Tracing the origins of the star's core, the shadows are approaching.

In the secret chamber, the cracked, dim star core fragment rested quietly embedded in the Formation base, like an aging hero still burning with its final light and heat, guarding the last living beings on this platform.

Within the rule fragment, the faint yet clear wave of longing and familiarity emanating from the primal cube instantly piqued Nightmare's intense interest.

To be able to provoke a reaction from the primal cube, a treasure trove of knowledge from an ancient era, this fragment was definitely no ordinary object!

"rule fragment, perform a deep scan of this fragment. Analyze its energy composition, residual Law, and its connection to the primal cube," Nightmare commanded in his mind.

[Command confirmed. Deep scan initiated... Calling upon the primal cube comparison database...]

[Scanning and analyzing...]

[Target: Star Core Fragment (Highly Degraded). Original energy level assessment: Extremely High (Suspected to be from a star core of a Great World with complete Law).]

[Energy composition: Contains pure Star Law, Space Law, and a faint breath of World Origin. Current status: Energy dissipation exceeds 97%, internal Law structure is on the verge of collapse.]

[Special marking discovered: Miniature 'Star Spirit Race' Advanced encrypted runes detected inside the fragment (same Origin as the technology in the Star Patrol City). The encrypted content is... a warning message and... coordinates (severely damaged)?]

[Connection to the primal cube: The primal cube database contains records of similar energy sources, defined as 'Standard Boundary Star Core'. It was one of the commonly used energy sources in the early days of the primal civilization. The energy characteristics of this fragment have a 71% match with the 'contaminated/mutated' core remains in the records.]

Star Spirit Race encrypted runes? Contaminated primal civilization standard energy?

A flash of realization crossed Nightmare's eyes. It seemed the "Star Oracle Order," where the ancestors of the "Star Observatory" clan resided, was likely not simple—at the very least, it was a faction that had contact with the Star Spirit Race or even the more ancient primal civilization. This fragment was not only an energy source but could also be a beacon or... a carrier that recorded some information.

"My Lord... do... do you have a way to repair it?" Old Priest Norton looked at the silent Nightmare and asked cautiously, his voice filled with humble anticipation.

Outside the platform, the background noise of the Chaos Void Realm seemed to become clearer, as if something was coveting them from the darkness.

Nightmare did not answer immediately, as the rule fragment continued to deduce repair plans. The Origin of this fragment was too severely damaged, and conventional methods were basically ineffective. But... he happened to have some unconventional methods.

Could the world tree seedling's life Origin perhaps nourish its nearly exhausted vitality? Could the power of the nirvana dao seed reverse the "contamination" and collapse process within it? Was there any technical data in the primal cube regarding the repair of such "Standard Boundary Star Cores"?

Several thoughts collided rapidly in Nightmare's mind.

"Repair is very difficult," Nightmare said. Norton and the descendants behind him instantly turned pale.

"But, it is not completely impossible," Nightmare changed the subject. "I can try to replenish some of its energy to extend the duration of the Formation. As for a complete repair... it requires time and specific Materials."

He didn't promise too much, but for Norton and the others, this was already music to their ears!

"It's enough! It's enough! Thank you, My Lord! As long as we can hold on for a while longer, perhaps... perhaps there will be a turning point!" Norton was so moved that tears streamed down his old face, and he was about to lead his people to kneel and kowtow.

Nightmare waved his hand, stopping them. He walked to the Formation base, triggered the rule fragment, and first accessed the energy circuit information regarding "Standard Boundary Star Cores" from the primal cube to precisely locate several key energy nodes inside the fragment that had not yet completely broken.

Then, he carefully guided a wisp of the world tree seedling's life Origin, like the gentlest spring rain, slowly injecting it into those nodes.

Hum...

Upon contacting this high-level life Origin, the originally dim star core fragment flickered weakly, and the cracks on its surface seemed to... heal by an insignificant amount? The light it emitted also became visibly brighter by a tiny bit!

It worked!

Although it was still far from a complete repair, it at least stopped it from deteriorating further and even replenished a trace of weak energy.

On the periphery of the platform, the light barrier of the "Shelter Formation," which had originally been so thin it was almost transparent, also solidified a bit.

"Great! The Formation... the Formation has become stronger!" A descendant felt the change and cried out in pleasant surprise, looking at Nightmare with eyes full of gratitude and awe.

Norton was so excited he couldn't even speak.

However, just as the atmosphere had just eased—

Woo—!

A sharp, shrill alarm that seemed capable of piercing the Soul suddenly blared from a warning Formation in a corner of the platform! The sound was urgent and jarring, instantly shattering the brief joy!

"Not good! It's the highest-level alarm! Something is forcibly attacking the outer warning barrier!" Norton's expression changed drastically, and the bit of hope that had just risen was instantly submerged by immense fear. "This fluctuation... is... is a 'Raider'! And it's a large-scale Starship! They've found us!"

Almost at the same time the alarm rang, the rule fragment also sent a sharp warning!

[Warning! High-intensity malicious energy source detected rapidly approaching! Target: Unknown model large-scale Starship (severely damaged, obvious signs of modification) x1! Energy Rank: Dao Integration Middle Stage (Starship main cannon)! Accompanied by a large number of low-energy individuals (Nascent Soul to Soul Transformation Stage)!]

[The opponent has locked onto the location of this platform and released a spatial interference force field to prevent teleportation! Estimated contact time: three minutes!]

Raiders! And it seemed they were habitual offenders with ruthless methods!

The descendants on the platform instantly fell into Chaos; crying and screaming filled the air. The hope they had just gained shattered like a bubble, and despair once again enveloped them.

Norton collapsed to the ground, his face ashen: "It's over... it's over... It's 'Vulture' Carlos and those lunatics... How could they come at this time..."

Su Wanqing also gripped her Magic Treasure tightly and looked at Nightmare: "Senior Brother..."

Nightmare looked coldly into the depths of the Void Realm outside the platform, where the rule fragment had already captured the outline of the dilapidated Starship, which was tearing through space and approaching with rolling malice.

He had originally only wanted to inquire about some information and do some "good deeds" along the way to accumulate some (possibly non-existent) Karma. He didn't expect trouble to seek him out on its own.

Disturbing his research on the fragment, and also scaring the "client" he had just "invested" a little cost into?

"Truly... blind."

Nightmare slowly loosened his wrists. The nirvana dao seed pulsed slightly within his Dantian, and a chilling aura that made one's heart tremble began to spread with him as the center.

"Wan Qing, look after these people."

"As for those pieces of trash outside..."

"I will handle them."