190: Breaking through the impasse and entering the palace, a glimpse into the secrets.

The "Chaotic Void Barrier" was instantly activated, causing the spatial Law within a small area to fall into brief disorder; light twisted, and perceptions became confused!

"Stay alert!" the leading Guixu Cult Elder at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage shouted, but his own Divine Sense was like sinking into a quagmire within the distorted space, making it difficult to accurately lock onto his companions' positions. The other two Cultivators at the Early Nascent Soul Stage and that corpse puppet experienced an even more instantaneous misjudgment of direction!

In this fleeting moment of Chaos—Lin Xuan moved!

He did not choose to attack the nearest or strongest target, but instead unleashed his Taichu Sword Domain to the extreme, his entire person turning into a phantom that almost merged with the spatial ripples, aiming straight for the partially covered entrance! His goal was not to annihilate the enemies, but to break through the blockade and enter the core area guided by the netherworld token!

"Stop him!" Although the Middle Nascent Soul Stage Elder could not perceive clearly, his keen sensitivity to energy fluctuations made him instantly aware of Lin Xuan's intention. A gray-black, decaying palm print carrying an aura that eroded all things was slapped toward the general direction of the energy anomaly!

At the same time, Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan also acted according to the plan!

Su Wanqing struck with her frost silence sword, not targeting the enemies, but the corpse puppet whose soul fire was flickering in its eye sockets as it tried to stabilize its form! Cold moonlight cascaded down like a waterfall from the Nine Heavens, and the extremely cold Sword Qi instantly froze the space around the corpse puppet, delaying its actions and creating an opportunity for Lin Xuan.

Qu Feiyan let out a sharp cry, and several solid blood lotus flowers bloomed around the other two Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. It was not a direct attack, but an explosion of intense mental shock and illusions to further interfere with their judgment, preventing them from supporting the entrance direction immediately.

Gongsun Yu guarded Yun Shang, who was pale after forcibly channeling the Power of Stars, with the thunder urgency sword wreathed in electric light, remaining vigilant against any other possible attacks.

Facing the whistling, decaying palm print, Lin Xuan's eyes did not waver in the slightest. The sin-slaying ancient sword remained sheathed; he simply pressed his fingers together like a sword, with Chaos Qi swirling around his fingertips, and tapped gently at the center of the palm print!

"Taichu, Dissolve!"

That decaying palm print, capable of eroding the spiritual light of Magic Treasure, met its nemesis the moment it contacted the Chaos Qi. The death and decay Law contained within the palm print were rapidly decomposed and evolved, its power plummeting, and in the end, Lin Xuan, transforming into sword light, easily pierced through it!

"What?!" The Middle Nascent Soul Stage Elder was shocked; his Corrupt Immortal Palm had been broken so easily?

Lin Xuan had already used this momentum to slide like a fish into the deep entrance hidden by scattered rocks, his figure instantly swallowed by the darkness!

"Damn it! Pursue!" The Middle Nascent Soul Stage Elder was both shocked and angry. He had not expected the opponent to be so cunning, with such clear objectives and weird methods. Gray-black light flared around him as he forcibly stabilized the chaotic space around him, preparing to rush into the entrance.

However, how could Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan let him have his way?

"Your opponents are us!"

Su Wanqing pointed her frost silence sword from afar, fully unleashing her Lunar Sword Domain, with the intent of freezing pervading the area to slow his movements.

Qu Feiyan directly engaged the other two Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators who had just broken free from the illusions and were furious. Operating her purified Blood Lotus Demonic Art to the extreme, though she was one against two, she relied on exquisite phantom bodies and tricky attacks to temporarily hold them back tightly.

Outside the entrance, the battle erupted instantly, and the roar of spiritual power collisions and energy shockwaves echoed continuously throughout the ruins.

...

Lin Xuan rushed into the entrance, and before him was a wide, downward-sloping passage constructed of the same silver-gray material. The passage was filled with an impenetrable darkness and the scent of dust, but the nether light emitted by the netherworld token acted like a guiding lamp, dispelling some of the darkness and sending an increasingly strong sense of attraction.

He dared not stop, pushing his speed to the limit as he sped down the passage. On the walls on both sides of the passage, he could occasionally see star patterns similar to those in the ruins outside, but they were relatively well-preserved, seemingly telling of the extraordinary past of this place.

The passage was not smooth all the way; along the way, he encountered several residual Restriction traps, including suddenly erupting star rays and strange areas capable of distorting gravity fields. However, thanks to the keen perception of Lin Xuan's primal nascent soul and the high-speed analysis of the System, he avoided or forcibly broke through them without danger.

After traveling downward for about several miles, the path ahead suddenly opened up!

A huge underground space appeared before his eyes. The ceiling of the space was not rock, but a projection of a deep, slowly rotating starry sky composed entirely of energy, with countless stars flickering within it, emitting an ancient and vast aura. Beneath the starry sky projection stood a relatively well-preserved circular palace.

In the center of the palace was a huge altar, also carved with star trajectories. Floating above the altar was a constantly shifting sphere of light, interwoven with pure starlight and dark energy. Inside the sphere of light, a complex, keyhole-like structure could be vaguely seen slowly rotating.

And the netherworld token in Lin Xuan's hand was now resonating strongly with the "keyhole" at the core of the light sphere, emitting a brilliant nether light, as if it could not wait to combine with it!

【Warning! High concentration of unknown star energy and netherworld Law convergence point detected!】

【Target: Star Remains Ancient Palace Core — 'star nether core'!】

【The netherworld token is the key 'key'! Deduction: Inserting it into the 'star nether core' may open an unknown passage or release a sealed object! This is the goal of the Guixu Cult!】

【Hint: The core energy is extremely unstable; forcibly inserting the key carries huge risks! It is recommended to prioritize analyzing the energy structure, finding a safe way to activate it, or... seizing control!】

The System's warning made Lin Xuan's heart tighten. What exactly was it that the Guixu Cult had gone to such lengths to open? Was it a passage to some Secret Realm? Or some terrifying sealed entity? Or perhaps... a ritual to welcome the so-called will of the "Ruins"?

His gaze swept across the palace. Besides the central altar, there were some ancient consoles and jade tablets recording information (mostly damaged) scattered around, as well as several remains that had long turned into dry bones, their clothing consistent with the style of the ruins outside.

Time was tight; Su Wanqing and the others outside could not hold on for long. He had to make a decision as soon as possible!

Should he risk trying to control this "star nether core" to thwart the Guixu Cult's conspiracy? Or should he retreat first and plan for the long term?

Lin Xuan's eyes flashed, and he made a decision in an instant. He could not leave such an important thing to the Guixu Cult! No matter how great the risk, he had to try!

He took a deep breath, adjusted his state to the best, and holding the violently vibrating netherworld token, walked step by step toward the star nether core that radiated a vast and eerie aura.

And at the entrance of the passage behind him, the sounds of fierce fighting were rapidly approaching! The Guixu Cult Cultivators had clearly broken through the interception of Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan and were pursuing him! The situation was hanging by a thread!