Daqin Zhentiansi

A chaotic primordial energy, far more violent and chaotic than before, seemingly capable of suppressing all the heavens and myriad realms, suddenly erupted!
A gigantic gray hand, composed of pure chaotic energy, appeared out of thin air!
On the giant hand, terrifying phenomena such as the roars of gods and demons and the birth and death of stars faintly appeared!
With an overbearing will to crush everything, ignoring the attacks of the flank elders, it crashed down like the sky collapsing towards Yun Yixuan in the center of the altar and the star core floating in front of him!

This attack was a desperate gamble, a siege of Wei to rescue Zhao!
Yun Yixuan's expression changed drastically!
He never expected that Zhang Yuan, despite being so seriously injured, would still dare to fight so desperately and unleash such terrifying chaotic power!

The oppressive force emanating from that giant gray hand made his very soul tremble!
He roared madly, and the chaotic divine and demonic essence within his body was completely ignited.

The dark gold light on the three pairs of tattered wings instantly boiled, transforming into a huge dark gold shield covered with hideous faces of gods and demons, meeting the giant hand of chaos!
"Thump—!!!"

It was as if two sacred mountains were colliding!

The deafening roar, so muffled it was almost muffled, shook the entire floating continent!
The raging energy turbulence was like a runaway, furious dragon, tearing everything around it apart!
The dark gold shield trembled violently, and the divine and demonic faces that appeared on it let out a silent wail before crumbling into pieces!

Yun Yixuan spat out a mouthful of dark gold blood, his body flying backward like a broken sack, crashing heavily into a stone pillar at the edge of the altar, shattering the pillar into pieces!
As Zhang Yuan forced this attack beyond his limits, the Chaos Furnace within his body let out a mournful cry of unbearable strain. The light of the Myriad Beasts Divine Armor dimmed completely, and cracks reappeared. He was thrown backward like a kite with a broken string, and blood stained his chest!
In that split second, Zhang Yuan was severely injured and sent flying backward, his old strength exhausted and no new strength generated—a fatal moment!

"Junior, die!" The flanking elder, enraged by Zhang Yuan's avoidance, flashed a crazed killing intent in his eyes. Demonic energy surged from his withered claws, which followed Zhang Yuan like a shadow. His five fingers, like hooks, aimed straight at Zhang Yuan's back!
His heart must be dug out along with the Chaos Furnace!
A chilling aura of death instantly enveloped Zhang Yuan!
Zhang Yuan narrowed his eyes, and the power hidden deep within his body slowly gathered.

However, just as the withered claw was about to touch Zhang Yuan's robe—

"You little devil! How dare you be so insolent!"

A furious roar, seemingly from the highest heavens, exploded like billions of thunderbolts at once!

The entire void froze!
A golden-red pillar of fire, seemingly forged from the core of the sun, tore through the void above the floating land without warning.

Like a divine spear of judgment, carrying the terrifying power to burn away eternity and purify everything, it struck the Yunyi clan elder who had ambushed Zhang Yuan with unparalleled precision and ferocity!
"what--!!!"

The piercing, inhuman screams abruptly stopped!

The Cloud Wing Elder, who possessed the combat power of a Venerable, didn't even have time to react. His entire body, along with the demonic energy and essence power on his body, was instantly vaporized under the raging golden flames of the Crimson Sun Venerable's attack, just like snowflakes thrown into the blazing sun!

Not even a speck of ash remained!

Only the terrifyingly high temperature that remained in the original location and a piece of ground that had been melted into a glassy state proved that it had once existed!
The Crimson Sun Venerable has arrived!

He was like a fire god of war descended to earth, stepping out of the void rift that had been burned through, stepping on the still-burning golden flames!
The Burning Sun Armor shone brightly, and his red hair stood on end like burning steel needles. His furnace-like eyes were fixed on Yun Yixuan, who had just struggled to his feet and was filled with utter horror.
The raging killing intent, like tangible magma, scorched and distorted the entire altar platform!

"Yun! Yi! Xuan!" The voice of Venerable Chiyang was like a red-hot iron, each word deliberate and filled with a raging fury. "Have you forgotten what I said at Chentie Ridge?!"

"Assassination of Zhang Shuai! Collusion with the Demon Realm! Coveting Star Torch! Multiple crimes combined! Today I will fulfill my promise—"

He raised his right arm high, and a huge hand covered in blazing golden flames, seemingly capable of melting stars, instantly took shape. The runes on the Burning Sun Armor shone brightly, illuminating this void as if it were daytime!
"I'll extract your soul! I'll refine your spirit! I'll imprison you forever in the Burning Sun Purgatory! Prepare to die!"

That giant golden palm, capable of scorching the heavens and boiling the seas, carrying the Crimson Sun Venerable's extreme anger at betrayal and his absolute will to purify "filth," disregarded spatial distance and, like a meteorite falling to earth, slammed down fiercely towards the soul-shattered Yun Yixuan!
Its power was so great that it seemed to want to completely erase the entire floating continent, along with Yun Yixuan, from the void!

Life and death are separated by a hair's breadth!
Faced with the wrathful attack of the Crimson Sun Venerable that burned the eight wastelands, the last trace of madness in Yun Yixuan's eyes was completely swallowed by despair.

Its withered face was distorted like a ghost under the golden flames, and its tattered wings spread in vain, trying to make a last struggle, but it could not even stir up a ripple under the vast and scorching pressure of the red sun.

"Red Sun!" he roared hoarsely, his voice like the grinding of sand, filled with endless resentment and venom. "The Heavenly Palace is heartless, treating us like straw dogs! It has seized our foundation, destroyed our homeland, and placed all the blame for the collapse of the Sky-Patrolling Continent on our race!"

"You high and mighty beings, have you never shown any compassion for the plight of ants! Zhang Yuan—"

He suddenly turned to Zhang Yuan, who was standing weakly to the side, his eyes filled with a deep-seated curse.

"You think you're different? You're too sharp and ambitious, your path is fraught with danger. One day, the Heavenly Palace will surely discard you like trash!"

"I'll wait and see that day! I'll wait and see you follow in my footsteps!"

"Enough with the noise!" Golden flames surged in the Crimson Sun Venerable's eyes, his killing intent solidifying into a tangible form. "Betrayal of the Primordial World, collusion with the Demon Realm, coveting powerful artifacts—these are unforgivable crimes! Die!"

The giant golden palm, formed from the essence of the Burning Sun, crashed down without the slightest hesitation, carrying the majestic power to purify everything!
"boom--!!!"

The blinding golden-red light instantly engulfed Yun Yixuan's figure.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only an extreme form of "purification" and "annihilation".

The dark golden light, the aura of chaotic blood essence, and the remaining demonic energy, along with Yun Yixuan's withered body and tattered wings, melted and vaporized silently in the golden flames, like snowflakes thrown into a furnace, leaving not even a trace of ash behind.

The two elders behind him, who were also consumed by despair and madness, were also swept up by the aftershocks of the golden flames and followed in his footsteps, their bodies and souls destroyed.

The Yunyi Clan, a once glorious celestial race that ultimately met its end in betrayal and madness, was utterly annihilated at this moment on this lost ancient battlefield.

All that remained was the ground beneath the Crimson Sun Venerable's palm, melted into a glassy state, still radiating terrifying heat, and the last trace of resentment that permeated the air, quickly purified by the power of the Burning Sun.

The Crimson Sun Venerable slowly withdrew his palm, and the golden flames around him subsided slightly, but the scorching and domineering pressure still enveloped the surrounding area.

His furnace-like gaze swept over Zhang Yuan, who was leaning against a half-broken stone pillar, his aura extremely weak. His brows furrowed: "Kid, you're not dead yet, are you?"

Zhang Yuan had already suppressed his true power, and his face was as pale as paper, with pale golden blood of gods and demons constantly spilling from the corners of his mouth.

The dark black robe on his chest was already soaked with blood, revealing the shocking cracks on the Myriad Beasts Divine Armor underneath.

Even within his body, the Chaos Furnace emitted a low, painful hum, like a broken bell struck by a heavy hammer.

The violent chaotic power, the chaotic energy left over from the explosion of the Star Origin Crystal, and the backlash from forcibly activating the Prison Suppressing Giant Hand intertwined and clashed, almost tearing his divine and demonic body apart completely.

Every breath was accompanied by excruciating pain that went deep into my bones, and my vision would go black in waves.

If he were a pure early-stage Venerable, he would be in this state.

He forced a weak smile, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows: "Cough, cough cough..."

"Thank you for your help again, Venerable One. We can hold on for now."

Zhang Yuan raised his head, his gaze shifting with difficulty to the star core that floated silently in the center of the altar, radiating pure starlight.

"Hmph! I am the savior core, not you!" Venerable Crimson Sun snorted coldly and turned his head away, but a trace of barely perceptible concern in his tone could not be completely concealed.

"Enough talk, get the star core now! This place is no place to linger; the star core is in imminent danger!"

Zhang Yuan took a deep breath and staggered towards the altar.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the warm, jade-like star core, which contained immense spatial power, a very subtle, almost imperceptible vibration emanated from a highly concealed runic groove beneath the altar's base. "Buzz—"

A thought struck Zhang Yuan, and enduring the excruciating pain, he bent down to look.

Inside the groove, instead of a trap, lay a simple, unadorned, and even somewhat damaged jade slip.

The jade slip is made of neither gold nor jade, and it exudes an ancient Daoist charm similar to that of the Xuancang Jade Tablet.

However, the Daoist aura was more restrained, and if his chaotic perception had not been exceptionally sensitive due to his severe injuries, he would have been almost unable to detect it.

A sense of unease crept into his mind, but his intuition told him that this thing was important.

With his last ounce of caution, he wrapped the jade slip in chaotic primordial energy and carefully took it out.

As his divine senses sank into it, a cold torrent of information, filled with an aura of conspiracy, instantly flooded his mind!

Transaction records!

Three drops of the essence blood of the Chaos God and Demon were provided by the Demon Lord of the Abyss of the Demon Realm and delivered to Yun Yixuan through the hands of "You".

Star Crystal Source, provided by the Demon Realm, target: detonate the Chaos Furnace within Zhang Yuan's body.

Partial deployment map of Tiangong Chentieling, source: You.

Timetable for the transfer of supplies at Jielei Pass, source: You.

……

The last record, the core coordinates of the Sky-Piercing Continent Star Torch, was provided by "You" as a clue, with the Cloud Wing Clan in charge of the search and the Demon Realm following behind.

Signature.

A distorted, shadow-like codename, "Ghost".

"You..." Zhang Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted!
This jade slip is actually irrefutable evidence of Yun Yixuan's deal with the Demon Realm!

The recurring character "幽" (you) clearly points to a powerful and deeply hidden traitor within the Heavenly Palace!

This person not only provided intelligence, but also directly participated in the assassination plot against Shen Tieling and himself!

Is this jade slip a backup plan left behind by Yun Yixuan?

Or was it his unwilling revelation before his death?
Zhang Yuan gripped the jade slip tightly and instantly stored it in the deepest part of the Chaos Furnace space.

This item is the key to uncovering the undercurrents within the Heavenly Palace and pinpointing the mastermind behind it all!

Its value is immeasurable!
"Boy! What are you dawdling for? Taking a star core is taking so much effort!" Venerable Crimson Sun's impatient voice came, tinged with a hint of anxiety.

The contamination at the Star Torch core is worsening, and time is of the essence.

"coming!"

Zhang Yuan suppressed his surging blood and the turmoil in his heart, and without hesitation, reached out and firmly grasped the warm star core.

The moment he held the Star Core, a pure, vast, and seemingly primordial power of stars, originating from the very beginning of the universe, gently flowed into his body through his arm.

This is the moment!

This pure stellar power, like rain after a long drought, instantly produced a strange reaction with the chaotic power raging within his body and the chaotic energy remaining in the stellar source crystal!

The goal is not to escalate the conflict, but rather to guide it!
Zhang Yuanfu was moved by instinct; his severely injured and critically ill body seemed to be driven by instinct.

He no longer forcibly suppressed the chaotic furnace within his body, which was like a wild horse running free. Instead, the moment he grasped the star core, he completely released its restraints!

"The Chaos Forge, the source of all paths! Using the stars as a guide, forge yourself!"

He roared inwardly.

The chaotic star vortex in the left eye is rotating in reverse at an unprecedented speed.

A mysterious, yellow divine fire suddenly erupted from his right eye.

Instead of suppressing his injuries, he guided the stellar primordial power surging into his body, like the most exquisite fuse, to actively collide with the several violently conflicting energy cores within his body!

"Boom—!"

It wasn't an external explosion, but a thunderclap from within the universe!
The power of the star core, like a stabilizing force, carries the order and stability of the ancient stars and forcibly cuts into the chaotic vortex of chaos, demonic energy, and remnants of the source crystal!

The Chaos Furnace roared deafeningly, no longer a painful groan, but as if it had been injected with new fuel, and began to operate wildly in a more violent yet strangely guided and regulated way by the power of the stars!
Smelting!

The domineering nature of the Chaos Furnace is on full display at this moment!

It no longer distinguishes between friend and foe, and sweeps the demonic energy that has invaded its body, the chaotic residual power of the star source crystal, and even the chaotic power that has gone out of control due to its own backlash, along with the pure star source, into the heart of the furnace!
On the Armor of Myriad Beasts, patterns of Vermilion Bird feathers, White Tiger claws, and Black Tortoise shells... all the divine beast totems lit up simultaneously!
They seemed to come alive, letting out silent roars as they greedily absorbed the new power refined by the Chaos Furnace, which combined the order of the stars with the origin of chaos!

The hideous cracks on the divine armor were filled and healed at a visible speed by the interweaving of brilliant starlight and chaotic energy, and even became thicker and deeper, faintly revealing the phantoms of primordial beasts!
The pale golden blood of gods and demons no longer seeped from Zhang Yuan's body.

Instead, a strange halo of light flowed between chaotic gray and starlight silver.

The previously dormant cultivation power was also activated, and it surged up with a roar.

His extremely listless aura, like a spring that had been suppressed to its limit, began to rebound and rise at an astonishing speed!
The excruciating pain receded like a tide, replaced by an unprecedented sense of clarity and power, as if I had been reborn!
The conflicting energies within him that nearly tore him apart were forcibly blended and refined under the domineering melting of the Chaos Furnace and the orderly guidance of the power of the Star Core.

It transforms into a new source that is purer, more powerful, and contains both chaotic inclusiveness and stellar order: Chaotic Star Source Power!

Although there is still a gap between him and his peak condition, the "low-health" state of being seriously injured and dying has ended!
At this moment, he is like a divine weapon that has been tempered by fire and baptized by stars.

Its sharpness is concealed, yet it contains an even greater power!
Although his cultivation level didn't break through, his understanding of the Dao of Chaos, his control over power, and the resilience and regenerative ability of his physical body all underwent a qualitative leap due to this tempering on the edge of life and death! (End of Chapter)