44: Star-locked platform, the first shadow of evil appears.

Inside the Demon Suppressing Palace, starlight ran rampant, and killing intent filled the air!

Lin Xuan transformed into a golden stream of light, charging at the forefront. The clear light of the immortal abode pivot token flickered like a candle in the wind, unstable under the siege of countless starlight weapons. As he swung his fists, golden light exploded, each strike containing the power to shatter mountains and crack stones, forcefully repelling the Star Official Puppets blocking his way. But the number of Puppets was too great, their coordination seamless, and their attacks surged like an unending tide. Moreover, cold Power of Stars continuously eroded his protective golden light and Divine Sense.

"Whoosh!"

A starlight whip lashed out like a venomous snake, its angle tricky, breaking through the blockade of his fist shadows and lashing fiercely onto Lin Xuan's left shoulder! Even with the toughness of the third revolution of the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Art, a bloodied gash was torn open, pale golden blood seeped out, bringing a burning sting, and a cold, alien Power of Stars tried to burrow into his Meridians!

Lin Xuan grunted, but his movements didn't stop. He counter-punched, sending the whip-wielding Puppet flying, his gaze fixed on the increasingly close core platform ahead.

Su Wanqing followed closely, her ice sword already swirling into a wheel of light. She unleashed the power of moonlight to its extreme, and the cold sword Qi, as if alive, precisely blocked and deflected attacks from the flanks. Her face was slightly pale, her breathing rapid, clearly having expended a great deal of energy, but her eyes remained clear and firm, guarding one side for Lin Xuan.

Qu Feiyan's movement technique was eerie, like a red phantom, weaving through the dense gaps of starlight. She no longer tried to directly attack the Puppets' indestructible bodies, but instead transformed herCharm (Charm Essence Power) into countless fine threads, specifically coiling around and interfering with the energy flow nodes at the Puppets' joints. Although she couldn't inflict heavy damage, she repeatedly caused the Puppets' attacks to deviate slightly at critical moments, buying precious breathing room for Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing. Her charming face was now covered in fine beads of sweat.

Gongsun Yu was at the rear, the light of her thunder light silver ring no longer as brilliant as before, but she still gritted her teeth and persevered, sending bolts of lightning towards the Puppets attempting to outflank them from behind, putting up a stubborn resistance. A trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, caused by the backlash of spiritual power, but the stubbornness in her eyes became even clearer.

The four were like an arrow shot from a bow, moving with difficulty through the vast sea of Star Official Puppets, every step on the edge of life and death. Puppets were constantly sent flying by Lin Xuan's fierce fist force, or had their weapons severed by Su Wanqing's sharp sword Qi, but they felt no pain, feared no death. After being repelled, they would adjust slightly and then charge back fearlessly!

If not for Lin Xuan's Golden Core cultivation being far superior to these individual Puppets, if not for the immortal abode pivot token's slight interference and suppression of them, and if not for the four's tacit cooperation, they would have long been submerged by this endless onslaught.

"Only a hundred zhang left!" Lin Xuan roared, he could already clearly see the details of the platform. The platform was entirely cast from pure star crystal, and the circumferential star lock suspended above it was a complex sphere about three zhang in diameter, composed of countless flowing lines of starlight. Inside, nebulae seemed to rotate, and star rivers were born and extinguished, emitting a vast, ancient, and immense power that maintained the entire Demon Palace Seal!

However, the ten Star Official Puppets guarding the platform at the very end had a far deeper and colder aura than the previous ones! They did not actively attack, but merely floated silently around the platform, like the most loyal guards, yet the pressure they exuded had all reached the Mid-stage Golden Core!

Just as Lin Xuan and the others broke through the last obstruction, less than fifty zhang from the platform, another anomaly occurred!

The entire Demon Suppressing Palace suddenly shook violently! It wasn't an external attack, but originated from the circumferential star lock on that core platform!

The originally stable flowing star sphere, its internal nebula suddenly became chaotic and restless! A tiny, yet filled with endless resentment and destructive will, black crack, like a living thing, quietly spread across the surface of that star sphere!

"Buzz—!"

The circumferential star lock let out a painful wail! The Power of Stars maintaining the Seal instantly became chaotic! The starlight enveloping the entire hall flickered erratically, and the Star Official Puppets currently besieging Lin Xuan and the others all paused in unison, the stellar illusions in their eyes flickering wildly, as if affected by some interference!

"Not good! The Seal is loosening!" Lin Xuan's expression changed drastically! He could feel that a Demonic Path Origin will, far more terrifying and fundamental than the Demon Lord's true blood, was trying to seep out from the crack in the circumferential star lock!

"Heheheh... How many years has it been... Finally... the opportunity has come..."

A hoarse, sinister whisper, as if composed of countless resentful souls, directly echoed in the depths of all living beings' Sea of Consciousness, filled with chilling malice and ecstasy!

It was the remnant thought of Myriad Silence Demon Lord! It was actually trying to break through the Seal at this moment, taking advantage of their intrusion causing turmoil!

"Stop it! We must restart the circumferential star lock immediately!" Lin Xuan was burning with anxiety, rushing towards the platform recklessly! He knew that once the Demon Lord's remnant thought completely broke through this final restraint, not only would they undoubtedly die, but the entire Demon Palace Seal might collapse, with unimaginable consequences!

The ten Mid-stage Golden Core Puppets guarding the platform also seemed to sense the crisis at the core. Their cold eyes instantly locked onto the charging Lin Xuan, and the starlight weapons in their hands erupted with unprecedented brilliant light. Ten terrifying attacks, capable of tearing apart Late Golden Core Stage Cultivators, instantly sealed all of Lin Xuan's advance routes like a net from heaven and earth!

With powerful enemies blocking the front and demonic thoughts reviving behind, the situation was extremely critical!

"Junior Martial Brother!" Qu Feiyan exclaimed in alarm.

"Lin Xuan!" Su Wanqing's clear voice also carried a hint of urgency.

At this critical moment, the imprint left by Daoist Shoujing for remote support suddenly glowed hot in Lin Xuan's mind!

At the same time, a gentle but resolute voice, as if traversing endless space, echoed in his heart:

"Little friend Lin, now is the time! This old man will lend you a hand! Whether you succeed or not depends on you!"

The moment the voice fell, a pillar of pure, clear light, containing the Origin power of Fangcun Lingyu, as if ignoring spatial distance, suddenly poured down from the Void Realm above Lin Xuan's head, enveloping him completely!

Under the enhancement of this clear light, Lin Xuan felt his expended spiritual power instantly replenished, his Divine Sense became clearer and sharper than ever before, and even the Qi and blood of the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Art boiled! His aura instantly surged, infinitely close to Mid-stage Golden Core!

"Open... for me!"

Lin Xuan roared, his voice like thunder! He unleashed both fists, no longer simple golden light, but a supreme strike that fused the clear light of the immortal abode pivot token, the Lingyu Origin power amplified by Daoist Shoujing, and his entire will! Two fist imprints, condensed to the extreme, entwined with stellar trajectories and purifying runes, like two counter-charging meteors, fiercely slammed into the ten interwoven destructive starlight attacks!

"Boom!"

An unprecedented terrifying explosion erupted in the core area of the Demon Suppressing Palace! Dazzling light swallowed everything, and a violent energy storm sent the closest Star Official Puppets flying!

When the light dissipated, the ten Mid-stage Golden Core Puppets were actually forced back several steps by Lin Xuan's earth-shattering punch, and a momentary gap appeared in their defensive formation!

An opportunity!

Lin Xuan's eyes flashed with brilliance. Ignoring the tearing pain from his Meridians, his body transformed into a golden lightning bolt that surpassed its limits, fiercely rushing onto the star platform just before the gap closed!

His palm, carrying the full power of the immortal abode pivot token, unhesitatingly pressed towards the circumferential star lock, whose surface already had cracks and whose interior was agitated by demonic shadows!

Success or failure, all depended on this one move!