The Star Ruins Belong to No One

Chu Ming and the other two paid nine hundred Dao crystals, collected three transmission jade talismans, and stepped into the center of the formation.

Overseeing the formation was a third-step steward from the City Lord's Manor. He swept his gaze over the crowd and announced in a ringing voice, "Transmission destination: Star Ruins Entrance No. 7. Once the formation activates, you will experience three breaths of dizziness. This is normal. Upon arrival, please leave the transmission platform immediately to avoid congestion."

After a pause, he added, "A reminder to all: the star ruins are dangerous. Your lives are your own responsibility.

"If you encounter an irresistible danger, crush your jade talisman. The transmission formation will detect it, but rescue will take time to arrive and may not make it in time. I wish you all... good luck."

With those words, he formed seals with both hands.

Buzz—

The formation flared with brilliant light!

Chu Ming felt the ground vanish beneath his feet as the scenery around him twisted and spun.

The familiar sensation of vertigo washed over him. He closed his eyes and focused, his Dao foundation circulating naturally to resist the tearing force of space.

Three breaths later, his feet touched solid ground.

When he opened his eyes, he was already in an unfamiliar world.

There was no sky here.

Or rather, the sky was shattered.

Above them stretched a boundless "net" woven from countless spatial rifts.

The rifts varied in size—some as thin as hairs, others as vast as gorges—with dark-purple void currents flowing within them.

Now and then, meteor fragments drifted out of the rifts, slowly rotating as their surfaces reflected faint light from some unknown source.

The ground was scorched black, its hardened soil utterly barren.

In the distance lay the warped remnants of hills, as