“Then we kill our way in!”
Grand Profound Sword Revered’s Sword Robe moved without wind, and the Sword Qi around his body suddenly solidified into a white frost, as he said sternly.
“That’s the only way! The Netherworld has just invaded the Demon Abyss and is still suppressed by the Demon Abyss’s will. Forcing our way in now is the best time!” Star Dome Old Ancestor’s white beard moved without wind, and the Starry Sky rotated in his eyes as he said in a deep voice, “However, Eternal Demon God and Black Vulture Demon God have probably become pawns of the Netherworld. We need more Fellow Daoists to help!”
Hearing this, Grand Profound Sword Revered frowned, feeling quite troublesome: “Phoenix is recovering from injuries, Yu Lin suddenly chose to enter secluded cultivation, and that old mudskipper, Azure Emperor, is missing. The helpers we can find right now are truly limited.”
“I know Azure Emperor’s whereabouts. I will ask him to come out of seclusion.” A Star Jade Slip flew out of Star Dome Old Ancestor’s sleeve, outlining a vast Star Chart in the Void Realm: “However, even with him, it might not be enough to suppress the Netherworld’s power!”
Grand Profound Sword Revered’s gaze was like lightning: “Who else is missing?”
“You go and see if you can invite these three.” Star Dome Old Ancestor’s fingertips tapped on three spots on the Star Chart, and immediately three golden lights shot into the sky.
“Mind Clarity Holy Monk of Great Light Temple—his Indestructible Buddha Body can resist the erosion of Netherworld Qi; the Thunder Prison Venerable who Cultivates in the Extreme West Thunder Abyss—his Cultivated Nine Heavens Divine Thunder can break evil and sly; and Celestial Venerable Fentian, who is in secluded cultivation deep within the Southern Fire Mountain—his Pure Yang True Fire can burn away Netherworld Mist.”
After a pause, Star Dome Old Ancestor added with a slight headache: “However, these three have been living in seclusion for tens of thousands of years… they won’t be that easy to invite!”
“At this moment, the survival of the Three Realms is at stake. If they still refuse to come out of seclusion, then don’t blame this Revered for being merciless with his sword!” Grand Profound Sword Revered’s Sword Eyebrows slightly raised, and a cold gleam surged in his eyes, while the Sword Casket behind him trembled incessantly.
Hearing this, Star Dome Old Ancestor gave a wry smile. Seeing Grand Profound Sword Revered’s Sword Intent soaring, he was afraid that his temper was too hot and would ruin things, so he quickly advised: “Sword Revered, wait! I have tokens left by three Fellow Daoists back then, which might be able to help you.”
As Star Dome Old Ancestor spoke, he spread his sleeve, and three spiritual objects emerged in the starlight, all floating towards Grand Profound Sword Revered:
A gilded Buddha Seal landed first, with eight-treasure lotus flowers carved on its knob, and faint Sanskrit chants could be heard;
A purple thunder talisman followed closely, with fine electric sparks flickering on its surface, occasionally emitting soft crackling sounds;
Lastly, a piece of crimson jade token, crystal clear throughout, with what seemed like flowing magma inside.
Grand Profound Sword Revered frowned slightly, but still reached out to take them. The moment the three tokens entered his hand, the sharp Sword Qi around him involuntarily softened a few points.
“This is…” Grand Profound Sword Revered gently stroked the lotus patterns on the Buddha Seal, a rare hint of remembrance appearing on his face.
Star Dome Old Ancestor seized the Opportunity to persuade: “Mind Clarity Holy Monk sees the Buddha Seal as an old friend; Thunder Prison Venerable values promises the most; Celestial Venerable Fentian…” His words suddenly stopped here, and he lowered his voice, “Especially that one, Sword Revered, absolutely do not use force.”
Grand Profound Sword Revered snorted, and with a thought, he solemnly put the three tokens into his Sword Casket: “This Revered knows what he’s doing.”
Grand Profound Sword Revered turned and looked at Star Dome Old Ancestor, “You stay here and preside over the overall situation. This Revered will make a trip personally.”
“Where will Sword Revered go first?” Star Dome Old Ancestor quickly asked.
Grand Profound Sword Revered’s gaze swept over the three tokens, finally settling on the crimson jade token: “Naturally, I’ll go meet that most stubborn old fellow first.”
Before his voice faded, he had already transformed into a sword light, piercing through the air, leaving only a Sword Mark that cut through the sea of clouds.
Star Dome Old Ancestor looked at the departing sword light, shaking his head with a wry smile: “I hope that old fellow Fentian still remembers the old friendship…”
After seeing Grand Profound Sword Revered off, Star Dome Old Ancestor turned to face the Cultivators present. The gazes of all the Mahayana Cultivators in the Three Realms were focused on him, awaiting instructions.
“Fellow Daoists.”
Star Dome Old Ancestor lightly tapped the Void Realm with his Star Staff, and immediately three hundred and sixty star projections appeared, forming a profound formation around the Demon Abyss Channel: “I will immediately set up the Zhou Star Sealing Grand Formation to temporarily prevent Netherworld Qi from spreading out from the Demon Abyss Channel.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Star Dome Old Ancestor flicked his fingers, and seven Jade Pivot Nails disappeared into the Void Realm Star Cloud. Instantly, the Starry Sky rotated, and the Zhou Tian Star Chart projection appeared around the Demon Abyss Channel.
“This formation takes the Big Dipper as its pivot. Each of you guard your Life Palace position.”
Star Dome Old Ancestor’s aged voice, wrapped in starlight, entered everyone’s ears. Then, the twenty-eight constellations’ projections lit up in sequence, suppressing the surging Netherworld Qi back into the Demon Abyss.
“Please, two Fellow Daoists, preside over the Tianxuan and Tianji positions to maintain the formation core.” Star Dome Old Ancestor looked at Qi Xuanming and Qin Feng, two Mahayana Cultivators, and arranged.
Qi Xuanming and Qin Feng exchanged glances and simultaneously formed hand seals. Two powerful spiritual energies were injected into the Star Formation. The Tianxuan and Tianji positions immediately shone brightly. Behind Qin Feng, a mountain and river projection appeared, and above Qi Xuanming’s head, a Yin and Yang Tai Chi hung, complementing the power of the constellations.
Star Dome Old Ancestor then turned to the four Demon Lords, his Star Staff lightly tapping to split into four star paths: “Please, four of you, guard the Four Symbols positions.”
The four Demon Lords nodded silently, each occupying the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise positions. Surprisingly, the Devilish Qi and Star Power did not conflict, but instead formed a delicate balance within the formation.
“Tai Xu Fellow Daoist.” Star Dome Old Ancestor looked at the old man whose Lifespan was nearing its end. Before he finished speaking, Tai Xu Immortal Lord had already laughed heartily and stepped into the air.
Tai Xu Immortal Lord laughed loudly and said: “This old man’s decaying body should be used where it matters most. The core of the Zhou Star Sealing Grand Formation, leave it to this old man!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Tai Xu Immortal Lord’s body burst with golden light, directly transforming into a golden bridge that spanned the center of the Star Formation.
“I trouble everyone to work together to guard this place. I will be back soon!”
Seeing the formation initially complete, Star Dome Old Ancestor immediately transformed into a Star Rainbow and pierced through the air, his Star Chart flickering, guiding the direction to the Immortal Spirit Realm - Spirit Ruins — that was the ancestral land of the Azure Dragon Clan, and also the result he had calculated, Azure Emperor’s final resting place.
Star Dome Old Ancestor, controlling the power of the stars, traversed layers of cloud seas, rushing towards the Spirit Ruins. The Spirit Ruins was a Forbidden Land in the Immortal Spirit Realm, perpetually shrouded in green mist, making it impossible for ordinary Cultivators to approach.
Deep within the Spirit Ruins, green mist surged like waves. Star Dome Old Ancestor tapped the ground with his Star Staff, and an Eight Trigrams pattern appeared beneath his feet. The Star Jade Slip in his hand burst forth with green light, illuminating the projection of a giant green Dragon in the mist sea.
“Old Turtle! You’ve come at just the right time! I’ve been looking for you for thousands of years without success, and I didn’t expect you to deliver yourself to my doorstep!” The projection of the green Dragon surged in the mist sea, and in a blink of an eye, transformed into an old man in a green robe who stepped through the air, appearing before Star Dome Old Ancestor, eagerly grabbing his arm, as if afraid he would run away.
Azure Emperor’s hand, like a Dragon claw, clamped Star Dome Old Ancestor’s wrist, his knuckles gleaming with a Qingyu-like scaly light: “Three thousand years, you’ve avoided me like a plague.” He opened his other hand, and seven tortoise shells appeared in his palm, each engraved with requests for star calculations, “You wouldn’t even help with the most basic astrological calculations.”
Star Dome Old Ancestor’s white beard trembled slightly, and the Star Staff in his hand unconsciously drooped: “Fellow Daoist, that divination back then…”
“I know the prophecy ‘Azure Dragon Bloodline severed, Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi wanes’.” Azure Emperor urged unwillingly: “However, Heaven and Earth will always leave a glimmer of Life Qi. So many years have passed now… there will definitely be changes again!”
As he spoke, Azure Emperor suddenly flipped his palm and brought out a bronze divination plate. Of the twenty-eight constellations on the plate, twenty-seven had extinguished, with only the Horn Constellation retaining a faint glow, “But look—”
In the center of the divination plate, a wisp of Dragon Qi, like a green thread, was circling around the Horn Constellation. Star Dome Old Ancestor’s pupils constricted: “This is…”
“Three days ago, the Horn Constellation suddenly brightened.” Azure Emperor’s face, covered with Dragon patterns, showed hope, “I sacrificed a thousand years of Lifespan to re-arrange the Zhou Tian divination, and finally made a discovery…”
Azure Emperor suddenly pressed the divination plate into the mist sea, and the entire Spirit Ruins immediately revealed a vast Star Chart.
Star Dome Old Ancestor gasped. He saw that the Azure Dragon star path, which should have been severed, had unexpectedly extended a glimmer of Life Qi in the direction of the Demon Abyss. Even more astonishingly, this nascent star path showed signs of overlapping with the star formation of the great tribulation, and the trend of the heavenly secrets it contained was also concealed by an unpredictable force.
“Impossible!” Star Dome Old Ancestor’s Star Staff almost slipped from his hand: “The Azure Dragon Clan’s Bloodline was already determined thousands of years ago, how could… how could such a turning point appear!”
At this point, Star Dome Old Ancestor suddenly realized something, and then looked at Azure Emperor awkwardly. This was also the reason why he had been avoiding Azure Emperor for thousands of years.
However, Azure Emperor’s face was filled with joy, completely unaware of Star Dome Old Ancestor’s embarrassment. His hands were tightly clasped, and his eyes gleamed with unprecedented light: “Old Turtle, do you see? This is the will of Heaven! The Azure Dragon Clan still has a glimmer of Bloodline existing in the world. Our thousands of years of waiting and searching were not in vain!”
Star Dome Old Ancestor shook his head with a wry smile, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Behind this sudden turning point, perhaps more complex Karma and crises were hidden. But looking at Azure Emperor’s excited appearance, he really couldn’t bring himself to pour cold water on him.
“Old friend, although this glimmer of Life Qi has appeared, it aligns with the stars of the great tribulation, and the dangers within are unpredictable. However, the Rebirth and continuation of the Azure Dragon Bloodline is indeed a great joyous event!” Star Dome Old Ancestor stroked his beard, expressing his happiness for him.
Hearing this, Azure Emperor’s lips curved into a resolute smile: “Danger? My Azure Dragon Clan never fears danger! Thousands of years of trials and tribulations, we have been waiting for this moment. Old Turtle, I need your help with something.”
Star Dome Old Ancestor’s heart tightened, already knowing what Azure Emperor was asking for, but he deliberately asked: “Oh? What is it?”
Azure Emperor’s gaze was like a torch, directly looking at Star Dome Old Ancestor: “Divining the exact whereabouts of the Azure Dragon remnant. I want to personally search for this last wisp of Bloodline. No matter where he is, I will bring him back and restore the might of the Azure Dragon Clan!”
Star Dome Old Ancestor pondered for a moment, his white beard lightly stroking, and a complex look flashed in his eyes: “This matter concerns the Azure Dragon Clan, I naturally won’t stand by and do nothing. However, I also have a request.”
Azure Emperor frowned slightly, but he also expected that Star Dome Old Ancestor wouldn’t propose a condition for no reason: “What is it? As long as I can do it, I will not refuse.”
Star Dome Old Ancestor’s expression was solemn as he slowly said: “The great tribulation has risen again, and the Netherworld has invaded the Demon Abyss. If it’s not suppressed early, it might cause a great disaster. I am willing to help you divine the whereabouts of the Azure Dragon remnant, but you must also promise me that afterwards, you will help me suppress the Netherworld.”
Hearing this, Azure Emperor frowned tightly. He had a slight sensation of the Netherworld’s invasion. If he were to suppress it, the hidden dangers within would be immeasurable. But on second thought, the revival of the Azure Dragon Clan was closely related to the righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth. If the danger of the Netherworld was not resolved, the Azure Dragon Clan would also suffer in the future.
Thus, Azure Emperor nodded resolutely: “Good! I promise you, once I find the Azure Dragon remnant, I will definitely help you suppress the Netherworld!”
Seven lustrous tortoise shells slid out of Star Dome Old Ancestor’s sleeve. The naturally formed star patterns on the shells echoed the twenty-eight constellations in the sky. Seeing this, Azure Emperor immediately retreated three steps, building a barrier of Dragon Qi between them — heavenly secret divination is most sensitive to external interference.
“The Star Armor Dao Artifact unseen for three thousand years…” Azure Emperor looked at the tortoise shell formation diagram floating in the air, his fingernails digging deep into his palms. It was with this set of Heavenly Secret Tortoise Shells that Star Dome Old Ancestor had divined the prophecy that plunged the Azure Dragon Clan into despair.
The old man bit his tongue and spat out essence blood. The tortoise shells immediately transformed into streaks of light and disappeared into the Void Realm. Instantly, all the star sand on the Myriad Star Platform floated up simultaneously, interweaving above their heads into a miniature Zhou Tian Star Chart. Star Dome Old Ancestor’s fingers danced like plucking zither strings, each trembling star thread stirring layers of Dao Rhyme ripples.
“Tianxuan leads the way, Yaoguang fixes the trace!”
The third tortoise shell suddenly inverted, and the starlight it projected twisted into a vortex in the direction of the Demon Abyss. Star Dome Old Ancestor’s white hair moved without wind, and faint golden sweat beads seeped from his forehead. His pupils manifested as a nebula. He was performing the innate Divine Ability of the Star Turtle Clan.
As Star Dome Old Ancestor performed his innate Divine Ability, the starlight twisted into a vortex gradually solidified, forming a slender band of light, pointing to a certain place. Azure Emperor stared at the light band intently, an indescribable excitement and anticipation welling up in his heart.
After an unknown period, Star Dome Old Ancestor slowly withdrew his magical power, ending this heavenly secret divination. His deep eyes flickered with spiritual light, a mix of fatigue and satisfaction.
“Old friend, how is it?”
Azure Emperor asked impatiently. Although he tried to remain calm, the tremor in his voice still betrayed his current state of mind.
“Didn’t you see the divination result? Why do you still ask me!” Star Dome Old Ancestor retorted somewhat angrily.
“How much Lifespan did you lose?” Azure Emperor quickly reached out and pressed his hand against Star Dome Old Ancestor’s back, feeling the surging stellar turbulence in the other party’s Meridians. Those normally gentle Star Power now felt like barbed thorns, rampaging through Star Dome Old Ancestor’s internal organs. He quickly assisted in calming his injuries, apologizing.
“More than a hundred years!” Star Dome Old Ancestor calmed his injuries, glared at Azure Emperor, and revealed: “The heavenly secret of your clan’s remnant Bloodline is obscured by the Great Dao, making it difficult to discern its whereabouts. However, I have some rough guesses.”
“Old friend!” Azure Emperor called out anxiously, eager for the next part.
“Hmm, the backlash from this divination is similar to my last divination for a Chaotic Great Dao Cultivator. If there are no surprises, your clan’s remnant Bloodline should have an extraordinary relationship with him!” Star Dome Old Ancestor’s eyes flashed with a deep look as he responded with a smile.
Hearing this, Azure Emperor’s pupils suddenly constricted, and he said eagerly: “Do you know the whereabouts of this Chaotic Great Dao Cultivator? This Emperor wants to meet him!”
Star Dome Old Ancestor shook his head and said with a solemn expression: “Chaotic Great Dao Cultivators are the most mysterious existences between Heaven and Earth. Heavenly secrets follow them, and their whereabouts are erratic and hard to grasp. By chance, I had a brief encounter with him last time. Now, I cannot determine his exact location, but he is definitely not in the Immortal Spirit Realm, but in the Spirit Realm. Many forces in the Spirit Realm should know his whereabouts. You can follow me to the Spirit Realm first.”
“Let’s go.”
Azure Emperor only said one word, his aura surging, already indicating his impatient attitude at this moment.
Star Dome Old Ancestor breathed a sigh of relief. He lightly tapped his Star Staff, and a Star Light Dao spread out beneath their feet, leading directly towards the Spirit Realm. (End of this chapter)
