The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Bai Ye let out a soft laugh, a sound so gentle it was like a thin crack appearing in a frozen stream in spring.

The seven-colored light moved slowly under the sunlight, falling on Bai Ye, on the Silver Frost Sword, and on the dark golden scales.

Over the next few days, Bai Ye copied down all the parameters on the Silver Frost Sword.

After she brought the data back to the White Tower, she systematically compared it with the global projection and found that more than a dozen new branches had appeared between the Starfall Plain, the Aurora Plain, and the Gray Area.

Each newly emerging branch corresponds to a coordinate that has not yet been marked. Half of them are marked as "confirmed and available" by Bai Ye, while the other half require on-site investigation to confirm.

This month, the data fusion technology of the Earth's Core Golden Mane Beast was used for the first time.

Xiao Fan input all the parameters on the Silver Frost Sword into the Earth Core Golden Mane Beast's mental power system, while the Earth Core Golden Mane Beast used its own mental power to reproject the image of the entire White Tower.

After the drawing was completed, the accuracy of the projection diagram improved by nearly 50%, and for the first time, a complete closed loop appeared at the end of the previously blurry branch.

Bai Ye made it very clear that the Frost Shadow Sect was willing to hand over all the historical records of the Silver Frost Sword to Xiao Fan, and the Frost Shadow Sect only had the right to use the Silver Frost Sword.

This is the first time that all the investigation data accumulated by the Frost Shadow Sect over a century, as well as all the data in the Taixu Dansheng system, have been fully shared.

In the evening, Xiao Fan met Bai Ye and handed her the latest version of the omnidirectional projection.

Bai Ye opened the map, carefully looked at the annotations, and then added a line of small text to the Silver Frost Sword in the lower right corner: "Southern Aurora Plains, Third Branch, to be confirmed."

When she returned the map to him, her voice was much calmer than usual: "When the end of the third branch is determined, the map of the entire Starfall Plain will be finalized."

Xiao Fan put away the map: "The day after tomorrow, I'm going to take a look at the end of the third branch. If you have time, you can come with me."

Bai Ye gripped the Silver Frost Sword, glanced at the branch vein, nodded, and said, "I have time."

The Silver Frost Sword emitted a soft silver light. The Earth Core Golden Mane Beast lay between Xiao Fan and Bai Ye, its tail gently brushing against Bai Ye's frost-white robe, seemingly expressing a silent promise.

The original plan was to begin exploring the Aurora Plains on the third day. However, on the second night, the Earth Core Golden Mane Beast suddenly stood up, its mane bristling, and looked southeast—the border between the Starfall Plains and the Aurora Plains.

It let out a low growl, then turned around and drew a circle on the ground with its paw.

Xiao Fan observed the Earth Core Golden Mane Beast's reaction through holographic projection and confirmed that the location it pointed to was the place not marked on the bone armor map.

Thinking of this, he immediately picked up the map and talisman and walked out of the tower, where he saw the Earth Core Golden Mane Beast waiting there.

Cheng Xiushi and Ning Yao then came to their senses. Xiao Fan only said one sentence: "An abnormal heat source has appeared in the southeast."

Halfway there, Bai Ye arrived. She carried the Silver Frost Sword and walked more cautiously than usual. The silver patterns on the blade flowed faster, as if responding to the ancient aura emanating from that direction.

Before dawn, the group finally arrived at the location mentioned by the Earth Core Golden Mane Beast.

It was a flat piece of land covered with thick, purplish-black moss. On the surface, it looked no different from any other place.

The Earth Core Golden Mane Beast stepped forward, scratched the ground with its claws, and quickly unearthed a bluish-gray stone slab.

The color of the stone slab is different from the surrounding rocks, and there are obvious cutting marks on the edges.

Xiao Fan squatted down and used the Creation Fire to burn the edge of the stone slab.

Beneath the stone slab, spiritual energy resonated, echoing at an ancient and profound frequency, quite different from the Taixu Dansheng system, possessing a more primitive and rugged spiritual quality.

Bai Ye placed the Silver Frost Sword flat on the stone slab, and the patterns on the slab immediately lit up, as if recognizing a power similar to the first generation of Starshine, yet with an even more ancient branch.

"There is a building foundation below, which is even older than the main city of Xingluoyuan."

Xiao Fan stood up and inserted the talisman into a natural crack on the edge of the stone slab. Using the Moon-Rank Spirit Core as a medium, he injected spiritual power into the crack.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a loud bang suddenly came from the stone slab, and a circular crack split open from the center of the slab, spreading to both sides to reveal a wide staircase extending downwards.

The stone steps are entirely black, covered with fine silver dots, like miniature star maps embedded in the stone steps.

Master Cheng took the lead, illuminating the surroundings, and the group descended the spiraling steps.

The stone steps were much longer than he had expected, and it took him seven turns to reach the end.

Below the steps was a massive arched stone gate, the runes on which were arranged in a way unlike any other ruin he had ever seen before—there was no clear beginning or end, but rather they cycled one after another, like a never-ending circle.

Bai Ye stepped forward and lightly touched a rune on the stone gate with his Silver Frost Sword.

When the light patterns on the sword touched the runes, all the runes on the archway lit up.

The Earth Core Golden Mane Beast let out a low growl, and a faint golden light flashed on its mane, as if in response to something.

The stone door was pushed open.

Beyond the gate was a wide passageway, with a thick, square pillar on each side, its shaft engraved with the same circular runes.

At the end of the passageway, there was a soft golden light, similar to the light of the Heavenly Fire Origin Stele, but with more restraint and composure, as if it had been tempered for countless years, leaving only the core.

"Ancient sect ruins," Bai Ye said. "The Silver Frost Sword mentioned that Starfall Plains wasn't originally a desolate wasteland. Before the Taixu Pill Saint, there was at least one complete sect system here, but for some unknown reason, it has completely disappeared."

At the end of the corridor was a hall that was much more spacious than Xiao Fan had imagined.

This is a rectangular hall, more than ten zhang in length and width. The floor is paved with dark silver stone slabs, each of the same size and thickness.

On the wall directly opposite the hall is a huge mural depicting dozens of monks dressed in ancient robes performing a ceremony around a circular altar, with a crystal-clear prismatic crystal floating above the altar.

The moment the Earth Core Golden Mane Beast stepped into the hall, it immediately stopped in its tracks.

Its mane stood on end, its amber eyes narrowed to slits, its sharp gaze swept across the shadows on either side of the hall, and it let out a low, warning growl.