A black warship drifted silently through the desolate Star Domain, gliding without a sound like a colossal phantom.
Upon its hull, a skull insignia marked its origins.
It belonged to the Yellow Springs Sect of the Great Desolation Star Domain.
The enormous warship wandered through the starry expanse like a rootless vagabond, solitary and alone. Though it was nothing more than an inanimate vessel, it emanated an atmosphere of profound desolation — an air of tragic finality, as though it had reached the bitter end of its road.
Its heading was toward a Void Corridor, one that had appeared only within the past two years, connecting back to the Great Desolation Star Domain. If they could reach that corridor, there would be a chance to return home.
Ever since the Hengluo Star Field's counterattack had begun five years ago, the days of the Great Desolation Star Domain's martial artists had grown increasingly grim. Invader after invader had been picked off, and panic spread like wildfire through the hearts of every Great Desolation warrior. They could not understand why the Hengluo Star Field — which should have had no power to resist — had suddenly risen up with such devastating force.
Every sect and faction that had invaded this star domain had paid an atrocious price. The Myriad Beast Villa had been annihilated. The Yitian Sword Sect had been annihilated. The Mad Thunder God Sect had likewise been annihilated…
Which of these factions had not been among the supreme powers of the Great Desolation Star Domain? Yet before the Hengluo Star Field — this beast that devoured its prey without leaving a bone — not one of them had possessed even the slightest ability to fight back.
The surviving Great Desolation warriors had even begun to suspect it was all a conspiracy on the part of the Hengluo Star Field. The feigned weakness of the preceding dozen or more years had been nothing but a ploy to draw the enemy deeper, luring more and more warriors into the domain only to slaughter them all.
Though the Yellow Springs Sect had not been completely destroyed, it was not far from it. The entire sect now consisted of this sole surviving warship — battered and scarred by the fires of war, its hull riddled with dents and stains, every surface bearing the marks of brutal combat.
It had fought desperately to break free of the encirclement, drifting through the star domain for a long while before finally shaking off its pursuers.
Home. We must get home.
This star domain was absolutely not a place one could invade with impunity.
The Void Corridor lay no more than a thousand li ahead. Inside the warship, the surviving Yellow Springs Sect warriors could see it clearly through the crystal-polished windows — the scent of home curling around their nostrils, as if long-lost loved ones were beckoning to them from afar. Every face lit up with joy, and their excitement became almost unbearable.
Then a white figure materialized out of thin air directly in the warship's path, blocking its way.
The warriors aboard quickly spotted the apparition. One of them activated the ship's formation array, projecting an enlarged image of the figure onto the warship's interior displays. In an instant, a woman imprinted itself upon every pair of eyes — hair cascading like a waterfall, robes white as snow, a face of otherworldly beauty. Her expression was cool and detached, yet her bearing radiated a noble, almost sacred quality that made anyone who looked upon her feel utterly insignificant by comparison.
A collective hiss of drawn breath rang out, and the entire warship fell deathly silent. Everyone held their breath.
It was her!
The people of the Great Desolation Star Domain did not know her name, but this woman was the shared nightmare of every last one of them.
A Void King Third Stage martial artist was as fragile as a child before her. When that long sword began to dance, there was simply no one who could stand against her.
The temperature inside the warship plummeted. Every person's hands and feet went cold, their entire bodies shivering. The colossal warship and that diminutive figure formed a stark and dramatic contrast — yet it was the warship that groaned and creaked before her, as though whimpering in terror.
"Slut! Do you really intend to drive us all to extinction?!"
An aged, furious voice erupted from within the warship.
Su Yan stood suspended in the void, her beautiful eyes like autumn pools, gazing calmly at the warship barreling toward her. She showed no intention of responding.
"Stand aside at once, or this day shall be your burial ground!" The aged voice sharpened with threats, though its tone betrayed an unmistakable undercurrent of fear.
Su Yan did not budge. Her slender hand rose and settled upon the hilt of her sword.
"You're courting death! Ram her!" The aged voice had clearly been pushed past its limits. True, this woman had demonstrated extraordinary cultivation and power over the past few years — but however strong an individual might be, how could they possibly contend with a full-scale warship?
The Great Desolation survivors were desperate to flee back to their home domain and had no wish to provoke unnecessary trouble here, which was why they had resorted to threats in the first place.
Since she refused to heed their warning, then she could die right here.
The warship emitted a resonant hum, its speed surging abruptly as it charged straight toward Su Yan.
The distance between them closed rapidly. Su Yan remained perfectly still where she stood — no evasion, no drawn blade, not even the slightest change in her expression. As though what hurtled toward her was not a titanic warship, but merely a gentle breeze.
At a distance of thirty li, a streak of sword light flickered into existence for the barest instant, its point tapping the massive hull.
And in that same instant, the thirty li of space was flattened. The warship burst through the spot where Su Yan had been standing and rocketed onward at blinding speed.
"Hahaha! Overestimating yourself!"
The aged voice roared with laughter — only for the laughter to cut off abruptly. He had just realized that Su Yan, who should have been crushed to dust, stood completely unharmed behind the warship.
The sword at her waist had been drawn at some unknowable moment. Now, with her back to the warship, she slid it back into its sheath and transformed into a streak of radiance, streaking away into the distance. Not once, from start to finish, had she cast so much as a single glance at the warship.
"What in the blazes—?!" The owner of the aged voice was utterly bewildered.