Immortality Cultivation: I can use my clansmen’s energy and blood to add points.

Nascent Soul stage!
Luo Qingchen felt the surging power within her body, which was more than ten times stronger than before, and she was completely stunned.

Happiness came too suddenly.

He never dreamed that he would turn misfortune into fortune and break through to the Nascent Soul stage in such a life-or-death situation.

Although it's only the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

But for him, this was already a qualitative leap.

Although the Golden Core and Nascent Soul realms are only one major realm apart, the difference between them is immeasurable.

It's no exaggeration to say that the current him could easily defeat a hundred of the previous hims.

"Brother Luo, you...you've broken through?"

Su Xiaowan also sensed the completely different, powerful aura emanating from Luo Qingchen, and asked somewhat uncertainly.

"Ah."

Luo Qingchen nodded, her face beaming with barely suppressed joy.

"It was a fluke, just a fluke."

"Great!"

Lin Wan'er and Su Xiaowan were genuinely happy for him.

The stronger Brother Luo is, the more they will be able to protect themselves in this perilous star realm.

"By the way, how long were we unconscious?"

Luo Qingchen asked.

"It's been about ten days."

Su Xiaowan thought for a moment and then answered.

"We were carried by that purple-gold light shield, drifting in the spatial turbulence for a very, very long time."

"Later, I don't know how, I was sucked here."

"Then, when I woke up, I found myself lying on this altar."

"Your injuries were also healed here by the star power of this place."

"I see."

Luo Qingchen nodded.

It seems that the Star Chart Bronze Disc protected them at the last moment and safely delivered them here.

He stood up, walked to the edge of the altar, and looked up at the nine colossal pillars carved with stars and dragons.

A feeling of intimacy and reverence, originating from the depths of bloodline and heritage, arises spontaneously.

He can feel it.

These nine giant pillars are not merely decorative.

They seemed to be alive.

Inside them are sealed nine powerful star dragon souls, each powerful enough to destroy the heavens and the earth!

They are the first and most powerful line of defense for this ancient star relic.

Luo Qingchen took a deep breath and turned her gaze to the magnificent star gate, which stood ten thousand feet tall, directly in front of the altar.

That was their ultimate destination.

"Come on, let's go over and take a look."

Luo Qingchen called out and, leading Lin Wan'er and Su Xiaowan, carefully descended from the altar.

I slowly walked toward that stargate, which exuded endless allure.

The closer you get to the stargate.

The more they feel, the more insignificant they become.

Within that star gate, it seemed, lay a complete, vast world.

The ancient, vast, and boundless aura emanating from it caused their souls to tremble slightly involuntarily.

at last.

They arrived below the star gate.

Standing before the towering star gate, the three of them truly resembled three insignificant ants.

Luo Qingchen looked up at the doorway, which was made of pure light and whose appearance was constantly changing.

He could see that behind the door, the sun and moon revolved, stars flowed, and all things were born and died.

It's as if the secrets of the entire universe are contained within it.

"How do I get in?"

Lin Wan'er couldn't help but ask.

This door appears to have no physical form.

"Let me try."

Luo Qingchen is highly skilled and daring.

He took a deep breath, took a step, and prepared to walk straight in.

however.

Just as his feet were about to step into the stargate's range.

hum!
A visible, semi-transparent energy barrier suddenly appeared before the star gate.

They firmly kept him outside.

Followed by.

A vast voice, devoid of any emotion, seemingly composed of the laws of heaven and earth.

The same thought echoed in the minds of the three of them simultaneously.

"Halt, you who come!"

The voice was so sudden, so...majestic.

The three of them were startled.

"who!"

"Who is speaking!"

Luo Qingchen hurriedly took two steps back, protecting Lin Wan'er and Su Xiaowan behind him, and looked around warily.

However, apart from the three of them and the magnificent building, the space was completely empty.

There was no one in sight at all.

"I am the guardian of the ancient star ruins."

That grand voice rang out once more.

As the words fell.

Before the star gate, above the semi-transparent energy barrier.

The light began to converge.

Gradually, it coalesced into a blurry humanoid outline, ten zhang tall, composed entirely of starlight.

He has no facial features, nor a physical form.

It was as if it were a pure aggregate of energy.

However, the aura emanating from him was vast and unfathomable.

But Luo Qingchen felt even more oppressed and...terrified than when he faced that silver-masked demonic cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage!
This guy is really strong!
That's ridiculously strong!
"protector?"

Luo Qingchen suppressed her shock and asked tentatively.

"By order of the Star Dragon Emperor, I have guarded this place for over 100,000 years."

The figure formed of starlight spoke slowly.

Its sound, though grand, was completely flat, as if stating a very simple fact.

Ten thousand years!
Luo Qingchen's heart pounded wildly again.

This guy is actually an old monster who has lived for 100,000 years!

"Then...how can we enter the star gate?"

Luo Qingchen composed herself and asked the most crucial question.

"Beyond the Star Gate lies the sacred land of our race."

"Those who are not chosen by Heaven shall not enter."

The guardian's voice remained calm.

"The chosen one?"

Luo Qingchen was taken aback.

"What is a person chosen by Heaven?"

The guardian's faceless face turned towards Luo Qingchen.

No, to be precise, it turned to the lark in his arms and the bronze star map on his chest.

"Bearing the bloodline of a true dragon, wielding the mark of the stars, and holding the key to the star map."

"You are the one destined by prophecy."

This answer made Luo Qingchen's heart suddenly relax.

It seems I've found the right place.

"Since I am the chosen one, why won't you let me in?"

He asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The prophecy only says that the chosen one will come."

"But it has not been said whether your character is worthy of this destiny."

For the first time, the guardian's voice carried a hint of scrutiny.

"If you wish to enter the Star Gate, you must pass my test."

"test?"

Luo Qingchen frowned.

"What test?"

"Three checkpoints".

The guardian's voice was concise and to the point.

"Ask your heart, ask the Way, ask your strength."

"Only those who pass all three trials are qualified to enter the Holy Land and bear the hopes of our people."

"I understand."

Luo Qingchen took a deep breath.

It seems that entering the Star Gate is not as simple as he imagined.

However, at this point, he has no way out.

"it is good."

He looked at the guardian before him, his eyes becoming incredibly resolute.

"I accept your test."

"good."

The guardian nodded slowly.

"So, the first test is to examine your own heart."

"Now, let's begin."

Its words had barely fallen when

Luo Qingchen felt a blur before her eyes.

The surrounding scenery underwent a dramatic transformation in an instant.

The magnificent altar, the towering pillars, and the dazzling star gate had all vanished. In their place stood a familiar, modern cityscape at night.

Skyscrapers stand tall, traffic flows like a river, and neon lights flash.

He was standing at the crossroads of a bustling commercial street.

He was surrounded by a bustling crowd of people with yellow skin and black eyes, dressed in the same clothes as him.

"This...this is..."

Luo Qingchen stared blankly at the familiar yet unfamiliar scene before her.

here it is……

Earth?

I……

I'm back?

came back?
Am I really back?

Luo Qingchen's mind went completely blank.

He stared at everything before him in disbelief.

Looking at those familiar, square-shaped characters.

Looking at the endless stream of metal boxes called "cars".

Looking around, he saw his fellow countrymen who, like him, spoke Mandarin.

An overwhelming feeling of "unreality" instantly overwhelmed him.

He instinctively raised his hand.

Those were a pair of fair, slender hands with distinct knuckles.

But he couldn't feel any power at all.

He tried to mobilize the spiritual energy within his body.

Empty.

Nothing at all.

There was no power of chaos, no power of stars, and no nascent soul that had just been formed.

He became an ordinary, powerless mortal...

"How could this be?"

Luo Qingchen's heart skipped a beat.

He remembered.

test!

This is the first test for the guardians! A true test of conscience!
It's all an illusion!

Yes, it must be an illusion!

Luo Qingchen told herself this over and over again.

But everything before my eyes is so real.

It was so realistic that he couldn't find any flaws.

He could smell the enticing aromas wafting from the roadside food stalls.

You can hear pop music playing from a shopping mall in the distance.

He could feel the cool touch of the evening breeze on his cheek.

If this is also an illusion.

That illusion is simply too terrifying.

"Young man, could you please move aside?"

An old voice rang out from the side.

Luo Qingchen came to her senses and found herself blocking an old man selling candied hawthorns.

He instinctively took two steps back.

"Excuse me, sir."

"It's okay."

The old man smiled kindly at him, then pushed his cart and slowly walked away.

As Luo Qingchen watched the old man's retreating figure, her inner turmoil intensified.

He began to doubt himself.

perhaps……

Perhaps all that came before—cultivation, the star realm, battles, escape…

Was it all just a dream?

An incredibly long, yet incredibly real dream.

Now, the dream is over.

He finally went home.

Once this idea takes hold, it grows like wild grass that can no longer be contained.

Yup!

That must be the case!
Otherwise, how can we explain all of this, which is so incredibly real, right before our eyes?
A surge of joy welled up in Luo Qingchen's heart.

He is back!

He's finally back!

He can see his parents again!

He can finally live the peaceful and stable life he's always dreamed of!
He no longer needs to fight and kill.

No more living on the edge of life and death every day.

"Very good……"

Luo Qingchen's eyes welled up with tears.

Like a headless fly, he wandered aimlessly through this bustling city, running and laughing.

He breathed in the air greedily, every breath filled with the "modern" atmosphere.

He felt that he was the happiest person in the world.

however.

As he laughed, his pace gradually slowed down.

The smile on his face slowly froze.

Because he remembered two people.

Lin Wan'er.

Su Xiaowan.

If this is reality.

What about them?

Where did they go?

Are they still trapped in that place called "Ancient Star Ruins"?

Are they still there, anxiously waiting for me?

An incredibly cruel choice was placed before Luo Qingchen.

If he stays here, he can have everything he's ever dreamed of.

Family, relatives, and a stable life.

But the price was that he had to forever abandon the two partners who had shared life and death with him and never abandoned him.

Let them fend for themselves in that cold, unknown astral realm.

If he chooses to go back.

Then all that he desires and cherishes will vanish like a bubble.

He wants to return to that world filled with killing and crisis.

Continue, struggling to survive for that faint hope.

How to choose?
So, how should we choose?
Luo Qingchen was caught in an unprecedented internal struggle.

He clutched his head in anguish and squatted down on the ground.

at this time.

The scene before him changed once again.

The bustling city has vanished.

Instead, there were two completely different doors.

A door, entirely bathed in warm white light.

Behind the door was the home he longed for day and night.

His parents were standing at the door, waving to him with loving expressions.

"Xiao Chen, come back, your parents miss you."

The other door was made of cold, black mist.

Behind the door was a cold, lifeless starry sky.

Lin Wan'er and Su Xiaowan were back to back, surrounded by countless ferocious demonic cultivators.

Their bodies were covered in wounds, and their spiritual energy was exhausted.

Their eyes were filled with despair.

They were also looking at him, and they let out their final cry for help.

"Brother Luo... save me..."

"Choose."

That grand voice, belonging to the guardian, rang out once more.

"Choose your own path."

"Should we choose a comfortable reality, or a harsh responsibility?"

"You only get one chance."

Luo Qingchen slowly straightened up.

He looked at the two doors in front of him, his expression becoming incredibly complex.

On one side is family, comfort, and home.

On the other side are friendship, responsibility, and morality.

This is simply an unsolvable problem.

Whichever side he chooses, it means betraying the other.

His heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Time passed by, second by second.

Behind the white light gate, the parents' calls grew more and more urgent.

Behind the Black Fog Gate, the two women's situation became increasingly dangerous.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Luo Qingchen's forehead.

His fist clenched, then relaxed.

Let go, then clench again.

at last.

He seemed to have made up his mind. (End of Chapter)