CHAPTER 443: CHAPTER 443: MOTIONLESS IN THE DARKNESS

Everything seems to have returned to its original path—the crisis that began with the Taixu Spirit Hub ultimately points back to the Taixu Spirit Hub.

As a hyperspace communication warning came from the high orbit of Shuji, alarms sounded instantly across the entire Capital Star, from the Yaolan Sect to the Netherworld Valley, from the Fixed Heaven Star Array located at the pole to the Near Earth Guard Station over the equator. The wailing alarms echoed through the atmosphere of Taixu Star, striking at everyone’s heart.

Ancient planetary defense protocols were activated, and thousands of towering palaces in the orbit of Taixu Star began emergency orbital maneuvers. A series of defense arrays were lit up, forming a rapidly closing misty light screen over the planet. The Capital Star Guard assembled and took to the skies in the shortest time possible, building both an inner and outer defense line with the support of "Taiyou." The sect elders and reclusive ancestors still in seclusion were summoned and awakened; without having time to adjust their auras, they brought their sect-defining magic treasures and weapons to space, filling positions on the defense line...

Qianfeng Ling Mountain.

A hazy rift of light and shadow opened between the mountains, and as the rift continued to flip and expand outward, the starship "Otherworld Inn" with its cathedral-like design transmitted directly from the high orbit of Shuji to the Cloud Sea before Queyun Palace. True Man Yuanling stood on the plaza in front of the great hall, watching the massive ship gradually descend into the Cloud Sea, his expression solemn.

The Nine-tailed Silver Fox flew across the sky, landing before the great hall and transforming into human form. Yu Sheng and his group returned to this familiar place once again.

Having traveled directly from the heart of the thrilling storm over Shuji to the Cloud Sea Hall of Qianfeng Ling Mountain, the sudden change in surroundings was almost hard to adapt to—especially for Yu Sheng, who had just moments ago been viewing the Alien Planet from the perspective of the storm, and then, a few minutes after "Resurrection," had forcibly transmitted the Otherworld Inn to the Taixu Spirit Hub. Jumping off Hu Li’s back, he almost toppled into the Cloud Sea behind him if Luna had not reached out to steady him.

True Man Yuanling walked over quickly, but before he could speak, Erin, who had just landed, hurriedly spoke up, "Old man, has the Inference Star Body come?"

"Not yet," True Man Yuanling quickly replied, "but the defense line is formed, and experts and armaments from various sects are still ascending. I will also take the Mountain Guardian Disciples to the near-earth orbit later—although we don’t know which direction the ’Inference Star Body’ will come from."

"Honestly, I doubt your ’defense line’ can block that thing," Erin sighed, "but having some preparations is better than none."

Yu Sheng had somewhat regained his composure by now and waved his hand after hearing the puppet’s comment, "Stay optimistic, the Inference Star Body now only has a ’Ascension Core’ left, and it’s severely damaged with its energy almost exhausted. Maybe it really can be stopped..."

Erin pursed her lips and didn’t respond, while True Man Yuanling turned his gaze to the two figures behind Yu Sheng.

Master Yuan Hao stood there with Xuan Che, the former still composed, but the latter already showing signs of fatigue.

"Is there no way to intercept it earlier?" Master Yuan Hao stepped forward and asked straightforwardly.

"No way," True Man Yuanling shook his head, "anything that enters ’Super Space’ is almost impossible to intercept, not to mention that the ’Inference Star Body’s’ transition method is completely different from that of regular Immortal Boats or Starships. On my side, I received only a faint tracking signal automatically transmitted from Shuji at the start, but then the signal broke off, and now we can’t even be sure of the Inference Star Body’s transition speed..."

Yu Sheng immediately frowned, "So you’re saying that the thing might arrive at the Taixu Spirit Hub in a few days, several months, or maybe even appear in the orbit the next second?"

True Man Yuanling said nothing, only nodding his head with an unsightly expression.

After a moment, he broke the silence with a faint hint of worry, "How’s the situation at Shuji?"

The explosive speed and intensity of the current events exceeded many people’s expectations, and the tricky nature of the "Inference Star Body" was even harder to contend with. He had sent a team to Shuji for support earlier, but the border was far off, and the sect teams convened from the nearest planets hadn’t arrived on time. The entire Shuji was sealed off into an "Exotic Realm" by the Dark Angel, and when communication resumed, Qianfeng Ling Mountain directly received the alarm that the Inference Star Body was already heading straight for the Taixu Spirit Hub—raising grave concerns about Shuji’s current condition.

...Though at this time, Taixu Spirit Hub was also shrouded in shadow.

"Shuji suffered great losses, but they primarily stemmed from the Inference Star Body’s erosion and transformation of the entire star over the past centuries," Yu Sheng sighed, "From the final results, that star at least has been preserved, along with most of its population—I used some means to force the Inference Star Body into an early Ascension, thereby weakening It while avoiding the disintegration of the entire star... that’s already the limit of what I could manage."

True Man Yuanling blinked his eyes.

A moment later, he directly bowed deeply to Yu Sheng: "This is a monumental achievement..."

"Let’s not talk about achievements now; we must first think about how to deal with the Inference Star Body," Yu Sheng waved his hand, "If that thing really makes contact with the Taixu Spirit Hub, all my previous efforts will be wasted, and without subsequent assistance from the Taixu Spirit Hub, those who survived in Shuji might not live for long—"

True Man Yuanling’s expression turned serious: "What do we need to do? All the Taixu sects will fully cooperate!"

Yu Sheng did not respond immediately.

What was needed? If the Inference Star Body appeared in orbit the next moment... then probably nothing could be done in time.

He needed a storm like Shuji, another trap, a renewed preparation; he needed to soak the Inference Star Body’s Ascension Core in a bloody rain once more, and the Inference Star Body (Yun Qingzi) would have to willingly cooperate with this process...

It seemed almost impossible.

And just as he was thinking this, another sharp alarm suddenly pierced through the sky, the unsettling wailing echoing in the clouded misty sea of Qianfeng Ling Mountain.

The expressions on the faces of Yuanling, Yuan Hao, and Xuan Che changed almost simultaneously.

The next moment, Yu Sheng saw an Inner Sect Disciple quickly descend from the clouds, almost crashing down in front of True Man Yuanling, his face pale: "M-Master! It’s here, the Inference Star Body is here!!"

True Man Yuanling took a light breath.

"So soon?"

So soon!

Although this worst possibility had been mentioned before, the real appearance of the Inference Star Body on the orbit still made everyone’s heart sink.

Yu Sheng turned his head and glanced at the Otherworld Inn, which was anchored in the Cloud Sea. He knew how fast he had come. Although he briefly adjusted his state before departure (mainly reshaping his flesh from the storm and readapting to the "human" perspective), it didn’t take long, and after that, he directly opened the door to teleport the ship to Taixu Star, without passing through any Super Space channel in between.

And the Inference Star Body... was only slightly slower than him.

If this is the "warp" speed of the Inference Star Body, considering the far distance of Shuji from here, its navigation speed is almost comparable to instant movement—how did it do that? Or could it be... the true power of "Descent" possessed by a fully mature "Dark Angel"?

Startled, Yu Sheng knew this was not the time to think deeply, and waved his hand: "Don’t think about it, ascend first!"

The powerful engine array roared to life, and the Otherworld Inn slowly ascended from the Cloud Sea, accompanied by dozens of fully armed Spirit Mountain Immortal Boats, all soaring from various places in Qianfeng Ling Mountain, a stream of lights rushing straight towards the Near Earth Orbit.

In the command hall of the Otherworld Inn, the holographic communication platform dimly lit up, and Yu Sheng looked towards the holographic projection above the communication device—Yuanling, Yuan Hao, and Xuan Che were now on the main Flying Boat "Taia" of Qianfeng Ling Mountain. The communication screen showed the wide Spirit Plate Hall behind them, along with the busy Boat Control Disciples in the hall.

Behind Yu Sheng was the wide observation window of the Otherworld Inn—beyond the sturdy polymer window and the faintly glowing shield, the rapidly sinking edge of the planet was visible, alongside the vast, looming space.

Countless twinkling light points filled the space, and between these light points, a semi-transparent hazy barrier enveloping the entire planet could be vaguely seen.

"Where is the Inference Star Body now?"

Yu Sheng came to the communication platform, asking urgently.

"It’s still staying in the high orbit," Xuan Che said, looking a bit strange, "A crack opened a few moments ago, and a mass of gray-black crystal drifted out of it, but after that, it hasn’t moved from its place."

Yu Sheng frowned.

"Stopped on the orbit? Not moving?"

"Yes," Xuan Che nodded, then directly shared the returned footage with the Otherworld Inn, "This just came from the Sky Dome Hall, you can have a look."

Watching the shared footage, Yu Sheng’s brow furrowed more and more deeply.

The "Ascension Core" of the Inference Star Body was right there in the vast expanse of space, seemingly... it had completely ceased any activity.

Tiny black fissures floated amid the starlit glow, the fold projections left in space-time by yet fully dissipated Super Space channels, and set against this backdrop of a seemingly shattered cradle, was the ugly gray-black "crystal mass" left by the Inference Star Body Core. The crystalline matter, shriveled and entangled like withered roots, twitched in a spasmodic death throe, with a faint glow remaining within the crystal mass, but... it seemed only that faint glow was left.

Luna had come to stand behind Yu Sheng without him noticing, staring intently at the footage on the holographic display. After a while, she suddenly spoke, "It looks like it’s dying."

Yu Sheng said nothing, only tightened his frown.

He attempted to sense a connection through his blood, to "call out" to the crystal frozen in space.

But what responded was only a hollow and unclear howl, like... the wind that occasionally blows through the Soul Wilderness.