Primordial Starry Sky

After flying for over a kalpa, Xuan Qing and Han Xi reached the Nine Heavens Gale Layer.

"Brother, is this the Nine Heavens Gale?"

The Nine Heavens Gale was derived from the nine origins of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, light, and darkness between heaven and earth.

Heaven and earth had always contained baleful qi, and countless living beings fought and slaughtered one another. The baleful qi rose from the Primordial Land, where it was absorbed and condensed by the Nine Heavens Gale, gradually forming the Nine Heavens Gale Layer.

One needed the physical body of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal to pass through the Nine Heavens Gale Layer. There were already few living beings in the Prehistoric Era, and even fewer whose physical bodies had reached Grand Unity.

They could barely occupy much of the land, let alone anything else. Thus, no one had ever considered setting their sights on the Starry Sky.

During the early stage of the eighth Measure Tribulation, the Three Heavens led numerous Star Gods from the Starry Sky to the Primordial Land. In the end, all the Star Gods, along with the Three Heavens, were slain by Fierce Beasts, their origins returning to heaven and earth.

All the stars were also damaged at their origin after losing their Star Gods. Not only did they need to recover their origins, they also had to nurture new Star Gods.

As a result, the effects of the Zhou Tian Stars' operation greatly weakened. Coupled with the baleful qi throughout the Prehistoric Era during the Fierce Beast Tribulation, countless streams of baleful qi could no longer be dissolved by Star Power and gradually began merging into the Nine Heavens Gale Layer.

Ordinary Golden Immortals could originally pass through the gale layer, but now even one's physical body had to break through to Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Those Three Heavens really were worthless trash.

When the Primordial Stars operated normally, they could absorb currents from Chaos and transform them into Innate Spiritual Qi to nourish the Primordial Land.

Star Gods were like modern civil servants. They clocked in and out every day, received gifts from Star Essence to accelerate their cultivation, and could continuously obtain merit.

Those closest to the water got the moonlight first. The Innate Spiritual Qi that nourished the Prehistoric Era would first be supplied to the Primordial Starry Sky. Wasn't that the finest Blessed Land?

Yet, for their own ambitions, the Three Heavens took the Star Gods and abandoned the stars. All for a little Auspicious Qi to speed up their cultivation—they threw away the watermelon to pick up sesame seeds. Utter fools.

Ever since the Three Heavens perished, the stars had grown much dimmer. Xuan Qing sensed the concentration of spiritual qi, and it was not even comparable to that of the Primordial Land.

Other than someone like him, pursuing the Five Innate Origin Essences, who would run to the Starry Sky to suffer for no reason?

"This gale qi is good stuff. Your physical body is only at early Grand Unity, so it is perfect for tempering it. Opportunities like this are rare."

Baleful qi was a type of earth's turbid qi. Ordinary people did not dare absorb such a thing. Aside from Luohu and the Twelve Ancestral Witches, no one in the Prehistoric Era relied on it to improve their cultivation.

Absorbing baleful qi was like stuffing knives into one's body, and it could easily fry one's brain.

"Will it hurt a lot, Brother? You wouldn't lie to your sister, would you?"

Han Xi shook her head like a rattle drum.

"Don't worry. It will only hurt for a while. The Three Lights Divine Water will help you recover from your injuries. Endure it, and it will pass. The strong never complain about their environment!"

Xuan Qing took out a clump of Three Lights Divine Water and tossed it to Han Xi.

"I'm scared of pain, ⊙﹏⊙!"

The little girl tried to wriggle out of it. She truly did not want to cross it using only her physical body.

Xuan Qing pulled out the Jade Bamboo of Creation and gave the little girl a smack.

"Smack!"

Han Xi instantly felt that she could no longer use her magic power. Only her physical body remained responsive. She turned back and looked at Xuan Qing pitifully.

Xuan Qing ignored her pleas and directly threw her into the gale layer.

If she never experienced the tempering of pain, she might follow in her Sister's footsteps someday. Suffering more now was to suffer less later. The little girl simply did not understand such a basic principle.

The moment the little girl was pushed inside, her whole body began to tremble, and her feet kept retreating.

"Brother, this is too painful. I don't want to cultivate my physical body anymore."

The little girl began backing down again.

Xuan Qing ignored her little schemes and struck her with another blow.

"If one day I'm no longer by your side and you encounter an enemy you can't defeat, what then? Should I collect your corpse?"

The little girl immediately stopped crying, wiped away her tears, and walked forward resolutely.

And so, they slowly flew upward. Whenever Han Xi could no longer bear it and wanted to give up, Xuan Qing would whip her with his bamboo staff.

One day, the gale qi suddenly began to riot. Countless streams of baleful qi swept through the air, and Han Xi was lifted by a violent wind, rapidly flying toward the center of the gale layer.

"Brother, ooh..." Countless gusts of wind poured into her mouth, leaving the little girl unable to speak.

Xuan Qing panicked at once and hurriedly chased after her.

Not long after, the little girl was struck by a pearl and came to a stop. The violent winds around her instantly dispersed.

Han Xi picked up the pearl and examined it. It was a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure called the Wind-Quelling Pearl, nurtured by Wind Origin.

It had originally been a Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Wind Spirit Pearl. However, after absorbing a portion of baleful qi and Star Power, it advanced into a Spiritual Treasure capable of influencing Wind Origin.

It was therefore rejected by Wind Origin. Han Xi was truly lucky. The pearl had just happened to be cast out and intercepted her, not only saving her but also granting her a Spiritual Treasure.

"Brother, there's actually an Innate Spiritual Treasure in this gale layer. There might be one in the next layer too. Let's hurry and look!"

Han Xi's physical body had now adapted to the gale layer, and she was not far from mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal. The gale could no longer do much to her.

Thus, they searched their way onward. Five kalpas passed, and the two of them searched every gale layer but found nothing else.

"It seems only the Spiritual Treasure of Wind Origin was born. The others have yet to be nurtured. We can come back later. It's time for us to leave."

The two passed through the gale layer and arrived in the Primordial Starry Sky.

A scene of desolation and ruin entered their sight.

"This... shouldn't be possible!"

Although the origins of the Primordial Stars had been damaged, the spiritual qi should not have become so sparse.

Looking up, only the distant Solar Star, Lunar Star, and Ziwei Star shone with light, as though they were healing the entire Starry Sky.

"Roar!"

A tremendous roar came from the nearest star. A Fierce Beast sensed their vitality and pounced directly at them.

"Fierce Beasts? What is going on? Why are Fierce Beasts appearing in the Primordial Starry Sky? Could some have escaped here after losing the great war?"

Xuan Qing could only think that the Fierce Beasts in the Primordial Starry Sky had come from the Northern Continent.

That seemed right. The Fierce Beasts on the continent had nearly been exterminated. Other than fleeing to the Starry Sky, they had nowhere else to take shelter.

Han Xi casually destroyed the Fierce Beast, which possessed the cultivation of a Golden Immortal.

"Brother, doesn't killing Fierce Beasts earn merit? Why isn't there any now?"

Han Xi spoke gloomily.

"The Fierce Beast Tribulation has already passed. The Great Dao is impartial, so he must have left the Fierce Beasts a way out. They survived their death tribulation and should have gained a sliver of life."

Xuan Qing then said to the little girl:

"Though there is no merit to gain, Fierce Beasts destroying the Prehistoric Era means destroying our future cultivation environment. Since we have encountered them, let's eliminate them."

With that, he brought Han Xi and flew toward the nearest star. The entire star was deathly still, without the slightest trace of life.

Xuan Qing was immediately suspicious. Even if the Star God had died, a Golden Immortal Fierce Beast could not possibly have completely destroyed a star. There had to be something strange at work.

Xuan Qing and Han Xi split up and began inspecting the entire star.

"Brother, come quickly!"

Before long, Han Xi's voice reached Xuan Qing's mind. That little girl was fast—she had already found something.

Xuan Qing rushed over at once and saw a massive abyss embedded in the ground ahead, as though someone had carved a slash across the entire celestial body.

Xuan Qing swept it with his Divine Sense. Below lay dense Star Power, yet it was not radiating outward. Instead, it was being absorbed.

Xuan Qing did not hesitate any longer. He took the little girl and jumped down. As they continued descending, the Star Power grew increasingly dense.

When the two reached the bottom, they saw a massive Beast Nest. It clung to the star's core, absorbing the star's origin.

As the star's origin was absorbed, the spiritual qi throughout the entire star also began to vanish. Its vitality was extinguished, and cracks began appearing across its body.

This was only the first star he had encountered, yet it was already in such a state. Though this star was not one of the Zhou Tian Stars, it had still evolved within the Primordial Starry Sky over countless years. It should not be destroyed by Fierce Beasts like this.

Xuan Qing scanned with his Divine Sense and found that the Beast Nest had nurtured a large number of black cocoons. These black cocoons slowly absorbed Star Power.

The largest black cocoon shattered, and a gigantic beast resembling Godzilla was born.

"Senior, this is the birthplace of us Starry Sky Giant Beasts. As outsiders, isn't it improper for you to pry like this?"

After absorbing Star Essence, these Fierce Beasts could actually transform into Starry Sky Giant Beasts and even gain the intelligence of normal living beings. They were already no different from ordinary creatures of the Prehistoric Era.

But they were achieving their goal by destroying the entire Starry Sky. They had a nice plan, thinking that once they became creatures of the Prehistoric Era, heaven and earth would no longer reject them.

"You Fierce Beasts are courting death! You actually dare destroy the Primordial Starry Sky!"

Xuan Qing was furious. Birthplace, my ass. These Fierce Beasts were digging up the roots of the entire Prehistoric Era. It was no different from the Fierce Beast Tribulation.