54: The Celestial Mirror Spirit, the Secrets of the Star Chart

The four figures moved like lightning, speeding through the ruined streets and collapsed palaces. Behind them, the rumble of the collapsing altar intertwined with the roars of countless converging demonic creatures, like a death knell, forcing them deeper into the silent ruins.

The dense fog seemed to have undergone some change due to the disappearance of the core fragment. It was no longer just silent and blocking Divine Sense; it began to mix with chaotic energy flows and even more violent malice. Some strange entities, originally hidden deep within the ruins, also seemed to be startled, and pairs of eyes filled with greed and destructive desire lit up in the darkness.

"Something is approaching on the left!" Qu Feiyan's charming eyes were sharp, and she was the first to notice the abnormality. Before she finished speaking, several dark figures suddenly darted out from the shadow of a half-collapsed palace on the left. They were shaped like leopards, but their entire bodies were covered in bone armor, and where their heads should be was a constantly rotating black vortex, emitting a strange force field that devoured Divine Souls.

"They are Soul Devouring Beasts! Be careful of Divine Soul attacks!" Su Wanqing cried out, sweeping her ice sword. Moonlight condensed into an arc-shaped ice wall, temporarily blocking the Soul Devouring Beasts' pounce. The black vortex crashed into the ice wall, actually dimming the moonlight on its surface slightly.

Lin Xuan's gaze sharpened. These demonic creatures were bizarre, but they all seemed to originate from the same source as the "pollution" and decay of this relic. He no longer held back, letting out a low shout. His vital Qi and blood erupted, and a faint golden light, like a small sun, dispelled a small area of the dense fog. The extremely yang and rigid aura caused the Soul Devouring Beasts to let out painful screeches, and their movements immediately slowed.

"Thunderbolt!" Gongsun Yu seized the opportunity, and the thunder light silver ring flew out of her hand, transforming into a huge net of lightning that enveloped several Soul Devouring Beasts. The extremely yang thunder power poured out wildly, electrocuting them into charcoal.

However, more demonic creatures surged from all directions, varied in form and sinister in aura, as if the entire ruins' malice had been attracted by these "outsiders."

"This won't do. We'll be exhausted to death here!" Qu Feiyan's tone was grave. Her Seduction Skill specialized in single-target control and surprise attacks, but its effectiveness was greatly reduced against such a tidal wave of encirclement.

While punching and shattering a tentacled demonic creature that had burrowed out of the ground, Lin Xuan rapidly activated the immortal abode pivot token in his palm. After collecting the core fragment, the clear light inside the cardinal edict seemed to have intensified slightly, and its connection to this world became clearer.

"Follow me!" He sensed a faint guidance from the cardinal edict, pointing towards a certain direction deep within the ruins. There seemed to be a relatively "stable" aura there, out of place with the surrounding violent demonic creatures and chaotic energy.

He led the way, his fists like golden war hammers, shattering demonic creatures wherever he passed. Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan guarded the flanks, their sword light and charming shadows intertwined. Gongsun Yu brought up the rear with her thunder techniques. The four formed an arrowhead formation, cutting a bloody path through the demonic creatures' encirclement and advancing towards the guided direction.

The deeper they went, the relatively more intact the surrounding architectural remnants became, and their style grew closer to what Lin Xuan had seen in the Misty Immortal Palace Demon Palace fragments, only much older and more dilapidated. Some gigantic statue fragments lay fallen on the ground, vaguely discernible as celestial birds or divine generals, but most were corroded by filth, losing their spirituality.

Finally, after breaking through another wave of demonic creature interception, a relatively well-preserved circular hall appeared before them. The hall was entirely cast from a dark gold metal, its surface covered with mottled traces, but it still emitted a faint spiritual light, repelling the surrounding gray fog and demonic creatures. The hall's main gate was half-open, and a tilted plaque hung above the lintel, inscribed with three ancient characters, originating from the "Primordial Divine Script" that Su Wanqing had recognized earlier.

"Xun... Tian... Hall?" Su Wanqing concentrated on deciphering, muttering uncertainly.

The guidance of the immortal abode pivot token clearly pointed to this Xuntian Hall!

"Let's go in!" Lin Xuan didn't hesitate, rushing into the hall first. The Three women followed closely behind.

The moment the four stepped into the hall, the heavy metal door behind them closed with a "hum," completely isolating the endless roars of demonic creatures and the dense fog outside.

The hall's interior was vast, with a high dome inlaid with long-dimmed star gems. The surrounding walls were engraved with huge murals depicting scenes of star wandering and monitoring myriad realms, but most were mottled and peeling. In the center of the main hall was a massive, incredibly complex three-dimensional star map instrument, composed of countless precisely operating metal rings and crystal spheres, though most were now stagnant and covered in thick dust.

Most striking was a skeleton sitting cross-legged beneath the star map instrument. The skeleton was translucent like jade, emitting a faint pressure, clearly indicating a formidable mighty figure in life. It wore a tattered star robe, its hands forming a peculiar seal, pointing towards the stagnant star map instrument.

And in front of the skeleton, a palm-sized, ancient bronze mirror with tiny chips on its edges floated. The mirror's surface was dim, reflecting no images.

"This place... seems to be an important strategic point for the ancient Immortal Palace to monitor the stars of the universe," Su Wanqing observed, examining the murals and the star map instrument, speaking softly.

Just then, the floating ancient bronze mirror suddenly trembled slightly, its surface rippling like water. An extremely weak, ancient consciousness, as if it could dissipate at any moment, intermittently entered the four people's minds:

"Cardinal... edict... holder... finally... waited..."

The four immediately became vigilant. Lin Xuan shielded Su Wanqing and the Three women behind him, holding the cardinal edict, and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

"I... am... the Xuntian Mirror's... remnant spirit..." The consciousness replied, filled with endless weariness and vicissitudes, "Following... the Immortal Palace's final decree... I guard this place... awaiting... the Legacy's reappearance..."

Mirror spirit? Immortal Palace's final decree?

Lin Xuan's heart trembled, realizing this might be an opportunity to access the core secrets of the Misty Immortal Palace. He calmed his mind and asked, "What exactly happened to the Immortal Palace? Why has this place become like this? Outside the Desolate Sea, what is the situation now?"

The mirror spirit's consciousness fluctuated, seemingly lost in distant memories, filled with immense sorrow and anger:

"The Immortal Palace... monitored myriad realms, maintaining stellar balance... However, a great enemy... came from beyond the heavens. Its power... defiled the universe, eroding the Law... The Immortal Palace... fought and collapsed... shattered across all heavens..."

"This place... the 'Fog Hidden Realm,' was an important outpost subordinate to the Immortal Palace... it was also affected... falling into this abandoned star sea... which you call... the 'Desolate Sea'..."

"The Desolate Sea... is a scar left from the ancient great war, with chaotic space and incomplete Laws... abandoned by all heavens... it is also a form of... protection..."

The intermittent information, however, exploded like thunder in the minds of the four!

Great enemy from beyond the heavens! Immortal Palace shattered! Abandoned star sea! Protection!

These few short sentences initially unveiled a grand and tragic worldview. The cultivation world they inhabited might just be a corner of the vast myriad realms, and the Misty Immortal Palace, once a behemoth maintaining balance, was destroyed by a terrifying invasion from beyond the heavens. The Desolate Sea, it turned out, was a remnant of that great war, "abandoned" by the mainstream world.

"The great enemy... still remains... the erosion has never stopped..." The mirror spirit's consciousness grew even weaker. "The Immortal Palace's Legacy... must not be cut off... the cardinal edict... core fragments... are hope..."

Its consciousness turned to Lin Xuan: "Holder... your cultivation is still weak... but you bear Karma... you need to... grow quickly... gather the fragments... rekindle the Immortal Palace's flame..."

Then, under the activation of the mirror spirit's remaining power, the most core part of the stagnant three-dimensional star map instrument laboriously began to operate, projecting a blurry star map. In the map, besides the light spot representing their current location, the "Fog Hidden Ruins," several extremely faint light spots, originating from the same source as the immortal abode pivot token, faintly flickered in other infinitely distant areas of the "Desolate Sea"!

"Those are... other fragments... or remnants of the Immortal Palace's sensing..." The mirror spirit said. "But... the Desolate Sea is perilous... far beyond your imagination... not only are there fallen and demonized survivors... but also... various evil creatures bred by contamination from beyond the heavens... and... some strange entities... born due to the Desolate Sea's special environment..."

"Remember... be careful of... the Guixu Cult... they... worship pollution... and seek annihilation..."

The mirror spirit's voice grew weaker and weaker. Finally, the ancient bronze mirror made a "crack" sound, a new crack appeared on its surface, its spiritual light completely dimmed, and the faint consciousness dissipated without a trace. Only the translucent skeleton remained, maintaining its hand seal posture, silently recounting its past steadfastness.

Silence fell in the hall. The four digested the astonishing information they had just received, their hearts heavy and complex.

The world was far vaster than they imagined, and far more dangerous. The Immortal Palace's Legacy, the threat from beyond the heavens, the mysterious Guixu Cult, the vast and perilous Desolate Sea... a magnificent yet perilous scroll slowly unfolded a corner before them.

Lin Xuan tightened his grip on the immortal abode pivot token, feeling the tranquil power of the core fragment within, then looked at the distant and faint sensing light spots on the star map instrument.

His path, it seemed, was destined from the very beginning to be closely intertwined with the fate of this abandoned land and that unfinished ancient war.

"Let's rest and recover here first, and study the directions indicated by the star map instrument," Lin Xuan said to the Three women, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart. This Xuntian Hall seemed to be the only safe haven in the ruins for now.