244: Chapter 244 The Three Star-Seizing Orders

He gambled that Ling Hao's target wasn't Zhenxing Palace, but the Wanxing Altar.

But he gambled wrong.

Because at the exact moment he left Zhenxing Palace, Ling Hao had already appeared on its outskirts.

The void heaven-escaping shuttle hovered thirty miles south of Zhenxing Palace. Ling Hao stood at the bow, gazing at the earth-yellow palace city from afar.

Two great Formations were operating at full power, their spiritual light piercing the sky.

The defenses of Zhenxing Palace were more than a level stronger than those of Jinyao Palace.

But this time, Ling Hao didn't intend to charge in alone.

"Proceed as planned."

Behind him, five hundred Loose Cultivators stood in Formation, each with a solemn expression and Battle Intent burning in their eyes.

"Action."

The five hundred Loose Cultivators surged toward the front of Zhenxing Palace like a tide!

The light of Spells soared into the sky, and the sounds of battle cries were deafening.

The Void Refinement Deacons left behind turned pale. They frantically activated the Formations, resisting with all their might.

What they didn't know was that Ling Hao was no longer there.

Space-Time Rules, a thousand miles in an instant.

When Ling Hao stepped out of the void, he was already standing before the door of the innermost secret chamber of Zhenxing Palace.

This was Lord Zhenxing's cultivation chamber and the storage place for the star lord token. The stone door of the chamber was as heavy as a mountain, its surface covered in layers of earth-yellow Formation patterns, like a miniature defensive Formation.

Ling Hao raised his hand and pressed a palm against the stone door.

Primordial Chaos Force surged out like a tide, clashing violently with the Formation patterns on the door. The patterns flickered unsteadily, emitting a piercing creak.

Three breaths.

The Formation patterns shattered.

The stone door burst open.

Inside the secret chamber, Lord Zhenxing sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his face pale and forehead drenched in cold sweat.

He hadn't gone to the Wanxing Altar, nor had he gone to the front lines to face the enemy.

He had been here all along, waiting.

Waiting for Ling Hao to arrive.

"Ling Hao, you've finally come." Lord Zhenxing stood up, earth-yellow light flowing around him. "Star Lord Jidu said you would come and told me to wait here. He predicted you would lure the tiger away from the mountain, so he played along, pretending to leave while actually setting an inescapable net a hundred miles away."

A smug smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "You've fallen into the trap."

Ling Hao didn't turn back.

Because his Divine Sense had already sensed it. A hundred miles away, an aura as cold as an abyss was rapidly approaching. Early Integration Stage Peak.

Star Lord Jidu was rushing over.

"An inescapable net?" Ling Hao said indifferently. "With just the two of you?"

Lord Zhenxing's smile stiffened slightly. "What do you mean?"

Ling Hao didn't answer.

He simply raised his hand, and the Chaos Dragon Domain unfolded at full strength!

Nine-colored brilliance spread frantically from him as the center, instantly enveloping the entire Zhenxing Palace!

A hundred miles away, Star Lord Jidu's figure suddenly froze. The edge of the Dragon Domain touched his black robes, and his speed plummeted by thirty percent.

"Space-Time Rules?" Star Lord Jidu's voice was cold, a chilling light flashing in his ghostly green eyes. "Do you think you can stop this Lord with just this much skill?"

He formed hand seals, and countless black chains shot out from the void like venomous snakes, piercing into the Chaos Dragon Domain!

The chains were engraved with astral runes, clashing violently with the Chaos force and emitting a sizzling corrosive sound. The Dragon Domain trembled but didn't shatter; it was merely torn with several cracks, allowing Star Lord Jidu to continue forward, though his speed dropped from full to a crawl.

And this bit of time was enough for Ling Hao.

He turned and looked at Lord Zhenxing.

"Hand over the token, and I'll spare your life."

Lord Zhenxing gritted his teeth.

He knew he was no match for Ling Hao. Although Star Lord Jidu was rushing over, it would take at least dozens of breaths to get from a hundred miles away to Zhenxing Palace. And he couldn't even last ten breaths.

"I... I'll hand it over."

Trembling, he took out the earth-yellow token from his Dantian. The surface of the token was covered in earth-attribute runes, emitting a pressure as heavy as a mountain.

Ling Hao took the token and scanned it with his Divine Sense, confirming it was genuine.

"Smart."

He didn't leave immediately. Instead, he raised his hand and struck Lord Zhenxing's Dantian with a palm.

"You... you said you'd spare my life!" Lord Zhenxing screamed as his cultivation receded like a tide.

"I spared your life; I didn't say I wouldn't cripple your cultivation," Ling Hao said flatly. "The Star Lords of the Heavenly Dao Palace—the fewer there are, the better."

He put away the token and flickered, disappearing from the spot. The five hundred Loose Cultivators had already retreated back to the void heaven-escaping shuttle after Ling Hao entered the secret chamber.

Space-Time Rules, a thousand miles in an instant.

When Star Lord Jidu reached the secret chamber, he only saw Lord Zhenxing slumped on the ground with his cultivation completely crippled, and the shattered stone door.

"Ling Hao!" Star Lord Jidu's voice was like a cold wind from the nine netherworlds. "You won't get away!"

He raised his hand, and the void-piercing mirror appeared in his palm. The mirror's surface shimmered with light, reflecting spatial fluctuations for hundreds of miles around, but Ling Hao's trail had been completely erased from his perception.

Star Lord Jidu's face turned ashen.

Space-Time Rules, combined with the time acceleration of the source of time, allowed Ling Hao to leave before he could lock onto the spatial coordinates.

"Pass down the order: full alert across the territory!" Star Lord Jidu gritted his teeth. "The Western Defense Line is to enter the highest state of combat readiness. Kill any suspicious individuals on sight!"

"Yes!"

The void heaven-escaping shuttle sped above the clouds.

Ling Hao sat alone in a quiet room, three star lord tokens floating before him. Silver-white, gold, and earth-yellow—the three colors of brilliance intertwined into a strange Domain, enveloping the entire room. Within the Domain, the flow of Spiritual Qi became sluggish, spiritual power fluctuations were suppressed to the minimum, and even the extension of Divine Sense was hindered.

This was the power of the three tokens linked together.

[System Notification]

[Mission Progress: 3/9]

[Currently Held: Taiyin Star Lord Token, Star Lord Taibai Token, Lord Zhenxing Token]

[star lord token Array Activated: Three tokens can open the "Three Talents Suppressing Domain," which can suppress all non-Origin forces within a hundred-foot radius. Specific manifestations include: reduced spiritual power circulation speed, diminished Spell power, and interference with rule-based attacks. The suppression intensity increases with the token holder's cultivation.]

[Current Suppression Intensity Assessment: Combat power of Early Integration Stage Cultivators reduced by approximately 20%; combat power of Void Refining Stage Cultivators reduced by approximately 40%.]

[Note: This effect is valid for all Cultivators practicing Heavenly Dao System Cultivation Techniques, regardless of friend or foe. However, the token holder and those they designate can be exempt from the suppression.]

Three Talents Suppressing Domain?

The linked effect of the three tokens was stronger than expected. If this array could be deployed at a critical moment, he could gain an advantage at the rule level even against a Middle Integration Stage expert.

The void heaven-escaping shuttle sped above the clouds, leaving the fires of Zhenxing Palace far behind.

Ling Hao looked at the System screen, lost in thought.

Although the suppression effect of the Three Talents Suppressing Domain was stronger than anticipated, it also had clear limitations: a hundred-foot radius was somewhat small for battles at the Integration Stage level, and the suppression didn't distinguish between friend and foe. It required ensuring his own people evacuated the battlefield beforehand; otherwise, it would hinder them instead.

However, if he could deploy this array at a critical moment and combine it with the dual suppression of the Chaos Dragon Domain, he was confident he could hold an absolute advantage at the rule level even against a Middle Integration Stage powerhouse.

"Six more to go." Ling Hao put away the tokens and stood up to walk to the porthole.

Below the clouds, the lingering ripples of spiritual power fluctuations from the direction of Zhenxing Palace could be faintly felt; Star Lord Jidu was still searching for his whereabouts.

The corners of his mouth curled slightly.