Huo Bai's expression changed, while the others remained puzzled.

Ye Fan nodded, having already grasped the truth. The one who could deliver such a strike was terrifyingly powerful, an absolutely peerless figure. This was a finger strike from the depths of the starry sky.

To be precise, this finger-strike was merely an aftershock, not deliberately aimed at this spot, but an incidental result of a battle involving a supreme expert.

After Dao Yi finished his explanation, everyone except Ye Fan and the veteran mercenary turned deathly pale. How terrifyingly powerful must such a figure be?

This discovery was reported, astonishing the Holy Light Mercenary Group's high command. Following the path of the finger-strike, they found a vast cluster of meteorites. It appeared that a giant star had been pierced through and shattered here by a single finger.

Everyone was stunned. In ancient times, peerless figures had clashed, engaging in fierce combat here, and the terrifying consequences of that single finger-strike sent shivers down everyone's spines.

It was now certain that life had existed in the Tanmu starfield in the past, and that ancient star might have been destroyed, perhaps becoming this very meteorite belt.

A black cosmic mothership sailed into view, casting a vast shadow. Compared to other spacecraft, it resembled an imposing Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Upon seeing it, various major powers retreated, clearing its path, fearful of provoking the organization known as "God."

"What have you discovered?" a hoarse voice inquired from within the black "God" ship.

The Holy Light Mercenary Group dared not offend "God" and reported truthfully. A moment of silence passed within the black mothership, then two figures flew out to meticulously explore the area.

The massive black ship's presence here drew the attention of other major powers, and several spacecraft gathered nearby to observe.

Finally, an important member of the "God" organization appeared, wearing a mask inscribed with the character "God," standing in the void. He produced a crystal-clear, white mirror, activated its power, and instantly illuminated the entire starfield.

"It's the Mirror of the Past!" veteran mercenary Huo Bai gasped, stating that this mirror could replay events from the past, a treasure even Saints could not obtain.

The mirror's surface was smooth, pristine, and translucent. It began to display a series of hazy images that gradually sharpened.

Ye Fan was surprised; he had seen a similar mirror, one that Duan De treasured. It was said to be fashioned from the forehead bone left behind by a Great Saint after they ascended to the Dao. While ascending, true bones were sometimes left, and the forehead bone, being the seat of the Immortal Platform, represented wisdom and was exceedingly rare. A mirror crafted from it became a supreme treasure, capable of tracing back all past events.

"My heavens!"

Gasps of astonishment spread. Both the Holy Light Mercenary Group and other major powers were stunned, as if they had seen a ghost.

Within the translucent bone mirror, the images grew clearer. People saw an infinitely massive finger descend, instantly shattering a star, its afterglow continuing to impact distant regions.

Many suspected that the shattered giant star was the ancient life-bearing star of old. However, as the images continued to appear, they quickly discarded this notion.

From among the fragments of the shattered giant star, a majestic figure surged forth. The shattered star transformed into a field of meteorites. This rising figure rapidly enlarged, striking out with a palm towards the distance; it was clearly a great battle.

The images cut off, and people could not see the outcome.

"The combatants were too powerful; even the Mirror of the Past cannot fully recreate that battle!"

The image flickered, and a final, shocking scene appeared before the Mirror of the Past completely dimmed.

"What?! What kind of incredibly powerful being is that?!"

Everyone was astonished; the final image was too extraordinary. A massive hand enveloped a colossal ancient star teeming with life, carrying it into the deepest reaches of the cosmos.

"This is... simply unbelievable!"

People were left speechless, gaping. The Suthra tribe had not lied; there truly had been a source of life here back then. Its disappearance was due to it being moved away by a giant hand.

"Pursue it! That giant hand vanished into the starfield ahead; it's no longer in the Tanmu starfield."

"Is it wise to pursue like this? What if we encounter a peerless expert?"

"So many years have passed; what peerless figures could still exist? We believe that even if that giant hand belonged to a deity back then, they would have long since passed away by now."

Excitement surged through the group. Thinking of the Ancient Tree of Life, their eyes gleamed with fervor.

A massive black ancient ship streaked across the sky; the "God" organization was the first to charge out, heading towards that unknown starfield for exploration.

Blazing light, destructive power, and myriads of principles unleashed without restraint—this was a battle capable of annihilating a starfield!

In the Eternal Starfield, a world-shattering battle was underway. A Great Saint from the Fire Qilin Cave had descended, wielding a supreme ancient emperor weapon, reigning over all.

In this starfield, numerous Ancestor Kings had descended, aiming to utterly destroy this ancient life-bearing star and seize everything.

Many powerful individuals from the Eternal Main Star also soared into the high heavens, all piloting mechas, rushing to the outer reaches of the domain to join the great battle.

It was a bloody war, a frenzied struggle on a grand scale. The starry sky beyond was shattered, and even some Saints were bleeding and falling.

"Make your move!" said Huo Qilin, appearing in the cold cosmos, his thick blue hair unbound, standing beside an old man.

A surging divine might erupted, undulating like a boundless ocean. The subsequent tremors grew increasingly terrifying, shaking even some stars and sweeping across the entire starfield.

The Great Saint of Fire Qilin Cave wielded a dreadful ancient emperor weapon. Now, as the weapon revived, he was about to unleash its supreme immortal power!

At the same moment, the Eternal Main Star emitted a similarly powerful fluctuation, as if a dormant battle immortal had reawakened. Divine light surged to the heavens, directly striking the outer reaches of the domain in a head-on confrontation!