Faced with an ancient and unsolved mystery, this was an agonizing choice — one caught between a burning desire to explore and a heart filled with dread. The people of the Eternal Main Star naturally wanted to uncover the reason their ancestors had died under such strange circumstances.

Now, with the boundless dark void dispersed and only a great coffin remaining where it had been, the urge within their hearts grew all the stronger.

“That’s right. Perhaps we can blow away the mist of mystery and restore the truth of what happened then. The terrifying crisis has most likely already passed.” Another Wang-level lord responded in agreement. This was a momentous event spanning the ancient ages — if they could unravel it, there would be immense prestige and benefit to be gained.

Some Wang-level lords with bold and fierce temperaments had light blazing in their eyes. Ten thousand years ago — that was an ancient and mysterious era, one that had warranted four great sages who swept the starry heavens to mobilize and set out in great force. There must have been profound reasons behind it.

The four ancient great sages had not returned empty-handed. They had locked that ancient coffin and set out on the return journey — it was something they had been escorting. It may well have been a priceless immortal treasure.

Of course the danger was obvious. But it was worth taking the risk. Should they gain something from it, the impact would be far-reaching, enough to shake the entire present age.

“You there — go investigate!” A Wang-level lord commanded several death warriors to advance, using their lives to probe the way.

According to every terrifying legend surrounding the ghost ships, there had never been an account of the ghost ships actively attacking those who merely observed. Sending a few death warriors ahead to investigate should not bring disaster upon the main fleet.

In any era there was never a shortage of those who walked the edge of the blade, hovering between life and death. Their choices determined their fates — different lives, different expressions.

The several black-clad figures were all of considerable strength. Two among them had already severed their Dao — which was precisely why they were willing to become death warriors: cultivated by an ancient undying clan, receiving precious medicines and evolutionary elixirs to advance in rank. Now the moment had come to demonstrate their worth.

Without a word, without a sound, they flew toward the massive black fleet. This was a graveyard of death, built from a forest of steel, which had persisted in the cosmos for as long as ten thousand years.

Ancient sages and Wang-level lords alike watched intently as the death warriors entered the fleet in silence. Every person held their breath. Perhaps the millennia-old riddle was about to be unraveled.

And more crucially: if there was no danger, the fleet itself would represent unimaginable wealth beyond measure. Whoever obtained it would instantly become a dominant power.

Four great sage-level motherships, along with an endless array of escort vessels — ten thousand years ago they could sweep across star domains, and they could still do so now, wholly undamaged.

Very quickly, six death warriors approached the four great sage ancient ships — each two ten-thousand zhang in length — and entered the space encircled by them.

“They’ve gotten close — no accident has occurred!”

Everyone grew excited. Some Wang-level lords were already barely able to contain themselves. If there was no danger, they could rush over and take possession of this collection of supreme holy weapons.

If the bodies of the four great sages were still present, there would certainly be hidden divine treasures!

“Quickly — look at what makes that ancient coffin different!” A Wang-level lord said impatiently.

The most uncertain factor was naturally that great coffin. Perhaps every crisis that had ever occurred had been a result of it emanating something — otherwise, why would four ancient great sages have bound it in chains?

The several death warriors were very careful. At a distance of a thousand zhang, they circled the coffin once, then gestured back toward the observers — no danger had been detected.

Suddenly, one of them seemed to be visibly shaken. Immediately, the cultivators on this side tensed in alarm, all of them following the direction he was pointing.

“We can’t see clearly from this angle — move the mothership, go around and look!” An ancient sage said.

People began to move, shifting to observe from a different region of space. Ye Fan drew a sharp breath. From this new angle, he discovered further secrets of the ancient coffin.

One corner of the outer coffin had been moved aside slightly, opening a gap — or rather, several gaps. Within the outer casing was another coffin, and then another: not one layer but multiple, all of the same material.

“One, two, three…”

Eight layers of the outer coffin had been opened. The ninth had been blocked and could not be moved — because the angle of displacement was too small, one would not notice at all without careful examination. Only the innermost layer of the coffin remained perfectly intact, like a solid mass without the slightest gap or seam.

A divine nine-layered coffin!

Ye Fan was stunned. It was exactly as he had suspected. This great ancient coffin was far from simple — it was the coffin of a divine being from the endless ages past, one that should have been interred high above in the nine heavens.

In this moment he finally understood why the Eternal Realm had mobilized with such great force ten thousand years ago, dispatching four great sages of unrivaled brilliance. For what they sought to do was no ordinary task.

They had actually crossed all the way to the nine heavens above — and stolen the coffin of a divine being!

“The four great sages forced open eight layers of the coffin. Yet when they truly touched the ninth and innermost true coffin, they met with devastating catastrophe!”

Those were ancient great sages — invincible above heaven and earth. In an era when ancient emperors had not yet appeared, who could have stood against them? They swept the nine heavens and ten earths without equal.

Yet four great sages acting in unison, commanding that boundless fleet — merely to deal with a single deceased divine being — had ended in total annihilation.

Ye Fan’s body went cold from head to toe. He was not encountering a divine nine-layered coffin for the first time — for inside his cauldron, he had one as well. Sage Qi Luo and others had advised him to throw it away, to bury it in the cosmos. But he had refused to discard it, and carried it with him to this day.

In the past, he had used golden sacred blood to open the outer layers of that coffin, but thinking back on it now, a chill ran through him. Had he continued opening it as those great sages had done, he would most likely have died long ago.

A divine being had been deceased for immeasurably long ages — and yet it was not something even supremely brilliant great sages could stir. What kind of extreme and ultimate power did that represent?

“Go have a look inside the great sage’s ship.” A Wang-level lord issued the command.

Two death warriors boarded one of the imposing giant vessels. Though time had shown no mercy, the great sage-level sacred ship remained intact, flowing with a dim luster.

The two death warriors boarded and entered. After a short while, one of them came back out and waved excitedly toward the observers, signaling that a major discovery had been made within.

“The great sage’s physical body — perfectly intact!”

Only eight words — yet they seemed to carry an extraordinary and irresistible pull. Wang-level lords and ancient sages alike could no longer sit still. All of them grew intensely excited.

The mysterious coffin was certainly of incalculable value — but its exact rank had yet to be confirmed. The great sages’ hidden divine treasures, however, were plainly visible and comprehensible. Obtaining even a single corpse would be worthwhile, for within their bodies there must be absolute secrets.

Perhaps it might even be possible to find seventh-stage or even eighth-stage evolutionary elixirs. After all, ten thousand years ago was a glorious and unparalleled pinnacle — one that produced multiple great sages, which was inseparable from the most powerful evolutionary elixirs. As the rulers of that time, how could those four have lacked divine elixirs?

A commotion broke out!

An ancient sage spoke, forcibly suppressing the impulsive urges of the crowd. Although things appeared to have resolved, with the ghost ships seemingly no longer devouring lives as in ancient times, it was still no reason for carelessness.

The various leaders debated extensively. In the end, one ancient sage led a group to board — to go claim the hidden divine treasures from the great sage vessels.

The death warriors who had gone over earlier could not even approach the fallen great sages’ physical remains. They were blocked by those terrible supreme Dao markings — advancing even one step further would reduce them to dust and shattered bones.

One ancient sage personally led the team, but did not rush in immediately. He remained at the edge of the dark fleet for a long while — no less than half a day — watching the death warriors within continue to show no signs of trouble. Only then did he proceed with confidence.

Over a hundred people boarded one of the great sage vessels. Before long, laughter rang out from within — clearly they were overjoyed, having laid eyes upon divine treasures unprecedented in the world.

“Haha… we may have obtained great sage-level evolutionary elixirs! There is no danger here, everyone — all the warships and motherships are ours!”

A Half-Saint was laughing as he walked out from the ancient ship, sending back this news. Instantly the crowd was invigorated, bodies trembling with excitement.

Setting aside all else — if this expedition had yielded such a glorious fleet alone, it would have surpassed any other outcome. The power and foundation of the twelve great royal clans would advance by leaps and bounds!

“Four great sage-level ancient ships, along with multiple saint and Wang-level warships — and supreme ancient mechas!”

The crowd erupted into chaos. Everyone was stunned — then nearly went mad, all wanting to rush forward.

Suddenly, one ancient sage’s expression changed dramatically. He shouted out in urgent alarm: “Terrible — disaster is upon us again! Get back here now!”

His face was drained of all color, the veins on his forehead visibly throbbing. He roared with all his might, desperate to charge forward and drag everyone out.

“What’s wrong — what happened?” Everyone was confused, all gazing ahead.

“Why — why have things gone dark around the ancient coffin again? We can no longer see through it — it has turned into total chaos!” People cried out in fear.

Had this not been the very state of the ancient ghost ships in the past? Between the four great sage vessels — only darkness, like a boundless void, representing death and Desolation.

And now — that state had returned!

“Get back here now!”

Everyone shouted. Even the saints could no longer keep calm, rays of divine light bursting from their eyes as they stared fixedly ahead.

But it was already too late. Over a hundred people had gone silent, swallowed into the ancient ships, vanishing from sight entirely.

“No!”

The gathered leaders cried out. The terrifying legends of the ancient ghost ships had come true once again — even a saint had been engulfed, their path to survival severed.

“Hum!”

Suddenly the void shook. A figure burst out from within the great sage vessel — that ancient sage had broken out, struggling with all his strength to flee. His face was written with pure terror. Whatever he had encountered, it was unspeakable.

“Save me…” He stretched out his hand with great difficulty, bursting out from the ancient ship, on the verge of breaking free.

Outside, another ancient sage saw this and quickly moved to help. The fleeing saint was only a dozen or so steps away from escaping the ghost ship zone — still moving with great difficulty, but seemingly about to break through.

But then something even more terrifying happened. As though an invisible great hand were pulling at the fleeing figure, he was slowly drawn backward — unable to escape.

And the ancient sage who had rushed to the edge of the ghost ships also let out a cry of fear, his face drained of every drop of blood. He seemed to have seen the most terrifying thing imaginable.

He too could no longer move of his own will — as if an invisible hand had seized him — and was pulled into the ghost ship zone. Then his features contorted, and he vanished silently into the void.

The backs of every single person were drenched in cold sweat. Those had been two saints — beings considered invincible to them, capable of sweeping across an entire ancient life star!

Yet in this moment they appeared so helpless and fragile, taken away just like that. This was an absolute, world-shaking terror!

“Why — what in the world is happening?” Many Wang-level lords were trembling.

But the matter was not yet concluded. A strange fluctuation was spreading, rolling toward everyone. They were about to become part of the ghost ships!

“No!” The crowd cried out in fear and fury.

Ye Fan’s heart was in even greater turmoil. While others did not know, his perception was the clearest of all: within that terrifying fluctuation was a strand of Void Dao power — strikingly similar to the Void Grand Dao of the Ji Family, and it was coming directly for him!

“The Void Emperor — he is… the Void Emperor!” Ye Fan was shaken to his core. The divine nine-layered coffin interred in the nine heavens might belong to the Void Emperor.

“No — there are also two other forms of power. Supremely terrifying, no weaker than this strand of Void power, and they are entangled with it.” A tide of tremendous waves surged within his heart.

The powers of three ancient emperors, entangled with one another!

When that possibility struck him, Ye Fan was shaken to the absolute limit. How could this be? Yet… it was truly real!

“It’s over. We are all going to become part of the ghost ships!” At this point, the many Wang-level lords had all fallen into despair.