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

The Sky-Splitting God Clan, Ancestral Star, Divine Flame Palace.

This is a magnificent palace suspended within the blazing star, built upon its core and drawing upon endless light and heat. Liquid golden flames flow within, their temperature sufficient to instantly vaporize ordinary golden cores. Yet, the atmosphere within the palace is even more scorching and oppressive than that of the star's core.

In the center of the hall, on a huge light screen made of pure flames, the five bright spots that originally represented Elder Jin Yan and his hunting team suddenly went out almost at the same time! Like candles being extinguished by an invisible hand, they left no warning or struggle message.

Before the light screen stood three figures clad in crimson-gold divine robes, their bodies surrounded by flames of law, their auras as vast as a cosmic storm. They were none other than the current rulers of the Rift God Clan—three Nascent Soul stage Divine Venerables!

The Grand Elder in the center, "Burning Heaven God," had his face shrouded in pulsating divine flames, obscuring his features. Only his eyes, like two small suns, burned with a fury powerful enough to incinerate galaxies.

"Golden Flame... the Soul Lamp has been extinguished." The voice of the Burning Heaven God was deep, yet it caused the flames in the entire Divine Flame Palace to pause. "Along with Silver Wing, Nether Moon, Iron Mountain, and the entire Golden Feather Warship... the entire army was wiped out."

"The Black Annihilation Star Belt... According to the last blurry image fragments transmitted back, it's that junior named Lin Xuan!" A cold-faced deity on the left, known as the "Blazing Sun Deity," spoke with killing intent and disbelief. "How could a Foundation Establishment junior possibly turn the tables and kill a well-equipped hunting team led by a Golden Core cultivator? Without even having time to send out any useful information?"

The deity on the right, whose aura was relatively gentle but whose eyes were equally sharp, known as the "Sun God," said in a deep voice, "This child must possess a shocking secret! That strange destructive power is definitely not an ordinary inheritance. Jin Yan and the others have probably underestimated him, or rather... this child's growth rate far exceeds our expectations!"

"Whatever his secrets may be!" The Burning Heaven God Venerable slammed his flaming throne, causing the entire star to tremble. "He killed my divine elder and annihilated my hunting squad! This is a blatant provocation against my Rifting Heaven God Clan! If we don't tear him to pieces and extract his soul, how can our clan maintain its prestige?! How can we stand firm in the star field?!"

The terrifying pressure of the Nascent Soul cultivator was almost tangible, sweeping across the entire temple and causing many Golden Core elders standing in the distance to feel difficulty breathing and their minds to tremble.

"Issue the order!" The voice of the Burning Heaven God Venerable resounded throughout the temple like thunder. "Issue the 'Crimson Star Order,' listing this boy as a top-level wanted target of the Divine Race, with the bounty doubled! Inform all vassal forces that anyone providing concrete clues will be richly rewarded! Anyone who dares to harbor him will have their entire clan exterminated!"

"Yes!" An elder immediately accepted the order and left.

"However, Elder," said the Blazing Sun God Venerable, frowning, "this boy is cunning and ruthless, with unpredictable strength. He has suffered repeated losses; even ordinary Golden Core elders might not be able to secure victory. Must we personally take action?"

If a Nascent Soul God Venerable personally hunts down a Foundation Establishment junior, then the Rift God Clan will truly become a laughing stock in the entire star field.

Flames flickered in the eyes of the Burning Heaven God, who remained silent for a moment before coldly saying, "Naturally, there's no need for us to take action ourselves. It's time for the younger generation of our clan to go out and see some blood. Summon 'Cloud Radiance'!"

Yunhuang!

Upon hearing this name, a strange light flashed in the eyes of many elders in the hall.

Yun Huang, one of the most outstanding true disciples of the Rift God Clan in the present era, was born with the "Burning Heaven Battle Body," and the purity of his bloodline rivals that of the first ancestor! At only a hundred years old, he has already cultivated to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, only one step away from the Golden Core stage! His combat power is overwhelming; he has challenged and defeated several veteran early Golden Core cultivators, and is hailed as a genius that the God Clan has not seen in a thousand years. He is one of the strongest contenders for the next clan leader!

It would be most appropriate for him to take action!

In an instant, a figure appeared in the center of the temple as if teleported. The newcomer was tall and imposing, with a handsome, sculpted face, fiery red hair, and eyes that shone with golden light. He exuded an aura of absolute dominance. It was Yun Huang!

He did not bow respectfully like the other elders, but simply nodded slightly, his voice clear and melodious with a hint of arrogance: "Yun Huang greets the three divine beings."

"Yun Huang," the Burning Heaven God Venerable's gaze fell upon him, carrying a hint of expectation, "You already know of Elder Jin Yan's demise. The murderer, Lin Xuan, is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, possesses a strange and destructive inheritance, and his combat power far surpasses that of his peers. He is suspected of having the ability to kill enemies beyond his level. Are you willing to go and take his head, thus upholding the prestige of my divine race?"

Yun Huang's lips curled into a confident yet chilling smile, his eyes burning with fighting spirit: "A mere wild cultivator who stumbled upon some fortuitous opportunity dares to cause our clan repeated setbacks? Rest assured, three Divine Lords, within ten days, I will bring him his head!"

His tone was full of absolute confidence, as if killing Lin Xuan was as easy as taking candy from a baby.

"Good!" The Burning Heaven God Venerable nodded in satisfaction. "This journey is perilous; Lin Xuan is indeed strange. To ensure our safety, I hereby grant you permission to use the 'Burning Heaven Halberd'!"

Heaven-Burning Halberd!

Upon hearing this name, even the usually aloof Yun Huang's eyes flashed with fervor. That was one of the treasured artifacts of the Rift God Clan, a low-grade spiritual treasure! It contained the power to scorch the heavens and boil the seas, and only those with pure divine blood and the approval of their ancestor could wield it! With this halberd in hand, his strength would be comparable to that of a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator!

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yun Huang bowed solemnly, this time with more sincerity.

The Sun God Venerable added, "Based on the last clue, the target was last seen in the Black Annihilation Star Belt, and may have then traveled to the Quicksand Star Belt or even deeper. This is all the information currently known about Lin Xuan, including a sample of his spiritual energy aura (collected from the Battlefield of the Ancient Star of Mars) and his general appearance. You must be careful; this boy is cunning and treacherous. Do not repeat the mistakes of Jin Yan."

A jade slip burning with flames flew towards Yunhuang.

Yun Huang accepted the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and memorized all the information. His arrogance remained undiminished: "Before absolute power, any trickery is futile. The three Divine Venerables should await good news!"

Without another word, he turned and vanished from the Divine Flame Palace in a single step. The next moment, he appeared in the boundless starry sky beyond the ancestral star, holding in his hand a dark red halberd, its blade wreathed in eternal, inextinguishable divine flames—the Heaven-Burning Halberd!

With his battle halberd in hand, Yun Huang's aura became even more terrifying, the surrounding void slightly distorting under his pressure. He determined his direction, then transformed into a streak of crimson-gold light tearing through the starry sky, hurtling towards the Black Annihilation Star Belt! His speed far surpassed that of the previous Golden Feather Warship!

Watching Yun Huang's departing figure, the Divine Lord of the Blazing Sun nodded slightly: "With Yun Huang taking action and the Heaven-Burning Halberd assisting, there should be no chance of failure."

The Sun God frowned slightly: "I feel there's something strange about this matter. That Lin Xuan... has grown too fast. I hope Yun Huang won't be too overconfident."

Flames flickered in the eyes of the Burning Heaven God, eventually transforming into a chilling killing intent: "No matter what strange things he may have, under the Burning Heaven Halberd, he will only be reduced to ashes. The majesty of my Rifting Heaven God Clan cannot be desecrated!"

……

Meanwhile, far off the edge of the Dark Annihilation Belt, behind a desolate, dead star.

Lin Xuan sat cross-legged beneath a giant rock, his aura growing increasingly profound and restrained. His virtual divine core was fully focused on analyzing a fragment of the Nine Revolutions Divine Flame Body, a core body-refining technique of the Sky-Splitting Clan, obtained from Elder Jin Yan's spoils. Although it was only a fragment, the methods within, such as drawing upon the fire of stars to refine one's own body, were quite instructive for him in tempering his physical form and further solidifying his foundation.

Suddenly, a subtle warning fluctuation emanated from the virtual deity. It did not come from an external threat, but rather from its vague deduction of the causal threads in the dark.

Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes, and deep within his pupils, it seemed as if a river of stars was flowing.

"An even stronger pursuer... is coming?"

He could sense a scorching, domineering, and hostile thread of cause and effect spreading from an extremely distant star field toward his location at an astonishing speed.

"It seems... it carries something extraordinary." Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling not fear but rather a long-lost... excitement.

Fighting against the strong and seeking breakthroughs between life and death—this is his path!

He opened his palm, and on his palm, a drop of primordial liquid, like a liquid star, floated, radiating a powerful energy fluctuation.

"Come on, let me see how much the true teachings of the Sky-Splitting God Clan really amount to."

He opened his mouth and swallowed the Star Essence Liquid. It was time to make further preparations for the upcoming great battle.