Chapter 230
Chapter 230: Can We Not Go?
Li Cai said quietly, “I’ve heard about the Space Harbor. There are cosmic giant beasts there called Polar Earthworms. They turn the starry skies into frozen earth. These worms are extremely troublesome, born already at the Wandering Star Realm.”
“Because of these beasts, the Space Harbor was abandoned by the Second Star Cloud. If not for them, with the harbor’s advantageous position, the Ying Yang Battlefield would’ve fallen to the Second Star Cloud long ago.”
Wang Jie nodded, adding, “The Space Harbor is very close to the Hanhai Sea battlefield. If the Second Star Cloud had made it their stronghold, they would certainly have taken the Hanhai Sea by now. That would mean a huge portion of the Ying Yang battlefield falling into their control. Yet they would rather struggle endlessly against us than reclaim the Space Harbor. That alone shows how terrifying those worms truly are.”
Li Cai turned toward everyone else, saying, “Listen, everyone, this is a high-risk mission. If we rescue Zhi Nan Xing successfully, each of us will receive an enormous reward. After all, he’s from the direct bloodline of the Zhi family.”
The group glanced at Zhi Qing Po.
Zhi Qing Po wasn’t part of the direct lineage. His position was much lower compared to Zhi Nan Xing.
Had it not been for Zhi Nan Xing, even someone like Elder Disciple Di Zi getting trapped at the Space Harbor wouldn’t have caused such an uproar.
Wen Yuan raised her hand hesitantly, “Um… Can we choose not to go?”
“No,” came the reply immediately.
The spaceship swiftly turned, heading straight for the Space Harbor.
At the core of the Fourth Star Cloud, ships began departing one after another toward the Space Harbor.
On one of the ships, two figures stood quietly. One was Yue Jian, who managed the Decree Platform, and the other was Wu Jiang.
“Who would’ve thought that someone from the Zhi family would mobilize even you and me,” Wu Jiang remarked coldly. As a disciple of Wu Yuan, he should’ve been at the Hanhai Sea battlefield, but after Wu Yuan himself arrived and terrified their opponents into hiding, Wu Jiang returned as well.
Yue Jian’s voice was gentle, “He is still the direct descendant of the Zhi family. Besides, I’m also curious about why he went to the Space Harbor. Given his experience on the Ying Yang battlefield, he should’ve known how dangerous it is.”
Wu Jiang moved toward the edge of the ship, gazing into the starry distance. “Those worms are indeed troublesome, but the ice slurry inside their bodies is precious. It’s excellent for aiding cultivation.”
Elder Ming’s stern voice came from behind, “Your mission is solely to rescue Zhi Nan Xing. Do not linger or get caught up in unnecessary battles.”
“Yes, Elder.”
Far away, yet not too distant from the Hanhai Sea battlefield, lay a snowy-white region in space. Countless stars were frozen together, forming a massive white continent suspended within the void.
The frozen earth was immensely hard, impossible to shatter even by Wandering Star Realm cultivators.
At this very moment, beneath the frozen surface, a spaceship was tilted sideways, sealed in ice.
Inside, Zhi Nan Xing was breathing roughly, forcing himself to close his eyes, not daring to glance outside.
Just a few meters from him, a gigantic earthworm lay sleeping. The moment it woke, he would surely die.
This was the Space Harbor.
A forbidden place, a battlefield forever frozen.
He didn’t want to come here. He’d been forced. The mission he’d accepted had been far away, yet somehow enemies had discovered him, trapping him step by step until he ended up here.
The enemy clearly knew he was from the Zhi family’s direct lineage. That’s why they didn’t kill him, instead using him as bait to lure others into the Space Harbor.
Zhi Nan Xing knew it was a trap, yet he had no choice but to ask for rescue. If he didn’t, death was certain.
[I just hope the rescuers can save me,] he thought, closing his eyes tightly again, afraid to make even the slightest noise.
On that day, countless ships gathered outside the Space Harbor from every direction.
Wang Jie and his group’s spaceship also arrived, halting at the gathering point.
“This is quite the spectacle, even an Elder is here,” Wen Yuan said with envy, “That’s the treatment you get as a direct descendant of the Zhi family.”
Zhi Qing Po frowned, feeling something wasn’t quite right, yet unable to pinpoint exactly what.
Wang Jie watched the communication screen. Messages flashed repeatedly, relayed between numerous ships. Many of these ships belonged to entire teams, led by Battle Soldiers, Battle Guards, and even Battle Elites.
Among them was Wu Jiang, Elder Wu Yuan’s disciple, who frequently fought fiercely at the Hanhai Sea battlefield.
“Senior Sister Yue Jian also came,” Li Cai murmured seriously, “It seems she’s commanding this rescue personally.”
Wang Jie’s gaze sharpened slightly. Yue Jian was extraordinary, a person of exceptional talent. Not only was her cultivation astonishingly high, but she also possessed remarkable skill in battlefield command. That’s why she had always stayed on the Ying Yang battlefield to oversee the Decree Platform.
It was said every mission, every movement, and every detail about when and where tasks occurred, all came from her orders.
[Who would’ve thought she would come herself?] Wang Jie thought. Her presence carried even greater weight than an Elder’s. Yet, an Elder—Elder Ming—had indeed also arrived.
In the distance, enormous warships approached. These were the highest-level battleships Black White Heaven could muster on the Ying Yang battlefield.
Such warships usually appeared only on the largest battlefields. Now, they converged here, clearly regarding this mission as a large-scale battlefield operation.
The screen transmitted a firm voice, “This is Yue Jian. Everyone will now follow my orders.”
“The Space Harbor covers a vast region, structured entirely from frozen earth. I’ve divided the interior into separate zones. Now, listen carefully…”
Yue Jian’s rescue plan was straightforward: warships would spearhead an assault into the region with the densest Polar Earthworm population, continuously creating disturbances to draw all the worms’ attention. Meanwhile, the rescue teams would split into two groups. Wu Jiang would lead one group, searching for Zhi Nan Xing in one direction, while Yue Jian herself would lead another in the opposite direction. If neither group found him, they would lure the worms from these two regions toward the primary area.
Elder Ming would oversee the fleet from behind.
This strategy appeared simple, yet was undoubtedly the most effective.
“Begin the operation.” His command left no room for dispute. Immediately, fleets of battleships surged toward the spaceport, beams of light bombarding the frozen soil. In an instant, beneath the pale starlight, brilliance blossomed like radiant spears.
Wang Jie steered his ship, joining several others moving in one direction, with Yue Jian leading them.
In the distance, beneath the frozen earth, one by one, enormous polar earthworms burst forth.
Everyone stared in awe. It was the first time any of them had ever witnessed these cosmic giant beasts.
Yet calling them cosmic giant beasts was not entirely correct, since polar earthworms could not roam freely in the stars, even though their strength reached the wandering star realm. They could only burrow through frozen soil. But because they could endlessly freeze the void, transforming starry space into frozen land, they indeed qualified as cosmic giant beasts.
Wang Jie watched as an enormous white earthworm charged toward a battleship, the beams of light proving useless against it.
At the critical moment, an attack shattered it completely.
Elder Ming had acted, displaying the tremendous might of his hundred star realm cultivation.
Li Cai explained solemnly: “Although these polar earthworms are born at the wandering star realm, their potential never surpasses that level. They’re mechanical beings in a sense, incapable of improvement, but they never weaken either. Moreover, since they appear exclusively in spaceports and not outside, they’ve never been recorded in the Star Beast Ranking.”
Wang Jie grew curious: “Star Beast Ranking?”
“It’s a ranking created by Star Dome Visage, cataloging cosmic giant beasts according to their threat levels.”
“Does it catalog everything in the universe?”
“Certainly not everything. Even with Star Dome Visage’s extensive knowledge, the universe constantly changes, new species emerge every moment. No one can guarantee that they know all cosmic giant beasts. Still, it covers most known threats.”
Zhi Qing Po spoke slowly: “If you ever encounter a cosmic giant beast ranked in the top ten of the Star Beast Ranking, your only choice is to flee.”
Li Cai nodded gravely: “Especially the one ranked first—the Death Bee, an ancient cosmic calamity.”
Wen Yuan added: “The Death Bee’s discovery confirmed the existence of ancient cosmic calamities. Before its discovery, people believed ancient calamities were merely legends invented by the ancients. Now we know they were real.”
“It’s said that the Death Bee can even sense the world of the dead. Who knows if it’s true.”
Yun Ju sneered coldly: “You believe such nonsense? What world is there after death?”
Han Song spoke in a deep voice: “Even the Death Realm, active in the first star cloud for eons, isn’t truly a realm for the dead, so I also doubt the existence of a world after death. But we know so little about the Death Realm itself. It’s too soon to conclude anything. Perhaps once we reach the hundred star realm, we’ll finally glimpse the truth.”
Their quiet discussion eased the tension of their impending entry into the spaceport.
Wang Jie gazed toward the horizon, contemplating silently: [The world of the dead…] He thought of the middle-aged man, the mournful music, the yellow paper, untouchable things. [Does the world of the dead truly not exist?]
Soon after, they charged into the spaceport.
The starry expanse was swiftly replaced by endless white frost.
Ships formed into a line, extending their search as widely as possible.
Suddenly, a massive earthworm surged upwards, spewing icy liquid that transformed into a shower of frozen rain. All the ships activated their protective barriers. Frozen droplets fell onto the shields, blossoming into flower-like patterns that quickly turned the barriers white.
The earthworm’s colossal body slammed toward one of the ships.
Inside the vessel, a cultivator stepped forth, wielding a blade. Pale-gray starforce emitted peculiar fluctuations as the blade sliced fiercely into the worm, leaving only a shallow wound. Driven back by the massive force, the earthworm turned its maw toward its attacker and sprayed ice fluid. Swiftly, the cultivator spun the blade, blocking the fluid, and retreated back inside.
In the next instant, countless polar earthworms emerged, assaulting every ship in sight.
An alarm blared aboard Wang Jie’s ship; an earthworm rushed straight at them from below.
Han Song stepped out, gripped his hammer tightly, and smashed downward.
With a deafening crash, the hammer shattered the earthworm from head to tail, drawing stunned gazes from nearby ships. Many stared at Han Song with shock.
Han Song possessed a battle strength surpassing three hundred thousand—he could even hold his own against Qiao Xi alone.
Even Wang Jie, employing all his methods, might not defeat him easily.
Moreover, Han Song was incredibly strong, being a skilled artisan who relied heavily on raw power.
From afar, two streaks of white surged through the void toward Han Song.
Han Song raised his eyebrows, swept his hammer sideways, and released a burst of black flame. The flames melted the incoming ice and surged toward the two earthworms. As the black flames consumed them, the worms shrieked painfully, twisting in agony before dissolving into ashes.
Wang Jie observed closely: [That black flame resembles Han Ling’s.]
Han Song, Han Ling.
“Is Senior Brother Han Song related to Han Ling, one of the Six Dao Wanderers?”
Shi Wei replied: “Many have asked this, but they’re not related.”
“Switch places. Yun Ju.”
Yun Ju frowned, clearly reluctant, but still agreed.
Han Song withdrew while Yun Ju stepped forward to guard against the incoming polar earthworms.
The ships continued their search, arranged in a single line. Each vessel was guarded by wandering star realm experts. Yet even so, some ships were inevitably destroyed—the earthworms were too numerous, and the frozen land posed no restrictions on their movements.
Survivors swiftly boarded other ships.
Far ahead, countless white earthworms burst from the frozen ground, numbering at least a hundred—a breathtaking, daunting sight.
This was equivalent to facing a hundred wandering star realm beasts at once.
Although each earthworm alone could not match a true wandering star realm expert, such numbers were still enough to make one’s scalp tingle with dread.