165: Twenty Years in the Abyss and the First Cry of the Star Soul

Time flows like water, the years pass in silence.

For Mortals, twenty years is half a lifetime, enough for a beauty to turn gray and a hero to reach his twilight years. But for a Cultivator, especially one deep in a forbidden land in secluded cultivation, twenty years is but a single long breath in the blink of an eye.

The extreme west of the Chaotic Star Sea, the Abyss Sea Region.

This is a paradise for Yao Beasts and a forbidden zone for Cultivators. The black mist that shrouds the sea surface year-round is not only highly toxic but can also block the Divine Sense of any Cultivator below the Nascent Soul Stage. Beneath the waves, countless massive sea-king class Yao Beasts slaughter each other in the undercurrents, their blood staining every inch of the waves red.

However, in the center of this sea region known as the "Death Triangle," there lies an unremarkable deserted island.

The island is barely ten miles in circumference, yet it is the most eerie place in these waters.

For twenty years, any Yao Beast that accidentally wandered within a hundred miles of this island—whether they were Rank Six, Rank Seven, or even the Rank Eight (Nascent Soul Stage) Yao Kings roaming the outskirts—would mysteriously vanish.

No corpses, no bloodstains.

It was as if they had been swallowed by an invisible, giant maw.

Consequently, this place earned a notorious title—【Island of No Return】... At this moment, on the edge of the Island of No Return.

Boom!

A Rank Seven Yao Beast, a "Sea-Rending Demon Whale" fifty zhang long and covered in sharp spikes, was frantically slamming into a layer of transparent light screen ahead.

Behind it, a purple silhouette stood atop the waves.

Twenty years had passed, and Purple Spirit (Fan Zuoqing had already returned to the Wonderful Sound Sect to preside over affairs, while Purple Spirit stayed behind as a Protector) had shed her youthful innocence. Though she still wore a veil, her Middle Stage Core Formation cultivation aura was incredibly refined, and her every move carried the decisive killing intent of a superior.

"Vile beast, still trying to run?"

Purple Spirit held a cold, glinting Flying Sword, her voice chillingly calm.

"Tiezhu, intercept it!"

Buzz—

The sea surface exploded.

A steel giant, pitch-black all over with dark gold runes flowing across its surface, soared into the sky.

After twenty years of continuous refinement and upgrades, the current Tiezhu was no longer the simple Puppet it once was. Its outer shell was fused with various rare deep-sea Ores, and its chest's Five Elements reactor had been fitted by Zhou Wannian with a "Formation Core" extracted from the Void Heaven Palace.

Tiezhu used no fancy Spells.

It simply and crudely reached out its hands and grabbed the demon whale's tail.

"Rise!"

A mechanical electronic voice rang out.

Terrifying monstrous strength erupted.

That Rank Seven demon whale, weighing hundreds of thousands of catties, was actually swung out of the sea by Tiezhu like a whip, tracing a circle in the air before being slammed violently onto the island's reefs.

Bang!

Brain matter splattered.

The Rank Seven Yao Beast died instantly.

"Well done."

Purple Spirit flew down, skillfully dissecting the corpse to retrieve the Yao Core.

"This is the third Rank Seven Yao Beast hunted this month." Purple Spirit looked at the Yao Core in her hand, but there was little joy in her eyes; instead, she looked worriedly toward the mountain at the center of the island, which was locked down by layers of great Formations.

"Twenty years..."

"Sir... is there still no movement from him?"

...In the center of the island, within a secret chamber inside the mountain.

There was not a single ray of light here, only the bronze-colored void heaven cauldron floating in mid-air, emitting a faint blue glow.

The Azure Blue Ice Flame had been completely tamed, and it now sat perched on the cauldron's lid like a docile kitten.

And beneath the cauldron.

A withered figure sat cross-legged, covered in a thick layer of dust.

Zhou Wannian (Old Man Han).

Twenty years of silent sitting had reduced his bodily functions to their lowest point; even his heartbeat had nearly stopped.

But within his body, it was a completely different, earth-shattering scene.

The Dantian Qi Sea had long since dried up.

That once dazzling First-Grade Golden Core was now covered in dense cracks, looking as if it would shatter at any moment.

And deep within the core of the Golden Core, a cluster of multi-colored light was gestating.

That was the essence of the Five Elements Spiritual Roots, which had been completed, fused, and sublimated after taking the heaven mending pill.

Crack.

A crisp sound of shattering echoed in the silent secret chamber.

Like an eggshell breaking.

Zhou Wannian's body jerked violently.

That Golden Core, which had accompanied him for decades, finally shattered completely at this moment.

There was no danger of True Essence running wild, nor the pain of Qi Deviation.

Because all the energy was instantly swallowed clean by the newborn "life form" at the center.

Waa—

A cry that did not exist in reality but resounded deep within the Soul rang out.

Inside the Dantian.

An "infant" barely an inch tall, carved like purple jade and possessing facial features identical to Zhou Wannian, sat cross-legged atop the shattered Golden Core shell.

But this infant was different from an ordinary Nascent Soul.

Its eyes had no pupils, but were instead two slowly rotating nebulae.

On its forehead was carved an ancient golden cloud seal—【Rebel】.

And behind it, the phantom of a miniature nine-story tower faintly emerged.

【Starry Nascent Soul】 (also known as: reverse star nascent soul).

It was done!

Shattering the Core to form the Nascent Soul!

At the very instant the Nascent Soul was formed.

Rumble————————————!!!

Outside, in the Abyss Sea Region that was normally shrouded in black mist year-round, a violent wind suddenly whipped up.

The Spiritual Qi within ten thousand miles went mad, forming a massive funnel vortex that poured down toward the Island of No Return.

Even more terrifying was the sky.

It was clearly noon.

But the sky turned black.

Nine massive stars, defying the Laws of daylight, forcibly manifested in the firmament, casting down nine pillar-like beams of silver starlight. They ignored the defensive Formations outside the island, directly penetrating the mountain to shine upon Zhou Wannian in the secret chamber.

【Nine Stars Shining Upon the World】.

This was a phenomenon of heaven and earth that could only be triggered during the Breakthrough of a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator in ancient times.

Now, it appeared upon a Cultivator who had just broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage... "This is..."

Outside the island, Purple Spirit watched this scene in shock.

That vast heavenly might caused the Spiritual Qi in her body to stop flowing; she even felt an urge to kneel and worship.

Roar—!!!

Just then.

From the bottom of the abyss, a roar filled with fear and fury echoed.

A Rank Eight Peak (Nascent Soul Middle Stage Peak) Yao Beast sleeping deep in a nearby trench—the 【Abyssal Ghost Flood Dragon】—was awakened by the fluctuations of the plundered Spiritual Qi.

How could it allow another to sleep soundly beside its bed?

Moreover, this aura made it feel an instinctive threat.

Boom!

The sea surface exploded.

A terrifying flood dragon over three hundred zhang long, covered in black scales and possessing three heads, soared into the sky. Wrapped in towering black demonic waves, it opened its bloody maws, intending to swallow that starlight in one gulp while the person Undergoing Tribulation had yet to find their footing!

"Not good! It's a Rank Eight Ghost Flood Dragon!"

Purple Spirit's face turned pale.

Against a Yao Beast of this level, even a hundred Tiezhus wouldn't be able to stop it!

"Tiezhu! Form the array!"

Though Purple Spirit was terrified, she did not retreat. She bit her tongue and sacrificed a set of trump-card ancient treasure Formation Flags, hoping to buy even a single breath of time for Zhou Wannian.

Roar!

The Ghost Flood Dragon didn't care for this ant-like resistance at all. The middle head spat out a stream of black "Bone-Eroding Toxic Breath," instantly corroding the first layer of the defensive light screen Purple Spirit had set up.

Seeing that the toxic breath was about to submerge the entire island.

"Noisy."

An utterly indifferent voice suddenly drifted out from the pillar of starlight.

The voice wasn't loud, yet it felt as if it exploded directly in the depths of every living being's Soul.

Immediately after.

The pillar of starlight that pierced heaven and earth suddenly dispersed.

It turned into a sky full of stardust.

Where the starlight faded, a young man wearing a brand-new azure robe (manifested from Spiritual Qi), looking no more than twenty years old, stood with his hands behind his back.

His black hair was like a waterfall, his skin crystal clear like jade, and his eyes deep as the starry sky.

Zhou Wannian (Han Li form).

Looking at the Rank Eight Ghost Flood Dragon lunging toward him, Zhou Wannian did not summon any Magic Treasure, nor did he perform any hand seals or incantations.

He merely slowly reached out a hand and made a gentle grasping motion toward the void.

"Yuan Ci Divine Light."

Buzz!

Behind Zhou Wannian, the five elements magnetic rings he had been nurturing in his Dantian instantly flew out, turning into five massive rings of light that enveloped the Ghost Flood Dragon.

But that wasn't all.

With the injection of his Nascent Soul Stage magic power, these five rings did not launch an attack, but instead... distorted gravity.

"Get down."

Zhou Wannian pressed his palm downward.

Boom!!!!

An indescribably terrifying gravitational field instantly descended upon the Ghost Flood Dragon.

It wasn't a thousand catties, nor was it ten thousand.

It was as if it bore the weight of a massive mountain!

"Awoo—!!!"

The Ghost Flood Dragon's three heads let out a pained cry simultaneously. Its massive body was forcibly crushed downward from the air, slamming heavily onto the sea surface and kicking up a thousand-zhang wave.

But it didn't end there.

It found that it couldn't even move a single finger. Every bone in its body let out a cracking wail under this gravity.

"A Rank Eight Yao Beast, its whole body is a treasure."

Zhou Wannian took a step forward, instantly crossing a distance of a thousand zhang to appear above the Ghost Flood Dragon's massive heads.

He looked at this overlord who had been so arrogant just a moment ago, his eyes showing not a single ripple.

"Perfect, my ‘Great Geng Sword Formation’ is still missing a final bit of blood essence for the swords."

"I'll borrow your heads for a moment."

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Zhou Wannian flicked his sleeve.

Seventy-two star thunder bee cloud swords filed out.

This time, the Flying Swords no longer fought individually.

They instantly arranged themselves in the air, golden lightning threads lighting up between every sword, forming a massive golden sword net that covered a hundred miles.

【Great Geng Sword Formation · Star Thunder Demon Slaughter】.

"Sever."

Zhou Wannian tapped his finger gently.

Countless invisible sword threads (invisible Sword Qi) instantly pierced through the Ghost Flood Dragon's supposedly impenetrable scales.

Without a sound.

The Rank Eight Ghost Flood Dragon's movements froze.

The next moment.

Its body shattered into tens of thousands of pieces as neatly as building blocks.

Even its Nascent Soul was instantly obliterated within that golden Evil-Warding Divine Thunder net.

A Rank Eight Peak killed in an instant.

This was Zhou Wannian's current strength.

"Collect."

Zhou Wannian waved his large sleeve, gathering the sky full of flesh essence and the Yao Core into his possession.

Then, he turned and looked at the already dumbfounded Purple Spirit and the newly emerged Tiezhu.

"Purple Spirit."

Zhou Wannian's much younger face wore a long-absent smile that carried a hint of wicked charm.

"It's been twenty years."

"Pack your things."

"We're... going back to Tianxing City."

"Go tell that Old Ghost Jiyin."

"His creditor has returned."