Charlotte Ling's ship accelerated, and in just half a stick of incense, they arrived at the outer perimeter of the massive fortress.
Only now did Joe Di and Charlotte Ling see clearly—this wasn't a fortress at all, but rather a Void Fortress shaped like a castle.
The Void Fortress was simply suspended in the void. Because Joe Di and Charlotte Ling were too far away, they had mistaken it for a fortress.
"There's no land here. Why is this fortress just floating?" Charlotte Ling asked, puzzled.
She had seen Void Fortresses often enough, but they usually didn't stop unless they spotted a wandering star continent in the void. Only if the star continent had valuable treasures would the Void Fortress pause, allowing those inside to seek fortune.
Joe Di's spiritual sense swept over the fortress's Guardian Array and found it to be a sixth-rank pinnacle Divine Guardian Array. Yet the array seemed fragile, as though lacking in spiritual power. Although Joe Di could tear through it with his spiritual sense, that would be provocative. He said to Charlotte Ling, "Whatever we do, let's go up and take a look first."
Joe Di sent several hand seals onto the Guardian Array, and immediately, the fortress's array sounded a series of alarms.
This was essentially a formal request to enter the array. After making the request, all they had to do was wait. Usually, it would take no more than ten breaths for a Void Fortress to open its gate for dialogue.
"Something's wrong with this fortress." Joe Di sensed no vibrant life, only a pervasive aura of death.
Before Charlotte Ling could ask, Joe Di stepped toward the entrance of the Guardian Array and said, "Let's go up and take a look first."
Joe Di summoned his Azure Veil Blade. With a single strike, the neglected entrance of the Guardian Array split open.
Joe Di stepped through the crack in the Guardian Array and boarded the Void Fortress.
Charlotte Ling followed Joe Di onto the fortress. As they landed on the deck, both were stunned—the deck was drenched in blood, littered with shattered corpses of cultivators.
The castle-like Void Fortress was clearly enormous, with five full layers. Joe Di's spiritual sense swept unrestrained through them, and he saw nearly a hundred thousand fallen bodies across the five floors. These were just the visible ones; those dissolved into nothingness were likely even more numerous.
"So cruel. At least a hundred or two hundred thousand people were killed here," Charlotte Ling sighed.
Joe Di thought of Warren Wraith, whom he had killed before. That fiend cultivated the Withering Dao—wherever he went, no life remained. The one who committed this massacre aboard the fortress was probably just as monstrous. Joe Di despised such vile cultivators.
"An entire ship of cultivators, all slaughtered. Why do people insist on cultivating such methods?" Charlotte Ling said, unable to understand.
Joe Di replied, "No, not everyone is dead. At least one person survived."
As he spoke, Joe Di headed for the top floor. Charlotte Ling hurried to follow. To wipe out the cultivators of a Void Fortress in the void, the perpetrator was likely a Dao Integration powerhouse.
A bloody stench permeated the fortress, with flesh and gore splattered everywhere, making the scene sickening to behold.
Such a massive Void Fortress, and in the silence of the void, only the footsteps of Joe Di and Charlotte Ling remained.
Joe Di moved swiftly, reaching the top floor in just over ten breaths.
The Guardian Array and restrictions on the top floor were completely different from below. Here, the view of the void was clear. Perhaps because this floor was reserved for the powerful, there were no corpses and not even a trace of blood.
Charlotte Ling swept her spiritual sense across the floor, her gaze falling on Joe Di. She sensed no living cultivators, only a rather plain Cloudspire Sanctuary at the far edge of the floor.
She swept her spiritual sense into the sanctuary as well. Aside from some tea sets, there were only a few decorative items.
Charlotte Ling trusted Joe Di. If he said someone was alive and had come to the top floor, then it must be true.
If anyone was left alive, they must be hiding inside the Cloudspire Sanctuary.
Just as Charlotte Ling wondered where in the sanctuary the survivor might be hiding, so well that her spiritual sense couldn't detect them, Joe Di suddenly walked to the edge of the top deck.
While Charlotte Ling was still puzzled, Joe Di threw out several Array Banners. In just a few dozen breaths, he sent out dozens of hand seals and shouted, "Open!"
A faint cracking sound rang out, and suddenly a corner of the deck split open. With a flick of Joe Di's hand, the crack seemed to come alive and abruptly widened.
When Joe Di dispelled the entire concealed Guardian Array, Charlotte Ling finally saw what was inside.
A little girl with thin, yellowish hair was curled up in a corner, staring at Joe Di and Charlotte Ling with terrified eyes.
Charlotte Ling swept her spiritual sense over the girl and instantly discerned her cultivation—only a mid-stage Immortal King. In this void, being an Immortal King at her age didn't indicate great talent; many children of powerful bloodlines were born as Grand Immortals.
"So there was one who slipped through the net. It seems she was lucky enough to have a Concealment Talisman and hid here to survive," Charlotte Ling sighed again. Thinking of her own master's compassion, she felt more lost than ever.
What is the purpose of cultivation? Why, since she began, has she always seen more darkness and slaughter than light?
Joe Di smiled gently and asked, "Do you know who killed everyone here?"
Sensing that Joe Di and Charlotte Ling weren't threatening, the girl's terror eased. She stammered, "It was a red-haired guest aboard the Void Fortress. He killed so many people..."
"How do you know?" Charlotte Ling asked, puzzled.
Joe Di pointed to a shadowy display screen at the edge of the deck. "That's an Array Monitor. Since the Divine Spirit Qi of the Void Fortress was drained, the monitor stopped working. I guess she saw it all on that screen."
The girl nodded repeatedly but refused to say another word.
Charlotte Ling said, "Come with us. With your cultivation level, it's too dangerous to stay here alone."
The girl stared wide-eyed at Charlotte Ling, unsure whether she should go or whether Joe Di and Charlotte Ling were dangerous. She didn't answer right away.
Before the girl could reply, Joe Di said, "Xiaoshuang, I doubt we'll get any information about the Nie Clan soon. Why don't we head to the Celestial Beyond first? I still have a Lunar Heart and want to use it there. We can leave her in the Celestial Beyond and inquire about the Nie Clan at the same time. How does that sound?"
"You still have a Lunar Heart?" Charlotte Ling looked at Joe Di in astonishment.
Charlotte Ling knew Joe Di had obtained a Lunar Heart and a Radiant Heart. She hadn't expected him to have another Lunar Heart left. Could it be that Joe Di's flame advancement only used the Radiant Heart, and the Lunar Heart was never consumed?
Joe Di casually took out a jade box and opened it. "That's right, I still have a Lunar Heart. My flame has already advanced, so I don't need it for now. I've heard that in the Celestial Beyond, good things fetch a good price. After I trade there, I can also ask about the Nie Clan. Isn't that perfect?"
Charlotte Ling knew there was no other way, so she agreed. She turned to the little girl again, "We're going to the Celestial Beyond and will take you with us, okay?"
The little girl still didn't speak, but after hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded.