In the distant sky, there was a massive vortex that seemed endless, churning the entire void.
At the center of the vortex was a pitch-black area, where countless fragments of stars were being sucked in and disappearing instantly, like a bottomless pit.
Just looking at this scene filled everyone with despair.
“Holy crap!” Judge and Soul Chaser shouted in unison, “A black hole?!”
Their luck was indeed bad; it was a black hole!
Although its scale wasn’t too exaggerated, it was still a colossal entity compared to their starship.
Even though they had never encountered a real black hole before, they knew from common knowledge what it meant.
Unlike cosmic storms that drift around, if they accidentally got sucked into a black hole, there was no way they could resist it with their current abilities.
Perhaps only someone as powerful as the man in white inside the Nine Dragons Cauldron could hope to tear through the void and escape.
“Scholar, stop the ship!” White Tiger exclaimed.
Without needing the reminder, Scholar had already halted the starship.
However, to their dismay, even after stopping, the starship continued to move uncontrollably forward.
It was clear that they had already entered the gravitational range of the black hole.
Although they were still some distance from the center, if they did nothing, there was only one outcome awaiting them!
“Don’t just stand there! While the gravitational pull is still weak, act now or it’ll be too late!” Annalise shouted.
As her words fell, everyone unleashed their full strength to resist the pull.
Fortunately, their combined efforts had some effect; the starship gradually came to a halt.
“Start the starship!” Annalise shouted to Scholar after a while.
“Got it!” Scholar nodded and restarted the starship.
They slowly turned the ship to the right. Although it moved slowly, everyone felt a bit relieved.
As time passed, the starship’s speed increased. After about two-quarters of an hour, its propulsion exceeded the black hole’s pull.
Everyone collapsed as if drained, their faces pale and breaths chaotic.
Though it had only been two-quarters of an hour, it felt like an eternity to them.
“Finally experienced the terror of a black hole!” Judge said after catching his breath. “The gravitational pull is so strong even from such a distance; it’s unbelievable!”
“We’re lucky!” Annalise replied. “This black hole isn’t large, and we noticed it early. Otherwise, we’d be done for!”
“What do you think would happen if we got sucked in?” Stout asked.
“Didn’t your teacher explain in school?” Felicia replied. “Anything sucked into a black hole gets torn to pieces.”
“Not necessarily. We could all hide inside the Nine Dragons Cauldron and be fine!” Stout said again.
“Do you think we might travel to another universe if we enter a black hole?”
“Stout, are you sure other universes exist?” Frostblade asked.
“There should be. Otherwise, what’s beyond our universe?” Stout countered.
“Stop daydreaming. We haven’t even figured out this universe yet!” Alex Long laughed.
“I just hope we can reach the high-level star domain of our universe, find the old master and Boss’s father, and then go back together.”
“Honestly, I still think our own planet is best. Low-level star domains have their own advantages.”
“I agree!” Frostblade and Felicia nodded simultaneously.
Azure Dragon and White Tiger didn’t speak but had thoughtful expressions, likely reminiscing about the past.
“Boss, once we find the old master and your father, let’s go back?” Judge asked Billy.
“Of course!” Billy nodded.
Like everyone else, he missed his home planet, especially since his mother and daughter were waiting for him there.
Listening to their conversation, Scholar and Annalise remained silent, their faces expressionless, perhaps also lost in thought.
“Mr. Billy, the journey ahead should be safe. You can continue training in the Nine Dragons Cauldron Space. We should reach Silent Ruins in about ten days.”
After a while, Scholar said to Billy.
“Thank you,” Billy nodded after collecting his thoughts.
Then everyone re-entered Nine Dragons Cauldron Space.
Ten days passed quickly. When they emerged again, everyone’s cultivation had advanced to another level.
Billy and Opal reached fifth-rank Entering Ancestry Realm. Harleen and Amber stepped into the fourth-rank Entering Ancestry Realm. Ivy broke through to third-rank.
Casey and Stout were temporarily stuck at half-step Entering Ancestry Realm due to Thunder Tribulation.
Azure Dragon and Azure Fang reached seventh-rank Breaking Emptiness Realm. Others broke through to the fifth-rank Breaking Emptiness Realm.
White Feather and Purple Spirit’s combat power also improved significantly, though even Billy wasn’t sure of their exact levels now.
Sensing everyone’s martial aura, Scholar and Annalise were taken aback slightly again.
At this rate of breakthrough, if they stayed in Nine Dragons Cauldron Space for a few more years, wouldn’t they become invincible in the universe?
What they didn’t know was that resources in Nine Dragons Cauldron Space were limited. Their recent breakthroughs had already slowed down significantly.
A few more times might be all they could manage!
Of course, whether there were higher-level energy talismans in unknown areas of Nine Dragons Cauldron Space remained uncertain!
“Scholar, have we reached Silent Ruins?” Azure Dragon asked after looking outside the starship.
“Yes,” Scholar nodded. “We’ve entered Silent Ruins territory!”
“Really?” Stout asked. “Did this old ship actually make it?”
“Of course!” Scholar replied. “I told you it would work. See? I didn’t lie.”
If not for everyone’s combined efforts during that black hole encounter, they might have been torn apart or sent to another time-space by now.
“Scholar, where are we heading now?” Harleen asked.
“I’m taking you to a friend who will arrange a place for you,” Scholar replied.
“Thank you,” Harleen said.
“No problem,” Scholar responded.
After half an hour of travel, they arrived at an unknown star domain. Ahead lay an ancient city.
The city was large, almost as big as Radiant City but not quite.
However, calling it a city wasn’t entirely accurate. Apart from a few intact buildings, most of it was ruins-more like a wasteland.
The starship stopped at the edge of the ancient city. They disembarked one by one.
All around were broken walls and overgrown weeds-a desolate sight.
Due to the passage of time, there were hardly any traces of human habitation left apart from collapsed walls.
“Scholar, what is this place?” Judge asked.