99: Temple starlight, the remains finally ignite

The cold declaration, like shackles of death, heavily pressed upon the silent open-air plaza. Thirty-four pairs of pure black eyes, like entrances to an abyss, silently locked onto Su Wanzhao, who had just rushed out of the corrupted nest's blood rain. Twisted Bone-Plucking Blades in their hands flowed with foul energy, their steps precise and coordinated, like a closing net of death, completely sealing all paths leading to the ruined Star Tear Temple.

The star remains pedestal floated on the shattered metal ground, emitting a low groan on the verge of disintegration. The faint purple light on its surface had long since extinguished, and the dark blue base body was covered in corroded pits and spiderweb-like cracks. Especially in the area that had forcibly rammed through the corrupted nest, the structure was twisted, even revealing the dim law runes within. [Structural Integrity: 29%! Disintegration Critical Alert!]

Energy was completely depleted. Self-repair was almost stagnant in such a harsh environment. Chen Feng's will imprint still emitted a faint warmth, but it was like a flickering candle in the wind, unable to provide any substantial help.

In front were elite Void creatures blocking the way. Behind was the still wildly squirming and screeching Devouring Corrupted Nest, and a possible cluster of low-tier lurking predators. To her side was an endless abyss of ruins.

Su Wanzhao stood quietly on the pedestal, her faint purple eyes sweeping over the encroaching Bone-Plucking Blades. Her flawless face remained devoid of emotion, only the rotating Star Vortex in her eyes slightly increased its speed, reflecting the cold, orderly encirclement formation of the monsters, and the flickering starlight barrier on the ruined temple gate behind them.

She couldn't retreat. There was no way to retreat.

The only way out seemed to be within that temple. But could that crumbling energy barrier truly block these Void elites? Even if she rushed in, what awaited her inside? Survivors? Or... another trap?

No time to think.

The leading Bone-Plucking Blade, its spine-like twisted long blade slightly raised, gathered foul light at its tip.

The attack was imminent.

Just in this tense, silent moment, with slaughter on the verge of breaking out—

Buzz... an extremely faint, yet unusually clear tremor, not from the enemy, nor from the pedestal, but... from Su Wanzhao herself!

From the deepest part of the slowly rotating faint purple Star Vortex in her chest!

That point of gray light, representing the power of the seed of finality, which had always been dormant, unexpectedly... violently... fluctuated!

This fluctuation was not greed, nor a desire to devour, but... an extremely rare kind of... palpitations (palpitation), as if attracted and awakened by some homologous yet higher-tier existence!?

Its target was, surprisingly... the ruined Star Tear Temple ahead! More precisely, it was the tilted, ancient plaque inscribed with the words “star tear” above the temple gate!

At the same time!

That seemingly ordinary blue crystal plaque, which was only special in material, had an extremely inconspicuous, tiny indentation in its center, like a decorative pattern, that actually... also flickered in sync!

The flickering light was not the azure of starlight, but a... dark gray, homologous to the gray light in Su Wanzhao's chest, yet deeper, more ancient, as if it had accumulated the extinction of countless epochs!

Although it was just a flash, so faint as to be almost nonexistent, it carried an indescribable... resonance and call that spanned eons!

This sudden, eerie resonance between two things that should have been utterly unrelated caused Su Wanzhao's frozen spiritual consciousness to momentarily halt. The Star Vortex in her eyes even experienced brief chaos.

The encroaching Bone-Plucking Blades also sensed this extremely subtle yet fundamentally profound fluctuation! For the first time, their pure black eyes revealed... not fear directed at Su Wanzhao, but a deep surprise and... a hint of imperceptible... awe, stemming from instinct?! Their advancing steps even paused for an extremely brief moment because of it!

Now!

Though Su Wanzhao didn't understand why, that momentary resonance and the enemies' instant delay was her only opportunity!

She didn't hesitate!

Her body, which had been standing still, moved!

She didn't rush towards the temple, nor did she attack the enemies, but instead... made a move that defied all expectations!

She suddenly spread her arms, her entire being seemingly losing all weight, and slowly floated up from the crumbling star remains pedestal!

Her faint purple hair moved without wind, and the Star Vortex in her chest spun wildly in reverse at an unprecedented speed! It wasn't drawing energy, but... releasing it! Burning and releasing, without reservation, the most fundamental, spiritual essence contained within her nascent Star Spirit body, a blend of guardianship and finality!

"In... my... name..." "star vault... unquenched..." "Return to source... beckon!"

A clear, ethereal voice, yet imbued with resolute will, was uttered clearly from her lips for the first time, echoing across the silent plaza!

Buzz—!!!

Centered on her, a pure faint purple light pillar, tinged with a cold gray, shot up into the sky! The light pillar didn't contain violent energy, but carried a supreme, law-summoning power, as if it could draw upon the primordial essence of the myriad star vaults!

The instant this light pillar appeared—

The ruined Star Tear Temple seemed to be infused with a soul!

The entire temple trembled violently! Dust and grime covering its surface rustled down! The ancient runes on the walls, long dim and shattered, lit up one after another like ignited candles! Though their light was weak, they stubbornly dispelled the surrounding darkness and filth!

Especially the plaque above the gate! The words “star tear” suddenly erupted with dazzling azure starlight, and the indentation in its center, which had just flickered with gray light, pulsated violently like a heart, wildly echoing the gray light in Su Wanzhao's chest across space!

The starlight barrier on the temple gate, which had been flickering and riddled with cracks, instantly surged a hundredfold in brilliance under this internal and external summoning power! It became solid, heavy, like a flowing river of stars! The cracks on the barrier were repaired and mended at a visible speed!

A vast, ancient, star vault power, filled with endless sorrow and unyielding will to protect, awakened from the depths of the temple, like a slumbering giant god opening its eyes!

[Star Tear Temple Guardian Array: Detected highest authority resonance (abnormal)! Forced activation (overload)!] [Status: Guardian Starlight (peak) | Duration: Unknown (based on energy supply)]

"Roar—!!!"

The Bone-Plucking Blades let out roars of shock and anger! Their black eyes were filled with disbelief! They clearly recognized this temple, and what the sudden burst of guardian starlight meant! It was the greatest restraint and repulsion to their Void essence!

The leading Bone-Plucking Blade no longer cared about Su Wanzhao, its twisted long blade suddenly pointed at the temple gate, letting out a sharp mental roar: "Stop her! Destroy the temple core! She must not complete—"

Its command was not yet finished—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

On the temple walls, the illuminated ancient runes suddenly shot out concentrated azure starlight beams, like precise snipers, instantly crossing space and fiercely striking the Bone-Plucking Blades!

Sizzle—!!!

Like red-hot iron plunged into ice water! The starlight beams and the foul energy of the Void abominations underwent violent law annihilation! The leading Bone-Plucking Blade bore the brunt, half its body instantly vaporized, letting out a horrific wail! The other Bone-Plucking Blades were also hit by the starlight beams, large plumes of foul black smoke erupted from their bodies, and their formation instantly fell into chaos!

The temple's automatic defense system was forcibly activated by Su Wanzhao using her own spiritual essence as a guide!

However, the cost was immense!

Su Wanzhao, suspended in mid-air, became almost transparent! The rotation speed of the Star Vortex in her chest visibly slowed, and its light dimmed to the extreme. Her burning of her spiritual essence to forcibly activate the temple's power had almost depleted most of the foundation of this nascent body! The hint of gray indifference in her eyes had faded considerably, replaced by a deep exhaustion and weakness.

But she still held on, her gaze fixed on the temple gate.

Opportunity! Rush in!

She tried to control her body to rush towards the starlight curtain, like a river of stars.

But, the moment her figure moved—

Another anomaly occurred!

The star remains pedestal, which had been silent and on the verge of shattering, its core Chen Feng's will imprint, sensing Su Wanzhao's rapid consumption of spiritual essence and extreme weakness, suddenly... erupted with its last, yet incredibly fervent and resolute... fluctuation!

That was not energy, but... the purest, all-consuming... obsession to protect!

"Last Light..."

The lingering whisper, like a final farewell.

Buzz—!!!

The entire dark star immortal foundation suddenly erupted with unprecedented light! It was not faint purple, nor star blue, but a... brilliant, ultimate white-gold radiance, like a final burst of vitality!

All remaining runes on the pedestal's surface instantly lit up, then... shattered! The pedestal's main body, with its cracked structure, emitted an unbearable, final wail of disintegration!

It... was self-destructing?! At the cost of its very last existence, transforming into the final thrust and barrier, to send her into the temple!

"No...!" For the first time, a clear emotion called "horror" appeared on Su Wanzhao's frozen face! She tried to stop it, but it was too late!

Rumble—!!!!

The star remains pedestal, this inherited object that carried Chen Feng's last will and was forged through extinction, violently... self-destructed!

There was no destructive shockwave; all disintegrating energy and matter were forcibly constrained and condensed by that fervent protective obsession, transforming into a warm and resilient... bridge, composed purely of white-gold radiance!

One end of the bridge cradled Su Wanzhao's nearly transparent spiritual body, while the other end, as if spanning a river of stars, fiercely... crashed into the Star Tear Temple's thick starlight barrier!

Hiss—!

The barrier fluctuated violently, but did not block this bridge filled with protective obsession; instead, it parted like water, forming a passage!

Su Wanzhao's figure, enveloped by the white-gold bridge, was instantly sent beyond the barrier, disappearing from sight!

And the very next second after she entered the temple—

The white-gold bridge completely dissipated.

The starlight barrier closed again, its brilliance still dazzling, but seemingly dimmed by a trace.

On the plaza, only the lingering, slowly dispersing white-gold dust from the star remains pedestal's self-destruction remained, along with the Void elites who were still in disarray under the temple's starlight beam attacks, roaring in anger.

The pedestal... was gone.

Chen Feng's last trace of existence, to send her into the temple, had completely... burned out.

Inside the temple.

The light suddenly softened. A warm, pure, and faintly sorrowful star vault energy enveloped her. The roars of the Void and the explosions of energy outside seemed to be completely cut off, leaving only a sacred and tranquil silence.

She fell heavily onto the cold yet smooth ground, her body almost transparent, finding it difficult even to maintain her form.

She struggled to lift her head.

What met her eyes was a vast, tall, damaged yet still solemn main hall of the temple. The dome was shattered, revealing the dim and twisted sky outside. Pillars in the hall had toppled, and the floor was covered in cracks. But in the deepest part of the temple, on a tall altar, something floated.

It was a tear-shaped, immense treasure, entirely composed of pure blue star marrow crystal.

It floated there quietly, emitting a soft yet vast starlight, illuminating the entire ruined temple. That starlight was warm and sorrowful, as if it condensed the cries of countless stars and vows of guardianship.

The star tear.

The true star tear.

And within that star tear crystal, faintly visible... was an extremely tiny, dark gray light, like a sleeping eye.

Light homologous to the gray light in her chest and the indentation on the plaque outside the door.

Su Wanzhao gazed at the star tear, then slowly lowered her head, looking at the emptiness behind her.

There was no longer the pedestal that carried the warm imprint.

An unprecedented, cold, tearing sense of hollowness, like a cosmic cold wave, instantly engulfed her nascent spiritual consciousness.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Only a cold tear, composed of pure starlight and spirituality, silently... slid down her perfect yet pale cheek.

Dropping onto the cold temple floor.

Splashing a faint, ripple-like faint purple light.