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

Absolute silence is the eternal theme of the starry sky.

Leaving behind the last ripples of the thin atmosphere of the ancient star Mars, Lin Xuan felt as if he had leaped into an endless, inky ocean. Behind him, the crimson, lifeless star had transformed into a giant disc in his field of vision, slowly and steadily shrinking, like a reef receding from the shore at low tide.

All around, in front, behind, above, below, left, and right, was boundless darkness. Only in the far distance, the stars, some bright, some dim, some large, some small, shone like diamonds set in black velvet, radiating a cold and eternal brilliance. Nearby, occasionally, drifting meteorites could be seen, varying in size and strange in shape, like icebergs adrift in the ocean, silently telling the story of this star field's antiquity and desolation.

Sound cannot travel through a vacuum, and the flying light loses its whistling sound as it cuts through the air. Only the faint hum of true energy flowing within the body and the cold, hollow feedback returned when divine sense sweeps across the void remain. This is a loneliness that can drive the weak-willed mad, as if one is the only person left in the entire universe.

But Lin Xuan's Dao heart was as firm as a rock, unyielding through the ages. His deep black eyes reflected the magnificence and desolation of this vast starry sea, and he felt no fear or loneliness whatsoever, but rather a sense of ease like a fish in water. His mind resonated with the boundless void, and the mysterious ability originating from the "Projection of All Heavens" seemed to become more active in this environment.

He circulated his spiritual power according to the method of "Gathering Stars Technique", perfectly concealing his aura. He also deliberately suppressed the pale blue escape light to a minimum, like a speck of dust, silently gliding forward along the star path guided by the star-tracking compass.

The star-tracking compass hovered about a foot in front of him. On its dark golden surface, the halo of nebula rotated steadily, guiding him and constantly detecting subtle changes in the surrounding environment. The compass indicated that this star path was relatively stable, with gentle spatial folds and few spiritual energy disturbances, a safe passage explored by predecessors.

However, safety is always relative.

A journey through the stars is tedious and lengthy. Time loses its everyday meaning here, and can only be roughly measured by the circulation of true energy within the body. He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps a day, perhaps several days. Lin Xuan remained highly vigilant, his divine sense acting like an invisible radar, spreading outwards from himself into the surrounding void.

Suddenly, the halo of the central nebula on the steadily rotating star compass trembled slightly, emitting a barely audible warning hum that could only be perceived by Lin Xuan through their mental connection.

Almost at the same time, Lin Xuan's divine sense, expanded to its limit, detected an unusual spatial ripple coming from a very far distance to his right!

The ripples were not naturally formed spatial folds, but rather seemed to be the result of some enormous creature roaming in the void, stirring up the sea of ​​space!

Lin Xuan's pupils suddenly contracted, and his escape light instantly froze, hovering in the void. He had pushed the *Gathering Star Technique* to its limit, his entire being seemingly annihilated, even the last trace of his life force perfectly concealed. His gaze, sharp as a sword, pierced the darkness, fixed intently on the void from which the unusual fluctuations emanated.

coming!

The next moment, the previously empty darkness to the right began to ripple like water. Then, a massive shadow slowly "squeezed" out of the void!

It was a creature whose size was beyond description!

Its size, at a rough glance, was comparable to a small mountain range! Its entire body was covered in a dark, meteorite-like carapace, covered with ancient and ferocious patterns, as if it had witnessed countless births and deaths of stars. Its shape somewhat resembled the manta rays Lin Xuan knew, with a flat and broad body, its edges as thin as blades, reflecting a cold, eerie light under the starlight. At the front of its body, there was no obvious head, only several pairs of enormous, black-hole-like compound eyes, coldly scanning the void. A tail thousands of feet long, like a giant python, slowly swayed behind it, each sway causing the surrounding space to slightly distort.

It made no sound, but the primal, ferocious aura that originated from the instinct of life swept over like a tangible tide, causing Lin Xuan to feel a pang of fear even from a great distance.

"Void Star Beast..." The name instantly flashed through Lin Xuan's mind. He had learned this from the information attached to the Star Compass and the fragments of memories from that vanished civilization. These were terrifying creatures born in the starry sky, feeding on stellar matter, meteorites, and even the essence of weaker stars! They were the overlords of the starry sky, the nightmare of countless cultivators traversing the void!

Judging from the oppressive aura emanating from it and its size, the strength of this creature before us has definitely reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and may even have touched the threshold of the Golden Core stage! In particular, its thick carapace and the physical power that stirs up space are enough to make any Foundation Establishment cultivator feel despair.

The Void Beast didn't seem to notice the perfectly concealed Lin Xuan immediately. Its numerous pairs of compound eyes coldly swept across the airspace, its massive body moving gracefully and slowly through the void, as if surveying its territory. It opened its enormous maw, as deep as an abyss, and with a gentle inhale, several floating meteorites containing faint metallic energy were drawn in by an invisible force, tumbling into its mouth. There, it was ground into dust by its teeth, sharp enough to crush diamonds, and devoured completely.

Lin Xuan held his breath and focused his mind, minimizing his presence as much as possible, as if he had become one with the void itself. He did not want to clash with this troublesome celestial behemoth; if he could quietly avoid it, that would be the best outcome.

However, it is counterproductive.

After devouring several meteorites, the Void Star Beast seemed unsatisfied. Its multiple pairs of compound eyes suddenly turned towards Lin Xuan's direction! Although Lin Xuan was extremely well concealed, the vast life essence and pure Foundation Establishment True Essence within him were like a lighthouse in the darkness for this energy-sensitive star beast, radiating an irresistible allure!

"We've been discovered!"

Alarm bells rang in Lin Xuan's mind!

Almost the instant the star beast's gaze fell upon it, its massive body suddenly swung violently, its previously slow, meandering motion abruptly transforming into a ferocious attack! Its blade-thin edge sliced ​​through the void without making a sound, yet it created a visible, distorted, transparent ripple—a highly compressed and condensed spatial blade!

"Sizzle—"

The blade of space, moving at a speed exceeding that of a beam of light, traversed a vast distance and slashed fiercely toward Lin Xuan's hiding place! Wherever it passed, even starlight seemed to be severed, leaving behind a brief trail of darkness.

There's no way to avoid it!

A fierce glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes, knowing that concealment was useless. Without hesitation, the pale blue light around him suddenly erupted, like a blue star suddenly lighting up in the starry sky! The "Gathering Star Technique" was instantly deactivated, and the powerful aura of the early Foundation Establishment stage was released without reservation!

Facing the spatial blade powerful enough to easily slice a mountain in two, Lin Xuan neither dodged nor evaded. The drop of liquid true essence within his body spun wildly, and a surge of powerful spiritual energy flowed into his right fist. His fist was instantly covered with a jade-like luster, and fine, stardust-like runes faintly flowed beneath his skin.

"break!"

He let out a low shout, and the incantation resonated within his body, enveloped in true essence. His right fist met the invisible blade of space head-on, striking out fiercely!

A silent explosion occurred eerily in the vacuum.

Where the fist collided with the spatial blade, a blinding light and violent energy turbulence erupted! The transparent spatial blade shattered as if it had crashed into an ancient, immovable reef, turning into countless tiny spatial fragments that scattered in all directions, cutting several unfortunate meteorites nearby into countless holes.

Lin Xuan merely swayed slightly before regaining his footing. His fist, gleaming with a jade-like luster, remained completely unharmed!

His punch, imbued with Foundation Establishment True Essence and formidable physical strength, actually shattered the spatial blade unleashed by the Star Beast!

This scene seemed to enrage the Void Star Beast. A hint of fury, provoked by an ant, flashed in its many pairs of compound eyes. It stopped its ranged attacks, and its massive body suddenly accelerated, like a black mountain range, crushing towards Lin Xuan! Even before it got close, the terrifying pressure was like falling stars, suffocating everyone.

It opened its abyssal maw, and this time, instead of devouring meteorites, it generated an indescribable, terrifying suction force!

"Buzz—"

The space around Lin Xuan instantly became viscous and distorted, as if he had sunk into a swamp. A tremendous pulling force acted on him, trying to drag him and his protective aura into that endless, dark maw! Even the light in the distance was noticeably bent under this suction force.

Lin Xuan's eyes turned icy. He knew he could no longer hold back. This star beast was far more troublesome than any opponent he had encountered before.

With a thought, the "destructive sword intent" that had been nurtured deep within his dantian was activated.

"Clang!"

A clear, melodious sword cry seemed to resonate from the depths of his soul, piercing through the barrier of the vacuum and echoing clearly in Lin Xuan's mind.

With fingers joined like a sword, the intent of destruction is concentrated!

A hazy, unremarkable sword aura burst forth from his fingertips. This sword aura lacked any dazzling light effects; instead, it carried an aura of annihilation, a sense of the end of all things and the return of the universe to nothingness. Wherever it passed, even the void seemed to groan in sorrow, and the terrifying suction force melted away like snowflakes in spring the instant it came into contact with the sword intent!

The sword energy wasn't fast, but it carried a will that locked onto cause and effect and was certain to hit. Ignoring the distance in space, it appeared directly on the forehead of the Void Star Beast—in front of the center point where the several pairs of compound eyes converged!

Sensing a deadly threat, the Void Star Beast let out a silent roar, its massive body twisting wildly in an attempt to evade, its dark carapace emitting a dense black light, forming a thick defensive layer.

However, it was useless.

The hazy sword energy, like a red-hot iron cutting into butter, easily pierced through the dark light defense that was strong enough to withstand a full-force attack from a Golden Core cultivator, and silently entered the star beast's forehead.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The massive body of the Void Star Beast, which was charging forward, suddenly froze. The rage and ferocity in its many pairs of compound eyes instantly solidified, and were then replaced by endless ashes and emptiness.

The next moment, starting from its forehead, gray cracks spread rapidly like a spider web, instantly covering its massive, mountain-like body. Within the cracks, there was no blood, only pure ash, a symbol of destruction and end.

Silently, this powerful Void Star Beast, whose body was comparable to a small mountain range, disintegrated inch by inch like a sand sculpture weathered over billions of years, turning into the finest cosmic dust and drifting away into the cold void.

Only a fist-sized, crystalline core, radiating a soft starlight and seemingly containing flowing liquid, remained in place.

Lin Xuan reached out and drew the core into his hand. A pure and powerful force, rich in the essence of stars, emanated from it.

"Star beast cores... are actually good materials for body tempering or cultivating certain stellar divine abilities."

He retracted his core and calmed the slightly turbulent blood and qi within his body. Unleashing the Destruction Sword Intent was a considerable burden for his current cultivation level.