Start from a baby to become a Taoist

Chapter 530 Annihilation of an Entire Clan!
Page 538

"Okay." Xu Ran uttered a single word, and in a flash, he appeared before the enormous Ruins Ark.

He looked at this masterpiece, which embodied the collective efforts of the entire Guixu Domain, and a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

“An ark without a ‘spirit’ is ultimately just a lifeless object.”

He extended his right hand, palm facing up.

hum!
The ancient bronze fragment slowly emerged.

Compared to ten years ago, the illuminated area on the bronze fragment has expanded slightly. The complex star map has become clearer, and the radiance flowing across it is even more profound.

"I bestow upon you the spirit of battle with the Divine Court's War Seal!"

"I bestow upon you the spirit of life through the Great Dao of Returning to Nothingness!"

"With my Dao Lord's mark, I awaken your spirit!"

Xu Ran's voice, like a divine decree, resounded throughout the world.

He pointed his fingers like a sword and lightly slashed across the bronze fragment!
laugh!
He extracted a faint, yet incredibly powerful, ancient aura, brimming with supreme fighting spirit, from the fragment. It was a wisp of the will of the "Divine Court" itself, which he had captured while comprehending the scene of the "Battle of Burying Heaven"!

Immediately afterwards, light emanated from between his brows, and a wisp of "Return to the Void Heavenly Heart Imprint," containing his insights as a half-step Dao Lord, flew out.

Under his guidance, the two beams of light, like two yin-yang fish, chased and circled each other, eventually merging perfectly into a gray-gold, incomparably profound rune.

"go with!"

Xu Ran flicked his finger, and the rune instantly disappeared into the bow of the Ruins Ark.

Rumble——!
At this moment, the entire Ark of Return to Nothingness seemed like a colossal beast awakening from its slumber, unleashing a roar that shook the entire world!

A mighty will was born, grew, and strengthened from the Ark!
On the ship's hull, countless inscriptions of the *Primordial Return to the Void* lit up one after another, forming gray divine chains that pierced through the entire ark. A unique aura, possessing both the iron-blooded fighting spirit of the Primordial Divine Court and the ever-renewing vitality of the Great Dao of Return to the Void, permeated the air.

It came to life!
"From this day forward, your name is 'Pioneer'," Xu Ran bestowed upon it the name.

"Om-!"

The Pioneer emitted a cheerful hum, as if responding to its creator.

"Issue my decree!" Xu Ran's voice echoed throughout every corner of the Guixu Domain.

"Heavenly Stone God Lord Cangshi, Prison-Suppressing Bone King Zhenshan, heed my command!"

"Disciple/Subordinate is here!"

"I order you two to each select ten of your most elite Dao Kings, one hundred Dao Generals, and three thousand Dao Soldiers to form the 'Pioneer Guard.' Board the ship immediately and accompany me on... the expedition!"

These words caused an instant uproar throughout the Guixu Domain!

expedition!

The day has finally arrived!

Countless soldiers raised their heads, their eyes filled with boundless longing and fighting spirit. Those chosen were none other than the most courageous and meritorious individuals of the past decade. With their heads held high and chests puffed out, amidst the envious gazes of their comrades, they transformed into streaks of light, flying in an orderly fashion towards the "Pioneer" suspended in the sky.

"Zidian, after I leave, you will guard the Guixu Domain. The Daoist Ladder and the Merit System must not be neglected for even a day. When I return, I want to see a stronger Guixu!"

"Zidian will not fail my lord's trust!" Zidian bowed deeply, knowing that his mission was equally important.

As the last Dao soldier boarded the deck, Xu Ran's figure appeared at the bow of the "Pioneer." He glanced back at the world he had created with his own hands and saw those faces filled with hope and trust.

He didn't say anything more, but slowly raised his hand.

"Pioneers, set sail!"

"Target—Divine Court's Seventh Outpost!"

boom!
The massive Pioneer, its stern spewing brilliant chaotic flames, propelled its mountain-like body slowly into the air.

With a thought, Xu Ran opened a huge gap in the sky of the Guixu Domain once again.

This time, instead of being humiliated by the invasion from the outside world, we will take the initiative and sail towards that unknown dark starry sea as conquerors!
……

Cold, deathly silent, vast.

This is the eternal theme of the dark universe.

The Pioneer sailed through the boundless void, enveloped in a faint gray halo. This was the Guixu Grand Array operating on its own, completely isolating the chaotic cosmic energy and deadly void rays from the outside world.

On board, the 3,322 members of the Pioneer Guard showed neither novelty nor fear despite being in the Star Sea for the first time. Some sat cross-legged in meditation, others polished their weapons, and still others practiced combat techniques. The entire deck was filled with a chilling and silent atmosphere.

This is the iron-fisted discipline of the Guixu Domain, which has long been imprinted on the soul of every one of them.

Xu Ran stood at the bow of the ship, his gaze piercing through the endless darkness, looking towards the direction indicated by the star chart. The bronze fragment hovered before him, emitting a faint light, guiding them.

“My lord,” Celestial Stone God Lord Cangshi came from behind him, “at our current speed, we are still about three ‘star-moon’ journeys away from the ‘Seventh Outpost’ marked on the star map.”

The star-moon is a rough unit of time in the dark universe. It is calculated based on the orbital cycle of certain giant celestial bodies with stable tidal forces. One star-moon is roughly equivalent to one year in the mortal world.

"No rush." ​​Xu Ran's voice was calm. "This star field is not as peaceful as it seems. The Calamity King is just one of the weakest hyenas wandering in this dark forest."

His words sent a chill down Cang Shi's spine.

Sure enough, after they had been sailing for about half a star and moon, a strange area appeared in the darkness ahead.

It was a vast and boundless "stellar debris belt," where countless fragments of broken stars, massive warship ruins, and even the skeletons of some unknown behemoths floated silently, forming a natural labyrinth that exuded an ominous aura.

"My lord, should we take a detour?" Zhenshan stepped forward, his fighting spirit barely contained.

“No need.” Xu Ran’s gaze fell into the depths of that star debris belt. “Something is waiting for us.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Activated Will of the Pioneer emitted a warning buzz.

In that silent asteroid belt, massive meteorites, each over a hundred miles in diameter, seemed to have come alive! Their outer shells had peeled away, revealing metallic muscle tissue beneath, and enormous single eyes gleaming with scarlet light!
These are not meteorites at all, but a cosmic behemoth disguised as a meteorite!
“It’s a ‘Star Rock Worm’!” Cang Shi’s expression changed slightly. “According to ancient records, this behemoth is brutal, enjoys eating flesh and energy, and is a social creature!”

Roar--!
As if to confirm his words, hundreds of Star Rock Worms simultaneously let out a silent roar. Their roars directly affected the soul level, turning into sharp shockwaves that swept over.

The Dao soldiers on the Pioneer felt a sharp pain in their heads, but immediately the text of the "Primordial Return to Emptiness Scripture" imprinted on the ship's hull lit up, and a peaceful Daoist rhythm flowed, easily dissolving the soul impact into nothingness.

"Form ranks!" Zhenyu Bone King Zhenshan roared, and the hundred kings and three thousand soldiers behind him instantly moved. They formed profound battle formations in small teams of ten and medium teams of one hundred. The power of the Void flowed and converged among them, forming an inseparable whole.

"A bunch of mindless beasts, how dare you block my path to the Void!" Zhenshan's fighting spirit soared. He took a step forward, and the Calamity Throne beneath him instantly transformed into a stream of light, carrying him out of the Pioneer's protective shield.

"war!"

With a mighty slash, the Bone King Battle Axe in his hand swept across the distance!
A crimson axe light, ten thousand feet long and carrying endless power of punishment, slashed fiercely at the foremost Star Rock Worm.

puff!

The star rock worm's incredibly tough shell was cleaved open by this axe, leaving a huge wound from which dark green blood gushed out.

Roar!
The excruciating pain enraged the Star Rock Worm. It opened its massive maw and unleashed a dark red beam of destruction towards Zhenshan.

The mountain-suppressing creature neither dodged nor evaded; the throne of calamity shone brightly, forming a skull barrier that forcefully withstood the attack.

"kill!"

Behind him, the Hundred Kings led their battle formations, like sharp knives, plunging fiercely into the swarm of worms.

In an instant, energy beams and battle array lights shone brightly in the starry sea, and a fierce battle broke out.

The battle formation of the Guixu Dao soldiers was exquisite, combining offense and defense. However, the number of Star Rock Worms was simply too great, and they were thick-skinned, tough, and fearless. For a time, the battle reached a stalemate.

"My lord, should I intervene?" Cang Shi inquired. The power of the Divine Fire Realm was enough to change the course of the battle.

"No need." Xu Ran's gaze, however, passed over the chaotic battlefield and looked towards the deepest part of the Star Debris Belt.

"The real behemoth hasn't come out yet. These worms are just its 'tentacles'."

Upon hearing this, Cang Shi followed his gaze and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Deep within the asteroid belt, a colossal shadow, over ten thousand miles in diameter, slowly began to move. Within that shadow, two crimson lights, larger than stars and filled with savagery and hunger, shone forth.

That was the true mother of these Star Rock Worms! A being that had slumbered for countless years, whose strength had likely reached the Great Perfection of the Divine Fire Realm, and perhaps even touched the threshold of the Divine Furnace Realm... the "Lord of Star Bones"!
It was awakened by the vitality of the Pioneer and the battle to pacify the mountains.

A pressure far more terrifying, primal, and violent than that of the Calamity King swept in like a tsunami.

Zhenshan and all the Dao soldiers, who were engaged in a fierce battle with the worm swarm, felt their bodies sink, as if their souls were about to be crushed by that terrifying pressure.

"Insects... dare to... awaken... the great... Krat!"

A fragmented yet supremely majestic will resounded in everyone's minds.

The Queen Mother has awakened!

Its unimaginably enormous body began to break free from countless stellar debris, and the gravitational tides it created as it moved caused the surrounding stellar remains to shatter.

"It's over..." A Dao General's face turned deathly pale. "How could we possibly..."

A sense of despair began to spread.

However, at that moment, Xu Ran finally moved.

He didn't look at the awakened Queen Mother, but instead addressed the Zhenshan warriors who were engaged in a fierce battle, speaking calmly:
“Zhenshan, your path lies in war and punishment. What you lack is not power, but the unstoppable force that can destroy everything… a ‘god’.”

"Look closely, what is... the Battle Mark!"

Xu Ran slowly raised his right hand, forming a hand seal that was completely different from the one he had used to pierce through the Guixu Heavenly Dome back then.

This seal is no longer the "Heaven-Opening Seal" that created the world, but is filled with endless killing and bloody conquest...

"Divine Court Battle Seal, Second Form - Breaking Army!"

hum!
A more solid and complex gray-gold battle seal, than before, took shape in his palm. The moment this battle seal appeared, a terrifying will, seemingly capable of shattering the heavens and slaughtering gods and demons, erupted!

Even the awakened Queen Mother had a flicker of instinctive fear in her two huge scarlet eyes.

"go."

Xu Ran gave it a gentle push.

The "Broken Army Seal" transformed into a stream of light, ignoring the distance in space, and instantly appeared above the Queen Mother's head.

boom! ! !
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only utter silence.

Before everyone's horrified eyes, the "Broken Army Seal," no more than a hundred feet in size, was imprinted on the Queen Mother's head, which was ten thousand miles in size.

The next moment, centered on the battle seal, gray-gold cracks spread like a spider web across the Queen Mother's entire body!
"No...this...is...what...power..."

At this moment, the Queen Mother's powerful will was filled with fear and bewilderment. Her indestructible body, which could not be damaged even by the explosion of a star, was as fragile as porcelain before this small battle seal.

Click——!
A crisp sound, as if it came from the depths of the soul, rang out.

The Star Lord, whose size rivaled that of a star and whose aura was enough to make even a Divine Fire Realm expert tremble, along with all its Star Rock Worms, shattered into the purest cosmic dust in that instant.

One seal, the army is broken!

One seal, an entire clan wiped out!
The entire battlefield instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Whether it was Zhenshan, Cangshi, or the more than three thousand Guixu Dao soldiers, they all stared blankly at this scene, their minds completely blank.

Is this... the true power of my lord?
In the blink of an eye, a terrifying behemoth comparable to the Divine Furnace Realm was annihilated!
Zhenshan stared blankly at the empty star field, Xu Ran's words and the supreme will contained in the "Broken Army Seal" echoing in his mind.

“I understand…” he murmured to himself, his eyes shining with an unprecedented light.

"My way of punishment should not be merely about reprimand, nor merely about protection... but rather about destruction! For my lord, vanquish all enemies in the path ahead! This is my 'god'!"

boom!
The bottleneck within his body shattered with a roar!
A divine fire, belonging to him and filled with iron will and fighting spirit, blazed fiercely from the depths of his soul!
Zhenyu Bone King Zhenshan, on the battlefield of the star sea, witnessed the divine might of his lord, broke through in battle, and advanced to the realm of divine fire!

Xu Ran watched all of this with a calm expression.

This Lord of the Stars is just right to be used as "fuel" for Zhenshan's breakthrough.

He withdrew his gaze, and the Pioneer set sail again, passing through the now-dusted star debris belt, continuing its journey towards the unknown distance.

(End of this chapter)