Lan Jue was a smart man. He knew from Roxanne's shout that there was something wrong with Jueti.
He dismissed his previous thoughts and turned to Su Xiaosu.
He turned to Su Xiaosu. "Circle the planet and record everything you can."
"Yes, sir."
Zeus -1 flew horizontally, continuing its reconnaissance.
It was good enough that they'd been able to get this far. They couldn't go back to the planet's surface to continue their investigation.
Only the heavens knew what would happen if they entered the range of the purplish-red halo.
Lan Jue wasn't going to ask Jueti about it now. She'd have to wait until they left.
However, Luo Xianni's cry had filled his heart with worry.
Roxanne wouldn't speak without thinking. That meant there was something wrong with Jueti.
They flew in circles, not just to investigate the planet itself, but also the aliens that flew in and out of it.
They watched and recorded.
This information was extremely valuable, and would be immeasurably useful to humanity when it came to future strategies and tactics against the aliens.
As they flew, they saw an alien in the distance.
This alien was something they had never seen before. It looked like a large umbrella, its top wide and thick, covered in purple ribbons.
Dozens of long ribbons hung from it.
These creatures were enormous, more than a thousand meters tall and five hundred meters in diameter.
Of all the aliens they'd seen, this was one of the largest.
Zeus-1 paused for a moment, trying to circle around the alien. But then the alien came to a screeching halt.
Then.
A layer of incomparably powerful Spiritual Wave engulfed them.
"Ahhh!" Lin Guo-guo cried out. Golden light flared around her as she pushed aside the metal cover.
"We've been discovered!" That was Lan Jue's first reaction.
She turned Zeus -1 around and shot off into the distance.
The umbrella-shaped alien sped up and chased after them.
Although it was huge, it was extremely fast when it flew.
The ribbons hanging down from his body flew backwards.
Then, to everyone's surprise, they watched as the screen began to fill with more aliens.
These Marauders included the Swordfish Marauders, the Reef Marauders, and the Spiral Marauders.
All of them had emerged from beneath the umbrella-shaped alien.
After they came out, their bodies quickly enlarged, and then suddenly surrounded Zeus -1.
Without a doubt, the umbrella-shaped alien had the ability to carry other aliens, as well as the ability to store items.
It was obvious.
This guy must have a very high status among the Marauders.
A golden halo spread from Zeus -1, slowing the pursuers for a moment. Zeus -1 took advantage of the situation to accelerate, breaking through the encirclement and heading for the asteroid belt in the distance.
It was not an absolutely dangerous situation.
Of course, long-distance teleportation couldn't be used easily, especially not in front of the enemy.
The Epochrion was the Epochrion. She had used her control of time to slow the enemy down. Time and dimensional protogenia were among the best in the universe.
More and more of the aliens had noticed something was amiss. In a flash, a swarm of them began to swarm in.
They didn't know how they communicated, but the aliens that had been returning from the outside world were already converging on them.
The encirclement was complete.
The alien horde took up almost every nook and cranny in the sky.
According to the radar, tens of thousands of aliens of all sizes were closing in on them.
"Whoosh!" A swordfish raced past like a bolt of lightning.
Zeus -1 dodged just in time to avoid being hit.
Lan Jue had taken over Lin Guo-guo's place in the pilot's chair. She used her perception to assist with the ship's operations.
"I'll use a short-range teleportation to try and shake them off," the Wine Master said.
He lifted his Cosmagus Scepter high in the air. There was a flash of silver light.
Zeus -1 disappeared from the alien encirclement.
When it reappeared, it was in the shadows behind a large asteroid.
Zeus -1 didn't pause.
It turned around and shot off into the distance.
Just then.
A ring of purple light appeared in front of them without warning. Wherever it passed, the asteroids crumbled to dust. The area around them was empty.
Countless strands of psychic power locked onto Zeus -1.
It wasn't an attack, but it was enough to make Lan Jue's head spin. His face paled.
In the distance, more and more aliens were closing in. Purple and red figures were everywhere.
A wave of unparalleled power swept over them. The Epochrion, the Epochrion responsible for guarding the ship, grunted and took a step back.
However, the golden light around the ship only grew stronger.
Roxanne the Photographer made her move.
She waved her hands, and in the blink of an eye Zeus-1 turned pink from inside out. A pink light swirled around them, and the space in front of them split open. Zeus-1 disappeared with a whoosh.
It was the same teleportation, but with Nirvana Roxanne it was much farther than the Wine Master.
When they reappeared, the aliens were nowhere to be seen. They were back in the familiar asteroid belt of the Shattered Starfields.
Lan Jue and Roxanne gave each other a thumbs-up.
However, they quickly noticed Roxanne's face was dark. Her brows were furrowed.
Jueti's eyes narrowed, as though he were trying to sense something.
The world outside the window changed. The asteroid belt was now a vast expanse of purple and red, as though it were the color of the universe itself.
"Humans!"
A low, hoarse voice called out. It was hard and hoarse, but it caused everyone aboard Zeus -1, other than Jueti and Roxanne, to shudder.
This was because they could clearly sense that the voice had appeared in their minds on its own.
Far off in the distance, the center of the purple world came into focus. A man hovered there.
Su Xiaosu quickly adjusted Zeus -1's radar and zoomed in on the image.
It was a man, tall and well built. He looked to be in his twenties, clad in a long purple robe. His skin was pale, but his features were handsome.
His body was perfectly proportioned, and his violet eyes glinted with a cold light.
When Lan Jue saw the man's short hair, she couldn't help but think of the Violet Princess they'd once encountered.
Without a doubt, they'd encountered a high-ranking alien.
"I'll go!" Roxanne's voice was low.
"No!" Jueti put a hand on Roxanne's shoulder. He shook his head. "You can't.
His cultivation base is at my level. "
Roxanne's eyes lit up. "You mean …"