Zhou Yan steered the airship at top speed towards the south, then even used spatial magic to teleport the entire vessel a great distance away.
The Great Desolate World was vast. Even after teleporting far away, it remained a primeval forest, testament to its immense size.
"As expected of a top-tier world, this place is indeed huge," Zhou Yan remarked.
After performing spatial transfers more than ten times consecutively, Zhou Yan finally sensed the presence of people. He and Ye Xun felt they were close enough to human settlements, so they stored away the airship and headed towards where the people were gathered.
"There are quite a few people over there. I wonder what they're gathering for," Ye Xun said curiously.
"We'll find out when we get there. They're probably vying for some spiritual treasure or heavenly essence," Zhou Yan speculated.
The two transformed into streaks of light and flew towards the mountain peak ahead, stopping mid-air.
"So it's the mansion left behind by a powerful being. It looks like the residence of a peak Half-God expert."
With their powerful divine senses, they had already sensed the purpose of these people's gathering as they approached.
Many powerhouses had converged here, not only from the human race but also from numerous other formidable races. These races were all extraordinary, ranking among the top in the myriad realms.
The Great Desolate was a top-tier world, and its inhabitants were naturally exceptional. The human race was merely one of the more numerous races.
Moreover, with the decline of human powerhouses, their situation seemed rather dire.
Especially with the recent frequent anomalies in the Great Desolate World, signifying the advent of an era of great fortune. Various races emerged to contend for this fortune, seeking to break free from their shackles and become God-level experts.
Once one became a God-level expert, they could suppress other races for countless years. This world was peculiar; even upon reaching godhood, one did not immediately ascend to the divine realm.
They could remain here for a considerable time, sufficient for them to become the supreme race in the Great Desolate.
Whichever race had a powerhouse break through their shackles and become a God-level expert first would see their fortune surge dramatically, ensuring prosperity for at least ten thousand years without decline.
This was a competition for racial fortune, as well as an opportunity. Many powerhouses were awaiting this moment and chose to emerge now.
Under this era of prosperity, many hidden opportunities would also surface. Residences like the one belonging to this peak Half-God expert were not uncommon in the Great Desolate.
Zhou Yan and Ye Xun were also curious, wanting to see what this mansion held. With their strength and discerning eyes, they were not interested in ordinary items. Only true treasures could move them.
The two transformed into streaks of light and arrived in a forest, observing the bustling crowds. There were at least tens of thousands of cultivators, many of whom possessed low cultivation levels, clearly there to try their luck.
"The mansion still has a barrier. It seems no one has managed to break it yet. Will you make a move?" Ye Xun asked.
"We are outsiders after all. Let the powerhouses of the Great Desolate find a way to break it themselves. We'll just consider it a chance to gain experience," Zhou Yan had no intention of acting.
"That makes sense. We'll just look around; there's no need to get involved," Ye Xun agreed.
At their level of cultivation, they were no longer inclined to act.
It was akin to an adult seeing a coin on the ground with many children around. Would they be particularly interested in picking it up?
They would only be curious about which child would get the coin, rather than snatching it themselves.
Zhou Yan observed the increasing number of powerhouses gathering, among whom were many hidden Half-God experts.
Powerhouses from several factions began to attack the mansion's barrier, employing various means. Many were eager to be the first to rush in.
Unfortunately, these factions did not succeed. The external barrier was beyond their imagination, and they were instead injured by the recoil force.
"The people of the Formation Gate are really going downhill. They can't even break this kind of barrier."
"The Formation Gate has fallen. Their strongest is now only a Half-God, and his lifespan is nearing its end. The strongest of his disciples is also mediocre. They had hoped to enhance their strength through this powerful mansion, but they can't even break the barrier, making them a laughingstock."
"Once upon a time, the Formation Gate had hundreds of Half-Gods and was a top-tier force. No one dared to underestimate them, not even the Archaic Families."
"The Archaic Families remain Archaic Families precisely because no matter how many years they have existed, they do not decline. Not every force can be called an Archaic Family."
...
The faction that made the attempt was from the Formation Gate. Unfortunately, their strongest was only at the ninety-ninth heaven, with others at the eighty-odd heavens. How could they break a Half-God's barrier?
Laughter rippled through the crowd. At this moment, a group of Celestial beings flew over. They glanced at the people from the Formation Gate, their blue eyes filled with disdain. "Humans are forbidden from approaching, or you will be killed without mercy!"
The Celestial beings' declaration ignited the fury of all the humans present, who protested en masse. "You say we can't approach, and we can't?"
"This is the human race's territory. You Celestial beings clearly underestimate us humans!"
"You have no right to order us to leave!"
...
"Whoosh!"
A young Celestial prodigy directly attacked, transforming into a white light that pierced through a human and emerged, standing with his hands behind his back, arrogantly stating, "Killing you humans is as easy as slaughtering chickens and dogs."
"Such an arrogant Celestial being! I will test your strength!"
A human prodigy, indignant, drew a weapon and unleashed a brilliant radiance towards the Celestial powerhouse.
This earned cheers from many humans, who shouted for this human prodigy to teach the Celestial powerhouse a lesson.
The Celestial powerhouse's eyes lit up. He remained arrogant and said, "A nice weapon. I'll take it!"
"Arrogant! If you want my weapon, you'll have to show you have the strength to obtain it!"
This human powerhouse unleashed powerful martial skills, releasing a formidable attack towards the Celestial powerhouse.
"Clang!"
Unfortunately, this strike was caught by the Celestial powerhouse with a single hand, leaving the surrounding onlookers stunned and disbelieving.
"How is this possible!" the human prodigy exclaimed, staring at the scene in disbelief.
"The human race has declined. On the Central Divine Platform, humans are humiliated by various races. Not a single one of the hundreds of human powerhouses can stand upon it. Your human race's fortune has reached its end."
The Celestial being looked at the human prodigy with utter disdain. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a sword beam, bisecting him.
The young human prodigy thus fell to the ground. The Celestial powerhouse levitated his spatial bag away with his divine power, holding the former human powerhouse's weapon in his hand, triumphantly declaring, "Humans are no match for us!"