77: Drawing on the power of the stars

“Hiss—!”

At the entrance to the Secret Realm, the deathly silence was broken by the sound of countless sharp intakes of breath.

Lin Jingyu's figure stepped out of the blood-red vortex—which was on the verge of collapsing and spewing forth Devilish Qi—like an Archaic Vicious Beast tearing through space to descend.

The ordinary tight-fitting clothes he wore were already tattered, and his bronze muscles, coiled like Dragons, were exposed, each one containing explosive power.

Beneath his skin, countless tiny strands of Star Glow faintly flowed, as if a miniature Star River had been refined into his flesh and blood!

An invisible force field, heavy, vast, and seemingly capable of suppressing all things, spread out from him, causing the chest of the Martial Artists near the entrance to tighten, their Qi and blood to churn, and forcing them to retreat involuntarily!

What made people's scalps tingle even more was the large patches of viscous Demonic Blood, still wet, staining his powerful physique!

The blood was dark red, nearly black, emitting terrifying demonic might that made hearts tremble, along with a dense aura of decay. Just the faint wisps escaping made the air thick and cold!

“It's... it's him! Lin Jingyu!”

“He came out alive! Heavens! The blood on him... what kind of demon's blood is that?!”

“That pressure... it's several times stronger than when he went in! What exactly did he gain inside? That Star Phenomenon...”

“Look at the Secret Realm! It's about to completely collapse!”

The crowd erupted, gazes of shock, awe, greed, and fear interweaving upon Lin Jingyu.

No one dared to step forward and speak; that tangible fierce and malicious Qi, mixed with the vast majesty of the stars, was enough to make any Martial Artist below the Divine Treasury Realm lose control of their mind.

Lin Jingyu paid no heed to the ant-like gazes around him.

He clenched his fist slightly, feeling the torrent of power surging and roaring within him, and the strange sensation of faintly resonating with distant stars coming from his flesh and bones.

With the initial completion of the Star Body Tempering Method, his Physical Body had undergone a qualitative change!

His strength had surged, and his defense was as solid as the stars!

And the marvelous use of this gravitational force... With a thought, the invisible gravitational field around him suddenly intensified for an instant, causing the hard rock ground beneath his feet to silently sink half an inch, covered in spiderweb-like cracks!

“Not bad.” A satisfied curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

His gaze swept over the dazzling [180,000 evolution points] on the System panel, and a strong sense of excitement surged in his heart.

This was an unprecedented fortune! Enough to allow his strength to welcome another leap forward!

“One hundred eighty thousand points! A Demon General close to the Dharma Aspect Realm is indeed a great tonic! That old Devil Head, Yin Jiuyou, also contributed thirty thousand points... It was worth it!”

A cold light flashed in Lin Jingyu's eyes. “Once I digest what I've gained this time, anyone who seeks death within the Prefecture will just be providing me with more evolution points!”

He no longer lingered, ignoring the Secret Realm entrance behind him that had completely collapsed, turning into a storm of spatial turbulence and Devilish Qi, and ignoring the few gazes containing malice and greed watching him from the crowd, he took a step forward!

“Shrinking the Ground to an Inch!”

Space seemed to lose meaning beneath his feet.

Everyone felt their vision blur, and that figure—burly as a mountain, stained with Demonic Blood, and faintly showing Star Glow—had already vanished at the end of the Official Road leading towards the Prefecture, moving so fast that only a faint trace of a sonic boom cloud was left behind.

“Such... such terrifying speed!”

“This person... has become a force to be reckoned with! The climate of the Prefecture is likely to change!”

“Quick! Immediately send back information about the Secret Realm anomaly and Lin Jingyu to the Sect/Family!”

Prefecture, Yunlai Inn, Heaven-Grade superior room.

A Formation light screen isolated the inside from the outside.

Lin Jingyu sat cross-legged in the center of the Quiet Room, like a statue of a sleeping Heavenly God or Devil.

He took out the fist-sized demon core—dark red like solidified magma, its surface covered in ancient demonic runes, and a destructive demonic light pulsing at its core—the core of an Ancient Demon General close to the Dharma Aspect Realm!

The moment the demon core appeared, terrifying Demonic Energy instantly filled the entire Quiet Room, the air seemed ready to ignite, and the viscous demonic might attempted to erode Lin Jingyu's will.

However, the Star Glow flowing beneath his skin simply brightened slightly, and the heavy Star Gravitational Field instantly suppressed and crushed all the Devilish Qi, preventing it from approaching within three feet of him.

“A demon core close to the Dharma Aspect Realm, the energy is indeed vast and violent.”

Lin Jingyu's eyes were blazing, as if he were looking at a priceless treasure. “Unfortunately, directly absorbing and refining it would be too wasteful, and the Devilish Qi is impure and conflicts with my Star Body. But... System!”

He communicated mentally with the Light Screen in his mind.

“System, scan the value of this item!”

[Ding! Scanning...]

[Item: Ancient Demon General Demon Core (Close to Dharma Aspect Realm)]

[Status: Energy is violent, contains pure Demonic Essence and a small amount of fragmented Law shards (Destruction, Decay)]

[System Valuation: Can be recycled and converted into 120,000 evolution points! Or used as special Materials for the evolution of specific Cultivation Techniques/Martial Skills (requires additional consumption of evolution points).]

“Recycle and convert!” Lin Jingyu did not hesitate.

No matter how good the demon core was, it couldn't compare to tangible evolution points!

Only evolution points could instantly transform into his invincible power!

“Buzz!”

The System's invisible power enveloped the demon core.

The violent, dark red demon core visibly dimmed and shrank, and the terrifying energy contained within was instantly extracted, purified, and converted.

In just a few breaths, the fist-sized demon core turned into a small pile of energy-less ashes, scattering and falling.

[Ding! Successfully recycled Ancient Demon General Demon Core! Gained evolution points: 120,000 points!]

[Current evolution points: 300,000 points!]

“Three hundred thousand points!” Even though Lin Jingyu's will was like iron, his heart couldn't help but pound wildly at this moment!

A fortune large enough to drive any force mad!

Suppressing the urge to immediately spend it, he took out the star rune demon core, which was completely dim and covered in cracks.

When this dim Star Core approached, another token in his possession, also inscribed with the ancient character “Xu,” once again emitted an extremely faint spatial resonance, as if spanning endless time and space!

“Two 'Xu' Tokens... and this star rune demon core... what is the connection between them? What does 'Xu' represent?”

Lin Jingyu rubbed the two tokens made of special Materials; they were cold to the touch, and the markings on them were ancient and mysterious.

“It's unclear for now, but it definitely involves a great secret. I should put them away first.”

The top priority is to digest this massive fortune of 300,000 points and push his strength to a new peak!

His gaze locked onto the Cultivation Technique section on the System panel.

[Star Body Tempering Method (Initial Glimpse): Star Glow flows! Gravity initially manifests! Defense is unparalleled! Strength surges!]

“System, deduce and evolve the Star Body Tempering Method! Target—Minor Achievement Realm! Push it hard!”

[Ding! Target locked: Star Body Tempering Method (Initial Glimpse) → (Minor Achievement)]

[Deduction requirement: 150,000 evolution points! Confirm?]

“Confirm! Deduce immediately!” Lin Jingyu stated decisively.

“Boom!”

A massive sound, like the Creation of Heaven and Earth, exploded within him!

Half of the 300,000 evolution points were instantly deducted!

Vast and majestic, hundreds or thousands of times purer than the previous Star Power pillar, the great Star Power descended with a roar, ignoring spatial barriers, like the Milky Way pouring down from the Nine Heavens!

This time, it did not originate from the outside world, but directly from every cell deep within his body!

It originated from the supreme Profound Truth of the Star Body Tempering Method's Minor Achievement Realm, deduced by the System!

“Ugh—!” Lin Jingyu let out a muffled groan, and his burly body shook violently!

His skin instantly became transparent; his muscles, bones, blood vessels, and internal organs were clearly visible!

Hundreds of millions of dazzling Star Radiance burst forth from every corner of his body!

The entire Quiet Room was illuminated as brightly as day, and the Formation light screen flickered wildly, emitting groans of being overwhelmed!

The hundreds of millions of “miniature stars” inside his body were frantically spinning, expanding, collapsing, and reorganizing!

Every change brought extreme pain from tearing and reorganization, but also brought unimaginable transformation!

His muscle fibers became tougher and denser, woven like Star Gold Divine Iron; profound Star Runes began to appear on his bones, their density and strength skyrocketing; his blood surged like mercury, with dots of Star Glow floating within; and his internal organs, washed by Star Power, seemed to be granted the Immortal Characteristics of the stars, brimming with Source of Vitality!

More crucially, the invisible Star Gravitational Field!

Its intensity climbed exponentially! Its range rapidly expanded! From three feet around him, it instantly spread throughout the entire Quiet Room!

The tables, chairs, and benches in the Quiet Room were silently crushed into dust!

The sturdy floor and walls let out a grinding groan, covered in cracks!

If not for the Formation isolation, this terrifying gravitational force would be enough to crush the entire inn!

Power! Endless power surged forth!

His Physical Body strength of 350 million jin soared upward wildly, as if riding a rocket!

400 million!

500 million!

600 million!

...Finally, it stabilized at—one billion jin!

A full one billion jin of pure Physical Body Divine Power!

This was a terrifying great power capable of shaking mountains and cutting off rivers!

At the same time, his five great Divine Treasuries underwent a resonant transformation under the nourishment and pressure of this vast Star Power!

Heart Divine Treasury—the Heaven Burning Divine Fire became even more blazing and pure, faintly carrying a majestic intent of purifying the stars within the flames!

Liver Divine Treasury—the Source of Vitality surged endlessly like a star sea tide, and his recovery power reached a frightening level!

Spleen Divine Treasury—the Power of Thick Earth perfectly merged with the Star Gravitational Force, causing a qualitative change in defense; when still, he was as stable as the stars!

Lung Divine Treasury—the Geng Metal Sharpness became incomparably sharper; every breath seemed to inhale and exhale Star Dust capable of cutting through space!

kidney divine treasury—although the Water Divine Treasury was not fully activated, it had been nourished by the massive Star Power, accumulating foundation rapidly, just one step away from activation!

“Rumble!”

The invisible barrier was violently broken through by the one billion jin of Divine Power mixed with the Great Star Power!

Divine Treasury Realm Fifth Layer!

An aura several times stronger than before shot up into the sky! If not for the Formation isolation, this aura would have been enough to trigger a Heaven and Earth Phenomenon in the Prefecture!

[Ding! Star Body Tempering Method deduction and evolution successful! Current Realm: Minor Achievement!]

[Ding! host Realm Breakthrough! Current Realm: Divine Treasury Realm Fifth Layer!]

[Strength: One billion jin!]

[Divine Ability: Star Gravitational Force (Minor Achievement)! Gravitational intensity and range greatly increased! Can initially control the direction of gravity!]

[Remaining evolution points: 150,000 points!]

The radiance gradually subsided, the Quiet Room was a mess, but the figure in the center remained motionless.

Lin Jingyu slowly opened his eyes; in the depths of his pupils, a Star River seemed to be born and extinguished, and a suffocating majesty spread out.

He lightly stretched his muscles and bones... “One billion jin of Divine Power... Star Body Tempering Method Minor Achievement...” Lin Jingyu felt the earth-shattering changes within his body, the curve of his mouth growing wider, finally turning into a deep, powerful roar!

“How satisfying!!”

He suddenly stood up. The invisible Star Gravitational Field naturally retracted and converged on his body surface, forming a powerful layer of defense.

The ashes from the demon core and the dust of the shattered tables and chairs were precisely controlled by gravity, compressed into a small sphere, and tossed out the window.

“The remaining 150,000 points...”

Lin Jingyu's gaze swept across the System panel, resting on the Chaos Heaven Opening Art and Shrinking the Ground to an Inch.

“No rush, I'll adapt to the surging power first. In the Prefecture, there are plenty of sandbags for me to test my fists on!”

He removed the Formation and pushed open the room door.

The Innkeeper and the Waiter waiting outside the door felt an indescribably heavy pressure wash over them, as if they were facing not a person, but a human-shaped star!

Their legs went weak, and they nearly knelt on the spot, their eyes filled with boundless awe as they looked at Lin Jingyu.

“Guest... Honored Guest... you've finished your seclusion?” The Innkeeper's voice was trembling.

Lin Jingyu nodded slightly and casually tossed out a piece of gold. “Get me some food, large portions, many large portions.” He felt ravenously hungry, as if he could swallow an ox.

Star Body Tempering consumes an extremely terrifying amount of energy.

“Yes! Yes! Right away!!” The Innkeeper, clutching the gold as if granted a great pardon, scrambled away to make arrangements.

Lin Jingyu walked to the window facing the street in the inn, looking down at the bustling streets of the Prefecture below.

People came and went, traffic flowed, a scene of clamor. Yet, in his perception, beneath this noise, countless gazes, overt and covert, were spying on him.

After the battle in the Secret Realm, the name Lin Jingyu had likely spread throughout the upper echelons of the Prefecture.

Just then!

“Lin Jingyu! Get out here and die!” A sharp shout filled with malice and hatred rang out like thunder on the street below the inn, instantly drowning out all the noise!

In the center of the street, the crowd retreated in panic, revealing an open space.

A pale-faced, gloomy-eyed youth, dressed in Core Disciple robes of the Heavenly Sword Sect, stood holding a sword, staring intently at the inn window. It was Liu Bai, whose Magical Artifact had been shattered and whose Dao Heart had been damaged by Lin Jingyu's single finger at the Secret Realm entrance that day!

Beside him stood three Heavenly Sword Sect Elders, whose auras were sharp and whose eyes were like swords!

Invisible Sword Qi spread out, cutting the air, displaying cultivation levels of at least the Divine Treasury Realm Fourth Layer or higher!

“It's someone from the Heavenly Sword Sect!”

“Liu Bai! And Elder Zhao, Elder Qian, and Elder Sun from the Enforcement Hall!”

“They really came looking for trouble! Lin Jingyu is in trouble!”

“Quick, get far away! Gods are fighting!”

The crowd was in an uproar, discussing animatedly, both excited and terrified.

At the window, Lin Jingyu's figure slowly appeared.

His burly physique was like an iron tower, casting a large shadow.

He looked down at the shouting Liu Bai and the three stern-faced Elders below, his face devoid of expression, his eyes as calm as a deep pool, yet like a volcano about to erupt.

“Lin Jingyu! You insulted my Heavenly Sword Sect and damaged my Dao Heart! Today, with the three Elders of my Heavenly Sword Sect Enforcement Hall here, we will make you pay the blood debt! Hurry up and come down to kowtow and accept your death!” Backed by the Elders, Liu Bai was full of confidence, roaring sharply, his eyes filled with bitter hatred.

Lin Jingyu's gaze swept over Liu Bai, treating him like a noisy ant, and finally settled on the three Elders with the strongest auras.

A cold and cruel arc slowly curved up at the corner of his mouth, like an Archaic Vicious Beast that had spotted its prey.

“Heavenly Sword Sect?”

His voice was not loud, but it clearly suppressed all the noise, carrying a metallic, grating texture and containing heart-stopping power.

“Perfect.”

“My fist was just looking for someone to test its hardness on.”

“Your lives...”

Lin Jingyu stepped out of the window, his body plummeting toward the street below like a meteor. The one billion jin of Divine Power was held back, yet it caused the air throughout the entire street to solidify!

“And your 'evolution points'... I, Lin Jingyu, will accept them!”