Flightless Bird

"Little Fox Fairy, plot me the safest route to Wind Abyss Star."

"Okay, Master!"

This time, Little Fox Fairy did not act coy. Her tone turned serious.

"According to the Hong Alliance's internal star map, Wind Abyss Star is located at the edge of human territory, approximately... 370 billion light-years from Yinghuo Star. At fifty times light speed in Dark Universe, an F9-class spacecraft would need roughly... twenty years."

Fang Yan nodded.

"Remember to avoid space pirates and the like. The Primordial Universe isn't very peaceful these days."

"Space pirates?"

Little Fox Fairy's voice carried a hint of disdain.

"At Master's current speed, those space pirates won't even see your taillights!"

Fang Yan smiled but said nothing.

Better safe than sorry.

His gaze passed through the heavens and into the depths of the endless starry sky.

After bidding farewell to Fang Lie and the ancestor, Fang Yan appeared in the space beyond Yinghuo Star.

"Set off."

The silver-white F9-class spacecraft hovered silently in the starry sky. It was roughly a thousand meters long, its streamlined contours gleaming with a cold metallic sheen beneath the starlight.

With a thought from Fang Yan, the spacecraft's hatch opened soundlessly.

He stepped inside, and the hatch closed behind him.

Inside the cockpit, Fang Yan sat before the main console, his fingers swiftly sliding across the virtual display.

"Little Fox Fairy, take over the spacecraft's control system."

"Okay, Master! Taking over the system... takeover complete. All functional modules have completed self-checks, energy shields fully activated, engines warmed up."

"Please name the spacecraft, Master."

Fang Yan frowned and pondered for a while. Then, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Call it Flightless Bird!"

"Okay~ Master~ Flightless Bird, destination: Wind Abyss Star in the Xianan Starfield. Departing!"

(A touch of wind and frost, a touch of sorrow; the flightless bird never turns back... ٩(๑^o^๑)۶)

The Flightless Bird completed its acceleration beyond Yinghuo Star and transformed into a silver streak as it plunged into Dark Universe.

Fifty times light speed—this was the limit of an F9-class spacecraft.

There were no stars in Dark Universe, no light, only endless, profound emptiness.

Fang Yan sat cross-legged in the cultivation chamber behind the cockpit, his eyes closed as he focused his mind.

"Twenty years... just enough time to polish the bottleneck in the Time Law."

Fang Yan's spiritual power condensed, and a semi-transparent silver shuttle floated before him.

The Time Shuttle.

With his human body, Fang Yan could now barely manifest a single Time Shuttle.

"Time Pause..."

Fang Yan murmured.

"If I can completely master Time Pause before breaking through to immortality..."

"Then I'll become a King the moment I break through!"

Fang Yan opened his eyes, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Time quietly passed amid cultivation.

Little Fox Fairy occasionally reported on the voyage beside his ear. Most of the time, however, she remained quietly to the side and did not disturb his cultivation.

Twenty years passed in the blink of an eye.

When Little Fox Fairy's cheerful voice rang out in the cultivation chamber, Fang Yan was in a deep meditative state.

"Master, Master! We've arrived in the Xianan Starfield!"

Fang Yan opened his eyes.

Deep within those pitch-black pupils, an extremely faint silver gleam flashed past.

The Flightless Bird leaped out of Dark Universe and returned to normal space.

Fang Yan looked out through the cockpit viewport, and his pupils contracted slightly.

The Xianan Starfield.

This was an exceptionally desolate starfield. As far as the naked eye could see, there was almost no starlight at all, only endless darkness shrouding everything.

Yet at the end of his vision, a massive gaseous star slowly revolved.

Wind Abyss Star.

That planet was far larger than Fang Yan had imagined.

It was entirely deep indigo, its surface covered in endlessly churning airflow vortices. Layer upon layer, those vortices stretched from the planet's poles to its equator like some ancient totem.

Even from such an immense distance, Fang Yan could sense the terrifying aura emanating from that planet.

Endless storms.

"Master, energy fluctuations detected ahead!"

Little Fox Fairy's voice suddenly turned tense.

"Analyzing... A humanoid target has been detected! It's hovering in the outer space around Wind Abyss Star!"

Fang Yan's heart tightened as he looked in the direction Little Fox Fairy had marked.

Against Wind Abyss Star's indigo backdrop, a pitch-black figure stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

The man was tall, wholly covered in black battle armor. The armor's surface had no luster whatsoever, yet it seemed to devour all surrounding light.

There were no energy fluctuations around him, but merely standing there made the void tremble faintly.

A King-Level Immortal!

Fang Yan immediately made his judgment.

And definitely not an ordinary King-Level Immortal.

"Flightless Bird, state your identity."

A deep voice sounded directly in Fang Yan's mind. The voice carried no emotional fluctuation, yet its tone allowed no doubt.

Fang Yan took a deep breath and had Little Fox Fairy bring the spacecraft to a halt.

The hatch opened, and Fang Yan flew out of the spacecraft.

The black figure turned in the void, and Fang Yan finally saw his face clearly.

It was a sharply defined face, his skin an unhealthy pallor, as if every trace of blood had been drained from it.

"Six-Wing World Lord?"

The newcomer's tone held a trace of confusion. He did not have six wings.

"That is this junior."

Fang Yan lightly flicked his sleeve and cupped his fists in salute.

"This junior has come to Wind Abyss Star under Chaos Venerable's orders to refine the Wind Origin."

The man's gaze lingered on Fang Yan for a moment before he nodded faintly.

"I am Lanke King. By the Venerable's order, I guard Wind Abyss Star. The Venerable has already informed me of your purpose."

Fang Yan's heart tightened.

"I will first make Wind Abyss Star's rules clear to you."

Lanke King's voice remained calm.

"First, you may enter Wind Abyss Star to hunt Divining Wind Beasts and refine their Wind Origin, but you bear responsibility for your own life and death. I will not intervene in the dangers within Wind Abyss Star."

"Second, I guard the outer space around Wind Abyss Star. If you encounter an enemy you cannot defeat, simply retreat to the outer region."

Lanke King's pure black eyes fixed on Fang Yan.

Fang Yan was stunned.

"Divining Wind Beasts?"

"Native creatures of Wind Abyss Star. They feed on hurricanes."

Lanke King explained.

"They coexist symbiotically with Wind Abyss Star's Wind Origin and are the core of this planet's ecosystem. Their strength ranges from World Lord to King-Level Immortal. Remember to act within your limits."

Fang Yan nodded.

"This junior understands."

Lanke King said nothing more. He merely shifted slightly aside, clearing the path to Wind Abyss Star.

"Go."

Fang Yan cupped his fists in salute once more, then turned and flew back to the Flightless Bird.

The spacecraft found a suitable location in the outer region of Wind Abyss Star and docked there.

Standing before the hatch, Fang Yan took one deep look at the indigo gaseous giant.

Then, he closed his eyes.

The power of his inner world surged, and a fist-sized Origin Core slowly emerged from his dantian.