Two Realms: A giant of immortal martial arts emerges from low Wu Gan

"Nine days later, when the spirit-drawing tide of Falling Star Abyss is at its peak, the Starfall Path will open."

"Entering the core and undergoing the tempering of star power, only those who can persevere can enjoy the blessing of the Star Abyss baptism."

"Before the refining process, you must imprint your essence and soul with your blood and spirit to resonate with the star coffin. Only in this way can you ensure that the spiritual power flows into your body without any hindrance. This is an ancient precept."

"The opportunity is here; life and death are left to fate."

The elder in the lead spoke very slowly.

His gaze swept over each of the prodigies.

All the prodigies who were able to enter were the pride of great clans, possessing combat power at the level of a demon lord.

At this moment, they were all listening intently, holding their breath, afraid of missing any details.

They came only because they knew some general information about the place from the clan's records.

Among the crowd, the only one who seemed somewhat puzzled was Jiang Shu.

Although he searched for Golden Horn's memories through the Great Path of the Soul, the Demon Lord's memories spanned thousands of years and were extremely complex; he could only extract the more important ones.

My memories of this are just scattered fragments.

His expression remained unchanged, but in reality, he had already connected these words with the Myriad Spirits Forging Venerable Array.

Compared to the prodigies of the demon race, he probably understands this great war of the demon race better.

They extract essence and blood and imprint the soul to create a so-called "resonance".

This is by no means a routine operation to activate the energy of the array's core; rather, it is more like a forced branding and binding.

What exactly does the Imperial Palace want to do?
Is this a training exercise for future geniuses, or a sacrifice to bring them all to life?

As soon as Huangya finished speaking, a huge wave of mental energy emanated from him, instantly covering the entire Starfall Platform like an invisible tide.

A complex and precise route map appeared in everyone's mind, a route leading to the core of the abyss, the Spirit-Guiding Land. Along the way, several special node coordinates that needed to be reached and could serve as support points were marked, as well as extremely detailed locations of active spatial turbulence areas and dangerous gravitational fields.

The level of detail and spatial awareness contained in this map far exceeds what an ordinary demon lord could comprehend.

"Nine days later, the spirit-guiding tide will rise, and the path of falling stars will open."

"I will personally oversee the core and guide you to resonate with my mark."

"Let's disperse."

After Huangya finished speaking, his emaciated body slowly faded away like a bubble dissolving into the air, eventually disappearing from the spot without leaving any spatial fluctuations, as if he had never existed.

The oppressive feeling dissipated as a result.

All the young talents felt a sense of relief, yet it was as if an even heavier stone had been placed on their hearts.

The selection process is brutal and direct, requiring participants to venture into dangerous areas, undergo rigorous training, and compete for a limited number of thirty spots.

Moreover, the so-called "branding resonance" had to be carried out right under the nose of that unfathomable Venerable Desolate Cliff.

After a brief period of silence, the various tribes began to take action.

"Hmph. I'll let you escape this time. We'll see how you really are in nine days!"

The red-haired youth from the Phoenix Clan glanced indifferently at the Dragon Clan's camp, then led his clansmen, transforming into streaks of light, and flew straight towards the Phoenix Clan's exclusive camp on the side of the cliff.

……

The night was as dark as ink, and the depths of Fallen Star Abyss were utterly silent.

Endless spatial turbulence, silently tearing apart within it.

Jiang Shu, in his golden horn form, sat cross-legged in the quiet room of the Dragon Clan's fortress. On the surface, he was closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, but in reality, his vast divine sense was like the most precise probe, carefully extending outwards.

Deep within the fortress, the auras of several truly powerful dragon elders slumbered like an abyss, at least at the peak of the early stage of the Demon Lord realm.

But this was not the focus of Jiang Shu's investigation.

His divine sense, like flowing water, penetrated the rock strata, avoiding those obviously powerful life fluctuations, and explored the core area of ​​the abyss.

A vast, chaotic yet violent energy fluctuation, forcibly restrained by some powerful force, emanated from the deepest depths.

That was the power of the ancient star's remnants, filled with the meaning of destruction and chaos.

However, amidst this chaotic fluctuation, Jiang Shu keenly sensed another aura.

Formation.

Jiang Shu was not very skilled in formations.

After all, after he was promoted to Dao Venerable, he spent most of his time cultivating.

He has basically given up on alchemy, weapon crafting, formations, and talismans.

Even so, his expertise in these areas surpasses that of ordinary Dao Lords.

It can be sensed that this formation is not a typical defensive or offensive killing or trapping formation. Its structure can be described as extremely complex and ancient, containing profound and obscure runes that subtly resonate with the surrounding spatial turbulence and earthly evil energy.

It uses the ley lines of Falling Star Abyss and countless star remnants as its foundation to construct an enormous "field".

Although Jiang Shu couldn't fully decipher the core function of this formation in a short time, the most essential Daoist rhyme it exuded greatly shocked him.

It is "condensing," "transforming," using the power of the earth's veins, the power of space, and the residual power of stars throughout the abyss as fuel, and drawing upon the life essence and profound understanding of the Great Dao from the demon race geniuses who enter the core area for so-called "baptism."

Like a giant furnace of flesh and blood, it forcibly combines the essence of heaven and earth with the essence of demonic talent!

The Myriad Spirits Forge the Supreme Array!
No, this might even surpass the Myriad Spirits Forging Venerable Array!

Just as Jiang Shu's divine sense was trying to delve deeper into the core node of the formation and explore its specific connection with the Myriad Spirits Forging Venerable Formation,

hum!
A heavy, solid will, like a collapsing nebula, descended without warning.

It was even more ancient and profound than the oppressive aura of the old demon in the desolate wilderness, carrying a coldness and an indifferent gaze upon all living beings.

The moment this will appeared, Jiang Shu's extended spiritual tentacles were as if they had hit an invisible iron wall, and were instantly repelled and retracted.

If it weren't for the fact that his soul strength far surpassed that of ordinary Dao Venerables, and that he wasn't protected by the World Tree sapling, this collision at the soul level would have injured him.

Late-stage Demon Lord!

Moreover, he was by no means an ordinary late-stage Demon Lord; he was at least an old monster who had touched the threshold of the peak!

His aura was like a vast ocean, with no end in sight. Judging from the quality and quantity of his divine sense alone, he was the strongest demon he had ever seen. Even the Burning Heaven Ancestor, who was in the late stage of the Demon Venerable realm, was a step weaker than him.

What is it doing? Is it meditating in the core of the abyss, or is it presiding over this massive formation that is like a furnace of flesh and blood?
There is something absolutely terrifying here!
Jiang Shu immediately severed all outward-emitting divine senses, completely concealing his aura beneath the appearance of the Golden Horn, daring not to probe any further.

The other party did not lock onto him; it was more like a natural defensive reaction after being disturbed, like a sleeping giant turning over.

But this reaction itself proves that the defense of the Falling Star Abyss core is so tight that it is outrageous.

For the next eight days, Jiang Shu acted like a true newcomer to the Dragon Clan, keeping an extremely low profile.

Aside from necessary exchanges with other young dragons, which were limited to superficial insights into cultivation and information about the demon battlefield, he almost never left his house.

The warlike blood of the dragon race seemed unusually docile in Golden Horn, who declined several times when Ao Hai suggested exploring the outer star pits, citing the need to consolidate his newly broken through Demon Lord realm. At the same time, he sensed that the atmosphere around the entire Falling Star Abyss had become even more tense.

The invisible spatial blockade seemed to be layered upon layered, making the barrier increasingly solid.

In particular, several spatial nodes near the fortress entrance have been secretly fitted with new detection runes, which are extremely faint. If Jiang Shu had not been proficient in the Great Dao of Space and had not been extremely vigilant, he would have been almost unable to detect them.

These detection runes are highly targeted, seemingly filtering out excessively powerful soul fluctuations and abnormal spatial penetration.

The target was very clear: to guard against potential infiltration by top-tier human experts skilled in spatial manipulation.

The demon race was not entirely unaware of the situation. The death of Xuan Chi and the potential leak of information about the location of Falling Star Abyss were clearly of great concern to the higher-ups of the Imperial Palace.

They are weaving a fine net, waiting for a specific prey.

Jiang Shu felt a sudden surge of urgency.

The demon race is so vigilant, so I must remain calm.

The Starfall Path and the Resonance of the Mark nine days from now are probably the real testing ground and the ultimate trap. To act rashly now would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

During those eight days, he did something quietly.

Within the space of his sleeve, he used the Great Dao of the Soul as a blade to carefully extract the purest strand of his life essence and a fragment of his soul carrying its life imprint from the true Golden Horned Divine Soul Source that he had imprisoned.

The process is like peeling back layers of an onion; you have to ensure it's authentic enough without completely ruining the hand you're dealt.

This wisp of essence and fragments was his key contingency plan to deal with the resonance of the star coffin.

He must pass for the real thing, so that the Star Coffin will believe that the Golden Horn is real and a qualified sacrifice, in order to infiltrate the core.

The ninth day arrived in the blink of an eye.

The setting sun was like blood, and the leaden-gray haze above Falling Star Abyss seemed to be torn open by an invisible force, allowing the dim starlight to fall clearly for the first time.

The air was as heavy as solidified mercury. The normally chaotic gravitational pull and spatial turbulence of the stellar remains now formed a strange sense of order, as if it had been straightened by invisible conduits, pointing towards the darkest center of the abyss.

On the Starfall Platform, the geniuses of all races gathered once again, and the solemn atmosphere replaced the previous clamor.

A tense and oppressive atmosphere filled the air.

Even the most arrogant and boastful Feng Xiao pursed her lips, her sharp eyes scrutinizing the unfathomable abyss.

The figure of Huangya appeared silently in the center of the platform, as if it had grown out of the glassy ground.

His aura was even more obscure and restrained than it had been nine days ago, like a piece of withered wood.

"The time has come."

He spoke, his voice dry and flat, without a trace of emotion.

"The path of falling stars opens, and the tide of spirits is about to arrive."

"Holding this can protect your body and soul for a moment."

He slowly opened his withered palm, and above his palm floated dozens of tiny, rice-grain-sized phantom images of star coffins, emitting a murky gray light.

Upon closer inspection, the star coffin has an ancient shape, and its surface is etched with countless intricate and twisted eerie runes that resemble blood vessels and tendons.

Each illusory image slowly flew towards a prodigy and landed in their hands.

Immediately, someone followed the previous instructions and injected a drop of blood essence that had been prepared beforehand into the coffin, creating a resonance with it.

Jiang Shu caught the one that flew towards him without making a sound. It was icy cold to the touch, and the gray light seemed to have a sticky, adsorbing force, clinging firmly to his dragon scale armor.

He could clearly sense that the phantom of the star coffin was not a simple defensive shield, but contained extremely profound spatial Dao essence.

Ordinary demon lords would not be able to detect it at all.

This phantom of the star coffin should be able to connect with the terrifying array at the core of the abyss at any time.

Among the crowd, Jiang Shu did not hesitate at all.

There was a powerful expert at the late stage of the Demon Lord realm ahead of them.

Any inappropriate behavior of his will be noticed.

Once someone suspects something, no matter how much preparation he makes, he may still be exposed.

Jiang Shu took out the real essence blood of the Golden Horn that he had prepared beforehand, injected it into his body, and pretended that nothing had happened.

"Set off."

Without uttering any further words, Huangya took a step into the depths of the abyss.

Boom!

The entire meteorite platform seemed to come alive. Centered on the platform, the ground beneath our feet, which had been struck by star debris for billions of years and was as hard as divine metal, suddenly lit up with countless crisscrossing dark blue light patterns.

These light patterns, like the trajectories of stars, carried a strong sense of spatial teleportation, instantly enveloping all the prodigies on the platform who were holding the phantom images of spirit coffins.

A strong sense of spatial tearing came over me, as if I were being propelled at high speed through a turbulent spatial conduit.

The scene before my eyes blurred and distorted instantly. Countless broken star debris, chaotic gravitational fields, and colorful spatial cracks flashed by like a carousel, while the piercing howls of storms and the muffled thunder of collapsing space filled my ears.

If it weren't for the gray light emanating from the phantom of the star coffin barely protecting him, the teleportation process itself would have torn apart an ordinary demon lord.

Huangya's figure appeared and disappeared ahead, his movement trajectory was extremely strange, as if he was stepping on the pulse of a spatial node, and each flash was just right to avoid the most deadly turbulent vortex and gravity trap ahead.

The other prodigies followed closely behind, each employing their own methods.

The young man from the Phoenix Clan was engulfed in an inextinguishable golden flame, forcefully burning away a small patch of turbulent water in front of him.

The silver-haired youth, Kunpeng, blurred into nothingness and directly merged into the spatial gaps, traversing through them.

The burly man from the True Hou tribe roared, his demonic power coalescing into a gigantic beastly shadow to withstand the impact...

Jiang Shu manipulated his body, perfectly mimicking Ao Hai's dragon-like movements, and injected a portion of his dragon essence into the illusory star coffin, causing it to glow brightly with gray light. He dodged the spatial turbulence time and time again, seemingly not being proficient in the Great Dao of Space.

But in reality, he stepped on safe spots in several places.

The injuries appeared numerous, but they were actually all superficial wounds.

His performance was neither outstanding nor lagging behind, but steadily placed him in the middle of the dragon clan's ranks.

After an unknown amount of time, the area in front of them suddenly became empty.

The group broke through a narrow, bottleneck-like turbulent current and appeared in an unimaginably vast space.

This is an underground plain located deep within the abyss, vast and boundless.

Above them was an inverted dome of rock, twisted by a tremendous force, upon which floated countless strangely shaped and luminous star fragments of varying sizes.

These wrecks slowly rotated, radiating ancient and violent energy, which was the source of the spirit-drawing tide.

In the very center of the plain, a colossal, pitch-black stone monument, reaching to the heavens, stood silently. (End of Chapter)