34: Star Key Protects Master, New Path for the Roots of Myriad Realms

That bizarre hand, formed by countless gray runes of creation and destruction, appeared at the most malicious possible moment!

It was precisely when Liu Qingtian was resisting the long-distance strikes of the three Golden Body Realm experts, when the Wither and Flourish Domain's vibrations had not yet settled, and when his old strength had just faded and new strength had yet to be born. Furthermore, it seized the moment when burying netherworld had just erupted with a sliver of power before returning to silence! It accurately grasped that lightning-fast instant, ignoring space, and went straight for the star key!

The cold, deathly silent Annihilation Qi that assimilated all things rushed toward him. Liu Qingtian even felt as if his tree soul was about to be frozen and decomposed. The power level contained in this strike definitely reached the Golden Body Realm, and it was more condensed, bizarre, and harder to defend against than the long-distance attacks of Mo Wuya and the other two!

"It's over!" Even with Liu Qingtian's mental fortitude, a sliver of despair couldn't help but rise within him at this moment. The pressure from the three Golden Body Realm experts hadn't completely dissipated, and faced with this sudden sneak attack, he simply didn't have enough time to mobilize all his strength to resist, let alone stimulate burying netherworld again.

High in the sky, the Divine Thoughts of Mo Wuya, Dragon King Jiao, and Lord Gu Sha also erupted with waves of shock and fury. They likewise hadn't anticipated that a "Mantis Stalking the Cicada" would be hiding behind them, and that its aura would be so bizarre and terrifying that it caused even them a wave of trepidation! They subconsciously restrained the attacks they were about to launch again, locking onto the rune-hand with suspicion and uncertainty.

In a flash of lightning, the Annihilation Hand had already touched the outermost layer of starlight surrounding the Wither and Flourish Domain.

Just when Liu Qingtian thought he was doomed—

The star key imprint deep within his tree soul suddenly burst forth with unprecedented, dazzling light!

Buzz—!

A hum, seemingly originating from the Primordial Starry Sky, echoed throughout heaven and earth. The star imprint, which had been quietly suspended, suddenly came alive, no longer merely accepting Star Power, but actively communicating with the countless Heavenly Stars in the deep unknown!

A beam of starlight, condensed and substantial, pure and vast, suddenly burst forth from the imprint, hitting the grasping Annihilation Hand squarely and precisely!

Hiss—!!!

It was like a red-hot iron plunging into ice water; an extremely grating sound of corrosion and melting instantly erupted.

The starlight and the Annihilation Runes collided violently and annihilated each other!

What was contained within the beam of starlight was not simple energy, but an ancient Law power representing "Order," "Existence," and "Evolution." It was the natural nemesis of the Annihilation Beast's Law, which represented "Disorder," "Nihility," and "Termination"!

The star key autonomously protected its master!

It seemed to possess an extremely strong repulsion and counterattack instinct toward the Annihilation Beast's aura!

Dazzling starlight and gray Annihilation Qi intertwined and churned, mutually eroding each other and erupting with destructive fluctuations that churned that section of the Void Realm into Chaos.

The forward momentum of the Annihilation Hand was forcefully halted, and it was even slowly forced back by the scorching starlight. The gray runes upon it continuously collapsed and dissipated under the illumination of the starlight!

"Roar!"

From beyond the Void Realm fissure came a deep, violent roar. It seemed the Annihilation Beast hadn't expected the star key's reaction to be so fierce and suppressive toward it.

Seizing this opportunity, Liu Qingtian reacted abruptly. His tree soul roared, recklessly activating the spiritual ripple vortex. The Myriad World Roots frantically drew Origin from both realms, and massive amounts of the Qi of Life and Death poured into the Wither and Flourish Domain, stabilizing its vibrations. Simultaneously, countless willow branches, entwined with the Wither and Flourish Finger and a faint true meaning of Return to Void, whipped toward the Annihilation Hand, which was temporarily held back by the starlight, like a violent storm!

Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!

The willow branches, imbued with the power of the cycle of life and death, lashed out at the Annihilation Hand. Each strike erupted with large swaths of gray Qi and starlight. The hand trembled violently, and the runes flickered erratically.

The three great Golden Body Realm experts high in the sky now clearly saw the situation.

"It is an Extra-Territorial Evil Demon!" Mo Wuya's Divine Thought was cold and filled with killing intent. The Sumeru Spirit Realm has always stood united against foreign invaders.

"Hmph, daring to steal what belongs to this King! You seek death!" Dragon King Jiao's Divine Thought became even more ferocious. A bolt of thunder, thicker than before, materialized out of thin air and fiercely struck the entity behind the Void Realm fissure.

Lord Gu Sha remained silent, but an Evil Qi bone claw, much more condensed, several times smaller, yet far more dangerous, reached out again, grabbing at the Annihilation Hand's wrist, intending to tear it off completely!

Because of this sudden fourth-party invader, a strange sense of "shared hatred against a common enemy" temporarily appeared among the three factions? At the very least, they were united in their goal of expelling this unwelcome guest attempting to snatch their "spoils of war."

Boom!

Thunder, bone claw, willow branches, and starlight—four streams of power acted upon the Annihilation Hand almost simultaneously.

No matter how strong the Annihilation Hand was, it was ultimately just a claw reaching across space. How could it withstand the siege from all directions?

Especially the beam of starlight erupted by the star key, which greatly suppressed it!

With a crisp sound, as if a Law had shattered, the arm made of gray runes suddenly exploded, turning into gray airflow scattering across the sky, which was then completely purified and dispersed by the scorching starlight and thunder.

A painful and furious roar came from behind the Void Realm fissure. The fissure violently twisted, instantly closing and disappearing. Clearly, the Annihilation Beast behind it had suffered a great loss and temporarily retreated.

The crisis was temporarily resolved.

Liu Qingtian, however, dared not relax in the slightest. The light from the star key imprint slowly receded but remained active, scattering starlight to protect him. He vigilantly watched the three Divine Thoughts in the sky.

Following this incident, the attitude of the three great Golden Body Realm experts seemed to have undergone a subtle change. They focused their attention entirely back on Liu Qingtian, but the look in their eyes when gazing at the star key contained more solemnity and apprehension than greed.

This star key could not only draw upon the stars of the heavens but also possessed such powerful suppressive force against those bizarre Extra-Territorial Evil Demons? Its value seemed even greater than they had anticipated!

And the fact that Liu Qingtian had gained the star key's recognition as its master, and could activate some of its power, made them even more wary of acting rashly.

"Demon Willow," Mo Wuya's Divine Thought rang out again. His tone seemed slightly softer, but his will remained unquestionable. "It seems you are also a creature of our realm, and you should know that Extra-Territorial Evil Demons are our common enemy. The star key is of immense importance, and it is absolutely not something you can protect on your own. You saw the situation just now; without our intervention, you might not have blocked that fiend's strike. Hand over the star key, and this old man's previous promise remains valid."

Dragon King Jiao and Lord Gu Sha did not refute him, clearly tacitly agreeing with Mo Wuya's words, attempting coercion and inducement first.

Liu Qingtian sneered internally. If they hadn't been the ones to tear open the Void Realm first, the Annihilation Beast might not have found an opportunity to sneak attack!

But his tree soul was rapidly turning, thinking of a way to break the deadlock. Directly confronting three Golden Body Realm experts, even with burying netherworld, would definitely lead to a disastrous outcome. It was best not to use that trump card if possible.

He had to stall for time! Or... divert the trouble elsewhere?

Just as he was racking his brain for a countermeasure, through the Stable Inscription connected to the Jade Dream Realm, a fragment of Divine Will—clearer than before, yet filled with anxiety and urgency—suddenly crossed endless time and space and entered the depths of his tree soul:

"...Warning!... The Purifier Army is mobilizing!... High-concentration Nihility Beacons detected erupting near your coordinates!... They will assault regardless of the cost!... The root cause... is in the 'Door' Fragments... The star key is the key and also the beacon!... Must... must move quickly!... Find other fragments... or... delve behind the 'Door'... Otherwise... the Annihilation Tide... will be unstoppable..."

It was a warning sent from the Jade Dream Realm! Along with this Divine Will fragment, a small piece of vague Law information about how to initially activate the star key's "movement" function also surged in. It seemed to be the final effort made by the Gatekeeper-related entities on that side, having sensed the crisis.

Move? Other fragments? Behind the Door?

Liu Qingtian's heart suddenly shook!

Almost simultaneously, through the Myriad World Roots, he sensed that the section of the Void Realm that had been repeatedly torn and shaken by the power of the three Golden Body Realm experts and the Annihilation Beast, although calm on the surface, had become extremely unstable in its depths. Fine, temporary Void Realm ripples and fissures leading in unknown directions had even appeared!

His roots were exceptionally sensitive to spatial fluctuations!

An extremely bold, almost insane idea instantly surged into Liu Qingtian's mind!

Relying on the star key's faint guidance and his roots' perception of space, perhaps... perhaps he could actively dive into a relatively stable Void Realm fissure for a short-distance jump? Although the risk was immense—a near certainty of death—staying here, facing three Golden Body Realm experts and the impending Annihilation Army, was also certain death!

He gambled!

Liu Qingtian made a decision instantly within his tree soul!

He remained outwardly composed, responding to Mo Wuya with his Divine Will: "You want the star key? We can discuss it..."

While speaking, he secretly plunged all his attention into the Myriad World Roots, especially the few roots that had spread into the unstable Void Realm regions, frantically perceiving and capturing those fleeting Void Realm ripples. He then fully activated the star key imprint above his head according to the vague information transmitted from the Jade Dream Realm!

The star key lit up again, but this time the light did not spread outward; instead, it converged inward, wrapping around Liu Qingtian's massive tree body and emitting a spatial fluctuation indicative of preparation for a "jump"!

"Hm? What are you trying to do?!" The three great Golden Body Realm experts immediately sensed that something was wrong, and their Divine Thoughts instantly became extremely sharp!

"Trying to run? Leave it for this King!" Dragon King Jiao roared, and a massive Dragon Claw condensed once more and swept down!

Mo Wuya's Mountain Phantom and Lord Gu Sha's Evil Qi bone claw also slammed down simultaneously!

But, they were half a step too late!

Liu Qingtian locked onto a small, relatively stable Void Realm fissure that had just formed, pouring all his power into the star key and his roots!

"Goodbye!"

Just before the attacks of the three Golden Body Realm experts landed, Liu Qingtian's massive demon willow body was completely enveloped by dazzling starlight. It then violently contracted, as if squeezed flat by an invisible giant hand, suddenly collapsing into an extremely tiny star point, and with a whoosh, it shot into that minute Void Realm fissure!

Boom!!!

The attacks of the three Golden Body Realm experts struck empty air, slamming into the ground, triggering a terrifying energy storm and earthquake, blasting an abyssal crater where he had stood!

"Traversing the Void Realm?! How could he possibly do that?!" Mo Wuya's Divine Thought was filled with shock and disbelief.

"Chase him! He can't have run far! Lock onto the star key's fluctuation!" Dragon King Jiao roared furiously.

Lord Gu Sha's cold Divine Thought instantly swept in all directions, tracking the faint spatial ripples.

However, Liu Qingtian's jump utilized the temporary Spatial Turbulence caused by the collision of the Golden Body Realm experts' power and the Annihilation Beast's power. His trajectory was extremely strange and hard to trace, further compounded by the star key's power interfering with the Workings of Heaven.

A few breaths later, the Divine Thoughts of the three great Golden Body Realm experts collided violently in the air, filled with shock, fury, and unwillingness!

They had actually allowed a Wutian Realm Demon Willow to forcibly traverse the Void Realm and escape right under the noses of three Golden Body Realm experts!

What a colossal humiliation!

...Boundless darkness, Spatial Turbulence tearing.

Liu Qingtian felt as if his tree soul and body were about to be completely torn apart. The Starlight Shield flickered erratically, and the Myriad World Roots wildly swayed, struggling to stabilize his direction, pushing forward toward a faint sense of direction from other "fragments" in the deep unknown.

The unknown journey had already begun.