Escape from Death

On the Azure Wolf, the Wolf Demon's face had already turned livid.

"Madman! He's completely insane!" He glared through gritted teeth at the faint blue glow, then finally clenched his jaw. "Accelerate! Get ahead of him and block him!"

The Azure Wolf burst forth with overloaded power. Its hull shook violently as its speed surged. Like a streak of azure lightning, it swiftly overtook the Rocksplitter and positioned itself between it and the entrance to the Void Vortex Domain.

"Rocksplitter, decelerate immediately, or we will take coercive measures!" came the transmission from the Azure Wolf.

Golden Horn stared at the Azure Wolf blocking the way on the Curtain, his eyes bloodshot.

"Move!" he roared. Rather than slowing down, he accelerated again.

The distance between the two ships shrank further and further, until Golden Horn could even make out the rivets on the Azure Wolf's hull.

Just as neither side would yield and the two ships were about to collide,

the faint blue glow at the entrance to the Void Vortex Domain suddenly began to flicker violently.

An invisible force of suction erupted from the glow, as though an unseen giant hand had suddenly seized both ships.

"What's happening?!" the Wolf Demon cried in alarm.

The Rocksplitter shook violently. Golden Horn clung tightly to the main console, barely keeping himself from being flung away. Through the porthole, he saw the starry sky outside begin to twist and warp. Starlight stretched into long, thin streaks, as if it were being sucked into a massive vortex.

Neither the Rocksplitter nor the Azure Wolf had any power to resist that suction. Both were dragged toward the faint blue glow.

"No!" the Wolf Demon let out an unwilling roar.

But it was already too late.

Golden Horn's vision blurred as the world spun. His body was hurled into the ceiling, then slammed heavily against the main console. The alarms inside the cabin shrieked, lights flashed madly, and several instrument panels exploded outright, spraying sparks. He gripped the edge of the console for dear life, his claws gouging four deep furrows into the floor, barely preventing himself from being thrown out again.

All starlight vanished. It seemed as though countless winds howled beside his ears, yet it also seemed as though there was nothing at all.

Then everything fell silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Golden Horn slowly opened his eyes.

Beyond the porthole was chaos.

Faint blue energy surged like clouds and mist. Blinding flashes occasionally streaked through it; spatial rifts opening and closing. Far away, enormous fragments of rock floated in midair, as though some force had fixed them in place.

"Is this the Void Vortex Domain?"

Golden Horn muttered to himself.

The Rocksplitter's cabin was in a complete mess. Many devices had fallen from the walls, and debris littered the floor. Fortunately, the ship's life-support system was still running, and the lights remained on.

Golden Horn struggled to his feet and walked to the main console.

Static filled the Curtain. Every navigation system had failed.

"Rocksplitter, determine location."

"Unable to determine location. The spatial structure in the current region is abnormal. Star chart coordinates cannot be identified."

Red warnings filled the screens inside the ship as the intelligent system spoke:

Abnormal propulsion detected, abnormal spatial laws detected, abnormal flight trajectory detected, unknown attacks have damaged the ship's hull. Please locate a landing site and land as soon as possible.

Golden Horn did not panic. He swiftly gave the order, "Activate the radar, activate the optical cameras, activate every scanning and observation device. Scan the surroundings immediately."

Before long, the Curtain displayed the scene outside. Beyond the portholes, faint blue energy roiled endlessly like chaotic clouds and mist. Below lay a small continent, with rolling mountains, winding rivers, towering forests, and lush greenery. Dark shadows occasionally flashed through the woods. He could not see what they were, but at least they proved that living creatures existed here.

Living creatures meant food, resources, and possible dangers.

But that was not what concerned him most.

His gaze swept toward the edge of the Curtain. There, spatial turbulence raged like an invisible meat grinder. Any object caught within it would suffer indiscriminate attacks. A huge boulder was swept up by the turbulence and silently shattered in midair, turning into powder that drifted away.

Golden Horn took a deep breath and turned to look at the chaotic void beyond the porthole.

Behind him, the storage room door was still locked. Big Black and Second Black should still be unconscious inside.

As for the pursuers, he looked up. Deep in the chaos, he could vaguely make out a bluish-gray shadow slowly sinking.

The Azure Wolf had been sucked in as well. The pursuit was not over.

Golden Horn fell silent for a moment. This was not the time to think about that. He needed to survive first; everything else could wait.

Golden Horn gave another order. "Rocksplitter, descend toward the edge of the continent at full speed."

The ship abruptly turned. Its damaged hull emitted a piercing scraping sound in the airflow.

In the distance, the Azure Wolf was carried away by the spatial turbulence. It gradually sank into the faint blue chaos and vanished from sight.

The ship landed amid violent jolts. Only when the roar outside the cabin finally ceased and silence returned did he let out a breath of relief.

The hatch opened, and Golden Horn stepped outside.

The moment he touched the ground, a heavy oppressive force pressed in from every direction. Gravity was several times stronger than on Chiyun Star. Golden Horn noticed it as soon as he took his first step. His movements had slowed, and flapping his wings took noticeably more effort. Flying here, he probably could not even reach thirty percent of his usual speed.

He raised his head and surveyed his surroundings. The energy density in the air far surpassed that of the outside world, so rich it was nearly visible to the naked eye. With every breath, he could feel wisps of energy seeping into his scales, like warm water soaking parched earth.

Golden Horn paused slightly, then shook his head.

Too slow. Relying on breathing to improve his cultivation, he would not advance even one rank in ten years. But the energy density here itself meant that a place like this would surely produce treasures rarely found outside.

He vaguely sensed some invisible patterns or dormant power within the space. The energy within was not still, but faintly rose and fell like tides. His cultivation was too low, however, and he could not determine what it meant.

Golden Horn did not investigate further and instead headed toward the forest ahead.

The ground beneath his feet was soft, making a rustling sound as he stepped on it. After walking for about a quarter of an hour, he reached the forest's edge.

The vegetation was astonishingly dense. All kinds of unfamiliar trees intertwined, their branches and leaves layered upon one another, blocking most of the sky. The leaves were lush and green, some even glowing faintly, as though draped in a thin veil of light.

Golden Horn looked at those verdant leaves and could not resist opening his mouth to take a bite.

Five years! He had not seen green in five years. No matter how they tasted, he had to try them.

The first taste was slightly sour and astringent. Juice burst across his mouth, followed by a warm current of energy spreading from his stomach. It was not much, but it felt pleasant. The texture was far better than eating dirt. No, there was simply no comparison.

Golden Horn licked his lips and forced himself to look away from the leaves. Staring at the boundless forest, he decided that eating leaves was not urgent. He should explore first and see whether there were any dangers—or anything tastier.

After only a few steps, he stopped. He saw ants moving across the ground. What puzzled him was that they seemed different from the ants in his memories. The ants here were unusually large, more than ten times bigger than the ants in his inherited memories, with glossy shells and swift movements.

Golden Horn watched them for a while but did not touch them.

As he ventured deeper, more and more insects and small animals appeared around him. Some leaped among the branches, while others darted through the grass. The vast majority were extremely weak and posed no threat to him.