65: The belly of the whale in the void, the stardust of eternity

Darkness. Not a void darkness, but a deep darkness as if sinking into the Universe's womb, warm and flowing with star rivers. Inside the Ancient Star Marrow Whale, all was silent; only the jade-warm, dark-gold "ground" beneath his feet emitted a soft, ancient radiance, like solidified star river amber. The raging storms outside, the cold killing intent of the Celestial Court Edict, the frantic erosion of the tribulation imprint... all deadly clamor was forcibly isolated by this ancient behemoth's majestic Dao laws, leaving only a near-eternal stillness and peace.

The wreckage of the star dome ark lay quietly stranded on this dark-gold "earth," like a tiny seashell beside the remains of an ancient beast. The ship's terrifying 91% damage seemed frozen by some force; the self-destruct flickering of the nirvana star dome fragments had completely subsided, maintaining a precarious but no longer worsening critical point. Chen Feng sat slumped on the cold deck, gasping for air, every breath pulling at the sharp pain of his broken ribs, but more so, he felt a post-disaster numbness, a state of near-collapse.

He looked down at Su Wanzhao in his arms.

The star vortex core in the young girl's chest had completely ceased its violent rotation after entering this strange space. Like the purest star in the night sky, it hovered steadily in the center of the charred cavity, emitting a soft and profound starlight. The incredibly gentle and pure star marrow origin aura flowing within the Ancient Star Marrow Whale's interior space, like invisible trickling streams, automatically merged into that star vortex. The newborn core greedily yet orderly sucked in this power of the same source; its volume did not expand further, but its light became increasingly restrained and solid. Deep within the core, that speck of spiritual light representing Su Wanzhao's own will was like a carefully nurtured candle flame, burning steadily, brightly, and tenaciously.

Even more heart-stirring was her body. The blue cracks on her skin's surface, caused by the infusion of violent power, were slowly mending and disappearing at a visible rate under the nourishment of the gentle starlight. Her pale skin regained its jade-like warmth and luster, even faintly revealing an inner star treasure-light. The pulse of star life originating from herself became stronger, clearer, and more stable than ever before, like the steady and powerful heartbeat beneath a sleeping giant's chest. Although her eyes remained closed, her furrowed brows had smoothed out, and her long eyelashes cast quiet shadows under the starlight, as if she had simply fallen into a deep and peaceful rest.

The star vortex is lit; the Foundation for the dao foundation reconstruction is set! The fire of life has finally ignited tenaciously within the eye of the desperate storm!

"Wanzhao..." Chen Feng called out hoarsely, his fingertips trembling slightly as he carefully brushed her warm cheek. The heartstrings that had been taut for countless days and nights finally loosened a bit at this moment. However, before this trace of warmth could melt into his heart, a surge from the deepest part of his own dao foundation—more turbulent and overbearing—seized all his senses like an awakening prehistoric beast!

Within his Dantian, the Nascent Primal Fate Wheel Phantasm, which was already covered in cracks and dim, began to vibrate violently and unprecedentedly after being isolated from deadly external interference and bathed in this incredibly pure and ancient star marrow origin aura! The faint starlight at the disk's core greedily swallowed the surrounding gentle star Dao law specks, like parched, cracked earth meeting sweet rain, its light recovering and strengthening at a visible rate.

But this was only the prelude!

What truly triggered the upheaval was deep within the chaotic base of the Fate Wheel Phantom! The guixu xuanhuang origin point—which fused the darkness and xuanhuang fragments and represented the "Guixu" Concept—suddenly erupted with an unprecedented dark light after absorbing the Origin aura emitted by the dark-gold "earth" beneath his feet: the solidified ancient star core fragments within the Ancient Star Marrow Whale that contained endless nirvana and Guixu Dao laws!

That light was as deep as a cosmic abyss and as ancient as the end of an era! An irresistible "hunger" originating from the very source of life, like billions of hungry Vicious Beasts awakening and roaring simultaneously within Chen Feng's dao foundation! This "craving" had an extremely clear target, carrying a near-tyrannical possessiveness as it locked onto the dark-gold "ground" beneath his feet! The guixu xuanhuang origin point was throbbing madly; it wanted to devour! To fuse! To absorb the even more ancient and primordial nirvana star core power within this ancient whale!

"Ugh... ah!" An uncontrollable, beast-like low growl escaped Chen Feng's throat. His eyes instantly became bloodshot, and deep within his pupils, the star patterns flowing on the dark-gold earth were reflected—no longer a gentle luster, but a supreme delicacy emitting deadly temptation! His fingers uncontrollably dug deep into the gaps of the deck, unaware even as his nails cracked and bled. His entire body trembled violently due to this savage craving from the deepest part of his dao foundation. The cold, stabbing pain from the Punishment Calamity imprint on his chest was now drowned out by this more primitive sense of "hunger."

He struggled to lift his head, his gaze piercing through the quiet darkness as if to look directly at the core will of this ancient behemoth. In that gaze, there was no fear, no awe, only a near-insane persistence and... craving! Like a dying traveler in the desert seeing the only source of water!

Just as Chen Feng felt he was about to be completely consumed by this hunger from the guixu xuanhuang origin point and lose his reason to pounce on the ground beneath him—

Buzz!

A grand, vast intent, as if flowing from the source of the long river of time, descended into this internal space without warning. This intent was not a sound, yet it echoed clearly within the depths of Chen Feng's Soul, carrying a cold indifference that looked down upon the changes of eras and a trace of... indescribable, complex scrutiny.

"The seed... of Guixu... actually... sprouts... here..."

What this intent referred to was exactly the madly throbbing guixu xuanhuang origin point within Chen Feng's body!

Following that, the dark-gold "earth" beneath Chen Feng's feet suddenly lit up! Countless ancient and profound star pattern dao marks, seemingly naturally formed, emerged from deep within the "ground," flowing and converging! Less than three feet in front of him, a point of light—purely condensed from the dark-gold star marrow origin and emitting an aura even purer, more ancient, and more filled with nirvana than the ground beneath him—slowly rose from the "ground" and hovered in mid-air!

This point of light was only the size of a fist, yet it seemed to be the condensation of the nirvana star core essence within the entire Ancient Star Marrow Whale! Inside it, phantasms of endless stars being born and dying and the Universe returning to Guixu seemed to flow! The aura it emitted created an unprecedentedly strong resonance with the guixu xuanhuang origin point in Chen Feng's body! The hunger from his dao foundation instantly surged tenfold! Every bone in Chen Feng's body groaned under the unbearable burden; if not for his last shred of reason desperately suppressing it, he would have pounced forward regardless of everything!

"This is... the core... I... shed... in my youth..." the vast intent sounded again, carrying a ripple of reminiscence, "containing... nascent nirvana... the prototype... of Guixu..."

"Your... Guixu dao foundation... is incomplete... and immature... yet... it triggers... its resonance..."

"I can... give it to you... to devour..."

Chen Feng's heart almost leapt out of his chest! Devouring the nirvana star core shed by the ancient whale in its youth?! This was an unimaginable Opportunity! He could clearly feel that if he could successfully fuse this star core, his guixu xuanhuang origin point would undergo a world-shaking transformation! It might even drive the sublimation of the entire Primal Fate Wheel!

"The price!" Chen Feng suddenly looked up, his hoarse voice echoing in the silent space, carrying his final clarity and resolve. There are no free opportunities in the world, especially when facing such an ancient existence that has lived for unknown eras!

"forming a bond..." the grand intent's response was extremely concise, yet it carried the weight of a thousand tons.

"First... help me... resolve... this calamity..." What the intent pointed to was precisely the Punishment Calamity imprint on Chen Feng's chest, which was throbbing madly but suppressed by the ancient whale's power! And the tribulation remnant soul's will awakening deep within the imprint!

"Second... bear... this segment... of stardust..."

Buzz!

As the intent fell, beside the hovering dark-gold star core light point, space distorted slightly, and a drop of "liquid" that could not be described by color—as if it had condensed eternal time and endless stardust—slowly emerged. It had no energy fluctuations, yet it emitted an aura even more ancient and heavy than the star core beneath it, as if it carried the rise and fall and the secrets of countless eras!

"This is... a segment... of my... ten-thousand-year... memory... stardust... the truth of Guixu..." For the first time, there was a noticeable fluctuation in the intent's voice, carrying an indescribable exhaustion and... sorrow.

"To devour... the star core... you must... bear... this dust..."

"Are you... willing?"

Chen Feng's breathing suddenly stopped!

An Opportunity! A massive Opportunity! By devouring the nirvana star core shed by the ancient whale in its youth, the Guixu Primordial Yellow dao foundation would surely achieve a qualitative leap!

But the price was equally terrifying!

First, help the ancient whale resolve the calamity of the Punishment Calamity! This meant he had to face the tribulation remnant soul, whose recovery progress was approaching 20% and which possessed the ancient Slaughter Dao Origin! It was no different from plotting with a tiger or playing with fire!

Second, bear this drop of myriad ancient stardust! Bear a segment of memory belonging to this ancient behemoth regarding the truth of Guixu! This was by no means a simple infusion of information, but rather branding a segment of time and secrets—heavy enough to crush stars—into his Soul! The consequences were unpredictable! At best, his Divine Soul would be thrown into Chaos; at worst, he would be completely assimilated by that eternal weight, losing himself!

Chen Feng's gaze was fixed on that hovering "stardust" that seemed to contain an endless vortex of time. The star core shed by the ancient whale in its youth was right before his eyes, within reach. The hungry roar of the Guixu Primordial Yellow Origin almost broke through his reason. But the alarm bells of reason were also ringing frantically—the cold, stabbing pain of the Punishment Calamity imprint on his chest and the eternal sense of weight emitted by that drop of stardust, which made his Soul tremble, were like two mountains pressing on his heart.

By the ship's railing, the star vortex core in Su Wanzhao's chest rotated steadily, emitting a newborn starlight full of hope. Her life's pulse was steady and powerful, as if silently recounting her persistence.

"forming a bond..." Chen Feng chewed on these words. Deep in his bloodshot eyes, madness and reason clashed fiercely. He slowly raised his trembling hand, not toward the tempting dark-gold star core, but toward that drop of myriad ancient stardust that was so heavy it was suffocating. His voice was hoarse but carried a decisive resolve:

"This dust... I will bear first!"

The moment his words fell, that drop of "liquid" that condensed myriad ancient stardust, as if summoned, ignored the distance of space and suddenly turned into an indescribable flow of light, instantly sinking into Chen Feng's brow!

BOOM—!!!

An unimaginable impact exploded in the deepest part of Chen Feng's Soul!

It wasn't energy, it wasn't information, it was... time! It was endless fragments of the river of time, heavy to the extreme! It was the grand elegy of the birth of star seas, the nirvana of stars, and the changing of eras! It was the whispers and sighs of countless ancient wills! It was the eternal cold and darkness at the end of Guixu, enough to freeze all life!

"Aaaaagh—!!!"

Chen Feng let out a shrill, inhuman scream! His body felt as if it had been struck by an invisible giant hammer, arching backward violently before slamming heavily onto the deck! From his seven orifices, no blood flowed, but rather a gray mist gushed out, mixed with countless broken light shadows and ancient stardust debris! His eyeballs were instantly filled with endless stardust illusions, his pupils dilating and reflecting the ultimate scene of Guixu: the beginning of the Universe, the explosion of stars, the annihilation of civilizations, and finally, everything returning to cold, dead silence!

In his Sea of Consciousness, the Primal Disk Phantom—which was already on the verge of collapsing—shattered inch by inch like fragile glass under the impact of this torrent of eternal time and stardust memories! His Divine Soul was forcibly torn and stretched, as if it were to merge into that vast, boundless, yet cold and dead river of time! An irresistible sense of "assimilation" originating from the deepest part of his Soul, like a cold tide, rapidly submerged his self-awareness! It wanted to turn him into a part of this memory, a grain of dust within that myriad ancient stardust!

"No... I am... Chen Feng!" His remaining will let out a desperate cry within the boundless stardust memories, like a tiny speck of light in a raging sea, liable to be completely swallowed at any moment!

At the critical moment when his self-awareness was about to be completely assimilated and dissolved by the myriad ancient stardust—

Deep within his Dantian, the madly throbbing guixu xuanhuang origin point, as if sensing the mortal danger to its host's Soul, suddenly erupted with an unprecedented dark light! A majestic Concept originating from the end of all things and encompassing all nirvana burst forth!

Buzz!

That dark-gold nirvana star core hovering before Chen Feng, belonging to the Ancient Star Marrow Whale's youth, seemed to be drawn by the ultimate attraction of a power from the same source. It turned into a streak of dark-gold light, ignored the barrier of Chen Feng's body, and instantly sank into his Dantian, crashing directly into the erupting guixu xuanhuang origin point!

The guixu xuanhuang origin point was like a gluttonous beast that had been hungry for billions of years, instantly enveloping and devouring that star core containing ancient nirvana Dao laws!

BOOM—!!!

A transformation even more violent than bearing the myriad ancient stardust erupted fiercely deep within Chen Feng's Dantian and dao foundation!