Alien Hotel.

Chapter 443 Still in Darkness

Everything seems to have returned to its original trajectory—the crisis that began with the Taixu Lingshu ultimately points back to the Taixu Lingshu.

As the alarm was sent from the faster-than-light communication of Shuji, an alarm was instantly sounded throughout the entire capital star. From Yaolan Sect to Youming Valley, from Hengtian Star Array at the pole to the near-Earth Garrison above the equator, the wailing alarms echoed through the atmosphere of Taixu Star, striking the hearts of everyone.

Ancient planetary defense protocols were activated, and thousands of magnificent palaces orbiting the Taixu Star began emergency orbital maneuvers. As protective arrays were lit one by one, a rapidly closing, hazy light curtain formed above the planet. The First Star's garrison forces assembled and took to the skies in the shortest possible time, constructing inner and outer defense lines using the "Taiyou" system. Elders and reclusive patriarchs from various sects who were still in seclusion were summoned and awakened. Without even having time to adjust their breathing, they rushed into space with their sect's most prized treasures and weapons, filling the defense lines...

Thousand Peaks and Spirit Mountain.

A hazy, shimmering rift opened between the mountains. As the rift continued to twist and expand outward, the cathedral-shaped starship "Otherworldly Inn" was directly transported from the high orbit of Shuji to the sea of ​​clouds in front of Queyun Palace.

Yuanling Zhenren stood in the square in front of the main hall, watching the enormous spaceship gradually descend into the sea of ​​clouds, his face ashen.

The nine-tailed silver fox flew across the sky, landed in front of the main hall, and transformed into human form. Yu Sheng and his group returned to this familiar place.

Arriving directly at the Cloud Sea Hall of Thousand Peaks Spirit Mountain from the eye of the terrifying storm in Shuji, the change in environment was so jarring that it was hard to adapt for a moment—especially for Yu Sheng. Just a moment ago, he had been looking down at the alien planet from the perspective of that storm, and then, just a few minutes after being "resurrected," he had forcibly teleported the Alien Inn to the Taixu Spiritual Pivot. When he jumped off Hu Li's back, he almost fell into the sea of ​​clouds behind him if Luna hadn't reached out to support him.

Yuanling Zhenren strode over, but before he could speak, Eileen, who had just landed on the ground, asked anxiously, "Old man, has the Star-Evolving Body arrived yet?"

“Not yet,” Master Yuanling said quickly. “However, the defense line is in place, and experts and weapons from various sects are still being launched into the air. I will also lead the disciples protecting the mountain to near-Earth orbit later—but I don’t know which direction the ‘Star Derivation Body’ will come from.”

“Honestly, I doubt whether your ‘defenses’ can hold off that thing,” Eileen sighed, “but at least being prepared is better than nothing.”

Yu Sheng had calmed down a bit by this time. After hearing the little puppet's words, he waved his hand and said, "Try to be optimistic. The Star Evolution Form only has one 'Ascension Core' left, and it's severely damaged. Its energy is almost exhausted. Maybe it can really be blocked..."

Eileen pursed her lips and didn't say anything, while Yuanling Zhenren turned his gaze to the two figures behind Yu Sheng.

Master Yuanhao stood there with Xuanche. The former seemed to be in good spirits, but the latter could hardly hide his exhaustion.

"Isn't there a way to intercept it in advance?" Yuan Hao stepped forward and asked directly.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Yuanling Zhenren shook his head. “Any flying object that enters ‘hyperspace’ is almost impossible to intercept, not to mention that the ‘Star Derivative Body’s’ jump method is completely different from ordinary immortal ships and starships. I only received a weak tracking signal automatically transmitted from Shuji at the beginning, and then the signal was cut off. Now we can’t even determine the jump speed of the Star Derivative Body…”

Yu Sheng frowned immediately: "In other words, that thing might not arrive at the Taixu Spiritual Pivot for several days or even months, or it might appear on orbit in the next second?"

Yuanling Zhenren didn't speak, but nodded with a very unpleasant expression.

After a moment, he broke the silence again, asking with a hint of worry, "How is the situation on Shuji's side?"

The speed and intensity of this incident exceeded many people's expectations. The troublesome nature of the "Star Entity" was beyond human control. He had previously sent support personnel to Shuji, but the border was far away, and the sect teams mobilized from the nearest planet had not yet arrived. The entire Shuji was sealed off as an "alien realm" by the Dark Angels. When communication was restored, Thousand Peaks Spirit Mountain directly received an alarm that the Star Entity was rushing straight towards the Taixu Spiritual Pivot - which made him extremely worried about the current situation in Shuji.

...Although at this time, the Taixu Lingshu was also shrouded in shadow.

“The loss to Shuji was huge, but it mainly came from the erosion and transformation of the entire planet by the celestial bodies over the past few hundred years,” Yu Sheng sighed. “In the end, the planet was at least saved, and most of its population was saved—I used some means to make the celestial bodies ascend ahead of time, weakening them while preventing the entire planet from disintegrating… This is the limit of what I can do.”

Yuanling Zhenren blinked.

A moment later, he bowed deeply to Sheng Shen and said, "This is an immeasurable achievement..."

"Let's put aside the merits for now, we need to think about how to deal with the Star-Evolving Entity first," Yu Sheng waved his hand. "If that thing really comes into contact with the Void Spiritual Pivot, all my previous arrangements will be wasted, and without the Void Spiritual Pivot's subsequent assistance, the survivors on Shuji's side probably won't survive either—"

Yuanling Zhenren's expression hardened: "What do you need us to do? All the sects of Taixu will cooperate fully!"

Yu Sheng did not respond immediately.

What is needed? If the celestial body appears in orbit the next moment... then it will probably be too late for anything.

He needs a storm like the one that is scorching, another trap, another round of preparation, and to soak the core of the Star Body's ascension in blood rain once more. Moreover, the Star Body (Yun Qingzi) must obediently cooperate with this process... It seems impossible no matter how you look at it.

Just as he was thinking this, another sharp alarm suddenly pierced the sky, its unsettling wail echoing through the clouds and mist of Qianfeng Lingshan.

The expressions on Yuan Ling, Yuan Hao, and Xuan Che's faces changed almost simultaneously.

The next moment, Yu Sheng saw an inner disciple rushing down from the clouds, landing almost crashing down in front of Yuan Ling Zhenren, his face deathly pale: "Master...Master! He's here, the Star-Evolving Body is here!!"

Yuanling Zhenren gently inhaled a breath of cool air.

"So fast?"

So fast!
Although the worst-case scenario had been mentioned before, the fact that the celestial body had actually appeared in orbit still made everyone's hearts sink.

Yu Sheng turned around and glanced at the Otherworldly Inn, which was anchored in the sea of ​​clouds. He knew how fast he had arrived. Although he had briefly adjusted his state before setting off (mainly to rebuild his flesh and blood body from the storm and readjust to the perspective of a "human"), it did not take too long. Afterwards, he directly opened the door and teleported the spaceship to the Void Star without taking any hyperspace routes in between.

And the Star-Derived Body... was only a little bit slower than him.

If this is the "jump" speed of a celestial body, then considering the vast distance between Shuji and this place, its speed is not much different from teleportation—how did it do that? Or is this... the "descent" power possessed by a truly mature "Dark Angel"?
A flash of surprise crossed Yu Sheng's mind. Knowing this wasn't the time to dwell on it, he raised his hand and waved, "Stop thinking about it, take off!"

With a roar, the powerful engine array started up, and the Otherworldly Inn slowly rose from the sea of ​​clouds. Dozens of fully armed Spirit Mountain Immortal Ships of various sizes also took off with it. From all over the Thousand Peaks Spirit Mountain, streaks of light rushed straight to the near-Earth orbit.

In the command hall of the Otherworldly Inn, the holographic communication platform was dimly lit. Yu Sheng looked at the holographic projection above the communication device—Yuan Ling, Yuan Hao, and Xuan Che were currently on the main flying ship "Tai'a" of Thousand Peaks Spirit Mountain. From the communication screen, they could see the spacious spirit plate hall behind them, as well as the ship-riding disciples who were busy in the hall.

Behind Yu Sheng was the spacious viewing window of the Alien Hotel—beyond the sturdy polymer window and the faintly glowing shield, lay the rapidly sinking edge of the planet and the vast expanse of space rushing towards them.

Countless points of light are scattered throughout space, and between these points of light, a semi-transparent misty barrier that envelops the entire planet can be faintly seen.

"Where is the Star Evolution Form located?"

Yu Sheng approached the communications station and asked urgently.

“It’s still on a high orbit,” Xuan Che said, his expression slightly strange. “A few moments ago, it opened a rift, and a mass of gray-black crystals floated out from it, but that mass hasn’t moved since.”

Yu Sheng frowned.

"Stopped on the track? Not moving?"

“Yes,” Xuan Che nodded, then shared the footage transmitted from the front with the Otherworld Hotel, “This was just transmitted from the Sky Palace, you can take a look.”

Looking at the image shared by the other party, Yu Sheng frowned slightly.

The celestial body's "ascension core" is currently suspended in the vastness of space, and appears to have... even completely ceased activity.

Tiny black cracks floated amidst the starlight, the folds and projections left by the not-yet-completely-dissipated hyperspace channel in spacetime. Against this backdrop of cracks resembling a broken cradle, lay the ugly, grayish-black "cluster" remaining in the core of the celestial body. The crystalline material, like withered roots, shrank and tangled together in a deathly spasm. A faint light still lingered inside the cluster, but... it seemed that only that faint light remained.

Luna appeared behind Yu Sheng at some point. She stared intently at the image in the holographic projection, and after a long while, she suddenly spoke: "Looks like he's about to die."

Yu Sheng didn't speak, but just frowned deeply.

He was trying to sense the connection in his blood, trying to "call" that crystal that was still in space.

But the only response he received was a hollow and indistinct howl, like... the occasional wind blowing through the wilderness of the soul.

(End of this chapter)