646: Lu Xueqi and Biyao (29)

The tianya sword was no ordinary steel; it was an ancient ice-attribute divine artifact containing a wisp of undying 'Ice Soul Divine Intent.' Lu Xueqi's sacrifice in her desperate straits had unexpectedly triggered this wisp of intent. The divine sword protected its master. At the final moment, it forcibly sealed her remaining sliver of life and core Divine Soul within the blade. With an 'Absolute Zero' chill, it froze her Physical Body along with the surrounding space, forming a tiny, indestructible 'Ice Soul Cocoon.'

This ice cocoon perfectly mimicked the aura of death, even transforming its shape into an inconspicuous ice crystal wedged within a crack, evading the senses of the Star Spirit Guards. The price was that Lu Xueqi's consciousness fell into the deepest silence; her physical vitality nearly stopped, separated from death by only a thin line. Her current state was more like a 'divine artifact' possessing faint spirituality rather than a living person.

The tianya sword hovered in the center of the ice cocoon, dim and lusterless, its blade covered in cracks as if it would shatter at any moment. It had sacrificed most of its spirituality to preserve this last spark of its master's life.

Inside the ice cocoon was endless darkness and cold.

Lu Xueqi's consciousness was like a flickering candle in the wind, drifting and unstable. She could not feel her body or time; there was only eternal loneliness and cold.

"...Do you trust me?"

In a daze, a voice echoed deep within her consciousness. It was Su Han's voice, the question he had asked beneath the altar in that certain-death situation.

"I do."

She remembered her answer, given without a moment's hesitation.

Then... there was the separation, the turning away, the burning of everything, and that crushing giant hand of starlight... "...Su Han..."

An extremely weak ripple of Divine Thought rose within the ice cocoon. This was her sole remaining, core obsession. Her responsibility to her sect and her pursuit of longevity had already blurred. Only the young man who had asked her "Do you trust me" at the critical moment of life and death, the Junior Brother she was willing to protect with her life, became her only anchor in this boundless darkness.

"Live on..."

"Wait... for me..."

Her consciousness sank into darkness again, but that wisp of obsession, like a seed, was buried deep within the core of the Ice Soul Divine Intent, waiting for the day it would break through the ice.

Outside, the Humanoid Star Spirit confirmed there was no longer any aura of life. It let out a low roar and, leading the Giant Lion and Black Tortoise, returned to the top of the altar, transforming back into statues to guard that dim Legacy core. The thousands of Star Beast also gradually dispersed, resuming their patrols. The core palace returned to a deathly silence, with only the residual chill telling of the tragic battle that had occurred not long ago.

No one noticed that in the crack at the base of the altar, a 'dead' ice crystal was absorbing the free-floating Star Power in the air at an extremely slow speed, repairing itself. This process might take several years, or even decades. But as long as that wisp of undying Ice Soul Divine Intent and that thread of persistent thought remained, hope was never severed.

The outskirts of Falling Star Lake, a coral reef cave.

Using the star source marrow as the core and combining it with dozens of High-Grade Spirit Stones, Elder Mu laid out a complex Formation called the 'Star Concealment Heaven-Veiling Array' around the cave. The moment the Formation was activated, an invisible ripple spread out, completely isolating the cave's aura from the outside world. It even distorted the surrounding light, making it blend perfectly into the coral reef environment.

"This array can last seven days at most." Elder Mu's face was pale; setting up the Formation had consumed a great deal of his mental energy. "Within seven days, as long as we don't encounter a Nascent Soul level existence's deliberate investigation, we should be safe. After seven days, the power of the star source marrow will be exhausted, and the array will break on its own."

Su Han sat cross-legged in the center of the Formation, merely nodding slightly at the words. His current appearance was wretched in the extreme; his face was as pale as golden paper, and his aura was faint and flickering like a candle that could go out at any moment.

"Su Han, do you really want to..." Elder Mu looked at his state, filled with worry.

"I have no choice." Su Han opened his eyes. Within them was a deathly calm, but beneath that calm was a volcano about to erupt. "Elder, please protect me. No matter what happens, unless the array is broken, do not disturb me."

After speaking, he said no more and slowly closed his eyes, beginning the most perilous and insane Cultivation of his life.

He did not heal himself through conventional means. Seven or eight out of ten Meridians in his body were severed, and the barriers of his Dantian were covered in cracks. Although the star seed had absorbed part of the Legacy, it had become lusterless due to forcibly channeling the altar's power, even showing signs of instability. If he repaired it step-by-step, he couldn't hope to recover his mobility for months, let alone charge toward a new Realm.

He chose a path of no return—destruction before construction, a star seed Nirvana.

He recalled the scattered records about the nature of the star seed from the altar's Legacy. The star seed was the seed of a star's Origin, the Foundation of a Star Cultivator, and possessed infinite potential. The Legacy mentioned an extreme situation: when the star seed was on the verge of shattering and was cultivated to the extreme in union with the host's life, if the host possessed a sufficiently firm will and... a sliver of opportunity, they could guide the star seed to undergo 'Nirvana.'

Nirvana meant destruction and Rebirth. Once it failed, the star seed would completely collapse, and the host's form and spirit would be extinguished. Once successful, the star seed would be transformed, the host's Foundation would be reshaped, their cultivation would advance greatly, and they might even awaken new abilities. But that kind of pain and danger far exceeded a normal Breakthrough.

Su Han had no way to retreat. Lu Xueqi's life or death was uncertain, and every second was incredibly precious. He had to gamble!

"Draw Star Power... into the body..."

He forcibly operated his battered Cultivation Technique. No longer attempting to repair his Meridians, he instead actively guided the violent Star Power of heaven and earth to directly strike his crumbling Dantian and star seed!

"Ugh—!"

Intense pain instantly swept through his entire body, far exceeding the agony of a thousand cuts. The surface of his body began to crack, and blood gushed out, instantly staining him into a man of blood. But he clenched his teeth and didn't make a sound, his mind maintaining absolute clarity.

Inside the Dantian, the star seed, which was already covered in cracks, saw those cracks expand rapidly under the impact of the violent Star Power. Its light grew increasingly dim, as if it would be completely extinguished in the next moment.

"Not enough... still not enough..."

Su Han felt a surge of ruthlessness in his heart. He injected all his remaining Qi into the star seed, actively accelerating its collapse!

*Crack...*

A faint, almost inaudible sound rang out deep within Su Han's Soul. The star seed had shattered.

An indescribable wave of destructive energy instantly swept through his Dantian and spread to his entire body. The aura of death had never been so clear.

At the very moment his consciousness was about to be completely swallowed by darkness, Su Han, relying on his unparalleled will, clearly visualized Lu Xueqi's beautiful yet sorrowful faint smile as she turned to face the giant hand of starlight.

"Senior Sister..."

"Trust me..."

A power originating from the depths of his Soul exploded outward!

"Nirvana... Rebirth!" (End of Chapter)