Chapter 2039: Chapter 2039

Hearing what Shang Xia said, Chu Jia, Tian Mengzi, and the others immediately wanted to enter the Star Beast Nest to investigate.

However, they were loading the floating island that contained it into the Azure Ark, and it clearly couldn’t be entered.

Even after collection, entering the Ark and entering another separate space would inevitably bring certain risks.

Therefore, to truly uncover the secrets inside, they would likely have to wait until they returned to the Chaotic Sea of Stars and had properly secured it.

"What now? Do we continue following the aura of the rank seven bird emperor? I worry that they may already have noticed or deduced the method by which you left a mark on it, and could be setting an ambush!" Chu Jia voiced her concern directly.

Shang Xia thought for a moment before speaking again. "Let’s rest here for a few days. The Blizzard Pirates suffered heavy losses in that last battle. Tell them that in the future this Star Beast Nest can be left for them to manage, of course, only after we have fully uncovered whatever secrets it hides."

Chu Jia smiled. "That news alone is enough to boost their morale! As seasoned Star Pirates, they are prepared for losses, so long as the final harvest is worth the price."

Not long after Chu Jia left, cheers rose from the remaining 10-odd Star Ships belonging to the Blizzard Pirates. Clearly, the news that they would be allowed to manage the Star Beast Nest had already spread.

On the bridge of the Spirit Ark, after Chu Jia departed, Shang Xia turned his gaze to the Giant Ape King. "My intuition tells me that the bird is close. You must be ready. Adjust yourself to peak condition and prepare for battle."

The Giant Ape King rumbled, "I understand! A bloodline-plundering battle must be fought by me personally! Only then will I have the greatest chance to assimilate its bloodline and complete my transformation."

Shang Xia nodded. "I will block off its escape routes and suppress its cultivation and strength. Everything else will rest on you."

The Blizzard Pirates’ fleet continued its voyage through the void as Shang Xia directed them from time to time as he tried to get a feel for the bird emperor from their previous battle. However, the precise route had to be charted by Yuan Qiuyuan, especially to avoid or detour around extremely dangerous regions.

Meanwhile, as the fleet delved deeper into the boundless void, foreign energies swept through their ranks. Cultivators in the Martial Extermination Realm could no longer stay on deck as they were forced to stay within their cabins for safety. Even elites in the Martial Dipper Realm could only venture out briefly before retreating back to their cabins to regulate their inner qi and expel foreign energies.

By then, only True Immortals could remain outside, or even leave the protection barrier to explore the nearby regions for short periods.

"Even our second tier True Immortals are finding it difficult outside the barriers. Soon, even those of us who aren’t high-level True Immortals may be unable to step beyond the protection barrier." The person who spoke was Tian Mengzi, and he looked extremely regretful.

One could not blame him. Since the last joint assault of Beast Warriors and Star Beasts, to prevent being caught off guard again, patrols had been sent into the void, often led by True Immortals.

It was during the process that they gradually discovered the strange energy filling the void.

The energies were chaotic and unable to be refined. Cultivators could not absorb them. Even ordinary contact corroded both body and their inner qi, making it extremely harmful.

But cultivators could resist them by channeling their inner qi, enabling them to remain in the void.

Yet as the foreign energies grew stronger, resisting it also tempered one’s inner qi, making it purer and more condensed.

Though it slowed their cultivation advancement, it solidified their foundation, which would only benefit future breakthroughs.

Occasionally, cultivators also found items drifting in the void.

And any object surviving such an environment, even if it was just a simple stone, could be considered a treasure.

After they realized it, the members of the Blizzard Pirates weren’t the only ones who wanted to benefit. Even the members of the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field ventured out in squads led by True Immortals, both to patrol against danger and to collect whatever they could while tempering themselves against the foreign energies.

However... Even weaker True Immortals found it difficult to travel out. It showed just how perilous the void around them was.

"It’s worse than that! If even cultivators of our level cannot step outside, how long can the barriers of the ships themselves hold?" The question quickly came from Hu Shanhai, the Blizzard Pirates’ True Immortal.

He had once fought Tian Mengzi and lost, but afterward they had grown acquainted, especially as the members of the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field and the pirates became familiar with each other.

Another third tier True Immortal of the Blizzard Pirates added, "The formations of the medium Star Ships are indeed nearing their limits. Now, most who can’t even step onto the deck have been put to maintaining the protection barrier. That only delays collapse. If we go deeper, even if True Immortals like us join in the effort of maintaining the barriers, I fear we still won’t last long."

At that, Cai Yingxue finally spoke. "I heard that the Sage entered the deep void beyond the Chaotic Sea of Stars to hunt a beast emperor? I truly cannot imagine how such a creature survives constant corrosion by this foreign energy. How much further must we go before we find it?"

Her words seemed to voice concern, but in truth, she was probing Yuan Qiuyuan and Chu Jia for more information.

After so long, the Cai siblings had already discerned that among the True Immortals of the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, those two knew the most about their mission.

Yuan Qiuyuan, a Stargazer even they could not fathom, had to have been among the first to know Shang Xia’s destination.

And Chu Jia, though appearing only as a Formation Grandmaster, was surely the closest to Shang Xia from their interactions.

Cai Yingxue had waited for so long to ask, partly because the fleet truly neared its limits, partly because enough trust had been built between them.

As expected, the one to respond was not Yuan Qiuyuan, but Chu Jia. "In truth, we have already passed its original resting space. We had been following the trail of the beast emperor all this time. It seems to be fleeing from us."

Cai Yingxue exclaimed, "So it discovered us long ago?!"

Chu Jia answered casually, "Since we could intercept its aura and track it, naturally it might also sense our approach. The power of Sages is beyond our comprehension."

She gave Cai Yingxue a sidelong glance and continued, "But it won’t be much longer. We are chasing it on Star Ships while it has to endure the foreign energy corrosion with its body alone. Even though spiritual beasts have stronger physical bodies, but over time, they too cannot bear it. If it does not wish to be worn down until we trap it, it will surely choose to counterattack soon."

The words did not ease the True Immortals on board. They only grew more tense.

Aboard the Spirit Ark, Shang Xia paid no attention to their exchange.

Since securing the Star Beast Nest, all his energy had gone into deducing his martial intent.

In the past, when nearing the grand completion stage, the Crimson Soul Tablet could clearly deduce his path once given enough world origin. The rıghtful source is 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩

But this time, while trying to deduce his martial intent, it faltered.

It was not a shortage of energy. After all his experiences, the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field’s ascension, adventures in the Nebula Forbidden Region, survival of the Spatial Vortex, suppression of foreign invaders at the Void Mirage, the division of the Essence Xing World, and the collapse of the Essence Du Heavenly Field, his reserves of energy in the Crimson Soul Tablet had only grown.

Yet after creating the seventh and final form of his Seven Star Mace Technique, his path to comprehend his martial intent failed to manifest on the Crimson Soul Tablet.

Even though it seemed strange, Shang Xia eventually realized his cultivation had reached the limit of what the Crimson Soul Tablet could deduce!