Phi-Fic Chapter 1019 Successful Breakthrough
Chapter 1019 Successful Breakthrough
Yu Changsheng put the crystal away—this item shares the same origin as the Star Key fragment, and might be useful for Chen Xueqing in repairing the inheritance.
Then, he moved, transforming into a streak of ice-blue and dark red light, and sped along the Star Remains Chain towards the direction where Chen Xueqing and the others had left.
Ancient road where stars fall, corridor of shattered stars.
As the map indicates, this is a treacherous region composed of countless fragmented celestial bodies.
Fragments of celestial debris, large as mountains and small as dust, drifted and collided slowly in chaotic trajectories.
Between the fragments, there were visible silver spatial turbulences, like invisible blades, silently cutting everything in their path.
Elder Qingyi rode the Pure World Lotus, which had shrunk to only about ten feet in size. The lotus light was so solid that it protected everyone within it.
Beyond the lotus light, fragments of star debris occasionally crashed into it, producing dull thuds and stirring up ripples.
Even more dangerous were the spatial turbulence. Occasionally, a turbulent current would sweep by and cut a tiny crack in the lotus light. Although Elder Qingyi repaired it in time, it only made matters worse for her already depleted source of energy.
Elder Jian Chen led the disciples of the Xuan Tian Sword Sect in a tight sword formation, their sword energy crisscrossing and shredding any small fragments that were too close together. However, the disciples were all pale-faced, clearly having exhausted their spiritual energy.
Chen Xueqing's emerald-gold cocoon floated in the center of the lotus platform, its light slightly more solid than before.
The Star Key fragment in her arms emitted a soft glow, faintly echoing a certain pulse in the ancient road, seemingly guiding the way and also slightly dispelling the prying eyes of the surrounding star remnants—those distorted shadows lingered in the distance, but dared not get too close to the aura of the Star Key fragment.
"The area ahead is the most densely populated part of the Shattered Star Corridor."
Chen Xueqing transmitted her thoughts, her voice still weak, "The inherited memories show that a large number of ancient road spirits have gathered here. They are nourished by chaotic stellar energy and spatial rifts, making them stronger than the spirits on the outer perimeter. They also possess a certain level of intelligence and will hunt together. We must pass through quickly and not linger in battle."
Elder Qingyi nodded, and the Purifying Lotus sped up a bit, like a blue meteor weaving through the dense fragments of star debris.
However, what you fear most is what happens.
Just as Qinglian was about to pass through a "gate"-shaped area formed by three huge star debris, a sudden change occurred!
"Waaaaah—!"
A deep, drawn-out hiss came from the depths of the largest piece of star debris on the left. The hiss did not travel through the air, but acted directly on the soul, causing dizziness.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of pale eyes "opened" on the surface of the star remnant! Each eye was as large as a millstone, with a swirling gray vortex in its pupil, staring intently at Qinglian.
"It's the 'Multi-Eyed Star Remains'! Be careful of its soul attack!" Chen Xueqing exclaimed urgently.
Before the words were even finished, those dozens of pale eyes suddenly shone brightly!
An invisible shockwave swept in like a tsunami.
The protective shield of the Pure Lotus vibrated violently, and its light dimmed at a visible speed. Elder Qingyi groaned, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, clearly indicating that her soul had been injured.
Elder Jian Chen and his disciples were also in bad shape. Several Golden Core disciples with lower cultivation levels bled from all seven orifices and fainted. The sword formation became chaotic.
And this is just the beginning.
The star debris on the right exploded with a roar, and hundreds of gray shadow spirits, resembling bats but with bone wings and sharp claws, flew out from it.
They let out sharp screech and pounced on the blue lotus, their sharp claws slicing through the lotus light with a piercing scraping sound.
A crack appeared in the stellar debris directly in front of them, and a giant, spider-like creature with a human head crawled out.
The head was contorted, with viscous starlight liquid flowing from its mouth. Its eight limbs were covered in barbs, and every step it took caused ripples in the void.
Surrounded from three sides! And with the continuous soul-piercing attacks from the multi-eyed remnant spirit!
"Form the 'Mysterious Celestial Star Guardian Sword Formation'! Protect your mind and spirit!"
Elder Jian Chen roared, enduring the excruciating pain in his soul, and led his disciples to change formation.
The sword energy ceased its attack and instead converged inward, transforming into a layer of starlight sword curtain, superimposed on the inner layer of the Pure World Green Lotus's light shield, specifically to defend against soul impacts.
Elder Qingyi gritted her teeth and poured the last few strands of her essence into the Pure World Lotus. The lotus platform shone brighter, and the illusory petals of the lotus blossomed, spreading a pure and holy Daoist aura, barely withstanding the soul impact of the multi-eyed remnant spirit and the attack of the bat remnant spirit.
But the lingering spirit of the human-faced spider had already closed to within a hundred feet. Its twisted head opened its mouth, emitting a muffled roar: "Star...Key...hand over..."
It could actually speak human language! Although it spoke intermittently, it proved that it was quite intelligent.
"Don't even think about it!" Chen Xueqing shouted coldly. The emerald-gold cocoon shone brightly, and the Star Key fragment flew up, hovering above her head. The fragment projected a dazzling emerald-gold beam of light, shining towards the remnant of the human-faced spider.
"Hiss—!" The beam of light shone on the spider's spirit, like boiling oil being poured on snow. Smoke rose from its body, and it let out a painful hiss, its advance slowing down.
But the emerald-gold pillar of light quickly dimmed. Chen Xueqing's spirit body swayed, barely able to maintain its cocoon-like form. Activating the Star Key fragment was too much of a burden for her.
Enraged, the remnant of the human-faced spider suddenly plunged its eight limbs into the void, its form vanished mysteriously, and the next moment it appeared directly above the Azure Lotus Light Barrier, its sharp mandibles stabbing down fiercely!
"clang--!"
At the critical moment, a dark blue longsword appeared out of thin air, its tip precisely touching the tip of the spider-faced spirit's mouthparts.
A burst of sword light, interwoven with icy blue and dark red, erupted, and the sword intent of annihilation and the fire of stardust spread upwards along the mouthparts.
"Awooo!!!" The remnant of the human-faced spider let out a shrill scream. Its mouthparts were instantly burned into nothingness. Its huge body was slashed away by the immense force contained in the sword light, smashing into several small pieces of star debris before barely coming to a stop.
Yu Changsheng, we've arrived.
He stood before the azure lotus light barrier, sword in hand, the Star Silence Sword pointing diagonally, his robes fluttering even without wind. In his left eye, the Void Vortex slowly rotated, devouring the chaotic stellar energy and the negative aura emanating from the remnants of the past; in his right eye, the Star Ember Flame burned quietly, illuminating the dense army of remnants before him.
"I can live forever!" Chen Xueqing's voice rang out in surprise.
Elder Qingyi and Elder Jianchen breathed a sigh of relief, but their eyes remained filled with worry—there were too many spirits, and the soul-shaking impact of the multi-eyed spirits continued.
Yu Changsheng turned around, nodded slightly to the people inside the lotus platform, and his gaze lingered for a moment on Chen Xueqing's somewhat illusory spirit body, a trace of heartache flashing across his eyes before turning into icy killing intent.
"Follow me, and charge out."
His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination.
The Starry Night Sword was raised, and ice-blue starlight and dark red patterns lit up on its blade at the same time.
"Starry Night, Universe's Pure Radiance".
A sword was swung out with effortless ease. There was no earth-shattering sound, only a patch of icy blue starlight, like the morning mist of early winter, quietly spreading and enveloping the entire Shattered Star Corridor area in front.
Where the starlight reached, the bat spirits that had been rushing towards them suddenly slowed down, and icy blue frost flowers condensed on their bodies before silently disintegrating into specks of stardust.
The human-faced spider's spirit struggled to get up, but was enveloped by starlight. Its massive body was quickly covered with a layer of icy blue crystals, its movements froze, and the fierce light in its eyes solidified. Finally, with a "crack," it shattered into countless ice crystals.
Even the distant, multi-eyed spirit, with its dozens of pale eyes dimming and closing under the starlight, brought the soul-shaking impact to an abrupt halt.
One sword strike, and the field is cleared.
The Shattered Star Corridor fell silent.
Only the floating fragments of star debris and the scattered remnants of spirits that dared not approach further in the distance testified to the danger that had just occurred.
Elder Qingyi, Elder Jianchen, and all the disciples of the Xuantian Sword Sect stared blankly at Yu Changsheng's back as he held his sword, and at the still lingering icy blue starlight, their hearts filled with unparalleled shock.
This is... Yu Changsheng after reforging his Dao embryo and breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage.
Yu Changsheng sheathed his sword, turned to look at Chen Xueqing inside the lotus platform, and his cold eyes softened instantly.
"It's alright now," he said softly. "Let's keep going."
Yu Changsheng sheathed his sword and stood there. The Star Silence Sword returned to silence, the starlight and patterns on the sword disappeared, leaving only a dark blue background like the night sky.
He turned around, his gaze passing over the shimmering protective shield of the Pure Lotus and landing precisely on the emerald-gold halo in the center of the lotus platform.
"Xue Qing." His voice pierced through the vacuum and entered the cocoon of light directly through his divine sense.
The cocoon of light trembled slightly, and Chen Xueqing's illusory spirit took on a shape. She looked up, and although she was still pale, there was a calm light in her eyes.
"Brother Changsheng, you... you really succeeded."
It wasn't just the joy of reunion, but also a sense of unbelievable shock. She knew better than anyone what the shattering of the Dao Embryo meant.
The Dao Embryo of the Ruins of the Abyss was a product of forced fusion. Once it collapsed, it was almost impossible for it to reassemble, let alone be reforged into a more powerful and perfect form.
The person before her possessed an aura as deep as the sea, standing still like a cornerstone of the starry sky. The sense of connection to the legacy of the star-caster allowed her to clearly perceive that transformative metamorphosis.
"By chance and opportunity, a way out of a desperate situation."
Yu Changsheng gave a brief response, indicating he did not wish to elaborate further.
His gaze swept over the people inside the lotus platform. Elder Qingyi's face was ashen, her breath faint, and the illusory image of the Pure Lotus had faded to the point of being as thin as paper. Elder Jianchen was forcibly straightening his spine, but the bloodstains at the corners of his eyes and the sight of his disciples behind him, either weak or unconscious, all indicated that this team had reached its limit.
What made Yu Changsheng's heart tighten even more was the Burial Abyss Black Sword hovering beside Chen Xueqing.
No, at this moment it should be called the scabbard of the "Star Silence" sword.
After the sword was reforged, Mo Yu's remnant soul completely fell silent. The sword intent of annihilation merged with the fire of starlight, which gave the sword unprecedented power, but also made the fluctuations of Mo Yu's last bit of consciousness become negligible, as if it were sleeping in the deepest part of the sword.
Time is tight.
The Shattered Star Corridor is just one of the dangerous nodes on the outer edge of the ancient road. It is unknown whether the Yin Sha Sect has any other tricks up its sleeve, and the "Great Annihilation Calamity" pointed to by the icy blue starlight deep in the ancient road is even more unpredictable.
They need a completely safe place to rest, the sooner the better.
"Elder Qingyi, Elder Jianchen."
Yu Changsheng transmitted his thoughts clearly and steadily.
"The Shattered Star Corridor has been cleared, but we cannot linger here. In my perception, about three hours' journey further along this chain of star remains, there is a relatively stable 'node' in space. Its fluctuations are similar to those of the First Star Station, but on a larger scale. It is very likely another 'station' established by the Starry Sky Forgers, perhaps the 'Middle Star Station' or 'End Star Station' mentioned in the inheritance. We must go there immediately."
The "journey" he mentioned has no precise definition in this ancient road with its distorted spacetime, but given everyone's current state and his newly ascended Godhood protection, three hours of rapid travel should be the limit.
Elder Qingyi struggled to open her eyes and saw the undeniable composure and strength in Yu Changsheng's eyes. She felt slightly relieved, nodded slightly, and was too weak to speak.
Elder Jian Chen was even more decisive, saying hoarsely, "Everything is at Fellow Daoist Yu's disposal! Xuan Tian disciples who are still able to move, help each other and prepare to depart!"
Yu Changsheng didn't delay any longer. He raised his hand and gestured, and a gentle yet powerful Star Silence Force surged from his palm. It wasn't an attack, but rather transformed into an ice-blue light band that gently supported the entire Purifying Lotus Shield and everyone inside.
"Relax your mind and do not resist; I will guide you forward."
The light band contracted, firmly enveloping the lotus platform.
The next moment, Yu Changsheng moved, no longer transforming into a stream of light as before, but instead "gliding" between the stellar remains in a more mysterious way.
With each step he took, icy blue star runes would automatically condense beneath his feet, briefly calming the chaotic spatial currents and creating a relatively stable passage.
This is the ability granted to him by the Starry Night Dao Embryo, a preliminary manifestation of his grasp of the laws of space. Although it is far from being able to do whatever he wants, it is practical enough for this environment.
Enveloped in the band of light, the group felt the surrounding scenery rushing backward at a steady yet swift speed, leaving behind the hideous star remains, the distorted shadows of lingering spirits, and the silver spatial rifts.
A long-lost sense of security, of being out of a deadly situation, caused the tense mind to relax involuntarily. Many people could no longer hold on and fell into a deep sleep or deep breathing.
Throughout the journey, Yu Changsheng maintained a high level of concentration, keeping the star passage open while carefully sensing the Starry Night Dao Embryo within his dantian.
The Dao Embryo rotated smoothly, and the five forces blended together seamlessly. With each breath, pure spiritual energy from heaven and earth was swallowed by the Returning Void Vortex, transformed through the Devouring Void Meridian, and then tempered by the Star Ember Fire Core, ultimately transforming into pure Star Silence True Essence, nourishing the body and soul.
The Chaos Emperor's blood flowed ceaselessly, continuously repairing the hidden injuries to his physical body caused by the shattering of his Dao Embryo. The Emerald Gold Dao Aura acted like a highly precise control system, ensuring that the entire energy cycle was efficient and stable.
What surprised him even more was that the Star Silence Sword resonated with his mind. Not only did the sword contain powerful annihilation and starlight energy, but it also seemed to be an independent "mini-world," spontaneously absorbing and refining external energy to nourish itself while slowly nurturing the dormant remnant soul of Mo Yu within the sword. Although awakening was still a long way off, at least it was no longer in a state of constant dissipation.
At the same time, through his connection with the Star Silence Sword and his own Dao Embryo's affinity for the power of stars, Yu Changsheng's perception of this ancient road became increasingly clear.
He could "hear" the whispers of the star fragments in the void, "see" the weak and turbulent parts of the spatial turbulence, and even faintly capture some deeper "pulse" that seemed to originate from the ancient road itself.
The pulse was ancient and grand, carrying the rhythm of the birth and death of stars and the flow of time and space, and resonated faintly with the star base within his Dao embryo.
While this resonance wasn't enough for him to immediately grasp all the mysteries of the ancient path, it served as a vague guide map, giving him a more intuitive understanding of the direction he should take and the "nodes" he might encounter. (End of Chapter)