Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 213 Battle of the Star Tower

This is precisely what makes the Zerg Queen so terrifying! Her greatest strength lies in her unpredictable soul attacks and illusion creation!
The Dream Demon Ancestor and the Tremor Demon Ancestor, who were charging forward, suddenly stopped!
In their perception, the entrance to the Star Tower in front of them vanished instantly, replaced by an endless blood-red battlefield, a terrifying illusion of the collapse of the demon race's territory and the wailing of its people!
This illusion struck the deepest part of their souls. Although it was not enough to corrupt them, it severely disrupted their judgment and rhythm of action, causing their momentum to slow down.

Especially the Dream Demon Ancestor, who was more sensitive to matters of the soul, was more affected by the impact at this moment, and let out an irritable hiss.

"Xuan Gu, go inside!"

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Zerg Queen's cold voice rang directly in the mind of the Lord of the Golden Wall.

At the same time, the Empress Palace emitted a gentle yet irresistible force, precisely stabilizing the Xuan Gu clone's backward-flying figure and giving him just the right amount of thrust.

Xuan Gu's clone reacted instantly, its golden light blazing and roaring once more, transforming into a golden lightning bolt that tore through space. Taking advantage of the moment when the two demon ancestors were trapped in the illusion, it arrived first and rushed into the entrance of the Star Tower that was flashing with chaotic energy. Its figure disappeared instantly!
Seeing that Xuan Gu's clone had already entered, the Zerg Queen followed in her Queen's Palace.

The Northern Frontier Alliance Leader's expression also changed. He had intended to wait for an opportunity to strike, but he hadn't expected the Zerg Queen to make such a precise and fatal move.

"Quick! We can't let them gain the upper hand!" The leader of the Northern Frontier Alliance shouted, no longer caring about anything else. The light of the Qiqu Starlight Lake Domain around him shone brightly, transforming into a condensed purple stream of light, and he was the third to rush into the entrance of the Star Tower, which was shrouded in chaotic energy.

"Do not!!!"

"Bastard!"

The Dream Demon Ancestor and the Earthquake Demon Ancestor broke free from the illusion almost simultaneously, watching helplessly as the Lord of the Golden Wall disappeared at the entrance, and let out a deafening roar!

They went to great lengths, even joining forces to suppress them, but the Zerg Queen's Soul Illusion spell disrupted their plans, allowing their "enemy" to enter the Star Tower first!
He quickly followed.

"Damn it, they really are the treacherous Zerg!" The True Demon God, who was a step behind, was both shocked and furious upon seeing this. He had not expected that the Zerg Queen's previous inaction was actually a setup for this crucial moment.

Seeing that the Zerg might gain the upper hand, he could no longer remain calm.

In an instant, the strongest beings in the universe who were still outside the tower vying for other entrances also realized that something was wrong.

What's the point of arguing about the order of priority? I'm afraid the greatest opportunity inside the tower will really fall into the hands of the Zerg!
The next moment, the remaining powerful figures, almost without distinction, transformed into streaks of divine light that tore through the sky, rushing madly towards their nearest Star Tower entrances, creating an extremely chaotic scene.

Inside the tower, it's a completely different scene.

Xuan Gu's clone was the first to enter the Star Tower, and was instantly enveloped by its vastness and desolation.

Looking out, the space inside the tower is vast and boundless, as if it were a universe of its own.

Beneath your feet lies a mottled, ancient, dark ground that stretches to the horizon; above your head is not the top of a tower, but a hazy, chaotic void, where countless starlight and shadows float and flicker.

Most striking are the countless forbidden spaces in the distance, arranged like a honeycomb or like giant floating bubbles, each radiating different fluctuations of laws.

These forbidden spaces are connected by hidden passages and are constantly changing, together forming the extremely complex labyrinthine structure inside the Star Tower.

"We must find the core of the recognition as soon as possible..." Xuan Gu's clone squeezed out just the right amount of "urgency" on his face and began to "frantically" try.

He first tried to inject his divine power into the tower wall beneath his feet, but the mottled material was like a bottomless abyss. The divine power he poured in sank to the bottom without even a ripple.

He tried to communicate and sense with his soul power, but felt an invisible yet incredibly strong barrier that firmly blocked his probe, preventing him from penetrating even a fraction of the way.

He even swung his golden fist, gathering power to slam it against a huge pillar beside him. However, the power, enough to shatter stars, couldn't even leave a white mark on the tower wall.

Next to enter was the Zerg Queen, who entered leisurely in her palace.

Unlike other powerful figures who immediately began their frenzied attempts, she seemed to be merely touring the place, with the Queen's Palace quietly suspended in a corner.

Through the palace walls, she leisurely observed the vast environment inside the tower, as well as the ancient clones that were trying to move around like ants on a hot pan. Her beautiful face carried a hint of all-knowing indifference.

"How come I never noticed before that Xuan Gu is so interesting?"

The third Northern Frontier Alliance Leader to rush in was surrounded by the starlight of Qiqu Starlight Lake. He glanced at the composed Zerg Queen and slowed down, saying with a hint of teasing, "The Queen is in quite a mood, going to great lengths to get in first, yet she's not in a hurry at all?"

The Zerg Queen's eyes flickered, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her cool voice echoed through the chaotic air: "The recognition of a master by a treasure depends on fate; forcing it is useless. Northern Frontier Alliance Leader, you are too attached to appearances."

The leader of the Northern Frontier Alliance's expression shifted, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes, before he coldly snorted, "Hmph, opportunities are won through struggle!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a purple streak of light that stretched across the void, with the Qiqu Starlight Lake spreading out behind him into a dazzling star field, and billions of starlight reaching out to every corner of the tower like tentacles.

Just then, the space at the entrance fluctuated violently. The Dream Demon Ancestor's silvery-white serpentine body rushed in first, followed by the Tremor Demon Ancestor covered with a hideous serrated shell. The figures of the illusory and real demon gods flickered between reality and illusion.

In an instant, the once quiet interior of the Star Tower seemed to erupt into chaos.

"Get out of my way!" The Dream Demon Ancestor roared, its serpentine body, hundreds of millions of miles long, coiled around a colossal pillar reaching the sky, and its soul power surged out like a tsunami, attempting to forcefully penetrate the tower's walls.

The silver scales rubbed against the tower wall, sparking dazzling sparks.

The Demon Ancestor became even more ferocious, its serrated outer shell glowing with an eerie light, and its massive body slammed into the tower wall with the force to crush stars.

"Boom——"

The entire space trembled, and the shockwave from the impact tore the surrounding chaotic airflow to shreds.

The figure of the illusory demon god swiftly traversed the spatial interlayers, leaving behind spatial cracks wherever it passed.

Other powerful figures also displayed their unique abilities, with various divine powers and rays of light intertwining to create a scene of destruction.

However, no matter what they did, the Star Tower remained unmoved.

Not a single trace was left on the tower wall; all attempts were in vain.

Just as everyone was feeling discouraged, the tower wall to the left of Xuan Gu's clone suddenly showed an unusual phenomenon.

A streak of azure light, spanning tens of thousands of kilometers, rapidly traversed the tower wall, outlining secret patterns containing the ultimate truths of the universe.

The chaotic air currents in the entire space surged wildly, forming a huge vortex with a diameter of over 100,000 kilometers.

"This is..." The Dream Demon Ancestor's pupils suddenly contracted, and its massive body involuntarily began to coil.

The tower walls gradually became transparent, revealing a black sphere with a diameter of about 30,000 kilometers inside.

The surface of the sphere was covered with ancient blue runes, and the terrifying sealing power distorted and deformed the surrounding space, so much so that even light could not escape its gravitational pull.

"Star Tower Core!" Zhen Yaozu roared, his serrated outer shell glowing brightly as he charged out first.

With each step he took, he left unfathomable spatial cracks in the void, causing the spacetime structure to collapse wherever he went.

"Don't even think about monopolizing it!" the Northern Frontier Alliance Leader roared. The Qiqu Starlight Lake instantly condensed into a giant lightsaber spanning the star sea, its blade flowing with destructive energy powerful enough to shatter star fields.

"Giant Body!" Xuan Gu's clone roared to the sky. The treasure was right in front of him, how could he possibly give it away?

Billions of golden rays of divine light erupted from his body, causing his form to expand rapidly within the light, instantly transforming him into a golden giant millions of kilometers tall.

The Giant Domain was unleashed at full power, its terrifying oppressive force causing the entire space to groan, even causing powerful figures arriving from afar to momentarily freeze. "Boom—"

The golden giant fist clashed violently with the serrated outer shell of the Demon Ancestor, and the resulting shockwave swept away the chaotic air currents within several light-years.

Zhen Yaozu felt a tremendous force that seemed to split the heavens and the earth, and his serrated body was sent flying backward, leaving a spatial rift across the star field in the void.

"Break!" Xuan Gu's clone swung his left fist, which was wrapped with golden law runes that seemed to solidify, and smashed the Northern Frontier Alliance Leader's Starlight Greatsword.

The shattered sword light scattered like a supernova explosion, illuminating the entire star field as if it were daytime.

His right fist met the blazing white breath spewed by the Dream Demon Ancestor. The weakening effect of the Giant Domain greatly reduced the power of the breath. Combined with his self-created sixth-order "Undying Golden Body" defensive secret technique, he actually managed to split this breath, which was enough to burn down a star field, in half!

The figure of the illusory demon god flickered with difficulty at the edge of the domain, attempting to bypass the battlefield.

However, the terrifying gravity of the giants' domain greatly reduced his speed, and every inch he moved forward required a huge amount of divine power, causing the surrounding space to constantly crack under the strain.

"Get back, all of you!" Xuan Gu's clone unleashed both fists simultaneously, golden fist shadows pouring down like a galaxy. Each punch contained the power of creation and destruction, and the spacetime structure collapsed and reorganized wherever the fist wind passed.

Sometimes he used his palm as a knife to cleave through the serpentine tail strikes of the Dream Demon Ancestor; sometimes he transformed his fist into a hammer to withstand the sawtooth impacts of the Shock Demon Ancestor; and sometimes he curled his fingers into claws to tear apart the starlight chains of the Northern Frontier Alliance Leader.

They managed to withstand the combined attacks of the three strongest beings in the universe.

Taking advantage of the gap, he suddenly turned around, his golden giant hand tearing through the void, his five fingers closing together like a pillar supporting the sky, and grabbing the black sphere that had already fully emerged.

The sealed star, with a diameter of 30,000 kilometers, slowly rotated in his palm, its surface shimmering with cyan secret patterns, radiating a heart-palpitating sealing power.

"This isn't the core of the Star Tower!" The Xuan Gu clone sensed the pure sealing runes within the sphere and quickly realized it wasn't the Star Tower's core but a sealed star. It hurriedly announced, "This is merely a sealed star, a powerful sealing treasure! It contains a space within; as long as you hide inside, any attack will be weakened to one ten-thousandth of its original value!"

"Nonsense!" The Dream Demon Ancestor laughed in fury, raising his snake tail once more and lashing out with the power to shatter galaxies.

Just as the crowd was about to launch another attack, another tower wall not far away emitted a bluish light.

Another black sphere, about 50,000 kilometers in diameter, was slowly rotating inside the tower wall. The blue patterns on its surface were clearly visible, just like the newly born Zhenfeng Star.

Zhen Yaozu immediately abandoned Xuan Gu's clone and fiercely clawed at the tower wall with his serrated giant claws.

A terrifying force capable of crushing galaxies erupted, shattering space inch by inch, yet the tower walls remained completely still.

The Dream Demon Ancestor's Dream Scales shone with full white light, unleashing a fierce breath and a frenzied attack, yet the tower walls remained as solid as a rock.

The leader of the Northern Frontier Alliance was ashen-faced. He transformed the Qiqu Starlight Lake into billions of streams of light, but it couldn't even stir up a ripple.

The illusory demon god also tried to traverse space, but found that the spatial structure around the tower wall was more solid than he had imagined.

"Do you believe me now?" Xuan Gu's clone held the sealing star with a diameter of 30,000 kilometers, his cold voice echoing in the chaotic airflow, and his dark golden body appeared even more majestic under the dim light inside the tower.

The powerful figures looked at each other, forced to accept this disheartening fact.

The Dream Demon Ancestor let out a resentful hiss, its silver snake tail slamming heavily into the void, stirring up ripples.

Zhen Yaozu slowly withdrew from his fighting stance, and the eerie light on his serrated shell gradually dimmed.

"Damn it!" The Black Universe Founder, who had just arrived from another dimension, spat out, his blurry phantom fluctuating violently in the chaos, "What exactly is this Star Tower? We can't even figure out how to make it recognize a master!"

The cold, metallic voice of the Mechanical God Father rang out at the opportune moment, carrying a hint of subtle provocation: "It seems that the Flame Emperor's generosity in allowing us to enter is probably because he already knew some secrets that we were unaware of."

He subtly directed his criticism at humanity.

Upon hearing this, the Lord of Shihua Island's eyes flashed with a strange light, and he said in a sinister tone, "Hmph, since that's the case... Mechanical, why don't you take the lead, and we join forces to put pressure on humanity and force that Flame Emperor to reveal the secrets of the Star Tower?"

"Why go through all this trouble?" The mechanical god laughed without batting an eye, turning the tables on him. "Everyone here is the strongest in the universe. What's the difference in order? Why don't we all go and 'learn' from them?"

He skillfully shielded everyone in front of him.

Upon hearing this, the Black Universe Founder sneered from within the fiery phantom: "Mechanical, do you think we're fools? If we offend the Flame Emperor to death today, yet fail to obtain this Star Tower, will we still have a place to stand in the Cosmic Sea when he truly breaks through in the future?"

"Hmph, a bunch of cowardly scoundrels." The Dream Demon Ancestor, coiled around its serpentine body, snorted disdainfully, attempting to provoke them.

The Void Demon God, who had been observing coldly, slowly opened his eyes. A cold lightning seemed to flash in the void as he stared at the Dream Demon Ancestor. His voice was calm but carried a chilling coldness: "Dream Tea, if you are not convinced, I don't mind sparring with you. It just so happens that I think it would be a good choice to 'travel' through the demon realm for the next hundreds of millions of years."

The Dream Demon Ancestor's snake eyes narrowed, and he was about to lash out when the Tremor Demon Ancestor quickly stepped forward, his serrated body leaning slightly forward, and smoothed things over: "Xu Zhen, hold your anger. Meng Cha was just anxious and hoped that everyone would have the opportunity to understand the secrets of the Star Tower, which might be helpful for your future reincarnation. She had no other intentions."

The True Demon God and several other powerful figures looked coldly at the Dream Demon Ancestor. Everyone present knew perfectly well what the Dream Demon Ancestor's intention was to incite conflict and shift the blame.

However, at their level, unless core interests are involved, no one is willing to easily form a deadly feud.

Now that Zhen Yaozu has represented the demon race in admitting defeat, everyone is naturally willing to step down.

At this moment, all eyes were focused on the Dream Demon Ancestor, to see if she would go with the flow.

The Dream Demon Ancestor felt the invisible pressure all around it. Its huge serpent head lowered slightly, and its scales rubbed together, making a rustling sound. Although it was unwilling, it could only squeeze out the words through gritted teeth: "...What Zhenjiao said is what I mean."

This turmoil, which started with the sealing of a star and almost escalated into a chaotic battle between the strongest beings in the universe, has finally subsided temporarily.

Next, each of the powerful figures, harboring their own thoughts, embarked on another exploration within the vast Star Tower.

Outside the Star Tower, all the powerful members of the human race, including the founder of the Giant Axe and the Lord of Chaos City, had already quietly withdrawn from this secret realm, as if they had truly given up on this supreme treasure. Their carefree attitude only made the alien powerhouses inside the tower more suspicious and uncertain.

Time flies, and more than a million years have passed in the blink of an eye amidst constant attempts and disappointments.

During this period, all the cosmic lords and even the strongest beings in the universe who arrived here tried every means possible, but without exception, none of them could trigger even the slightest sign of the Star Tower recognizing them as its master.

Everyone finally realized that this treasure was not meant for them, and they gave up in disappointment.

However, the long exploration was not without its rewards.

They gradually figured out a pattern: every long period of time, the Star Tower would naturally conceive and release a sealing star.

Each of the sealed stars is a powerful treasure, containing its own space with extremely strong defensive capabilities. For a cosmic venerable, it is an invaluable treasure for survival and warfare.

The news spread like wildfire, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the many powerful alien races who originally lived in this secret realm.

They thought that since they couldn't get the ultimate treasure, obtaining a star that could suppress the sun would be a huge gain.

They have lived here for generations, taking full advantage of the location. If another star is born, they believe they will be the first to benefit from its proximity.

Unfortunately, reality soon dealt them a heavy blow.

(End of this chapter)