75: Rest and contemplation, undercurrents surge again.

The star evil astral wind, like a raging silver Dragon, swept through the Ancient Stele Forest for a full half an hour before gradually subsiding and moving to other areas.

Lin Fan's hiding place was a naturally formed rock cave, with a narrow and concealed entrance, but a spacious and dry interior. He had sealed the entrance with several large rocks and a simple concealment Formation, blocking most of the storm's aftermath and any probes.

Only after confirming that the external storm had passed and it was safe, did he let out a sigh of relief, sit down cross-legged, and check his condition.

Having endured a blow from the Young Master of You Pavilion's Ghost Soul Dharma Manifestation, and then forcefully casting the still imperfect Star Realm Seal and Star Vortex Finger, although he successfully repelled the opponent, he also suffered serious internal injuries. Many of his Meridians were damaged, his Qi and blood churned, and forcefully activating the power of space-time also put a certain burden on his Divine Soul.

"That Young Master of You Pavilion's strength is indeed superior to Yin the Nine Hells, and his Cultivation Technique is even more bizarre." Lin Fan took a few Medicinal Pills for healing, activated his Eternal Indestructible Body and star pagoda, and slowly began to repair his injuries. "The Ghost Soul Dharma Manifestation's attack contained Divine Soul erosion. If I hadn't just undergone the dao rhyme baptism of the star mark stele, strengthening and solidifying my Divine Soul, and with the star pagoda guarding it, I would have suffered greatly."

While healing, he reviewed the recent battle.

"The defensive effect of the Star Realm Seal is good, but the consumption is too great, and it requires extremely high control over the power of space-time. A slight deviation can lead to a backlash. The Star Vortex Finger has stronger penetrative power, but it takes a bit longer to condense, and might be dodged by speed-type opponents." Lin Fan carefully pondered the gains and losses. "It still needs to be perfected. Especially the application of space-time power, it cannot just remain at imitating boundary runes and crude activation; a deeper understanding and control are needed."

He took out the black 'You' character token obtained from Yin the Nine Hells, as well as a Storage Ring he had secretly snatched with clever force when the Young Master of You Pavilion retreated. At that time, the star evil astral wind was approaching, and the opponent, flustered, actually didn't notice.

First, he examined the token. The token was neither gold nor wood, cold to the touch, with an ancient 'You' character on the front and complex cloud patterns on the back. When Spirit Power was injected, the token warmed slightly, but there was no other reaction. Lin Fan tried to probe it with his Divine Sense, but was blocked by a powerful Restriction, and a forced impact would likely trigger self-destruction.

"The Restriction technique is brilliant, beyond my current ability to break." Lin Fan put away the token; this item might be a clue for investigating the Nether Pavilion in the future.

Next, he erased the residual Divine Sense imprint on the Storage Ring. The ring's owner had already fled with the Young Master of You Pavilion, and the imprint, being masterless, was quickly dispersed by Lin Fan's powerful Divine Sense.

The ring's space was not large, only a few cubic meters, and there wasn't much inside: over a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a few bottles of common healing and recovery Medicinal Pills, some dried food and water, two sets of black robes for changing, a black token similar to Yin the Nine Hells', and a Jade Slip recording a simple map and a few lines of text.

Lin Fan picked up the Jade Slip and immersed his Divine Sense into it.

The Jade Slip contained some information about the 'Ancient Stele Forest' in the Thousand Star Remnant Realm from the Nether Pavilion, much more detailed than the simplified map distributed at the assembly. It clearly marked the location and characteristics of the star mark stele, and also mentioned three other possible Legacy star steles, located in the other three directions of the Ancient Stele Forest, marked as 'suspected, dangerous'.

In addition, the end of the Jade Slip also recorded a coded instruction: "Follow the map to find the 'star mark stele', 'void shattering stele', and 'soul suppressing stele'. Attempt to activate them with the Ethereal Soul Lure. If a Legacy is obtained, report immediately. If Lin Fan of the Lin Family is encountered, kill without mercy, prioritizing the seizure of his personal belongings, especially suspected star-type treasures."

At the end of the instruction, there was a small blood-colored skull imprint.

"As expected, they're after me." Lin Fan's eyes turned cold. "'Ethereal Soul Lure'—it seems the Nether Pavilion has long coveted the star stele Legacy here, and may even possess some special activation method. Their obsession with me isn't just because of Great Elder or the Huangfu Family's commission; it's probably also related to the star pagoda or the Eternal Indestructible Body."

He memorized the contents of the Jade Slip, especially the locations of the three suspected Legacy star steles. This was valuable information for him.

"I've already gained an Opportunity from the star mark stele. As for the other two, the void shattering stele and the soul suppressing stele, I can find an Opportunity to check them out." Lin Fan mused, "However, since the Nether Pavilion knows about them, they will certainly send people there, so I need to be careful."

Putting away the ring, Lin Fan began to focus on healing his injuries. The Star Power here was rich; although violent, after being converted by the star pagoda, it became excellent healing energy. Coupled with Medicinal Pills and the Eternal Indestructible Body's self-healing ability, his injuries recovered very quickly.

Half a day later, his internal injuries were mostly healed. Lin Fan didn't rush to leave, but instead took out a "Star Origin Crystal (Small)".

The crystal was only thumb-sized, a perfect polyhedron, clear and translucent throughout, as if a miniature starry sky was sealed within, with starlight flowing, beautiful and enchanting. As soon as it was taken out, the surrounding Star Power spontaneously gathered, and the light in the cave brightened by several degrees.

"Let's test the effect." Lin Fan held the crystal in his palm and circulated his Cultivation Technique.

Pure and vast Star Origin Power, like warm spring water, surged into his body through the Laogong acupoint in his palm! This power was a hundred times purer and gentler than the violent external Star Power, and it was directly the most fundamental Star dao rhyme. It almost didn't require refining and quickly integrated into his limbs and bones, nourishing his Physical Body, tempering his Meridians, strengthening his Spirit Power, and even a trace of it merged into his Divine Soul, enhancing his comprehension of the Star Law.

Lin Fan's aura steadily improved at a visible rate. The exhaustion from the previous battle was quickly replenished, and his cultivation continuously approached the limit of the Condensing Spirit Realm Great Perfection. The barrier to the Divine Power Realm became clearer and clearer. The star pagoda in his Dantian even vibrated slightly, its body glowing, absorbing and storing the excess Origin Power, and gaining a subtle growth itself.

A small crystal allowed Lin Fan to Cultivate for two hours before being completely absorbed.

"Good stuff!" Lin Fan opened his eyes, looking refreshed. The effect of this one crystal was comparable to half a month of arduous Cultivation outside! And it had no side effects, and even improved his Foundation.

He didn't use a second one. This item was precious and would be saved for critical moments or Breakthroughs.

With his injuries healed and cultivation refined, Lin Fan began to organize the gains from his trip to the Ancient Stele Forest.

First was the fundamental improvement brought by the star stele dao rhyme baptism, deepening his comprehension of stars and space-time. Second was the nascent form of the newly created Star Realm Seal and Star Vortex Finger, which, though imperfect, had immense potential. Third was the intelligence and tokens from the Nether Pavilion. Finally, there were the three Star Origin Crystals and the incomplete space-time star map.

"It's time to continue collecting star core fragments, and also check out the other two suspected Legacy points." Lin Fan stood up and removed the Restriction at the cave entrance.

Outside, the Ancient Stele Forest, having undergone the gale's baptism, appeared even more desolate. Many stone steles had collapsed and shattered, but some previously buried steles had revealed parts of their true forms. The chaotic Star Power in the air seemed to have become even denser.

Lin Fan chose a direction to advance according to the star map's guidance. He didn't use the incomplete star map given by the System, as it had too many red danger points. He planned to use the three Legacy points marked in the Nether Pavilion's Jade Slip as clues, and search for star core fragments along the way.

star core fragments were not difficult to find. They were mostly scattered in areas with rich Star Power or spatial anomalies, emitting unique starlight. Lin Fan could spot them with a sweep of his Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils. Along the way, he had collected more than twenty fragments of various sizes.

During this time, he also encountered some dangers unique to the Remnant Realm, such as suddenly appearing 'Star Beasts' condensed from star energy, resembling lizards or giant rats, with strengths ranging from Condensing Spirit Realm to Divine Power Realm. They had low intelligence but fought fearlessly. There were also hidden spatial rifts and occasional small Star Power turbulences.

These might be fatal threats to ordinary Prodigies, but for Lin Fan, they were merely sparring partners for refining his movement techniques and testing new moves. The Eternal Indestructible Body's defense was astonishing, and Star Power could effectively kill Star Beasts, so he proceeded with thrills but no real danger.

He also encountered other participating Prodigies. Some were wary of each other, passing by quickly; others formed temporary small teams to jointly deal with dangers and share gains. Lin Fan mostly chose to avoid them; he preferred to be alone, and also to avoid revealing too much of his strength.

Half a day later, he approached the area where the 'void shattering stele' was marked on the Nether Pavilion's Jade Slip.

This was already a deeper part of the Ancient Stele Forest, where the stone steles were taller and more ancient, many covered with fine cracks, as if they could crumble at any moment. The spatial fluctuations in the air were unusually intense, and visibility was slightly distorted.

Lin Fan became more cautious, activating his Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils to their fullest, while maintaining his Star Domain within three feet of his body, ready to deal with any sudden situations.

After turning past several huge stele forests, a relatively open depression appeared ahead. In the center of the depression, a peculiar stone stele indeed stood.

The stone stele was three zhang tall, entirely silver-gray, its material resembling both stone and jade, its surface covered with clear cracks, as if cut by a sharp blade. These cracks were not random but subtly formed a profound pattern. Looking closely, it seemed to cut a complete space into countless fragments. The sense of spatial distortion around the stele was the strongest, and one could even see tiny spatial fragments floating, annihilating, and regenerating like dust.

"Is this the 'void shattering stele'?" Lin Fan stopped far away, observing intently. From the residual dao rhyme of the inscriptions, it was indeed related to spatial shattering and cutting, different from the focus of the star mark stele's space-time Legacy.

His heart stirred, and he tried to touch the stone stele with his Divine Sense to comprehend the dao rhyme within.

As soon as his Divine Sense touched the stele, a sharp, fragmented, and cutting intent surged forth! It was as if countless invisible spatial blades were trying to cut his Divine Soul along with his Divine Sense!

Lin Fan quickly cut off the connection, cold sweat seeping from his forehead. This void shattering stele's Legacy was more overbearing and dangerous than the star mark stele's. It directly impacted the comprehender with the dao rhyme of shattered space. If one's will was slightly weaker or their spatial comprehension insufficient, their Divine Soul could be severely injured or even cut apart.

"No wonder the Nether Pavilion marked it 'dangerous'. Without special means or sufficient strength, it is indeed difficult to comprehend." Lin Fan mused. He was not in a hurry and planned to observe the stele first, looking for other discoveries.

Just then, his ears twitched, and the edge of his Star Domain caught extremely faint footsteps and suppressed breathing.

Someone was coming, and not just one group.

Lin Fan's figure flickered, silently merging into the shadow of a nearby broken stone stele, concealing all his aura.

Before long, two groups of people appeared almost simultaneously from different directions at the edge of the depression.

One group was the three Black-robed figures led by the Young Master of You Pavilion, though the Young Master of You Pavilion's face was still somewhat pale, indicating his injuries were not yet healed, and his aura was also weaker than before. The other group was... Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, Huangfu Jue, and two other richly dressed young men and women with impressive auras, who appeared to be disciples from families allied with the Huangfu Family.

The two groups clearly didn't expect to meet here, and the atmosphere instantly became subtle and tense.

"Friends from the Nether Pavilion?" Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's gaze swept over the Young Master of You Pavilion's pale face, a hint of surprise and amusement flashing in his eyes. "It seems Your Excellency's journey here hasn't been very smooth?"

The Young Master of You Pavilion's face darkened. He had intended to try activating the Legacy in front of the void shattering stele with the Ethereal Soul Lure, but instead ran into people from the Huangfu Family. The Huangfu Family was powerful and had no direct conflict with their Nether Pavilion, but they weren't exactly friends either.

"Young Master Huangfu is joking. In the Remnant Realm, how can one speak of 'smoothness'?" The Young Master of You Pavilion responded coldly. "What, is the Huangfu Family also interested in this shattered stone stele?"

"Interest is not the word." Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's gaze turned to the void shattering stele, then swept around. "We're just looking for someone. Someone who doesn't know his place and has disgraced my Huangfu Family."

In the shadows, Lin Fan's heart tightened. As expected, they were after him! Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo actually ran into people from the Nether Pavilion? Was it a coincidence, or... "Oh? Who is it that Young Master Huangfu is so concerned about?" The Young Master of You Pavilion's heart stirred, but his face remained impassive.

"Lin Fan of the Lin Family." Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo said word by word, Killing Intent fully revealed in his eyes. "This person is arrogant and repeatedly humiliated my Huangfu Family, and even injured my third brother before the assembly. This Young Lord has decided to completely resolve this trouble in this Remnant Realm! If friends from the Nether Pavilion see him, please inform us, and my Huangfu Family will surely offer a generous reward."

The Young Master of You Pavilion's eyes flashed with a strange light, then he said indifferently: "So it's the Lin Family Divine Son. Our Nether Pavilion also has some 'grievances' with this person. However, there's no need to search for him."

He paused, his voice lowered, with a hint of cold amusement: "Because, at this moment... he should be nearby."

As his voice fell, he suddenly raised his hand, and a ghostly light shot towards the shadow of the broken stele where Lin Fan was hidden!

"What?!" Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo and the others were startled, immediately becoming vigilant.

In the shadow of the broken stele, Lin Fan cursed inwardly, knowing that he had been detected by some secret art or treasure of the opponent. He no longer hid, his figure darting out of the shadow like lightning, while simultaneously waving his hand to unleash a starlight, dispelling the incoming ghostly light.

"Lin Fan!" Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo was startled at first, then overjoyed. "It really is you! You had a path to Heaven but didn't take it, instead you barged into the gate of Hell! Today, in front of this void shattering stele, will be your burial ground!"

The Young Master of You Pavilion also sneered: "Lin Fan, hand over what you obtained from the star mark stele, and the star treasures on you, and perhaps we can leave you a complete corpse."

The two groups, a total of seven Prodigies, including two in the Divine Power Realm and five at the Peak of the Condensing Spirit Realm, instantly formed a pincer movement, trapping Lin Fan in the center of the depression in front of the void shattering stele!

Killing Intent permeated the air.