The Witch Hunter System

Chapter 1201: Survivor Camp

Within the shattered star fragment’s underground shelter, several Divine Lords scrambled in shock after receiving the unexpected greeting, backed by Empyrean Power. It was like the deathly whisper of a mighty ghost.

As such, everyone was both shocked and scared silly. The sudden jolt knocked over various pots, pans, plates, and utensils around them, producing metallic rings and shattering glasses.

"Uh..."

Naturally, everything was perceived by Empyrean Oceanheart, since a Divine-rank illusion formation couldn’t obstruct her Empyrean Sense.

She didn’t expect the Divine Lords to react so violently. That said, the living state within the underground shelter also told her that such reactions were to be expected. These Divine Lord Survivors had been living on edge.

Evidently, this region of shattered stars and planets had not been peaceful and safe. On the contrary, it was far from that. Unspeakable dangers lurked within this vast ruined space.

"Do not be afraid. I bear no malice. Only seeking some information."

After Empyrean Oceanheart conveyed this additional message, the Divine Lord Survivors within the underground shelter gradually calmed down. Some had even put down the items they had hurriedly grabbed in their earlier attempt to flee and abandon the shelter.

Moments later, the entrance opened, welcoming Vaan’s group inside.

"Your Divinity, please enter our humble shelter. If there’s anything you want to discuss, we can do it inside. The outside is not a good place to linger," a Divine Lord Survivor said fearfully.

When Empyrean Oceanheart, Vaan, and Seraphina entered the underground shelter, they were surprised to find the survivor group was larger than they had anticipated.

Even the shelter itself was more extensive, reaching deep into the core of the shattered star fragment. There, a large survivor camp was found, sheltering several hundred thousand survivors.

The entrance they had found was one of several hundred on the shattered star fragment, and the Divine Lord Survivors were just its lookout.

If danger approached their entrance, they could give the main survivor camp an early warning, allowing everyone to flee through the other several hundred entrances. Even if they all don’t make it out alive, some would.

This was how they had survived the previous calamities when their survivor camp was compromised.

Surprisingly, the Divine Lord Survivor who spoke earlier was a kin, a human-transformed member of the Silver Mermaid Clan. This made communications easier, though none would dare defy an Empyrean’s will.

"Unexpectedly, we would find a kin here," Empyrean Oceanheart commented, pleasantly surprised. Then, she seriously asked, "What on earth happened here?"

At first, the small group of Divine Lord Survivors was excited to learn that a True Divinity had arrived, giving them hope of escape. However, her question quickly crushed their unrealistic expectation. ℝ𝖆𝐍О฿ЕS̩

Evidently, even this True Divinity’s group had been ensnared by the horrors of the Umbral Edge.

"Sigh..." The Silver Merman Divine Lord sighed with disappointment before explaining, "To be honest, we aren’t exactly sure of the reason."

"Seven hundred years ago, we were heading to the Star River Realm, as per our normal trade route, when a powerful force pulled us into the depths of Umbral Edge along other nearby stars and planets."

"Since then, it has been difficult to just survive in this space. No one dares to explore and look into the source of the event anymore, since everyone who had done so has all died without exception."

As the Silver Merman Divine Lord spoke of this matter, his expression became incredibly fearful, as if he was recalling a past event he had personally experienced, narrowly escaping death’s capture.

"What exactly is so dangerous around here? What are you all so afraid of?" Empyrean Oceanheart inquired with narrowed eyes.

"That... That would be the Edge Sweeper, Your Divinity," the Silver Merman Divine Lord answered fearfully, becoming even more horrified at the mention of it. "No one knows what it truly is, but everyone who has been caught by it has never had a good ending."

"This thing periodically patrols this region of the Umbral Edge, hunting down all life it detects."

"At first, many Divine Emperors had tried to slay it, but none had obviously succeeded. In fact, no one could even hurt it, not even the strongest Divine Emperor we had at the time, while using a True Divinity-level Magical Treasure."

"That thing was simply unkillable, definitely a mighty True Divinity-level existence."

"What does it look like?" Vaan wondered.

"This..." The Silver Merman Divine Lord briefly glanced at Vaan before eventually replying, "It looks like a whale-type Void Beast, incredibly large and impossible to miss. You can easily recognize it when you see it."

"However, I pray that you and anyone else will never have to see it. Otherwise, everyone’s lives would be in grave danger. That thing is absolutely an enemy of all life; its sole purpose seems to be to kill us all, much like Outerworlders."

"A whale-type Void Beast that acts like an Outerworlder?" Empyrean Oceanheart paused in thought before wondering, "Could it be a corrupted minion of the Outerworlders? Did it have any strange traits?"

"Yes, definitely, Your Divinity," the Silver Merman Divine Lord nodded obediently before mentioning, "Its colossal body is covered in strange crystals. Much of its danger also comes from these strange crystals."

"Not only are the crystals on its body seemingly indestructible, but they are also incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through all things."

"However, the most horrifying trait about these strange crystals on the Edge Sweeper’s body is their ability to assimilate. Simple contact with these strange crystals would induce crystallization."

"Whether it is essence, energy, or spirit, as long as it touches those strange crystals, they will all be doomed to transform into similar strange crystals, becoming a part of its mass."

"I’m not sure if you have noticed, Your Divinity, but crystallized regions could be found throughout this vast sea of shattered stars. Those places have all been marked as Dead Zones, a place of death that should be absolutely avoided."

"Why does this crystal problem sound so familiar...?" Seraphina muttered with surprise. Having a feeling that she had heard similar reports before.

However, Empyrean Oceanheart’s expression stiffened when she heard Seraphina’s comment.

The crystal anomaly!

The Myriad Sea God Palace’s Dark Horizon had a similar emerging problem. Those strange crystals were even graded as True Divinity-level threats!

Naturally, there were huge differences in True Divinity-level threats. An Empyrean God like her didn’t think much about it. Only now did she realize that the crystal anomaly posed a more significant threat than she could have imagined.

If the problem wasn’t properly handled, the situation might spiral out of control, turning the Dark Horizon into another Umbral Edge. By then, it could become a real crisis for the Myriad Sea God Palace.

However, how was the Edge Sweeper and the crystal anomaly connected to the Spacetime Formation in the Umbral Edge?