Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 164 Purple Abyss Star Palace
He could clearly feel that will watching him like it was looking down on an ant, cold, indifferent, and devoid of any emotion.

Ling Xuan's heart pounded wildly, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back: "Could it be... that using the Heavenly Eye has angered the primordial will? Is it going to suppress me?"

The thought of possibly becoming roommates with the original ancestor sent a chill down Ling Xuan's spine. Even if City Lord Luo rescued him after his rise to power, who knew when that would be?

At this moment, he didn't even have the strength to raise his hand, and his divine body trembled slightly under the pressure.

Meanwhile, outside the Chaos Ruins Secret Realm, a group of powerful figures led by Venerable Qian Yue stared in the direction of the Ruins with utter terror. The original will of the primordial universe would not descend without reason.

"This...this is the primordial will!" Venerable Qianyue's voice trembled as he braced himself on the ground. "Uncle-Master!"

The others inside the Chaos Ruins were in even worse shape; some collapsed to the ground, while others trembled so badly they dared not even breathe.

They could feel the oppressive aura hanging over their heads like a sword, ready to fall at any moment and crush them along with the entire secret realm.

“Junior brother.” Venerable Rift Axe also looked solemnly in the direction of the Ruins Abyss. As a powerful figure who had seen the Primordial Ancestor, he knew all too well the strength of this will pressure.

At this moment, Ling Xuan was being stared at by the will of origin.

He closed his eyes, waiting to greet his future roommate—but after a few breaths, the terrifying pressure slowly receded, just as suddenly as it had arrived, leaving no trace.

Ling Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, panting heavily, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

He could clearly sense that the original will had indeed left and had not attacked him.

"They didn't suppress me?" Ling Xuan was filled with doubt, but he also breathed a sigh of relief. His tense nerves relaxed instantly, and a feeling of exhaustion came from deep within his body.

Before he could recover, the residual power of the golden divine light passed through the spot where the golden figure had disappeared and continued to shoot towards the spatial barrier.

With a deafening roar, a massive rift hundreds of thousands of kilometers in diameter exploded in the void, spreading like a spider web, and the entire space began to shake violently.

This destructive force spread along the crack to the entire treasure palace. The spatial runes on the walls flickered erratically, the outer spatial barrier was torn apart like thin paper, and spatial turbulence surged into the palace like a roaring beast.

Just as the space was about to completely collapse, a warm, pale purple light suddenly shone in the core area of ​​the palace—not the illusory glow of spatial power, but like amethyst that had been tempered for millions of years, carrying a heavy and ancient texture.

Just as the space was about to completely collapse, a warm yet unmistakable pale purple halo suddenly lit up the core area of ​​the palace.

Within the halo, a “star ring crystal disc” about half the height of a person slowly emerged—it was made entirely of amethyst material never seen before, and was in the shape of a disc with a diameter of three feet. A ring of fine star patterns was carved around the edge of the disc, and dozens of silver crystals the size of rice grains were inlaid between the star patterns, like stars surrounding a galaxy, emitting a faint but stable light.

The center of the crystal disk was not solid, but rather had a circular groove hollowed out. A fist-sized, pale purple crystal core floated in the groove. The surface of the crystal core shone with a soft luster, yet it emitted a pressure that could make even Ling Xuan, an ultimate supreme being, feel terrified.

As soon as the star ring crystal disc appeared, the central crystal core trembled slightly, and a clear thought flowed into Ling Xuan's mind like a stream—there were no complicated words, only pure submission and awe, as if a guardian that had been sleeping for billions of years had finally found its master, with absolute obedience and trust.

A hint of excitement mingled with that thought, and even the power of the laws contained within the Star Ring Crystal Disc itself began to flow slowly toward Ling Xuan, forming an invisible energy loop around him and establishing a preliminary connection.

As soon as Ling Xuan's fingertips touched the star pattern on the edge of the crystal plate, he was amazed by its warm yet tough texture, and then an uncontrollable joy surged in his heart!
"What level is this treasure?"

"Could it be... that the treasure of the entire palace is a God-King treasure of the same level as the Star Tower?"

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Ling Xuan shook his head.

The Star Tower was a complete accident; it was crafted by the Mountain Dweller to cultivate a leader for the Earth lineage.

It would be very difficult to find a second God-King's Treasure in the entire primordial universe.

But then he thought about it again. Just now, the Heavenly Eye Light was so domineering—it was a terrifying power that could instantly kill even a sixth-order universe master, and it even attracted the gaze of the original will of the primordial universe. Yet this palace treasure did not leave a trace, as if the impact of the divine light was just a breeze brushing across the water.

Such terrifying defensive power must be at least at the level of a supreme treasure!

Ling Xuan was once again overwhelmed with shock, and his gaze toward the crystal core grew even more intense.

Just as his thoughts were churning, the suspended crystal core suddenly trembled violently, and a clearer and more profound idea than before was branded into his mind, directly answering all his doubts.

This thought informed me that it was called the "Purple Abyss Star Ring," not an independent treasure, but the core hub of the entire palace's treasure, the "Purple Abyss Star Palace." By merging with this ring, one could gain complete control over the Purple Abyss Star Palace.

The only requirement for fusion is willpower—the strength of one's willpower must exceed two levels of one's own strength.

In other words, an Immortal level requires the will of a Universe Lord, while a Universe Venerable requires the will of the strongest being in the universe.

Only in this way can one withstand the "tearing infusion" of the Ziyuan Star Ring into the soul during fusion, and avoid having one's consciousness crushed by the excruciating pain of having a red-hot iron forcibly inserted into the soul.

However, the specific level of the Ziyuan Star Palace was unclear, as if it were blocked by an invisible barrier. One could only vaguely sense that its power far exceeded that of ordinary treasures.

Ling Xuan's heart skipped a beat, and then he smiled knowingly.

This kind of information, which cannot be expressed in the primordial universe, clearly indicates an existence beyond the level of true gods.

Combined with the void power emanating from the star ring, Ling Xuan instantly concluded that the Purple Abyss Star Palace had definitely reached the Eternal level or above.

“An eternal treasure…” Ling Xuan murmured to himself, his heart filled with joy.

Although an Eternal True God is nothing special on the Origin Continent, in the Primordial Universe, an Eternal-level treasure is absolutely legendary. With it, one would be invincible in the Cosmic Sea region, and there would be no one who could threaten one's life.

Even the Lava Demon God in the God-Slaying Abyss, who inspired fear in even the strongest beings in the universe, was unable to open this eternal-level palace treasure.

What reassured him even more was that his will precisely met the requirements for fusion.

Before attaining enlightenment, he possessed the will of a cosmic master. Now that he has attained enlightenment and become the supreme being who suppresses all other paths with his own, he is surrounded by an aura of "I am invincible" and his will has already broken through to the level of a true god. Not long ago, after breaking through to the level of a cosmic venerable, his will made a subtle but crucial improvement. Even among the strongest beings in the universe, he is not among the weakest.

"However, before we merge, we need to let the outside world know that we are safe." Ling Xuan had a thought. He didn't want to learn from City Lord Luo. Every time City Lord Luo went into seclusion during a life-or-death crisis, he would make a big fuss and worry his family.

She directly had Puff send out a series of emails to her group to report her information.

He even left a message for his good junior disciple, Venerable Qianyue, telling her to wait for him with peace of mind.

After doing all this, Ling Xuan finally felt relieved and refocused his gaze on the Purple Abyss Star Ring.

Ling Xuan took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the Purple Abyss Star Ring that floated in mid-air, emitting a deep, pale purple light. He said in a deep voice, "Let's begin." As soon as he finished speaking, the originally tranquil Purple Abyss Star Ring trembled violently, as if it had been activated by an ancient beast. The star patterns on its surface shone brightly, and countless pale purple light threads with sharp "spikes of will" shot out from the crystal core, like a barrage of arrows, swiftly piercing towards Ling Xuan's brow.

The instant the light touched his soul, Ling Xuan's muscles tensed instantly, each muscle like a taut bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.

His teeth clenched so hard they made a dull grinding sound, and an unimaginable pain, like a raging tsunami, swept over him from the depths of his soul.

This pain did not come from his divine body, but rather felt as if countless tiny knives, formed from pure agony, were churning wildly in the deepest part of his soul. With each churning, his consciousness trembled violently, like a candle flickering in the wind.

"This pain... is nothing at all!" Ling Xuan roared inwardly.

However, the assimilative power of the Purple Abyss Star Ring is far more terrifying than imagined.

The light threads surged forth like a tide, wave after wave, each carrying a savage and violent power, forcibly opening a passage within the soul.

As the number of light filaments increased, the pain surged at an almost insane rate, quickly surpassing all the pain Ling Xuan had ever experienced before, even surpassing the excruciating pain he felt when he encountered the Blood Crystal.

The excruciating pain felt as if it were utterly crushing his soul and then reassembling it.

"Rumble—" The entire third-level palace trembled due to the violent fluctuations in Ling Xuan's soul.

The ancient runes on the palace walls glowed intermittently, as if they were being impacted by some powerful force; the spatial fragments suspended in mid-air disintegrated under this fluctuation, turning into tiny specks of light that dissipated into the air.

Fine beads of blood even seeped from the surface of the divine body. This was the body's instinctive reaction to the excruciating pain in the soul, demonstrating the depth of the suffering.

Ling Xuan tried to concentrate his mind and comprehend his signature sword technique, much like someone in dire straits might try to distract themselves by meditating on ancient texts, hoping to alleviate the excruciating pain in their soul.

But the excruciating pain was too overwhelming. Every time he was about to immerse himself in the essence of swordsmanship, the pain, as if tearing the sky apart, would forcefully pull him back to reality.

The feeling was like someone suddenly stabbing him in the soul while he was focused on something beautiful.

"Don't get distracted!" Ling Xuan bit his tongue hard, and a strong taste of blood instantly filled his mouth. This taste of blood was like a powerful sobering agent, instantly bringing him back to his senses from the brink of chaos.

He forced himself to abandon all distracting thoughts and stop trying to escape. Instead, he let the light threads travel through his soul, focusing solely on guarding the golden barrier of will in his heart.

The light threads seemed to sense Ling Xuan's resistance, and like enraged beasts, they suddenly increased their speed of penetration and became even more violent.

At the same time, chilling illusions began to appear in Ling Xuan's mind: he saw his proud barrier of will being easily torn apart like fragile paper under the frenzied impact of the light threads; his soul was turned into countless fragments, drifting in the endless dark space.

"Fake! All fake!" Ling Xuan roared, his will barrier shining brightly like a golden sun, unleashing unparalleled power that shattered the illusions. Wherever the light reached, the illusions vanished without a trace, like snow meeting the blazing sun.

He knew that this was a test from the Purple Abyss Star Ring for him. If he were to be deceived by these illusions, his will would collapse instantly, and all his efforts would be in vain.

Ling Xuan began to recall every difficult stage of his cultivation journey from an ordinary person to the Supreme Being.

Since arriving in this world, he has devoted himself to cultivation. Because of his ordinary talent, he has worked hard day and night to make up for his lack of talent. As a result, he even forgot the time of his coming-of-age ceremony and almost made a big fool of himself.

Later, after awakening the heart of the God of War, he advanced triumphantly, fought against the nine lords of the universe outside the Ancestral Mystic Realm, and attained enlightenment in one battle!
These precious memories, at this moment, are like a continuous stream of powerful fuel, flowing into the barrier of will, making the golden light even more dazzling and dazzling, and slowly beginning to assimilate those invading light threads.

Time slowly passed amidst this endless pain and struggle.

Ling Xuan was so engrossed in the battle of his soul that he was completely unaware of all the changes happening in the outside world.

All he knew was that the pain was intensifying, each moment like being tormented in the flames of hell; and his willpower barrier was becoming increasingly resilient with each fierce collision with the light threads, like a divine weapon forged through countless trials.

After an unknown amount of time, when the last ray of light was assimilated by the will, the Ziyuan Star Ring, which had been trembling wildly, suddenly burst forth with an extremely dazzling light.

The light illuminated the entire third-floor palace, making everything inside clearly visible.

Immediately afterwards, the Purple Abyss Star Ring rapidly shrank, transforming into a pale purple ring that, in a mysterious way, firmly "embedded" itself into Ling Xuan's brow.

This was not a physical embedding, but a complete fusion with his soul, from which point on, the two became indistinguishable.

In an instant, the excruciating pain that had been haunting him and almost overwhelmed him vanished without a trace.

Instead, there is a wonderful resonance that is hard to describe.

Ling Xuan could clearly perceive that every minute detail of the palace was like a part of his own body, which he could control at will with a thought; he could even mobilize the power deep within the Star Palace to repair the broken spatial cracks around him.

Ling Xuan slowly opened his eyes, his eyes filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and the joy of successfully merging.

He subconsciously raised his hand and gently touched his brow, where the phantom of the Purple Abyss Star Ring was faintly visible, emitting a unique fluctuation that perfectly matched his aura, as if telling the story of the close connection between the two.

"Success..." Ling Xuan murmured to himself, his voice hoarse from the pain, but unable to conceal his deep joy.

At this moment, the tremors of the third-level palace had completely stopped, and the secret patterns on the walls lit up again, radiating a soft and mysterious light, as if congratulating the birth of the new master; the suspended spatial fragments had also stopped disintegrating, and the entire palace had returned to relative calm.

Ling Xuan couldn't wait to put away the Purple Abyss Star Palace, and at this moment he was extremely grateful.

It seems that the primordial will of the universe has just spared it.

It seems that this fundamental will has always been easy to talk to.

The Primordial Ancestor attempted to possess him, but it only suppressed the Primordial Ancestor. Ling Xuan did not believe that it was incapable of killing the Primordial Ancestor. The complete destruction of the Wu Kingdom's cosmic ship and the forced reincarnation of the Mountain-Sitting Guest both demonstrated that the power of this primordial universe was comparable to that of a powerful god-king.

The human race, to which the progenitors originated, was not punished by the primordial universe and remained a pinnacle race in the cosmos.

However, Ling Xuan quickly figured it out.

The primordial will is indeed very easy to talk to about life in the primordial universe, just like treating a child.

When the True Demon God was provoked by the Two-Faced Ancestral God and unleashed power exceeding the sixth rank, he first gave a warning. Only when the True Demon God still did not stop provoking the rules of the universe did he take action to punish him. Moreover, he only punished him briefly, and let him go after the True Demon God realized his mistake.

The outburst of his Heavenly Eye was probably a warning to himself. He did not continue to use power exceeding the sixth rank, so his primordial will felt that he had "behaved" and retreated directly. The Heavenly Eye's attack that killed the golden figure could only be considered the golden figure's bad luck.

(End of this chapter)