"Buzz--"
A bizarre scene unfolded. The instant the [Star Core Ancient Key], infused with thirty percent of Xiao Han's Star Demon essence, touched the Netherworld Dragon Claw, a barely perceptible dark resonance actually occurred between them. The Netherworld demonic energy on the dragon claw, powerful enough to destroy everything, actually froze for less than a moment!
"Huh?"
Beyond the spatial rift, a faint ripple seemed to flicker in those cold, merciless, ghostly eyes. It was a soft "Eh," imbued with boundless majesty and ancient vicissitudes, as if it were slightly surprised that such a death throes could cause such a change, or perhaps it was moved by the shared aura that the [Star Core Ancient Key] unleashed at the last moment.
At that critical moment, when life and death hung by a thread!
A sudden change has occurred!
The entire first level of the Heaven-Piercing Tower, and even higher levels, began to tremble violently! Countless ancient runes, hidden throughout the tower and dormant for countless years, were simultaneously illuminated, radiating dazzling starlight!
A will, more vast, more ancient, and more boundless than that of the Netherworld Emperor, yet devoid of any emotion, suddenly awakened, like an ancient deity who had slumbered for billions of years!
The Heaven-Piercing Tower Spirit was completely alarmed by this Emperor Lord- level power that far exceeded its usual specifications!
"Buzz--!"
A Divine Chain of Order, woven from countless star runes, as thick as a mountain and gleaming with the cold light of judgment and ruling, pierced through the void from the depths of the Heaven-Piercing Tower, ignoring the distance of space, and struck with unparalleled precision at the Netherworld Dragon Claw that had penetrated into the first level!
The Tower Spirits seem to be strictly enforcing some ancient rule engraved at their core—to eliminate all "out-of-standard" intruders who attempt to disrupt the Order of the Heaven-Piercing Tower!
"Roar!"
The Netherworld Emperor clearly hadn't expected to disturb the slumbering spirit of the Heaven-Piercing Tower, letting out a roar filled with boundless rage. The wills and powers of these two terrifying beings clashed violently and earth-shatteringly above the small first level of the Heaven-Piercing Tower!
"Boom--!"
The aftershocks of the collision created a devastating energy storm that swept across the entire first layer of space. The void was easily torn apart, and countless tiny, unstable, dark spatial cracks spread out like a spider web. The terrifying pressure surrounding Xiao Han, which was enough to crush him, suddenly eased under the collision of these two beings!
At that moment, the Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul in Xiao Han's sea of consciousness suddenly trembled slightly, and actually formed a faint connection with a small and unstable spatial rift not far away. It was as if there was something on the other side of that rift that it desperately craved.
"Walk!"
Xiao Han struck by a sudden inspiration and didn't have time to think it through. Relying on the profoundness of the "A Step to the Ends of the Earth at Hand, Far Away" movement technique and his extraordinary sensitivity to spatial fluctuations, he transformed into a streak of light without hesitation and rushed into the spatial rift that exuded an unknown aura!
"Presumptuous!"
Seeing its prey escape and blocked by the tower spirit, the Netherworld Emperor behind the rift flew into a rage. The Netherworld dragon claw, struck by the Divine Chain of Order, suddenly lashed out, forcibly breaking free of some of its restraints. A wisp of "Netherworld Emperor Dragon Cursefire," as thin as a hair yet condensed to its extreme, burning with a ghostly green flame, pierced through layers of spatial barriers, clinging to Xiao Han as he was about to disappear into the rift, and fiercely imprinting itself onto the [Star-Magic Battle Body] on his back!
"Sizzle!"
A hideous, miniature dragon-shaped mark was deeply embedded in Xiao Han's flesh and soul, radiating an aura of destruction that could burn everything.
Almost simultaneously, the [Star Core Ancient Key], having completed its final mission, finally succumbed to the pressure of losing Xiao Han's source power and the impact of the Emperor Lord- level power, shattering completely into dust. However, at its core, a barely perceptible "Void Coordinate Fragment," shimmering with a strange light, silently merged into the embryonic form of the [Chaos Starflame Seed] within Xiao Han's dantian just before the Ancient Key shattered, as if it possessed a life of its own.
"Ah--!"
Xiao Han felt a piercing pain in his back, as if his soul was being set on fire. He was swept up by the violent spatial turbulence, lost all sense of direction, and finally crashed to the ground.
[Ding! Host's current status detected... Teleporting... Teleportation complete...]
[Warning! The host is being eroded by the "Netherworld Emperor Dragon Cursefire," causing rapid loss of life force and continuous burning of the soul!]
[Hidden map scene triggered: Ancient Gods' Battlefield (Remnants)!]
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Han slowly awoke amidst waves of excruciating pain. He struggled to open his eyes and found himself lying at the bottom of a dark cliff. All around him were jagged rocks, and the air was thick with an overwhelming aura of bloodlust and endless resentment. Everywhere he looked, there were broken weapons and massive skeletons, some even shimmering with a faint divine light, clearly belonging to powerful beings who had perished here in ancient times.
At the back of his heart, the dragon-shaped mark formed by the [Netherworld Emperor Dragon Cursefire] was writhing like a living creature, frantically devouring his life force and Star Demon essence. Waves of scorching and insidious power continuously eroded his body and soul, causing him unbearable pain and almost making him faint again.
Just as he struggled to get up, pairs of scarlet lights, like will-o'-the-wisps, quietly lit up in the darkness at the bottom of the cliff, growing more and more numerous and densely packed. Each pair of eyes radiated a chilling greed, bloodlust, and endless malice, like a pack of ferocious beasts that had been starving for millennia, finally getting the prey they had been waiting for.
A new crisis has arrived.
Xiao Han struggled to sit up, each breath amplifying the grotesque dragon-shaped mark on his back. The [Netherworld Emperor Dragon Cursefire] clung to him like a leech, not only suppressing ninety percent of his strength but also emitting a strange, "sweet" scent, which was like a beacon in the darkness for the vengeful spirits and demonic beasts roaming this ancient battlefield.
"Awoo--"
A foul stench filled the air as several Bone War Wolves, each the size of a small mountain, composed entirely of pale white bones, with eerie green flames burning in their eye sockets, surrounded him. Each wolf exuded a terrifying pressure comparable to the Martial Emperor Realm Initial Stage, their greedy gazes fixed on Xiao Han, or more precisely, on the cursed fire mark on his back.
"Damn it!" Xiao Han cursed inwardly. The circulation of spiritual energy within his body was sluggish, the Star-Magic Battle Body's light dimmed, and even the nascent [Chaos Starflame Seed] was suppressed.
At this critical moment, the nascent [Chaos Starflame Seed] within his dantian trembled violently. The "Void Coordinate Fragment" integrated into it emitted a faint yet clear fluctuation of intent, intermittently entering Xiao Han's mind. "Divine Blood... Altar... Can be refined... Emperor's Curse... Coordinates... Northwest... Three Thousand... Incomplete..."
The Divine Blood Altar? Can it refine the Emperor Dragon Curse Fire?