Along the way, everyone finally understood why a seventh-rank starship couldn’t reach Sky Mastery Terrace.
Although there were no deadly black holes on this route, the cosmic storms and spatial turbulence were extremely terrifying, and a seventh-rank starship would definitely not withstand it.
Even an eighth-rank starship had a bumpy journey. Many places felt like a roller coaster ride, occasionally being hit by star fragments. Only the sturdiness of the ship kept it from shattering.
Billy and his group originally planned to meditate and cultivate once they boarded the starship, but they quickly realized it was impossible to stay calm.
After about a month, the starship finally passed through that star domain without any major incidents.
On this day, the starship arrived at an unknown star domain, with a mountain range floating directly ahead.
“Are we almost there?” Judge asked a man from Zenith Sect, “Where is Sky Mastery Terrace?”
“At the top of the highest mountain!” The man pointed forward.
“I have a question. Since starships can’t fly here from the eighth-tier star domain, how did your starship get here? Did you put it in a storage ring?” Stout asked.
“Although there is a transmission channel between Sky Mastery Terrace and the eighth-tier star domain, it also has spatial turbulence!” A woman nearby explained.
“If you don’t have a starship and rely solely on your physical body, you need at least Condensed Kun Realm cultivation to resist it; otherwise, you’d be torn to pieces.”
“You mean the starship also enters the transmission channel?” Stout was surprised.
“Yes!” The woman nodded.
“Alright!” Stout smacked his lips.
They had encountered spatial turbulence in transmission channels before. When they traveled from Silent Ruins to The Wilderness, they all hid in the Nine Dragons Cauldron Space, and Billy barely made it through with his strong body.
As they spoke, the starship continued flying toward the highest mountain peak. Billy released his spiritual power to scan below. Apart from some birds and beasts, there were no human presences.
According to Jennifer, there used to be Heaven Alliance experts guarding this place. People fleeing from the eighth-tier star domain needed a pass from Heaven Alliance to enter the seventh-tier star domain. After Heaven Alliance was overthrown, those stationed here dispersed, turning this place into a no-man’s land.
Soon, the starship hovered above the highest mountain peak. Everyone looked ahead and saw a circular platform floating in mid-air. It was about a kilometer in diameter, with faint ripples around it, blending reality and illusion, making it hard to discern its material.
Not far above the platform was a moderately sized black hole. Even inside the starship, Billy and his group could feel the oppressive aura emanating from the black hole.
“Is that Sky Mastery Terrace?” Soul Chaser asked.
“Yes!” The man nodded.
“Let’s go in!” Billy said.
“Alright!” The man nodded again.
The starship then flew toward the platform. As soon as it entered the platform, an extremely terrifying suction force pulled it into the black hole.
The transmission channel was pitch black; they couldn’t see their hands in front of them. Fortunately, the starship had luminous materials, allowing them to see inside.
The speed within the channel was astonishing, far exceeding the starship’s own speed. It was several times faster than when they traveled from Silent Ruins to The Wilderness. They finally understood why they needed to take the starship. At such speeds, even without spatial turbulence, warriors below Condensed Kun Realm would be torn apart within minutes.
After about fifteen minutes, the starship began to shake due to spatial turbulence. However, compared to their previous journey, the shaking was much milder, allowing everyone to sit and meditate in peace.
Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye. During this month, everyone’s cultivation improved. Except for Casey and Stout, who were stuck at a bottleneck, everyone else broke through a level.
“Look, there’s light ahead!” Felicia exclaimed while everyone was meditating.
Hearing her, everyone opened their eyes and saw a faint light ahead.
“We’re finally here!” Judge and Soul Chaser said simultaneously.
“Everyone hold on!” The man from Zenith Sect shouted.
Before he finished speaking, a powerful force threw the starship out of the channel. It spun rapidly for a while before hovering in mid-air. Everyone felt dizzy and saw stars.
After regaining their composure, they looked outside. They saw an endless primitive forest below and a vast wasteland directly beneath the starship.
“Is this the eighth-tier star domain?” Stout asked.
“Yes!” The man replied while opening the windows around the ship. Fresh air rushed in, and everyone took a deep breath, feeling refreshed.
“No wonder it’s an eighth-tier star domain; the spiritual energy concentration is much higher than in the seventh-tier star domain!” Azure Dragon couldn’t help but exclaim.
Before Azure Dragon finished speaking, seven or eight figures emerged from the right side of the forest, all wearing uniform clothing. They flew toward the starship, led by a middle-aged man.
“What’s going on?” Stout asked the man from Zenith Sect, “Who are they?”
“They’re from Heaven Alliance!” The man replied.
“Heaven Alliance?” Everyone was surprised.
They had heard from Sanaa that there was also a Heaven Alliance in the eighth-tier star domain, but it was unrelated to the Heaven Alliance in the seventh-tier star domain.
“Yes!” The man nodded.
“They consider themselves the rulers of the eighth-tier star domain and claim to maintain order here.”
“Of course, they only manage second-rate and lower forces; first-rate and top-tier forces don’t care about them.”
“And many times, they have to curry favor with first-rate forces to maintain their authority over weaker forces.”
“I see!” White Tiger asked, “What do they want now?”
“This is the passage from the seventh-tier to the eighth-tier star domain; they always have people stationed here.” The man replied.
“For what purpose?” White Tiger pressed.
“Officially, it’s to ensure safety in the eighth-tier star domain by inspecting people coming out of the transmission channel.” The man explained again. “But in reality, it’s to extort some benefits!”
“Of course, they judge based on people; they bully the weak and fear the strong…”
“Who are you? Come out!” One of the eight people in front of the starship demanded.
“Mr. Billy, what do you think?” The man from Zenith Sect looked at Billy.
“How far is it from here to Zenith Sect’s main base?” Billy asked back.
“Sorry, I don’t know exactly.” The man shook his head. “We’re just part of Zenith Sect’s branch; we don’t even know where the headquarters is.”
“Do you think we’re easy to fool?” White Tiger’s voice turned cold.
“You followed Zenith Sect’s young lady to the seventh-tier star domain and now tell us you don’t know where your headquarters is?”
“Are you saying even your young lady doesn’t know where Zenith Sect’s main base is?”