645: Lu Xueqi and Biyao (28)

He understood the price of the Tianya Ice Extreme even better than Su Han did; it required sacrificing one's life, Cultivation, and even Soul to the divine sword in exchange for a fleeting moment of glory—a forbidden strike of absolute zero.

For Lu Xueqi to directly confront the furious strike of a Late Golden Core Stage Star Spirit Guards, while simultaneously freezing a large group of pursuers, was already a miracle within miracles.

But the price of a miracle is usually the complete annihilation of the caster.

"No... she's not dead..." Su Han suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with near-manic obsession, mixed with bloodshot veins and tears. "She promised me! She said, 'Trust me!' She won't die! She can't die!"

He struggled to get up, but due to the violent backlash from the star seed in his Dantian and the severe depletion of his life Origin, he collapsed heavily onto the ground again.

Forcibly drawing upon the residual power of the altar had already shattered his Meridians and brought his Dantian to the brink of collapse; at this moment, he was hardly stronger than a Mortal.

"Su Han! Calm down!" Elder Mu grabbed him, channeling a pure and gentle Spiritual Qi into his body, barely protecting his heart 脈, but he was powerless against the riddled Dantian and broken Meridians.

"If you rush back now, you'll just be throwing your life away! Not only will you fail to save Xue Qi, but even this bottle of star source marrow, even her final sacrifice, will be wasted!"

"star source marrow..." Su Han's gaze locked onto the jade bottle in Elder Mu's hand, his eyes blazing with terrifying light. "Yes! star source marrow! It can reshape the Foundation, it can bring the dead back to life! Elder Mu, quickly! Use the star source marrow to save me! As long as I can recover a sliver of strength, I can go back and save her!"

"Nonsense!" Elder Mu roared sternly. "Although star source marrow is a heavenly treasure, its main effect is to refine Star Power, reshape Star Veins, and enhance the potential of a Star Cultivator! It is not a true medicine for bringing the dead back to life! Moreover, your current body cannot withstand even a tiny bit of the star source marrow's power; forcing its use will only cause you to explode and die!"

Elder Mu's words were like ice water poured over his head, but the madness in Su Han's eyes did not extinguish; instead, it transformed into a terrifying calmness.

He stopped struggling and just stared fixedly in the direction of the core palace, speaking word by word: "She is not dead. I can feel it. There is... there is some kind of connection between us.

When I accepted the Legacy on the altar, the star seed resonated slightly with the icy Star Power in her body... although faint, it... hasn't broken."

Su Han's words made Elder Mu pause. He perceived carefully but found nothing. The core palace was far from here and isolated by heavy Star Power barriers; even with his Golden Core Stage Divine Sense, he couldn't penetrate it.

But looking at Su Han's determined, almost obsessive gaze, a very faint sliver of hope arose in his heart. Could it be... that there was some secret about Xue Qi that even he didn't know? Like that mysterious tianya sword, or her own special Physique...?

"Even... even if she has a sliver of life left, imprisoned in that core palace, guarded by three Star Beasts above the Late Golden Core Stage, and surrounded by thousands of Star Beasts..." Elder Mu's voice was heavy. "How can we possibly save her?"

Su Han closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress all the surging emotions. He knew that impulse and despair couldn't save Lu Xueqi.

He had to be calm; he had to find a sliver of hope.

"Elder Mu, I need time." Su Han's voice became hoarse and icy, as if he had become someone else. "The shortest time possible. I need to heal, I need to become stronger. By any means necessary."

He looked at the star source marrow in Elder Mu's hand: "This bottle of star source marrow was exchanged for with Senior Sister's life. It must be used where it counts. But not on me right now.

Elder, your Cultivation is higher, and your understanding of Star Power is deeper. Can you use this item to set up a stronger concealment Formation here, or perhaps... a reverse Formation that can briefly teleport back to the edge of the core area? Even if it can only transport one person, even if there's only one chance?"

Elder Mu looked at the undeniable determination in Su Han's eyes, and his heart shook. This young man's Heart-Nature was far beyond his imagination; even in such a desperate situation, he could still calmly devise countermeasures.

"Reverse teleportation... that's incredibly difficult! Difficult as ascending to heaven!" Elder Mu frowned deeply. "This place is more than a hundred miles from the core palace, and there is interference from the natural Star Power field.

The star-guiding pearl is destroyed; relying only on this bottle of star source marrow... unless... unless we can find a weak point in the spatial node, perhaps there is a slight possibility.

But as for the concealment Formation, this old man can try his best. By utilizing the pure Star Power of the star source marrow, combined with the natural shielding effect of the coral reef here, we might be able to hide from the Star Beasts' perception for several days."

"Several days..." A sharp glint flashed in Su Han's eyes. "That's enough. Please, Elder, set up the Formation immediately. I need to enter seclusion within this concealment Formation to heal and attempt to break through my Realm!"

"You..." Elder Mu looked at Su Han's broken body, hesitating to speak. Attempting to break through his Realm now was tantamount to suicide.

But he saw an unquestionable will in Su Han's eyes—a resolution to stake everything and fight death itself.

"Fine!" Elder Mu gritted his teeth. "This old man will do his utmost to buy you time! But remember, if things become impossible... preserving your life is the greatest respect for Xue Qi's sacrifice!"

Su Han did not reply, only slowly closed his eyes and began circulating his tattered Cultivation Technique, attempting to draw even a sliver of Spiritual Qi from the world.

In his mind, there was only one thought, deep as an imprint:

"Senior Sister, wait for me. Whether you are alive or dead, whether you are in Heaven or Hell, I will bring you back."

At the bottom of the altar in the core palace.

The spot where the giant starlight hand struck had turned into a massive deep pit.

The jade floor was covered in web-like cracks, and the center was scorched black, still emanating violent Star Power fluctuations.

The Humanoid Star Spirit hovered in mid-air, its golden eyes sweeping coldly below.

It had absolute confidence in its attack; that palm strike was enough to shatter the form and spirit of any Golden Core Stage Cultivator.

But for some reason, it felt like... something was missing.

The 'sense of presence' of that female Cultivator emanating extreme coldness seemed not to have disappeared completely.

The Giant Lion Star Beast and the Black Tortoise Star Beast paced around, growling, as if confirming something.

Thousands of low-level Star Beasts agitated nearby, not daring to approach the area still retaining terrifying coldness.

At the edge of the deep pit, in the depths of an inconspicuous crack.

A faint, almost imperceptible ice-blue light was stubbornly flickering.

Lu Xueqi had not "died."

In the instant before the starlight giant hand completely struck, she pushed the Tianya Ice Extreme to an unprecedented extreme.

This was not simply burning her life Origin, but a deeper level of sacrifice—she integrated everything she was, including her Physical Body, Cultivation, and even part of her Divine Soul, into the ultimate coldness of the tianya sword.