73: Ancient battlefields and "fertilizer" in the stellar remains
Liu Qingtian concealed his aura, moving like a wisp of green smoke, shuttling between the fragments of the shattered stars.
The Primordial Stillness Form Concealment Art not only concealed his figure and aura but also, to a certain extent, distorted the surrounding light and perception of him, allowing him to almost merge with the dead environment of the Star Remains. He carefully avoided areas with intense energy fluctuations where conflicts were clearly taking place, as well as rift zones with unstable spatial structures that emitted dangerous auras.
His goal was clear: first, find a relatively safe place to completely digest the remaining star tear energy within him, stabilize his Kāishān Realm Mid-stage Realm, and further familiarize himself with his newly acquired spatial insights and the Primordial Stillness Form Concealment Art. Sharpening the axe does not delay the chopping of wood; in this Secret Realm fraught with peril, maintaining peak condition was more important than blindly searching for treasure.
After flying for about half an hour, a peculiar area appeared ahead.
It was a "landmass" formed by dozens of massive star fragments pieced together in a seemingly chaotic but subtly patterned manner. This "landmass" was covered in enormous impact craters and bottomless ravines. The air was permeated with destructive energy residue that had lingered for years, along with... a deeper sense of bloodiness and Evil Qi.
More strikingly, in the center of this broken land stood several massive, dilapidated objects—these were broken weapons, unimaginably large, like mountain ranges; fragments of shattered armor, gleaming with a dull metallic luster and covered in unrecognizable runes; and even some enormous skeletons that had long been petrified but still maintained postures of struggle or charge, some resembling humanoids, others being completely strange beasts or indescribable forms.
This place did not look like a natural star fragmentation site; it looked more like the ruins of an Ancient Battlefield! The remnants of a war fought in the starry sky, vast beyond imagination!
"An Ancient Battlefield..." Liu Qingtian's tree soul pulsed. Such places are often accompanied by ultimate death and destruction, but they might also contain Legacies, fragments of Divine Weapons, or Origin essence left behind by fallen powerhouses that have not been completely erased by time.
For him, the death Evil Qi and the fragmented Power of the Stars here might serve as nourishment for the Silent Origin Spirit Transformation Secret Chapter and the Primordial Ancient Wood Visualization Diagram.
He approached with greater caution, his perception probing like fine tendrils. In battlefield ruins, danger often coexists with Opportunity; there might be residual Killing Formations, undying Battle Souls, or monsters mutated by the corrosion of Evil Qi.
After confirming that the outer area was relatively "clean," Liu Qingtian chose a relatively concealed corner formed by a massive, tilted fragment of armor and half a broken halberd as his temporary resting spot.
He sat down cross-legged—in his Demon Willow true form, his roots actually burrowed deep into the soil imbued with the Power of the Stars beneath his feet, and his myriad willow branches naturally draped down, forming a natural protective Domain.
The spiritual ripple vortex in his tree heart accelerated its rotation, and the star tear energy within his body that had not been fully refined was rapidly guided out. The cool and majestic essence of the stars flowed through every branch and every willow leaf, nourishing his demon body and consolidating his Realm. Simultaneously, he dedicated a portion of his mind to the comprehension of the Primordial Ancient Wood Visualization Diagram.
In the Visualization Diagram, the phantom image of the Chaos Ancient Wood, which supported heaven and earth and connected all Realms, appeared in his Sea of Consciousness. This stood in stark contrast to the desolate and ruined landscape of the Star Remains Ancient Battlefield, yet it subtly created a strange resonance. The Ancient Wood encompasses all things; life, death, Wither and Flourish are all part of its Dao. Was not the destruction and death of this battlefield a form of ultimate "Wither"?
And within this ultimate "Wither," could a new "Flourish" be conceived?
The Qi of Life and Death within his body involuntarily accelerated its rotation, and the rudimentary form of the Wither and Flourish Domain spontaneously unfolded, enveloping an area several yards around him. Within the Domain, vitality and stillness alternately evolved, rubbing against and corroding the Evil Qi of the external Ancient Battlefield, yet subtly showing a faint sign of conversion.
The Silent Origin Spirit Transformation Secret Chapter also operated on its own, drawing out and refining the thin Evil Qi and chaotic energy permeating the surrounding space, thread by thread, converting it into pure Power of Annihilation, which settled into his dao foundation. Although the efficiency was not high, the advantage was that it was continuous, accumulating little by little.
Just as Liu Qingtian was immersed in Cultivation and comprehension, an extremely faint but unusually tenacious life fluctuation suddenly emanated from deep within the earth where he was rooted! Simultaneously, a concealed power of assimilation silently wrapped around his roots, attempting to draw out his life Origin!
"Hmm?" Liu Qingtian instantly awoke!
His roots violently shook, and the Qi of Life and Death erupted, directly shattering the strange power of assimilation. His perception followed the source of the fluctuation downwards.
Dozens of yards beneath his roots, a peculiar plant was growing within the rock crevices! The plant was entirely dark red, shaped like a vine, lacking leaves, and its surface was covered in vein-like networks that were faintly throbbing. One end was deeply rooted in the deeper Earth Veins, while the other lay hidden like a poisonous snake; it was this very entity that had just attempted to ambush Liu Qingtian.
The aura of this Demon Vine was very strange, seeming to be a Fusion of the Power of the Stars, the Evil Qi of the earth, and a tenacious, almost twisted vitality. Its Realm was roughly equivalent to the Early Kaishan Realm.
"A native demon creature of the Star Remains?" Liu Qingtian understood. Creatures born in such extreme environments often possess bizarre abilities and are highly aggressive.
The Demon Vine, failing in its strike, seemed enraged. More dark red vines drilled out from the rock crevices like tentacles, rushing toward Liu Qingtian's roots and main trunk with sharp whistling sounds. The vines glowed with the red light of Evil Qi, clearly possessing corrosive and assimilating properties.
"Seeking death!" Liu Qingtian needed actual combat to test his Cultivation results, so instead of being alarmed, he was delighted.
He didn't even use the Wither and Flourish Finger or Return to Void; with just a thought, the willow branches hanging around him moved proactively to meet the attack, as if they had gained life.
Hiss, hiss, hiss—!
The emerald willow branches, imbued with the power of life and death rotation, collided with the dark red Evil Qi vines. The Demon Vine's corrosive Evil Qi was indeed extraordinary, but it proved futile before the higher-level Dao Rhythm of Life and Death.
Vitality burst forth from the willow branches, instantly neutralizing and converting the encroaching Evil Qi; simultaneously, the Qi of stillness spread along the vines. Wherever it passed, the Demon Vine's vitality rapidly faded, becoming withered and fragile.
In the blink of an eye, the dozens of attacking Demon Vines were easily shredded and assimilated by Liu Qingtian's willow branches! The shattered vines transformed into pure energy, absorbed by the spiritual ripple vortex, replenishing Liu Qingtian's consumption instead.
"This is quite a good tonic," Liu Qingtian realized that the energy contained in the Demon Vine was beneficial for consolidating his Realm, so he decisively launched an offensive.
More willow branches drilled into the ground like sharp swords, wrapping toward the Demon Vine's main body. The Demon Vine struggled wildly, releasing a thicker Evil Qi, and even stirring up residual grievances from the surrounding battlefield, forming a mental impact.
However, Liu Qingtian's tree soul was firm, and with the Visualization Diagram protecting him, this level of grievance impact could not shake him in the slightest. The willow branches swept through irresistibly, quickly locating the Demon Vine's core—a throbbing, heart-like, dark red crystal nucleus.
The willow branches coiled around it, and the Qi of Life and Death crushed down!
"Pfft!"
The crystal nucleus shattered, and the Demon Vine instantly lost all vitality. Its vast network of vines rapidly withered and turned to dust. All that remained was a small mass of pure, dark red energy liquid that flowed out of the broken crystal nucleus, along with the most resilient section of the main vine.
Liu Qingtian swept up the energy liquid and the main vine with a willow branch. He absorbed the energy liquid directly, feeling his cultivation advance by another thread. The main vine had a unique material, containing Evil Qi and star power, which might be useful for Artifact Refining in the future.
"It seems there should be quite a few similar 'fertilizers' in this Ancient Battlefield," Liu Qingtian looked toward the depths of the ruins, a faint light flashing in his eyes. For him, who could assimilate and convert various energies, this Ancient Battlefield, full of death and destruction, might be a massive treasure trove.
He decided that before heading to the core area, where greater Opportunities might lie, he would first "clear out" this outer zone. This would allow him to consolidate his cultivation, familiarize himself with his new abilities, and collect some special resources.
However, just as he was preparing to move, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from another direction of the battlefield ruins, accompanied by an angry roar and the sound of violent energy collisions!
Clearly, others had also discovered this Ancient Battlefield, and... they seemed to have run into trouble.
Liu Qingtian immediately concealed all his aura and hid, watching coldly from the sidelines. In this Secret Realm, the chance for the fisherman to profit from the struggle between the snipe and the clam was not to be missed.