Ancient Teleportation Array

After crossing Jue Sha Ridge, the terrain gradually became more uneven, with more hills and valleys appearing.

Though the evil energy was still everywhere, it had thinned considerably. Occasionally, they could even see strange-looking plants resilient enough to grow amid the evil energy, adding a rare touch of life to the dead land.

Li Su and Zhiwei proceeded with even greater caution, avoiding several areas clearly occupied by powerful auras and giving a wide berth to dangerous regions where space was unstable and tiny spatial rifts often opened.

One day, they reached the edge of a vast basin. At its center stood countless enormous, broken stone pillars, some toppled over, along with an immense circular platform constructed from an unknown black metal and jade.

The platform was covered in dizzyingly complex runes and array diagrams. Many sections had been badly damaged and buried beneath thick dust, making it seem incomparably ancient and ruined.

Yet even so, they could still sense faint traces of spatial fluctuations lingering upon it.

"Is this... an ancient teleportation array?" Zhiwei's eyes widened in surprise. There seemed to be records of similar things in her clan's ancient texts.

"Judging by its scale, it may have been capable of teleporting across immense distances... perhaps even between worlds!"

Li Su swept his divine sense across the enormous platform, and his heart was shaken as well. The knowledge from the Minor Chiliad Array Analysis allowed him to vaguely understand part of the array's basic structure and grasp a hint of its intricacy and complexity.

It was far beyond his comprehension, absolutely the strongest array he had ever seen! The cultivation of whoever had set it up was likely unimaginable.

The Bedrock Rune stirred with warmth once more, and the direction it indicated seemed to point directly toward the center of the ancient teleportation array.

Could it be... that this teleportation array could still be used? Or was the place it pointed toward connected to Kunlun?

The two cautiously approached the platform.

The closer they drew, the more strongly they felt its desolate, ruined air. Many of its runes had already blurred, while the materials forming the platform had lost most of their spirituality. It had clearly been abandoned for countless years.

"What a pity. Such a grand array has been damaged so badly," Zhiwei said regretfully.

Li Su remained silent. His divine sense carefully scanned every corner of the platform while he secretly activated the Array Heart Clarity divine ability, attempting to decipher the mysteries of this ruined array.

Suddenly, he discovered a peculiar groove in a relatively intact area at the center of the platform.

The shape of the groove... seemed to faintly echo the arrangement of the starlight specks upon his bamboo body? Moreover, at the bottom of the groove lingered an extremely faint yet pure power of the stars!

A bold thought entered his mind.

He tried guiding the Stellar Evil Energy he had cultivated into the groove little by little.

Hum—

The instant the Stellar Evil Energy entered, the ancient teleportation array, dormant for who knew how many tens of thousands of years, actually lit up with a faint glimmer! Though extremely weak, it had truly been activated!

This might work!

Li Su's heart stirred, and he increased the flow of stellar power. At the same time, he said to Zhiwei, "Fellow Daoist Zhiwei, lend me a hand. Pour your mana into those nodes around the perimeter!"

He pointed out several key nodes of the array.

Though Zhiwei did not understand why, she did as he said and poured her Demon Energy into them.

With both their powers flowing in, the ancient teleportation array's glow brightened further. Quite a few runes upon the platform lit up one by one, and the spatial fluctuations also became more apparent.

But soon, the light stopped advancing and even began to flicker unsteadily. The energy was clearly far from sufficient, and the array itself was too badly damaged to remain stable.

"No, there isn't enough energy, and the array is too damaged..." Zhiwei panted. Her Demon Energy had been severely depleted.

Li Su stopped as well. Trying to activate this ancient teleportation array with just the two of them was nothing more than a fool's dream.

But at the instant the array's light was about to go out completely, the Bedrock Rune deep within Li Su's primordial spirit stirred again!

This time, it did not merely give off faint warmth. Instead, it trembled softly, and an exceedingly subtle yet incomparably resilient and profound ripple of Dao intent traveled along Li Su's divine sense into the groove, resonating with the lingering stellar power within!

Click.

An incredibly soft mechanical sound came from deep inside the platform.

Then, beneath the astonished gazes of the two, a stone slab beside the groove slowly slid open, revealing a hidden compartment!

Inside the compartment was not some treasure, but a damaged jade slip of material similar to the platform, engraved with tiny star patterns, as well as a small pile of Stellar Crystal Stone fragments that had long lost their luster and were covered in cracks.

Li Su used a bamboo branch to roll up the jade slip and sent his divine sense inside.

A flood of information poured into his mind. It was not a cultivation art inheritance, but more like a log entry:

"...By order of His Majesty Di Jun, the foundational mechanism of the Cosmos Stellar Array was established in this remote place to guard against unforeseen events... Yet the great war was brutal, heaven and earth overturned, the array foundation was damaged, and the passage was severed...

We were ordered to remain behind, but our resources were exhausted, powerful enemies surrounded us, and the way home was distant beyond hope... Should those who come after reach this place, proceed with caution and treasure what remains... The power of the stars may serve as a key, yet it cannot last forever... May there come a day when we see the Heavenly Court again..."

The information came in fragments, filled with grief and despair, before abruptly cutting off at the end.

A storm of shock rose in Li Su's heart!

The Cosmos Stellar Array? Di Jun? The Heavenly Court?

This was actually an array hub established by the Ancient Demon Court? A relic from the Witch-Demon War?

No wonder it required stellar power for activation! This was the Ancient Demon Court's own technique!

The "passage" mentioned in the log—could it lead to the legendary ruins of the ancient Heavenly Court? Or perhaps... some other secret land related to the stars?

He looked again at the pile of Stellar Crystal Stone fragments. Though almost all their energy had dispersed, the material itself remained extraordinary and was compatible with his attributes.

"Fellow Daoist, what is it? What did the jade slip say?" Zhiwei asked curiously.

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Li Su briefly replied, "This is an ancient relic. The teleportation array has been completely destroyed and can no longer be used.

"Still, these fragments may be of some use to me." He put away the Stellar Crystal Stone fragments. Perhaps he could slowly absorb them or use them to refine something.

Zhiwei nodded, half understanding and half not. She knew little of ancient secrets.

Though they could not use the teleportation array, this discovery made Li Su even more certain that the Bedrock Rune's guidance was not without purpose.

It seemed to be leading him to things connected to the stars and the ancient Heavenly Court.

He carefully put away the jade slip containing the log as well. There might be other information hidden within it.

After leaving the ancient teleportation array ruins, the two continued westward. Yet Li Su's heart now carried many thoughts of the ancient age, along with a sense of heaviness. The waters of the Primordial World ran far deeper than he had imagined.

Several days later, as they passed through a withered black forest, they suddenly heard fierce fighting and enraged beast roars ahead. Mixed within them was a clear sword cry and... a familiar fluctuation of Profound Gate Dao Arts?