In the dark starry sky.

Two spaceships, each several kilometers in diameter, were docked in the Starry Sea.

Outside the spaceships, two groups were facing off against each other. On one side was a man and a woman in tight clothes. The man was tall and burly, with a massive blade strapped to his back. The woman was tall and slender, wearing a tight combat suit that outlined a wonderful figure, her three thousand strands of cyan hair tied into a high ponytail, her clean brows slightly furrowed, a hint of cold frost on her pretty face.

Opposite them were five men and women of various appearances, each radiating a formidable aura—every single one of them was a Star System Level Early Stage powerhouse.

"Leave the Treasures and your spaceship, then get the hell out. Otherwise, you two will be leaving your lives here as well." From the five-person team, a ten-meter-tall, bare-chested brute surged to the front. His hair was like countless tiny Poison Snakes, twisting and coiling non-stop, incredibly creepy.

"You’re a Cultivator of the Human-Snake Clan?" The man carrying the giant blade frowned.

"Heh, didn’t expect you to have some eyesight. You two are just Star System Level Early Stage, while we’ve got five Star System Level Early Stage powerhouses on our side! If you know what’s good for you, obediently leave your Treasures and scram." The Human-Snake Clan brute sneered, his voice laced with a chillingly terrifying aura.

The five of them were clearly Star Sky Pirates who roamed this stretch of starry sky, hunting down and robbing Cultivators’ spaceships and Treasures.

The gap in strength between the two sides was huge. If it really came down to a life-or-death fight, this man and woman definitely wouldn’t get any advantage, and would probably lose their lives here.

But the Human-Snake Clan’s side also understood in their hearts that even though they had the numbers, if they wanted to completely kill these two Star System Level Early Stage brats, they’d have to spend some effort. If the other side fought to the death, they might drag one of them down with them, or seriously injure two.

"What do we do now?" The tall woman’s delicate brows knitted tight as she glanced at the man beside her.

"Goddamn it, didn’t think we’d run into this kind of shit the moment we entered the Dark Demon Sea." The man clenched his teeth and cursed viciously.

If they abandoned their Treasures and spaceship, they could keep their lives, but without Treasures and a spaceship, drifting in the Dark Demon Sea would be no different from a tiger with its fangs pulled out—good-looking but useless!

But if they went all out, they had less than a thirty percent chance of escaping.

"Well? My patience is very limited. If you two still can’t give me an answer, my brothers and I will make a move." The Human-Snake Clan man’s lips curved into a cold arc. He stretched out his two massive fists and flexed them, a mocking expression on his face.

The other four Star System Level Early Stage guys were also staring at the pair with feral, vicious looks.

"Junior Sister, let’s fight them. If we lose all our Treasures, how the hell are we supposed to survive in the Dark Demon Sea?" As the man spoke, he drew the massive blade from his back and gripped it in his hand. At the same time, the Condensed and surging True Yuan in his body erupted like a volcano.

"Fine, we fight. Once we see an opening, we run. We can’t get bogged down in a drawn-out battle." The woman sent a voice transmission, then formed a Dharma Seal in her hands. Two cyan treasure swords flew out of their sheaths and began slowly circling around her body.

The Human-Snake Clan man let out a loud laugh, then shook his head. "I wasn’t planning on killing anyone today. What a shame—you two just don’t know what’s good for you. Brothers, kill them! The Treasure Rank of what they’re holding isn’t bad. Judging from the look of them, they should be geniuses sent out from some Major Sect. These are two fat lambs!"

As he finished speaking, the Human-Snake Clan man clenched both palms, and a silver Trident radiating a cold light appeared in his hand, glinting with icy luster.

The other four Star System Level Early Stage powerhouses following the Human-Snake Clan man also produced all sorts of Weapons and Treasures in their hands, and their eyes instantly burned with blazing greed.

The atmosphere grew taut, like a drawn bow ready to snap!

The man gripping the giant blade and the woman controlling the two cyan treasure swords moved closer together, their eyes filled with heavy solemnity.

This battle would decide whether they lived or died!

Just as both sides were about to make a move, an overwhelmingly powerful aura suddenly came from afar. Everyone turned their heads to see a streak of blood-colored light slash in from the distant starry sky. Against the black backdrop of space, that streak of blood was glaringly bright, moving so fast the naked eye couldn’t track it. Moments later, it came to a halt a thousand meters away from both parties.

"Human-Snake Clan brats, clear out. These two are under my protection."

A hoarse, elderly voice suddenly resounded in everyone’s ears, making their eardrums feel like they were about to burst.

The Human-Snake Clan man and the other four were shocked, staring at the blood-red spaceship parked in the distance with faint dread in their eyes. A Star Lake-class Spaceship—and judging from its size, definitely not an ordinary spacecraft. To own a spaceship of this Grade, the owner was at least a High-level Star System or even Star Domain Level powerhouse.

Moreover, that voice just now had contained dense True Essence Power; the speaker’s strength was definitely above theirs.

"Big Bro, what do we do?" A man whose face was swollen with venomous boils, hideous to look at, glanced toward the Human-Snake Clan man.

The Human-Snake Clan man clenched his teeth. Looking at the two fat lambs in front of him—ducks already at his lips—he was loath to give them up now. How could he be willing?

"Senior, we brothers found these two first. If Senior is willing, I can give you half of the Treasures on them. Would Senior be willing to show yourself?" The Human-Snake Clan man’s golden vertical pupils shrank to needlepoints as he spoke slowly.

The Human-Snake Clan man was afraid the other party was just bluffing. Only if the man showed himself and he could gauge the other’s strength would he believe it. Trying to scare them off with just a一句话 and make them release two fat lambs? No way.

"So it seems none of you intend to listen to what I say?" The old voice rang out again, its tone having turned icy.

At that moment, dozens of star-like points of light shot rapidly toward them.

"Alien Insects?"

"He’s an Insect Cultivation cultivator..."

On the Human-Snake Clan’s side, several faces instantly went pale. They had roamed the Dark Demon Sea for years, and what they feared most were Insect Cultivation cultivators. If you ever offended one, the consequences were unimaginable.

"Run!"

The Human-Snake Clan man’s face went chalk white, and he shouted hastily, "Senior, we’ll leave right away. Please show mercy!"

Even as the words left his mouth, his figure was faster than the other four’s. He dove straight into the spaceship, which immediately shot off toward the depths of the starry sea.

Seeing the five of them flee, those Star Feather Insects that had flown out hovered for a moment, then immediately returned.

The man and woman left behind were stunned. They hadn’t expected things to take such a turn. It felt like a dream—they’d actually walked away from a certain death!

"Many thanks for saving our lives, Senior. May I ask how we should address you?" The man gripping the giant blade clasped his fist in a serious salute and asked in a clear voice.

"With the strength you two have, if you want to roam the Dark Demon Sea, you’ll have to be more careful." The hoarse old voice sounded again, and then the Blood Python turned into a streak of blood light and vanished from their sight once more.

"Rain King, who was that person? Why would he save us?" The woman’s Sword Eyebrow tightened into a frown, her face full of doubt.

Rain King shook his head. "Who knows? He’s probably a senior from the Dark Demon Sea, at least Star Domain Level. Old seniors like that usually have strange tempers. Maybe he was just in a good mood today and casually saved our lives. Luo Yu’er, Junior Sister, we’d better head for the Mystic Realm Sect’s territory!"

"Mm." The woman nodded. The two of them flashed into their spaceship and then left the area.