Chapter 498

Chapter 498: Ancient Stars

"Be careful, or Grape might give you a hard time later," Xu Fan said with a chuckle.

As for the spirit turning into a spiritual cultivator and leaving him, that was out of the question. Grape’s entity still held Xu Fan’s soul within it.

They were one and the same; how could they ever be separated?

"Haha, I was just joking," Spirit Cut laughed.

By now, a large Spirit Ore Star had been fully broken down and refined. Li Xingci walked in, holding a soul crystal.

"Master, here’s the soul crystal we extracted," Li Xingci said.

Xu Fan took it and pointed a finger at the crystal, releasing a white beam of light.

"It’s 98% pure. Take it back and let Grape refine it himself," Xu Fan said with a nod.

"Alright, let’s start looking for the next Spirit Ore Star," Spirit Cut said, clapping his hands as the work wrapped up.

The Serpent Spirit Ship set off on its mining journey once again.

The long search gave Xu Fan and Spirit Cut plenty of time to chat.

At one point, Xu Fan casually glanced at the phantom map on the control panel.

What a crude concealment formation, Xu Fan thought to himself before turning back to chat with Spirit Cut and his disciples.

“Yuexian, let me tell you something…”

Xu Fan suddenly stopped mid-sentence and turned back to the phantom map.

Everyone noticed Xu Fan’s odd behavior and turned their attention to the map.

“Master, is there something strange here?” Xu Yuexian asked.

“Do you notice anything unusual about this area?” Xu Fan asked, pointing to a large section of the concealment formation.

The group stared at it for a while but couldn’t figure it out. Finally, Xu Yuexian spoke up, “That area has a slightly different color compared to the rest.”

Xu Yuexian had trained extensively in the invisibility technique with Xu Fan, making her particularly sensitive to color variations.

“Yuexian’s right. This phantom map reflects the energy distribution of the Extreme Void Domain, so the abnormal energy reaction here definitely means something’s up.”

“Either there’s a disaster brewing, or a massive formation is hiding something, causing the energy reaction to go haywire,” Xu Fan explained.

Xu Fan’s words brought back some unpleasant memories for Xu Yuexian. She had gone through a lot to blend her spiritual energy with the environment.

“They say there are ancient stars deep in the Extreme Void Domain, inhabited by the human race. This might be one of them,” Spirit Cut said.

“Well, let’s check it out and see,” Xu Fan said with a smile.

At that moment, a large door quietly opened on the side of the Serpent Spirit Ship, and a massive cannon barrel, several hundred feet long, slowly extended outward.

“Besides the ancient human race, there could also be ancient foreign races out there.”

“We can’t let our guard down,” Spirit Cut said, eyeing the giant cannon on the Serpent Spirit Ship.

He knew Xu Fan had equipped the ship with four railguns for safety, one of which was even made with artifact-level materials.

As the Serpent Spirit Ship moved forward, the energy reaction from the large formation became clearer.

“This formation is something else. Such a massive energy reaction, and all it’s doing is hiding something,” Xu Fan said, clearly seeing the intricate patterns of the formation.

"This Formation seems a bit rough, even to an outsider like me," Spirit Cut remarked with a frown.

At that moment, the cultivators maintaining the Star Formation on an ancient star were anxiously watching a Star Ship lingering nearby.

"Has that Star Ship spotted us?" one cultivator asked nervously.

"Even if it has, our star is guarded by a respected elder and supported by the Elder Council’s giant cannons."

"If that Star Ship dares to invade, it won’t be returning," another cultivator confidently added.

Suddenly, the cultivators noticed a puppet emerging from the Serpent Spirit Ship. Without any visible action, the massive Star Formation abruptly failed.

"My heavens, this ancient star is even larger than Earth!" Xu Fan exclaimed as he took in the full view of the ancient star.

Everyone aboard the Serpent Spirit Ship was equally stunned; such a colossal ancient star existing in the disaster-filled Extreme Void Domain was astonishing.

While others marveled at the star’s size, Spirit Cut was already contemplating how to bring this ancient star back.

Xu Fan waited quietly in the void. Through Grape’s scans, he knew that a significant human population resided on this ancient star.

He was waiting for the highest cultivation level individual on the planet to appear, as he had a business proposition for this ancient star.

Soon, a blue beam of light sped towards them, and an elder stopped near the puppet.

"Friend, how fares the Human Realm now? Have we triumphed over the beast race?" the elder inquired kindly.

"The beast race is formidable; victory isn’t achievable overnight," Xu Fan replied.

"Our Hidden Spirit Sect’s Star Ship came here for mining and noticed something unusual, prompting us to investigate," Xu Fan explained.

Seeing the Great Respected Elder’s demeanor, Xu Fan responded with a smile.

"My Star Formation is quite basic; I hope it didn’t disappoint you, friend," the elder admitted openly.

"In the depths of the Extreme Void Domain, numerous disasters serve as a natural barrier. Ordinary Star Ships or giant beast race warships can’t easily find this place," Xu Fan explained with a smile.

At that moment, a sea of blood materialized around Xu Fan, forming into a figure.

"Friend, are you the master of this ancient star?" Spirit Cut asked, looking at the elder.

Noticing Xu Fan engaged in conversation, Spirit Cut stepped forward to assist.

"If you don’t mind, we could continue our discussion on my star; allow me to host you properly," the elder offered with a smile, gesturing for them to enter.

"Certainly," Xu Fan agreed.

On the ancient star, atop a towering snowy mountain, lay a sect.

"This star is named Snow Spirit Star, aligning with my Snow Spirit Sect; I am known as Snow Spirit Respected Elder," the elder introduced in a pavilion.

"Some years ago, the Elder Council informed us that the War between realms was imminent."

"Shortly after, the entire cultivation world was sealed, and the teleportation formations ceased to function, cutting off our Snow Spirit Star from the cultivation world," the elder explained.

"Before this, did your sect maintain contact with the Elder Council?" Xu Fan asked, intrigued by the Elder Council’s extensive reach.

"Yes, we were in constant contact, and there was even a teleportation formation leading to the Elder Council headquarters."

"But now…" The elder sighed, feeling like a child separated from the main group, left without support.

"After waiting for so many years, we finally see a Star Ship of the human race."

"Friend, what is the current situation between the human race and the beast race? Could you enlighten me?" the elder asked, his voice filled with hope.

"The space between the human and demon realms is sealed; the main battles are at the edges where the two realms are merging."

"In the central continent, natural passages between the two realms are increasing. The stronger fairy cities can retaliate into the demon realm."

"The weaker ones are simply destroyed."