Chapter 149: Lost in the Deep Sea, Relics of the Sunken Star

The "Star-Seeking Shuttle" slid silently through the ten-thousand-fathom deep sea.

The "Sea-Illuminating Pearls" embedded in the inner walls of the cabin emitted a soft, blue-white glow, barely lighting up the surrounding dozens of fathoms of sea. Through the reinforced transparent crystal of the portholes, one could see the eternal gloom of the outside world, where strange-looking deep-sea creatures emitting faint phosphorescence occasionally swam by, casting distorted shadows. The water pressure was immense; even with the protection of the arrays, one could still feel that pervasive, heavy sensation as if everything were about to be crushed.

Zhao Yuan sat cross-legged in the main control cabin, the "Silent Shadow" resting horizontally across his lap. The dark gold patterns on the sword blade flowed with a faint luster under the deep-sea gloom, forming a resonant cycle with Zhao Yuan’s own Sword Intent of Extinction, allowing him to keep his mind clear in this extreme environment. His eyes were half-closed, yet his spiritual sense was tightly connected to the "Star-Guiding Luo Pan" at the bow, sensing the course and coordinates.

True Person Xinghui focused on manipulating the concealment and pressure-resistant arrays of the "Star-Seeking Shuttle," fine beads of sweat seeping from his temples. Chen Yue stood before a small "Star-Observing Instrument," constantly comparing the seabed geomagnetism with the flow of star power to correct the course. Hanying stood quietly to the side, the Ice Soul Heart-Protecting Mirror emitting a faint cold mist, dispelling the wisps of filthy aura that seeped in through the gaps in the arrays—remnants that had spread here after the great battle at the Return to Ruins Sea Eye. Shi Meng and Tie Shan stood like two iron towers at the cabin door leading to the deck, their auras steady. Ying Qi and Ying Eleven were like true shadows, hiding in the corners of the cabin; only the occasional flickering light of a transmission jade talisman showed they were maintaining minimal contact with the Imperial Capital or Star-Fragment Isle.

The voyage had lasted five days. According to the coordinates provided by the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and the ancient sea charts of the Star Palace, they should have been approaching the sea area known as the intersection of the "Chaotic Star Vortex" and the "Silent Graveyard." However, the closer they got to the target, the more bizarre the surrounding environment became.

"Elder Xinghui, something is wrong." Chen Yue spoke suddenly, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling. "The Star-Observing Instrument shows that the flow of star power in the sea area ahead... is completely chaotic. No, not chaotic—it is being 'devoured' or 'distorted.' Conventional star-positioning methods are failing."

True Person Xinghui frowned, looking at the main control array disk: "The geomagnetism is also shifting, and... the direction of the ocean current deviates from the projection by more than thirty degrees. We seem to have been drawn in by some force... without even realizing it."

Zhao Yuan opened his eyes, a flash of sword light in them: "How long?"

"At least two hours." True Person Xinghui’s expression was grim. "We had been relying on inertial navigation and routine corrections, noticing no abnormalities. We only discovered it just now when Chen Yue performed a periodic star-map calibration."

"Is it the protection of the ruins themselves? Or..." Hanying’s cold voice rang out, "...the remaining methods of the Demon Abyss?"

Zhao Yuan stood up, walked to the porthole, and looked into the deep darkness. The stone slab fragment in his bosom transmitted a faint warmth, and "Silent Shadow" also emitted a low, inaudible hum. He pondered for a moment: "Decelerate. Activate the full-spectrum detection array and focus on scanning the seabed terrain and energy reactions ahead. Ying Qi, Ying Eleven, prepare the 'Forbidden-Breaking Awl' and the 'Image-Recording Disk.' Shi Meng, Tie Shan, stay alert."

The orders were executed quickly. The speed of the "Star-Seeking Shuttle" dropped sharply, and ripples of detection waves lit up on the hull, sweeping forward like invisible tentacles. Ying Qi and Ying Eleven appeared silently, each holding a strangely shaped magic treasure: an awl that was neither gold nor wood, with silver runes constantly rotating at its tip, and a crystal disk the size of a palm, yet with a mirror surface as deep as a starry sky.

The information fed back by the detection waves made everyone gasp.

What lay ahead was not the expected seabed mountain range or canyon, but a piece of... "nothingness."

It was not truly empty; rather, once the detection waves entered a certain range, they were like clay oxen entering the sea, and the information fed back was fragmented and contradictory: at times it showed a trench tens of thousands of fathoms deep, at others it showed raised seabed hills, and the energy reactions were chaotic, containing both faint star power and a dense, deathly aura, even mixed with a trace of familiar, unsettling blood-evil and demonic energy remnants!

"Spatial distortion? An illusion array? Or... is the state of the ruins themselves unstable?" True Person Xinghui’s face was solemn.

Zhao Yuan stared at that "nothingness," his Sword Heart of Extinction slowly operating. In his perception, it was not empty, but filled with an artistic conception of... "sinking" and "solidification." It was as if time and space had been forcibly paused there, yet in some paradox, they were constantly repeating the process of "falling" and "extinction."

"It is the entrance to the ruins, or rather... it exists in this 'abnormal' state itself." Zhao Yuan said slowly, his fingers stroking the blade of "Silent Shadow." "'Silent Shadow' is resonating, and the stone slab is also heating up. We have found the right place."

He turned to look at the others: "The situation ahead is unclear, and conventional detection methods have failed. I propose releasing the 'Forbidden-Breaking Awl' for a probing strike, while using the 'Image-Recording Disk' to record all abnormal fluctuations. If an entrance or a weak point is confirmed, the 'Star-Seeking Shuttle' will follow closely and break in. Does anyone have any objections?"

The group looked at each other, and finally, all shook their heads. Retreat was no longer possible; they could only move forward.

Ying Qi nodded and went with Ying Eleven to the specially made launch port at the bow. The two joined forces to inject spiritual power into the "Forbidden-Breaking Awl." The silver runes on the awl body lit up brightly, and the rotation speed of the tip surged, emitting a high-frequency hum.

"Launch!"

"Whoosh—!"

The Forbidden-Breaking Awl turned into a silver streak, shot out of the chamber, and headed straight for the "nothingness" area where the detection was chaotic!

The moment the silver streak plunged into the darkness, a sudden change occurred!

There was no violent explosion or energy clash. That piece of "nothingness" was like the surface of water into which a stone had been thrown, suddenly rippling with visible, grayish-white waves! Wherever the ripples passed, the seabed scene distorted and changed violently, vaguely revealing a corner of a contour that was by no means a natural creation—it was a wall of unimaginable size, covered in verdigris and strange reliefs, as well as broken metal structures that looked like some kind of giant scaffolding!

Immediately after, at the position of the silver streak of the Forbidden-Breaking Awl, space cracked like fragile glass with a "crack" sound, opening an irregular "fissure" with edges flowing with light interwoven with grayish-white and dark red! Inside the fissure, there was no seawater, but a dead, dark void that seemed to have solidified for ten thousand years, where the distorted shadows of those huge buildings could be vaguely seen in the deeper parts!

"Now! Full speed, charge in!" Zhao Yuan shouted sharply.

True Person Xinghui gritted his teeth and pushed the control lever to the limit. All propulsion arrays of the "Star-Seeking Shuttle" were fully opened, turning into a stream of light, following the trajectory of the Forbidden-Breaking Awl’s silver streak, which had not yet completely dissipated, and plunged into that spatial fissure!

The world spun!

It was not a physical tumble, but a complete disorder at the level of perception. Everyone felt their vision go black, and then endless, fragmented images and noisy thoughts forcibly flooded into their minds: stars falling, seawater boiling, cities collapsing, all spirits wailing, ancient and solemn sacrificial chants, crazy and greedy whispering of devouring... various contradictory "information fragments" full of pain and despair crashed into everyone’s soul like a tsunami!

"Hold your mind!" Zhao Yuan shouted, and "Silent Shadow" in his hand suddenly unsheathed three inches! The clear sword hum, carrying the pure intent of extinction, swept out like a needle to calm the sea, forcibly opening a small piece of "purity" in the chaotic information flow.

Everyone was an elite; taking advantage of this gap, they each operated their cultivation techniques to stabilize their Dao hearts and resist the impact.

This terrifying perceptual chaos lasted for about ten breaths before it gradually subsided.

When their vision was restored, everyone was shocked into silence by the scene before them.

The "Star-Seeking Shuttle" was hovering in a... "space" that could not be accurately described in words.

There was no seawater here, no sky, only a boundless background of "void" that seemed to be composed of solidified darkness and faint starlight. And in the "void," countless huge, broken "fragments" were floating.

Those "fragments" were actually broken towers, tilted palaces, twisted bridges, and disintegrated giant statues... All the buildings were constructed of a strange material that was neither gold nor stone, with a dull metallic luster and star spots, and their surfaces were carved with complex star trajectories, celestial movement charts, and countless reliefs of living beings kneeling, praying, and sacrificing. The style was ancient and solemn, yet it revealed a heart-stopping strangeness—because all these buildings presented an extremely unnatural state of "solidification" and "fragmentation," as if at the moment a destructive force descended, they had been forcibly "frozen" in the process of disintegration, and then tossed into this void like garbage.

Further away, in the "center" of this floating island of architectural ruins, a larger, relatively complete contour could be vaguely seen—it seemed to be a giant pyramid-shaped altar, or a stepped temple base, its top submerged in the deeper darkness above, making it impossible to see the full picture.

And between all the "fragments," a dense, inseparable aura of "deathly silence" and "decay" permeated, mixed with faint star power, and... traces of dark red "blood-evil resentment" that looked like dried bloodstains. The whole space was terrifyingly quiet, with only the faint hum of the "Star-Seeking Shuttle" array and the increasingly heavy heartbeats and breathing sounds of the people themselves.

"Is this... the sunken capital of the 'Star-Falling People'?" Hanying’s voice carried a trace of unbelievable chill. "Not sunk on the seabed, but... banished or sealed in such a distorted spatial interlayer?"

"The laws of space are extremely chaotic and fragile." True Person Xinghui’s face turned pale as he looked at the array disk, which was fluctuating violently and nearly out of control. "Our 'Star-Seeking Shuttle' cannot last long here. We must find a foothold as soon as possible, or... find a way to leave."

Chen Yue stared at the small star-observing instrument, whose needle was spinning wildly: "The star power... is polluted. The starlight here has strong characteristics of 'falling' and 'cursing.' It cannot be absorbed directly, otherwise, one might suffer a backlash."

Shi Meng and Tie Shan gripped their weapons tightly, their muscles tense as if facing a great enemy. Ying Qi and Ying Eleven had already quietly released several miniature "scout puppets," which crawled out of the cabin like metal spiders, attached themselves to the nearest architectural ruins, and began to scan.

Zhao Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. The stone slab fragment in his bosom had become scorching hot, and the humming of "Silent Shadow" was clearer, the sword tip pointing slightly toward the base of the pyramid-shaped building in the distance.

"Target, the central altar." Zhao Yuan said in a deep voice. "The energy of the 'Star-Seeking Shuttle' is limited; we need to land and explore. Elder Xinghui, find a relatively stable fragment with low energy reactions as a temporary anchor point. Others, check your equipment and prepare to leave the ship."

A moment later, the "Star-Seeking Shuttle" cautiously landed on a huge piece of debris that seemed to be the roof of a palace, relatively flat and close to the central altar. The surface of the debris was covered with thick, dust-like gray deposits, but stepping on it produced a dull, metallic echo.

The nine people filed out and stepped onto this land that had been silent for at least thirty thousand years.

The moment their feet touched the ground, everyone felt a bone-chilling "intent of death" spreading up from the soles of their feet, as if countless cold hands were trying to drag them into eternal slumber. The body cultivators Shi Meng and Tie Shan erupted with blood energy to dispel the chill; Hanying’s Ice Soul Heart-Protecting Mirror automatically protected its master; Xinghui, Chen Yue, and the shadow guards also used their own methods to resist.

Zhao Yuan felt the blade of "Silent Shadow" vibrate. When that cold, deathly intent touched his Sword Intent of Extinction, it melted like ice and snow, and instead, a trace was absorbed and transformed by the sword intent, giving him a clearer perception of the "extinction" Dao rhyme of this space.

"The 'deathly silence' here is not a natural demise, but more like... a 'solidification' after all vitality and time were forcibly plundered." Zhao Yuan thought to himself, his eyes sweeping over the surroundings.

The "scout puppets" released by Ying Qi and Ying Eleven had sent back preliminary information: the material of these architectural ruins contained a high concentration of unknown metals and star essence gold, but the structure was fragile, and there were hidden spatial cracks or energy turbulence in many places. Although the star power permeating the air was polluted, its concentration was extremely high; if a method of purification could be found, it might be a huge resource. At the same time, they also detected multiple weak energy fluctuations of the same origin as the Heishuicheng stone slab, as well as... several relatively strong, unsettling life reactions—not living things, but more like some kind of imprisoned resentment or remnant soul, and... non-native demonic energy remnants!

"Something has been here, and it might still be here." Ying Qi reported in a low voice, pointing to an image sent back by the scout puppets: under a collapsed giant pillar, there were dragging marks on the ground that were not naturally formed, and at the edges of the marks remained extremely fine, dark purple energy particles—Abyss Demonic Energy!

Everyone’s heart tightened. This meant that the Demon Abyss had likely discovered this place too, and might even have arrived first!

"Speed up." Zhao Yuan made a prompt decision. "Target the central altar. Avoid energy turbulence and suspicious life reactions along the way. If you encounter an enemy, finish the battle quickly; do not get entangled."

The team formed a defensive formation, with Shi Meng and Tie Shan clearing the way, Zhao Yuan in the center to support, Xinghui and Chen Yue responsible for monitoring the environment and array abnormalities, and Hanying and the two shadow guards bringing up the rear, cautiously advancing toward the base of the pyramid-shaped building.

What they saw along the way was shocking. Inside the collapsed buildings, one could occasionally see remains that had turned into dry bones but still maintained a kneeling or praying posture. The clothing on them had long since weathered away, but in the hands or around the necks of a few skeletons, there were still some star-shaped ornaments or magic treasure fragments, emitting a faint light. The reliefs on the walls depicted the glorious past of this civilization: they observed the stars and built huge star-orbit calculation arrays; they held grand sacrifices and offered tributes to the "gods" in the starry sky; they piloted giant ships driven by star power, sailing in the vast sea and even the starry sky... until one day, the firmament cracked, burning stars fell, seawater poured back, a huge shadow shrouded everything, and then came disintegration, solidification, and sinking.

The final scenes of those reliefs were full of despair and madness: countless living beings rushed toward a certain place (likely the central altar), seemingly holding a final, and most terrifying, sacrifice, trying to retrieve or beg for something.

"Are they praying... or trying to fulfill some 'contract'?" Chen Yue looked at a relief depicting all the people kneeling before the altar, with stars shattering above their heads and blood filling the sky, her voice trembling.

No one could answer.

The closer they got to the central altar, the stronger the pressure, mixed with stars, deathly silence, and blood-evil, became. The air became viscous, and every step felt like walking against the current. More bizarre phenomena began to appear around them: sparks floating in mid-air, motionless; rubble frozen in the middle of falling; and in one area, the flow of time seemed abnormal, where the shadow of a long-petrified coral tree was slowly "growing" and "shrinking."

"Fragmentation of the laws of space and time..." True Person Xinghui’s face grew paler. "The degree of collapse of these ruins far exceeds imagination. We must find the core as soon as possible, obtain information, and then leave, otherwise, we may be trapped here forever, or torn apart by the chaotic laws."

Finally, they arrived at the foot of the pyramid-shaped building’s base.

The size of this base was beyond imagination, like an inverted mountain. Its surface was not a complete staircase, but covered with huge gaps and cracks as if torn by violence. Deep in the cracks, a faint, dark red light pulsed like a heartbeat, mixed with a more intense, nauseating aura of blood and resentment.

And directly in front of the base, among the collapsed giant stone steles and broken statues, stood a relatively complete giant metal stele, about ten zhang high and three zhang wide!

The material of the stele was the same as the surrounding buildings, but the surface was relatively well-preserved, engraved with dense, ancient runes of the same origin as the stone slab fragments, as well as more detailed star trajectory charts, a star totem of three stars surrounding an Ouroboros, and that relief of all spirits kneeling. At the very top of the stele, a line of characters was carved in huge font; although they did not recognize them, the intent contained in them directly impacted the viewer’s soul, making one instantly understand its meaning:

"Contract of the Sunken Star"

Below the stele was the small line of text that the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion had described: "With the stars as witness, with blood as the contract. Offer to my god, and enjoy eternity. Those who betray... the stars fall and blood withers, forever falling into the Return to Ruins."

And at this moment, the surface of this "Contract of the Sunken Star" stele, which should have been silent, was flowing with a layer of dim, wriggling starlight like a living thing. Within the starlight, the three-star totem and the Ouroboros pattern were extremely slowly... rotating!

What shocked everyone even more was that in front of the stele, three remains wrapped in tattered black robes, long since turned into mummies, were kneeling. They were in a prostrate position, their heads pressed against the ground, their hands stretched forward, as if in the last moment before death, they were still trying to touch or worship the stele. And on the backs of their black robes, a ferocious pattern was drawn with a dark red substance that seemed to be congealed blood—in the center of a twisted star, an eye full of bloodshot veins had opened!

"The Rebirth Sect!" Zhao Yuan’s pupils shrank.

These mummies were actually priests of the "Rebirth Sect"! They had arrived here even earlier and died before this "Contract of the Sunken Star" stele! How did they find this place? What did they do here? Why did they die here?

Just as everyone was in doubt.

The starlight slowly rotating on the "Contract of the Sunken Star" stele suddenly accelerated! The light of the three-star totem and the Ouroboros pattern shone brightly! A grand, ancient, terrifying will, mixed with solemnity and madness, offering and greed, was like a sleeping giant beast being disturbed, slowly... awakening from deep within the stele!

At the same time, behind the stele, deep in the cracks of the pyramid base, the dark red pulsating light suddenly became rapid and bright, as if something was being "awakened" by the movement of this stele!

"Retreat!" Zhao Yuan shouted sharply, drawing his sword without hesitation. The dark gold patterns on the blade of "Silent Shadow" erupted with unprecedented brilliant light, and a pure Sword Intent of Extinction slashed toward the stele like an angry dragon!

However, when the sword intent touched the starlight flowing on the surface of the stele, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, quickly devoured and absorbed by the starlight! The starlight on the stele became even brighter and more active because of this!

"Hahaha... finally... finally there are new 'sacrifices' and 'witnesses'... delivered to the door..."

A dry, hoarse, bizarre voice, as if two pieces of rusted metal were rubbing against each other, rang directly in the depths of everyone’s souls, full of endless resentment, greed, and... a twisted joy.

The source of the voice was the "Contract of the Sunken Star" stele!

Or rather, it was the remnant will of some ancient existence that had been residing in the stele, having gone through thirty thousand years of sinking and distortion, and had long since merged with the "contract" itself!