The Witch Hunter System

Chapter 1204: Neglected Ship

Although Vaan was worried about the bigger problems that might come after slaying the Edge Sweeper, constantly fleeing from it wasn’t the solution either.

After all, Empyrean Oceanheart’s magical power would eventually be exhausted. Once that happened, she wouldn’t be able to maintain their protection, putting everyone in danger.

Of course, considering that they were no longer bound by the Spacetime Formation in the current region of the Umbral Edge, they could take the Azure Wanderer to flee again, greatly conserving Empyrean Oceanheart’s energy reserve.

Unfortunately, the Azure Wanderer’s size was simply too big, making it very conspicuous.

In the process of fleeing from the Edge Sweeper, the Azure Wanderer would likely attract every other hidden danger in the Shattered Star Region. After all, such a vast space wouldn’t be occupied by a single corrupted Void Beast.

Who knows how many more Edge Sweepers were hidden in this vast darkness?

More importantly, crystal dust could be scattered across the entire Shattered Star Region. Given the Azure Wanderer’s massive frame, it would be too easily to contact stray crystal dust during highspeed flight.

Once that happened, even the Azure Wanderer would likely be assimilated by the strange crystals.

"In order to deal with the Void Beast, we must first deal with the strange crystals covering its body," Vaan mentioned before adding, "However, these strange crystals appear to be extremely powerful materials that may have surpassed the True Divinity rank."

"Indeed, it’s the only possibility," Empyrean Oceanheart nodded seriously.

She had never encountered such a potent and shockingly invasive form of crystals before. Not only could it seemingly assimilate all types of essence, energy, and spirit, but its durability and sharpness were also unprecedented.

If they could find a way to control or negate the assimilation effects, these strange crystals would become the best materials for refining top-tier Magical Artifacts.

"Unfortunately, we know too little about these strange crystals. If we want to deal with it, we have to learn more about it. Only then can we figure out a way," Vaan said.

"How can these strange crystals be so powerful?" Seraphina frowned with wonder before mentioning, "Why isn’t the Edge Sweeper affected by the strange crystals’ assimilation effects?"

"The strange crystals might have been born from its body; thus, they consider the Edge Sweeper a part of them," Empyrean Oceanheart frowned in thought before adding, "However, this shouldn’t be possible."

"Considering the potential grade of the strange crystals, it’s unheard of for a Void Beast to be born with bodily materials far above its innate level."

"Even the noblest bloodlines among the beast race would not be this heaven-defying," Empyrean Oceanheart added.

Generally, if a Void Beast with a True Divinity-rank bloodline was born, it might be a strong Divine Being straight from birth, but the quality of its body would never begin at True Divinity grade.

At most, its fleshly body had the potential to evolve to the True Divinity level as its cultivation rose with age.

"In other words, the stranges crystals are more likely to be something the Edge Sweeper wasn’t born with but something that it had somehow acquired after, without being assimilated by them," Vaan speculated thoughtfully.

If he was right, then there was a possibility that they could use the strange crystals for themselves once they figured out their properties and learned how to control them.

Even without undergoing artifact refinement, the strange crystals would still be terrifyingly lethal as weapons.

"Since we’ve covered quite some distance, it’ll take a while for the Edge Sweeper to catch up to us. Maybe we can use this opportunity to track some regions with small amounts of strange crystals for study," Vaan suggested.

Empyrean Oceanheart calmly nodded, finding Vaan’s suggestion reasonable, though she felt like she would be able to provide much help in the actual study of strange crystals. She had to admit her learning capabilities were far beneath Vaan’s.

At most, she could only provide protection while Vaan studied the strange crystals.

"Do you have any smaller ships we could ride, Empyrean Oceanheart?" Vaan suddenly asked, quickly adding, "Its quality doesn’t have to be comparable to the Azure Wanderer; it’s good enough if it provides full coverage and is capable of autonomous flight." ɌàΝȎ฿Εṡ

"It’ll be good to use if you have one. At least you can conserve your energy that way," Vaan said.

Empyrean Oceanheart acknowledged Vaan’s concern.

Indeed, it was quite extravagant and inefficient to travel through space while maintaining a protective bubble for the entire group. While the consumption was trivial to an Empyrean God, the accumulation would eventually add up to something significant.

"I’m not sure. Let me have a look."

The corners of Vaan’s lips twitched when he heard this reply. It seemed Empyrean Oceanheart had lived for so long that even she forgot what she had stored within her Oceanheart.

After a bit of rummaging with her divine sense, Empyrean Oceanheart suddenly smiled with surprise.

"It seems I do have a smaller ship we can use. Ah, yes. I remember now. This starship had accompanied me in my earliest years. I wonder if it can still function after such a long period of neglect."

Suddenly, a small fighter-type black starship was summoned from Empyrean Oceanheart’s Oceanheart. It lacked any special facilities due to its smaller frame compared to the Azure Wanderer.

However, it was large enough to seat up to ten people.

Evidently, it was built for short flights and navigating through tricky regions, and not for long-distance travel such as crossing Star Sectors and Chaosverses. Still, it was sufficient for their current needs and could be easily abandoned if problems arose with the strange crystals.

Alas...

’Can this thing still fly?’ Seraphina doubted with a dumbfounded look.

The surface of the small fighter-type starship was filled with moss, and even many parts of its metal frame had rusted. Even if it could move, it would still seem like it would fall apart at any given moment.

Honestly, Seraphina wasn’t sure if riding a starship in such poor conditions was wise, even if they had Empyrean Oceanheart’s protection.