Barren Star – Chapter 68
by Little PandaMythical Forbidden Zone.
The distance of “100,000 light-years” was data provided by scientists from the Greedy Wolf Star System, but due to the vast distance and the obstruction of dark pollution, no one in the entire galaxy had truly reached the “Mythical Forbidden Zone,” making the positioning in the database quite inaccurate. However, the Insect Queen Hill seemed to have an instinctive perception of chaos. After several observations, Ning Buyi noticed that the directions she pointed to matched the coordinates given by the Mountain and Sea Atlas, and the lingering worry in her heart dissipated somewhat.
During the fourth space jump, it had been three months since they left the Mountain and Sea Star. The “Pojun” starship hovered in the profound cosmos, permeated with an aura of death. Construction star clusters were no longer visible here, and the few scattered planets were on the brink of death. High concentrations of dark pollution filled space, and even within the starship, they could feel immense pressure. At this moment, the “Mythical Domain” brought by the oak’s “Heart of Life” took effect, gradually dispelling the pollution from their bodies.
Ning Buyi vaguely sensed that the power of the Mountain and Sea Atlas had grown stronger, as if the dying planetary consciousness had voluntarily returned to “Mother’s” embrace. Ning Buyi frowned, raising her eyes to look at the display screen filled with red dots. As the red dots gradually enlarged, these distorted “space debris” could barely be made out in their entirety.
“The Dragon God Ship belongs to the previous Chief Judge,” Hua Zhuoyu retracted her smile, her eyes fixed intently on the display screen, her brow carrying additional gravity and solemnity. When Chief Judges’ lives were about to end, they would set sail for the Mythical Forbidden Zone. After that, few messages ever returned. After experiencing disappointment time and time again, no one held hope for this anymore.
A silence fell over the bridge, even the constantly quarreling sisters Hill and Kris quieted down. Ning Buyi stepped forward, patted Hua Zhuoyu’s shoulder, and asked gently, “What is that humanoid matter beside it?”
It appeared human-like, clad in black armor, though its body was extremely massive, at least four meters tall. Unlike “Mecha Warriors”, this was its true height, not relying on external skeletal enhancement. Its black armor was tattered but hadn’t completely decomposed in space. The concentration of dark pollution outside was extremely high; even with the oak’s protection, Ning Buyi was reluctant to leave the starship, merely concentrating her gaze, trying to discern some clues.
Hua Zhuoyu answered, “Perhaps it’s from the Giant Civilization.” In the known universe, besides the current three major civilizations, other civilizations existed. The Giant Civilization was one of them. Historical texts clearly recorded the development history of this brilliant civilization. Unfortunately, this powerful civilization ultimately ended completely in civil war.
This giant corpse from a past destroyed civilization was just the beginning. During their subsequent journey, they discovered traces of other known and unknown civilizations in space. They didn’t plan to exit the ship at this time, instead storing the coordinates and data images. If the dark pollution could be resolved, future humans would surely set foot in this cosmos to search for these vanished civilizations.
After countless space jumps and repeated coordinate corrections, following nearly a year of cosmic wandering, Ning Buyi’s group successfully reached the “Mythical Forbidden Zone,” glimpsing that moment when the polluted land was shrouded in darkness.
“Compared to our predecessors, our journey has been far too smooth,” Hua Zhuoyu’s face showed traces of emotion. After the fifth jump, they could no longer find traces of Da Xia. That was the deepest point Da Xia could reach, yet it remained far from the final “Mythical Forbidden Zone.”
“Shall we enter that planet?” Kris spoke up. After countless setbacks, she had finally given up on “opposing” Hill, something she had found extremely interesting. As dormant memory fragments gradually awakened, she recalled how Hill had toyed with her spiritual power during the battle at Giant Sickle Star, but now wasn’t the appropriate time for revenge. Unknowingly, she had become very different from her past self.
Hill spoke: “There’s a rhythm of life there.” She put away her usual gentle smile, her expression showing more caution and seriousness. Dark pollution would cause all living beings to go berserk, losing themselves. How could the rhythm of life at the “Origin Site” of dark pollution possibly be from normal living beings? Hill’s single statement made everyone tense up, their hearts filled with anxiety, trepidation, and a glimmer of hope.
Ning Buyi contemplated for a moment before speaking in a casual tone: “This was once the Divine Court, a mythical civilization. The good news is that after the twilight of the gods, the entire civilization was destroyed, leaving behind possibly ‘one’ dark polluted life form, not countless.”
Hill glanced at Ning Buyi and asked softly, “How does Miss Ning know this?”
Ning Buyi: “Intuition.” The Insect Queen relied on that mysterious connection, and so did she, nothing wrong with that.
Whether it was “one” or “many,” since they had reached the “Mythical Forbidden Zone,” there was no reason to retreat. The “Mythical Domain” could protect only a limited number of people, and time was also limited. To successfully return, they needed to resolve the problems here as quickly as possible. The starship, now essentially a mobile war fortress, dove toward that massive dark planet. During the descent, the dark pollution measuring device reached its peak values and died with a “beep,” indicating that under normal circumstances, one second of exposure here would lead to complete berserking.
Darkness, absolute darkness.
There was no light on this planet, only dark pollution squeezing outward like ink.
Hua Zhuoyu turned to Hill and asked, “Can you sense that life form?”
Hill shook her head: “No.” After a pause, she added, “That life form seems to be everywhere.”
During their conversation, Ning Buyi kept her eyes fixed on the screen ahead. In this endless darkness, there were very few images that could manifest, faint and indistinct, as if something was writhing. “The Divine Court might not necessarily be on the ground,” Ning Buyi muttered. Suddenly, she sensed something flash by swiftly, and a fine, lingering pain pricked her spirit like a needle.
“Something’s wrong!” Hua Zhuoyu’s eye twitched, also perceiving that oppressive force. She no longer relied on the starship’s intelligent brain but took control of the starship herself from the pilot’s seat. The massive ship moved with surprising agility, akin to a meteor. Just as the starship maneuvered, thunderous booms shook the heavens and the earth. The display still couldn’t show the full appearance of the strange entity, but only the writhing, gigantic tentacles could be vaguely seen.
At this moment, no one would voluntarily leave the starship to face the danger. The vast array of weapons the starship carried played a crucial role at this time. The sky was filled with artillery fire, like the most dazzling fireworks, illuminating the dark world. On the screen, the blurry tentacles finally became clear. The end was not visible, but eerie suction cups like abyssal giant mouths could be seen. The attacks of ordinary artillery only splattered dark green liquid, unable to truly harm the monster. The already chaotic entity became even more ferocious.
“This monster was born in dark pollution?” Ning Buyi looked at the dense suction cups, feeling her scalp tingle. As the starship moved, the images on the screen gradually changed, the tentacles disappeared, replaced by countless eerie red eyes, as if they had entered a dark bat cave.
“Will dealing with it solve the dark pollution?” Hill furrowed her brow, and after a moment, added, “There seems to be something suppressing it underneath.” As she spoke, her golden eyes showed traces of anticipation and longing.
“This thing is too enormous, we can’t see where its body is, and ordinary weapons have no effect other than angering it,” Hua Zhuoyu said in her spare moments.
“What about the Sequence Weapon?” Ning Buyi inquired. She knew that before their departure, the starship was loaded with various weapons. Among them, the ones called “Sequence” were “forbidden weapons,” primarily for deterrence, as they had never been used in the war with the Insect Race.
Hua Zhuoyu curtly replied, “I’ll try.”
At the moment the Sequence Weapon was fired, the entire world trembled, light waves spreading in all directions, causing the starship itself to shake violently, with cracks even appearing on the shield. However, this most formidable weapon in the galaxy only shattered some of the monster’s tentacles, scattering blood and writhing pale golden flesh pieces. Yet, this “wriggling” didn’t last long, as the flesh’s vitality faded.
“Tree!” Ning Buyi suddenly exclaimed.
“What tree?” Hua Zhuoyu furrowed her brow tightly, not turning her head. The starship continued its journey, and compared to those endless dancing tentacles, the Sequence Weapon’s strike on the monster’s body might be more significant.
“There’s a tree in the Divine Court! Though it should be withered now, let’s find that giant tree first,” Ning Buyi spoke, recalling the scenes she had seen in the Mountain and Sea Atlas space. On the day of the God War, when the gods fell, everything began from a sky-piercing giant tree and ended with that withered tree. The brutal apocalyptic battle naturally left corpses everywhere, but the Divine Court’s warfare differed from humans’ – their flesh was golden. The monster’s severed flesh shared this color – could this indicate the monster was one of the deities? Or perhaps it was born from divine corpses?
Hill frowned slightly but didn’t object. She had her own calculations, and naturally, Ning Buyi’s group had their secrets. Little Feng Jiu had been very well-behaved during this journey, naturally siding with Ning Buyi; as for Hua Zhuoyu, she had been Ning Buyi’s supporter throughout. She and Kris belonged to the “minority,” unable to make any decisions.
Hua Zhuoyu initially searched for the monster’s body, but after hearing Ning Buyi’s words, she immediately changed direction, searching for the tree that once supported the entire firmament in this dark world. Half an hour later, Hua Zhuoyu caught the returning signal.
“Let me pilot,” Ning Buyi said, feeling concerned seeing Hua Zhuoyu’s pale face. Since entering the “Mythical Forbidden Zone,” Hua Zhuoyu’s spirit had been under intense strain, especially after taking control from the AI, which required powerful spiritual force for support. Ning Buyi didn’t believe everything could be resolved from the starship; she felt Hua Zhuoyu needed rest now.
Seeing Ning Buyi speak up, Hua Zhuoyu didn’t insist further. As she retreated from the pilot’s seat, she heard a soft laugh. She turned to gaze briefly at the smiling Hill, then silently withdrew her gaze.
That world-supporting tree had long withered, yet even at a distance, Ning Buyi could sense a familiarity from deep within her soul. This seemed to come from the previous oak seed; if she wasn’t mistaken, the seed obtained from the Mountain and Sea Atlas was this tree’s last life force? The starship stopped ten kilometers from the great tree; they couldn’t advance further.
Massive golden corpse chunks were piled like mountains, resembling gold bars overflowing from a warehouse. Among these golden flesh tissues, the withered tree pierced the heavens like a long halberd. However, countless dark shadows floated above the glittering golden light, emitting bone-chilling chewing sounds.
Hua Zhuoyu’s gaze darkened: “Are those divine corpses?” The artillery fire intercepting tentacles behind them dispersed the horrifying atmosphere, but these mutated things still induced nausea. Myths had been passed down through generations, but in reality, they were very distant. Suddenly being so close to the “Twilight of the Gods” was somewhat unsettling.
“The automatic reconnaissance team was all shot down, but they successfully transmitted one image,” Ning Buyi, now in the pilot’s seat, spoke up. She pointed to the remaining structures in the giant tree’s shadow, frowning, “That place hasn’t been completely destroyed, perhaps it’s the ancient divine temple?”
“The flesh chunks being devoured by shadows are writhing… they seem to be growing, or rather, merging with the monster that appeared earlier,” Ning Buyi’s tone was calm, but what she said wasn’t good news.
Hua Zhuoyu spat: “How terrible!” Without Ning Buyi explaining, she knew that once the shadows finished consuming the “divine corpses”, the slowly spreading dark pollution might turn into a flood, engulfing the entire galaxy.
“Having no thousands of berserk monsters is a good thing, isn’t it?” Hill spoke indifferently. She noticed her nerves becoming excited; even under the protection of the Mythical Domain, she could sense that power rising. When excitement overwhelmed her reason, she would likely be controlled by the “Source of Chaos”. Taking a deep breath, she flicked her finger at Kris’s forehead. Seeing Kris cover the mark, angry but not daring to speak, Hill’s mood improved somewhat, as if that excitement gradually subsided.
Before the coup on the Insect Star, Kris, as Hill’s personal guard, was obedient, but afterward, she showed a different face. Yet fortunes change, and she became downtrodden again. This damned sister had always been an insurmountable mountain. She would make her fall at her feet sooner or later!
“The resistance is getting stronger; it’s probably time for us to go out,” Hua Zhuoyu said.
If they kept hiding in the starship, even if they succeeded, they’d lose their chance to return to their mother planet after the ship’s destruction. After all, this dead star had no tools to repair the starship. “Don’t go too far when the time comes,” Ning Buyi nodded and cautioned. The “Elpis Reagent” could repel dark pollution, but the pollution here was endless – they couldn’t keep using it indefinitely.
Little Feng Jiu was still a fledgling; Ning Buyi naturally couldn’t let her fight like Kris and the others. She originally wanted Little Feng Jiu to accompany her, but after glimpsing the perpetually frowning Hua Zhuoyu, she changed her mind. She whispered some instructions in Little Feng Jiu’s ear. As Chief Judge, Hua Zhuoyu’s supernatural abilities were extremely powerful; she had used them once outside Mountain and Sea Star, defeating the outer space pirates, but at a great personal cost. If she used them again in the “Mythical Forbidden Zone,” she would likely be embracing certain death. Ning Buyi harbored many worries, but showed none on her face.
After Ning Buyi flew out of the starship in her mecha, she found that what was previously projected on the screen became clearer. A mass of writhing, strange flesh chunks piled together like an undulating hill, countless branches stacked like city walls on the “hill” – actually retractable tentacles.
It was growing through consumption.
The only good news was that the writhing golden flesh chunks would lose their “vitality” after being attacked.
“That place covered in red eyes is probably the main brain. If we can deliver the Sequence Weapon there, we might be able to destroy this monster,” Hua Zhuoyu said. The previous battle with the tentacles was actually measuring the opponent’s strength; although the Sequence Weapon caused less damage than estimated, similarly, this monster’s attack power wasn’t too high either. The most terrifying thing about it was the dark pollution, which was now being suppressed by the “Heart of Life”.
“Perhaps we could go to the divine temple?” Ning Buyi suddenly suggested.
The Mountain and Sea Atlas, which had been playing dead every day, finally responded at this crucial moment. The activated side quest made her objective clearer, and it even asked about extracting coordinates. However, they had already reached their destination – these coordinates came too late.
Hua Zhuoyu responded with an unhesitating “Alright.”
Hill glanced at Ning Buyi and smiled lightly: “Intuition again?”
She and Kris had transformed into Insect Race mimicry. Compared to Monasha and others with spider-like lower bodies, these two queens’ “mimicry” was far more sophisticated – apart from several pairs of transparent wings on their backs, they hadn’t “monsterized.” Before anyone could clearly see Hill’s movement, a golden spear had already pierced through the writhing flesh chunks below. She didn’t look at the flesh chunks below, but rather paid more attention to Kris beside her.
Ning Buyi countered: “Don’t you rely on intuition too?”
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