Chapter 271: Ambush

Three light spheres, all from the Overseas Islands.

It’s just unclear where the other two are from.

The two of them followed An Shanhe willingly, without interrupting.

Jiang Changkong didn’t ask them either—both were at the late stage of the Stellar Embryo.

“I heard Brother Changkong took first place in the Sin Domain and was rewarded with a fief,” came the voice of Hai Tianhe from within the blue light sphere. “I wonder where the Uncharted Land is? If it’s nearby, we could visit each other more often.”

“Number fifty-three. I don’t know either—I haven’t been there yet,” Jiang Changkong replied.

“Number fifty-three, that’s prime territory. It’s not far from our Overseas Islands. We should get closer,” Hai Mingsha said with a laugh.

“That’s great. Since I’ve just entered the Void Realm and don’t have many friends, it’s my good fortune to have the two of you looking out for me,” Jiang Changkong said lightly.

Of course, he was just saying that.

If there were truly any good opportunities, they likely wouldn’t think of him.

Similarly, if he had something valuable he couldn’t handle alone, he’d first turn to the three families and Huo Qinglan.

The four of them chatted and laughed as they followed An Shanhe through the clouds, arriving above the ocean.

Jiang Changkong asked curiously, “Is the Void Realm located within the sea?”

“It’s just one of the entrances,” An Shanhe replied.

Jiang Changkong was puzzled. “Then, Hai Tianhe, wouldn’t it be faster for you to come directly? Do you need federal permission every time you enter or exit?”

“The entrance to the Void Realm is often targeted by high-level Star Demons. Traveling together is the safest approach,” Hai Mingsha explained. “Of course, if you’re willing to pay in Star Stones, the Federation will protect you and ensure you reach your destination safely.”

“Pay in Star Stones?” Jiang Changkong was taken aback. “Then I won’t go. I’ll wait for the people from the City of the Abyss and escort them in myself. No need to waste Star Stones.”

An Shanhe’s face darkened, and he gritted his teeth. “Commander Huo Qinglan has already ordered that you be escorted once, free of charge.”

Could you be any more stingy?

You’ve reached the Stellar Body stage, yet you still can’t spare a few Star Stones?

Only then did Jiang Changkong move again. “Let’s go then. I’ll thank her once I’m inside. I’m just being frugal—every Star Stone should be cherished.”

Star Stones were hard to come by, after all.

“You’ve once again lowered my expectations,” An Shanhe sighed. If he weren’t currently no match for Jiang Changkong, he’d have kicked him back right then and there.

He was frustrated. After just one trip to the Sin Domain, this guy had returned, directly advanced to the high-level stage, and even gotten close to Huo Qinglan.

That alone was bad enough, but after staying back for three months, he’d directly reached the Stellar Body stage.

This was absolutely monstrous!

The group arrived above a solitary island.

The island was filled with intricate structures and a heavily armed military force guarding the area.

An Shanhe led them directly through the air to the center of the island.

There stood a massive three-story palace, entirely pitch-black and covering thousands of square meters.

It was made entirely of black stone, the same material as the black warships.

An Shanhe descended, retracting his Star Power as he landed at the palace entrance.

“Void Hall?”

Jiang Changkong looked up at the three characters carved above the palace: “Void Hall.”

An Shanhe led them inside. “This is the entrance to the Void Realm, so it’s named Void Hall. All entries and exits must be reported. Inside, there are Stellar-level Martial Artists guarding it, combined with this special material to prevent Star Demons from emerging.”

“These materials can’t handle the Stellar Body stage,” Jiang Changkong remarked calmly.

An Shanhe’s strength wasn’t low either—he was at the early stage of the Stellar Body.

“The Federation is currently developing this ore. I believe it won’t be long before we can absorb the Star Power of Stellar Body Martial Artists and deploy it for expeditionary use.”

An Shanhe explained.

As he spoke, they had already reached the depths of the first floor of the Void Hall, where a sealed gate stood.

Inside the hall were five Late Star Body Stage Martial Artists and one Stellar Body Peak Martial Artist.

Star-level Martial Artists were not here; they were on the third floor, secluded in cultivation unless an incident occurred.

“An Shanhe, take them to the Void Realm. Here is the list.”

An Shanhe handed the list to the Stellar Body Peak Martial Artist.

“Hmm, be careful. The entrance to the Void Realm has been unstable lately,” the Stellar Body Peak Martial Artist said, accepting the list and giving the door a tap.

The sealed black stone gate slowly opened, revealing a massive spatial rift. This time, Jiang Changkong felt no sense of dread.

Jiang Changkong thought again of the rift in the abyss, but he had been studying Star Script and hadn’t had time to explore it.

Once his strength improved further and he had time, he would go to the abyss to investigate.

“Let’s go. I’ll trouble you all to suppress the spatial rift and enter together,” An Shanhe said.

“Proceed.”

The six Stellar Body Martial Artists in the hall simultaneously acted, unleashing vast, surging Star Power that poured into the spatial rift.

Their formidable power directly suppressed the spatial rift, turning it into a harmless passage.

The Stellar Body Peak Martial Artist spoke again: “Stellar Body Martial Artists go first. If you encounter Star Demons, eliminate them immediately.”

“Let’s go.”

Hai Mingsha and the other two charged into the spatial passage first.

Jiang Changkong followed closely behind, then came the two Star Embryo Martial Artists, with An Shanhe bringing up the rear.

Entering the spatial rift, they were surrounded by a passage paved with Star Power by the six Stellar Body Martial Artists.

The passage isolated the terrifying forces. Jiang Changkong swept his gaze across it: “Is this the power woven from the rifts? Space?”

“Correct. Star Embryo Martial Artists can already tear through Earth’s space, but once they do, they’ll be shredded to death by the spatial rifts.”

Hai Mingsha explained: “Only Stellar Body Martial Artists can resolve these issues. Of course, legendary space-attribute Martial Artists can navigate them like fish in water.”

“Space Martial Artists? Have you seen any?”

Jiang Changkong pressed further. He had never encountered space martial arts nor heard anyone speak of them.

“They’re mentioned in Star Scripts. We treat them as legends; none have appeared on Earth yet.”

Hai Tianhe laughed: “But it’s no big deal. With our strength, we can generally shatter space and have no fear of space Martial Artists.”

Jiang Changkong said no more. Space Martial Artists weren’t anything extraordinary. Once his Power Pattern War Body reached perfection, shattering the void wouldn’t be a problem.

The four moved with extreme speed. As their words fell, they had already rushed out of the passage and saw a gloomy forest.

Towering ancient trees blocked the light, but fortunately, their abilities were exceptional, and they had no fear of the darkness.

Jiang Changkong’s light sphere paused slightly as he sensed a gravitational force, but it returned to normal in an instant: “Is this a special area?”

“The Void Realm, whether in terms of spatial strength or gravity, is stronger than Earth’s. This isn’t a Gravity Zone.”

Hai Mingsha elaborated: “You can test it. Only Top-Rank Martial Artists can break space here.”

“No rush to test it when the opportunity arises,” Jiang Changkong said. Then, his Holy Sun rotated, dispersing the darkness. Suddenly, he frowned: “Be careful. I sense several powerful auras carrying malice.”

Three light spheres glowed brightly: “There really are Star Demons lying in ambush. If Brother Changkong says they’re powerful, they must be Star Body Star Demons.”

“We’re here.” An Shanhe emerged from the void with the two others, his body pausing briefly as well. “Let’s go.”

“Be careful. Changkong senses danger,” said the three light spheres.

An Shanhe frowned slightly. “Should we take a detour, or…?”

“Why detour? We can just fight our way out,” declared Hai Mingsha with an imposing tone, a vast power radiating from him—Star Body Peak!

“True. With you here, Hai Mingsha, and two others at the Late Star Body Stage, we have nothing to fear unless we face more than two Star Body Peak Martial Artists.”

An Shanhe smiled. “Star Body Martial Artists are hard to kill, so let’s not linger. We’ll charge straight through.”

Once decided, the group soared through the air. The two Star Embryo Martial Artists were carried by Jiang Changkong, as they were too slow.

Hum—

Suddenly, starlight erupted from the ground, sealing off a hundred-mile radius and enveloping all seven of them.

An immense pressure swept over them. The two Star Embryo Martial Artists staggered under the weight, nearly plummeting downward.

“A Star Array? Brother Changkong, you feel this gravity, don’t you?” Hai Mingsha said gravely.