162: Ancient Ruins, Trials of the Stars

At the hour of the Snake on the Far North Ice Plain, sunlight finally pierced through the thick clouds, spilling onto a cluster of abruptly standing ice-sealed buildings—the entrance to the Ancient Ruins. The ruins were built from massive Mystic Ice boulders, having endured ten thousand years of wind and frost yet still maintaining an ancient and solemn appearance. The stone walls were covered with blurred ancient runes, with faint stellar spiritual power lingering between them, echoing the constellations in the sky. There was no door at the entrance, only a translucent light screen suspended there, covered with flowing golden starlight like stars in the night sky, forming complex astrological patterns. This was the "Star Formation" that sealed the ruins.

"This is the Star Formation?" Chu Feng stepped forward, reaching out to touch the light screen, but was repelled by an invisible force. "What a strong Restriction! This Formation seems to operate based on the constellations. To break it, one probably needs to be proficient in the art of star observation."

Everyone gathered before the light screen, their expressions solemn. The runes of the Star Formation were obscure and difficult to understand, and the arrangement of the starlight seemed chaotic, yet it faintly followed some kind of heavenly Law. For ordinary Cultivators, let alone breaking it, even understanding the operation trajectory of the Formation was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

Lu Chen gazed at the constellations on the light screen, attempting to probe with the power of the holy spirit token, only to find that the stellar spiritual power of the Formation and the Holy Spirit Power repelled each other, making it impossible to penetrate. "The power of this Formation originates from the stars. To break it, we must find the corresponding astrological trajectories and adjust the Formation's core."

At that moment, Yu Lan walked to the light screen, a strange light flashing in her eyes. Since childhood, she had possessed a talent for astrology that surpassed ordinary people, and the jade pendant around her neck had an inexplicable connection to stellar power. At this moment, the jade pendant emitted a faint green light, echoing the starlight on the light screen, allowing her to instantly understand the patterns of the constellations' movements.

"I've got it!" A flash of excitement appeared in Yu Lan's eyes. "This Star Formation is constructed based on the Ancient Seven Stars, and the Formation cores correspond to their positions. As long as we touch the corresponding star points in a specific order, we can break the Formation." She extended her finger, pointing to seven star points on the light screen. "Look, these seven points correspond to Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, and Yaoguang. By adjusting them in the order of 'Tianshu opens, Tianquan joins, Yaoguang closes,' we can open the Formation."

Hearing this, Chu Feng scratched his head. "I remember the order of the Seven Stars, but there are so many points here. Which ones are the right ones?"

The Sea Cultivation Saintess stepped forward and held up the heart of the ocean in her palm. Blue spiritual light surged from the heart of the ocean, reflecting onto the light screen. The star points on the screen instantly became clear, and the seven corresponding points emitted a dazzling golden light, distinguishing them from the others. "The heart of the ocean can reflect the essence of all things. This way, we can accurately find the corresponding Formation cores."

Lu Chen nodded, having already formed a plan. "Yu Lan, you are responsible for guiding the sequence; Saintess, use the heart of the ocean to fix the positions of the star points; I will handle adjusting the Formation cores."

The three of them had clear roles. Yu Lan stood on the left and softly guided, "Move the Tianshu star first; it's the brightest golden point at the top left of the light screen."

Lu Chen's figure blurred as he arrived before the light screen, extending his finger to press the point Yu Lan indicated. The moment his fingertip touched the point, he felt a surge of majestic stellar spiritual power enter his body, colliding with his Holy Spirit Power and causing him to pause slightly. He circulated his spiritual power, forced his body to stabilize, and turned the star point half a circle at a specific angle.

"Click!"

The Tianshu star point emitted a soft sound and its light flared, as the constellations on the light screen began to slowly rotate.

"Next is the Tianquan star, located slightly to the right of the center of the light screen," Yu Lan continued to guide.

Following the instructions, Lu Chen touched the Tianquan and Yaoguang stars in sequence. With each star point adjusted, the light of the screen grew stronger, and the stellar spiritual power became more dense. When he adjusted the final point, "Yaoguang," the light screen suddenly vibrated violently, and a powerful wave of energy erupted, knocking Lu Chen back several steps.

"Be careful!" Yu Lan and the Sea Cultivation Saintess cried out simultaneously, instinctively reaching out to support Lu Chen.

Lu Chen, unsteady on his feet, took the opportunity to shield the two of them in his arms. Yu Lan's cheek pressed against his chest, where she could clearly feel his steady heartbeat, and her face instantly turned crimson. The Sea Cultivation Saintess was held in his arm, the faint scent of the holy spirit lingering at the tip of her nose, and the tips of her ears also turned slightly red. The moment their fingertips touched, their respective spiritual powers intertwined uncontrollably, forming a stream of energy woven from gold, blue, and green that surged into the light screen.

"Vroom—!"

The Star Formation seemed to receive some kind of summons; the light screen instantly retracted, revealing the passage inside the ruins. On both sides of the passage were towering Mystic Ice stone pillars, carved with stellar runes that emitted a soft glow, illuminating the path ahead. A golden light flew out from the Formation and landed in Lu Chen's hand, turning into an ancient booklet—the "Explanation of the Star Formation."

The booklet recorded the principles of the Star Formation, methods for breaking it, and techniques for utilizing stellar power. It could not only break similar Star Formations but also use stellar power for cultivation and setting up Formations, possessing infinite power.

Lu Chen put away the booklet, released the two women in his arms, and coughed slightly awkwardly. "The Formation is broken. Let's head in."

Yu Lan's cheeks remained flushed as she lowered her head, her small hands tightly clutching the corner of her clothes. The Sea Cultivation Saintess regained her composure, though her eyes held a hint of subtle tenderness. Chu Feng tactfully turned his head away, pretending to study the murals on the walls of the passage, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward. He thought to himself: The Guild Leader's luck with women is truly enviable.

Everyone moved along the passage, reaching a spacious hall at the end. The walls of the hall were covered with murals depicting stories from the ancient era. In the murals, ancient Cultivators commanded stellar power to fight fiercely against the Extraterritorial Evil Clan; Holy Spirit Guards held the three holy spirit artifacts, setting up a Star Formation to seal the Evil Clan's passage. There was also a mural showing the activation of a starry sky teleportation array, with a line of Ancient Seal Script characters below: "On the night of the Seven Stars Aligned, when stellar power is at its peak, the teleportation array can be activated."

"It seems that to start the starry sky teleportation array, we must wait for the night of the Seven Stars Aligned." Lu Chen looked at the mural and said in a heavy voice, "The Seven Stars Aligned is a rare celestial phenomenon. I wonder how long we'll have to wait."

Yu Lan walked to the mural, carefully observing the constellations on it, and said softly, "According to astrological calculations, the night of the Seven Stars Aligned will be in three days. At that time, the stellar power will be at its most concentrated, perfect for activating the teleportation array."

A flash of excitement appeared in Chu Feng's eyes. "Great! In just three more days, we can activate the teleportation array and head to the Evil Clan Mother Star!"

The Sea Cultivation Saintess nodded. "During these three days, we can rest and reorganize within the ruins, familiarize ourselves with the use of stellar power, and prepare for the journey ahead."

Lu Chen looked around the hall and found some relics of ancient Cultivators piled in a corner, including broken Magical Artifacts, dried-up spiritual liquid bottles, and some bamboo slips covered in runes. "Everyone, split up and search. See if there are any other useful clues or treasures. The stellar spiritual power in the ruins is dense; we can also take this opportunity to Cultivate and improve our strength."

Everyone dispersed at his word and began searching the hall. Yu Lan went to the murals to continue studying the astrological runes, trying to find more information about the teleportation array. The Sea Cultivation Saintess organized the ancient relics in the corner, hoping to find useful Magical Artifacts or information. Chu Feng sat cross-legged in the center of the hall, circulating his spiritual power to absorb the surrounding stellar spiritual power for cultivation. Lu Chen walked to a stone platform deep in the hall, studying a Stellar Model on it made of Mystic Ice and covered with the same runes as the Star Formation.

Lu Chen reached out and touched the Stellar Model, and a surge of pure stellar spiritual power entered his body. He operated the techniques from the "Explanation of the Star Formation," guiding the stellar spiritual power to flow through his Meridians and undergo Fusion with his Holy Spirit Power. Gradually, he felt his control over stellar power growing stronger, even faintly sensing the orbital trajectories of the stars in the sky.

Seeing Lu Chen's focused expression, a gentle smile appeared on Yu Lan's lips. She walked to his side without disturbing him, simply standing there quietly to guard him. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the roof of the ruins and fell upon them, forming a warm halo. The scene was warm and peaceful.

Watching this scene, a flash of complex emotion appeared in the Sea Cultivation Saintess's eyes, which then turned into a sense of relief. She knew that having a gentle and considerate woman like Yu Lan by Lu Chen's side was his blessing. As for her, she only hoped to be by his side and face future challenges together; that would be enough.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, everyone's strength had improved to varying degrees. With the help of the stellar power and the "Explanation of the Star Formation," Lu Chen's understanding of the Star Formation had deepened, and his Holy Spirit Power had become purer. Yu Lan's astrological talent was further developed, allowing her to sense stellar power more precisely. The Sea Cultivation Saintess and Chu Feng also absorbed dense stellar spiritual power, and their cultivation levels rose steadily.

The night of the Seven Stars Aligned was approaching, and the countdown to the activation of the starry sky teleportation array had begun. Lu Chen stood in the center of the hall, looking at his companions with a heart full of confidence. He knew that after activating the teleportation array, what awaited them would be the even more dangerous Evil Clan Mother Star, but he believed that as long as they were united and relied on the three holy spirit artifacts in their hands and the techniques they had learned to use stellar power, they would surely complete their mission and prepare for the decisive battle a thousand years later.

And the murals on the walls of the hall, besides recording the conditions for activating the teleportation array, seemed to hide more secrets about the ancient Cultivators and the Extraterritorial Evil Clan, waiting for them to discover. Lu Chen gazed at the murals, thinking to himself: This journey across the Star Domain has only just begun.