Chapter 116 Void Rift, Star Palace Remnant Array

The valley before him was enveloped by countless massive black whirlwinds. These whirlwinds were not ordinary wind Evil Qi, but a mixture of chaotic spatial energy and a cold Power of the Stars Evil Qi, possessing astonishing power, enough to easily tear apart the protective spiritual light of a Nascent Soul Cultivator. The space inside the valley was like a shattered mirror, covered in visible folds and cracks; the light itself was distorted here, creating a bizarre and kaleidoscopic scene.

[Scanning continuously... The Black Whirlwind is the core barrier; internal spatial folds show regular fluctuations... Suspected remnant of a man-made Formation... Attempting to analyze the energy trajectory...]

Data scrolled rapidly across the System light screen, attempting to find order within the chaos.

Nightmare hovered outside the valley, his black robe flapping loudly in the turbulent airflow. The phantom image of a rule fragment circulated in his eyes as he carefully observed the dangerous area ahead.

"It was not formed entirely naturally; there are traces of an Ancient Formation... and it is related to the Power of the Stars." Nightmare quickly made his judgment. The Formation of this Deadly Area was probably not as simple as spatial instability; it seemed more like the core area remaining after a massive Formation collapsed.

He extended a finger and pointed into the air. A thread of extremely subtle Demonic Essence, containing the power of the Law, shot out, carefully touching the edge of one of the Black Whirlwinds like a probe.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

That thread of Demonic Essence was instantly shredded by the terrifying power contained within the whirlwind, but just before its annihilation, Nightmare clearly perceived via the rule fragment that a minute, relatively stable "Passage," or "Gap," existed inside the whirlwind.

[Analysis complete... The Black Whirlwind barrier exhibits periodic fluctuations... Every thirty-seven Breaths, its power will momentarily weaken, and the spatial folds in specific directions will briefly smooth out, forming a Traversable Path that lasts for one ten-thousandth of a blink... Path coordinates have been calculated...]

The System provided precise data in time. This was the immense advantage of having System assistance—always being able to find that fine thread of accurate regularity within the chaos.

Nightmare no longer hesitated. The moment the next fluctuation cycle arrived, his body moved!

Like a phantom, or a shadow merged into the Void Realm, he cut into the newly appearing, extremely minute safe path with unparalleled precision, seizing the fleeting moment! His movements were incredibly fast, and he utilized the subtle influence of the rule fragment on space, making himself seem insubstantial.

Swoosh!

His figure flashed and disappeared.

The raging Black Whirlwinds on the periphery didn't even have time to react; Nightmare had already passed through the most dangerous outer barrier and entered the interior of the valley.

The interior scene was even more astonishing.

There was no sky or earth here, only countless shattered Spatial Fragments floating around, like the inside of a massive, broken glass vessel. Some fragments still held the Ruins of Buildings, similar in style to the Ancient Halls in the Starfall Secret Realm, but older and more desolate. A mournful, desolate, and dead Star Qi permeated the Void Realm.

In the center of the countless Spatial Fragments, a relatively intact, plaza-sized Platform floated. The Platform was cast from dark Star God Gold, and inscribed upon it was an extremely complex, massive Formation covering the entire surface!

Although most of the Formation was damaged and dim, a faint light still circulated at its core, emitting profound spatial fluctuations. It was the power of this Remnant Formation that maintained the relative stability of this shattered space and was the source of the Black Whirlwinds outside!

[Warning: High concentration of Law of Space power and unknown High-Grade Stellar Energy detected... Large Ancient Teleportation Formation discovered (severely damaged)... Core still shows weak activity... Attempting to compare with database...]

[Comparison successful! Similarity to partial Formation lines on the Host's 'damaged map of star palace' reached 41%! Resonance with star source core fluctuations is 18%!]

[Conclusion: This is an ancient Long-Distance Teleportation Formation left behind by the "Star Palace," possibly leading to an important Stronghold or Secret Realm of the Star Palace. Due to severe damage and chaotic energy, forced activation carries an extremely high risk (up to 92%), potentially leading to incorrect destination, Spatial Disorientation, or complete collapse of the Formation.]

The System's analysis results were displayed before Nightmare.

"Star Palace Teleportation Formation..." Nightmare looked intensely at the massive Formation Platform. It was indeed related to the Star Palace! And it was actually an Ancient Teleportation Formation that still retained a trace of activity!

Although the System assessed the risk as extremely high, for Nightmare, this was undoubtedly a huge surprise and opportunity! If he could repair or stabilize this Formation, he might be able to get ahead and enter the Ruins of the long-vanished ancient Sect, the "Star Palace"! The Legacy, Treasures, and even clues about the rule fragment that might be contained within were of immeasurable value!

He cautiously approached the Formation Platform, avoiding the small Spatial Fissures that flickered occasionally. The closer he got, the more he could feel the Formation's past grandeur and power; even in its current damaged state, it still emitted heart-stopping Law power.

He attempted to probe the Formation core with a thread of Divine Sense, simultaneously mobilizing the power of the star source core and slowly injecting it.

Buzz...!

As if a dry riverbed had encountered a spring, the faint light at the Formation core suddenly brightened slightly, even emitting a weak, sigh-like hum. Incomplete Star Runes lit up sequentially on the Platform; though intermittent, they outlined a corner of the Formation's past glory.

A fragmented piece of Information Fragment was fed back into Nightmare's mind along that thread of Divine Sense.

"...'Seventh... Star... Outpost'... 'Encountered... Unknown... Attack'... 'Formation Damaged... Emergency... Sealed'... 'Coordinates... Lost'... 'Awaiting... Rescue'..."

The information was shattered, filled with despair and urgency, and eventually dissipated completely.

Nightmare withdrew his Divine Sense, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Seventh Star Outpost? Sealed after encountering an attack? Coordinates lost?" He repeated these keywords. It seemed this Teleportation Formation did not lead to the Star Palace core, but rather an Outpost, and it had been urgently sealed after suffering an attack, even losing the Teleportation Coordinates.

This also explained why the Formation was so severely damaged and the energy so chaotic.

"System, record all Formation Lines, fully deduce a Repair Plan, and attempt to extract information from the star source core and the damaged map of star palace to complete the missing coordinates." Nightmare issued the instruction. This was a massive undertaking, and even with System assistance, it could not be completed in a short time.

[Instruction received... Beginning comprehensive scan and recording of Formation Lines... Establishing independent analysis task... Expected to require significant Computing Power and time... Suggest Host provide more star source core energy or similar high-grade stellar treasures as Deduction Energy Sources...]

Without hesitation, Nightmare immediately took out the hundreds of Star Top-Grade Spirit Stones he had obtained from Star Dust Mortal and placed them around the Formation Platform, using them as the energy source for the System's deduction. The star source core was too important; he did not plan to use it lightly for now.

The brilliant light of the Star Spirit Stones illuminated, and pure Power of the Stars was slowly extracted by the System and fed into the massive Deduction Calculation.

Having finished all this, Nightmare did not leave. He found a large floating fragment within this shattered space and sat down cross-legged. Although the location was dangerous, the Power of the Stars and Law of Space aura were exceptionally concentrated, which greatly benefited his comprehension of the rule fragment and the Consolidation of Cultivation.

While providing necessary energy and support to the System, he immersed himself in comprehending the surrounding Law of Space and Star Law. The Barrier to Mid-stage Dao Replenishing seemed to loosen slightly in this environment.

Time slowly flowed by in this shattered space.

He did not know how long passed—perhaps several days, perhaps more than ten days.

Suddenly, Nightmare sharply opened his eyes, two beams of sharp light shooting out like physical objects, looking toward the outer barrier.

Almost simultaneously, the System's alarm sounded:

[Warning! Two powerful energy sources detected rapidly approaching the outer barrier! Energy attribute analysis: One is pure Monster Power (Early Spirit Transformation Stage), one is chaotic Devilish Qi (Early Spirit Transformation Stage Peak)! Not the Sky Patrol Alliance path! Deduced to be local Deity Transformation Cultivators from the Northern Domain!]

[The targets have detected the anomaly in the outer barrier and are attempting a forceful Breakthrough!]

A cold glint flashed in Nightmare's eyes.

Have the Deity Transformation Devil Cultivators of the Northern Domain finally been attracted here?

And there are two of them!

It seems this Star Palace Remnant Formation is destined not to be peaceful.

He slowly stood up, his aura contained, like a slumbering Primordial Vicious Beast, his gaze cold as he looked toward the direction where the barrier fluctuations were most intense.

Since you have arrived, you are perfect for testing the power This Sovereign has newly comprehended.