"Master, what treasure is there in this Star River that has caused two high-level star domains to carve out a battlefield in the starry sky and fight for hundreds of thousands of years without stopping?" Nan Zun asked with some curiosity.
Zhang Fan did not directly answer Nan Zun's question. Instead, he pointed to the upper reaches of the Star River and said, "Look over there."
Nan Zun looked in the direction Zhang Fan pointed. At the uppermost reaches of the branch of the Central Star River, there was a black mass, like a black hole, suspended in the universe. It seemed to be the source of the branch, from which the Central Star River flowed out.
It exerted a powerful gravitational pull. When Nan Zun's gaze fell upon it, his heart skipped a beat, attracting him to it, yet he felt a great threat from it.
This made Nan Zun confused. "Didn't you say this Star River is a branch of the Central Star River? How can it flow from there?"
"That is a dangerous place in this star sector, called the Dark Forest. It shares similarities with black holes in celestial bodies, but it is countless times larger. Inside, space-time is chaotic, and it devours countless substances in the universe. This Star River does indeed flow out from there, but this is not its origin."
Nan Zun finally understood. The chaotic space-time within the Dark Forest connected to the Central Star River of the universe at a certain point, which is why a branch flowed out from the Dark Forest.
The Dark Forest devoured large amounts of cosmic matter. Rare treasures drifting in the starry sky, or battle weapons left behind by powerful cultivators' clashes, or even corpses, were swallowed by the Dark Forest. Some were left behind, while others were washed out through this branch of the Central Star River. To cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage, these were all treasures.
"For some reason, this Dark Forest gives me a feeling of extreme danger," Nan Zun said, staring at the black mass.
"Of course, it's dangerous," Zhang Fan said with a smile. "That Dark Forest condenses a large amount of dark matter from the universe, nurturing countless dark creatures within it. Even mighty cultivators at the Void Returning stage must be extremely careful, as a single misstep could cost them their lives."
"Otherwise, why would a mere branch of the Central Star River lead to such a fierce war between two high-level star domains? They are not fighting for the river itself, but for the treasures brought out from the Dark Forest by the river."
Zhang Fan, along with Nan Zun and Blood Demon Flood Dragon, flew towards the upper reaches of the Central Star River, arriving at the war base where Nascent Soul stage cultivators gathered.
"Stop!"
At a distance of a million li from the war base, Zhang Fan and the other two were stopped.
A team of ten cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage, led by a cultivator at the Spirit Refining stage, blocked their path. The leader, a tall and sturdy cultivator, stared at the trio with a cold, composed gaze and shouted, "Who are you and what is your purpose?"
"We hail from the Savage Star Domain and wish to join the Violet Heavens Star Domain and the Starry Sky Battlefield," Nan Zun replied neither subserviently nor arrogantly.
"Savage Star Domain?" A flicker of surprise flashed in the leader's eyes. In his perception, these three were all at the Nascent Soul stage, and one of them, a young man, was as powerful as he was, having reached the Spirit Refining stage. Such strength originating from the Savage Star Domain was indeed unexpected.
It was known that many low-level star domains could not even produce three Nascent Soul stage cultivators. For instance, the Shattered Star Domain only had True Immortal Dong Ji as its sole Nascent Soul stage cultivator after Zhang Fan's departure.
"We naturally welcome those who wish to join the Starry Sky Battlefield. However, the first condition for entering the war base is to take a Heavenly Dao oath as required," the leader said.
"Naturally," Zhang Fan said, already aware of this. He promptly and straightforwardly took the Heavenly Dao oath, followed by Blood Demon Flood Dragon and Nan Zun.
The oath was simple, primarily to ensure the safety of the war base, the cultivators within it, and to prevent enemy spies from infiltrating.
After all, the war base gathered a large number of Nascent Soul stage cultivators from the Violet Heavens Star Domain. If enemy spies managed to sneak in, it would result in tremendous losses for the Violet Heavens Star Domain.
After taking the Heavenly Dao oath, the team of Nascent Soul stage cultivators looked at Zhang Fan and his companions with a gentler gaze. Under the leadership of the team leader, Zhang Fan and his group successfully entered the war base's perimeter.
The space within a million li radius of the war base was suppressed and frozen. Even cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage could not tear space here; they could only fly slowly. Zhang Fan's gaze fell upon the massive war base, and he inwardly praised it. It seemed the Violet Heavens Star Domain truly attached great importance to this battlefield.
Being able to suppress such a vast expanse of space indicated that this war base was at least a supreme treasure of the Great Dao tier. This also suggested that there might be cultivators at the Void Returning stage stationed here.
Although called a war base, its area was larger than the entire Earth. Tens of thousands of Nascent Soul stage cultivators lived here, although over ninety-nine percent of them were merely at the Primordial Spirit stage.
Along the way, Zhang Fan chatted with the leader, from whom he learned a lot of information. The leader was named Mu Shan, a cultivator at the mid-Spirit Refining stage, directly affiliated with the Violet Heavens Star Domain, and thus also undertook patrol duties.
Among the cultivators joining the Starry Sky Battlefield, there were mainly three categories. The first category was like Mu Shan, cultivators who came from within the Violet Heavens Star Domain to join the battlefield. In Earth terms, they were considered "staffed" cultivators. This category received the best treatment and could earn battle merits by undertaking relatively easy missions.
The second category comprised cultivators from the nine intermediate star domains under the jurisdiction of the Violet Heavens Star Domain. Although not directly part of the Violet Heavens Star Domain, they were within its administrative scope. These cultivators often grouped with others from their respective star domains and were quite insular.
The last category was cultivators like Zhang Fan, from the Savage Star Domain or low-level star domains. Of course, cultivators born in the Savage Star Domain were extremely rare, as it was incredibly difficult for the Savage Star Domain to produce even one Nascent Soul True Immortal. They were generally more cautious and would not easily join the Starry Sky Battlefield.
"Upon entering the war base, there will be a power assessment for the three of you to be recorded in your files," Mu Shan told Zhang Fan. "With your strength, Fellow Daoist Zhang Fan, after passing the assessment, you will undoubtedly be granted the position of squad leader, and you will then have the right to recruit teammates and form your own team."
Zhang Fan nodded. He was aware of this information, as True Immortal Zi Yue had once planned to train in the Starry Sky Battlefield if he couldn't break through to the Nascent Soul stage on his own, so he had gathered quite a bit of information on this matter.
However, fate had brought him Zhang Fan, and it ended before it even began.
...