647: Lu Xueqi and Biyao (30)

The shattered star seed core, that speck of the purest Origin starlight, captured a sliver of opportunity for "life" within the extreme of destruction. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it began to crazily devour the surrounding shattered star seed fragments, the violent Star Power, and even Su Han's life essence!

Su Han's body withered at a rate visible to the naked eye, as if all moisture and vitality were being drained away, turning him into a terrifying dried corpse. However, his eyes suddenly snapped open, and from within them erupted an unprecedentedly brilliant starlight!

"Condense... for me!"

In the center of his Dantian, a new point of light was born. It was more condensed and pure than the previous star seed, radiating an ancient and noble aura. The newborn star seed began to pulse slowly, like a heart. With every beat, it released a stream of incredibly refined, life-filled, brand-new Star Power.

Wherever this Star Power passed, those shattered Meridians were like withered wood meeting spring, beginning to reshape, reconnect, and widen at an astonishing speed! His withered body filled out again, and a layer of charred dead skin sloughed off his surface, revealing crystal-clear, jade-like newborn skin beneath.

A powerful aura, far exceeding anything before, boomed and erupted from within Su Han's body!

Late Stage Foundation Establishment... Foundation Establishment Perfection... Half-step Golden Core!

His cultivation had actually broken through several minor Realms during the process of the star seed's Nirvana, reaching the level of a Half-step Golden Core directly! Moreover, the stability of his Foundation and the purity of his Star Power far surpassed that of an ordinary Half-step Golden Core Cultivator.

Su Han slowly opened his eyes, starlight swirling within them, deep as the night sky. He felt the surging power rushing through his body and the clearer connection between himself and the stars of heaven and earth, yet there wasn't a hint of joy on his face.

Power was merely a tool to save his Senior Sister, nothing more.

"Su Han! You..." Elder Mu stood up, startled by this sudden, powerful aura, his face full of disbelief. He had clearly felt Su Han's aura on the brink of annihilation, yet now it was as radiant as the midday sun, even making him feel a trace of trepidation.

"I succeeded." Su Han's voice was calm and steady, yet it carried a chilling pressure. "Elder Mu, how many days have passed?"

"Three... three days." Elder Mu took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. "You only took three days to..."

"Three days..." A cold light flashed in Su Han's eyes. "There are four days left. That's enough for me to make some preparations."

He stood up and stretched his limbs, his body making a series of popping sounds, filled with a sense of power. He looked at Elder Mu: "Elder, is there any progress on the Reverse Teleportation Array?"

Elder Mu shook his head with a bitter smile: "It's difficult. Although I've done some deductions over the past few days, the space here is stable and nodes are hard to find. Furthermore, the power of the star source marrow is insufficient to support a long-distance reverse teleportation. Unless... unless we can find a Spatial Fissure that shares the same Origin as the Core Palace's Star Power, perhaps we could use it as a springboard. But that is no different from searching for a needle in a haystack."

"A Spatial Fissure of the same Origin..." Su Han's eyes flickered as if he had thought of something. He closed his eyes, fully operating his newborn star seed, sensing carefully.

Because the newborn star seed had absorbed the residual power of the altar's Legacy, it had a subtle connection to the aura of the Core Palace. After a moment, he snapped his eyes open and pointed toward a certain direction deep within the cave.

"That way! I sense an extremely weak but same-Origin spatial fluctuation! It's very likely a temporary fissure torn by the large-scale movement of Star Beast or by the fluctuations of the palace's own power!"

Elder Mu sensed in that direction, and only after a long while did he vaguely capture a trace of the faint fluctuation. He couldn't help but be amazed by the sharpness of Su Han's perception.

"Even if we find the fissure, how do we locate the Core Palace? How do we ensure that teleporting there won't drop you directly into a swarm of Star Beast?" Elder Mu raised the crucial questions.

A ruthless glint flashed in Su Han's eyes: "There's no need for precise positioning. As long as I can enter the vicinity of the Core Palace, even the outskirts will do. As for the Star Beast... I'll just slaughter my way in."

He took out that ancient tortoise shell obtained from the altar from his Storage Pouch. At this moment, the cracks on the tortoise shell seemed to have healed slightly due to his Breakthrough in cultivation. "This item can resist Star Power; it is my greatest reliance. Senior Sister uses the tianya sword to protect herself; I will use this tortoise shell to blaze a trail."

He looked at Elder Mu again: "Elder, your injuries have not yet healed, and you need to guard the star source marrow. This time, I will go alone."

"Absolutely not!" Elder Mu refused flatly. "The Core Palace is incredibly perilous. Going alone is no different from seeking death!"

Su Han looked at Elder Mu with a firm gaze: "Elder, my mind is made up. One more person means one more risk of exposure. I am not going there for a fight to the death, but to save someone. If I can find Senior Sister, I will immediately find a way to escape. If I can't..." He paused, his voice cold, "I will leave that Core Palace in utter chaos."

Seeing the resolute look in Su Han's eyes, Elder Mu knew that further persuasion was useless. This young man's will was set and could not be changed by external forces.

"Fine... this old man will stay here to guard this final path of retreat for you." Elder Mu sighed deeply and pulled out a jade talisman from his robes, handing it to Su Han. "This is a 'Concentric Jade Talisman'; I have the other half. If you find Xue Qi or encounter a life-or-death crisis, crush it. I will spare no expense to trigger the star source marrow to create the greatest commotion here, drawing the attention of the Star Beast to create a slim chance of survival for you. But... there is only one chance."

Su Han took the jade talisman and solemnly tucked it into his robes. "Thank you, Elder."

He delayed no longer and turned to walk toward the depths of the cave where the spatial fluctuation originated. With every step he took, the aura on his body became more condensed, his killing intent restrained like a peerless sword about to be unsheathed.

Three days of Nirvana, Half-step Golden Core. tortoise shell in hand, killing intent filling his chest.

Core Palace, I, Su Han, have arrived.

Senior Sister, whether you are alive or dead, no matter where you are, I will trample through this starry sky to bring you home.

The fourth day, night.

At the edge of the Falling Star Lake's core area, in the shadow of an inconspicuous reef, the space rippled with an almost imperceptible shimmer. A figure emerged silently; it was Su Han.

Utilizing that extremely unstable same-Origin Spatial Fissure, Su Han had performed an incredibly risky short-distance teleportation. The process was fraught with danger; the spatial tearing force had nearly ripped his newly reconstructed body apart again. Fortunately, with the tortoise shell's protection, he barely managed to complete the teleportation, though it left his blood and Qi churning and caused some internal injuries.

He immediately withdrew all his aura, like a leopard blending into the shadows, alertly observing his surroundings.

Ahead lay that magnificent yet oppressive Core Palace. The palace now was even more deathly silent than before, with only a few low-level Star Beast wandering in the distance. Clearly, Lu Xueqi's "Tianya Ice Extreme" and the previous battle had dealt a significant blow to the Star Beast swarm, making them more cautious.

Su Han held his breath, pushing the sensing ability of his newborn star seed to the limit, trying to find Lu Xueqi's aura or the unique icy chill of the tianya sword.

He found nothing.

The interior of the palace seemed to be shielded by a powerful force that blocked investigation. (End of Chapter)