Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

The milky white halo, like a gentle stream, slowly merged into Lin Xuan's deep sea of ​​consciousness.

It was the final sigh of a vanished civilization, an amber formed from countless fragments of faith and the dust of time. The refining process was not a forced absorption of power, but rather a dialogue spanning millions of years. Lin Xuan used his unbreakable Dao heart as a boat to sail through this sea of ​​spiritual relics, peeling away the fanatical prayers and desperate wails, and absorbing the purest spiritual essence and ancient knowledge about this starry sky.

His soul was nourished as if by sweet rain. His divine sense, which had been slightly damaged by the long-distance transmission, not only fully recovered but also became more refined and sharp. The "Remnant of Civilization" crystal finally turned into dust at his fingertips and dissipated with the wind, but the fragments of history it carried were imprinted in Lin Xuan's heart.

"So, this place is one of the abandoned nodes of the 'Ancient Road to Bury Stars'... The beings worshipping here are not specific deities, but rather 'star spirits' in the dark, or rather, manifestations of the laws of the universe." Lin Xuan opened his eyes, starlight swirling in them, his understanding of this star field becoming much clearer.

The Celestials answered their prayers, bestowing knowledge and power, but this also attracted an inexplicable gaze, ultimately leading to calamity. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, who can say for sure?

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the now completely dimmed altar. His business was done; it was time to leave. Staying in such a barren and desolate place would be of no benefit to his cultivation.

However, just as he was preparing to take to the skies to continue exploring this ancient star, Mars, and searching for other possible clues or a way to leave, an extremely faint energy fluctuation, yet completely out of place with its surroundings, stirred up a ripple at the edge of his divine sense, which had expanded to its limit, like a stone thrown into an ancient well.

This fluctuation... is not inanimate; it carries the unique spiritual energy of magical artifacts, and there's more than one!

There are other people on this ancient planet! And they are fighting!

Lin Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. Without the slightest hesitation, his figure flickered and transformed into an almost transparent phantom, blending into the background of the dim yellow sky and the crimson earth. Like a ghost, he silently slipped away towards the direction from which the fluctuations came.

About three thousand miles away from the crater where the altar was located, there was an even more fragmented land. It was as if countless meteorites had once fallen here, smashing the surface into countless holes and forming a vast cluster of meteorite craters.

In the center of the largest of the impact craters, the remains of a colossal creature are embedded diagonally.

That was clearly a ship!

A colossal ship, its entire body dark and seemingly forged from some unknown metal, stretched for thousands of feet. Most of its structure was broken, twisted, and even melted, covered in terrifying impact marks and wounds as if ripped open by giant claws. Like a stranded, dying cosmic beast, it lay there silently, radiating an ancient, dilapidated yet subtly dangerous aura of oppressive power.

This was the "star debris" that Lin Xuan sensed with his divine sense—a magical artifact capable of navigating the boundless starry sky, at least at the level of a spiritual treasure, or even higher. Judging from its degree of damage and style, it was definitely not a contemporary artifact; it was probably a relic lost or crashed here in some ancient era.

At this moment, a fierce battle is unfolding around the remains of this celestial body.

The two sides in the battle were three cultivators, two men and one woman, all dressed in identical silver star robes, and all at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, and their spells complemented each other, clearly indicating they belonged to the same sect and were skilled in combined attacks. Chains of starlight flew from their hands, weaving into a net that enveloped their opponents.

Their opponent was a burly, bronze-skinned, shirtless, bald man. This man was clearly at the late Foundation Establishment stage, his aura wild and fierce, his muscles bulging, and a faint earthy-yellow aura swirling around him. Every punch he threw carried the force to shatter mountains and split rocks, smashing the starlight chains until their light trembled wildly. He seemed to be a body cultivator, possessing exceptional close-combat abilities.

The core of the struggle between the two sides is an item that floats above the broken deck of the star debris.

It was a compass, roughly the size of a palm, dark gold in color, and with an ancient design. The edge of the compass was engraved with celestial markings, and at its center, instead of a pointer, was a slowly rotating, miniature nebula-like halo of light. At this moment, it emitted a soft and stable spiritual light, trembling slightly amidst the shockwaves of the two spells—clearly a celestial artifact of considerable quality!

"Barbarian Stone! This 'Star Compass' was first discovered by our Star Pivot Sect! Don't make a mistake!" Among the three silver-robed cultivators, the leader, a young man with a cold face, shouted sharply. His hands moved in a series of hand seals, and the starlight chains coiled around the bald man's legs like venomous snakes.

"Bullshit!" The bald, burly man named Man Shi laughed wildly, his fan-like hand grabbing directly at the chains. A burst of earthy yellow light flashed, and he actually crushed the chains. "Treasures of nature belong to the virtuous! This dilapidated ship has been dead here for who knows how many years. Whoever finds it gets it! Take this!"

He suddenly threw a punch, and the violent fist wind solidified into a physical form, roaring like an earth dragon as it charged towards the three silver-robed cultivators.

The three disciples of the Star Pivot Sect changed their expressions and hurriedly joined forces to set up a starlight shield.

"boom!"

Fist and shield clashed, producing a deafening roar. The starlight shield shook violently, fine cracks appearing on its surface. The three disciples staggered back several steps, their blood churning, their faces pale. The difference between the late and mid-stage Foundation Establishment realms was clearly revealed in this head-on clash.

"Senior brother, this can't go on! This barbarian is incredibly strong, and a prolonged battle would be disadvantageous for us!" the only female cultivator in silver robes anxiously transmitted her voice.

The cold-faced young man's eyes were gloomy; he was well aware of the situation. He had thought that the three of them working together would easily take down a lone body cultivator, but he hadn't expected the opponent to be so troublesome. His gaze swept over the dark golden compass, a hint of greed and resentment flashing in his eyes. This star-traveling compass was clearly an important magical artifact for ancient star navigation; if they could obtain it, it would be of immense benefit to their exploration of this unfamiliar star field.

"Form the 'Three Enclosures Trapping Star Formation'! Trap him, then retrieve the compass!" the cold-faced youth ordered through gritted teeth.

Upon hearing this, the other two immediately changed positions, and the three of them stood in a triangular formation. They continuously made hand seals, and streams of starlight surged from their bodies, intertwining in the air and quickly forming a starlight cage covering an area of ​​a hundred feet in diameter. Countless tiny runes flowed on the cage walls, emitting a powerful sealing force.

"Hmph! A mere trick!" Man Shi roared, his muscles bulging once more, and the earthy yellow light burned like flames as he unleashed both fists, frantically bombarding the starlight cage.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The cage trembled violently, the starlight flickering, seemingly on the verge of collapse, yet it was incredibly resilient, and for a time it trapped the barbarian stone inside.

"Quick! Get the compass!" the cold-faced young man shouted, while he focused all his efforts on maintaining the formation.

Upon hearing this, another male disciple immediately transformed into a beam of starlight and shot towards the dark golden compass on the deck.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the compass—

A faint, ethereal figure, seemingly oblivious to the distance in space, arrived silently beside the compass.

The newcomer was dressed in a green robe, with black hair and black eyes, and a handsome face; it was none other than Lin Xuan.

He seemed not to see the Star Pivot Sect disciples rushing towards him, nor did he care about the trapped barbarian stone below or the two people maintaining the formation. He simply calmly reached out and grabbed the dark golden compass.

"Who goes there?!"

"court death!"

The Star Pivot Sect disciple was both shocked and enraged. In an instant, a starlight longsword materialized in his hand, which he swiftly thrust towards Lin Xuan's back. The cold-faced young man and the female cultivator below also paled. They hadn't expected the mantis to stalk the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, and that the oriole had appeared so strangely.

Faced with this ruthless sword strike, Lin Xuan didn't even turn around.

His left hand was still reaching for the compass, while his right hand casually flicked his sleeve behind him.

There was no earth-shattering sound, only a gust of extremely concentrated wind swept by.

"Snap!"

The starlight sword shattered into pieces like glass. The Star Pivot Sect disciple who had attacked was struck as if by a heavy blow; his chest caved in, and he flew backward, spitting out blood, crashing heavily into the distant ruins. His fate was unknown.

With a casual flick of his sleeve, he severely injured a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator!

This scene caused everyone present to gasp in shock.

The array maintained by the aloof young man and the female cultivator froze instantly.

The barbaric stone trapped in the formation also stopped bombarding the cage. Its large, copper-bell-shaped eyes were fixed on Lin Xuan, and for the first time, a solemn expression appeared on its face. It was certain that it could defeat a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, but it could never do so easily.

Lin Xuan's hand had already grasped the dark golden star-tracking compass.

The compass felt slightly heavy and cool to the touch. A stream of information flowed naturally into his mind, instantly making him understand its use. It was an auxiliary magical artifact used for celestial positioning and navigation, and even for avoiding dangerous celestial places to a certain extent. Its grade was at least a high-grade spiritual artifact, which was a godsend for him at the moment.

"Who are you? Why are you interfering in the affairs of my Star Pivot Sect?" The cold-faced youth suppressed his shock and shouted, his voice sharp but his heart weak. He couldn't see through Lin Xuan's cultivation level, but that move he just made was definitely far beyond the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Lin Xuan slowly turned around, his gaze calmly sweeping over the people present before finally settling on the aloof young man. His eyes were as deep as the starry sky, without the slightest ripple, yet they carried an invisible pressure that made the aloof young man's breath catch in his throat.

"This item is destined for me."

His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

"You bastard! You..." The silver-robed female cultivator couldn't help but speak, but was sternly stopped by the cold-faced young man with a look.

Man Shi spoke in a muffled voice from inside the starlight cage: "Kid, you've got some skills! But I've also got my eye on this compass! If you're so capable, let me out, and we'll have a fight. Whoever wins keeps it!" Although he was serious, his fighting spirit remained undiminished, revealing the combative nature of a body cultivator.

Lin Xuan turned his gaze to Man Shi, and a barely perceptible smile seemed to appear on the corner of his mouth.

"As you wish."

Before he finished speaking, he pointed his fingers like a sword and casually slashed downwards.

An invisible yet incredibly sharp sword aura appeared out of thin air and struck a specific point in the starlight cage with pinpoint accuracy.

"Sizzle—"

Like cloth being torn apart, the "Three Enclosures Trapping Star Array" set up by three mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators broke in response! The starlight instantly dissipated, turning into specks of firefly light and disappearing.

Man Shi broke free of his restraints, paused for a moment, then roared wildly. His entire body shone with an earthy yellow light to its maximum, and he charged towards Lin Xuan like a cannonball. His right fist slammed out, shattering the air and creating a sonic boom.

"Take this punch, it will shatter stars and shake mountains!"

This punch, imbued with all the power of his late-stage Foundation Establishment realm cultivation, was enough to flatten a small hill.

Faced with this earth-shattering punch, Lin Xuan remained standing, neither dodging nor avoiding it. He didn't even use any magic; he simply raised his left hand slowly, his fingers slightly spread, to meet the fist that was powerful enough to shatter mountains.

Under the incredulous gazes of the cold-faced youth and the silver-robed female cultivator, the fist containing terrifying power came to a steady stop in front of Lin Xuan's palm.

When fists and palms collided, there was no earth-shattering explosion as expected, only a dull sound, as if striking ancient black iron.

The violent force of the punch vanished without a trace, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

Lin Xuan's hand remained completely still. Not even the hem of his clothes was ruffled by the force of the punch.

The arrogance on Man Shi's face froze instantly, replaced by utter horror. He felt as if his punch had not struck flesh and blood, but rather slammed into an unfathomable barrier of space!

"His strength is passable, but his technique is crude."

Lin Xuan gave a casual comment and gently clenched his left hand.

"Snap!"

There was a heartbreaking sound of bone cracking.

"Ah!" Man Shi let out a painful groan, as if he had been hit by a high-speed stellar debris. He was sent flying back at an even faster speed than he had come, crashing heavily into the crimson earth below, carving a deep trench a hundred meters long. Dust billowed up, and then all was silent.

A wave of the hand defeats the mid-game, a clenched fist ruins the late-game!

The area around the entire stellar debris was deathly silent.

The two remaining disciples of the Star Pivot Sect were deathly pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Their gazes toward Lin Xuan were filled with boundless fear.

Lin Xuan didn't even glance at the barbaric rock in the deep pit; his gaze fell once more on the cold-faced young man and the female cultivator.

"You, too, want to compete with me?"

His voice remained calm, but to the two of them it was colder than the chilling winds of the deepest hell.

The cold-faced young man swallowed hard, pulled the terrified female cultivator beside him, and without hesitation, bowed deeply, his voice hoarse:

"Senior, please forgive us! We were blind! This compass is rightfully yours! We will leave now and would never dare to disturb you again!"

After saying that, he didn't even dare to straighten up. He grabbed the female cultivator and staggered away into the distance, not even caring about his unconscious companion. He just wanted to escape this terrifying place as quickly as possible.

Lin Xuan did not stop them and let them leave.

He lowered his head, caressing the cool, dark gold star compass in his hand, his divine sense sinking into it. The nebula halo at the center of the compass slowly rotated, creating a subtle resonance with several specific stars in the distant sky. A series of clearer, more comprehensive star coordinates gradually emerged in his mind.

"Finally, there is a guiding light."

He murmured to himself, looking up at the endless starry sky beyond the dim yellow sky, a glimmer of light called "goal" flashing in his deep eyes.