Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

He pointed to the enormous crystal: "If this thing explodes, not only Death Valley, but the entire Kunlun Mountains will be destroyed."

"You've planned this for three hundred years, are you really willing to take this risk?"

Ying fell silent.

Within the star core space, only a faint humming sound could be heard as light flowed within the crystal.

Finally, Shadow slowly spoke: "...Alright. I can let her go. But the six of you must voluntarily offer up three-tenths of your own essence to help me complete the purification ritual."

"Thirty percent?" Shen Qingqiu frowned. "That would severely damage our cultivation, and we might even fall out of our cultivation realm."

"It's better than death." Lin Chen looked at everyone. "Are you willing?"

Ye Qingcheng was the first to speak up: "I was spared from death long ago, what is a third of my original source?"

Shen Qingqiu was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay. But I need to ensure the safety of the ceremony, so it can't exceed the 30% limit."

Chu Ling'er whispered, "I...I'm willing too. Brother Lin saved me, and Sister Qingyao is a good person too..."

Mu Qingyao's eyes reddened slightly: "Brother Lin, you don't need to worry about me..."

"It's not just for you." Lin Chen looked at the star core, his gaze deep. "If this star core is truly, as Miss Luo said, an ancient 'core of a calamity,' then its continued presence here will inevitably lead to disaster sooner or later."

"Taking advantage of this opportunity to purify it can be considered... ridding the people of a scourge."

He looked at Luo Yunyi one last time.

The starlight in Luo Yunyi's eyes gradually faded, and the short blade stopped just an inch from her heart.

She looked at Lin Chen, her "fiancé" whom she had never met, her lips moved, but in the end she only said one sentence: "...Thank you."

Ying smiled with satisfaction: "Then, let the ceremony begin."

He formed a hand seal, and the light from the star core suddenly changed.

Six beams of light of different colors shot out from the crystal, enveloping Lin Chen, Shen Qingqiu, Ye Qingcheng, Chu Ling'er, Mu Qingyao, and—himself.

"What are you doing?" Lin Chen asked warily.

"I am also part of the ritual." Shadow's tone was calm. "'Shadow' body is the seventh special constitution, mainly responsible for 'concealment' and 'bearing'. Without my origin as a container and buffer, your six powers cannot merge."

He looked at the star core: "Three hundred years ago, my ancestor discovered this star core and also discovered his own special physique."

Since then, our family has guarded this place for generations, searching for a way to purify the star's core.

"Until fifty years ago, my father came up with a crazy plan—to use seven special primal elements as a catalyst and the star core itself as a furnace to refine the 'Seven Star Creation Pill'."

"By taking this pill, one can completely merge with the star core and gain the power to control the power of the stars."

Pain flashed in Ying's eyes: "But the ritual failed. Father was devoured by the star core, and his soul shattered. I used every means to barely stitch his remnant soul back together and seal it in this body."

"So you're not Shadow," Lin Chen suddenly realized, "you're Shadow's son. What's your real name?"

The young man in black robes remained silent for a long time before slowly removing his hood.

It was a pale but handsome face, and he looked to be no more than twenty years old.

His pure black pupils gradually faded, revealing their original dark brown color.

"My name is Stardust," he said softly, "Star as in stars, dust as in dust."

"For the past three hundred years, my family has been known as the 'Guardians of the Stars.' But what we are guarding is not the stars, but this catastrophic star that could explode at any moment."

Xingchen looked at Luo Yunyi: "Three years ago, your father, Luo Changfeng, accidentally entered this place and discovered some of the secrets of the star core."

"I didn't kill him, but left him in the core of the star—I hope to use his scholarly wisdom to find a better solution."

"But he was corrupted by the star core, so I could only freeze him to slow down the rate of corruption."

Luo Yunyi's body trembled: "Father... is still alive?"

"Barely," Stardust said, pointing behind the star core. "He's there. You can take him away after the ceremony."

He formed the hand seals again: "Now, let's begin."

Six beams of light lit up simultaneously.

Lin Chen felt a gentle yet irresistible force emanating from the star core, slowly drawing upon the Nine Yang Origin within his dantian.

At the same time, five forces were simultaneously drawn out: Shen Qingqiu's medicinal spirit energy, Ye Qingcheng's frost yin energy, Chu Ling'er's spiritual power, Mu Qingyao's Gu spirit light, and Xingchen's shadow aura.

Six-colored rays of light intertwined and swirled above the star core, eventually converging into a magnificent rainbow band of light that slowly poured into the dark red part of the star core.

The purification process has begun.

The dark red part of the star core began to fade at a visible rate under the wash of the six-colored light band.

The murky blood, like ink being washed away, was gradually replaced by pure silver-blue starlight.

But this process is not easy.

Lin Chen could sense that for every inch of star core purified, one part of their own essence would be consumed.

The 30% limit is rapidly approaching.

"Be careful to control your output!" Shen Qingqiu gritted her teeth, fine beads of sweat already forming on her forehead. "I only have 60% of my medicinal spirit essence left... I'm almost at my limit."

Ye Qingcheng's face turned pale, and her frosty aura noticeably dimmed: "Me too..."

Chu Ling'er and Mu Qingyao were the weakest in cultivation and were already teetering on the brink of collapse.

Stardust is also in poor condition.

As the core bearer of the ceremony, he bears the greatest pressure.

The body beneath the black robe began to tremble slightly, and a trickle of black blood seeped from the corner of his mouth—the backlash from his father's shattered soul.

Lin Chen's situation is somewhat special.

Surrounded by the five origins of the Nine Yin Body, the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Body not only did not weaken, but began to operate autonomously, drawing on the sparse spiritual energy from the surrounding space to replenish itself.

Even more remarkably, the pure starlight emanating from the star core resonated with the Nine Yang True Qi within his body.

"This is……"

Lin Chen looked inward and was surprised to find that the starlight energy was being slowly absorbed and transformed by the Nine Yang True Qi, becoming a part of his origin.

Although the speed is slow, it is indeed replenishing the energy consumed.

"Starlight is essentially a variant of the power of ultimate Yang." Stardust noticed Lin Chen's unusual behavior, a flash of realization crossing his eyes:

"The Nine Suns Burning Heaven Body truly is capable of encompassing all things..."

He suddenly made a decision.

"Lin Chen, take my place!" Stardust shouted. "You are a better vessel! Use your body to bear the six primal forces and complete the final purification!"

"What?" Lin Chen was taken aback.

"There's no time to explain! My body is reaching its limit!" More and more black blood spilled from Stardust's mouth. "If this continues, the ritual will fail, and we'll all suffer the backlash!"

He forcibly changed the hand seal.

The beam of light that was originally connected to him suddenly turned and merged with Lin Chen's beam of light.

All six primordial forces surged toward Lin Chen!

"ah--!"

A surge of immense power rushed into his body, and Lin Chen felt as if his body was about to burst.