Dao Fruit Fusion, Demon Star Descends

Frost gathered on the tip of Fairy Qing Xuan's sword, and as Elder Qingyun changed the hand Seals, the Qingyun Heaven Locking Array's light barrier contracted inward, causing the pressure to spike.

Lin Hao's qingyang sacred sword shimmered with golden light, its Heavenly Dao pressure locking onto Nightmare, as he prepared to unleash a thunderous strike.

Trapped in a desperate situation, Nightmare diverted a sliver of his complete focus and submerged it into the nine-layered star altar beneath his feet.

When his Divine Sense made contact with the activated ancient runes on the surface of the altar, a resonance far grander, far more Origin-based, and seemingly originating from the very beginning of the Universe—a resonance far beyond that of the star remnant's will or any Star Mark—suddenly exploded within his Divine Soul!

This was not a Legacy, nor was it a test, but rather... a part of the ultimate protection and Legacy mechanism left behind by the Lord of the Stars, branded into the very core of this Star Palace!

It had remained silent, waiting for a successor who was truly qualified and standing at the core of the altar to awaken it!

Nightmare had a flash of inspiration and immediately understood.

He forcefully suppressed his injuries, stabilized the energy flow guiding the star dao fruit, and without hesitation, activated the Star Mark within his dao seed, pouring his newly comprehended Divine Soul fluctuations—imbued with a trace of the Lord of the Stars' Heaven-Defying will—violently into the most complex circle of Formation patterns at the very center of the altar floor!

"With stars as the guide, and my will as the catalyst, I summon your spirit—Ancient Star Formation, heed my command!"

Hum—!!!

The entire Star Palace seemed to come alive in that instant!

The light of all the runes lit up on the altar surged tenfold!

Countless beams of even more ancient, purer, and more domineering silvery-white starlight erupted from every inch of the altar's material like Awakening Dragons, shooting straight into the sky!

These beams of starlight did not attack; instead, they rapidly intertwined and swirled above the altar, condensing in the blink of an eye into brilliant chains composed of pure Power of the Stars, covered in mysterious Dao patterns!

The number of these chains was ten, even a hundred times that of the Qingyun Heaven Locking Array!

The moment they appeared, they counter-entangled, eroded, and pierced through the outer light barrier of the Qingyun Heaven Locking Array!

Sss—!

It was like a red-hot iron rod thrust into ice and snow.

The cyan-white light barrier of the Qingyun Heaven Locking Array, which contained the power of Heavenly Dao order, was incredibly fragile and defenseless before these chains condensed from pure ancient Power of the Stars!

The light barrier was pierced, torn, and dissolved at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The Heavenly Dao power and Qingyun Dao power circulating within the Formation seemed to encounter their natural nemesis, easily dispersed and purified by the Star chains!

"What?!" Elder Qingyun's expression changed drastically; he spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered backward!

His signature Qingyun Heaven Locking Array had been broken in an instant, and the backlash from the Formation caused his Divine Soul to tremble violently and his Meridians to be damaged!

Even more terrifyingly, those brilliant chains condensed by the Ancient Star Formation did not stop after tearing through the Qingyun Heaven Locking Array; they moved as if they had a life of their own, rushing toward Lin Hao, Elder Qingyun, Fairy Qing Xuan, and the others, entangling them in an overwhelming torrent!

Before the chains even arrived, that vast, ancient, and suppressive star pressure had already descended, causing their movements to become sluggish!

"Oh no! This is an Ancient Star Formation!" Elder Qingyun exclaimed in horror, "This brat is actually able to trigger the Restriction within the palace!"

Lin Hao's pupils also contracted, but he reacted extremely quickly, roaring, "Defend with all your might! Break the chains first!"

The golden light on the qingyang sacred sword in his hand flashed violently as he swept it out, slashing at several incoming star chains.

Elder Qingyun also endured the backlash and waved his sleeves, sending out several streaks of Qingyun Sword Qi.

Fairy Qing Xuan pushed her frost Sword Qi to the limit, setting up layers of ice walls in front of her.

Clang! Clang! Boom!

The golden sword light, the cyan-white Sword Qi, and the crystalline ice walls collided violently with the silvery-white star chains, erupting with a deafening roar and violent energy turbulence.

However, the result left Lin Hao and the others feeling cold inside.

Lin Hao's qingyang sacred sword, which was powerful enough to split mountains, only sparked when it struck the chains; the chains did not move at all, and instead, the impact made his arm go numb!

Elder Qingyun's Sword Qi was like a clay ox entering the sea, easily swallowed and annihilated by the Power of the Stars on the chains!

Fairy Qing Xuan's ice walls were instantly pierced and shattered by the chains!

The sturdiness and level of power contained within these chains, condensed from the core Restriction of the ancient Star Palace, far exceeded their imagination!

This was simply not a power that a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator could resist head-on!

This was the final protective measure left by the Lord of the Stars for his successor!

Puff! Puff!

In just one exchange, several chains broke through their defenses, wrapping around the bodies of Elder Qingyun and Fairy Qing Xuan like spirit snakes!

As the chains tightened, the terrifying suppressive star power invaded their bodies, instantly sealing their circulation of spiritual power; furthermore, an ancient will assaulted their Divine Souls, causing them to grunt and lose almost all ability to resist, firmly bound by the chains and unable to move!

Relying on his stronger cultivation, the protection of his Heavenly Dao golden light, and more agile footwork, Lin Hao narrowly avoided being entangled by several chains and parried others with his sword, but he was forced to retreat repeatedly, in a sorry state, and could no longer pose a threat to Nightmare on the altar.

Now is the time!

Taking advantage of the precious gap created by the Ancient Star Formation's power, which had temporarily trapped and forced back his powerful enemies, Nightmare's eyes flashed with intense light as he poured all his focus and power into the Fusion with the star dao fruit!

"Dao Fruit... enter the body!"

He held his hands out in a void-grasping gesture, no longer just guiding, but initiating an incomparably domineering process of devouring and Fusion!

The ability of his dao seed, "Star Devouring Dao," was pushed to the limit, transforming into an invisible vortex that enveloped the star dao fruit!

The floating fruit seemed to sense the resolute will and qualifications of its true successor; it no longer resisted, but instead actively threw itself into his embrace!

Hum—!

A brilliance of starlight, extreme to the point of dazzling, erupted from the dao fruit, submerging Nightmare completely!

The dao fruit turned into a streak of light, diving directly into the center of Nightmare's eyebrows, instantly appearing in his Dantian, where it collided and merged with the violently pulsing dao seed with a boom!

An indescribable, agonizing pain and an extreme sense of pleasure arrived simultaneously!

Nightmare felt as if his entire being, from his Physical Body to his Soul, had been thrown into the core of an exploding galaxy!

Endless Origin Power of the Stars, Law fragments as vast as a sea of stars, and the lifelong cultivation insights and Heaven-Defying will of the Lord of the Stars surged into his limbs, bones, Meridians, Dantian, Sea of Consciousness, and Divine Soul like a world-destroying torrent!

On the surface of his body, his skin cracked inch by inch, only to quickly heal under the nourishment of the Power of the Stars; his newly formed skin was as crystalline as jade, with starlight faintly flowing beneath it.

His bones emitted crackling sounds like roasting beans, becoming denser and stronger, branded with star patterns.

His Meridians were brutally widened and strengthened, capable of accommodating more magnificent surges of energy.

Inside his Dantian, the dao seed, like a long-parched land meeting sweet rain, greedily devoured the core Origin of the star dao fruit.

The brilliant silver light that had originally occupied half the territory spread crazily like a prairie fire, covering the entire dao seed within a few breaths!

The shape of the dao seed was also undergoing subtle changes, gradually transforming from its original irregular spherical shape into a miniature, slowly rotating star!

Inside it, nebular vortexes were born and destroyed, and the core was a point of dark, profound depth that seemed capable of devouring all things!

[Ding! star dao fruit Fusion in progress... 1% ... 10% ... 50% ...]

[dao seed Star attribute Awakening degree: 60% ... 80% ... 100%!]

[dao seed ultimate Awakening complete! Transformed into: Origin Demonic Star dao seed!]

[Cultivation level increasing... Early Spirit Transformation Stage Peak ... Mid-stage Dao Replenishing ... Late-Stage Transformation Spirit!]

[Demonic Flame advancement! Starfall Demonic Flame fuses with star dao fruit Origin, transforming into: Demonic Star Flame!]

[Demonic Star Flame: Possesses characteristics of extreme destruction, devouring, and eternal stars, with a strong corrosive and suppressive effect on the power of Heavenly Dao order.]

[Unlocked complete star Divine Ability Legacy (requires subsequent comprehension). 'Star Devouring Dao' skill power significantly increased, advanced to 'Demonic Star Devouring Dao'!]

The System's notification sounds were like a violent storm, each sentence representing a world-shaking change in Nightmare's strength!

When the last trace of the star dao fruit's Origin was completely absorbed and fused, Nightmare suddenly opened his eyes!

Boom!!!

An indescribable, terrifying Aura, like a prehistoric beast that had been sleeping for eons Awakening, erupted from him as the center!

A tangible wave of Qi, mixed with the dark, profound Demonic Star Flame dotted with countless destructive stars, expanded outward in a ring in all directions!

The entire Star Palace was shaking violently!

Those star chains that had been entangling Elder Qingyun and Fairy Qing Xuan automatically loosened and returned to the altar.

The light of the nine-layered altar also slowly receded.

Nightmare hovered above the altar, his body burning with raging Demonic Star Flame.

This flame was no longer purely dark, but presented a background color like the starry sky of the Universe, within which miniature stars were constantly born, burning, exploding, and annihilating, emitting an Aura of coexistence between destruction and eternity that made the world tremble.

His long hair fluttered without wind, and deep within his eyes, his left eye was like a churning sea of blood, while his right eye resembled an inverted galaxy, his Aura having reached the terrifying level of Late-Stage Transformation Spirit!

Just by standing there, the pressure he exuded made Elder Qingyun and Fairy Qing Xuan, who had just broken free from their chains and were still shaken, feel difficulty breathing and their Divine Souls trembling!

Even Lin Hao, who possessed the protection of the Heavenly Dao golden light and had reached the Mid-stage Dao Replenishing, felt an unprecedented pressure. His face turned extremely unsightly, and his eyes were filled with disbelief and deep wariness!

"Late-Stage Transformation Spirit...?! How is this possible?!"

Lin Hao exclaimed, his Dao Heart almost collapsing.

He had struggled with his life on the line and received the blessing of the Heavenly Dao just to barely break through to the Mid-stage Dao Replenishing, yet the opponent had actually crossed two levels in such a short time, reaching the Late-Stage Transformation Spirit?!

Just what kind of terrifying power did that star dao fruit contain?!

Nightmare slowly lowered his head, his cold gaze sweeping over the three people below, finally fixing on Lin Hao.

That gaze was like a god looking down on ants, devoid of any emotion, containing only endless indifference and... killing intent.

"Now, it is my turn."

He slowly raised his right hand, his fingers slightly spread. In his palm, a point of extreme darkness emerged, rapidly expanding to form a miniature demonic star phantom, a foot in diameter, with a terrifying star constantly collapsing and exploding inside!

"Demonic Star Falls to the World."

There was no earth-shattering momentum; he simply pushed forward gently.

The miniature demonic star phantom left his hand and grew in the wind, instantly transforming into a real demonic star over ten zhang in diameter, trailing a long, dark tail flame, appearing as if it had fallen from beyond the heavens. Carrying an Aura capable of destroying the world and devouring everything, it smashed down directly towards the three of them!

Wherever it passed, space let out an unbearable groan, pulled into black ripples!

"Defend together!!!"

Elder Qingyun was terrified out of his wits and roared hoarsely. No longer caring about his demeanor as a Senior, he poured his life's cultivation without reservation into a simple, ancient bronze shield Magic Treasure that appeared in his hand. The shield grew to ten zhang in size, with green light soaring into the sky, blocking above the three of them!

This was his ultimate defensive treasure!

Lin Hao also knew this was a life-or-death moment. He roared wildly and injected all his Heavenly Dao golden light into the qingyang sacred sword. The sacred sword transformed into a golden pillar, thrusting upwards in an attempt to break the demonic star!

Fairy Qing Xuan also used all her strength, transforming all her frost spiritual power into a massive profound ice shield, layering it beneath Elder Qingyun's bronze shield!

The combined strength of the three was astonishing, enough to withstand the full blow of an ordinary Late-Stage Transformation Spirit Cultivator.

However, they were facing Nightmare, who had fused with the star dao fruit and mastered the Demonic Star Flame!

It was the power of the Origin demonic star, which had inherited the Heaven-Defying will of the ancient Lord of the Stars!

Rumble — — !!!

The demonic star collided with the triple defense!

There was no stalemate, only crushing!

The moment the profound ice shield touched the demonic star, it evaporated into water vapor filling the sky!

The ancient bronze shield's green light lasted only a breath before it let out a mournful cry, countless cracks appeared on the shield's surface, and it shattered with a roar!

Elder Qingyun was struck as if by lightning, spraying blood wildly. His chest caved in, and he flew backward like a broken sack, slamming heavily into the distant palace wall, embedding himself into it, his breathing feeble!

Finally, it was the golden pillar formed by Lin Hao's qingyang sacred sword.

The golden light and the demonic star collided, emitting the piercing sound of metal friction and energy annihilation!

The web between Lin Hao's thumb and index finger split, and the bones in his arms made teeth-aching sounds. With his eyes splitting, he frantically urged his son of destiny's Luck and the Heavenly Dao's blessing.

"Break for me!!!"

However, on the demonic star, the dark flames burned fiercely, crazily eroding and devouring the power of the Heavenly Dao within the golden sword light.

The destructive energy generated by the star's collapse and explosion was like the weight of billions of jun, smashing down fiercely!

Crack! A crisp shattering sound rang out.

On the body of the qingyang sacred sword (imitation) in Lin Hao's hand, a clear crack had actually appeared!

Although it did not break, its spirituality was greatly damaged, and the golden light suddenly dimmed!

"Pfft — — !"

Lin Hao spat out a large mouthful of golden blood mixed with organ fragments, and his entire body was smashed to the ground by the terrifying remaining impact of the demonic star, creating a deep pit in the incredibly sturdy floor of the Star Palace!

He lay at the bottom of the pit, his bones broken in countless places, his Aura faded to the extreme, his eyes unfocused. Only the son of destiny's jade pendant (a life-saving item bestowed by the Heavenly Dao) protecting his heart emitted a faint light, barely keeping him alive.

As for Fairy Qing Xuan, the moment the bronze shield shattered, she was knocked unconscious by the aftermath, falling in the distance, her life or death unknown.

After destroying all defenses and heavily injuring the three, the demonic star phantom also exhausted its power and slowly dissipated into the air.

Nightmare's figure descended slowly from the air like a demon god, standing at the edge of the deep pit, coldly looking down at the dying Lin Hao at the bottom.

[Ding! Successfully defeated the 'son of destiny' Lin Hao and his assistants!]

[Detected that Lin Hao's son of destiny's Luck protection has not dissipated, unable to completely plunder 50% of his Luck.]

[Successfully plundered 20% of Lin Hao's son of destiny's Luck!]

[Current total plundered Luck value: 30% (cumulative). Lin Hao's son of destiny's Luck is significantly weakened, and the favor of the Heavenly Dao is diminished.]

[Warning: The Heavenly Dao has sensed a violent change, and the power of suppression is accelerating its condensation!]

The System's prompt made Nightmare frown slightly.

Only 20% was plundered, failing to reach the target.

It seems that to completely plunder 50%, a more special opportunity or means may be needed, or... it requires completely shattering Lin Hao's son of destiny's protection.

He looked at Lin Hao, who had vicious eyes at the bottom of the pit but could not even speak, and then looked at Elder Qingyun and Fairy Qing Xuan, who were heavily injured and unconscious in the distance, killing intent surging in his eyes.

Now is the perfect opportunity to completely eliminate this serious threat!

However, just as he raised his hand to deliver the final blow, a sudden change occurred!

At the bottom of the pit, the son of destiny's jade pendant on Lin Hao's chest suddenly burst into unprecedented, blinding golden light!

A terrifying pressure, far purer and more vast than before, as if representing the ultimate will of heaven and earth, erupted from it!

A cold, ruthless, and supreme will, like the eye of the firmament, instantly locked onto Nightmare!

"Rebellion... shall be executed..."

It was not a human voice, but the whisper of Law, the rage of the Heavenly Dao!

At the same time, above the entire Star Palace, no, the entire Bone Burial Abyss, and perhaps even the entire Eternal Remnant World, dull thunder and a feeling of terrifying pressure condensing could be faintly heard!

This was the precursor to the Heavenly Dao sensing that the "anomaly" was completely out of control, preparing to unleash a truly destructive blow!

Alarm bells rang wildly in Nightmare's heart!

After fusing with the star dao fruit, his sensitivity to the power of the Heavenly Dao became even sharper.

This condensing power of suppression far exceeded Soul Transformation, and might even have reached a higher level!

It was definitely not something he could withstand right now!

Staying any longer would mean certain death!

Meanwhile, under the protection of the jade pendant's golden light, Lin Hao's body began to turn illusory, as if he were about to be teleported away!

"Want to run?!"

A fierce look flashed in Nightmare's eyes. Ignoring the terrifying pressure brought by the Heavenly Dao's lock, he urged the Demonic Star Flame to transform into a giant flame palm and grabbed fiercely at Lin Hao, trying to keep him, or at least interrupt the teleportation!

The golden light and Demonic Flame collided again, causing a violent explosion.

The golden light shield fluctuated violently, but ultimately blocked the grab.

Lin Hao's figure disappeared completely in the golden light, leaving only a roar filled with endless hatred, which echoed faintly:

"Nightmare... I will definitely kill you... the Heavenly Dao... will not let you off either..."

As Lin Hao was teleported away by the son of destiny's jade pendant, the terrifying Heavenly Dao will that had locked onto Nightmare seemed to lose its clear target and became somewhat wavering. However, the destructive power of suppression that was condensing did not dissipate; instead, because of Nightmare's previous attack, it locked onto him even more clearly!

Nightmare knew that he must not stay here any longer!

Without hesitation, he turned around. With a roll of his Demonic Star Flame, he snatched the Storage Pouch from the waists of the unconscious Fairy Qing Xuan and the dying Elder Qingyun, as well as the cracked qingyang sacred sword (imitation) that had fallen to the ground.

Then, his gaze swept over the chaotic Star Palace and finally landed on the nine-story altar.

"The Legacy of this place has been obtained; keeping it is useless and will only become a source of trouble."

He formed hand Seals, and his Origin demonic star dao seed operated at full capacity. The vast Demonic Star Flame surged out like a tsunami, instantly submerging the entire Star Palace!

Especially that nine-story altar; under the terrifying high temperature and destructive properties of the Demonic Star Flame, it began to melt and collapse rapidly!

After doing all this, Nightmare's figure flashed, transforming into a dark streak of starlight, and shot towards a side hall on the other side of the Star Palace where faint spatial fluctuations were emanating.

That was a safe passage that he had faintly sensed might lead to the outside world after fusing with the star dao fruit.

He must escape the Eternal Remnant World before the Heavenly Dao's suppression completely descends!

Behind him, the magnificent ancient Star Palace gradually turned into ruins and molten rock in the Demonic Star Flame.