Chapter 228

"Fortress of Hope" led a small fleet, breaking free of the star system's gravity well, and plunged headfirst into the cold, empty depths of space.

Starlight outside the portholes was rapidly stretched and twisted, eventually forming a bizarre ribbon of light—the Space Jump had begun.

The target of this jump was a relatively safe, hidden coordinate point on the outskirts of the Exile Land, provided by the Shadow Hall.

The jump was long and oppressive; no one spoke on the bridge, only the low hum of the engines and the faint sounds of equipment operating.

Everyone used this last moment to adjust their condition—checking equipment or meditating—and the air was filled with the calm before a storm.

After an unknown period, a violent tremor came; the ribbon of light outside the portholes vanished suddenly, replaced by a heart‑pounding… dead silence.

They had arrived at the target star field.

This place seemed like a corner forgotten by the universe.

There was no brilliant river of stars, no nurturing suns, only boundless darkness that seemed able to swallow all light.

In the distance, faint, twisted nebula outlines like background noise could be seen, but they emitted not vitality, but a nauseating aura of decay and chaos.

"The navigation system is suffering strong interference; we can only rely on inertial navigation and preset beacons," the pilot reported, his voice tinged with tension.

"Activate all stealth systems, reduce energy output to minimum, maintain silent running," Li Qingxuan ordered in a low voice.

Here, any energy fluctuation could invite deadly scrutiny.

The fleet moved like ghosts, slowly advancing through absolute darkness and silence.

The closer they got to the estimated direction of the Exile Land, the heavier that intangible pressure became.

The air seemed to permeate with a viscous malice, constantly trying to seep into the ships' shields and erode the crew's spirits.

"Detected low‑intensity, high‑frequency spiritual contamination fluctuations……similar……to some kind of delirious chant……," the ship's elven spiritual sensor reported, face paling as he struggled to relay it.

Even shielded by the ship's defenses and the preliminary Life Pure Land barrier, that all‑penetrating mad whisper still left people agitated and distracted.

Li Qingxuan could feel the crystal of his Life Imprint on his chest warming slightly, autonomously emitting a gentle life pulse that helped him resist the external corrosion.

He tried to spread this power, enveloping the entire bridge; everyone instantly felt their spirits lift, and that oppressive feeling lessened considerably.

"Stay vigilant, this is merely the outskirts," the Star Speaker Elder said, gripping his crystal ball tightly; the nebula inside swirled chaotically, showing the extreme instability of the local energy field.

The voyage lasted several days.

During this time they dodged several suddenly appearing space rifts and energy turbulence, and from afar observed some twisted shadows drifting in the void—apparently Void Predators, the lowest‑grade cannon fodder leaking from the seal cracks, yet their aura was enough to threaten ordinary A‑rank experts.

"According to the last message from the Shadow Eye, the energy signature of the beacon source highly coincides with the Rift Seven node. We must find a way to get close," Mo Ying's voice came through hyperdimensional communication, broken and intermittent, showing the interference here was extremely severe.

The Rift Seven node is where the Realm Breaker Legion's attacks are fiercest, and also one of the largest areas of the seal rupture.

Approaching it is tantamount to walking straight into a dragon's pool and tiger's den.

Just as the fleet carefully adjusted its course, trying to find a relatively safe route to approach Rift Seven, an abrupt change occurred!

"Alarm! Detecting high‑intensity energy reaction rapidly approaching! It… it's the Realm Breaker Legion's patrol fleet!"

On the sensor screen, three scarlet dots were speeding in from the rear flank!

They were three assault ships, their menacing forms like bone and metal spliced together, and they had obviously spotted this unwelcome guest!

"We've been spotted! Prepare for battle!" Xingren instantly entered combat mode, dark armor covering his whole body.

"We can't go head‑on! That would reveal our position and strength!" Li Qingxuan immediately vetoed, "Accelerate! Use the asteroid belt ahead to shake them off!"

Fortress of Hope and its two escort ships instantly boosted engine power, like startled fish darting toward a region ahead filled with large amounts of cosmic dust and debris.

The three Realm Breaker warships behind gave chase relentlessly, dense energy blasts pouring down like red rain, exploding in ripples on the ships' shields.

"Shield energy down twenty percent!"

"Starboard hit, minor damage!"

The warship weaved frantically through the dense debris, constantly performing high‑difficulty evasive maneuvers.

Li Qingxuan extended his Spiritual Power; though the Weird Divine Realm's power was not fully unleashed, it already began subtly influencing the surrounding space structure, causing the enemy ships' fire trajectories to deviate slightly, buying valuable dodging space for his side.

Huang Rong, meanwhile, acted like another brain on the bridge, using extraordinary perception and combat intuition to continually predict the enemy ships' attack patterns and the debris' positions, issuing the most precise evasion orders.

A heart‑pounding chase unfolded in the dead‑silent star field.

Finally, after using a massive ice rock for cover to execute a sharp turn, the fleet temporarily shook off the pursuers' sight.

"Activate deep stealth! Shut down non‑essential power!" Li Qingxuan immediately ordered.

All lights on the three warships went out, engines shut down, and they became like three cold rocks blending into the endless asteroid belt.

Those three Realm Breaker warships loitered nearby for a long time, releasing several waves of detection pulses, but ultimately failed to rediscover the target and left resentfully.

On the bridge, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but their mood grew even heavier.

Having just stumbled into a low‑grade patrol fleet and already been in such a sorry state, what would it be like to truly approach the Rift Seven node?

Li Qingxuan looked through the porthole toward the direction hidden in the endless dark depths, emanating an ominous fluctuation.

He knew the real test had only just begun.

And what awaited them in that darkness would be horror and madness far beyond imagination.

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