That matched what Yang Kai already knew — Ada really was gentle by nature, and just like some starving ghost reborn into the world, all he did from morning to night was eat, eat, eat…
Thinking of Ada inevitably brought the Star Boundary to mind. He had no idea how things were over there. He had been away for close to a year now, but the Star Boundary shouldn't have changed too much. Besides, with Ada standing guard outside its borders, any truly powerful being who happened to pass through would likely think twice before getting too close. So on the whole, the Star Boundary was still safe. The only thing to watch out for was the Star Boundary suddenly collapsing because Ada had swallowed it. One way or another, he had to find the World Tree as quickly as possible.
After the Giant Spirits came the Dragon Clan!
Yang Kai found that rather amusing. It seemed the Dragon Clan commanded a fearsome reputation no matter where you went — back in the Star Boundary and out here beyond the void alike.
Yang Kai also came across records of the Miemeng. Its appearance was much the same as what he had seen before, and its ranking wasn't low either — quite near the top, in fact.
There really was an enormous amount of information stored in the jade slips. Once Yang Kai started reading, he plunged in headfirst, becoming as absorbed as a tireless scholar poring over texts, completely engrossed.
He had no idea how much time had passed when a violent tremor jolted him from his reading. Immediately after, a terrifying wave of searing heat swept across the void — so intense that even the great ship's protective formations couldn't block it out. The entire vessel let out agonized creaking sounds, as though it might splinter apart at any moment, the noise hair-raising to the extreme.
Yang Kai sprang to his feet and dashed out.
When he reached the deck, he saw that everyone from Great Moon Prefecture had already come out. Wei Que and Tao Rongfang were each forming spiritual seals, apparently trying to drive the ship's prohibitions to their limits. But at this moment, the outer protective barriers of the ship were on the verge of collapse, and scorch marks had even appeared on the hull, as though it had been burned by some kind of searing force.
"What's going on?" Yang Kai turned to look at Meng Hong, who stood beside him.
Meng Hong's face was flushed with intensity, and he said in a suppressed voice, "The Solar Fire is about to go out."
Yang Kai's eyes narrowed. Following Meng Hong's gaze, he saw that the Sun Star — which had been emitting a dull crimson glow until now — was suddenly blazing with furious intensity, like an enormous fireball hanging in the void. But the flames were wildly unstable, swelling one moment and shrinking the next, tongues of fire flickering erratically. Each expansion sent a wave of searing force sweeping across the surrounding void, absolutely terrifying.
A final death throe!
No one needed to explain it to him — Yang Kai could see the situation for himself at a glance. This violent eruption would likely drain the Sun Star's last reserves of power. Once these flames died out, the Solar Fire on the Sun Star would be extinguished for good, and when that happened, a fierce battle was sure to follow.
"We can't hold it, Brother Wei!" At that moment, Tao Rongfang suddenly cried out.
Wei Que's expression shifted slightly, and he barked, "Pull back!"
The words had barely left his mouth when the seals in his hands changed. The great ship immediately shot backward at tremendous speed, retreating thousands and tens of thousands of kilometers in an instant. Only after putting a vast distance between themselves and the Sun Star did the searing heat ease up somewhat, and the creaking of the hull gradually subsided.
Yang Kai looked around and saw that it wasn't just Great Moon Prefecture pulling back. Every other faction that had been lingering around the Sun Star's perimeter had reacted in much the same way — retreating in haste. Those few who managed to stay in place were vanishingly rare.
The Solar Fire's eruption had come suddenly and vanished just as quickly. In the span of barely a cup of tea, the blazing inferno lost its vigor. The flames that had been tearing through the void shrank back, and the searing aura visibly weakened.
Wei Que and Tao Rongfang exchanged a glance. There was no need for discussion — they immediately drove the ship forward toward the Sun Star. At the same time, every one of the factions that had just retreated surged forward as well, jockeying for position in a mad rush.
Everyone knew the time had come to explore the Sun Star and search for True Solar Gold.
On the deck, Wei Que swept his gaze across the assembled group and shouted, "Listen up, you little brats — once we set foot on the Sun Star, do not scatter, and do not stray too far from me or your Martial Aunt Tao. Nobody knows what kind of dangers might be up there. If you want to stay alive, stay sharp. Understood?"
"Understood!" the crowd answered in unison.
Wei Que nodded, his gaze solemn as he stared ahead. Exploring the Sun Star this time — even with two Open Heaven realm cultivators like himself and Tao Rongfang holding the line — if they truly encountered something dangerous, he wasn't sure he could protect so many people. But for something like True Solar Gold, no price was too steep.
As the distance closed, the enormous celestial body exerted an ever-stronger sense of pressure. The Solar Fire had gone out, but the residual heat would not dissipate entirely anytime soon. The closer they got, the more scorching it became, and the Sun Star's surface still intermittently flickered with points of light — the last glimmers of the Solar Fire.
Everyone aboard the ship stared ahead, mesmerized. This kind of spectacle was not something one saw every day.
It took a full hour of flight before the great ship finally reached the Sun Star. The ship came to a stop, and the crowd leaped off. The moment they drew a breath, it felt as though flames were burning inside their chests and bellies, and the acrid smell was nearly unbearable. Everyone hastily held their breath.
Wei Que changed the seals in his hands, and the great ship shrank down until it was palm-sized, which he tucked away inside his robe.
Yang Kai pressed into the crowd alongside Old Fang and the others, looking around in every direction. All sides were barren and empty — only Great Moon Prefecture's people were visible. Where the other factions had gone, nobody knew.