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Beyond the chaotic sea, the surface of the ocean, which had been calm for thousands of years, suddenly began to boil.

The sky seemed to have been torn open by an invisible hand, revealing the dark void behind it.

Thirty bronze warships slowly emerged from the ship, each hull engraved with the Taiyi Sect's demon-suppressing runes.

"Stabilize the teleportation channel!" The roar of the Burning Heaven Immortal drowned out the rumble of the spatial storm.

The three hundred cultivators of the vanguard camp simultaneously formed hand seals, their spiritual power converging into golden chains that forcibly fixed the violently shaking spatial rift.

Behind the fleet, more warships were emerging from the void, densely packed like a migrating school of fish.

Su Ning, in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, stood on the deck of the lead ship, the Star Escape Boat having shrunk to three inches in size and hovering in his palm.

As he gazed at the faint outline of the Inner Star Sea in the distance, the nascent soul within his dantian suddenly opened its eyes…

There lies his unresolved blood feud!
"What are you looking at, Junior Brother?" Zhou Zhiruo appeared beside him unnoticed, her red dress fluttering in the sea breeze.

"Let's see where they'll be buried." Su Ning gently stroked the God-Slaying Spear. "But whether they'll be buried in the Star Palace or our Taiyi Sect in the end remains to be seen."

"Oh? You have no confidence in this expedition?"

"The numerous cultivation sects in the Great Jin Dynasty are quite intertwined. Do you think other sects are paying attention to the Taiyi Sect's actions?"

"What? Junior brother, you suspect..."

"That's right! Those sects that are not convinced by the Taiyi Sect will definitely take action."

"Then why didn't you remind the sect?"

"A person of low status has little influence! They might even bring trouble upon themselves."

"..."

Before he finished speaking, a giant wave hundreds of feet high suddenly surged up in the sea ahead.

A level nine Xuan Turtle emerged from the water, with dozens of demon cultivators standing on its shell.

The leader was Feng Xi, a level nine Gale Beast. He stared at the Taiyi Sect fleet with a gloomy expression: "Humans, the Outer Sea is not a place for you!"

The Heavenly Immortal sneered, and a crimson flag flew out from his sleeve.

The flag grew longer in the wind, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a thousand-foot-long fiery cloud that pressed down on the demon cultivator.

Just as Feng Xi was about to defend himself, his expression suddenly changed drastically...

Hidden within that fiery cloud was a wisp of divine thought from a Nascent Soul cultivator!
It should be noted that the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Fentian Shangren, is a god-like existence in the Chaotic Star Sea, and the lowly level nine Rift Wind Beast, Feng Xi, has no chance against him.

"Retreat!" The level nine demon cultivator decisively dived into the deep sea.

Only his furious roar remained on the sea: "The Star Palace will not let you get away with this!"

Despite the vast difference in strength between Feng Xi and the Burning Heaven Immortal, its escape speed was equally unparalleled.

Of course, the Tianyi Sect cultivators did not focus their attention on these few demonic beasts, but instead continued to attack Tianxing City in the Inner Star Sea.

……

Three days later, Tianxing City was already in sight.

This magnificent city, standing atop a giant island, is enveloped in a seven-colored light shield, and from the sacred mountain at its center, two pillars of light shoot straight into the sky…

The two Saints of the Star Palace were already on high alert.

"Proceed according to plan." Venerable Burning Heaven ordered, "The vanguard will break through the formation, the Battle Hall will lead the attack, and the Pill Cauldron Peak will provide support!"

"Yes!"

Su Ning and Zhou Zhiruo exchanged a glance, then each rode their own escape light and rushed off in different directions.

The Starship traced a mysterious trajectory in the void, advancing a thousand feet with each flash.

This is a spatial escape technique personally taught by Old Ancestor Bai before his departure, specifically used to break the Heavenly Star Array.

"It's now!"

As the Starship flashed for the seventh time, Su Ning suddenly appeared in front of a hidden array.

This place should have been unknown to anyone, but the Star Element Scripture's perception of the flow of star power allowed him to accurately locate the vital point of the great formation.

The God-Slaying Spear thrust out, its tip colliding with the spirit stone at the array's core, unleashing a blinding burst of light.

"boom!"

The entire city of Tianxing was shaken.

Somewhere in the west of the city, Zhou Zhiruo detonated the buried array-breaking talismans almost simultaneously.

With the two key points of the formation damaged, the protective formation immediately developed minor cracks.

"Damn it! There's a traitor among us!" Ling Xiaofeng's roar echoed throughout the city. "Activate the Zhou Tian Star Array immediately!"

The pillar of light on the holy mountain suddenly spread out, and a vast star map appeared in the sky above the entire city.

The true power of the stars was activated, and countless starlight shot towards the Taiyi Sect cultivators like sharp arrows.

The three Core Formation disciples were unable to dodge in time and were instantly vaporized by the starlight.

"Watch out!" Su Ning suddenly turned around, using the God-Slaying Spear to block a streak of crimson lightning.

However, Xiao Jinghong appeared behind him at some point, his eyes flashing with an eerie red light.

"By order of the sect leader, I will take your life!" Xiao Jinghong pointed his sword at the sky, and nine bolts of blood lightning descended from the heavens.

Just as the blood-red lightning was about to strike Su Ning, the world suddenly fell silent.

All sound, light, and even time seemed to freeze, and the blood lightning vanished without a trace.

A figure in white appeared out of thin air in the center of the battlefield, its mere presence causing ripples and distortions in space.

"Old Ghost Bai from the Taiyi Sect!" Ling Xiaofeng's voice trembled for the first time.

Old Ancestor Bai stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across Tianxing City: "You actually know me?"

Before he finished speaking, he lightly stomped his foot.

"Click——"

Centered on him, the sea surface within a radius of a hundred miles instantly froze.

It wasn't ordinary ice, but a strange crystal that displayed the colors of the starry sky.

These crystals grew wildly and quickly climbed up the walls of Tianxing City.

The city's protective array shattered like an eggshell, revealing the panicked Star Palace cultivators inside.

"Kill!" Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Burning Heaven Master led his army forward.

Wen Qing screamed and made a hand seal.

The sacred mountain trembled, and countless starlight coalesced into a giant sword that slashed towards Old Ancestor Bai.

This sword strike contained all of her life's cultivation, and the space around it was torn apart wherever it passed.

However, the Nascent Soul stage Elder Bai neither dodged nor evaded, but instead spat out a small starlight sword.

The small sword grew longer in the wind and collided with the Starshine Greatsword.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a faint "ding".

But all cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage painfully covered their ears—this was a collision of the voices of the Great Dao!

"With this level of skill, you dare to kill my Taiyi Sect disciple?" Old Ancestor Bai shook his head and suddenly disappeared from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was already behind Ling Xiaofeng, and struck him in the back of the head with a palm.

Ling Xiaofeng turned around hastily, and a bronze star chart flew out from his chest.

This astrolabe is exactly the same as the one Su Ning saw in the Taiyi Sect's treasure pavilion, only more complete.

The astrolabe collided with the palm, and the resulting shockwave flattened the summit of the sacred mountain!

"The Star Palace's supreme treasure, the Celestial Star Compass, is indeed in your hands." A glint of greed flashed in Old Ancestor Bai's eyes.

With the appearance of Nascent Soul cultivators, the battlefield completely spiraled out of control.

The aftershocks from the collision between the power of the stars and the Taiyi secret technique destroyed large sections of the magnificent buildings in Tianxing City.

Countless low-level cultivators were reduced to dust in the battle, and the seawater, stained red with blood, evaporated instantly.

Suning spotted a familiar figure in the chaos – Ling Yuling.

The young master of the Star Palace was directing the cultivators to form an array to resist, his face pale but his gaze resolute.

"We meet again." Su Ning appeared in front of her, the God-Slaying Spear pressed against her throat. "When your parents destroyed my master's foundation, did they ever think of this day?"

Ling Yuling smiled bitterly: "Kill me if you want. But do you really think Old Ghost Bai is avenging you? He just wants to..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly widened her eyes and looked behind Su Ning.

However, this instinctive reaction saved Suning's life.

Without hesitation, Su Ning used his Star Escape Technique to move a hundred feet to the side, leaving a deep crater where he had been standing, blasted out by the blood lightning.

Xiao Jinghong led three black-robed cultivators to surround and attack, each with an abnormal red light in their eyes.

"The Blood God Child of the Xuan Tianzi!" Zhou Zhiruo's voice transmission rang in her ears, "Be careful, they can self-destruct to injure the enemy!"

At that moment, a sudden change occurred in the center of the battlefield.

The two Saints of the Star Palace stood back to back, their hands simultaneously forming strange hand seals.

The void above their heads suddenly cracked open, and two real star-like phantoms slowly descended!

"Old ghost Bai, let's die together!" Ling Xiaotian laughed incessantly despite blood flowing from his seven orifices.

Wen Qing was speechless, staring intently at Old Ancestor Bai, his eyes filled with deep-seated hatred.

"Not good! It's a star falling to earth!" Old Ancestor Bai's expression finally changed, and a golden talisman flew out from his sleeve as he tried to escape.

But it's too late.

The two illusory star images collided with a deafening roar, unleashing an indescribable burst of light.

Within this light, matter, spiritual energy, and even space itself began to crumble.

The first to be affected were the two Saints of the Star Palace, who instantly vaporized. The White Ancestor's golden talisman only held out for a moment before being torn in half.

"Retract!" At the critical moment, Su Ning activated the Star Escape Boat with all his might.

The incomplete star map at the bottom of the boat was suddenly completed, transforming into a light shield that enveloped dozens of Taiyi Sect cultivators nearby.

The next moment, space distorted, and they were forcibly teleported thousands of miles away.

Behind them, a massive mushroom cloud rose from the sea where Tianxing City was located. Wherever the shockwave passed, islands sank and seawater evaporated.

When the light faded, all that remained was a deep abyss a hundred miles in diameter, with the swirling eddies formed by the backflow of seawater roaring like thunder.

……

One month later, at the temporary camp.

Suning stood on the edge of the cliff, gazing at the still-boiling sea.

The spiritual energy disturbance caused by that explosion has not yet subsided, and that sea area has become a forbidden zone of death.

“The Star Palace’s treasures have all been moved in advance.” Zhou Zhiruo walked to her side and handed her a jade slip. “But we found this in the secret chamber of the Holy Mountain.”

The jade slip contained astonishing information: the Star Palace, which has been passed down for ten thousand years, possesses a true treasure.

More importantly, it mentions the whereabouts of another celestial disc—the Netherworld!
"By the way, Xiao Jinghong's body has been found," Zhou Zhiruo added.

Suning gripped the jade slip tightly.

This war is far from over; it has only set the stage for a much larger conspiracy.

……

Grayish-black snow drifted over the ruins of Tianxing City...

Those are particles formed from the condensation of stardust and seawater after evaporation.

On the temporary floating platform erected by Taiyi Sect, Su Ning looked down at the huge vortex with a diameter of a hundred miles, the roar of the explosion from that day still echoing in his ears.

"Junior brother, the casualty figures have been tallied." Zhou Zhiruo's voice came from behind, tinged with unusual exhaustion. "Of the thirty Nascent Soul cultivators, fourteen have perished, and more than half of the Core Formation disciples have died or been injured. Uncle-Master Fentian's Nascent Soul... is shattered."

Su Ning gripped the railing tightly, the cold iron handrail twisting and deforming under his palm.

The price of this victory was too high. The final move of the Star Palace Twin Saints, "Starfall," almost destroyed a third of the Taiyi Sect's elite forces.

However, Su Ning was actually very happy at this moment, after all, both Burning Heaven and Xiao Jinghong were his enemies in the Taiyi Sect.

"Where's Master?"

“The Ancestor has returned to Taiyi Sect for seclusion.” Zhou Zhiruo pointed to the giant starship floating in the center of the camp. “It will take at least three years to recover. I really didn’t expect the Twin Saints of the Star Palace to choose to self-destruct.”

As they were talking, a quarrel suddenly broke out in the distance.

Xiao Wanshan, from the Xuan Tianzi lineage, was leading several elders in a menacing manner, and disciples gave way wherever they went.

“Junior Brother Xingchen!” Xiao Wanshan’s sleeves flashed with lightning patterns, but his voice was feignedly gentle. “The sect leader has ordered the entire army to retreat to the Great Jin for rest and recuperation.”

Suning's pupils constricted slightly.

Retreating now would be tantamount to handing over the Chaotic Star Sea to others, but looking at his wounded fellow disciples in the camp, he couldn't refute the suggestion.

"Senior Brother Xiao, shouldn't we wait for Master to answer this question..."

"Our ancestor is seriously injured, so the sect leader will now make the decision!" Xiao Wanshan suddenly raised his voice, making sure all the surrounding disciples could hear him clearly. "Does Qingming Peak intend to disobey the sect leader's order?"

Zhou Zhiruo secretly tugged at Su Ning's sleeve.

He then noticed that many unfamiliar faces had appeared around the camp, all of whom were sentries planted by Xuan Tianzi.

“…Yes, sir.” Su Ning gritted his teeth and agreed, but his mind was already made up.

Before leaving, he took a deep look into the depths of the vortex—where the Star Palace's greatest secret should be slumbering.

……

Inside the newly built blood-red hall of the Yinluo Sect on Jiyin Island.

Zhang Tie toyed with the skull-shaped wine cup in his hand, enjoying the "performance" in the center of the hall...

The Yin Ancestor was kneeling on the ground, his body covered in blood-red runes.

This infamous Nascent Soul demon was now trembling like a dog.

Although the Yin Ancestor had already recognized that the person in front of him was the demonic cultivator who had possessed Wu Chou, he dared not expose him now.

“Fellow Daoist of Extreme Yin, the conditions the sect leader promised you remain unchanged.” Zhang Tie took a sip of the blood wine in his cup. “Extreme Yin Island will maintain its autonomy; you only need to cooperate with the Yin Luo Sect’s actions.”

"Thank you so much for your mercy, Your Excellency..." The Yin Ancestor pressed his forehead to the ground, not daring to look at Zhang Tie's blood-red vertical pupils between his eyebrows.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

A black-robed cultivator strode in and whispered a few words in Zhang Tie's ear.

Zhang Tie's eyes flashed with a blood-red light, and he waved for everyone to step back.

When he was the only one left in the main hall, Zhang Tie took out a blood-stained mirror from his bosom.

Ripples spread across the mirror, revealing the blurred face of the Xuan Emperor.

"The plan is progressing smoothly." Xuan Tianzi's voice had a metallic quality. "Old Ghost Bai is seriously injured, and the Taiyi Sect's expeditionary force is about to withdraw."

"What does Fellow Daoist need my Yinluo Sect to do?" Zhang Tie licked his lips.

"Hold off Su Ning." The Xuan Emperor in the mirror sneered. "He knows too much about the Star Palace Ruins. We must not let him return to the Great Jin alive."

After the blood mirror went out, Zhang Tie remained silent for a long time.

He walked to the window, gazing in the direction of the Taiyi Gate camp, his fingers unconsciously stroking the scar on his cheek.

That scar was left on "Ugly Black's" face by Zhang Tie and Su Ning, when they fought side by side...

"Report!" Another cultivator burst in, "Traces of remnants of the Star Palace have been discovered! In the coral reefs three thousand miles to the southwest."

A strange light flashed in Zhang Tie's eyes: "Could it be Ling Yuling, the young master of the Star Palace?"

"Exactly! She was also with a dozen or so Star Palace disciples, seemingly searching for something."

“Interesting.” Zhang Tie stood up, his blood-red cloak billowing even without wind. “I will make the trip myself.”

In the northwestern part of the Chaotic Star Sea, a giant pleasure boat bearing the flag of the Heavenly Demon Sect slowly sailed into an unnamed harbor.

A young man in brocade robes stood at the bow of the ship, gently waving a folding fan in his hand, yet exuding a terrifying aura of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Senior Brother, the Chaotic Star Sea is indeed rich in spiritual energy." A bewitching female cultivator approached her. "No wonder the Taiyi Sect wanted to seize it."

As the most favored grandson of Old Demon Hu, the young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Hu Yanqing, was naturally arrogant and domineering.

He squinted at the distant horizon and said, "Grandpa said that the key to the ancient star palace is hidden here."

The same scene played out in various parts of the Chaotic Star Sea.

The Confucian cultivators of Haoran Pavilion occupied the eastern archipelago and set up the "Righteous Qi Yang Array" to purify the demonic energy; Yuling Sect drove giant sea beasts to sweep through the southern sea area; even the Jinghuo Sect, which had always been secluded from the world, sent out spies.

Most surprisingly, the Reverse Star Alliance, which was originally hostile to the Star Palace, suddenly split up.

The Six Paths Supreme Saint Wen Laomo disappeared without a trace with his core disciples, leaving the remaining peripheral disciples in chaos, who were then taken over by various forces.

“It’s all in chaos, complete chaos,” an old cultivator muttered to himself as he stood on the deserted island.

He stood on half of a Star Palace plaque, a once mighty force that dominated the chaotic star sea, now reduced to nothing but fragments.

On the eve of Taiyi Sect's retreat, Su Ning came alone to the rocky beach at the edge of the camp.

The tide crashed against the rocks, and the splashing waves shimmered like shattered silver in the moonlight.

"Come out," Su Ning suddenly said.

A slender figure emerged from the shadow of the reef.

Ling Yuling changed her usual fancy clothes and wore only the coarse cloth clothes of an ordinary fisherwoman, but she could not hide the sparkle in her eyes.

"Aren't you afraid I'll call for help?" Su Ning held the God-Slaying Spear in his hand, but showed no intention of making a move.

Ling Yuling smiled bitterly: "If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it long ago. That day when the explosion happened, you deliberately changed the direction of the Star Escape Boat to spare my life."

Silence spread between the two.

In the distance, the camp was brightly lit, and the disciples of the Taiyi Sect were making their final preparations for evacuation.

Ling Yuling suddenly said, "I want to live! Please grant my wish, senior."

Suning was startled.

This request was simple yet exceptionally honest; Suning has always been trying to survive.

"what do you want?"

“Cooperation.” Ling Yuling looked directly into Su Ning’s eyes. “I know the whereabouts of the other Celestial Star Disc, in the Netherworld. But there are…”

Before he could finish speaking, a bolt of blood-red lightning suddenly descended from the sky!

Ling Yuling narrowly avoided the danger, but the rock where she had been standing was shattered into dust.

"Who is it?" Su Ning roared, and the Star Escape Boat instantly enlarged.

The blood-red clouds in the night sky dissipated, revealing Zhang Tiejiao's figure stepping on the bone dragon.

Behind him stood a dozen or so Yinluo Sect cultivators, each with a bloodthirsty red glint in their eyes.

"Zhang Tie of Yinluo Sect." Zhang Tie's voice was both familiar and unfamiliar. In fact, he had already notified Su Ning, and now he was just putting on an act with Su Ning. "Hand over the remnants of Xinggong, and I will let you return to Dajin."

The God-Slaying Spear unleashed a blinding starlight, and Su Ning's answer was simple and direct: "Fight!"

In fact, Zhang Tie also wanted Su Ning to have a good fight, so he took the opportunity to fight in front of the Yinluo Sect cultivators.

At dawn, the Taiyi Sect's fleet slowly took off.

Standing on the deck of the starship, Su Ning gazed at the receding chaotic star sea below, clutching the jade slip left behind by Ling Yuling tightly in his hand.

In last night's encounter, he single-handedly held off Zhang Tie and the others, allowing Ling Yuling to escape once again.

Before leaving, she gave Suning a location coordinate.

"What are you looking at?" Zhou Zhiruo walked to his side and followed his gaze.

On the sea, the Yinluo Sect's blood-red flags have been planted all over the islands.

"Let's look at a new game." Su Ning put away the jade slip. "We're temporarily withdrawing, but the game seems to have just begun."

The moment the fleet entered the clouds, a hidden starlight flew out from Su Ning's sleeve and silently fell towards a certain place in the Chaotic Star Sea...

That was a communication token left for Han Li.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the Netherworld, Han Li held up the Moonstone, gazing at the enormous Netherworld Beast before him.

He constantly contemplated escaping this desolate place.

...(End of chapter)