Yang Kai chatted with the youth called Shen Tu in a casual, unhurried manner, deliberately probing for information he wanted. He gained a great deal from the exchange.
Gradually, he came to understand some common knowledge about his surroundings.
The star region he currently resided in was called the Heng Luo Star Region. Though its area was immense, encompassing countless stars, it was merely a small portion of the vast universe.
Within the Heng Luo Star Region, several colossal forces controlled the fate of the entire region.
The Sword Alliance was one such power, Purple Star was another. In addition, there were the Heng Luo Trading Company, the Star River Spine, the Abandoned Nest — all of these factions coexisted in their own territories throughout the star region.
Beneath these top-tier powers were innumerable smaller factions of every conceivable size.
To judge whether a faction was truly powerful, one need only look at whether it could afford to deploy a warship.
Generally, any faction possessing such a massive artifact as a warship could be considered a regional powerhouse. Warships were extraordinarily expensive to build and even costlier to maintain.
One need only glance at the rows upon rows of Sacred Crystals arranged in the engine room to understand just how energy-intensive a super-sized artifact of this magnitude was when operational.
Most minor factions simply couldn't afford it.
"Each of the major forces oversees many Cultivation Stars — two or three for the smaller ones, seven or eight for the larger. They vary considerably," Shen Tu said. He clearly knew far more about the star region than Yang Kai and had already noted that Yang Kai seemed completely ignorant of these matters, so he answered openly, holding nothing back.
"Cultivation Stars?" Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
"Stars that are suitable for living beings to inhabit and cultivate on," Shen Tu explained patiently. "The universe is vast, with more stars than anyone could count, but the vast majority of them are unsuitable for habitation and cultivation due to all manner of reasons. Those that are suitable are called Cultivation Stars."
"I see." Yang Kai nodded slightly, indicating his understanding.
"However, those stars unsuitable for habitation aren't entirely without value. Some are rich in rare minerals, others boast abundant spirit herbs and medicines. Those are called Mineral Stars and Medicinal Stars. Every major faction controls quite a few of them — the resources they produce allow these factions to develop themselves considerably. Of course, there are Dead Stars as well. Entire stars that are lifeless, with no mineral deposits, no medicinal herbs, not even any ambient energy between heaven and earth."
Yang Kai couldn't help but be moved.
On the Tongxuan Continent, major factions would fight to the death over even a small patch of territory. But in this star region, there were factions that could command multiple entire stars.
It was something he wouldn't have dared to imagine before.
Compared to the wonders of the star region, the Tongxuan Continent suddenly seemed rather dull.
"Every Cultivation Star has a Star Lord. The Star Lord is the supreme ruler of that star. If you and I could ever reach that level, our lives would have been well spent." Shen Tu chuckled low, a look of yearning flickering in his eyes.
"What kind of cultivation level does a Star Lord possess?"
"Inconceivable. A Sacred King-grade high-tier warship like this one — any Star Lord could destroy it with a snap of his fingers!" Shen Tu took a deep breath.
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment.
Although Shen Tu hadn't told him the exact cultivation level of a Star Lord, he could guess — those were definitely experts who had surpassed the Sacred King Realm.
Above the Sacred King Realm, there were even higher realms!
"Take a look outside," Shen Tu said, nodding discreetly.
Yang Kai followed his gaze and saw the enormous, beautiful stars beyond the hull of the warship.
The engine room was the lowest level of the entire vessel and the place responsible for controlling its direction and speed. Because of that, one could see the outside from within.
Translucent yet sturdy windows, forged from some unknown material, lined the walls on all sides. Through them, one could take in the situation in every direction at once.
"What do you think of these stars?" Shen Tu asked.
"The ambient energy they contain is beyond imagination," Yang Kai answered in a low, solemn voice. He had been stunned by the energy stored in these stars ever since he'd been lost in the Chaos Abyss.
"Indeed. Across the entire Heng Luo Star Region, no single Cultivation Star can compare to even one of the stars here. Every faction in the star region is eager to develop the stars within the Chaos Abyss. Whether it's that one blazing like fire or that one piercingly cold — each is perfectly suited for warriors of a particular elemental affinity to deepen their cultivation. Anyone who cultivates there would gain benefits beyond imagination."
"But I've heard it's extremely dangerous — the forbidden zone of the entire star region. There are fields emanating from those stars, chaotic and disorienting."
"Exactly. Because they contain such tremendous energy, they generate those chaotic domain fields that cause people to lose their way. That's precisely why the Chaos Abyss has always been a stellar forbidden zone — no one has been able to develop it, let alone cultivate on those stars."
"Then this warship…"
"Don't worry. Every warship carries the highest-grade star chart available, and aboard each vessel there are cartographers skilled in star charting. So warships won't get lost here — that's the confidence that allows them to venture in. Star Shuttles are a different story. The chaotic domain fields easily damage the star charts inside a Shuttle, so no one dares to pilot one here alone."