Chapter Four: Chasing to Horse-tail Star

Following the instructions in the jade slip, Yimi Shui and his four companions examined five planets in succession. Each one, like the Scarlet Sleeve Star, yielded nothing but some strange stones—nothing else remained.

“We should return,” said Yimi Shui once more. “These planets in the Fairy Maiden Galaxy must have suffered a terrible catastrophe. Just look at these barren worlds—there’s nothing left worth finding. Besides, our spirit stones are nearly depleted. If we don’t head back now, we’ll have to resort to using the shuttle for our journey home when the stones run out.”

“Ah, it seems this trip was in vain,” Shi Bushi sighed helplessly. “It’s my fault. I’ll treat everyone when we get back to make up for it!”

“Brother Shi, this isn’t anyone’s fault in particular. We all agreed to this together; you shouldn’t bear the blame alone. Let’s not speak of it further. But since you’re offering a treat, I won’t stand on ceremony!” Qian Renzhan laughed heartily, patting Shi Bushi’s shoulder. The others joined in, their laughter easing the tension. Now that they’d decided to leave, their spirits lifted; seeing these identical, desolate planets had weighed heavily on them.

Yet as they joked and made their way toward the teleportation array, its light suddenly flared. Several bizarre creatures were transported before them.

“Brother Yi, someone’s coming through the array. What’s happening?” Qian Renzhan asked, seeing the teleportation array glow.

“Could it be that Zhang Junbao failed to guard the array?” Yimi Shui speculated, thinking it most likely that the transmission came from the Ponytail Star’s teleportation array.

“No, I know Zhang Junbao well. He wouldn’t make such a mistake,” Bai Jiegan replied.

“Look—it’s not people. It’s some strange creatures, and there are quite a few,” Shi Bushi called out, having discerned the nature of the arrivals.

“This isn’t good. Everyone, be careful!” Wan Lilu noticed the creatures had hostile intent and released his magic treasure, forming a protective shield.

“Chirr…crack…” One of the creatures closest to them emitted a nauseating cry. Yimi Shui, at the forefront, placed a multicolored orb atop his head, which shone with radiant light, enveloping him in protection. He then drew a one-meter ruler and struck at a creature. The ruler sank into the creature’s two-meter-tall body, and in the space of a breath, it exploded from within, scattering materials, spirit stones, and other cultivation resources—along with miscellaneous items—across the ground.

The explosion left the five stunned. Such bizarre creatures had never been seen before. They quickly realized that these beings were likely the cause of the Fairy Maiden Galaxy’s barren planets.

The explosion incited the rest of the creatures, who charged toward the group with shrieks and howls.

“Everyone, stay sharp! These fiends are cunning!” Wan Lilu thrust his flying sword at a creature over two meters tall, but it rebounded off its hide. He hadn’t used his full strength—but even at seventy percent, a late-stage cultivator wielding an upper-grade spirit treasure should have pierced it. The fact that he couldn’t was alarming.

A buzzing sound arose as a winged, slender fiend darted at Yimi Shui, passing straight through the multicolored shield. Seeing this, Yimi Shui muttered a curse, and with his left hand, he formed a claw, shooting a snow-white beam as thick as his arm that struck the fiend as it breached the shield. At the same moment, Yimi Shui shot backward, like a bullet.

“Brother Yi, your escape arts have grown ever more refined!” Bai Jiegan joked while fending off several fiends.

“Brother Bai, these fiends are vicious—be careful,” Yimi Shui warned, tossing the ruler once more with his right hand. This time, it transformed into a transparent water dragon—not three-dimensional, but flat. The water dragon whirled toward the flying fiend, its sweep severing the creature’s wings. With a series of popping sounds, the wingless fiend crashed to the ground and exploded, though it yielded fewer items. However, what it did produce were all valuable treasures. In their species, these winged fiends were considered high-ranking nobles, feeding only on rare and precious materials. Thus, their numbers were always limited—a law of nature.

“We must finish this quickly! It seems Kuafu was right; the teleportation array in the Fairy Maiden Galaxy should be sealed off permanently,” Shi Bushi said grimly, watching the fiends fearlessly throw themselves at them. Inwardly, he cursed Kuafu: “That Kuafu—what was he thinking? Knowing these fiends existed but never making it clear. Now we’re suffering for it.” In truth, even if Kuafu had explained, Shi Bushi and the others would have come to investigate anyway. Whether told or not, the outcome would have been the same.

Under the relentless attacks of these five masters, the fiends soon burst open, scattering spirit stones and materials everywhere. The largest fiend—the one Wan Lilu had failed to harm with his flying sword—was left for last because its massive size slowed its movements. To slay it, the five pooled their strength, employing secret arts reserved for moments of desperation—techniques that often carried side effects, essentially strategies that led to mutual injury. After finally killing the giant fiend, the group was left greatly weakened, though the bounty from the fiends compensated somewhat for their losses.

After dividing and packing away the treasures, the five immediately made for the Ponytail Star. However, their actions had already been noticed by the fiends’ kin—when the first fiend died, its overseer sensed it at once. As the five transmitted away, the planet’s teleportation array glowed again. This time, five hundred fiends came through—its maximum capacity. As the light faded, the array ignited yet again, sending another five hundred fiends, repeating the process twenty times, until ten thousand fiends had arrived. With buzzing sounds, several winged, high-ranking fiends gathered and communicated through their noses, and the teleportation array sparkled anew. They were able to track Yimi Shui and his companions, following their trail through consecutive transmissions, all the way to the Ponytail Star…