Within the Valley of Buried Soldiers, the air seemed to have solidified into heavy blocks of lead. The Sower projection rising from the altar's summit was no longer surrounded by mere black mist; the Breath of the End had turned into ink-thick liquid darkness that dripped continuously, corroding space itself. The pressure of a level 45 boss crashed against everyone's minds like a tangible tsunami, several times stronger than the projection they had encountered at the righteous manor! The dark-red eyeball embedded at the tip of his bone staff, wrapped in countless twisted, wailing souls, fixed itself firmly on Su Yan. An icy, deathly will pierced his sea of consciousness like countless needles.
"Dust of fate... it's you again." The Sower's voice no longer held simple madness. Instead, it carried a terrifying, lofty indifference. "You have repeatedly deviated from the predetermined trajectory and interfered with the process of the end. Your very existence constitutes an 'error.' Elimination authorized."
Before his words had faded, the eyeball atop the bone staff turned coldly. A dark-red ray no thicker than an arm shot out soundlessly, condensed to an extreme degree. It lacked the earth-shaking momentum of the previous attack, but its energy level was terrifyingly high. Wherever it passed, space seemed to be erased by an eraser, leaving behind a fleeting trail of nothingness as it shot straight for Su Yan's brow!
"Don't take it head-on!" Yun Ji's voice carried an unprecedented urgency. Even amid the chaos of fate, she could sense the horrifying power within that ray, enough to obliterate one's Soul Origin.
Every hair on Su Yan's body stood on end. [Shrink Ground into Inches] was still on cooldown, and the icy-blue glow of [Starlight Bodyguard] looked as fragile as paper before that ray. The shadow of death had never been so clear!
At that critical instant, the Compass in his arms, now 57% repaired and faintly hot from absorbing massive amounts of scattered end-origin, suddenly began to tremble on its own! This was not the silver burst it had released to protect its master before, but a deeper hum that seemed to come from an ancient starry sky! Among the newly emerged, ancient and blurred constellation phantoms on its surface, one resembling a "coiled tortoise and serpent" constellation (Black Tortoise?) suddenly lit up, radiating a faint glow as steady as a mountain.
At the same time, Su Yan felt nearly one-third of the condensed, purified Star Power in his dantian get drawn away by the Compass in an instant! This power did not simply form a shield. Guided by the Compass, it rapidly traced and intertwined in an incomparably profound trajectory before him, forming a slowly rotating miniature Star Map barrier covered in Star Runes within a thousandth of a second!
"Hummm—!"
The condensed dark-red Death Ray struck the miniature Star Map barrier. There was still no deafening explosion, only a heart-pounding clash and corrosion on the level of laws. The Star Map barrier rippled violently, its Star Runes flickering as though it might collapse at any moment. Yet it held firm, blocking the death ray that could erase everything until its energy was exhausted and both vanished without a trace.
Su Yan's face turned pale. It was not merely the weakness caused by the massive drain of spiritual power, but also the exhaustion that followed extreme mental tension. He stared at the Compass in his arms in shock. This autonomous defense was completely different from before. It was no longer instinctively releasing energy, but... guiding and using his power to complete a precise, targeted defensive calculation!
"Preliminary coordination..." A minute fluctuation finally appeared in the Sower projection's indifferent tone, as though he had detected an unexpected variable. "Target 'Order Relic' activity has increased. Threat level raised. Execute highest-priority elimination protocol."
He wasted no more words. With a swing of his bone staff, the Breath of the End throughout the Valley of Buried Soldiers seemed to come alive, transforming into countless twisted, shrieking dark tentacles that lashed toward them from every direction. At the same time, black light gathered before him, summoning three [Buried Soldier Commanders] (Level 44, Elite) clad in battered armor, dark-red Flames of the Soul burning in their eye sockets. They charged down with overwhelming killing intent.
"His power is mobilizing the valley's remaining baleful energy! We have to interrupt him first!" Mo Hen shouted sharply, flicking both hands. Dozens of [Spirit Burst Mechanism Beans] flashing with unstable spiritual light scattered like heavenly maidens strewing flowers, detonating among the dark tentacles and temporarily clearing an area.
Bai Zhi planted the Willow Branch into the ground and activated the area healing effect of [Willow Sweet Dew] with all her strength. At the same time, Buddhist chants flowed from her lips as gentle Buddhist light spread out from her center, attempting to purify the all-pervasive vengeful and deathly aura. Yet the effect was minimal, and fine beads of sweat soon formed on her brow.
Enduring the dizziness caused by fate's backlash, Yun Ji rapidly formed hand seals and sent out a stream of clear radiance. It was not an attack, but landed on Su Yan. "Fellow Daoist Su, I will use a secret art to temporarily stabilize the Spiritual Energy around you and help you recover faster! This fiend is connected to the valley's origin. Only an overwhelmingly powerful strike that instantly cripples his core can break this deadlock!"
Pressure—immense pressure—weighed on everyone's hearts. The Sower projection's strength far exceeded their estimates, and he was exceptionally cunning, never giving them a chance to engage him in close combat.
"Roar—!"
In this desperate adversity, Little Big Dipper, who had been guarding Su Yan while enduring immense pressure, let out a roar tangled with pain and fury! The star spots on his dark-purple shell, once merely faintly glowing, now flickered and spread with unprecedented brilliance as though stimulated by something! Between the spots, countless hair-thin golden patterns began to emerge. They rapidly connected and linked together, vaguely forming a complex, profound miniature network of Star Map Veins on his back, as though it contained the ultimate truth of the cosmos!
The potential within him, born from mutation and nurtured by the War God's will, the Power of Stars, and repeated devouring of end-origin, finally shattered its last shackles under the external pressure of this life-or-death moment and the boiling force within!
Dazzling evolutionary light instantly enveloped Little Big Dipper like a silver-purple cocoon! The cocoon pulsed violently, as though a powerful heart were beating within it. A suffocating pressure began to spread, even temporarily dispersing the dense Breath of the End around them!
"This is... evolution?!" Delight burst into Mo Hen's eyes.
"What pure, ancient star Dao Rhyme..." A flash of wonder also passed through Yun Ji's eyes behind the mist.
The Sower projection's movements paused slightly. For the first time, that indifferent eyeball truly turned toward the cocoon, analytical light flickering within it like a stream of data. "High-density unknown astral lifeform detected... comparing against database... judgment: high-value mutant with research and capture value."
He actually gave up his fierce assault on Su Yan for the moment. With a point of his bone staff, several dark shackles shot toward the cocoon like venomous snakes, attempting to interrupt the evolution and capture it!
"Don't even think about it!" Su Yan's eyes nearly split with fury. Although his spiritual power had not fully recovered, how could he allow the enemy to harm Little Big Dipper? Forcibly raising his power, he unleashed [Soul Chasing Talisman] and [Lightning Talisman] at once, blasting toward the dark shackles. Mo Hen's mechanisms and Bai Zhi's purifying Buddhist light moved to support him as well.
Yet those dark shackles were incredibly tough. Though delayed for a moment, they still clawed stubbornly toward the cocoon!
Just as the shackles were about to touch the cocoon—
"Crack!"
The cocoon shattered like an eggshell, and a more agile, more majestic figure emerged from within!
Evolution complete!
The formerly somewhat bloated insect-like body had become streamlined and powerful. Its length had not increased much, but its proportions were nearly perfect. Its shell was as deep as a starless midnight, yet faintly revealed restrained starlight. The complete miniature Star Map on its back rotated slowly, giving off an unfathomable aura. Its head had become more ferocious, while a vertical-eye-shaped silver crystal between its brows shone brilliantly, as though it could see through all illusions. The claws on its limbs gleamed with chilling light and carried an edge capable of piercing anything. Most eye-catching was its tail. It was no longer merely sharp, but had condensed into a fist-sized silver vortex that slowly rotated without cease. At its edges, space itself showed faint distortions!
[System: Your summoned beast, 'Little Big Dipper,' has shattered the shackles of life under extreme battle intent, unleashed potential, and external high-pressure stimulation, completing its first life transition—evolution!]
[Evolution successful! Sea Hairy Caterpillar (Mutant) -> Star Vortex Guard!]
[Level increased to 31!]
[Strength aptitude, stamina aptitude, and speed aptitude have increased substantially! Spiritual power aptitude has increased to a certain degree!]
[Comprehended new skill 'Star Vortex Sky Rend Strike' (Active: Guides the power of the tail's star vortex to launch an ultra-high-speed piercing attack against a single target, dealing massive physical damage, with an extremely high chance to ignore part of the target's defense and inflict the 'Spatial Rend' effect, causing continuous bleeding)!]
[Original skill 'Star Fire' has advanced into 'Starlight Breath' (Breath containing purer power from the Origin of Stars. Base damage increased, with a low chance to inflict one of the negative statuses 'Soul Scorch,' 'Sluggishness,' or 'Spiritual Power Disorder' depending on the target's resistance)!]
[Talent 'Starlight Resonance' effect enhanced. Stronger synergy with the master's star-type skills.]
[Title updated: Star Vortex Guard (Beginner)]
"Star Vortex!" Su Yan sensed the majestic power rushing like a galaxy and the clearer battle intent coming through the other end of their Soul Link, and his heart surged with excitement. The evolved Star Vortex had firmly entered the realm of a level 35 boss, and carried a unique sharpness that seemed capable of slicing space apart!
"Guard... does that mean a sentinel who patrols for the stars?" Yun Ji murmured softly, seemingly pondering the meaning behind that title.
The first thing Star Vortex did after evolving was lock onto the dark shackles that had tried to restrain him. A chill silver glint flashed through the newly formed vertical-eye crystal. He did not even make any grand movement; the star vortex at his tail simply began spinning at a terrifying speed!
"Whoosh—!"
A silver thread so fine it was nearly invisible flashed from Star Vortex's tail.
The next moment, those tough dark shackles shattered into primordial dark energy as if sliced through by an invisible blade!
What speed! What cutting power! Everyone's hearts tightened.
Data stream flickered rapidly through the Sower projection's eye once more. "Attack pattern updated: high-frequency spatial cutting attribute. Reassessing threat... priority capture or destruction."
He abandoned simple long-range attacks and slammed his bone staff heavily against the ground!
"Rumble!"
The entire Valley of Buried Soldiers seemed to awaken completely. The earth split open, and more Buried Soldier Golems and Vengeful Souls surged out like a tide. Meanwhile, the dark-red fleshy tumor atop the altar pulsed more violently, emitting powerful suction. Deathly energy from countless weapon fragments throughout the valley poured into it like rivers flowing into the sea. The tumor visibly swelled by a full circle, while vein-like patterns across its surface writhed violently, as though something terrifying was about to burst from its shell!
"He is accelerating the anchor's formation! We have to interrupt him quickly!" Yun Ji said urgently.
The situation remained critical, but Star Vortex's evolution had brought them hope of breaking through!
"Brother Mo Hen, Miss Bai Zhi, clear out the lesser enemies and disrupt the altar's absorption! Fellow Daoist Yun Ji, please continue stabilizing my Spiritual Energy and guide me to the core!" Su Yan issued orders rapidly. His eyes were sharp as an eagle's as he exchanged a glance with Star Vortex, who radiated cold starlight beside him. No words were needed; their tacit understanding had already formed through their Soul Link.
"Star Vortex, let's go!"
Su Yan pushed the Star Refining Body Art to its limit. Faint starlight glowed across his body, and the icy-blue aura of [Starlight Bodyguard] reappeared as he charged toward the three Buried Soldier Commanders. He no longer sought to kill with a single strike. Instead, he used [Shrink Ground into Inches] and exquisite footwork to circle them, constantly weakening them with [Armor Shattering Talisman] and [Soul Chasing Talisman], creating the best possible opening for Star Vortex.
Star Vortex let out a long howl, transforming into a true phantom of the starry sky. His speed was more than twice what it had been before evolution! [Star Vortex Sky Rend Strike] activated with unstoppable force! The star vortex at his tail blazed brilliantly, and his entire body seemed to merge into a twisted silver line. In an instant, he crossed dozens of meters and appeared directly behind one Buried Soldier Commander!
"Pfft!"
With a soft sound, the Buried Soldier Commander's heavy armor was pierced as easily as paper! A massive damage number floated up, while a savage spatial crack appeared at the wound, continuously eroding its body and inflicting ongoing bleeding damage!
One strike, severe injury!
The other two commanders attacked, but Star Vortex effortlessly evaded with ghostly speed, once again seeking an opportunity to launch a lethal thrust. His posture on the battlefield perfectly embodied the word "guard"—swift, precise, lethal!
With Star Vortex holding back the three strongest commanders, the pressure on Su Yan greatly lessened, allowing him to devote more attention to the Compass. He could sense that as the battle continued, the Compass was absorbing the surrounding end-origin faster and faster. Its repair progress was steadily advancing toward 58%. The [Netherworld Beacon] mark within the Star Map in his mind was also becoming increasingly clear.
"Now!" Yun Ji's voice rang out again, exhausted but unwavering. "The energy connection between the altar and the Sower has been thrown into momentary disorder by Star Vortex's attack and the tumor's accelerated absorption! Attack the eyeball at the tip of his bone staff. That is the energy transfer core between him and this realm's anchor!"
The opportunity would vanish in an instant!
A sharp light burst from Su Yan's eyes. The [Lightning Talisman] he had been holding in reserve struck once more, but its target was not the Sower himself. Instead, it shot toward the invisible energy connection between him and the altar's fleshy tumor, attempting to widen that fleeting disruption!
At the same time, he sent his strongest intent through the Soul Link to Star Vortex. Star Vortex! One rending strike—target the eyeball!
Star Vortex instantly abandoned the Buried Soldier Commander he had beaten into a wreck. The star vortex at his tail spun wildly at an unprecedented speed, even producing a faint hum of slicing space! The Star Map Veins across his body and the crystal on his brow lit up at once, gathering all his power into the next thrust!
"Hummm—!"
A silver streak condensed to the extreme, as though it could pierce the void itself, tore through the surrounding darkness. Ignoring the distance of space, it struck with flawless precision before anyone—including the Sower—could react, piercing the constantly turning dark-red eyeball at the tip of the bone staff as it analyzed the battlefield!
"Crack... splurt!"
The sound of crystal shattering rang out, followed by the strange hiss of some liquid being completely vaporized.
The indifferent eyeball instantly filled with cracks, then exploded completely! Dark-red energy erupted from the shattered eye like an uncontrolled flood!
"Aaaah—!!!" For the first time, the Sower projection let out a roar filled with pain and furious shock. The liquid darkness around him churned violently, his aura plummeted, and his connection to the altar's fleshy tumor was forcibly severed!
Backlash! Severe backlash!
The altar's fleshy tumor abruptly stopped expanding. It even convulsed violently from the energy recoil, several cracks opening across its surface as filthy black blood flowed out.
"We did it!" Bai Zhi cried in delight.
However, before they could celebrate for long, the dark-red energy that had not fully dissipated from the shattered eyeball suddenly contracted, forming a rapidly rotating dark rune emanating an ominous aura.
The Sower projection steadied himself with his remaining power. His voice had become hoarse and filled with bone-deep hatred. "Error... must be corrected! Coordinates recorded... the will of the Well of Guixu... will descend... in the Netherworld... wait for you..."
Before his words ended, the dark rune shot out a tiny ray of light. It did not attack them, but instantly entered the Compass in Su Yan's hand!
The Compass shuddered violently, bursting with silver light as though fiercely resisting the invading power. Su Yan felt an icy, deathly intent attempting to corrode his mind, but it was swiftly driven away by the Compass's Power of Order and his own Star Power.
In the end, the Compass calmed down. Its repair progress had suddenly jumped to 59%! Beside the [Netherworld Beacon] in the Star Map in his mind, there was now a small, flickering black skull mark. It looked like a vicious curse, yet also like a tracker forcibly branded onto him.
After delivering his final curse, the Sower projection could no longer maintain his body and scattered in the wind like burnt ash.
Although the altar's fleshy tumor had stopped expanding, it did not collapse immediately. It continued pulsing slowly, though its glow had dimmed greatly. The remaining monsters in the valley had lost their leader and began to fall into chaos.
The battle had temporarily ended. Yet the Sower's final words pierced every heart like the coldest ice spike.
The Well of Guixu? What was that? The will of the Netherworld? Coordinates recorded... did that mean something even more terrifying had set its sights on them?
Su Yan tightened his grip on the Compass, whose repair progress had risen greatly but which now bore an ominous mark. He looked at the crystal-clear [Netherworld Beacon] in the Star Map and the glaring black skull beside it, his heart unbearably heavy.
The chaos in the Valley of Buried Soldiers had temporarily come to an end, but a greater and more terrifying vortex had already opened its abyssal maw before them. Going to the Netherworld no longer seemed like some distant plan. It had become a battle for survival that could not be delayed.
Before you continue