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

The void was deathly silent.

The formless and intangible yet seemingly all-ending destructive energy slowly receded, like the tide receding, returning to Lin Xuan's body. The chilling gray aura surrounding him gradually faded, but deep within his profound black eyes, an eternal sense of annihilation seemed to be imprinted.

He hovered there silently, like the only reef standing after a celestial storm. His green robe was tattered and stained with blood, and he looked somewhat disheveled, but his aura was like that of a peerless, deadly weapon unsheathed, carrying a sharpness that made living beings tremble instinctively.

Ahead, the eight Void Star Beasts, which had once been ferocious and monstrous, were now like frightened lambs, their massive bodies trembling, their compound eyes filled with boundless terror. They stared intently at Lin Xuan, slowly retreating, their primal instincts screaming a warning that this tiny creature before them had become a far more terrifying being than themselves!

However, the ferocity and greed of the star beasts could not be so easily suppressed. Especially the two strongest star beasts, the giant lizard and the octopus, whose compound eyes began to flicker with hesitation and struggle after their initial shock. The core of their own kind, hovering not far from Lin Xuan and radiating the pure aura of stellar origin, held a fatal attraction for them.

Lin Xuan took it all in, his eyes as cold as ancient ice. He had only just begun to grasp a trace of the true meaning of destruction and needed a thoroughly satisfying battle to solidify it, as well as sufficient resources to heal his injuries and break through his bottleneck. These star beasts were no longer a threat to him, but rather… resources!

His gaze immediately locked onto the giant lizard-like star beast with bone spurs on its back. It was one of the two strongest among these star beasts, and the energy contained in its heart's essence must be the most abundant, making it the perfect catalyst for tempering oneself and breaking through to a higher realm!

"roar!"

Seemingly sensing the undisguised killing intent and lock-on in Lin Xuan's gaze, the giant lizard star beast let out a silent roar of fury mixed with fear. Knowing there was no way to retreat, its ferocity was fully unleashed! Its massive body shuddered violently, and all the bone spikes on its back instantly detached, transforming into dozens of bone spears burning with a ghastly white flame, shooting towards Lin Xuan like a torrential rain! Each bone spear contained a terrifying power capable of piercing stars, leaving long, distorted traces in the space it passed through.

At the same time, its massive mouth, filled with sharp teeth, opened, and a ball of extremely compressed, dark red energy rapidly condensed deep in its throat, emitting a destructive wave—its innate divine power, the Star-Splitting Roar!

Faced with this desperate attack, Lin Xuan's eyes remained unmoved. He did not use the depleted Destruction True Intent again, but merely raised his right hand.

In the blink of an eye, that newly comprehended Dao of Destruction, like the most exquisite catalyst, merged into his Foundation Establishment True Essence and Sword Qi.

Point your fingers forward like a sword.

"laugh!"

A deep, almost black sword aura burst forth. This sword aura was no longer the transparent or gray of the past, but seemed to devour all the surrounding light, carrying an aura of annihilation that signified the end of all things, as it met the sky full of bone spears.

There was no earth-shattering collision.

The dozens of bone spears, burning with pale flames and capable of easily injuring a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, seemed to have their energy structure disintegrate and collapse from the most basic level the moment they came into contact with the dark sword energy. The flames died down silently, and the bone spears themselves, as if eroded by billions of years, quickly became gray and fragile, then broke apart inch by inch, turning into ashes and scattering.

The jet-black sword energy continued its relentless advance, like an invitation from the Grim Reaper, ignoring the distance in space and striking directly at the center of the giant lizard star beast's forehead!

The giant lizard star beast let out a desperate roar. The dark red Star-Splitting Roar energy ball deep in its throat had not yet fully condensed before it was forced to explode prematurely, turning into a thick dark red beam of light that slammed into the deadly sword energy!

"Buzz—!"

The crimson beam of light collided with the pitch-black sword energy. The expected energy explosion did not occur. The crimson beam of light, which was powerful enough to tear apart small stars, was like a nemesis in the face of the Dao of Destruction. Its energy structure collapsed and annihilated from the core, and it completely dissipated in less than a breath.

Although the jet-black sword energy had dimmed considerably, it still stubbornly pierced through the residual energy waves and accurately struck the giant lizard star beast's forehead!

"puff!"

A slight muffled sound, barely audible in a vacuum.

The giant lizard's massive body stiffened abruptly, and the light in its savage compound eyes quickly dimmed and went out. A hole the size of a thumb appeared on its forehead; no blood flowed out, only a thick, grayish aura of death emanated from it, rapidly spreading throughout its entire body.

The next moment, its mountain-like body crumbled from the inside out, like weathered rock, silently turning into dark gray dust that filled the sky, following in the footsteps of the previous star beast.

Only three things remained: a core larger and more dazzling than the previous one; a drop of heart's essence blood, the size of a fist, suspended in the void, as clear as a ruby, radiating boundless life essence and stellar energy; and the thickest horn, gleaming with a cold metallic light.

One sword strike! A single sword aura infused with the Dao of Destruction instantly killed this powerful star beast that had one foot in the Golden Core stage!

This scene completely shattered the last psychological defenses of the remaining seven star beasts. The octopus star beast let out a terrified screech, waving its tentacles and tearing through space as it fled without looking back. The other star beasts were terrified and scattered like birds, instantly disappearing into the surrounding dark void, never daring to look back again.

Lin Xuan did not pursue. He had already achieved his goal of killing the giant lizard star beast, and he understood the principle of not pursuing a defeated foe, especially in this perilous starry sky.

He reached out and stored the larger star beast core, the incomparably precious drop of heart essence blood, and the unicorn horn into his storage artifact. The drop of heart essence blood, in particular, was warm to the touch and seemed to pulsate slightly as if it were alive; the energy it contained startled him.

After looking around and confirming that it was temporarily safe, Lin Xuan's gaze fell on a relatively large floating meteorite not far away. He moved swiftly and landed on it. This meteorite was dark in color and hard in texture, making it a perfect temporary foothold.

He sat down cross-legged, first taking out several healing pills he had obtained from his previous enemies and swallowing them. He then channeled his true energy to neutralize the medicinal power and repair the injuries in his body. He had previously withstood the attack of the star beasts, which had shaken his internal organs and caused some damage to his meridians.

The medicinal power dissolved, its gentle flow nourishing the wound. Simultaneously, Lin Xuan circulated his cultivation technique, his pores opening to absorb the sparse yet omnipresent stellar energy from the surrounding void. While far less efficient than spirit stones, it was better than nothing.

About half an hour later, his injuries stabilized and he recovered most of his condition.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, knowing the time was right. He took out the drop of the giant lizard star beast's heart essence blood.

The essence of blood floated before him, like a burning red star, exuding an alluring yet dangerous aura. It not only contained a massive amount of life essence and stellar power, but also retained a trace of the giant lizard star beast's berserk will.

Direct refining carries significant risks, but the potential rewards are equally enormous!

Lin Xuan's eyes were resolute, without any hesitation. He opened his mouth and inhaled, an invisible suction force enveloping the drop of heart's essence blood, swallowing it into his stomach!

"boom--!"

It was as if a star had exploded within his body! Incredibly violent energy erupted instantly, like a river bursting its banks, raging wildly through his meridians! The savage and ferocious will belonging to the star beast, like a bone-deep infection, attempted to erode his soul and assimilate him into a beast that knew only slaughter!

Lin Xuan groaned, his face instantly turning red, veins bulging on his body, and it felt as if countless tiny mice were scurrying beneath his skin. He dared not be negligent and immediately circulated his cultivation technique with all his might. The drop of liquid true essence in his dantian began to rotate at an unprecedented speed, emitting a powerful suction force, like a black hole in the universe, frantically devouring and refining the surging, violent energy.

His body seemed to have transformed into a battlefield, with the violent impact of the star beast's essence blood on one side and the stabilization and refinement of his own Dao foundation on the other.

Excruciating pain! A tearing, agonizing pain shot through his limbs and bones! But his Dao heart remained as firm as a rock, firmly guarding the clarity of his mind. No matter how the energy surged, he remained unmoved. The newly comprehended Dao of Destruction unexpectedly played a role at this moment. Any foreign energy or remnant will that invaded his meridians and attempted to destroy him was easily disintegrated and purified upon contact with that aura of annihilation, like ice and snow melting away, leaving only the purest essence.

The refining process is painful and slow.

Lin Xuan could clearly feel his meridians being constantly damaged by the impact of the violent energy, and then rapidly repaired under the nourishment of pure life energy, becoming wider and more resilient. His bones, flesh, and internal organs were all undergoing a complete baptism and transformation, evolving towards a more perfect form.

The drop of liquid true essence located in the dantian began to expand and solidify at a visible speed after absorbing a massive amount of pure energy! Its color also became deeper, as if a nebula was beginning to be conceived inside.

After an unknown amount of time, the violent energy transformed from that drop of heart's blood was finally completely subdued and refined.

And at this very moment—

"Buzz!"

It was as if some barrier within Lin Xuan's body had been broken! The drop of liquid true essence in his dantian, which had more than doubled in size, suddenly trembled and unleashed a suction force several times stronger than before! In the surrounding void, the sparse stellar power, as if summoned by a king, converged at an unprecedented speed, forming a small energy vortex that surged into his body.

His aura began to rise steadily!

The bottleneck that was originally in the early stage of Foundation Establishment was suddenly broken through under the impact of this overwhelming force!

Mid-stage Foundation Establishment!

A powerful surge of spiritual energy emanated from him, causing the dust on the meteorite beneath his feet to rise into the air. His tattered blue robe fluttered and rustled even without wind. His already handsome face now possessed an added air of majesty and profundity.

He slowly opened his eyes, his pupils gleaming with a sharp light, like stars in the dark night. Feeling the increasingly vast and surging Foundation Establishment True Essence within his body, a sense of abundant power welled up within him.

Not only did his cultivation level break through, but his physical strength also increased significantly due to the tempering of the star beast's essence blood. Now, with his physical body alone, he could probably withstand the attacks of an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. That trace of destructive Dao aura also became more solid and refined during this refining process.

He stretched out his hand, palm facing upwards, and with a slight thought, a wisp of pitch-black true essence, infused with the Dao of Destruction, danced at his fingertips, emanating a chilling aura.

"Mid-Foundation Establishment... True Meaning of Destruction... This starry sky truly is my place of destiny!"

He muttered to himself, a cold smile curving his lips. His gaze returned to the direction indicated by the star compass, where the starlight over Chenxi Ancient City seemed to have grown even brighter.