Lu Chen smiled as he carefully sensed the various powerful auras within his body.
This Starry Sky Arena truly was a residence.
Unfortunately, over the past half month, fewer and fewer Divine Kings had come to spar with him.
Many would rather watch the recordings than continue coming over to spar.
This left him feeling regretful.
Just then, Lu Chen suddenly frowned. His body flashed, and he vanished from the room.
The next moment, he appeared directly in the vast starry sky.
The instant he appeared, his expression turned grave as he looked ahead.
Within the magnificent, boundless starry sky, a vast deathly aura flowed forth, surging like endless tides of death. It was a black mass that brought wave after wave of terrifying, oppressive pressure.
Within that vast deathly aura, more than ten enormous warships appeared.
Every one of them was battered and broken, a miserable sight to behold.
On their decks stood thin, skeletal figures. Each seemed to have lost their mind, their expressions muddled and vacant. They stood motionless atop the ruined giant ships, allowing them to drift forward.
They were like a group of puppets.
"People from the Death Zone have come out!"
Wu Lie's voice shook as he appeared beside Lu Chen, his face filled with horror.
And that was not all.
Throughout the entire starry sky, countless streams of spiritual sense noticed this scene and revealed shocked expressions.
"They're ships from the Death Zone..."
"Heavens, what happened? How did they become like this?"
"What happened to these Divine Kings?"
"That's Fellow Daoist Xuantian, an expert at the eighth level of the Divine King realm. How did he become like this?"
The entire starry sky was thrown into an uproar.
Countless people cried out in alarm.
Every Divine King's consciousness was filled with terror.
"The Death Zone?"
Lu Chen furrowed his brow and looked at Wu Lie.
"Yes. It is the most mysterious and terrifying region in the starry sky, so terrifying that even Divine Emperors can only avoid it and dare not confront it... It has appeared again. It has appeared again now. How could this happen?"
It was clear that Wu Lie was terrified. Even his body had begun to tremble.
It was as though he were facing some utterly dreadful unknown.
"What exactly is going on?"
Lu Chen asked.
"Brother Lu, have you ever wondered why, after causing such a huge incident in the arena and killing so many Divine Kings from the Evil Path Alliance, no Divine Emperor came to deal with you?"
Wu Lie's voice trembled involuntarily.
"Yes, I have indeed wondered about that. What is going on?"
Lu Chen said.
"It isn't that those Divine Emperors are unwilling to act against you. Rather, every Divine Emperor in the heavens and starry sky is hiding, fleeing disaster. Some Divine Emperors were even forcibly taken to the Death Zone... They simply cannot come out!"
Wu Lie said in near despair.
"What?"
Lu Chen narrowed his eyes. "Explain in detail."
"This Death Zone opens once every countless years. Inside, it is like a vast ancient battlefield. Whenever it opens, certain terrifying beings known as [Heavenly Walkers] roam every corner of the starry sky. As long as someone's combat strength reaches a certain level, they become targets. They are forcibly taken away and sent to the Death Zone. Whether peerless Divine Kings or Divine Emperors, none can avoid it..."
Wu Lie's voice trembled as he said, "Thus, whenever the Death Zone opens, those great Divine Emperors hide. Some seal themselves away, while others fall into slumber and feign death. Unless something truly earth-shaking happens, they will absolutely not emerge. That is why no Divine Emperor has come after you."
"There is such a thing?"
Lu Chen's gaze turned solemn.
A mysterious force was capturing peerless Divine Kings and Divine Emperors?
"Not even Divine Emperors can resist?"
"They cannot. No one can resist."
It was as though Wu Lie had been reminded of an ancient terror. His voice shook as he said, "Over these countless years, more than one Divine Emperor has resisted. There were even supreme Divine Emperors who tried to contend against them. But in the end, they were all blasted to death on the spot, their blood staining the starry sky. I once saw a top-tier faction crumble and collapse overnight. From then on, no one dared provoke the Heavenly Walkers again. Now that these warships have appeared, a new journey of death is about to begin. The Heavenly Walkers are coming again!"
"The Heavenly Walkers are going to capture people again?"
Lu Chen asked.
"Yes. Do you see those ruined warships? They carry the supreme experts from the previous generation. Whenever the previous generation returns, a new generation must go in to replace them... The Heavenly Walkers are going to seize people again!"
Wu Lie said fearfully.
Endless tempestuous waves instantly surged through Lu Chen's mind.
"What a terrifying Death Zone!"
Qiqi flew over from one side, his little face filled with shock as well.
"What did these people experience? Why do they seem to have become puppets?"
Qiqi looked at the figures upon those warships.
"Yes, they are just like puppets."
A bitter smile appeared on Wu Lie's face. "Whenever the Death Zone opens, all those who emerge become like puppets. From ancient times until now, no one has ever come out intact. No matter what questions they are asked, these people never answer. It is as though they have lost their souls. In the end, they all die miserable deaths one by one within a few years..."
"So no one knows what they truly experienced?"
Lu Chen asked.
"That is right."
Wu Lie's tone was mournful, as though he felt the sorrow of the rabbit dying and the fox grieving.
The existence of the Death Zone was like a sword suspended over the heads of countless factions!
No one dared resist!
Several experts from their arena had once been captured and taken inside. After returning, they had become like puppets before dying miserable deaths.
"This is truly inconceivable!"
Lu Chen's tone grew slightly grave as he continued staring toward those battered warships.
Within the endless, dense deathly aura, ship after ship drifted along. There were dozens of warships in total, and the figures aboard them numbered at least a thousand...
Just as Wu Lie had said.
Every one of them was muddle-headed, dressed in tattered clothes, like a puppet...
Every single one was an expert!
Such a scene was simply bizarre!
Even Lu Chen could not help feeling waves of icy chill crawl up his spine.
Within the heavens and starry sky, those Divine Kings who had still been scanning this place immediately withdrew their spiritual senses. Like refugees fleeing disaster, they fled as far away as they could.
"Brother Lu, you should run too. Run quickly!"
Wu Lie came to his senses and hurriedly looked at Lu Chen.
The Heavenly Walkers only captured those with stronger combat strength!
Lu Chen would definitely be on their list!
"You cannot escape."
Lu Chen gently shook his head.
The other side could even capture Divine Emperors. That alone showed how terrifying their strength was!
Run?
It was nothing more than deceiving oneself!
"Qiqi, weren't you going to find your clansmen? I'll take you to them first."
Lu Chen looked at Qiqi.
He had suddenly become somewhat more open-minded.
Since escape was impossible.
Then he could only face it!
No matter what, he had to send Qiqi away first.
He did not want to drag him down again.
"Lu Chen, I'm scared!"
Qiqi looked nervous as he said, "Don't leave me. I'm afraid you'll die."
Lu Chen smiled and stroked his head. "Don't worry. I have means to preserve my life. Even if it truly is a death zone, there will always be a sliver of life. As long as that sliver exists, I can emerge unscathed!"
His [Heavenly Scar Sword Dao] could leave scars even upon the Heavenly Dao.
That meant not even the heavens could kill him.
If the heavens wanted to kill him, he could carve out a sliver of life.
"President Wu, then we shall take our leave!"
Lu Chen looked at Wu Lie again and spoke.
"Brother Lu, you must be careful. The Death Zone is incomparably terrifying, absolutely unlike anything you have encountered before. Even Divine Emperors who entered have been unable to come out intact. This name represents the greatest taboo and the greatest terror in the starry sky. You must not let down your guard."
President Wu hurriedly said.
"I know."
Lu Chen nodded calmly.
Since even Divine Emperors could not escape, any preparation he made would be futile.
He swept up Qiqi and immediately left the area, heading toward the distant starry sky.
The place where true dragons dwelled was not in the Eternal Star Domain, but in another star domain.
That place was called the Ancient Life Star.
It was boundlessly far from here. Even Divine Kings needed more than ten days to reach it.
Along the way, Lu Chen indeed witnessed a tremendous upheaval across the entire starry sky.
In general, it was a kind of desolation.
It seemed that every Divine King-level expert was fleeing. Even the war between the righteous and evil paths had halted because of this, with both factions astonishingly shrinking back.
They had no choice but to retreat, as all their Divine Kings had fled.
The remaining forces did not dare continue fighting either.
In a single day, Lu Chen felt something strange, as though the universe had fallen into a great depression.
Previously, while riding the Jade Boat, he could still see all sorts of giant ships, factions, and even Divine Kings traveling about.
But now, let alone Divine Kings.
Even cargo vessels had suddenly become much fewer.
Almost everyone in the starry sky was in danger, and one could clearly feel an immense terror spreading.
Using his [Myriad Heavens Authority], he listened to the voices from every corner of the universe. All of them were tense and uncertain, utterly anxious. Every Divine King and Divine Emperor was making preparations.
Although the Heavenly Walkers only sought out Divine Kings with formidable combat strength, there had been exceptions throughout history.
Some non-combat Divine Kings had also been targeted.
Thus, no one was unafraid.
"This Death Zone is truly terrifying. It has merely leaked a trace of its aura, yet it has thrown the entire starry sky into chaos. This is simply unbelievable."
Lu Chen's expression shifted.
As he continued rushing toward the Ancient Life Star.
In another direction.
A mysterious woman from Sword Cliff, her face cold and clear, purple mist swirling around her body, was surrounded by three figures in white robes wearing eerie pure-white masks.
She was none other than Jian Xuan and Jian Qi's Master!
She had originally intended to descend the mountain and seek trouble with Lu Chen.
Yet the moment she came down the mountain, she encountered those three strange white figures.
For an entire month, she had been unable to completely shake off their entanglement.
Every method and every hiding place she used had been utterly useless.
"Now I finally know who you are. Heavenly Walkers... To think that, in my lifetime, I would be besieged by three Heavenly Walkers. What an honor!"
The mysterious woman spoke mockingly, seemingly ridiculing herself.
And seemingly ridiculing them.
But the three figures were cold and wooden, as though they felt nothing.
Only the figure in the center spoke in a stiff voice. "You are a Divine Emperor. You count as the advance contingent. You must leave with us now. There must be no mistake. If you exceed the deadline, your entire family will die, and your bloodline will be exterminated!"
"What an arrogant tone!"
The mysterious woman's voice was icy. "However, I still have matters to attend to. Even if my true body goes with you, I must leave behind an incarnation!"
Whoosh!
A hazy incarnation flashed out from behind her. It looked exactly like her, with purple mist swirling around it and eyes flashing like lightning, though its cultivation was somewhat weaker than her true body's.
She glanced at her incarnation and said coldly, "Go and experience Lu Chen's swordsmanship!"
The incarnation gently nodded. Its body swayed, and it vanished from the place in an instant.
"Let us go. I would like to see just how strange your Death Zone truly is."
The mysterious woman's tone was cold as she stepped forward and walked into the distance.
The three figures in white masks immediately followed close behind her, vanishing swiftly from the place.
At the same time.
Within the starry sky.
Nearly every Divine Emperor experienced the same thing.
Three figures wearing white masks and white clothes, like puppets, appeared before them and clung to them relentlessly, demanding that they immediately accompany them.
Once the news spread through certain special channels, it triggered even more boundless panic.
Before you continue