But after only a moment's pause, the Starlight Figure pressed forward instead of retreating, reaching for He Ao even faster.
As his connection with the being beyond countless reaches of space and time took hold, that vast, maddening gaze began to descend upon He Ao.
But soon, something else seemed to catch its attention, and it shifted toward the Starlight Figure.
Just as the gaze was about to settle fully upon him, a distorted force rippled through the void.
The rings around He Ao shattered instantly. The ritual in progress seemed to suffer a violent disruption and was forcibly cut short.
The descending gaze stopped halfway. As though it had lost its target, it swiftly dissolved like melting snow.
The terrifying madness receded like a tide.
The world fell silent. The Starlight Figure's enormous hand had almost completely engulfed He Ao.
A terrifying, warped force pressed against He Ao's body and began trying to extract his soul.
[Access bound successfully]
At that instant, a message surfaced in He Ao's mind.
The octahedral crystal flickered, and countless fine cracks spread across it in an instant.
He Ao raised his head and looked at the towering Starlight Figure. The world fell silent.
The corners of his mouth lifted in a faint smile.
The next moment, his soul power surged outward, ready to leave, and his entire body abruptly turned insubstantial.
By then, the spreading green radiance had already climbed onto his body. Like slender tentacles, it wound toward his soul, seeking to trap it here forever.
At that very instant, a faint green light flashed across He Ao's body, forming a thin barrier that briefly held back the starlight tentacles.
At the same time, dense arrays of runes appeared around the room and wrapped around the Starlight Figure's hand.
He