The dense fleet of mother ships advanced through the frigid cosmos, traversing the ancient starry road across vast stretches of sky, finally nearing their destination. The enormous forest of steel flickered with an eerie, cold luster.

“We’re close. I’ve returned!” Ye Fan’s heart surged with excitement. He had never imagined that one day he would return in such a manner — aboard a metal warship.

Two years had passed since he left this stretch of stars. Not an eternity, but far from brief. He wondered how the old friends from those days were faring now.

Had the path to immortality opened? How many saints and sages from beyond the domain had arrived? Had some great upheaval befallen this realm? Everything remained unknown, awaiting his return to explore and discover.

Starlight shimmered as the fleet of cold metal warships cut across the heavens, bursting into this star domain on that very day, arriving at the destination of their expedition.

The Northern Dipper Star Domain possessed a majestic, boundless vitality that could be felt even from a great distance through the starry void!

“This is it — this is the great ancient star!”

“Indeed. Truly a mysterious ancient life-bearing star. It is no smaller than our Eternal Prime Star. Creation is truly wondrous to have forged such a wellspring of life!”

“From this day forth, this place shall bask in the eternal radiance and become the sacred land of our revival!”

Even the great lords among them could no longer contain themselves. Their excitement was boundless, eyes blazing with intensity, each of them brimming with exhilaration.

“These indigenous people are truly incompetent — sitting atop a gold mine without knowing how to mine it. The spiritual energy here is abundant, yet they only know how to cultivate through hardship, ignorant of comprehensive development. We have come to lead them.”

Through a kind of intuition, they surmised that this was an exceedingly ancient life-bearing star that surely harbored secrets from the primordial chaos — sacred minerals and immortal herbs had to exist here.

Many burst into laughter. They had crossed the sea of stars, spending over half a year on the journey, and had finally reached their destination. This expedition was certain to be worth every effort!

“One hopes the bloodlines of the indigenous people here are formidable enough that we may put them to use. We need them for mining sacred ores and the like. Moreover, the power of their bloodlines will aid our own cultivation.”

The elites of every clan were invigorated, each of them rubbing their hands together, eager to make their mark and become star-faring pioneers who would blaze a trail through the cosmos.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Ye Fan’s lips. These people truly regarded this place as a treasure trove of resources — did they believe they could kill or spare at will, doing as they pleased?

The fleet, flickering with a chilling metallic sheen, was packed tightly together and exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression as it descended upon the ancient star and made contact with this colossal celestial body.

The instant they arrived, the distances between the Twelve Great Royal Clans automatically widened further. Each was on guard against the others, fearing that someone might secretly strike against their own allies to seize sacred medicines and the like.

Lightning flashed through Ye Fan’s divine eyes. The Northern Dipper was somehow different — the mechanisms of the Grand Dao were in turmoil, dark and unfathomable, as though veiled by a great curtain.

“Strange. Could it be that the path to immortality has truly opened? Why does this place feel so profoundly abstruse — beyond all deduction?”

At that moment, the saints who had accompanied the fleet stepped one by one from their cabins, gazing down at the magnificent star below, brows furrowing involuntarily. They could not see through this place.

“Without question, this is an ancient sacred ground, shrouded in a layer of mysterious aura. One must not be careless — caution is paramount,” one of the saints warned, his heart filled with uncertainty.

“Hah! What could possibly be here? These are nothing but a group of indigenous people fixated on physical cultivation. This place will become our treasure trove of resources!”

“According to the memory imprints from the Demon God’s sea of consciousness, this ancient star has a handful of saints. But with so many of our sages having accompanied us — with this many mother ships, saint-level royal war armor, and all the rest — we have more than enough to sweep them flat!”

A few lords were unconcerned, brimming with confidence. They already regarded this place as their own territory and were eager to begin carving it up immediately.

Of course, quite a few lords — among them the Purple Cloud Royal Clan and the Zhao Family — remained quite cautious. Hearing is one thing; seeing is believing. They were the first to dispatch reconnaissance vessels, intent on probing the situation.

“Something’s off — this great star is very strange. We cannot see through it!”

One saint spoke up. His eyes flashed like lightning as he personally oversaw operations from within a mother ship, staring at the large display screen. Unable to conduct a full-spectrum scan, he ultimately extended his powerful divine consciousness outward.

“Hmm. There is an ancient supreme-grade array formation, guarding and defending this great star.”

Everyone was taken aback, expressions of astonishment crossing their faces. Only stars upon which ancient deities had once appeared would possess such characteristics — formation inscriptions that independently carried out their own protection.

“Ah, yes. Long ago, one called Wushi emerged from this place, who later likely touched upon that realm. And then there was the one called Wushi…”

They quickly thought of Wushi and of Wushi, concluding that the appearance of such ancient array inscriptions was entirely understandable. Otherwise, something would truly be amiss.

“The reconnaissance vessel will execute a spatial jump and proceed toward the Undying Mountain region for observation. Please remain patient,” said a lord of the Zhao Family.

Before long, a signal came through, and a clear image appeared on the large display screen. The cultivators from the Eternal Prime Star had come under attack.

“What is that thing? Is it a treasure that fell from beyond the domain? Could it be a sacred implement of a saint?”

“Perhaps this is a divine weapon lost in battle between gods from beyond the domain, which has fallen upon our ancient star. Pursue it quickly — this may be a great opportunity!”

A group of cultivators from the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm were in pursuit, soon drawing several powerful experts of the Immortal Platform realm to join the chase — all of them rushing to capture the reconnaissance vessel.

Aboard each mother ship beyond the domain, every cultivator who witnessed this scene was first left dumbstruck, then broke into uncontrollable laughter — some nearly in tears.

“A bunch of country bumpkins! Truly pitiable — still unenlightened, not even recognizing a reconnaissance vessel, mistaking it for a divine artifact. Ha!”

“These are the so-called hardship cultivators — fine words about mining the treasures of the human body, yet knowing nothing of the world. If we were to send even a single saint-level mother ship down there, it would be enough to sweep clean an entire region!”

The Twelve Lords finally set their minds at ease. Countless elites let out a collective sigh of relief, unable to hold back their laughter. What threat could a group of hardship cultivators like these possibly pose?

Whoosh!

The reconnaissance vessel executed a spatial jump, vanishing from that territory and leaving the group of indigenous onlookers dumbfounded — their target lost, they retreated in embarrassment one by one.

Beyond the domain, the Twelve Great Royal Clans felt even more reassured. Their expressions lightened considerably. Indigenous people like these posed absolutely no threat.

“This is merely one corner of the star. Let us not be hasty — it would be best to conduct a thorough investigation. We cannot afford to be careless.”

Taking ease was one thing; recklessness was another. After all, this was an expedition of immense significance, and no one would truly act on impulse or take unnecessary risks.

“The reconnaissance vessel has approached the Undying Mountain and captured a clear image from the sky outside its boundaries — oh, what a sweeping, magnificent expanse of dark peaks! They are the emperors among mountains!”

They could not help but exclaim in awe as the vast, primordial grandeur swept toward them, stirring every heart.

“Wait — what is that?” The reconnaissance vessel had not yet entered the Undying Mountain. From a great distance, it had already captured a series of images — and they had caught sight of a remarkable spectacle.

“It’s just a flying tortoise. What’s so remarkable about that?” When the image froze, one lord sneered, turning to the one beside him.

Another lord suddenly widened his eyes. “No — this is a Black Tortoise. Oh — no, this is actually an ancient medicinal herb! It… can independently choose its dwelling place and cleave through the sky in flight.”

“What? This is…” The saints were now stirred. They fixed their gaze upon the frozen image, studying it carefully.

It was a tortoise with the head of a dragon — what one might call a Black Tortoise — yet it also bore roots and a stem, sailing through the air within the Undying Mountain and scattering a crystalline radiance below it.

Not only were the many lords left slack-jawed, but even the supposed “indigenous Ye Fan” stared wide-eyed in disbelief. After so many years, he had once again laid eyes upon this immortal herb — the Black Tortoise, also known as the Ten-Thousand-Year Herb!

Long ago, when he and Xiao Nannan, Pang Bo, and Li Heishui had accidentally stumbled into the Undying Mountain, he had seen this sacred herb — and the shock of it had sent the herb shooting through the heavens and fleeing.

“This is a wonderous ancient medicinal herb of extraordinary fortune. The heavens have bestowed their favor upon us — we shall reap astonishing harvests here!” one lord said, swallowing hard.

“I believe this must be what is spoken of in ancient legend — an immortal herb, one that a deity might refine into a Nine-Turn Immortal Elixir, or that we might extract into a ninth-tier perfected evolution fluid.”

Their voices trembled with emotion. They had never imagined they would encounter resources of such staggering abundance — wealth enough to make one nearly faint from astonishment.

“According to the memory imprints burned into the Demon God’s sea of consciousness, there are several more sacred lands like this of equal value. Could it be that each holds equally transcendent immortal-grade items?!” The entire group began breathing rapidly.

All of this was too astounding. For them, the ninth-tier evolution fluid was the greatest temptation the world had to offer, and every pair of eyes had turned red with desire.

“Damn it — the Cao Family has made the first move, charging straight down toward the surface below!”

“The Lanto Clan has also broken their promise and descended ahead of schedule! Four mother ships are moving in tandem, all rushing toward the Northern Region!”

The Twelve Great Clans had already spread apart, each holding their ground, guarding against the others. Now, seeing two clans set into motion and charge toward their respective targets, no one could remain composed any longer — everyone feared that the good things would be snatched up first.

The great warships set off — a vast, dark mass of them — and then four more clans stirred, rushing downward toward the life-bearing star.

After that, none held back any longer. Every clan moved independently, surging into their respective target regions.

Crack!

The reconnaissance vessel that had been transmitting images entered the Undying Mountain — and suddenly shattered, all contact with it severed.

“How was it destroyed? From the looks of it, it was pierced through by some inexplicably powerful indigenous being. Hmm — this ancient star supposedly has several saints, all dwelling in places of importance. We should be careful.”

“It matters not. If a saint truly appears, does anyone think our sages and ancient-saint battle-kings here are just for show? With this many mother ships, we can annihilate any of them in an instant!”

The crews of the many mother ships approached with anticipation, with bright hopes, officially entering the ancient star and charging toward the Primordial Ancient Mine, the Undying Mountain, the Fire Qilin Cave, the Myriad Dragon Nest, and other such places.

Ye Fan finally began to move as well. The Never-Setting-Sun Royal Clan had only one mother ship remaining — all its saints had perished, and the hundred-odd warships left behind posed no threat to him.

He intended to seize this mother ship, and more than that, to claim the evolution fluid for himself.

“Calling the old black dog!” Ye Fan had long since familiarized himself with how to operate the warship, and from within his own vessel he attempted to make contact with the people of the Heaven Village.

Two years ago, outside the Undying Mountain, he had seized a saint-grade ship. Although the divine essence within it had faded away and it could no longer execute spatial jumps, all its other functions remained intact — and he had left it in the Black Emperor’s care.

“What the hell — am I actually hallucinating? Why do I feel like some bastard is calling out to me?” The Heaven Village had an entry point to the outside world, and the Black Emperor’s great ship was moored there. The creature was now utterly baffled.

A small bald-headed sprite — mischievous and lively — poked his head out, cradling a little wine jar. He let out a wine-soaked belch and said, “I heard it too. It sounded like Master’s voice.”

“That’s right — it’s me. No hallucination. I’m back!”

“Ah — Master!” The little bald head plopped straight down onto the ground, rubbed both wide eyes, stared at the large display screen, and said, “Master, the Black Emperor forced me to drink. I didn’t want to — I missed you.”

“What the hell?! You’re stealing wine again — what’s that got to do with me?!” The Black Emperor nearly swallowed the boy whole, then stared at Ye Fan in sheer disbelief. “Kid — how are you back already?”

“Never mind all that for now. I have something important to tell you all. This time we have a major operation — we’re going to raid a massive fleet of mother ships, all of them saint-grade…” Ye Fan rapidly relayed the information. All Twelve Royal Clans had evolution fluid and mother ships — each was worth striking.

“Wah! We’re raiding wild aliens!” The little bald-head was the first to leap up in excitement.