Star Chain Imprisons Heaven! Lunar Goddess?

"Comprehend the laws of the stars, temper the Dao foundation of the body!"

"After observing the movements of the surrounding stars, this poor Daoist has finally grasped some of their profound mysteries."

"By communicating with the surrounding stars and using stellar power to condense chains of order, one can trap cultivators at the peak of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm—even Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals."

Lingxiao awoke from his cultivation and said with a smile as he gazed at the star-filled sky.

His hands formed seals, and the Starlight around him blazed brilliantly. Chain after chain formed from stellar power pierced through the void, their icy radiance striking terror into the soul.

"Star Chain Imprisons Heaven!"

Lingxiao gave a soft shout. The star chains bound and sealed the ten-thousand-foot void before him; even earth, fire, wind, water, and space itself froze solid. In that instant, time seemed to stand still.

His gaze sharpened, and the star chains twisted into a slaughtering vortex as violent energy swept forth.

The ten-thousand-foot void was left utterly shattered.

Had it been a cultivator, they would have long since been reduced to dust.

At this sight, Lingxiao frowned slightly. "Star Chain Imprisons Heaven is merely a divine ability and killing move. According to my deductions, perhaps one day I will be able to lay down an unparalleled grand array comparable to the Zhou Tian Star Dou Grand Array."

"This array shall be called the Starry Myriad Phenomena Grand Array, and Star Chain Imprisons Heaven will be one of its wondrous transformations!"

His cultivation at the mid-stage Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm was ultimately limited.

Unless he possessed supreme treasures such as the River Chart and Luo Book or the Chaos Bell, he would only gain such strength after attaining the Primordial Golden Immortal Dao.

Of course, he was in no hurry now!

He restrained his aura, and the phenomena vanished.

"This poor Daoist has spent quite some time refining the origin of the stars. Should I continue exploring the starry sky, or return to Penglai Immortal Island first and make plans for the Investiture of the Gods Calamity?"

Lingxiao sank into thought.

Just then, Lingxiao sensed a strange Dao aura. That aura was both sacred and tainted by turbid laws. Had he not commanded the Purification-Creation Dao, he would not have discovered this anomaly.

"Please, fellow Daoist, save me..."

From somewhere unseen, a gentle yet urgent voice entered Lingxiao's Primordial Spirit.

"On the Lunar Star!"

"The Daoist ground of Xihe and Changxi—what exactly is hidden within this Lunar Star?"

Lingxiao said in a grave voice.

Since the Primordial World had first opened, countless secrets had been concealed between heaven and earth. As the Lunar Star had been transformed from Pangu's right eye, even Lingxiao could not determine who this voice belonged to.

Yet one thing Lingxiao could be certain of was that, after he had inadvertently released the aura of the Purification-Creation Dao while cultivating, the owner of that voice had seemed to seize a lifeline and cried out to him for help.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lingxiao headed toward the Lunar Star.

With the Primordial Heaven-Measuring Ruler, Pure Yang Sword, Investiture of the Gods, and God-Beating Whip under his command, even though he was only at the mid-stage Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, he was confident that he could find a path to survival in a crisis.

A moment later.

Lingxiao strode through the void and descended onto the Lunar Star.

The Moon Laurel Tree emitted a silvery glow. A palace stood beside it, while beneath the Moon Laurel Tree, a figure swung an axe against its trunk.

"This poor Daoist is Lingxiao. I have been traveling through the starry sky and have come specifically to pay respects to Seniors Xihe and Changxi!"

Lingxiao raised his voice and spoke with calm composure.

The Heavenly Court governed the Three Realms, and he was the Qinghua Emperor of the Eastern Pole. So long as he did not deliberately offend those two, they would not challenge the Heavenly Court's majesty.

"Xihe and Changxi have been in secluded cultivation ever since the Witch-Demon Calamity ended. The Lunar Star is now managed by this poor Daoist on their behalf. May I ask why the Celestial Emperor has come?"

The palace glimmered with cold light, and three divine Dao patterns manifested upon it: Wide Cold Palace.

A graceful female immortal with a slender, elegant figure approached Lingxiao with light steps. Her face was fair as snow, revealing a peerless beauty untouched by the dust of the mortal world.

She held a jade rabbit in her arms, and neither joy nor sorrow could be seen on her lovely face.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Chang'e!"

Lingxiao performed a Daoist salute, recognizing the woman before him.

Rumors and tales concerning Chang'e's origins were widespread throughout the Primordial World. Some claimed that she had ascended to immortality after secretly consuming Queen Mother of the West's divine elixir, while others said that she was one of Changxi's Three Corpses.

Opinions varied wildly, and Lingxiao did not dare be certain.

The hidden secrets of quasi-saint great powers were not for him to speculate upon.

"This poor Daoist was originally traveling through the void, but I sensed that a certain opportunity awaited me deep within the Lunar Star. Thus, I wished to come and investigate. Might Fellow Daoist Chang'e grant me this favor?"

At his words, Chang'e fell into contemplation.

At last, her red lips parted. "The Heavenly Court governs the Three Realms, and the Lunar Star naturally falls within them as well. The Celestial Emperor may proceed into the depths of the Lunar Star, but you must not damage its origin."

Seeing this, Lingxiao let out a sigh of relief.

If Chang'e had refused, then he would have had to persuade her with virtue.

Xihe and Changxi had also incurred karmic sins of slaughter during the Witch-Demon Calamity. In the past, the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother had refrained from acting against them due to their status, but Lingxiao had no such misgivings.

If she failed to appreciate kindness, then he would serve her with the Grand Summoning Art.

Zhenyuanzi and Daoist Hongyun were no pushovers. After all, they still had fresh and old grudges with the Demon Race!

"Then many thanks, Fellow Daoist Chang'e."

Lingxiao offered his thanks, and his figure vanished from where he stood.

"For nephew Lu Ya to make an enemy of Lingxiao truly is not a wise move... sigh..."

Chang'e let out a soft sigh and shifted her gaze toward the figure beneath the Moon Laurel Tree.

Pity, hatred, and a trace of love.

Had Lingxiao been here, he would certainly have seen through it—Chang'e truly was one of Changxi's Three Corpses...

At this moment!

Lingxiao held the God-Beating Whip in hand, with the Investiture of the Gods suspended above his head. Behind him emerged a golden wheel of Heavenly Dao Merit, while layers of law restrictions sealed off the space within several feet of him, forming a barrier.

The deeper he ventured into the Lunar Star, the more waves of chill he felt.

It chilled the spirit and froze the bones, inspiring dread.

"Xihe and Changxi were born upon the Lunar Star; they are deities of the Lunar Star. By all reason, their divine abilities should be vast, so why were they unable to discover the anomaly deep within the Lunar Star?"

"Could it be that the master of that voice possesses a cultivation even higher than theirs?"

It was as though a layer of mist veiled Lingxiao's vision, and a trace of doubt rose in his heart.

After a while, frost hung over his body, and even his Primordial Spirit seemed frozen solid. Lingxiao thus took out the Pure Yang Sword. The blazing Pure Yang True Fire helped dissolve the chill.

"This is the core of the Lunar Star!"

"Ultimate pure yin energy is surging forth here, and it even contains Lunar laws. If I cultivated here for a hundred years, I would absolutely be able to command this power."

Before Lingxiao stretched a vast, deep-blue ocean.

Every droplet of water had been condensed from pure yin energy and the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, then tempered through the evolution and trials of countless ages.

It could be said that every drop of water weighed ten thousand jun.

When the Primordial World was opened, the first wisp of innate pure yang qi transformed into Dong Wanggong, while the first wisp of pure yin qi transformed into the Queen Mother of the West. It was precisely for this reason that Dao Ancestor Hongjun personally designated them the leaders of the male immortals and female immortals.

Pure yin was boundless and held infinite mighty power of heaven and earth.

Yet the Lunar was even more terrifying and ancient, for it had been born after Chaos was split open and flourished amid the calamity of world-opening.

"Purification-Creation Dao!"

Lingxiao formed hand seals, and streams of sacred, immaculate radiance blossomed throughout the space. The phantom of the Twenty-Four-Grade Purifying White Lotus burst forth with a thunderous roar.

Lingxiao intended to uncover the source of that strange Dao aura.

After an unknown length of time, Lingxiao's brow twitched slightly. He said in surprise, "I never expected that a pocket of chaotic void would be hidden within the Lunar Star's core. The source of that voice lies precisely there."

"Perhaps when Pangu opened heaven and earth, this chaotic void merged into the newborn world, only to later be drawn into the Lunar Star by some fortuitous chance."

Deep light flickered in his eyes. Gripping the Primordial Heaven-Measuring Ruler, Lingxiao descended upon the location of that chaotic void, then swung this acquired merit supreme treasure viciously toward the space before him.

The Lunar Star trembled, and towering waves rose across the deep-blue ocean.

A spatial rift quietly appeared.

Lunar laws and origin transformed into a rushing torrent, mingling with chaotic currents as they poured out from the rift. Seeing this, Lingxiao dared not delay. He stepped directly into the spatial rift.

Then he activated the heavenly book, the Investiture of the Gods, using it to temporarily seal the spatial rift.

Otherwise, if that torrent were allowed to scour the Lunar Star's core, Lingxiao did not dare imagine what chaos might ensue. Nor could he bear the monstrous karmic sin and cause and effect that would follow.

Before his eyes!

Gale winds howled, and turbulent currents ran wild.

Lunar origin and laws occupied a space spanning countless miles, evolving into a breathtaking starfield. Yet at the center of that energy storm sat a figure in meditation.

Chaotic Sha Qi, karmic sin and cause and effect, slaughterous evil intent.

All of them were eroding the Lunar origin and laws. The life force of that figure was like a candle on the verge of going out, as though it would be annihilated the next instant.

"This is... the Lunar Goddess?"

Lingxiao muttered in disbelief.

The speculation in his heart was confirmed at this moment!