73: Counterattack and ambush, first hearing of the Star Stele

At the bottom of the meteorite crater, Lin Fan lay hidden, as immovable as a boulder. Above his head, four chilling auras circled like vultures, radiating undisguised malice.

"Split up and search. He must have used some concealment method and can't have gone far!" Yin the Nine Hells's voice filtered faintly through the crater walls, laced with impatience. "This damned place has chaotic energy, tracking talismans aren't working well. Sweep carefully with your Divine Sense!"

Footsteps scattered. One set was slowly approaching the direction where Lin Fan was hidden. It was a short, cunning-eyed Mysterious Yin Sect Disciple with Peak Condensing Spirit Realm cultivation. Holding a bone whip wreathed in ghastly green phosphorescent fire, he cautiously inspected every crevice in the rocks.

Lin Fan held his breath, his internal Spiritual Qi nearly stagnant, merging with the surrounding violent stellar energy. The Eternal Indestructible Body drew his vitality inward to the extreme, and the fluctuations of the star pagoda were forcibly suppressed by him. Only the Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils faintly swirled beneath his eyelids, clearly "seeing" the Disciple's movements through tiny cracks in the rock.

The opponent drew closer, now less than three zhang from the concealment Formation. The phosphorescent fire on the bone whip flickered eerily, emitting a nauseating stench and Yin-cold aura, clearly laced with potent poison.

Lin Fan's mind raced. Fighting one against four, especially with a Divine Power Realm Early Stage expert like Yin the Nine Hells overseeing them, a direct confrontation was not the best strategy. The unique environment of the Thousand Star Remnant Realm might be exploitable.

He stealthily split off two extremely fine strands of Divine Sense, like intangible tentacles, probing towards the space not far to his left and right. There, during his earlier comprehension, he had already detected two highly unstable "spatial folds," like invisible traps. With a slight external force, they could trigger small-scale spatial disturbances or tears.

The fold on the right was stronger, the one on the left slightly weaker. He needed to create an opportunity to lure the enemies over or split them up.

Just then, the short Disciple searching nearby seemed to notice something, his gaze settling on the rock where Lin Fan was hidden. The texture of that rock, under the faint starlight, seemed subtly different from its surroundings.

"Hmm?" He leaned in closer, raising his bone whip.

Now! Lin Fan moved! But he did not attack. Instead, his left hand suddenly shot a condensed mote of starlight towards the slightly weaker spatial fold on the left! The starlight was extremely fine and fast, disappearing soundlessly into that seemingly normal patch of air.

*Hum!* The spatial fold, triggered by the external force, instantly emitted a low hum. The air in that area twisted violently, light refracting, forming a brief but conspicuous anomaly!

"Over there!" The short Disciple was immediately drawn by the commotion on the left. With a low cry, he lashed his bone whip without hesitation towards the anomaly! Simultaneously, he instinctively alerted his companions.

Almost at the same instant, Lin Fan's true body erupted from behind the rock on the right! The Eternal Indestructible Body's golden light flashed. He shot forward like a golden lightning bolt, charging directly at the nearest Mysterious Yin Sect Disciple—who had his back turned and was searching the distant crater wall!

That Disciple, hearing his companion's low cry, had just turned to look at the left anomaly when he felt a vicious wind assaulting him from behind! He turned his head in horror, only to see a fist, sheathed in pale golden light as if forged from divine metal, rapidly expanding in his vision!

"No!" In his haste, he could only raise his arm to block, Yin Qi surging around him.

*Thump! Crack!* The sound of bone breaking was clear! Lin Fan's punch, long prepared, fused the Mountain Collapse force of the Indestructible Divine King Fist with the heaviness of the stars. How could a hasty defense block it? The Disciple's arm twisted and deformed. The fist force penetrated his body, shaking his organs out of place. He vomited blood wildly, flying backward like a ragged sack, crashing into the crater wall before sliding down limply, life or death unknown.

Having succeeded with one strike, Lin Fan didn't pause. Treading on profound footwork, his figure flickered ghost-like as he turned and charged towards the short Disciple, who had been attracted by the left anomaly and had just retracted his whip!

"Watch out! He's behind you!" Yin the Nine Hells's furious roar and another Disciple's shocked cry sounded simultaneously.

The short Disciple was terrified out of his wits. With no time to turn, he whipped his bone whip backward with all his might, creating a screen of ghastly green whip shadows and a foul wind! At the same time, he bit his tongue, spraying a mouthful of essence blood. The blood mist instantly transformed into a thin blood shield protecting his back.

Facing the lashing whip, Lin Fan neither dodged nor avoided it. His left hand shot out, fingers like hooks, with uncanny precision grabbing the whip's tip! The golden light of the Eternal Indestructible Body and the phosphorescent fire and Yin-poisonous Qi on the bone whip rubbed violently, emitting sizzling sounds, yet they couldn't erode it in the slightest!

"Let go!" Lin Fan coldly shouted, pulling with tremendous force!

The short Disciple felt an irresistible, immense force transmitted through the whip. His tiger's mouth split open, the bone whip flying from his grasp! His body was yanked off balance, and the blood shield behind him wavered momentarily.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan's right hand was already formed into a sword-finger. At its tip, a mote of starlight condensed to the extreme flickered, carrying the sharpness to pierce anything and a hint of spatial penetration, aimed at the vital point on the back behind the blood shield—Star-Breaking Void Finger!

"Stop!" Yin the Nine Hells's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. His figure transformed into a plume of black smoke as he pounced forward. Simultaneously, he waved his hand, launching three black bells engraved with ghostly faces that spun and emitted a sharp, mind-disturbing chime, directly assaulting the back of Lin Fan's head!

However, Lin Fan's finger force was faster!

*Ssshh!* The condensed starlight touched the blood shield, piercing it as easily as paper. The remaining finger force, undiminished, accurately struck the major acupoint on the short Disciple's back!

"Pfft!" The short Disciple's whole body convulsed violently. His protective Yin Qi instantly dissipated. The stellar purification power and a hint of spatial tearing contained within the finger force penetrated his body, instantly grievously wounding his Meridians and internal organs! His eyes bulged, and he spat a mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments before collapsing face-down, his aura rapidly withering. And now, Yin the Nine Hells's attack had reached the back of his head!

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, the moment his finger force struck, Lin Fan's body slid diagonally forward using the recoil force. Simultaneously, his left hand swept the seized bone whip backward!

*Clang! Clang! Clang!* The three ghost-face bells were struck by the bone whip, emitting a piercing metallic clangor as they flew back. However, the soul-disturbing chime still caused Lin Fan's Divine Soul to sway slightly.

In that brief moment of stagnation, Yin the Nine Hells had already pounced close. His face was ferocious, his fingernails elongating into pitch-black claws that shrieked as if tearing the void. One claw aimed for Lin Fan's heart, the other directly at his crown! Before the claw wind arrived, the Yin-cold, bone-eroding poisonous force already assailed his face!

The full-force strike of a Divine Power Realm Early Stage expert was far more formidable than anything from the Condensing Spirit Realm!

Lin Fan's gaze turned grave and focused; he dared not be careless. The Star Domain instantly expanded, attempting to slow the opponent's movements. Simultaneously, his right hand clenched into a fist, golden light blazing brightly as he met the heart-seeking claw with the full power of the Indestructible Divine King Fist. His left hand formed into a palm-blade, chopping towards the other claw assaulting his crown.

*Boom! Thump!* Two dull explosions erupted almost simultaneously! Shockwaves roiled, churning up the gravel and dust at the crater's bottom high into the air.

Lin Fan grunted, his body sliding back several zhang. His right fist throbbed with soreness and numbness. Where his left palm's edge had collided with the claw, a burning, stinging pain flared, as Yin-cold poison tried to invade but was swiftly extinguished by surging golden Qi and blood and the Power of the Stars. The opponent's claws were indeed sharper and harder, his strength more formidable, surpassing even that of Han Li and the others from before.

Yin the Nine Hells also staggered, drifting back two steps, his eyes filled with shock and fury. He hadn't expected Lin Fan's Physical Body to be so formidable, that a direct clash with his full-strength claws would only leave him slightly at a disadvantage! Moreover, that strange Domain of his opponent genuinely caused a slight feeling of sluggishness in his movements.

"Good lad! No wonder Junior Brother Han fell by your hand!" Yin the Nine Hells gnashed his teeth, "But today, you are undoubtedly doomed! Second Brother, let's attack together, finish this quickly!"

The sole surviving Condensing Spirit Realm Late Stage Disciple finally snapped out of his shock. Upon hearing the command, he hastily summoned a ghostly, sinister Soul Summoning Banner. As he shook it, streams of gray-black ghostly shadows surged forth, and he joined Yin the Nine Hells, pouncing forward again!

Lin Fan took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly; the direct clash had churned his Qi and blood. Yet, the Battle Intent in his eyes burned even brighter. Fighting one against two, with a Divine Power Realm opponent among them, was perfect for testing what he had learned recently!

He held back no longer. The star pagoda within his Dantian hummed, and even more resplendent starlight radiated from his body, merging into his Star Domain. The Domain's range expanded to three zhang, its slowing effect intensifying. Simultaneously, his ten fingers flickered rapidly, sending condensed bolts of starry light like a sudden storm towards the oncoming ghostly shadows and the banner-wielding Disciple, temporarily repelling and pinning them down.

Meanwhile, he himself charged towards Yin the Nine Hells once more! This time, his footwork became even more profound. With each step, it was as if phantom starry images flickered into existence and vanished beneath his feet, his figure becoming elusive and unpredictable. This was a movement technique combining the trajectories of the stars with a sliver of spatial perception.

The two instantly became a tangled whirl of combat! Claw shadows multiplied, and fist winds howled. Yin the Nine Hells's Mysterious Yin Ghost Claws were vicious and cunning, targeting vital points, laced with bone-corrosive Yin poison. Lin Fan responded with unwavering adaptability: his Eternal Indestructible Body protected him, his Indestructible Divine King Fist met force head-on with pure might, his Star Finger nimbly struck acupoints to break attacks, occasionally incorporating a hint of spatial displacement, causing Yin the Nine Hells's assaults to repeatedly land on empty air or veer off target. The frustration was unbearable.

What alarmed Yin the Nine Hells even more was that as the battle wore on, Lin Fan's utilization of the Power of the Stars grew increasingly proficient. Not only did that starlight Domain slow space, it actually began to faintly absorb and convert the surrounding chaotic stellar energy, replenishing Lin Fan's own consumption! Meanwhile, in this environment of sparse Spiritual Qi and rampant energy, his own consumption was faster than in the outside world!

One waned as the other waxed!

"Can't drag this out!" A fierce glint flashed in Yin the Nine Hells's eyes. He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of vital essence blood onto his claws! The jet-black claws instantly became coated in an eerie blood-red glow, their aura skyrocketing!

"Mysterious Yin Blood Evil Claw!" he roared, crossing his claws and unleashing two intersecting, massive blood-black claw shadows. Carrying overwhelming Evil Qi and a pungent bloody stench, they seemed capable of tearing everything apart as they descended upon Lin Fan!

This strike had already surpassed his own Realm, carrying the intent of a desperate, life-risking gamble!

Lin Fan's pupils contracted, sensing a potent threat. He took a deep breath, no longer evading. Spiritual energy and the Power of the Stars within his body madly surged into his right arm. The entire arm instantly took on a pale golden hue, and the phantom of the star pagoda flickered once behind his back.

"Stars Subdue Demons!" A fist shot out! This was no simple Mountain Collapse, but a punch that fused the suppressing dao rhyme of the star pagoda, the condensed power of the Star Domain, and the full might of his Eternal Indestructible Body! Where the fist's edge passed, space groaned under the strain. The dazzling fist-light resembled a miniature star, crashing headlong into the blood-black claw shadows!

BOOM!!!! An unprecedented roar erupted at the bottom of the meteor crater! A violent ring-shaped shockwave of energy exploded outward, causing large sections of the crater walls to crumble and shatter! Dust and debris shot into the sky, completely engulfing the two figures.

In the distance, the banner-wielding Disciple was sent staggering back by the aftershocks, his Qi and blood churning, as he stared in horror at the explosion's epicenter.

The dust slowly settled.

A deeper crater now marred the pit's floor.

Lin Fan knelt on one knee. The sleeve of his right arm was tattered, his arm bearing several deep, bone-revealing claw wounds seeping with black energy. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. Yet, his gaze remained bright and sharp as he slowly stood up.

Opposite him, Yin the Nine Hells knelt half-upright. A clear fist imprint was sunken into his chest. Blood gushed from his mouth, mixed with fragments of internal organs. The jet-black claws on his hands were shattered into pieces. His aura had withered to its absolute limit, his eyes filled with unbelievable terror and despair.

"How could you possibly..." he rasped, spraying bloody froth with every word.

Lin Fan offered no reply, striding towards him step by step. The banner-wielding Disciple, thoroughly terrified, had already turned and fled.

Standing before Yin the Nine Hells, Lin Fan looked down at him coldly, his voice icy: "Who is 'That Lord'?"

Yin the Nine Hells gave a bitter laugh: "You'll never find out..." A trace of ruthless resolve flashed in his eyes, as if he intended to self-detonate. But Lin Fan was faster! A finger pointed at his glabella, a powerful Divine Sense brutally invading, plundering his memories!

"Ah!" Yin the Nine Hells let out a final scream, his gaze rapidly scattering.

A few breaths later, Lin Fan withdrew his finger, his brow tightly furrowed.

The memories were very fuzzy; the other party had clearly been placed under a Restriction. He only saw a few fragments: a figure shrouded in black robes, with a hoarse, low voice, contacting Yin the Nine Hells through a special channel before entering the Secret Realm. This figure promised a heavy reward, ordering him to eliminate Lin Fan at any cost within the Remnant Realm, and mentioned that upon success, he could recommend him to join an organization called the 'Nether Pavilion'.

The Nether Pavilion? Not the Shadow Hall, and not Great Elder Lin Fan directly involved. But anyone who could collude with an Evil Path sect like the Mysterious Yin Sect and infiltrate the grand assembly was certainly no benevolent force.

"It seems quite a few people want me dead," Lin Fan thought, a cold light flickering in his eyes. He swiftly looted the battlefield, taking any valuable items from the four bodies, especially a black token engraved with the character ' quiet' (Nether) from Yin the Nine Hells.

Afterwards, he quickly left this troublesome place. The commotion from the recent battle was significant and might attract other Prodigies or Remnant Realm creatures.

He headed in the direction marked on the map as the 'Ancient Stele Forest'. According to the Jade Slip's information, that was the most likely location for 'inheritance star stele'. Perhaps he could also check in there.

Traveling swiftly for roughly half an hour, the scenery ahead changed. The desolate, shattered land gradually gave way to a 'forest' composed of countless gray steles of varying sizes and shapes. The steles stood erect or lay fallen, mostly incomplete, their surfaces carved with indistinct ancient runes, exuding an aura of antiquity and obscurity.

This was the 'Ancient Stele Forest'.

As Lin Fan stepped into the stele forest, he immediately felt an unusual stillness and pressure. The air was thick with more concentrated, yet also more chaotic, Power of the Stars and spatial-temporal fluctuations. The space around many steles exhibited distorted, folded anomalies.

He proceeded cautiously, searching for potentially valuable star steles while remaining vigilant against any hidden dangers.

Suddenly, the star pagoda within him transmitted a distinct tremor, as if being drawn towards something.

Following the sensation, he arrived deep within the forest before a dark golden stele half-buried in the soil, only its upper half exposed. This stele was completely different from the surrounding gray ones. Its material seemed neither metal nor jade, its surface flowing with dark golden luster like rippling water. The runes carved upon it were even more complex and profound, faintly forming an incomplete star chart.

And at that moment, the System's prompt tone sounded in his mind:

[Special location detected: Thousand Star Remnant Realm · Ancient Stele Forest Core (Ancient Star Stele Legacy, containing incomplete spatial-temporal Laws)]

[Check-in Level: Five Stars (Rare)]

[Check in?]