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

A streak of blue light pierced the dim sky of the ancient star Mars, leaving the crater filled with slaughter and strife far behind.

Lin Xuan did not rush to undertake a long-distance interstellar journey. Instead, after flying tens of thousands of miles and finding a relatively secluded natural stone forest formed by the impact of a huge meteorite, he landed.

He needed a quiet place to thoroughly refine the newly acquired Star Compass and digest the information it contained. Star travel was no child's play; the slightest mistake could lead to being lost in eternal nothingness or stumbling into some forbidden land, never to return.

Inside the stone forest, jagged rocks and wind-eroded holes seemed to groan, adding to the desolation. Lin Xuan sat cross-legged under a huge, sheltered stone pillar, and waved his hand to set up a few simple warning and concealment barriers. Although he didn't expect them to stop powerful enemies, they were enough to provide early warning if he was disturbed.

After doing all this, he took out the dark gold star compass again.

As he held the compass, that cool touch and restrained spiritual energy returned. Previously, he had only undergone preliminary refinement, understanding its basic functions; now, he was about to delve into its core and grasp all the secrets it might hold.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and his pure Foundation Establishment True Essence flowed gently into the compass like a tranquil stream. At the same time, his divine sense, which was far more powerful and refined than that of other cultivators of the same level, transformed into countless tiny tentacles, cautiously probing the intricately complex core of the restrictions within the compass.

"Buzz—"

The compass trembled slightly, its dark golden luster seemingly activated, flowing endlessly. The nebulous halo at its center suddenly accelerated its rotation, emitting an even more hazy and profound radiance.

The refining process is far more complex than imagined.

This compass is of extremely high quality, with layers upon layers of internal restrictions, like a vast starry sea, interlocking one another. Many of its structures are ancient and unfamiliar, vastly different from the weapon-forging techniques of the Azure Netherworld, and it even contains a faint, almost imperceptible, sense of spatial laws. If Lin Xuan hadn't possessed a powerful divine soul and hadn't witnessed the civilizations and knowledge of many strange races through the "Projection of All Heavens," he probably wouldn't have even been able to grasp the basics.

He was not impatient; his mind was calm and still, like the most patient craftsman, meticulously untangling the complex restrictions and imprinting his divine sense onto the core of the compass.

Time slipped away silently.

As the refining process deepened, more and more information, like an unsealed scroll, appeared before Lin Xuan's "eyes".

First, there is an incredibly vast, yet severely incomplete... star map!

This star map was not a static image, but rather unfolded slowly in his mind in a dynamic, three-dimensional way. Countless points of light represented known stars, star fields, nebulae, and some special celestial bodies. They were not evenly distributed, but rather clustered into areas that were either sparse or dense, separated by some relatively "empty" dark zones.

These clustered areas are called "star fields".

Lin Xuan quickly located his approximate position—a dim area on the edge of the star map, marked "Ancient Road to Burial of Stars." This area appeared fragmented on the star map, with many stars having gone out, representing death or resource depletion. Only a few scattered points still flickered with a faint light, one of which was "Yinghuo Ancient Star" beneath his feet.

The ancient coordinates he obtained corroborated the information recorded by the compass itself, pointing to a clear goal: to leave the desolate "Ancient Road to Bury Stars" and enter a place called "Heavenly Wind Starfield".

His divine sense "looked" at the Tianfeng Starfield. It was a starfield far larger, brighter, and more vibrant (relatively speaking) than the "Ancient Burial Road of Stars." Countless points of starlight twinkled within it, some dazzling, some soft, and some carrying a dangerous red glow or a ghostly green representing deadly poison. Within the starfield, there were also many routes marked with special symbols, which should be relatively safe travel channels, known as "Star Roads."

On the edge of the "Tianfeng Starfield", near the entrance of the "Ancient Road to Bury Stars", a point of light called "Chenxi" was specially marked, next to which was a small phantom mark of an ancient city.

"Chenxi Ancient City..." Lin Xuan murmured to himself. The information indicated that this was a gathering place for cultivators built on a giant meteorite (or a small planet), jointly controlled by several Golden Core cultivators. It served as a transit point and supply depot for cultivators from several peripheral areas like the "Burial Star Ancient Road" entering the Tianfeng Starfield. There were fixed star roads leading to more prosperous areas within the starfield, and cultivators from all directions traded, exchanged ideas, or issued missions there.

Without a doubt, for Lin Xuan, who has just stepped into the starry sky and is eager to learn about a wider world and acquire resources, Chenxi Ancient City is the most ideal destination at present.

Besides this macroscopic star chart, the compass also stores a lot of fragmented but valuable information:

• Star Markers: Many stars have brief annotations next to them, such as "Abundant in 'Star-Patterned Steel'", "Accompanying Star of 'Void Vine'", "Nest of 'Crimson Flame Golden-Eyed Beast', Dangerous", "Sea of ​​'Phantom Sands', Easy to Get Lost", etc. These are all experiences left by previous explorers, which are extremely valuable for finding resources and avoiding risks.

• Dangerous Area Markers: Areas are marked in striking red or black on the star map, such as "Spatial Turbulence Zone," "Stellar Storm Zone," "Ancient Battlefield Ruins (Rich in Malevolent Energy)," and "Suspected Inhabitation of a Star Beast." Even a Golden Core cultivator would face a near-certain death if they ventured into these places.

• Territory of Influence: In some core areas within the Tianfeng Starfield, the star map vaguely marks the territories of influence of several powerful forces. Although the information is incomplete and the names are vague, such as "Xuanhuang Star Realm", "Ten Thousand Demon Ancestral Court", and "Netherworld Ghost Mansion", it still gives Lin Xuan a very basic understanding of the structure of this starfield.

• Compass Functions: After thoroughly refining it, Lin Xuan gained a more thorough understanding of the Star Compass's functions. It could not only navigate known star paths, but also detect the spiritual energy fluctuations and spatial stability of surrounding stars within a certain range, and even provide early warnings of certain celestial disasters. Its core nebula halo seemed to absorb stellar power, slowly replenishing its own energy, and was not entirely dependent on spirit stones for operation.

When the final core restriction was successfully imprinted by Lin Xuan's divine sense, the entire Star Compass emitted a clear, resonant hum, as if it had completely awakened. The dark golden light subsided, and the operation of the central nebula became incredibly natural and harmonious, establishing a close, almost visceral connection with Lin Xuan.

Only then was the Star Compass completely mastered by him, and he could use it as easily as his own arm.

Lin Xuan opened his eyes, and in his deep pupils, it seemed as if a river of stars flowed, reflecting the vast star map he had just seen. He gently stroked the now warm and smooth compass, and the path ahead was clear in his heart.

Destination: Chenxi Ancient City.

He stood up, his gaze piercing through the cracks in the stone forest, looking towards the endless void beyond the dim yellow sky. With a clear direction, with a compass for navigation, there was no need to linger on this desolate ancient star, Mars.

After estimating the distance, according to the compass, even flying along a relatively safe star path from Yinghuo Ancient Star to Chenxi Ancient City at his current speed would take quite a while, and he might have to pass through several areas that required careful handling.

"I need to make some preparations." With a thought, Lin Xuan took out the storage bag he had obtained from killing the effeminate man and the scarred man.

A quick mental probe revealed their considerable wealth. The two men were quite well-off, especially the effeminate man, whose storage bag contained nearly ten thousand low-grade spirit stones and over a hundred mid-grade spirit stones. There were also several bottles and jars filled with various pills, mostly for healing and restoring spiritual energy, and a few bottles that were clearly antidotes and the poison itself for the peach blossom miasma. As for magical artifacts, besides the destroyed folding fan and double halberds, there were some ordinary-quality flying swords and shields.

What interested Lin Xuan most were the jade slips the two had collected. Most of them contained basic observations of the starry sky, low-level spells, and a very simple, crude star map that only covered a small part of the "Ancient Road to Bury Stars." Compared with the information in the Star Compass, they were worlds apart.

However, within one of the jade slips, Lin Xuan found a secret technique called "Star Concealing Technique." This technique was not for combat, but rather for concealing one's aura in the starry sky, simulating the fluctuations of stellar radiation, in order to hide one's form and evade the perception of certain celestial beings.

"It's quite practical." Lin Xuan nodded slightly. The starry sky is fraught with danger, but not all dangers come from cultivators. This secret technique perfectly compensates for some of his current shortcomings.

Without delay, he immediately began to study the "Gathering Stars Technique." With his comprehension and Daoist heart, understanding this not-too-profound secret technique was not difficult. In less than half a day, he had already grasped its basics.

He activated his magic technique, rapidly concealing his aura and making his spiritual energy fluctuations extremely weak. He seemed to blend into the surrounding crimson rocks and the environment of the ancient star Yinghuo, almost undetectable unless carefully examined with his divine sense.

"The effect is acceptable." Lin Xuan stopped the incantation with satisfaction.

Preparations were complete. He removed the restrictions, and his figure once again transformed into a streak of azure light, soaring into the sky.

This time, he did not linger above the ancient star, but flew straight towards the outside of the dim yellow sky!

The higher they flew, the thinner the air became, until it disappeared completely, and gravity rapidly weakened. They were enveloped in an absolute vacuum and icy cold. Looking back, the crimson sphere of the ancient planet Yinghuo, covered in ring-shaped scars, hovered in the darkness behind them, slowly rotating, appearing lonely and desolate.

Ahead lies an endless, pitch-black universe dotted with countless glittering points of light.

Cold and lifeless, yet it contains infinite possibilities and magnificence.

Lin Xuan hovered in the starry sky, his green robes cascading silently in the vacuum, his black hair as dark as ink, his eyes remaining calm. He took out the fully refined Star Compass, the nebula halo at the center of the compass slightly shifting, pointing in a specific direction.

In the depths of the starry sky in that direction, a point of light, slightly brighter than the surrounding stars and carrying a hint of warmth, became clear in the compass's perception—that was the location of the ancient city of Chenxi.

"Set off."

He silently chanted in his heart, and his Foundation Establishment True Essence circulated, transforming into a pale blue stream of light that enveloped his entire body. Like an arrow released from a bow, he resolutely shot towards the deep and unknown ocean of stars, following the star path guided by the Star Compass.

The ancient star Yinghuo behind them, and everything that happened on it, has become the past.

---