70: Chapter 70: Obtaining Core Enlightenment, Acquiring the Scroll and Obtaining the Method, the Ancient Box Contains a Secret

The pale golden light film dissipated, and the stone platform and the three items upon it were completely exposed under the starlight.

Ye Qing did not hesitate in the slightest; his figure flashed, and he arrived before the stone platform.

He first reached out to grab the "star core."

The crystal felt warm and smooth in his hand, not cold as he had imagined. The miniature, rotating nebula inside seemed to flow with life, and the vast, pure star source essence surged through his palm, making every pore on Ye Qing's body feel as if it were relaxing, while his inner space emitted a violent palpitation that was nearly "starving."

"What a great treasure!"

With a thought, he attempted to send the crystal into his inner space.

Hum!

The space emitted a joyful hum and actively opened a "gateway."

As soon as the star core entered, it automatically flew to the center of the space, hovering above the moonlight jade tree and the Floating Landmass, right in the middle of the star phantoms that the space had evolved on its own.

The next moment, the crystal shone brilliantly!

The miniature nebula inside accelerated its rotation suddenly, and wisps of pure, vast star source essence, seemingly containing the mysteries of the birth and destruction of stars, poured out like a waterfall, instantly filling the entire space!

The two hundred and eighty zhang space shook violently!

The gray mist at the edges churned frantically, expanding outward at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Three hundred zhang... three hundred and fifty zhang... four hundred zhang!

It only slowed its expansion slightly when it reached nearly four hundred and fifty zhang!

Above the space, those stars that were originally just phantoms now seemed to have been injected with Souls. Their light shone brilliantly, and their movement trajectories became clearer, more logical, and more profound, forming a more complete and deeper miniature star map! The starlight shed by the star map became several times denser and carried a trace of the Dao rhythm of the star source essence, nourishing all things.

The black soil in the center surged, now nearly a hundred zhang square! The chaotic jade luster of the land became deeper, and the Spiritual Qi almost turned into spiritual liquid, gathering into several small lakes of spiritual liquid in the low-lying areas of the ground.

The Floating Landmass expanded to eight zhang square, and the moonlight star seed upon it shone with silver light shooting into the sky, the speck of "star-moon essence" on its leaves becoming even more dazzling. Spiritual plants such as the water jade bodhi, jade marrow ganoderma, soul soothing flower, and earth vein array core mushroom, bathed in the dense star source essence, grew and transformed at a speed visible to the naked eye, full of vigorous vitality.

The "Void Turbulence Zone" at the edge of the space also expanded to a ten-zhang radius, the turbulence becoming more obvious and stable. Occasionally, slightly larger spatial cracks flashed, and the fluctuations they emitted made even Ye Qing feel a trace of palpitations, as if they could tear everything apart at any moment.

The entire space, due to the integration of this "star core," had undergone a qualitative leap! The rules were more perfect, the Foundation was deeper, and the quality and efficiency of the feedback energy surged once again!

The feedback of star source essence was like a floodgate opening, instantly rushing into Ye Qing's limbs and bones, and pouring into his Dantian and Dao Foundation.

The barrier of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage was shattered instantly under the impact of this source power containing the mysteries of the birth and destruction of stars, without even forming the slightest obstruction!

The Dao Foundation shone with ten thousand zhang of light and suddenly expanded!

From a three-inch radius, it surged to four inches! Its volume increased, but its structure became more complex and solid. On its surface emerged clearer and more profound five-colored Dao patterns, star trajectories, moonlight runes, and void ripples, with wisps of chaotic Qi lingering around it, as if it were a miniature, evolving chaotic starry sky!

Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage, achieved!

The Dantian and Qi Sea expanded accordingly, and the total amount and purity of his mana surged, becoming as viscous as crystal. As it flowed, there were faint sounds of wind and thunder, stars rotating, moonlight rising and falling, the void being created and destroyed, and Chaos beginning to open! The quality of his mana had already far exceeded that of ordinary Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage Cultivators, and he had even faintly touched upon a trace of the characteristics of Golden Core mana!

His Divine Soul grew simultaneously under the scouring of the star source essence. His Divine Sense perception range broke through three hundred zhang, becoming as condensed as substance. It could briefly leave his body to investigate, and his perception of energy, crises, and space became more acute and nuanced, even able to faintly capture a trace of the more fundamental rule rhythms circulating between heaven and earth.

His Physical Body received the most direct baptism from the star source essence. His bones and muscles resonated, his Qi and blood were like a dragon, precious light flowed beneath his skin, and his internal organs were nourished by the Star Power to be as solid as stars, full of vitality. Based on physical strength alone, he was already not inferior to an ordinary Early Stage Golden Core Body Cultivator.

More importantly, his understanding of the Star Dao, due to the integration of the "star core" and the insights from the space's feedback, instantly rose to a brand new height!

Many places that were previously obscure suddenly became clear. The many difficulties in the star chapter of the Hunxu Yandao Scripture were solved easily, the operation of the Cultivation Technique became smoother, and his control and application of Star Power reached a state where it moved at a single thought, as easily as moving his own arm.

"Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage... a natural outcome. Moreover, it is a Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage with a perfect Foundation, integrated with star source essence, and infinite potential!"

Ye Qing slowly opened his eyes. In his pupils, it seemed as if the entire starry sky was rotating, being born, and being destroyed, deep and endless. Immediately, it all receded and returned to calm, but the trace of the eternal brilliance of the stars deep in his eyes could no longer be wiped away.

He suppressed the agitation in his heart. He did not immediately immerse himself in the joy of the Breakthrough, but instead cast his gaze toward the remaining two items on the stone platform.

That ancient scroll, which was neither leather nor silk, and dark yellow in color.

He picked it up carefully, untied the silver thread, and slowly unfolded it.

The scroll material was peculiar, supple to the touch, and had not decayed after long years. It recorded a Cultivation Technique in ancient silver runes.

The Cultivation Technique was nameless. The opening chapter expounded on the exposition and application of Star Power, with concepts that were profound and mysterious, far exceeding any star-type Cultivation Technique Ye Qing had seen so far. It detailed how to draw in, refine, and control Star Power, how to use Star Power for Body Tempering, Soul Refining, and forging a "star Dao Foundation," as well as several powerful star-type Divine Abilities and Spells.

More importantly, the latter part of the Cultivation Technique actually involved how to use Star Power as the core to set up, control, and even create simple "star Formations" and "star Restrictions"! Many of the concepts and techniques were faintly connected to the "Geng Metal Void-Splitting Great Array" outside the ancient hall and the invisible Restriction on the stone platform.

"This... this is actually a complete ancient Legacy of Cultivation Technique pointing directly to the Star Dao! And it contains star Formation and Restriction arts! Its value is immeasurable!"

Ye Qing was shocked. This scroll had an irreplaceable role for him in perfecting the Hunxu Yandao Scripture, improving his attainments in Formation and Restriction arts, and even creating his own star Divine Abilities in the future!

He quickly committed the contents of the scroll to memory. He also carefully put away the scroll itself; the material of this item was special, and perhaps it had other uses.

Finally, there was the palm-sized dark golden metal box.

The box felt heavy and cold in his hand. The surface was smooth, without locks, clasps, or seams, as if it were one whole piece.

Ye Qing tried to investigate with his mana and Divine Sense, but both were blocked. The box material was special and could isolate all investigations.

"Does it require a specific technique or conditions to open?"

He pondered for a moment and tried to inject a trace of his mana, which had just broken through and contained star source essence, into the box.

The box had no reaction.

He also tried to penetrate it with Void Realm power, but that was also ineffective.

"Blood drop recognition? Or does it need a corresponding incantation?"

He thought for a moment, forced out a drop of essence blood, and dripped it onto the box surface.

The essence blood quickly seeped in, but the box remained silent.

"It seems this is not a conventional recognition method. Perhaps the key to opening it also lies in the star Formation map of this hall, or it is related to that star core?"

Ye Qing looked up and once again looked at the huge, slowly rotating three-dimensional star map in the center of the hall.

Because he had previously adjusted seven key stars to break the Restriction, the movement trajectory of the star map had changed slightly, but the overall structure remained profound.

He observed for a moment, and suddenly his heart moved.

He compared the descriptions of "star Formation eye" and "Star Power resonance" in the nameless star Cultivation Technique he had just obtained with the star map in front of him.

"Could it be... that this box requires a specific frequency or combination of Star Power to 'resonate' and open?"

He tried to operate the Cultivation Technique, converting his mana into pure Star Power, and then simulated several basic "Star Power frequencies" recorded in the Cultivation Technique, slowly injecting them into the dark golden box.

The first few types had no reaction.

When he tried the fifth type, an explosive Star Power frequency simulating the initial moment of "star birth"—

Click.

A slight but clear mechanical sound rang out.

On the surface of the dark golden box, countless fine, pale silver light patterns appeared, identical to certain star trajectories in the three-dimensional star map.

The light patterns flowed, and a gap slid open silently directly above the box.

The box opened.

Ye Qing held his breath and carefully lifted the box lid.

There was no dazzling light or oppressive Spiritual Qi inside the box.

There were only three things.

The topmost item was a pigeon-egg-sized, pitch-black, smooth, lusterless metal sphere. It felt extremely heavy and bone-chillingly cold in his hand, emitting a strange "void" aura that seemed to be able to devour all light.

"This is... 'Void Profound Iron'? A top-tier material for refining spatial attribute or annihilation-type Magic Treasures! This item is rare; it is said to only be produced in Jedi with extremely unstable space or near Void Realm cracks."

Ye Qing recognized this item and was pleasantly surprised. This item was of great value for his comprehension of the Void Realm Dao and the refining of his Lifebound Treasure.

In the middle was a palm-sized, dark golden metal tablet shaped like a token, with a complex star emblem engraved on the front and several illegible ancient characters on the back. The token itself had no spiritual power fluctuations, but the material was the same as the box body, obviously extraordinary.

"A token? A keepsake? Or a key to open a deeper Restriction?" Ye Qing picked up the token, examined it carefully, noted the emblem and text features, and carefully put it away.

At the very bottom was a folded piece of silver silk, as thin as a cicada's wing and nearly transparent.

Unfolding the silk, a complex map was embroidered on it with even finer silver threads.

The center of the map was the simplified outline of this ancient hall. With the ancient hall as the center, several routes radiated outward, pointing in different directions of the Secret Realm, marked with various terrain symbols and illegible ancient characters. One of the routes was particularly clear, with the destination marked by a pattern of a towering mountain. Beside the mountain were a few distorted ancient characters; Ye Qing struggled to identify them, and it seemed to be "Inheritance... Hall"?

"A Secret Realm map? And it even marks the location of the 'Inheritance Hall'? This ancient hall is indeed not the end; there are even more important places deep within the Secret Realm!"

Ye Qing's spirits lifted. This map undoubtedly pointed out his next target, saving a significant amount of exploration time.

He put the three items away individually. The dark gold box itself was made of extraordinary material, so he also put it into his space.

With this, all three treasures on the stone platform were in his possession.

The harvest was far beyond his expectations.

The star core brought about a qualitative change in his space and cultivation base.

The nameless star Cultivation Technique filled the gap in his Legacy.

The three items in the dark gold box provided precious Materials, a keepsake map, and guidance for the future.

Ye Qing looked around the empty hall, confirming there was nothing left behind.

He took one last look at the vast, slowly rotating three-dimensional star map. Although this object was miraculous, it was too large and was integrated with the hall, making it impossible to take away. He could only leave it for those fated to find it.

Without further delay, he turned and followed the path he had come from, quickly leaving the hall.

Passing through the corridor, he returned to the half-open stone door.

He listened intently; the corridor outside the door was silent. The faint sounds of fighting and explosions from the distance seemed to have subsided.

"The battle outside the hall is over? I wonder what the result is."

He quietly pushed open the stone door, flashed out, and instantly released his Divine Sense.

The corridor was empty, with only the lingering scent of blood and fluctuations of Spiritual Qi.

He concealed his aura, executed the Void Step, and moved rapidly upward.

Soon, he returned to the entrance of the sloping downward corridor. The dark golden giant door remained wide open, and the scene outside came into view.

He saw that the plain in front of the hall was in a mess.

The pale golden "Geng Metal Void-Splitting Great Array" had already dissipated, leaving countless crisscrossing ravines and charred marks on the ground.

Corpses were strewn about, no fewer than dozens of them. Blood had dyed the black ground red, and the air was filled with a thick scent of blood and death.

Those two Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage metal Puppets had now turned into two piles of damaged metal debris, lying not far from the hall entrance. The scarlet Soul fire in their eye sockets had extinguished, their giant axes were broken, and their armor was shattered, clearly having experienced a brutal battle.

The remaining Cultivators numbered fewer than twenty. All were injured, their expressions panicked and exhausted. They were scattered in the distance, warily eyeing each other and also warily looking at the open hall door.

The forces of the Black Fiend Society, Green Wolf Group, and Hundred Flowers Alliance had suffered heavy losses. Each group had only a few people left, and everyone was injured with withered auras. The One-eyed Hunk had lost an arm, the Green Wolf Group leader had a terrifying wound on his chest, and the cold and beautiful female Cultivator from the Hundred Flowers Alliance was pale; clearly, they had all paid a huge price.

As for the other Loose Cultivators and small factions, less than one in ten remained.

Seeing Ye Qing walk out of the hall, the gazes of all the survivors instantly focused on him, filled with surprise, greed, vigilance, and a trace of uncontrollable fear.

To be able to walk out of that terrifying hall unscathed, this person's strength must be unfathomable.

Ye Qing's expression was calm. His gaze swept over the crowd, lingering briefly on the broken corpses and Puppet debris, and he understood the situation.

A miserable victory.

Nearly a hundred Cultivators besieged it, suffering nearly half the casualties, only to destroy the two Puppets and break the array. And the true Opportunity of the ancient hall had already been taken by him.

"Fellow Daoist has come out from the hall, surely you have gained something?" The One-eyed Hunk of the Black Fiend Society endured his pain, his eyes flickering as he spoke in a deep voice, his tone probing.

Ye Qing glanced at him indifferently and did not answer. He did not stop his steps and walked straight toward the edge of the plain.

"Stop!" The Green Wolf Group leader shouted sternly, "Treasures in the hall are shared by those who see them! Does Fellow Daoist intend to swallow them all alone?"

The cold and beautiful female Cultivator of the Hundred Flowers Alliance also said coldly, "Fellow Daoist should take out what you obtained and let everyone see; perhaps a conflict can be avoided."

The remaining dozen or so Cultivators also vaguely surrounded him, their gazes unkind. Although they feared Ye Qing's strength, greed overcame their fear, and since there were many of them, they felt they still had the power to fight.

Ye Qing stopped, turned around, and swept his calm gaze over the crowd.

"You want them?"

He spoke slowly; his voice was not loud, but it clearly entered everyone's ears.

"Very well."

"Pay with your lives."

Before the words faded, his figure suddenly blurred.

In the next moment, he appeared before the one-armed One-eyed Hunk. His right index finger, seemingly slow but actually as fast as lightning, pointed toward the center of his brow.

The One-eyed Hunk was terrified. A fierce light flashed in his single eye, and he roared, swinging a black giant hammer with his remaining arm. Carrying the power to split mountains, it smashed fiercely toward Ye Qing's head—a tactic of mutual destruction.

However, the trajectory of Ye Qing's finger was mysterious; in the blink of an eye, it pierced through the shadow of death cast by the giant hammer and tapped lightly on the Hunk's brow.

Pfft.

A soft sound.

The One-eyed Hunk's body shook violently, and the luster in his eyes instantly froze and dissipated. His protective Spiritual Light and tough Physical Body were like paper under that finger, which contained star source essence and Void Realm penetration.

The corpse fell to the ground with a boom.

Ye Qing's figure did not pause at all; like a ghost, he appeared before the Green Wolf Group leader.

The leader roared. The wound on his chest split open, and blood sprayed wildly, but he fiercely mobilized all his mana, transforming it into a ferocious green wolf phantom that pounced toward Ye Qing.

Ye Qing did not dodge or avoid it. He opened his left hand's five fingers and made a grab in the air toward the green wolf phantom.

"Shatter."

Chaos mana mixed with Star Power surged, transforming into an invisible giant hand that grabbed the green wolf phantom along with the leader himself.

Crack!

The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

The Green Wolf Group leader did not even have time to scream before he was crushed into a bloody mess, his aura completely extinguished.

Immediately after, Ye Qing's figure flashed again, and he arrived before the cold and beautiful female Cultivator of the Hundred Flowers Alliance.

The female Cultivator's face was as pale as paper. She let out a sharp cry, and the short daggers in her hands transformed into stars of cold light filling the sky, shrouding Ye Qing's vital points. At the same time, she retreated rapidly, and strange flowers conjured from Spiritual Qi bloomed under her feet, attempting to hinder Ye Qing.

Ye Qing did not even look at the stars of cold light filling the sky. He clenched his right fist and threw a punch through the air in the direction the female Cultivator was retreating.

"Starfall."

As he punched, a miniature fist imprint burning with chaotic star flames flew out, ignoring distance and the cold stars. It struck after being launched but arrived first, slamming solidly into the several layers of flower shields the female Cultivator had hastily set up.

The flower shields shattered like bubbles.

The fist imprint landed on the female Cultivator's chest without any obstruction.

The female Cultivator's delicate body shook violently, and disbelief flashed in her eyes. Looking down, a charred hole that was transparent from front to back had appeared on her chest, with star flames burning at the edges.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but could not make any sound, and collapsed softly to the ground.

From the moment Ye Qing made his move until the leaders of the three major factions died, it was no more than three breaths.

It happened so fast that people could not react.

The remaining Cultivators who were originally restless were now Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, their livers and gallbladders shattered with terror.

Looking at the green-robed Cultivator who was like a god of slaughter, with an aura as deep as the sea and strikes as powerful as thunder, all greed and wishful thinking instantly vanished, leaving only boundless fear.

I don't know who shouted, but the surviving Cultivators immediately scattered in all directions like bees from a disturbed nest, fleeing for their lives, wishing their parents had given them two more legs, not daring to look back even once.

Ye Qing did not pursue. He stood with his hands behind his back, watching the panicked figures fleeing, his expression indifferent.

He originally had no intention of killing, but if others offend him, he will surely offend them. Since they had developed greed and moved to kill, they must have the awareness to pay the price.

He raised his hand in a beckoning gesture, taking the One-eyed Hunk's black giant hammer, the Green Wolf Group leader's Storage Pouch, the female Cultivator's short daggers and flower pouch, and the Storage Pouches beside the corpses of several other Cultivators who looked like they had good wealth, all into his space.

Then, he walked to the remains of the two damaged metal Puppets.

Although damaged, the dark golden metal that formed the main body of the Puppets, as well as the core driving components, still contained significant Star Power and Metal-element essence, making them excellent Artifact Refining Materials.

He waved his hand and collected the two piles of debris into his space's waste area.

After doing this, he did not linger. He executed the Wind Spirit Wings, soared into the sky, and sped toward the depths of the Secret Realm, in the direction of the "Inheritance Hall" marked on the map.

His figure soon disappeared into the dim horizon.

Only leaving behind the plain in front of the hall, filled with corpses, blood, and a dead silence of devastation, telling the story of the brief and bloody slaughter that had just occurred.

Inside his body, in his 450-zhang cave heaven, stars rotated, moonlight flowed, and Chaos surged. The newly acquired "nutrients" were being rapidly converted, feeding back into a more vast and pure Hunxu Spiritual Qi, consolidating his newly formed Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage Dao Foundation, and silently accumulating power toward that higher, supreme Realm known as the Golden Core.

The Secret Realm journey of the Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage Cultivator Ye Qing, after the harvest and slaughter, continued onward toward deeper Opportunities and dangers.