120: In the Star Tower, the Star God was born

Deep within the Pill Tower Holy Domain, a majestic tower, seemingly connecting heaven and earth, stood silently. The tower's body was not solid, but rather condensed from countless flowing starlight particles, emitting a vast, ancient, and powerful aura as if from the primordial starry sky. Upon the tower's body, projections of the celestial stars could vaguely be seen circulating, reflecting the actual stars in the night sky. This was the most mysterious cultivation holy land of the Pill Tower—the star tower!

At this moment, on the topmost floor of the star tower, in a secret chamber entirely constructed of starlight, Xiao Chen sat cross-legged. His eyes were slightly closed, his body enveloped by a rich stellar force. He seemed to have transformed into a tiny star, resonating mysteriously with the entire star tower and even the real starry sky outside the tower.

"What pure stellar force!" Xiao Chen exclaimed in his heart. The star tower truly lived up to its reputation. The stellar force gathered within the tower was hundreds of times purer than that of the outside world, and it contained a trace of ancient primordial aura, offering unparalleled assistance to the cultivation of the Star God Contemplation Method.

He cast aside all distractions, his mind completely sinking into his sea of consciousness, and began to activate the methods of the Star God Contemplation Method. His Spirit Realm Great Perfection soul power, after the baptism of the Heavenly Secret Ancient City inheritance, had already touched the threshold of the Heavenly Realm. Now, nourished by the stellar force, it was like parched land encountering sweet rain, absorbing and transforming madly.

Within his sea of consciousness, the previously chaotic scene began to change. Countless tiny specks of light appeared out of thin air, sprouting and growing like seeds, eventually transforming into brilliant stars! These stars were not real, but rather projections that Xiao Chen had visualized with his soul power, combined with the real star projections drawn in by the star tower. They operated according to some profound trajectory, emitting a soft yet profound starlight that illuminated his entire sea of consciousness.

As the visualization deepened, Xiao Chen felt his soul seemingly detach from the constraints of his physical body, constantly ascending and merging into the boundless starry sky. He "saw" the flow of the Milky Way, the birth and death of stars, the rotation of galaxies... A grand, vast, and eternal artistic conception filled his heart. Personal joys and sorrows, grievances and affections, all seemed so insignificant on this cosmic scale.

"Observing stars is like observing oneself; the sea of stars is the sea of the heart..." Xiao Chen comprehended the true meaning of the Star God Contemplation Method. This technique was not merely about enhancing soul power, but more importantly, about tempering the Dao Heart, allowing the soul to resonate with the universe, ultimately reaching the supreme realm of "my heart is the heart of heaven."

Time flew by quickly during his cultivation. There was no sun or moon within the star tower, only eternal starlight.

After an unknown period, the stellar scene in Xiao Chen's sea of consciousness had stabilized. Thousands of stars orbited a central, most brilliant main star, which shone with immense light, subtly showing a tendency to condense into a definite form. This was the mark of the first realm of the Star God Contemplation Method—the "Starry Sky Realm" reaching Great Perfection! Upon reaching this realm, not only did his soul power greatly increase in quantity, but it also possessed the vastness and resilience of the stars, offering strong resistance to illusions and Soul Impact. He could also initially harness stellar force for attack and defense.

"Starry Sky Realm Great Perfection... my soul power has now completely stabilized at the early Heavenly Realm!" Xiao Chen slowly opened his eyes, his pupils seemingly holding a swirling galaxy, incredibly profound. He felt his soul perception range expand again, reaching a massive fifty thousand feet! His control over energy became even more precise and subtle, and he could even vaguely capture finer law fluctuations in space. More importantly, an artistic conception of "as long as the Star God is immortal, my soul will live forever" took root in his heart, making his Dao Heart even more firm and clear.

"Let's test its power." With a thought, a wisp of stellar soul power emerged from Xiao Chen's body, condensing into a needle of starlight in the air. The needle was silent, yet it exuded a sharp aura capable of piercing through void. He looked at the secret chamber wall (which was condensed from stellar force and exceptionally sturdy), and the starlight needle trembled slightly, disappearing instantly!

"Hiss!"

With a soft sound, a hair-thin, bottomless small hole appeared on the hard stellar wall! The edge of the hole was smooth as a mirror, with no energy leakage whatsoever!

"Its condensation and penetrative power are far beyond what they were before!" Xiao Chen nodded with satisfaction. This was merely the most basic application of a Heavenly Realm Soul. If he were to use a secret soul attack technique, its power would be even more terrifying.

He did not stop cultivating but turned his attention to his Dou Qi cultivation. After breaking through to One-Star Dou Zun, he had not yet properly consolidated it. The star tower was rich in energy, making it a good time to solidify his foundation.

He activated the heaven burning furnace Art, and the nine pale golden Dou Qi stars in his Qi Sea slowly rotated, frantically devouring the surrounding stellar force. The stellar force, upon entering his body, did not conflict with his Dou Qi. Instead, it was refined by the heaven burning furnace, transforming into pure energy that nourished the Dou Qi stars, making them more condensed and brilliant. Xiao Chen even tried to integrate a trace of stellar force into his Heaven Opening Axe Intent, imbuing the axe intent with a sense of the vastness and eternity of the stars, subtly enhancing its power.

"My Dou Qi cultivation has also stabilized at the mid One-Star Dou Zun level, not far from the late stage." Xiao Chen felt the surging power within him, his confidence growing. With his current strength, if he were to encounter a Peak Dou Zun (Peak Battle Venerable) like Soul Jade again, he was confident he could defeat him within ten moves! Even against a Two-Star Dou Zun (Battle Venerable), he would have the power to fight!

"It's time to emerge from seclusion." Xiao Chen stood up, the starlight around him receding, his aura returning to its natural state. He knew that the outside world must be in turmoil, and the Soul Hall's retaliation would never cease; he needed to face it.

However, just as he was about to leave the secret chamber, the Xiao Clan clan mark on his brow suddenly became scorching hot without warning! An intensely strong bloodline pulsation came, as if something in a distant place was calling to him!

"It's... the ancestral land's mark!" Xiao Chen's expression changed, and he immediately focused his senses. He saw the clan mark glowing with golden light, and the obscure mark pointing to the Xiao Clan ancestral land ruins, obtained from the Heavenly Secret Ancient City inheritance, now became exceptionally clear! The mark pointed west and sent out urgent waves of fluctuations, as if warning, and also as if... summoning!

"Something's happened to the ancestral land?!" Xiao Chen's heart trembled. The Xiao Clan ancestral land was of great importance; it might not only hide the truth of the Xiao Clan's decline but also be related to the mystery of Origin Qi! It absolutely could not be lost!

"I must go to the Fallen God Mountain Range immediately!" Xiao Chen made a decision instantly. What Soul Hall retaliation, what Central Plains turmoil, all had to take a backseat to the Xiao Clan ancestral land!

He no longer hesitated. Taking a step out of the secret chamber, his figure merged into space, speeding towards the outside of the star tower. He needed to immediately go to the Pill Tower's higher-ups, understand the situation outside, and prepare for his trip to the Fallen God Mountain Range.

However, just as he flew out of the star tower's range, an urgent voice transmission sounded in his mind, from none other than his teacher Xuan Kongzi!

"Chen'er, it's good that you're out of seclusion! Come to the deliberation hall quickly! There's an urgent matter!"

Xiao Chen's gaze sharpened. From his teacher Xuan Kongzi's tone, he heard an unprecedented solemnity! It seemed that during his time in seclusion, major events had indeed occurred outside!

"It seems that the heavens of the Central Plains are truly about to change." A cold light flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes, and he accelerated, transforming into a streak of light, shooting towards the deliberation hall in the core area of the Pill Tower.

A new storm had already arrived! And Xiao Chen's journey would lead him to even more unknown and dangerous territories! The secrets of the Xiao Clan ancestral land, the Soul Hall's conspiracy, ancient grievances... everything would gradually be unveiled in this turbulent era!