Over a hundred one-pattern Common-Rank Star Beasts, eleven Lord Grade beasts, and even a Star Beast king!
Any elite warrior squad would have given such a force a wide berth, regarding it with deep wariness.
Yet before Gu Shuangshuang, who had entered the Second Star-Martial Realm, they were almost pitifully weak...
Lin Yuan could clearly see that the star pattern in the center of the Mighty Giant Ape King's forehead shone brilliantly. Even the faint outline of a second star pattern flickered into view.
This meant its reserves of star power were incredibly deep. Its accumulation was complete, and it stood only one step away from the Two-Pattern Realm.
Such a terrifying Star Beast king, practically invincible among one-pattern beasts, was still as helpless as an ant before a true Second Realm warrior...
This gave Lin Yuan an entirely new understanding of the saying, "On the stellar martial path, every step ascends toward heaven."
In this world, even becoming invincible within your own realm is difficult. Fighting across realms is almost impossible...
And just as Lin Yuan and the others marveled at the terrifying might of a Starfire Realm warrior—
Gu Shuangshuang moved.
Her eyes were impassive as she drew her saber with her right hand.
Swish!
The snow-white saber had a sleek profile, its entire length clear and luminous. Its edge was as flawless as ice and snow, with six cloud patterns faintly visible upon it.
Boom—
Deep blue flames ignited around her.
The flames danced, enveloping her slender, graceful figure and surging toward the sky.
This was star power taking tangible form. The surging flames of star power had almost solidified, making her look as though she had donned a brilliant Starfire Veil.
The Starfire Veil!
This was also a unique ability of the stellar martial path's Second Realm—the Starfire Realm.
With surging natal stellar force, a warrior ignited supernatural flames, forming a nearly tangible Starfire Veil.
Not only was it dazzling to behold, it also possessed extraordinary defensive power and explosive strength, far beyond anything a Mortal Transcendence Realm warrior could match.
Its might was countless times greater than the star power veil Wu Junru of the Goddess Luo Squad had unleashed earlier!
"What I used earlier was only a unique stellar force secret art that imitated the Starfire Veil."
"With the natal stellar force I've refined so far, I simply can't ignite a true Starfire Veil..."
Wu Junru wore a complicated expression, deep longing in her eyes.
The others felt the same.
The Starfire Realm was a realm all Mortal Transcendence Realm warriors could only look up to, and the goal they constantly strove toward.
For most warriors of ordinary talent, the Starfire Realm was even their ultimate goal.
Whoosh—
With her Starfire Veil ablaze, Gu Shuangshuang held her snow-white blade and walked slowly forward, as though lotus blossoms bloomed beneath each step. Her surging star power seemed to warp the very space around her, radiating formidable might.
She raised her eyes. Though she stood less than two meters tall, she seemed to be looking down upon the enormous beasts before her, each seven or eight meters in height.
"Frostmoon Radiant Slash!"
She spoke softly, as though pronouncing the final judgment.
Saber light shone, like a streak of frost, like a beam of moonlight descending from the heavens into the mortal world.
Whoosh—
Boundless frostmoon saber light filled the entire canyon in an instant.
Pfft...
Each streak of frostmoon saber light struck a Mighty Giant Ape precisely between the brows. The snow-white light seemed as gentle as moonbeams, yet it held terrifying, unstoppable power.
It met not the slightest resistance, like spring sunshine melting white snow.
Over a hundred Mighty Giant Apes trembled and split into two halves. Barely any blood sprayed out, and the cuts were as smooth as mirrors, without a single wasted motion.
One slash had slain over a hundred Star Beasts!
Whether Common Grade, Lord Grade, or even that strongest King Grade Mighty Giant Ape on the verge of breaking through to the Two-Pattern Realm—
Beneath that incomparably magnificent slash, every last one was executed, without the slightest struggle.
The entire process was silent and beautiful.
It even gave Lin Yuan a unique sense of beauty—the "art of slaughter."
"..."
Lin Yuan fell silent.
Towering waves of shock truly churned within his heart.
Too strong. Too terrifying!
And this was only a Second Realm Starry-Sky Warrior. Supposedly, only Starry-Sky Warriors who reached the Third Realm could be considered true powerhouses. They could soar through the heavens and burrow through the earth, awaken divine sense, and venture into the legendary Great Astral Realm...
What would that be like?
Lin Yuan did not know, but his heart yearned for it.
"Sister Shuang is amazing."
"That slash was so beautiful..."
"That's our captain for you..."
The women of the Goddess Luo Squad exclaimed in admiration, their eyes filled with respect and longing.
A great woman should be just like her!
"All right, come down..."
Having ended the battle with a single slash, the coldness in Gu Shuangshuang's expression gradually melted away. She withdrew her Starfire Veil, then looked up and called out.
The Goddess Luo Squad hurried down and began cleaning up the battlefield.
There were over a hundred Star Beast corpses here, including eleven Lord Grade beasts and one King Grade beast!
Their Astral Realm Shards and even their Star Beast materials might not be worth much individually, but over a hundred sets still amounted to considerable wealth.
The women of the Goddess Luo Squad set about gathering valuable materials with practiced coordination, while Gu Shuangshuang led Gu Yiyi and Lin Yuan toward the most valuable treasure here.
The Golden Glazed Fruit Tree!
"So this is the Golden Glazed Fruit?"
Standing beneath the gleaming golden fruit tree, Lin Yuan looked up at the little tree, barely over three meters tall, with six or seven fruits hanging sparsely from its branches.
The fruits gleamed gold, their entire surfaces resembling colored glass.
They also gave off a faint, unusual fruity fragrance. A single whiff made the natal stellar force within him stir with eagerness, as though yearning for them.
As expected of a precious heavenly treasure, it truly was wondrous.
"Seven fruits. Just enough for one each..."
Speaking casually, Gu Shuangshuang raised her right hand. Star power swept out like a blade, plucking all seven Golden Glazed Fruits from the tree.
She then supported them with star power and tossed them to Lin Yuan and the other six.
Seven?
Lin Yuan caught the golden fruit flying toward him and could not help looking at Gu Shuangshuang.
"What about you?"
This battle had essentially been Gu Shuangshuang's one-woman show.
Without her terrifying strength overwhelming the entire battlefield, they would have had almost no chance of breaking through the tight defenses formed by over a hundred Mighty Giant Apes, much less obtaining the Golden Glazed Fruits.
Now that it was time to reap the rewards, Gu Shuangshuang, who had contributed the most, wanted nothing?
"Although the Golden Glazed Fruit is a precious heavenly treasure, it won't do much for me anymore..."
Gu Shuangshuang smiled and explained.
Those in the Starfire Realm had already opened a stellar power aperture within their bodies. Both their star power capacity and their refining speed far exceeded those of Mortal Transcendence Realm warriors.
Their level of existence had evolved and transformed once again. Ordinary heavenly treasures had little effect on them, barely better than nothing.
Only higher-tier Spirit-Grade Heavenly Treasures, or even Earth Grade heavenly treasures, could send them flocking after them and greatly increase their strength.
"Besides, it's not as though I'm coming away empty-handed."
Gu Shuangshuang blinked and looked at the gleaming golden fruit tree before her.
"Compared to the fruits, this fruit tree is the truly precious treasure..."
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