Starting as a menial disciple, he cultivated beasts and achieved immortality.

The starlight receded slowly like a tide, and the shattered array patterns gradually healed under the nourishment of the Origin Star's power. Yu Changsheng stood before the Star Chart Altar, the Origin Star, now connected to his own origin, hovering in his palm. Its light was as warm as moonlight, yet contained the immense will of the entire Ancient Starfall Path. Chen Xueqing's spirit leaned against the edge of the altar. Although it had solidified considerably, weariness still lingered between her brows—forcibly activating the altar with her spiritual essence had nearly exhausted her foundation.

"Your spirit needs at least seven days of rest and cannot use the power of the Star Key again." Yu Changsheng transferred a wisp of star essence into Chen Xueqing's spiritual platform, his voice deep but unquestionable.

Chen Xueqing looked up, her emerald-gold eyes reflecting his figure: "But the Meteor Abyss will open in three days when the Star Road Tide is at its weakest. If you miss it, you'll have to wait another thirty years."

“Then let’s change our route.” Yu Changsheng said calmly. “The map left by the Star Dome Builder shows that there is another Star Dome Palace ruin deep in the Soul Broken Corridor, which may contain a second Star Key fragment.”

“But the only clue to Venerable Starfall is in the Meteorite Abyss…” Chen Xueqing was interrupted by Yu Changsheng before she could finish speaking.

“Your life is more important than any clue.” He turned to look at the lingering remnants of the Void Beast outside the post station. “Besides, although that thing escaped, it left a mark—it’s waiting for us to leave the protection of the End of the Night Post Station.”

Elder Qingyi and Elder Jianchen arrived with their disciples. Though their auras were steady, their robes were stained with blood and their faces were pale. Qingyi held the Pure World Lotus in her palm, three petals already broken: "Changsheng, with your blessing, the post station's protective array can hold for at least three months. But if the Void Beasts attract our own kind..."

“It dares not.” Yu Changsheng raised his hand and pressed down, and the core of the star river in the center of the post station suddenly lit up. The light spots of each node of the ancient road appeared on the star map. “The source star has recognized its master. I can mobilize all the remaining array nodes of the ancient road. If the evil beast gets any closer, I will turn it into dust in the star chain cage.”

Elder Jian Chen, with a band of light formed from the essence of stars wrapped around his severed arm, said in a deep voice, "In that case, let's split up and proceed as planned: Qingyi and I will lead the disciples to repair the guiding array and set up the Starry Sky Defense Line; you and Xueqing will go to the depths of the Soul-Severing Corridor to find the second Star Key fragment."

Yu Changsheng nodded, his gaze falling on the Star Key fragment in Chen Xueqing's arms—the rhombus-shaped crystal was currently resonating with the Origin Star, its surface adorned with intricate star patterns. He suddenly recalled the dying words of the Star Dust Guardian: "There are seven Star Key fragments in total. Collecting them all will allow us to reforge the Starry Sky Beacon and completely seal the Void Ruler. But each fragment must be obtained through 'fate' and 'calamity'."

Three days later, at the edge of the Star Chain on the east side of Mochen Post Station.

Yu Changsheng and Chen Xueqing stood on a fragment of a star remnant that was a hundred feet wide. In front of them was a broken corridor called the "Soul-Severing Corridor"—it was not a physical building, but a passage opened up by the ancient creators of the star dome with the power of stars. Now it had collapsed into countless floating ruins, among which the spirits of star remnants and spatial turbulence wandered.

"Stay close to me." Yu Changsheng held the Star Silence Sword in his left hand and grasped the Origin Star in his right. A glacial blue and dark red star power shield enveloped the two of them. "The spatial rules within the Soul Severing Corridor are chaotic. One wrong step and you may fall into a time rift."

Chen Xueqing nodded, and her spirit transformed into a wisp of emerald-gold light that wrapped around his wrist—this was the "Daoist Connection" she had condensed using "The Return to the Void: The Source of the Pivot," which could both conserve spiritual energy and instantly manifest itself to assist in battle during times of crisis.

The moment you step into the Hall of Broken Souls, the surrounding scenery suddenly distorts.

The once silent starry sky has turned into a gray and chaotic expanse. The broken pillars are covered with long-lost stellar runes, some of which still emit a faint glow, while others are as dark as dried blood. The air is filled with the aura of "star embers"—the mournful Daoist essence left behind after the death of stars, enough to erode the soul of cultivators.

"Three hundred feet to the left front, a remnant spirit has awakened." Yu Changsheng's divine sense swept over, and the Star Silence Sword trembled slightly.

Three dark figures emerged from behind the ruins: a multi-eyed star spirit with eerie green soul fire burning in its eye sockets; a two-headed bat spirit with wings spread like knives; and the last one was a deformed being, half-human and half-spider, with a strange smile on its abdomen.

“It’s them again…” Chen Xueqing’s thoughts stirred slightly, “These are the three types that besieged us in the Shattered Star Corridor.”

“It seems that the Star Key fragments have a special attraction for the remnants.” Yu Changsheng stepped forward, and the Star Silence Sword drew a “Universal Clear Light”.

The icy blue sword light spread like moonlight, freezing the space in its path. The soul fire of the multi-eyed remnant was extinguished instantly, and the two-headed bat was shredded into pieces by the sword intent. Only the human-faced spider remnant opened its mouth and spat out a viscous gray-white light web, which briefly blocked the sword light.

"It has swallowed up the turbulent flow of time!" Chen Xueqing exclaimed.

Yu Changsheng's eyes narrowed, and the Void Vortex in his left eye suddenly opened. Devouring Void runes leaped from the sword, swarming towards the gray-white light net like hungry fish, frantically gnawing at the fragments of the Time Law within. The remnant of the human-faced spider let out a shriek, its abdominal face contorted: "Star Key...give it to me...I can take you to...Starfall Venerable..."

Yu Changsheng's sword momentum continued, and the Star Silence Sword pierced into his brow: "You are not worthy to mention that name."

The remnant spirit dissipated, leaving behind a "Sand of Time" the size of a fingernail—a strange object formed from turbulent time flows, capable of briefly accelerating or slowing down the flow of time in a localized area. Yu Changsheng put away the Sand of Time and suddenly sensed a scorching heat emanating from the Star Key fragment.

“It’s guiding the way.” Chen Xueqing’s spirit appeared and pointed to an archway deep in the Soul-Severing Corridor that was almost buried in ruins. “Behind the door is the aura of the origin of stars, but… there is also a heavy aura of death.”

The two passed through the archway, and a bright and open space suddenly appeared before them.

It was a half-collapsed Starry Sky Palace, much smaller than the End of the Night Inn, but with the same architectural style: pillars cast from starstone, a dome inlaid with long-dimmed star crystals, and a central altar riddled with cracks. What was chilling was that twelve skeletons knelt around the altar—they wore long robes with star patterns, their bones were like jade, and they were clearly high-level cultivators in life, yet they died in a posture of worship, their heads all facing a three-legged bronze cauldron at the top of the altar.

A fragment of a star key floated in the cauldron, its shape exactly the same as the one in Chen Xueqing's arms, only its color was dark like rust.

“Followers of the Starry Sky Forger…” Yu Changsheng approached, his divine sense sweeping over the skeletons, “All of them were at least at the Nascent Soul stage, yet they all perished here at the same time. The cause of death was… their souls were drained by some kind of force.”

Chen Xueqing floated to the bronze cauldron, her emerald-gold Daoist aura reaching for the Star Key fragments. The instant she touched them, the twelve skeletons suddenly opened their eyes—crimson soul flames ignited in their eye sockets!

Anyone who tamperes with the Star Key... shall be executed!

A hoarse roar echoed through the hall, and the skeletons rose to their feet, their decaying star-patterned robes fluttering without wind. Their movements were stiff yet swift, instantly forming a star-studded killing formation that trapped Yu Changsheng and Chen Xueqing in the center.

“They are not remnants of spirits, but ‘obsession puppets’.” Yu Changsheng held his sword in front of him. “Their obsessions in life were too strong. Combined with the formation of the ruins, they became the mechanism that guards the Star Key.”

The twelve puppets simultaneously raised their hands, causing the star crystals on the palace ceiling to light up and unleash twelve crimson starlight beams—each beam containing the full power of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Even more terrifying was the fact that the starlight was mixed with a soul curse; anyone touched by it would become a walking corpse like these puppets. "Star Silence - Myriad Swords Return to Origin!"

Yu Changsheng unleashed his sword technique, the Star Silence Sword splitting into thousands of sword shadows, like a galaxy flowing upstream colliding with the crimson starlight. The sword light and starlight collided, erupting with a piercing cracking sound, and the entire ruined palace trembled violently. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Xueqing activated her emerald-gold Daoist aura, transforming it into threads of light that wrapped around the bronze cauldron, attempting to forcibly take the Star Key fragment.

"Don't even think about it!" the leading puppet roared, and half of its skeleton exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist that enveloped Chen Xueqing.

Yu Changsheng's eyes turned cold, and the Void Vortex in his left eye activated at full power: "Devour the Void - Devour the Realm!"

The vortex swelled to three zhang (approximately 10 meters), engulfing the blood mist and the surrounding space. But in that moment of distraction, the starlight from the remaining eleven puppets broke through the sword net and struck him in the back!
"Pfft—" Yu Changsheng spat out a mouthful of blood, the Starry Night Dao Embryo violently trembled, and cracks appeared on the ice-blue base. But instead of retreating, he advanced, using the force of the impact to step onto the top of the altar, and grabbed the Star Key fragment in the bronze cauldron with his right hand.

The instant the fingertips touched the fragments, a vast torrent of memories surged into the sea of ​​consciousness—

That was the era before the Starfall Ancient Road collapsed.

There were seven Starfall Forgers, who, with cultivation levels above the Refinement Realm, joined forces to open an ancient path, intending to build a "Star Bridge" connecting all the heavens and myriad worlds. The sixth forger, known as the "Starfall Venerable," wielded the dual paths of "Annihilation" and "Stars," and was aloof yet deeply sentimental. When the ancient path reached its seventh hundredth year of construction, the Starfall Venerable discovered a "Void Rift" deep within the Soul-Severing Corridor. From the other side of the rift came eerie whispers, claiming to be the "Void Ruler."

The other forgers advocated sealing the rift, but Venerable Starfall believed it was an opportunity to comprehend the origin of the void. He secretly infiltrated the rift with an avatar, and over time, the avatar was corrupted by the Dominator, its Dao heart gradually becoming distorted. By the time the other forgers realized this, Venerable Starfall's true body had already been devoured by the avatar, half of his body becoming a void puppet.

Civil war broke out. Venerable Starfall used the Sword Intent of Annihilation to kill two of the forgers, but was ultimately sealed deep within the Meteor Abyss by the remaining four. Before sealing him, he shattered his "Star Key" into seven fragments, scattering them throughout the ancient road, and left behind a lingering thought: "When those who come after gather the Star Key, they can choose—to reforge the Dao Beacon with the Star Key and eternally seal the ruler, or to break the seal, obtain my inheritance, and face the void."

Upon recalling this moment, Yu Changsheng suddenly opened his eyes.

The Star Key fragment in her hand had lost its rust and was now radiating a warm starlight. It flew towards the fragment in Chen Xueqing's arms, and the two joined together, the crack slowly healing—they merged into one, transforming into a larger rhombus-shaped crystal, within which a star map emerged, marking the positions of the remaining five fragments.

“So that’s how it is…” Chen Xueqing murmured, “The Starfall Venerable did not simply fall into the void. He wanted to use himself as a vessel to lure the Sovereign out of the rift, and then let the later ones use the power of the Star Key to completely destroy him. But the other forgers misjudged his intentions and forcibly sealed him, which instead allowed the Sovereign’s corrosive power to spread to the ancient road through the rift.”

Yu Changsheng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the twelve puppets that had stopped moving: "They are the followers of Venerable Starfall, guarding the fragments here, and waiting for someone who can understand the Venerable's true meaning."

The soul fire in the puppet's eye sockets gradually died down, and the skeleton knelt back in its original position, as if it had completed its mission. The ruined palace began to collapse, and the star-shaped stone pillars shattered inch by inch.

"Go!" Yu Changsheng grabbed Chen Xueqing, and the Star Silence Sword cleaved through the dome, rushing into the chaotic starry sky of the Soul-Severing Corridor.

Behind him, the ruined palace dissipated into a cloud of stardust, leaving only an aged voice echoing in Yu Changsheng's mind: "Later generations... if you choose to inherit the path of the Venerable, go to the Fallen Star Abyss... there lies his final trial... and... the truth..."

After leaving the core area of ​​the Soul-Severing Corridor, Yu Changsheng found a relatively stable fragment of star remains to recuperate. He had just withstood the combined attack of eleven puppets, and although he had managed to hold on with the Chaos Emperor's Blood and the Star Foundation, the cracks in his Dao Embryo needed time to repair.

Chen Xueqing held the fused Star Key fragments in her palm, letting the emerald-gold Daoist aura seep into them, attempting to decipher the details of the star map: "Of the remaining five fragments, three are deep within the ancient road—'Meteorite Abyss,' 'Void Rift Entrance,' and 'Star Dome Main Hall Ruins'; the other two... are actually outside the ancient road."

"Outside the ancient road?"

“Hmm.” Chen Xueqing pointed to two distant points of light on the star map. “One is in the ‘Sea of ​​Burial Stars’—that was where your former sect was located; the other is in the ‘Border of Chaos’, which is the end of all the heavens and myriad worlds, a place that even the Star Forgers have never set foot in.”

Yu Changsheng remained silent for a moment: "It is no accident that Venerable Starfall scattered the fragments so far. My involvement in the Burial Star Sea is related to my karma, and the Chaotic Borderlands may be related to the origin of the Void Ruler."

"Where do you plan to go first?" Chen Xueqing asked. "The Meteor Abyss is the closest, but it is also the most dangerous place—the Starfall Venerable is sealed there, and the corrosive power of the Void Ruler must be the strongest."

Yu Changsheng looked towards the direction of Mochen Post Station. In his divine sense, he could see that Qingyi and Jianchen had already begun setting up the reception array, and the post station's protective light shield remained stable as before. But in the distant depths of the void, the mark left by that monstrous beast was slightly warm—it was waiting, and it was also calling out to its kin.

“Let’s return to Mochen Post Station first.” He made the decision. “Firstly, you need time to fully fuse the two fragments and repair your spirit body; secondly, I need to completely transfer control of the Starry Sky Array to Elder Qingyi to ensure the post station is safe and sound after we leave; thirdly…”

He paused, a glint of icy blue and dark red starlight flashing in his eyes: "I need the resources from the Star Tower to raise my cultivation to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. The journey to the Meteor Abyss will likely involve facing more than just the remnants of Venerables."

Chen Xueqing nodded, and her spirit body transformed back into threads of light that wrapped around his wrist.

Yu Changsheng sheathed the Star Silence Sword, the light of the Origin Star flowing in his palm, drawing upon the guiding power of the ancient road formation. A pillar of starlight descended from the void, enveloping the two, and in an instant traversed thousands of miles of star debris chains, returning them to the End of the End Post Station.

Inside the post station, Elder Qingyi was repairing the altar's array patterns. Upon seeing the two return, her eyes brightened slightly: "How was it?"

Yu Changsheng took out the fused Star Key fragments and briefly recounted what he had seen in the Soul-Severing Corridor. When they heard the truth about Venerable Starfall, Qingyi and Jian Chen, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, were both shocked.

"So this is the truth behind that ancient civil war..." Elder Jian Chen sighed. "Historical records state that Venerable Xingyun fell into the void and betrayed his fellow cultivators, but no one knew that he intended to lure the enemy with his own body."

"History is always written by survivors," Yu Changsheng said calmly. "I have decided to go to the Meteor Abyss to undergo the final trial of the Starfall Venerable. But before that, I need to go into seclusion for seven days."

He extracted thirty percent of the control over the Starry Sky Array from the Origin Star and imprinted it into the core array eyes of Qingyi, Jianchen, and the post station: "For the next seven days, please have the two elders lead the disciples to reinforce the defenses, especially to guard against the return of the Void Beasts. If I do not emerge from seclusion within seven days, or if anything changes at Meteor Abyss, then activate the rendezvous array and lead all disciples back to Chuchen Post Station—there lies the last escape route left by the Stardust Guardians." (End of Chapter)