I want to tread the heavens

The roar of the Boundary-Breaking Shuttle's engine echoed through the narrow well, its eerie blue tail flames evaporating the icy pool's water into billowing white mist. Ling Xiao gripped the trembling control lever tightly with both hands, channeling the power of meteorites into the array core like a flood, propelling the old starship upwards with difficulty. Above the well's opening, the shattered yellow light of the Earth-Defending Returning Origin Array intertwined with the aftershocks of exploding magical energy, creating an apocalyptic scene. Debris rained down on the shuttle's top, producing a sickeningly loud thud.

"Faster!" Ling Xiao roared, veins bulging on his forehead. Through the forward cockpit window, he could see a manta ray-like demonic assault ship slowly emerging from the spatial rift forcibly torn open in the sky, its menacing bow flashing with the ghastly green light of a target locked on. Further away, the mushroom clouds from the explosions of three bone-corroding demonic coffins were engulfing the Guo family manor.

Fa Cai huddled in the passenger seat, his silver-gray fur bristling, his amber pupils shrinking to pinpoints, staring intently at the overwhelming demonic power outside the cabin. A suppressed growl rumbled in his throat, the message shattered by fear and rage: "Big Mouth... in the sky... it wants to eat... you can't escape..."

Just as the Boundary-Breaking Shuttle was about to burst out of the well—

A dark shadow swooped down from the crack in the sky at a speed beyond visual perception, hovering a hundred meters directly above the Guo family courtyard as if defying gravity. It was a tall demon general clad in dark gold heavy armor and wielding a giant halberd wrapped in black lightning. Behind him, a ghostly green skull-shaped illusory core slowly rotated, and the terrifying pressure of the Golden Core stage crushed down like a tangible tsunami!

"Found you, little mouse." The demon general's eerie green soul fire beneath his mask locked onto the well's opening, his voice hoarse like the friction of gravel.

He did not attack, but simply paused the giant halberd slightly.

"Buzz—!"

An invisible force of spatial confinement instantly enveloped an area of ​​a thousand feet. The Boundary-Breaking Shuttle abruptly stopped, as if trapped in solidified amber, its engine emitting a piercing, overloaded groan, its upward momentum abruptly halted. Ling Xiao felt the air around him become as thick as iron, the meteorite power flowing through his meridians forcibly suppressed back into his dantian, making even breathing difficult.

"The Star Key...and there's an unexpected surprise." The Demon General's gaze swept across the shuttle cabin, seemingly able to penetrate the metal, seeing the burning jade pendant around Ling Xiao's neck and the unique bloodline fluctuations of Fa Cai. He stretched out his giant hand covered in bone armor, his five fingers slightly spread, reaching out to grab the Boundary-Breaking Shuttle from afar. A giant claw condensed from pitch-black demonic energy appeared out of thin air, accompanied by a shrill shriek that tore through space, descending upon them!

Death has never been so close.

"No—!" Ling Xiao's eyes were bloodshot as he watched the demonic claws descend. The image of Uncle Rong's blood-stained figure, Guo Yun's resolute gaze, and the shattered remains of his parents exploded in his mind. An overwhelming sense of powerlessness and boundless rage erupted like a volcano, instantly shattering the dam of reason.

"By what right—you took my family! Destroyed my home! Cut off my livelihood!!"

He roared inwardly, his eyes bloodshot. Deep within his dantian, beside the gentle, swirling star source, the purple-gold bloodline power that had been barely suppressed by the introductory chapter of the "Nine Heavens Thunder Emperor Scripture" was now completely ignited by the flames of his emotions!

boom!

It was as if shackles within his body had snapped. A primal instinct, violent and greedy, seemingly capable of devouring everything, awakened from the deepest recesses of his bloodline. Strange purplish-gold patterns appeared on Ling Xiao's skin, writhing like living things, and his hair moved without wind, each strand tinged with purplish-gold light. His aura surged wildly at an alarming rate, instantly breaking through the fifth and sixth levels of Qi Refining... until he reached the Foundation Establishment stage!

But this power was not a blessing, but a poison. His meridians were torn apart by the raging, overwhelming force, the pain like being slowly sliced ​​to death, his consciousness being madly consumed by the desire for slaughter and destruction. He was on the verge of losing control and going berserk, becoming a monster that only knew how to devour—

The jade pendant left by his mother around his neck suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly gentle yet vast radiance! A pure star power, as warm and cool as moonlight, carrying the gentle will remaining from Su Yingxue, was forcibly injected into Ling Xiao's sea of ​​consciousness, like a mother's hand gently stroking his forehead, instantly suppressing his surging violent emotions by three-tenths.

"Xiao'er... hold fast to your heart... use the stars as a cage, and thunder as a spear..."

In a daze, I heard my mother's whispers in my ears.

Ling Xiao bit his tongue hard, the excruciating pain bringing a sliver of clarity. A sudden inspiration struck him; enduring the excruciating pain that felt like his meridians were being severed, he used the jade pendant's radiant glow as a guide to frantically circulate the *Zhou Tian Xing Chen Refining Body Technique* and the *Nine Heavens Thunder Emperor Scripture*!

Within his dantian, the essence of stars transformed into a silver net, tightly binding the rampaging purple-gold bloodline; outside his body, countless starlight descended from the heavens, forcibly pouring into his body, achieving a dangerous balance with the power of devouring the heavens. He raised his right hand, his five fingers spread, and in his palm, purple-gold lightning and silver starlight intertwined, forming a tiny yet infinitely powerful black hole vortex exuding an aura of devouring and destruction!

"Devouring Heaven... Devouring Palm!"

It wasn't a technique, but an instinctive outpouring of awakened bloodline power! Ling Xiao slammed his hand, which contained all his life's cultivation, awakened power, and his mother's protective will, against the cabin wall, meeting the giant demonic claw from afar!

Om-!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only the mournful sound of space distorting. The moment the giant demonic claw touched the vortex of interwoven purple, gold, and silver, it was like ice meeting boiling oil, being frantically torn apart, decomposed, and devoured! The vortex expanded rapidly, rolled back upwards, and, connected by demonic energy, slammed into the demonic general in mid-air!

"What?!" The demon general's ghostly green soul flame trembled violently, revealing surprise for the first time. He blocked with his giant halberd, and black lightning erupted.

Boom!!

An energy storm exploded, shaking the demon general and causing a crack to appear in the seemingly indestructible domain.

"Now! Go—!" Ling Xiao spat out a mouthful of purplish-gold blood, collapsed from exhaustion, and gave the order in a hoarse voice.

The Breakthrough Shuttle engine seized the opportunity to burst forth, breaking free from its restraints and piercing the crack in the sky like a sharp sword!

"Where do you think you're going!" Enraged, the demon general suppressed his surging blood and qi, and with his giant halberd drawing in the dark lightning of the heavens, he was about to strike again.

"Your opponent is me!" A furious shout rang out from the ruins below.

Uncle Rong, covered in blood, his broken sword burning with crimson flames of life, shot into the sky from the collapsed underground palace passage. Behind him, Guo Yunfeng's staff was planted in the ground, her hands forming a hand seal. Using her own blood as a sacrifice, she forcibly activated the last unfinished starfall killing array in the underground palace—"Shattered Star and Broken Moon"! Several fragmented pillars of starlight shot into the sky from the ruins, intertwining into a net, tightly binding the demon general.

Fa Cai transformed into a silver lightning bolt on the ground, disregarding the suppression of demonic power. Its four claws burned with moon flames as it frantically pounced on the eyes of the demon general's mount (a two-headed demon bat), tearing at its wings and disrupting its balance.

The demon general was forced to divert his attention to deal with this suicidal attack. He swung his giant halberd, and black lightning shattered the star pillar, sending Uncle Rong flying and sweeping Fa Cai to the dust. But this momentary delay was enough.

The Boundary-Breaking Shuttle transformed into a streak of light, grazing the side of the demonic assault ship, narrowly squeezing into the spatial rift, and disappearing into the bizarre and chaotic void currents.

"Chase!" The demon general was furious. He cleaved Rong Shu's blade with his sword and was about to order the warships to give chase.

"Hahahaha!" Uncle Rong, leaning on his knife and kneeling on the ground, his mouth full of blood, laughed wildly, "Too late! You dare to trespass into the void turbulence? If you want to chase me, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"

He, Guo Yun, and Fa Cai stood like three unyielding monuments, firmly nailed to the shattered earth, facing the Golden Core Demon General and the countless demon soldiers.

In the void, the Boundary-Breaking Shuttle shook violently. Ling Xiao struggled to climb back into the driver's seat, looking at the increasingly distant outline of the Old Earth shrouded in black mist and firelight on the monitoring array plate, and at the faint points of light representing the lives of Uncle Rong and the others at the edge of the array plate. The last trace of naivety in his eyes completely faded away, leaving only a deep, cold, and resolute look like the starry sea.

"Uncle Rong, Fa Cai, Granny Guo... wait for me to come back."

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, changed course, and resolutely steered the battered and bruised boat toward the vast sea of ​​stars.