The two of them now found themselves inside a grand hall that radiated an ancient aura. Clearly, it had stood for a very long time. With no one coming or going over the years and no maintenance, signs of decay were visible all around.
Inside the hall, at least a hundred skeletal remains sat cross-legged, scattered throughout the space.
These skeletons had long since lost all traces of life, their flesh and blood gone, even the clothes they had once worn weathered away to nothing. Only bare white bones remained—some still vaguely held a human shape, while others had crumbled into scattered pieces on the floor, a truly pitiful sight.
After confirming that there was no danger nearby, Ao's gaze fell upon the skeletons surrounding them, and his eyes darkened with sorrow. He sighed, "These must be the Disciples of our Trade Association who didn't make it out in time."
Back when the spatial formation had failed so suddenly, some warriors who had been mining on this ore star hadn't been able to return to Water Moon Star before the connection was severed. Ten thousand years had passed. This ore star was unsuitable for warrior Cultivation, so their cultivation had stagnated, and inevitably, they had simply grown old and perished here.
Just within this hall alone, over a hundred had died. One could only imagine how many more had perished outside.
That incident had dealt a devastating blow to the Heng Luo Trade Association. According to the records, over five thousand Disciples had been lost!
That meant five thousand Heng Luo Trade Association Disciples had died on this ore star.
"Please accept my condolences, Senior," Yang Kai said. He didn't know how to offer comfort. Seeing Ao's somber expression, all he could manage were a few words.
Ao gave a bitter smile. "I understand. It has been over ten thousand years after all. It's just that I feel the Association has failed them. They spilled their blood and devoted their lives here, and after all these ages, hardly anyone remembers them."
"They will be remembered," Yang Kai said. "They died here because they wanted to protect this formation, to keep it from being damaged by external forces. That in itself is a tremendous contribution."
"How so?" Ao asked, startled.
Yang Kai grinned. "Think about it this way—to perform interstellar teleportation, you need two spatial formations linked together. If either one is damaged, teleportation becomes impossible. The formation in Water Moon Star City was broken, but after I repaired it, we were able to teleport here. That means the formation on this end was intact. I was actually worried beforehand—if the formation here had been damaged, I would have had to enter the Void Passage alone to repair the teleportation node. That would have been genuinely dangerous, even for me. But that scenario didn't materialize, which means they protected this formation right up until the end. For the Association, isn't that a monumental contribution? You should record their deeds so that future generations can pay their respects."
Understanding dawned on Ao's face, and he nodded repeatedly. "You're right. Though I don't even know their names, they are undeniably heroes of the Association. Future generations should remember their deeds."
When people are in despair, facing death, they can become frantic and irrational—capable of anything. Yet these hundred-plus people who had perished in this hall had not lost their minds. They hadn't destroyed the spatial formation here. Instead, they had held their ground to the very end, probably hoping that one day someone would come from Water Moon Star to rescue them.
Unfortunately, they had no way of knowing that the wait would stretch to over ten thousand years. By then, they had long since turned to bone.
Ao's expression suddenly turned solemn. He descended from the formation platform and walked up to the hundred-plus skeletons. With a grave tone, he declared, "I am Ao, current President of the Heng Luo Trade Association. Your contributions shall be recorded in full. Your deaths were not in vain. I have arrived too late, but today I will bring you home—to be laid to rest in peace. If there is any offense in my handling of your remains, I ask the spirits of the honored dead to forgive me!"
As he spoke, he produced an empty spatial ring and, with careful waves of his hand channeling his Saint Qi, began collecting the skeletons one by one into the ring.
Then the second, and the third…
It took half an incense stick's worth of time before Ao had collected all the remains.
He turned to Yang Kai. "I'm going to go outside and search for any other Disciples. Feel free to look around—this is an ore star, and you might find something of value. Don't be shy about it. Whatever you discover, that will be your own fortune."
"Alright. Let's regroup here in one month. There are a few things I still need to discuss with you, Senior."
Ao nodded, and with a flicker of his figure, vanished from the spot.
After he left, Yang Kai promptly stepped out of the hall as well.
He looked around. This ore star bore a striking resemblance to the one he had once stumbled upon by chance—dark, damp, and cold, with sparse spiritual energy that made it unsuitable for Cultivation. Yet it harbored incredibly rich mineral deposits.
The Celestial Pillar Sect now relied on the reserves from that ore star, having grown enormously wealthy as a result. He believed that if the Heng Luo Trade Association could develop this ore star's resources, their financial standing would rise to yet another level entirely.
Thinking of that ore star, Yang Kai felt a stir of inspiration. With a wave of his hand, he released Little and the firebird.
"Master, what are your orders?" Liu Yan still cut a fiery figure—her porcelain-white arms bared to the air, wearing a flame-red garment that ended just above her navel, her exquisite belly button strikingly alluring.
Yang Kai glanced at her, shook his head, and turned to the Stone Puppet. "Little, is there anything here you like?"
It was almost a pointless question. The moment Little was released, its small black-bean eyes had gone wide as it looked around in every direction, appearing utterly doltish. But Yang Kai knew this was a sign of its extreme excitement.
For the Stone Puppet race, which could naturally refine mineral essence for their own use, an ore star was nothing short of paradise. Given enough time, they could devour and refine an entire ore star.
No sooner had Yang Kai finished speaking than Little nodded its head vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice.
Yang Kai grinned and asked in a low voice, "Is there any residual origin energy?"
The last time they had been on an ore star, Little had absorbed a remnant of the star's origin energy, which had caused it to enter a dormant state of evolution. Although it hadn't grown stronger after awakening, it had gained the ability to disregard the domain fields of Void King realm cultivators.