Old Mother

"Gah—"

"Pfft!"

"Cough, cough!"

Inside the large tent, two people occasionally lowered their heads to spit blood, a rather terrifying scene.

Lin Suqing wiped the corner of her mouth. The faint Star Power surrounding her completely dissipated, and she looked at Wu Wang pitifully.

"Young Master, this can't go on.

Every time I practice the Star Invocation Technique, my Blood Essence churns. Cultivating immortality doesn't involve consuming blood, and I don't have much blood to spit out. I really can't take it anymore.

Pfft!"

"Let's stop for now."

Wu Wang slowly exhaled, signaling Lin Suqing to rest temporarily. He called for guards to clean the room and bring some blood-replenishing food.

How could this be?

Whether he cultivated the Human Domain cultivation method based on the Star Invocation Technique, or Lin Suqing cultivated the Star Invocation Technique based on the Human Domain cultivation method, the result was the same.

This path was blocked, resulting in three liters of blood being spat out.

Why couldn't the two coexist and be compatible?

Wu Wang tried hard to recall the various details from before, resting his chin on his hand as he sat there, gradually becoming engrossed.

Had he misunderstood something before?

Star Invocation Technique: A ritual where priests pray to the gods of the stars to receive Star Power bestowed by them, controlling wind, frost, rain, snow, and thunder.

—This was the official explanation of the Star Invocation Technique.

Wu Wang's understanding of the Star Invocation Technique was much more direct.

[There exists a certain Dao of the Heavens and Earth that allows living beings to master Star Power.

Living beings, through methods like prayer and supplication, which are forms of self-suggestion, continuously strengthen their spirit and resonate with the Dao of Stars.

Finally, through a fixed method, they consume their own spirit to invoke Star Power and unleash different Star Invocation Techniques.]

This understanding had been correct until now.

Wu Wang had strengthened his self-suggestion through various means, constantly honing his 'spirit.' In a very short time, he had mastered many Star Invocation Techniques.

It was just that the process of strengthening self-suggestion... was a little embarrassing.

It was probably like standing in front of a glass mirror late at night, wearing a cloak and mask, making embarrassing gestures, and shouting to himself that he was 'Star Ultraman.'

[When you sincerely believe you can be strong, you will become strong.]

In addition to this, various precious medicinal ingredients and training were also required.

In Wu Wang's understanding, whether it was immortal cultivation spells or the Star Invocation Technique, they were ultimately about using one's own essence, qi, and spirit to resonate with the laws of heaven and earth.

The Star Invocation Technique focused on 'spirit';

The Human Domain cultivation method emphasized 'essence,' 'qi,' and 'spirit' equally, refining essence to nourish qi, transforming qi into spirit, and returning spirit to the void to become one's own divine self, enjoying a long lifespan.

Therefore, the Star Invocation Technique did not increase lifespan. This was the main motivation for Wu Wang to keep Lin Suqing and to try the Human Domain immortal cultivation method despite constantly spitting blood.

Then why did the Human Domain Foundation Establishment cultivation method and the Star Invocation Technique repel each other?

No, that wasn't right.

It seemed to be the Star Invocation Technique unilaterally repelling the Human Domain cultivation method.

Wu Wang looked up and asked, "Suqing, was it the Star Power that reacted first?"

"Hmm?"

Lin Suqing recalled carefully and nodded, "My aura did not become chaotic. Instead, the Star Power I attracted interfered with the circulation of my aura.

Young Master, I've heard people talk about the Star Invocation Technique from the Northern Plains before. They say it's a very powerful and mysterious technique, exclusive to the priests of the Great Clans of the Northern Plains.

Could it be that the Star Invocation Technique itself has some kind of limitation?"

Wu Wang simply replied, "Move a little further away from me. I'll investigate the reason."

Lin Suqing retreated to a corner of the tent as instructed, watching Wu Wang, who had closed his eyes and concentrated, seemingly about to perform some mysterious ritual, with a hint of worry in her eyes.

Wu Wang suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head to look at Lin Suqing, and smiled:

"Haven't we only known each other for two or three days?"

Two question marks immediately appeared on Lin Suqing's forehead. Before she could understand what Wu Wang meant, she saw him make a gesture, and a group of burly men exuding the scent of prairie men's sweat rushed in, isolating her in the corner.

Wu Wang's voice carried a slight apology:

"This is the resolve of a clan heir."

Lin Suqing's lips curled, and she obediently stood there, her expression exceptionally well-behaved for a moment.

She then saw—

Wu Wang maintained his seated posture, his hands continuously forming a series of intricate and complex hand seals.

In just a moment, brilliant spots of light began to appear on Wu Wang's palms, elbows, shoulders, back, and legs.

They were like the scattered stars in the night sky.

Wu Wang's lips moved slightly, and strange syllables echoed within the large tent. As these whispers continued, starlight erupted around Wu Wang, his form becoming somewhat transparent. A brilliant river of stars appeared within him, connecting to some unknown void.

Lin Suqing held her breath. Though she couldn't understand what was happening, she could feel the immense power of this Star Power.

It was comparable to her sect leader, who was at the late Golden Core stage, no!

This profound and far-reaching feeling was something she had only experienced with the white-haired elders from the neighboring major sect!

The guards in front of her seemed even more tense, constantly wary of any move she might make. This made Lin Suqing feel slightly uncomfortable.

Never mind, I'm just passing through here. I only need to stay for six years.

However, to be fair, the Young Master, who was now performing some unknown technique, was indeed quite handsome.

Half an hour later.

The starlight around Wu Wang flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, but his closed eyes remained shut.

Lin Suqing couldn't help but rub her eyelids. The guards around her stood like silent towers of iron.

Might as well meditate. I'm idle anyway.

Three hours later.

"Ha, yawn."

An elegant, hand-covering yawn brought tears to Lin Suqing's eyes. Just as she was about to wipe them, several guards in front of her turned and glared at her.

Then, the figures inside the tent began to yawn one after another.

Three days later.

With neat footsteps, two teams of guards entered, replacing their companions who had been on duty for half the day.

Lin Suqing glanced at Wu Wang, who was still meditating, and her gaze drifted over the guards.

Tsk, the more I look, the more I think these guards are quite good too.

However, speaking of which…

Lin Suqing looked at Wu Wang with a hint of worry. The starlight around Wu Wang had dimmed slightly, but within this dim starlight, strange phenomena would occasionally appear.

Ancient stone palaces floating in the void, exotic beasts swimming among the stars, figures fighting each other;

And so on, without end.

Is this how one cultivates the Star Invocation Technique?

But Lin Suqing vaguely felt that Wu Wang's current state was slightly off.

Where exactly did things go wrong? Why is it rejecting other cultivation methods?

In the starry sky, Wu Wang's phantom sat quietly. Before him seemed to be a beaded curtain woven from starlight. Each thread formed by converging starlight represented a type of Star Invocation Technique that Wu Wang had mastered.

His grandmother was the Grand Priestess of the clan, so he naturally had access to learning the Star Invocation Technique.

At this moment, his form was ethereal, and he twirled threads between his fingers, like an ancient god weaving the celestial canopy.

Wu Wang had been in this world called the Great Wilderness for twelve years, and the most time-consuming activities had been collecting knowledge and pondering the Star Invocation Technique.

He could quickly master the Star Invocation Technique and rapidly improve his 'spirit.' The memories from his previous life had given him immense benefits.

No joke, Wu Wang stood out among thousands of volunteers to become the sole designated member of the wormhole exploration suicide squad. His psychological fortitude was absolutely top-notch, and he had undergone several years of incredibly rigorous training.

The 'spirit' in essence, qi, and spirit largely depended on one's willpower.

It was this honed willpower, coupled with a little bit of help from his grandmother and mother, that allowed him to become a Grand Star Priest at the age of twelve.

I'm so ashamed. I've disgraced my old home, Earth.

—In the ranking of Star Invocation Technique tiers, Star Priest was above the ranks of Priest, Grand Priest, Diviner, and Grand Diviner. Grand Star Priest was second only to Moon Sacrifice, and Sun Sacrifice, who had their own titles.

In the Northern Plains, there were no more than seven Sun Sacrifices. A Moon Sacrifice could already serve as the Chief Priest of a major clan.

In the cultivation of the Star Invocation Technique, Wu Wang had always progressed smoothly. Even if there were principles that were difficult to grasp, he could comprehend by analogy, deduce from one instance to others, boldly hypothesize, and carefully practice, ultimately overcoming all obstacles.

Only today, when he wanted to step beyond the scope of the Star Invocation Technique and attempt the cultivation methods of the Human Domain, which were crucial to him, the Star Invocation Technique instead bound his steps.

And the answer to this problem should be hidden within the Star Invocation Technique.

In Wu Wang's understanding, the essence of every cultivation method could be simplified as: mastering a method to resonate with the Dao principles, achieving resonance with the Dao principles, borrowing the Dao principles to drive the corresponding spiritual energy, and thus condensing spells.

Whether it was Star Power or the Five Elements Power, they were ultimately just 'spiritual energy' filling the world of the Great Wilderness.

If he thought more deeply, what was blocking him from cultivating the ordinary Foundation Establishment methods of Human Domain cultivators should be the Dao principle behind the Star Invocation Technique.

The Dao of Stars.

Had a powerful practitioner of the Star Invocation Technique set shackles on this Dao principle?

Or did this Dao principle itself conflict with the fundamental Dao principles of Human Domain cultivation methods?

Was this strange illness of his, in fact, related to the Star Invocation Technique?

The appearance of this strange illness coincided almost exactly with his contact with the Star Invocation Technique. Although his grandmother and mother both said the technique was a gift from the Star God, Wu Wang had always harbored doubts.

He went to seek answers.

To understand this Dao.

If there truly was a will governing this Dao, could he, through the Dao, reach such an existence?

One by one, questions melted into his heart as Wu Wang continuously attempted to enter a state of utter absorption.

He merged with the starry sky, exploring the underlying logic of the Star Invocation Technique's operation, searching for the Dao that governed everything in the cosmos, and condensing it into his own method.

He couldn't perceive the passage of time, nor the changes of the universe.

Faint starlight flowed into him from the starry sky, his divine sense slowly and continuously strengthening, his entire body tingling comfortably.

This was actually the normal state of Wu Wang's daily practice of the Star Invocation Technique.

Huh?

A spark of inspiration suddenly flashed in Wu Wang's mind.

If he were to use the basic cultivation method of the Human Domain's cultivation techniques, treating Star Power as spiritual energy to be absorbed, and circulate that Star Power within his body through a full cycle, wouldn't that be... Star Body Tempering?

It seemed he had inadvertently opened a door.

Wu Wang raised an eyebrow and immediately prepared to try it, but just as he was about to act, he seemed to hear an incredibly distant call from the void:

'Hold on, kid~ Hold on~'

Wu Wang's mouth twitched slightly. He calmly closed his eyes, bringing his hands together in a gesture of unity.

This wasn't some dangerous experiment. He would only use a faint wisp of Star Power. At most, his energies might clash, and he'd spit out some blood. It wouldn't kill him, would it?

No sooner said than done!

Wu Wang closed his eyes, concentrated, and took a gentle breath. A wisp of Star Power entered his body through his mouth, gathered in his dantian, circulated through his meridians, attempting to complete a minor cycle.

I wield a single Dao that merges all methods, daring to command the sun to turn the celestial sphere.

The Star Power flowed like a stream, slowly rotating within Wu Wang's chest, passing through various checkpoints, and converging towards his dantian.

Could this method succeed?

Was it because the laws of stars were incompatible with other laws, manifesting as different cultivation systems being unable to be cultivated simultaneously?

Wu Wang stared intently at the wisp of Star Power. The closer he got to the end, the easier it was to fail.

Without any warning, the wisp of Star Power bizarrely exploded.

Wu Wang's eyes snapped open. The first thing he saw was a brilliant starry sky. Before him was a curtain of stars, but within that curtain, a faint, dim gray thread was about to dissipate!

That's it!

Without time to think, without the leisure to ponder, Wu Wang 'raised his hand' in his mind, 'grasped' the thread, and 'pulled' with all his might.

The scene before him suddenly changed drastically. The previously calm and serene starry sky transformed into boundless flowing light. Ahead was utter darkness, and then a beam of light suddenly expanded in the blackness, transforming into a magnificent hall, towering above ten thousand stars!

The hall was entirely constructed from translucent Star Jade, with only a simple dome, foundation, and twelve pillars.

The dim thread Wu Wang had held between his fingers had vanished at some point, and his body was suspended outside the hall, staring blankly at the scene within.

This place contained the ultimate profound meaning of the Star Invocation Technique;

This place housed the complete interpretation of the Dao of Stars;

With just a glance, boundless information appeared in Wu Wang's mind. His gaze suddenly caught sight of a figure, a figure standing like a stone statue in the center of this Hall of Ten Thousand Stars.

She wore a resplendent star robe and held a long, black staff. At this moment, she was slowly turning, her eyes, devoid of emotion and filled with divine light, fixed on Wu Wang.

Wu Wang tilted his head, his pupils trembling slightly.

Wh-what is this!?

The goddess spoke a phrase in a cryptic, difficult-to-understand tone, yet Wu Wang's heart instantly understood its meaning:

"Those who trespass in the sacred hall shall die."

Before the word "die" had even finished, a bolt of lightning shot from the staff in the figure's hand, striking directly at Wu Wang's divine sense!

At the same time, above the great tent where Wu Wang was located!

A bizarre, emerald-green lightning pillar appeared deep within the starry sky, striking fiercely towards Wu Wang's tent. The people inside the tent, not even having time to notice the lightning pillar's intrusion, were about to be annihilated!

In this instant!

In this very instant!

Wu Wang's divine sense, before the hall, and Wu Wang's body, within the tent, paused, filled with confusion. He opened his mouth and let out an incredibly startled syllable.

It was this cry!

The figure in the divine hall quickly closed and opened her eyes. The divine light in her eyes instantly receded, and she urgently extended her left hand towards Wu Wang.

In Wu Wang's tent, pressed against the tent's ceiling, a jade-green barrier materialized out of nowhere. A figure suddenly appeared before Wu Wang, their long hair and wide robes still gently fluttering.

Lin Suqing watched, stunned.

The guards, however, had already knelt on one knee, placed a hand over their chests, and bowed their heads in greeting.

The word Wu Wang had shouted seemed to still be echoing within the tent, but it was a single word...

"Mother?"