581: The fleet arrives in the New World

The subordinate beside him was still shaken, his voice trembling.

"Big Brother! She really is risking her life! What do we do now? Should we still chase her? This Forbidden Ground is a place that even Nascent Soul Old Ancestors avoid!"

Another person hurriedly chimed in.

"That's right, Big Brother! If something goes wrong, with our meager Golden Core cultivation, we might never return—it wouldn't be worth the risk!"

The group looked hesitant, exchanging glances filled with both apprehension and unwillingness. The top-grade spiritual treasure was within reach, yet separated by a life-and-death Forbidden Ground, leaving them extremely anxious.

The leader stared fixedly at the twisted clouds and mist at the entrance of the Forbidden Ground, his teeth gritting audibly. After a moment of contemplation, a fierce glint suddenly flashed in his eyes as he shouted sharply.

"Chase! Why wouldn't we chase? It's just a lousy Forbidden Ground. I don't believe in evil; today I want to see if this place is truly as eerie as the rumors say!"

He waved his hand, suppressing the bit of cowardice in his heart. The temptation of the top-grade spiritual treasure ultimately outweighed his fear of the Forbidden Ground.

"How can the treasure in our hands be allowed to fly away? If she, a female cultivator at the Golden Core Early Stage, dares to enter, what are we afraid of? Follow me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead, activating his escape light and turning into a streak of black radiance as he rushed toward the Forbidden Ground. Seeing this, the others had no choice but to grit their teeth, suppress their fear, and follow closely behind. Several black shadows plunged into the eerie clouds and mist one after another, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

...

High above the depths of the Forbidden Ground, the originally churning, pitch-black sky suddenly twisted violently. Ripples in space exploded in layers, emitting ear-piercing buzzing sounds, while the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was stirred into a chaotic frenzy, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

In the blink of an eye, the twisted Void Realm suddenly tore open countless hideous spatial rifts. starships with cold, stern designs and metallic sheens leaped out from the rifts one after another, hovering high in the sky.

The starship hulls had sharp lines, surrounded by faint energy shields that exuded an intimidating power capable of looking down upon the star sea, appearing completely out of place in this ancient Xuanhuan world.

"Report, Commander! Spatial jump complete. Our fleet has successfully penetrated the spatial wall and arrived at the target location!"

The steady yet urgent report from an engineer came through the communicator, carrying undisguised excitement.

He Dong nodded, a trace of gravity flashing through his deep eyes. He walked slowly to the porthole of the main control room, his gaze scanning the vast, dense forests, the mist-shrouded mountains of the Forbidden Ground below, and the extremely chaotic scenery of the Heaven and Earth, his expression becoming increasingly serious.

"Looking at this environmental layout, the troops have not arrived in a star-filled Star Domain, but have directly cut into the interior of an independent great world. Based on this, this world is highly likely to be the territory of a xuanhuan civilization."

His tone was certain as he tapped his fingertips on the edge of the porthole, having already made his judgment.

Only the vast majority of xuanhuan civilizations have no concept of starry skies or planets; instead, they are self-contained, vast, and boundless planar worlds that encompass Heaven and Earth, with a rule system completely different from interstellar civilizations.

"Issue the order immediately: the entire fleet is to activate the highest level of stealth mode, reduce energy fluctuations to the lowest possible level, and eliminate any possibility of exposure. At the same time, dispatch three reconnaissance starship squads to conduct full-area reconnaissance of the surrounding scope in different directions. You must ascertain the distribution of forces and the situation in this area. Go quickly and return quickly!"

"Yes, Commander!"

The adjutant acknowledged the order and turned to quickly relay the instructions. The entire starship fleet immediately sprang into action, an invisible stealth barrier spread out, and the massive hulls completely vanished into the Void Realm, leaving only a few small, swift reconnaissance starships that turned into streaks of light, silently darting off in all directions.

Stepping into an unknown Xuanhuan world, one cannot afford even half a step of recklessness.

Especially with this type of xuanhuan civilization, even if the overall civilization level isn't very high—perhaps only a Level 5 or 6 civilization's strength—they can still touch or even use the power of rules with such low-level civilization capabilities. The power of rules is not to be trifled with; a moment of carelessness could lead to total disaster, and he could not afford to be even slightly lax.

After arranging the fleet matters, He Dong did not dare to delay. He immediately raised his hand to open a light screen, attempting to contact Li Yang, who was far away in the Longlan Star Cluster.

Fortunately, the smart brain's cross-spatial signal was stable enough. A few seconds later, the communication channel was successfully connected, and the familiar figure appeared on the holographic projection screen, causing his suspended heart to finally settle down a little.

"Division Commander, our unit has successfully broken through the spatial wall and arrived at the unknown world marked in the mission. Judging from the world layout and energy rules, this place is highly likely a territory of a xuanhuan civilization."

The steady report from He Dong came through the holographic communication screen. Upon hearing this, Li Yang in the office abruptly rose from his office chair, his expression suddenly grave. His fingertips subconsciously clenched, and even his breathing deepened.

"xuanhuan civilization!"

He repeated in a deep voice, his tone full of gravity, with an unshakeable worry etched between his brows, and immediately urged.

"You must be extremely careful! This mission is far trickier than anticipated. The strength of this xuanhuan civilization is by no means as simple as it appears on the surface; it is highly likely to have reached Level 5, or even touched the threshold of a Level 6 civilization! You must be cautious every step of the way throughout the process; do not be reckless in the slightest. If there is any unusual activity or if you sense danger, report to me immediately—you must not make decisions on your own!"

Li Yang knew this clearly in his heart. Under equivalent civilization Ranks, he would rather face a technological civilization; after all, backed by the Xili Empire, a Level 7 civilization, it was easy to crush lower-Rank technological civilizations with superior technology.

But xuanhuan civilizations were completely different. These civilizations did not follow the technological route, yet they could touch and control various rules in unimaginable ways. Their various Divine Abilities, secret techniques, and supreme treasures and Cultivation Techniques were strange and varied—often capable of overturning rivers and seas or reversing time and space. Who knew how many unsolvable, eerie methods they had hidden? A moment of carelessness could lead to total defeat, and he could not help but be worried.

"Understood! Please rest assured, Division Commander. Our unit will strictly adhere to the orders and act with caution; we dare not be the slightest bit lax."

He Dong responded in a deep voice, his tone firm. The light and shadow of the holographic screen flickered slightly. Li Yang stared at the screen, remaining motionless for a long time; the heavy stone hanging in his heart remained suspended, unable to drop.

...