The Journey Home from the Star Sea, Qingxue's Trial

After leaving the platform of Starfall Hall and returning to the vast ocean of countless stellar remains, the three traveled in an atmosphere utterly different from before.

Lin Qingxue's delicate brows were tightly knitted, an unshakable worry veiling her lovely face. The Hall Spirit's final message had been far too shocking-the "return to ruins tide" was approaching, and the "Keepers" disliked variables. What did that mean? It meant that the Primordial World, perhaps even the entire universe, might face an unimaginable catastrophe! And the Sacred Emperor Palace's actions might not stem from mere swelling ambition, but from an attempt to clutch at a life-saving straw before disaster struck, even if that straw had to be laid upon the bones of countless people.

"Young Master Ye," she finally said, unable to hold back any longer, her voice sounding almost jarring among the silent stellar remains. "How much... do you believe of what the Hall Spirit said?"

Ye Chen walked through the void with unhurried steps. Without turning around, he answered calmly, "Seventy percent."

"Seventy percent?" Lin Qingxue was slightly taken aback.

"Its memories were incomplete and its words disjointed, but the central information-observation, recording, warnings, catastrophe-matched many ancient legends and the lingering aura here. It didn't seem fabricated," Ye Chen explained. "As for the details of the 'return to ruins tide' and the true nature of the 'Keepers,' those remain uncertain and require verification."

He paused, then continued, "All things in this world have their seasons of flourishing and decline. Stars fall, and worlds crumble. That is the cycle of the Great Dao. These so-called 'tides' and 'return to ruins' may simply be a particularly violent part of that cycle. Panic is useless. Only strength and preparation can secure a chance of survival amid upheaval."

His words were calm and rational, carrying a detached composure, as though he were discussing an ordinary storm rather than a cosmic disaster that might destroy everything. Strangely, his attitude soothed some of Lin Qingxue's unease.

That's right. Even if heaven collapsed and the earth split apart, what good would fretting over the sky falling do? The Heavenly Sword Pavilion teaches the same-keep the sword heart clear, protect what must be protected, do all you can, and leave your conscience unburdened.

"You are absolutely right, young master." Lin Qingxue took a deep breath, her gaze growing firm again. "Whatever happens, increasing our strength and preparing for change is the proper course. The 'means of resistance' or 'inheritance' the Sacred Emperor Palace seeks may be the key."

"Indeed." Ye Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping across a relatively dense cluster of stellar remains ahead. His dual pupils flickered almost imperceptibly. "Our immediate priority is finding the remaining fragments. The Ancient Land of Life, eternal divine gold... do the Primordial Wilderness's records mention them?"

Lin Qingxue considered this carefully for a moment, then shook her head. "'Ancient Land of Life' is far too broad a name. Any place in the Primordial Realm rich in spiritual energy could be called teeming with life, but somewhere specifically marked by the ancient 'Observers' must be extraordinary. As for 'eternal divine gold'... I've never even heard of it. Perhaps it isn't native to the Primordial Wilderness, or perhaps... it's some primordial divine material that vanished long ago."

As an elite inner disciple of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, she had read extensively. If even she had never heard of them, that showed just how obscure and elusive these two clues were.

"No matter. Now that we have a direction, we will find them." Ye Chen's tone was mild, yet carried unquestionable confidence.

The three continued weaving through the stellar remains. Their return journey seemed rather more "lively" than their arrival.

Perhaps the Star Guards Ye Chen had frightened away before the platform had sent word back, or perhaps other factions lurking in the Fallen Star Sea had sensed something unusual. Along the way, they encountered several waves of probing attention.

Sometimes, faint strands of divine sense swept over them from afar, cautious and appraising. Sometimes, oddly shaped small flying boats, seemingly refined from stellar remains, cruised in the distance, too afraid to approach yet following like shadows. Once, as they passed through a "storm zone" formed from dense stellar killing intent, several "Star Fiend Beasts" attacked them. Condensed from pure killing intent and lingering thoughts, these monsters had neither shape nor substance and targeted the soul, making them extremely troublesome. Yet before Ye Chen's primordial chaos purple qi, they still melted away like ice and snow.

Ye Chen ignored all of it. So long as they did not attack, he treated them as though they did not exist. The watchers, seemingly unable to gauge his strength, dared not act rashly either.

Mo Yu remained like the most loyal of shadows, concealed in the best possible position and alert to every potential threat. Lin Qingxue used the time to regulate her breathing and tried to organize the scattered information they had obtained from the Hall Spirit.

After another two days of travel, they finally neared the outskirts of the Fallen Star Sea. The surrounding stellar remains grew sparse, and they could faintly sense the familiar aura of the Primordial Realm.

Just as the three were about to leave this Sea of Star Remains behind completely, disaster struck!

In a relatively empty region ahead, space suddenly twisted violently. Without warning, a spatial rift spanning hundreds of zhang tore open, flickering with unstable, eerie light! Violent spatial turbulence surged from it like floodwaters bursting through a dam, mixed with countless tiny, impossibly sharp fragments of space, creating a forbidden zone of death!

This was no naturally occurring spatial disturbance! Someone had used sophisticated means to set it up in advance and detonate it here!

"A trap!" Lin Qingxue's expression changed.

Almost the instant the spatial rift appeared, powerful energy fluctuations erupted from the left, right, and rear!

From the left, three streaks of blood-colored light hurtled through the void. Their leader was none other than the Blood Demon Sect's elder, Blood River Ancestor, whom Ye Chen had frightened away outside the Profound Ice Cavern in the Northern Border! Blood-red light now blazed in his eyes, and he held an even more sinister Ten-Thousand Souls Banner. Behind him, two blood-robed old men at the Spirit Transformation Late Stage radiated equally oppressive killing intent.

On the right, the Sacred Emperor Palace's Iceedge Divine General had returned! He was not alone. Beside him stood an old man in silver star-patterned robes, holding a star disk and emanating an ethereal aura-a Sacred Emperor Palace Astronomer at the Early Void Insight Stage! Their auras linked together, drawing upon the stellar killing intent that had not yet fully dispersed and forming a domain interwoven with icy cold and starlight.

Behind them, ripples spread through the void, and three indistinct figures with uncanny auras slowly emerged. They were the suspected Netherworld Palace assassins who had spied on them earlier! Having chosen this moment to reveal themselves, they clearly intended to let the clam and snipe fight while they, the fishermen, reaped the spoils!

A spatial rift blocked the path ahead, while three major factions closed in behind them-a total of eight Void Insight-level experts encircled them, with Blood River Ancestor, Iceedge Divine General, the Astronomer, and the three Netherworld Palace assassins all emanating Void Insight-level auras!

This was unmistakably a meticulously planned death trap! They had struck like thunder just as Ye Chen's group left the Starfall Hall platform and was about to depart the Fallen Star Sea, when their vigilance was at its most relaxed-relatively speaking! They had even sacrificed a precious spatial restriction to seal off their escape!

"Ye Chen! Let's see where you can run today!" Blood River Ancestor laughed savagely. He shook the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner, and the phantom of a towering sea of blood appeared once more, its wronged souls howling, more solid and terrifying than before!

"Hand over what you obtained in Starfall Hall and surrender. Perhaps we will leave your corpse intact!" Iceedge Divine General's voice was frigid. His ice sword pointed toward them, his aura fully merged with the Astronomer's beside him. Starlight and the laws of ice intertwined, multiplying their power.

The three Netherworld Palace assassins said nothing. Like three venomous snakes concealed in the shadows, they locked their auras onto Ye Chen, seeking an opportunity to kill him with a single strike.

Lin Qingxue's face turned pale as paper. Eight mighty Void Insight cultivators had joined forces to kill them, including powerful figures from the Sacred Emperor Palace and Blood Demon Sect, as well as unfathomable Netherworld Palace assassins. Such a lineup could sweep through the vast majority of factions in the Primordial Realm! No matter how much confidence she had in Ye Chen, she now felt an unprecedented despair!

Mo Yu had completely merged into the surrounding spatial shadows, his aura disappearing entirely. Yet Ye Chen could sense that he had not fled. He was seeking a chance to break the deadlock-or rather, preparing to stake his life on it.

Surrounded by such a terrifying force, Ye Chen still showed not the slightest trace of panic. He even sighed softly and shook his head.

"Why do people always insist on... seeking their own deaths?"

His gaze slowly swept over Blood River Ancestor, Iceedge Divine General, the Astronomer, and the three Netherworld Palace assassins. His eyes were like ice frozen for ten thousand ages, utterly devoid of warmth.

"It seems the last lesson wasn't thorough enough."

Before his words had faded, he moved.

There was no earth-shaking eruption of power, no dazzling radiance of divine abilities.

He simply took one step forward.

With that single step, the winds and clouds changed!

Boom-!

Centered on him, an invisible, boundless will, seemingly born from the origin of the universe and towering above all Daos, descended with a thunderous force, like an ancient colossal god awakening from slumber!

Primordial Chaos Domain, fully unleashed!

The purple halo was no longer confined to the three feet around him. It surged outward like a tide, instantly covering a thousand-zhang radius! The moment the raging turbulence of the spatial rift touched that purple light, it seemed to be smoothed by an invisible hand, freezing and settling at once! The violent fragments of space vanished one after another!

The towering sea of blood behind Blood River Ancestor let out piercing wails as though it had encountered its natural nemesis. Its bloody light rapidly dimmed and contracted! The icy stellar domain jointly established by Iceedge Divine General and the Astronomer shattered inch by inch like glass, its starlight scattering and its ice melting!

The three concealed Netherworld Palace assassins seemed to be forcibly "squeezed" out of the shadows. They grunted and staggered, horror appearing on their faces for the first time! Their concealment techniques were utterly useless before this will!

Under the sudden pressure of this terrifying, incomprehensible will, all eight mighty Void Insight cultivators paled, their minds shaken. They involuntarily wanted to retreat!

Yet Ye Chen gave them no opportunity.

He raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and gently closed them around the empty space ahead.

"Suppress."

His words became law!

The space within a thousand zhang seemed to transform instantly into solid crystal! Time slowed to a crawl! The eight mighty Void Insight cultivators felt as though they had been trapped in ten-thousand-year-old profound ice. Every movement, every circulation of spiritual power, became unbearably heavy and difficult! This suppression came from the level of the rules themselves, turning their proud Void Insight cultivation into a joke!

"What... what power is this?!" the Astronomer cried out involuntarily. With a sharp crack, a fissure appeared in the star disk in his hand.

"Impossible! How can he be this strong?!" Iceedge Divine General's eyes filled with absolute terror. He felt as though he were fighting the entirety of heaven and earth!

Blood River Ancestor was frightened nearly out of his soul. He frantically activated the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner, only to discover that his connection to the myriad souls within had become exceedingly weak!

The three Netherworld Palace assassins exchanged glances, each seeing the desire to retreat in the others' eyes. Yet now, even turning to flee was nearly impossible!

Ye Chen's gaze first settled on Blood River Ancestor.

"The Blood Demon Sect. Always the most eager to make trouble."

He flicked a finger.

A purple finger-ray, condensed to the utmost and seemingly containing the power to cleave heaven and earth apart, ignored the distance between them and appeared before Blood River Ancestor's brow in an instant!

Blood River Ancestor's pupils shrank to pinpoints. He desperately burned his blood essence and placed the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner before him, the sea of blood churning in an attempt to block the attack!

Pfft!

The finger-ray passed through the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner without resistance, pierced the sea of blood, and struck Blood River Ancestor precisely between the brows.

Blood River Ancestor's body stiffened, the terror and unwillingness in his eyes freezing. Then he and the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner in his hand silently crumbled like weathered sand sculptures, becoming ash that filled the air. Body and soul alike were destroyed!

A demonic giant at the Early Void Insight Stage had been reduced to dust with a flick of a finger!

The remaining seven watched with their scalps prickling, their souls trembling in terror!

Ye Chen turned his gaze toward Iceedge Divine General and the Astronomer.

"The Sacred Emperor Palace. Haunting me like a lingering ghost."

He joined two fingers like a sword and swept them through the air.

A purple sword scar appeared across the void, as though cleaving heaven and earth apart. Carrying supreme sword intent that severed karma and shattered all arts, it slashed toward the two men!

Iceedge Divine General roared, pouring his lifetime of cultivation into his ice sword and unleashing the strongest strike of his life! The Astronomer spat out blood essence as well. His cracked star disk erupted with its final light, manifesting the stars of the heavens in an attempt to resist!

Crack! Boom!

The ice sword shattered, and the star disk exploded completely!

The purple sword scar passed through their bodies without the slightest resistance.

Iceedge Divine General's and the Astronomer's expressions froze, their eyes rapidly dimming. Then the terrifying Dao laws contained within the sword scar erased their bodies and souls outright, making them disappear completely!

Two more Void Insight cultivators had fallen!

Finally, Ye Chen's gaze settled on the three Netherworld Palace assassins.

His eyes were calm and untroubled, yet they filled these three elite assassins, whose hands were drenched in blood and who were long accustomed to life and death, with unprecedented fear!

"The Netherworld Palace. Hiding your heads while leaving your tails exposed."

He did not attack again. He merely uttered a single word toward the three:

"Disperse."

The three Netherworld Palace assassins felt as though they had been granted amnesty-no, they felt the ultimate terror of approaching death! They desperately activated secret arts, trying to escape into the void, only to discover that their connection to it had been completely severed!

The next moment, they felt their very existence being forcibly "erased"... by a power of a higher order!

From their bodies to their souls, from their memories to every trace of their existence!

"No-!"

Their shrill, brief screams cut off abruptly.

The three Netherworld Palace assassins vanished silently into the void like writing rubbed away by an eraser, as though they had never appeared.

Only a few breaths had passed from beginning to end.

Eight Void Insight experts, a formidable force that had laid a meticulous ambush and could overturn an entire great world, had been wiped out. Not a bone remained, and their souls had scattered!

Space returned to calm. The detonated rift had long since healed. Only the faint energy fluctuations lingering in the air and the omnipresent, soul-shaking remnants of pressure testified to the terrifying, one-sided slaughter that had just taken place.

Lin Qingxue stood rooted to the spot, her mind utterly blank. She knew Ye Chen was powerful, but she had never imagined he could be this powerful! Eight Void Insight cultivators slain with a flick of his fingers! What kind of might was this?! It had already surpassed everything she understood about the word "powerful"!

Mo Yu slowly emerged from the shadows, looking at Ye Chen with an almost reverent awe.

Ye Chen slowly withdrew his domain and pressure, his aura returning to its ordinary calm, as though he had merely swatted a few annoying flies and mosquitoes.

Without so much as looking at the places where those experts had fallen, he turned to Lin Qingxue, who remained stunned and dazed, and said:

"Let's go. It's time to head back."

His voice was as calm as ever, rousing Lin Qingxue from her boundless shock.

She looked at Ye Chen's composed profile, then at the empty void around them. Towering waves surged in her heart, along with a complicated feeling she could not put into words.

There was relief, awe, astonishment, and... a faint thread of worry.

The more terrifying the power Young Master Ye reveals, the more fearsome the enemies he may face in the future. Those "Keepers" the Hall Spirit mentioned...

She shook her head, suppressed those distracting thoughts, and hurried after Ye Chen.

The three set off again, soon leaving the Fallen Star Sea completely and speeding toward the Heavenly Star Pavilion.

Behind them, this ancient land of fallen stars returned once more to its age-old deathly silence. Yet the brief and terrifying slaughter that had taken place here today was destined, in some fashion, to shake the upper ranks of the entire Primordial World before long.

The Sacred Emperor Palace, Blood Demon Sect, and Netherworld Palace-three supreme factions-had each lost core forces at the Void Insight level. This was no trivial matter. And the name Ye Chen would surely rise from that of a "mysterious expert" to a "taboo existence" whose very mention struck terror into people's hearts.

The rest of the journey passed without incident.

Several days later, the familiar outline of Black Wind Mountain appeared in the distance. The formation guarding the Heavenly Star Pavilion's Mountain Gate was already in sight.

Yet just as the three were about to reach the Mountain Gate, Ye Chen's steps paused slightly once again.

A cold gleam flashed within his dual pupils.

Outside the Heavenly Star Pavilion's Mountain Gate, the atmosphere was tense. The mountain-protecting formation had already been activated, five-element radiance flowing through it. Ye Yun, Shi Meng, and the others stood at the Mountain Gate, staring ahead with grave expressions.

Beyond the Mountain Gate, dozens of figures hovered in midair!

These people belonged neither to the Sacred Emperor Palace nor the Blood Demon Sect, but to... the Heavenly Sword Pavilion! Their leader was a stern-faced old man in blue robes, his eyes sharp as a hawk's and his aura unmistakably at the Mid Void Insight Stage! Behind him stood several Spirit Transformation elders and a group of Nascent Soul and Golden Core disciples, many wearing expressions of indignation and anxiety.

Surrounded by them, pale-faced, blood at the corners of their mouths and their auras feeble, two men were being "supported" by two Heavenly Sword Pavilion Nascent Soul disciples. They were none other than Lin Qingxue's two guards-Uncle Chen and Uncle Li!

The instant Lin Qingxue saw this, her expression changed drastically, and she cried out, "Elder Yan?! Uncle Chen! Uncle Li!"

She immediately moved to rush forward, but Ye Chen raised a hand and stopped her.

Ye Chen's gaze settled on the blue-robed old man and the clearly hostile Heavenly Sword Pavilion cultivators behind him, his eyes impassive.

"It seems, Miss Lin, that your sect has some 'internal affairs' to settle?"