100: Starlight Escapes: Aftermath of the Fall of the Best Actor

"Boom—!"

The Spear of Starlight violently collided with the Profound Void Realm Battle Soul's Deathly Still Great Halberd, unleashing not a pure energy impact, but an annihilation on the Law level.

Brilliant starlight and gloomy Death Qi intertwined and tore at each other, twisting the relatively stable space in the core area. The light was blinding, yet the sound was strangely swallowed up almost entirely, leaving only a muffled, heart-pounding hum.

Liu Qingtian didn't even have time to see the result of the strike. The moment he threw the Spear of Starlight, he endured the tearing agony in his tree soul caused by excessive exertion. The surface of the wither and flourish void-evasion boat, which his body had transformed into, erupted in bright starlight—this was not his own power, but the myriad manifestations star disk fragment he had just acquired, which was spontaneously flowing with pure Power of the Stars and resonating strongly with the star key within him.

"Swoosh!"

The void-evasion boat transformed into a streak of shooting star light, no longer the purple-black primal silence stream of light from his desperate escape before, but starlight wrapped in pure silver radiance. Its speed instantly increased by more than thirty percent. It narrowly grazed the edge of the Battle Soul, which had been slightly delayed by the Emperor's Might and the starlight impact, and shot toward the direction where Wang Gou had been thrown.

"ant! How dare you steal the legacy of the Emperor Lord!!" The Battle Soul's roar finally broke through the constraints of energy annihilation, like the cracking of ten thousand years of ice, carrying monstrous fury and a hint of... unbelievable shock and suspicion.

That Power of starlight seemed to have touched something deep within its ancient memory, but the duty of guarding the Land of the Emperors Fall and its hatred for living intruders instantly overpowered this sliver of hesitation.

Its massive arm, condensed from deathly stillness energy, violently swung out, sweeping away the starlight aftermath that hadn't fully dissipated, and it took huge strides, resuming its pursuit.

However, its movements seemed infinitesimally slower than before, and the faint blue soul fire flickered as it looked toward Liu Qingtian's escape direction.

"brother! Over here! Hurry!" Wang Gou's voice rang out from the mist ahead, carrying an unprecedented urgency. His figure was still blurry in the Eye of Delusion Breaking's field of vision, his presence pitifully low, but he was like a guiding lamp in the darkness, pointing Liu Qingtian toward a relatively safe path. Clearly, this guy possessed a unique talent for escaping, always finding the gaps where the deathly stillness energy flow was relatively sparse.

Liu Qingtian remained silent, focusing all his attention on controlling the Escape Light. The spiritual ripple vortex at the tree heart, having received the infusion of the Power of the Stars, finally regained a hint of vitality. It began to spin slowly and firmly, converting the pure Star Power into his own Demonic Power, nourishing his dried-up Meridians and fractured demon body. He tightly secured the myriad manifestations star disk fragment deep within the willow leaf grotto-heaven, placing it with the Star Spirit Fox.

The fragment continued to emit gentle Power of the Stars, not only accelerating his recovery but also making his perception and mobilization of the surrounding Star Power clearer and easier than ever before.

"Star Dome Shadow Escape!"

With a thought, the starlight around the void-evasion boat slightly twisted. The next moment it appeared, it was already hundreds of zhang away. Short-distance teleportation became smoother, and the consumption was significantly reduced. This was undoubtedly a massive benefit brought by the star disk fragment.

However, the threat behind him was not resolved. The pressure from the Profound Void Realm Battle Soul clung to him like a maggot in the bone, locking onto him firmly. Although the speed of the pursuit was slightly slowed due to the changes in the core of the Emperor's Fall and the interference of the starlight, the vast gap in their Realms still existed. Liu Qingtian could feel that the icy killing intent was like a tangible blade, constantly scraping at his tree soul's defenses.

"I can't keep running! I must find a way to break free from the lock, or create bigger trouble for it!" Liu Qingtian's mind raced. Fighting head-on was a dead end, and he could not afford the cost of burying netherworld again. His only hope lay in his newly acquired abilities and this strange terrain.

"Wang Gou! Is there an area nearby where the energy is unusually chaotic, or where Divine Sense perception can be interfered with?" Liu Qingtian transmitted his voice, asking.

"Yes! Ahead and to the left, about a hundred li away, there's a 'Spatial Scale Rift Zone.' It's a space shattered during the ancient great war that hasn't healed yet. It's full of tiny spatial cracks and energy turbulence; even a Golden Body Realm cultivator would be severely injured going in! Although a Profound Void Realm Battle Soul isn't afraid, the environment there should greatly interfere with its perception!" Wang Gou immediately replied. His certain talent played a massive role in this environment.

"We'll go there!" Liu Qingtian adjusted his direction without hesitation. The risk was enormous, but it was currently their only chance of survival.

At the same time, he began mobilizing the small amount of power he had just recovered. The Eye of Delusion Breaking on the branches above his head flashed with grayish-white light, continuously analyzing the energy flow and pursuit trajectory of the Battle Soul behind him.

The newly fused "Formless Poison Barrier" began to quietly permeate, mixing with Wither and Flourish Death Qi, leaving an extremely faint, almost imperceptible trail of poison behind the Escape Light.

This Poison Barrier incorporated bone-eroding demon flower, Soul-Locking Spirit-Scattering Incense, and other various exotic poisons, and also integrated the concept of Wither and Flourish rotation. While it couldn't possibly poison a Profound Void Realm being to death, it might slightly corrode its soul body and interfere with its judgment.

"Hmm? Poison?" The Battle Soul behind him let out a contemptuous cold snort. "Insignificant trickery, daring to show off before an expert!" It swept its great halberd, and the deathly stillness Qi surged, easily annihilating most of the faint Poison Barrier.

However, the Eye of Delusion Breaking keenly captured that the instant the Poison Barrier was annihilated, an extremely faint fluctuation belonging to the 'Wither and Flourish' Dao Rhyme, like a maggot in the bone, quietly adhered to the deathly stillness energy on the Battle Soul's surface. Although it couldn't cause substantial damage, it was like a speck of dust, causing an extremely subtle "disharmony" in the Battle Soul's otherwise pure deathly stillness.

Now is the time!

A sharp glint flashed in Liu Qingtian's eyes, and he fiercely activated the deeper connection he had just established with the star disk fragment.

"Star Guidance · Turbulence!"

He did not attack the Battle Soul directly, but instead shot a stream of pure Power of the Stars, like a fuse, toward the edge of the "Spatial Scale Rift Zone" that Wang Gou had pointed out!

Buzz!

The Power of the Stars was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the already highly unstable area! Countless tiny spatial cracks darted around frantically like a startled school of fish, and residual energy turbulence of various attributes collided and exploded, forming an energy storm Hell covering dozens of li.

"Cunning insect!" the Battle Soul roared. It hadn't expected Liu Qingtian to dare to actively detonate such a dangerous area. Although it didn't fear the spatial cracks and energy turbulence, crossing this area would inevitably greatly reduce its speed, and the intense energy interference would severely weaken its lock on the target.

Liu Qingtian took advantage of the moment the Battle Soul was blocked by the energy storm, executing the Star Dome Shadow Escape to its limit. Simultaneously, he fully activated the Primordial Stillness Form Concealment Art, merging his aura with the starlight and the deathly stillness mist. Like a true meteor, he plunged into the other side of the storm's edge, then fled desperately along a relatively safe path toward the outer regions of the Abandoned Graveyard.

"You cannot escape!!" The Battle Soul's roar came from behind the energy storm, filled with violence. It endured the storm's impact, forcing its massive soul body through. Spatial cracks shattered wherever it passed, but its speed had indeed slowed, and its lock became intermittent... He didn't know how long had passed, perhaps only the time it takes an incense stick to burn, or perhaps longer. Liu Qingtian felt his Demonic Power nearing exhaustion once more. The continuous overloaded escape and use of Divine Abilities caused his recently recovered injuries to worsen. But he dared not stop, the Eye of Delusion Breaking constantly scanning the rear and surroundings with vigilance.

Finally, the concentration of the surrounding deathly stillness mist began to drop noticeably, and the pervasive sense of oppression lessened considerably. They were nearing the edge of the Abandoned Graveyard.

"We're temporarily... safe." Wang Gou's voice came from beside him, accompanied by a gasping breath of lingering fear. He didn't know what method he had used, but he had managed to keep up with Liu Qingtian's maximum speed the entire time. Although he looked a bit disheveled now, he was in much better shape than Liu Qingtian.

Liu Qingtian slowly reduced his speed, finally stopping in a relatively hidden hollow formed by massive skeletons. The light of the wither and flourish void-evasion boat receded, and it reverted to its tree form. He leaned against a cold giant bone, "gasping" heavily (—although trees don't need to breathe, this was an instinctive reaction after extreme mental tension relaxed).

Cracks covered his tree body; many willow branches were broken, and his spiritual light was dim. The aftereffects of forcibly using burying netherworld, combined with the desperate escape along the way, had severely depleted his Origin Qi.

Fortunately, inside the willow leaf grotto-heaven, the myriad manifestations star disk fragment continued to emit gentle Power of the Stars, like a trickling stream, nourishing his Origin and preventing his injuries from worsening further.

"Damn it... I almost didn't make it this time." Wang Gou plopped onto the ground, wiping away non-existent cold sweat. "A Profound Void Realm being... brother, you're too fierce. You dared to snatch food from the jaws of such an existence, and you succeeded!" He looked at Liu Qingtian, his eyes filled with awe and lingering fear.

Liu Qingtian ignored his emotional outburst and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is the Origin of that fragment? Why did it appear in the Land of the Emperors Fall? And what kind of existence is the 'Emperor' that the Battle Soul spoke of?" He felt that he seemed to be caught up in a massive vortex far beyond imagination. The star key, myriad phenomena star disc, Land of the Emperors Fall, Gatekeeper Civilization, Nihility Cult... these clues seemed faintly linked.

Wang Gou spread his hands: "How could I know all that? The fallen ground of an existence at the 'Emperor' level is taboo. As for the myriad phenomena star disc, legend says it involves the Origin mysteries of the Universe's stars. It was the supreme treasure of the ancient Star Fall Pavilion, shattered and scattered across the various Heavens. The fact that your fragment landed in the core of the Emperor's Fall might be related to the cause of that 'Emperor's' demise? Or was it just attracted there by coincidence?"

His explanation was vague, but Liu Qingtian keenly sensed that Wang Gou was not entirely ignorant; rather, he had reservations and was unwilling to discuss it further. Lin Feng and Wang Gou, these Fellow Villagers or mysterious people who suddenly appeared beside him, seemed to be hiding deeper schemes.

Liu Qingtian stopped pressing the issue. The priority was recovering his strength. He sat cross-legged, absorbing the Power of the Stars provided by the star disk fragment while simultaneously circulating the Primordial Ancient Wood Visualization Diagram and the Silent Origin Spirit Transformation Secret Chapter to accelerate his healing and energy conversion. The Wither and Flourish Domain slightly unfolded, enveloping him. The Qi of Life and Death slowly rotated, repairing his damaged demon body.

He retracted the Eye of Delusion Breaking to conserve Soul Power. However, during the escape, the effect of this new Divine Ability had been fully demonstrated. Without it, he would have been unable to accurately locate the star disk fragment in that environment, let alone perceive the Battle Soul's subtle flaws and energy flow.

"What's the plan now?" Wang Gou leaned over and asked. "You are now carrying a heavy treasure and have been targeted by a Profound Void Realm Battle Soul. I'm afraid the Abandoned Graveyard is no longer safe."

Liu Qingtian was silent for a moment, sensing the slowly recovering power within him, as well as the faint direction of sensitivity to more star disk fragments transmitted by the star key. He said gravely, "We must leave the Bone Whirlpool Domain and head deeper into the Myriad Realms Battlefield. I must increase my strength as quickly as possible."

The five-year agreement was like a sharp sword hanging over his head. The crisis on Water Blue Star, Lin Feng's schemes, the debt of burying netherworld, the pursuit by various factions... all the pressure transformed into an extreme desire for strength.

Although this adventure in the Land of the Emperors Fall was a near-death experience, the gains were enormous. The myriad manifestations star disk fragment was not just a treasure; it could become the key to his rapid increase in strength.

He glanced at the deep, dim sky, his tree soul filled with coldness and determination.

After resting for a moment and recovering a hint of mobility, Liu Qingtian and Wang Gou rose again. They concealed all their auras and, like two ghosts, crept away toward the area outside the Bone Whirlpool Domain.

The massive Land of the Emperors Fall and the terrifying Profound Void Battle Soul were temporarily left behind, but the path ahead was destined to remain filled with thorns and killing intent.

The purple-black primal silence stream of light had dimmed, replaced by a restrained yet determined streak of starlight, moving arduously along the edge of the boundless Myriad Realms Battlefield.