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

A year is but a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of things.

The Silent Star Abyss, an ancient and desolate place located at the junction of the Tianfeng Starfield and the Xuanhuang Star Boundary, is shrouded in gray-black chaotic energy year-round, like a hideous scar on the universe that never heals, exuding an aura of destruction that makes people hesitate to approach. However, at this moment, this once desolate edge of the starfield is showing unprecedented "prosperity" and hustle and bustle.

There is still more than a month until the legendary "Xuan Gang Star Shift" and the official manifestation of the Nine Tribulations Immortal Palace. However, in the void surrounding the Star Abyss, countless flying magical artifacts, war fortresses, and even enormous star beast mounts have already floated up! Spiritual light flashes, banners wave, and powerful auras intertwine and collide, forcing back the originally pervasive chaotic airflow.

Lin Xuan, riding an inconspicuous cyan escape light, quietly arrived at this gathering place of powerful figures. He was still wearing that cyan robe, his aura concealed to the late Foundation Establishment stage, blending seamlessly into the vast torrent of cultivators from various star fields. Only his deep, star-like black eyes calmly surveyed this chaotic stage.

The virtual deity operates silently, like the most sophisticated detector, capturing and analyzing massive amounts of information around it.

The Rift God Clan's camp was the most conspicuous, with three crimson-gold "Golden Feather Warships" arranged in a triangular formation, like three miniature suns, radiating a scorching and domineering pressure. On the warships, besides numerous elite God Clan guards, Lin Xuan also sensed two subtle yet incredibly powerful auras, at least those of elders in the late Golden Core stage! They weren't deliberately searching, but their divine senses, spread out like a net, carried undisguised killing intent, clearly indicating they hadn't given up on pursuing him.

The cultivators of the "Netherworld Ghost Palace" were like shadows from the deepest abyss, gathered around a massive ghost ship constructed of countless bones and vengeful spirits. A chilling wind howled, and ghostly wails echoed. Leading them was a figure shrouded in a wide black robe, his face obscured. His aura was cold and eerie, seemingly one with the surrounding laws of death; he was clearly a powerful ghost cultivator in the late Golden Core stage! It was said that the conditions offered by the Sky-Splitting God Clan had even tempted these beings who dealt with death year-round.

The guests from the "Ten Thousand Beasts Demon Court" were quite different in style. They didn't ride magical artifacts, but instead directly rode various powerful and rare celestial beasts. A thunder roc with wingspans that blotted out the sky, a serpent coiled around an asteroid belt, a qilin engulfed in ghostly blue flames... These beasts exuded a primordial and ferocious aura, and the figures standing on them mostly retained some demonic characteristics, their blood and qi surging, their demonic power soaring to the heavens. At the head of the group, a golden-eyed giant stood with his arms crossed at the head of the thunder roc, his aura wild and untamed, in no way inferior to the elders of the Sky-Splitting God Clan.

Besides these three hegemonic forces invited by the Sky-Splitting Clan, there were also many powerful sects, cultivation families, rogue cultivators, and infamous Star Sea bandits from various star regions who had been alerted by the news!

Lin Xuan saw cultivators from the "Xuanhuang Star Realm" dressed in dark yellow Daoist robes, their auras upright and peaceful; he saw members of the "Mechanical God Cult" shrouded in a suit of light combining technology and psionic energy; he saw the "Ancient Witches" clan from a remote star field, with totem tattoos and primitive beliefs; and even some powerful alien beings of various shapes and forms, not humanoid...

Foundation Establishment cultivators are as common as dogs, and Golden Core cultivators are everywhere!

Golden Core cultivators, rarely seen in ordinary times, are commonplace here. Occasionally, one can even sense a few wisps of aura, as obscure as an abyss, that send shivers down one's spine – those are Nascent Soul elders hidden even deeper! They may not act easily, but their very existence is an invisible deterrent, making the situation in this area even more complex and unpredictable.

"Look! That's 'Little Celestial Master' Zhang Daoyi! The most outstanding successor of this generation at Longhu Mountain in the Xuanhuang Star Realm, said to have reached the Pseudo-Core stage, with divine lightning magic!" "That aloof girl over there, isn't that 'Moon Fairy' Leng Ningshuang from the Guanghan Immortal Palace? Tsk tsk, that aura, that cultivation, also a Pseudo-Core!" "And that one carrying the sword box, isn't that 'Shadowless Sword' Xiao Buyu? A legend among rogue cultivators, countless souls have perished under his sword, I didn't expect him to come too!" "Look over there! 'Blood Butcher' is here too! This killing star..."

The virtual divine spark continuously fed back information it had captured about certain renowned prodigies or powerful figures to Lin Xuan. These young prodigies were all extraordinary in their aura and profound in their foundations; they had clearly come for the inheritance of the Nine Tribulations Immortal Mansion and were formidable rivals vying for this opportunity.

More often, however, are like Lin Xuan, concealing their appearance and aura, hidden among the crowd as "hidden dragons." No one knows whether those seemingly ordinary cloaks conceal strength and secrets that could shock the world.

A complex atmosphere, a mixture of tension, anticipation, greed, and danger, permeated the air. A fragile balance remained between the various factions, each wary of the others, maintaining a semblance of peace for the time being. But everyone knew that this calm was merely the calm before the storm. Once the Immortal Abode officially opened, this balance would be shattered instantly, unleashing a bloody storm that would engulf everyone!

Lin Xuan found a relatively secluded spot in the asteroid belt, set up a simple concealment array, and sat quietly in meditation. He didn't communicate with anyone, nor did he reveal anything special. Here, the title of "Starry Sky Killer" might intimidate some people, but it was more likely to attract a relentless and frenzied attack from the Sky-Splitting God Clan, as well as many other unnecessary troubles. Hiding in the shadows was the wisest choice at the moment.

His gaze would occasionally sweep over the churning chaotic currents deep within the Star Abyss. The virtual godhood was working diligently to analyze the energy structure and law fluctuations there, attempting to glimpse the mysteries of the "Ninefold Calamity Annihilation Array" in advance.

As time passed, more and more cultivators gathered, and the outer perimeter of Star Abyss was almost completely filled with people and magical artifacts. Friction and conflict also began to appear sporadically. In order to compete for better observation positions, or because old grudges erupted here, battles occurred almost every day. Blood and death had become the norm here.

The undercurrents are growing increasingly turbulent.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the decisive moment to arrive.

On this day, Lin Xuan was meditating with his eyes closed when a strong warning suddenly came from his virtual divine core! It wasn't directed at the outside world, but originated from within himself!

He suddenly opened his eyes and felt that the spiritual power of his Foundation Establishment Perfection stage, under the intertwining of various forces such as the Destruction True Intent, Divine Blood Essence, and Star Essence Liquid, was showing signs of spontaneously condensing and collapsing towards the center! The drop of dark golden liquid true essence in his dantian was shimmering with light, and the speed of the creation and destruction of the nebula inside suddenly accelerated, as if something was about to be born!

This is... a sign that the nascent Golden Core is about to spontaneously condense!

Lin Xuan's heart skipped a beat. He knew that with his spiritual power still somewhat impure, if he hastily condensed his golden core at this moment, its quality would inevitably be low, and it might even leave hidden dangers that would affect his future path!

"It must be suppressed! The core must not be formed before entering the Star Tower Secret Realm!" He immediately activated the power of the Virtual Godhood and the Destruction Sword Domain to forcibly suppress and guide the restless spiritual energy, delaying the condensation process.

However, this sudden turn of events made it even more urgent for him to enter the Star Tower Secret Realm as soon as possible.

Just as he suppressed the restlessness within him—

"Buzz!!!"

A buzzing sound, seemingly from the ancient wilderness and shaking the soul, resounded without warning throughout the entire outer perimeter of the Silent Star Abyss!

Everyone looked up at the same time, gazing into the depths of the Star Abyss.

The previously slowly swirling, gray-black chaotic energy began to surge violently as if boiling! A colossal gate of light, its color indescribable and imbued with the aura of endless calamity and destruction, slowly materialized from the center of the chaotic energy, gradually revealing its majestic and ancient outline!

The Nine Tribulations Immortal Abode—is about to open!

In an instant, countless powerful divine thoughts and greedy gazes, as if they were tangible, locked onto the light gate that was taking shape!