Chapter 318: Head Hanging Over the Stars, Power Shakes the Universe!

However, the only problem at present is how to get the star beast to run to the side of Earth.

If the star beast is already dead, that's fine; but if it's still alive, then it's probably a bit troublesome.

Longling's avatar released a few strands of divine power, carefully probing into this star, wanting to see if there were any traces of life remaining.

At the moment of contact, ancient undulations spread out, a strange power surrounded the surroundings, and there was no sense of danger emanating from it.

I don't know if it's my illusion, but I constantly feel that this star before me twitches slightly.

Longling's avatar's eyes burst with green light, like two green jadeites inlaid within, and they had even become the beast‑exclusive animal pupils.

The primordial qi spread out, resonating with this mysterious force, as if there were some special attraction between them, and neither side showed any repulsion.

In the flash of lightning and flint, Longling's avatar felt that this star before him was alive!

Through observation with his divine sense, he could feel a colossal beast slumbering at the center of the star.

There is a living star beast here!

In the dark, Longling's avatar felt that this star beast would not harm him; he tried to communicate, but he didn't know whether it was because the star was too heavy or because the beast slept too deeply—relying solely on divine sense could not establish any communication.

Longling's avatar again infused a bit of primordial power, but the message he wanted to send remained like a stone sunk in the sea, with no response at all.

"It seems we can only think of another way."

Qinghuan, who was meditating and nursing her wounds far outside the forbidden zone, also seemed to sense something; she suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze falling upon the void, filled with deep worry.

"I hope Longling hasn't run into any trouble."

Just as she was worrying, a green light sliced through the dark curtain, and appearing before her was Longling's avatar; seeing this, the stone of worry in Qinghuan's heart finally could be set down.

"Just now there was a strange fluctuation; I thought something had happened to you."

"Everything's fine; I just discovered another exit, and that place is relatively safer."

Longling's avatar also worried that if the star beast were truly successfully awakened by him, should the commotion be too great, letting Qinghuan know would be bad.

Moreover, he now could not be certain whether he could fully communicate with the star beast.

If the star beast in deep sleep were disturbed, what consequences might follow? Therefore, the urgent priority is to first send Qinghuan away from this area, so that he can act without any reservations.

Qinghuan did not doubt Longling's avatar's words, saying, "All right, let's hurry and go."

After all, staying inside the forbidden zone made her feel as if a boulder weighed on her chest; even with the protection of Longling's avatar's spiritual power, she still felt breathless.

The vast, boundless universe is full of mystery.

Only see that in the dark, deep space, two ripples suddenly flashed across, and two slender figures appeared in the void—namely Qinghuan and Longling's avatar walking out of the cosmic forbidden zone.

All around was silent, with no other spiritual power fluctuations; it could be seen as relatively safe.

"The people of the Heaven Sect surely think we perished in the forbidden zone; they probably won't send anyone else to hunt us down."

Qinghuan's lovely eyes were a bit dazed; she seemed unable to believe that she had so easily shaken off the pursuit, even walking out unharmed from the forbidden zone that made everyone's faces change at its mention.

If the news were to spread outward, likely no one would believe it—but it happened to her nonetheless.

Qinghuan gazed at Longling's avatar, her autumn‑water‑cut pupils flickering with a faint light, and she bowed to him.

Longling's avatar hurriedly helped Qinghuan up, saying, "Qinghuan Dao friend, why is this?"

Qinghuan expressed her gratitude: "If it weren't for you, I would probably have already fallen into the hands of the Heaven Sect; this great favor I keep in my heart, and if you ever need my assistance in the future, just speak up—I will certainly not make excuses."

Longling's avatar gave a faint smile, they exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then Qinghuan prepared to take her leave.

Although she was injured, after a brief period of regulating her breath in the forbidden zone, she was no worse for wear; the Heaven Sect also ceased pursuit, and as long as she hid her traces carefully, there would be no problem.

Watching that pale blue spiritual light on the horizon gradually fade away until it vanished from sight, seeing Qinghuan off, Longling's avatar turned his head and stepped once more into the forbidden zone.

One time raw, two times familiar—arriving at the star that is the incarnation of the star beast, Longling had just descended when a sense of familiarity washed over him; this time, with no one else around, he could finally act without any reservations.

Longling's avatar sat cross‑legged, slowly closing his eyes; since divine sense could not communicate with the star beast, he could only resort to another method.

Dream Divine Ability!

This is the first divine ability that Ye Qin once perceived and mastered; it must be familiar, and since the star beast slumbers year‑round, using this ability is most appropriate—by linking to its dream, communication can be achieved.

Qinghuan once said that the star beast's prolonged slumber makes it dislike movement, and it might even sleep until death; imagine, if such a creature were suddenly startled, no one knows what would happen.

Moreover, Longling's avatar lacked confidence in waking the star beast; it would be better to proactively enter its dream.

Misty white vapor continually emanated from Longling's avatar, some of it seeping into the ground below, like a bridge to the dream.

The huge star trembled slightly, as if sensing an external anomaly; but to it, this anomaly was like a tickle—harmless, causing no damage, and even felt somewhat familiar, so it ignored it.

If one carefully observed this star from top to bottom, one would find that the land continually vibrates minutely, that vibration being highly regular, rising and falling unpredictably, as if the star were breathing.

Indeed, that is exactly the case, after all the star is the incarnation of the star beast.

If it were as before, only a moment's effort would suffice to build a bridge and enter the dream, but this time the time taken was extraordinarily long.

Previously, most of Ye Qin's opponents were people; this time, however, he faced a special cosmic lifeform, and the two are naturally incomparable—the star beast's level far exceeds that of ordinary humans.

However, fortunately this is the forbidden zone; no cultivators dare to set foot nearby, not even approach, so Longling's avatar can unleash his divine ability without worry and need not fear danger.

After all, when he unleashes his divine ability, his true body is extremely vulnerable to external attack.

As the white gas continually penetrated deeper underground, who knows how long passed before he finally made contact with that colossal mass.

It is entirely transparent, almost without color, its form immensely huge, with no boundaries, curled up together into a ball, making its limbs indistinguishable.

The star beast's body shimmers with starlight, the Milky Way flows, eternal and enduring, appearing exceedingly grand and magnificent; at this moment its eyes are tightly shut, obviously deep in slumber.

Against its backdrop, that white vapor is as fine as a strand of hair, hardly noticeable, yet it slowly seeps into the star beast's body.

At the same time, on the star's surface, an unknown aura surged around Longling's avatar, and a pitch‑black world suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

"At last we've succeeded!"

Longling's avatar let out a long sigh.

Surveying his surroundings, Longling's avatar's eyes brimmed with curiosity and inquiry; he had not expected that, aside from taking a bit longer, the whole process would go so smoothly, even encountering no obstacles.

"Is this the star beast's dream?"

All around was pitch black, devoid of any color, as if the densest dark matter in the universe had gathered here; looking far, there was no horizon.

"No wonder it's a star beast—even its dream is this vast and special."

Longling's avatar felt wistful while searching for the Star Beast's traces, but then thought, "Where is the Star Beast, after all?"

Looking around, there wasn't even a beast—nothing at all.

Good news: I've entered the Star Beast's dream.

Bad news: I didn't see the Star Beast.

Longling's avatar wryly smiled; when previously using the Dream Divine Ability, with human targets, Longling was always in control, and even in others' dreams Longling could freely shape events as desired.

But the Star Beast's dream was not amenable, so Longling's avatar could only patiently continue searching.

Fortunately there was a faint connection; otherwise, searching aimlessly would be like looking for a needle in the ocean, with no idea when it might be found—perhaps not until the year of the monkey and horse.

In the pitch‑black dream world, a different color finally appeared—it was the center of the world and the master of the dream!

Gazing at the creature before them, Longling's avatar fell into deep thought.

Is this the Star Beast?

Unlike the massive creature Longling had imagined, Longling never expected the Star Beast in the dream to be so tiny!

The creature before them was entirely translucent, glowing with a faint light, its ears somewhat round, its limbs short, looking quite endearing and even cute.

In Qinghuan's description, Longling's avatar had assumed the Star Beast ought to be mighty and imposing, but perhaps due to the dream it differed from its true form.

Sensing a nearby creature, the Star Beast stretched, let out a few murmurs, and slowly opened its eyes.

Those beastly eyes seemed composed of countless stars, each glittering with mysterious radiance; within them one could see the vast starry sky and the universe, like a dazzling illusion that drew anyone in at a glance.

Longling's avatar's mind went blank for a moment, unable to describe those eyes in words, and only after a long while did Longling react.

The Star Beast looked at the person appearing before it, showing curiosity and a hint of familiarity, with no fear—likely because Longling's avatar was the first human it had ever seen.

The Star Beast is immensely powerful but spends most of its life asleep; it's not an exaggeration to say it could possibly sleep from birth to death.

In this life it had never seen another creature, let alone members of its own kind; to suddenly encounter other life and even enter its own dream—how could it not be astonished and curious?

Longling's avatar crouched, slowly extended a hand, and said, "Are you the Star Beast? Will you come with me?"

The Star Beast widened its eyes, tilted its head, not understanding or otherwise; though it meant no harm, it gave no response.

Longling's avatar guessed the Star Beast might not understand its words, so it sent out a thread of divine sense to try to communicate.

Since this was in the Star Beast's dream, this divine sense did not sink like before; soon Longling felt a faint unfamiliar aura returning a response.

That aura was immense, like mountains and seas crushing forward; without the Dream Divine Ability as a bridge, Longling's avatar's divine sense alone could hardly bear such a vast entity.

Even so, the brief impact gave Longling's avatar an unimaginable stabbing pain; fortunately that special aura held no hostile intent, otherwise even Ye Qin's true form might be affected.

A chaotic aura arrived, interspersed with fragmented murmurs that were utterly unintelligible; yet careful sensing revealed it brimming with excitement and affection.

It seemed the Star Beast regarded Longling as a fellow clan member?

Longling's avatar did not know that this Star Beast was in its juvenile stage; Star Beasts commonly live tens of thousands of years, and even juveniles survive for millennia.

Throughout that long life, it had still never encountered another living being.

Longling's avatar was the first being able to communicate with it; despite their different appearances, due to that sense of familiarity the Star Beast still considered it a kin, a trustworthy companion.

That also explains why the Star Beast initially showed no aggression: though its dream‑form is cute, its power is terrifying, let alone its massive true form, which would make even cosmic cultivators pale.

Longling's avatar looked at the round, adorable Star Beast and thought, "Since we're kin, we ought to look out for each other—this place is uncomfortable to sleep in; I'll find you a nicer spot."

Worried the little Star Beast might not understand, Longling also sent that thought via divine sense.

If any other cultivators were in the universe here, they'd be stunned—no one would have imagined such a brazen maneuver!

Even if you gave them more courage, they wouldn't dare abduct a Star Beast—but Longling's avatar did exactly that!

Such an act could be called unprecedented—no one past or present could manage it, especially since just the outer forbidden zone already inspires dread.

Moreover, they lack the Dream Divine Ability needed to bridge communication with the Star Beast.

To be safe, Longling's avatar revealed its true form; accompanied by an ancient dragon's roar, a vast aura surged forward, and in the next instant its frail silhouette was replaced by a massive shadow.

With green light flashing and auspicious clouds swirling, a creature appeared—antlered like a deer, horselike like a camel, rabbit‑eyed—its head and tail nearly indistinguishable.

Its towering dragon horns bore the marks of age and time, exuding immense power and supreme dignity.

Gazing at the Azure Dragon before them, they felt the demonic aura washing over them.

The Star Beast blinked, its expression shifting to excitement and fervor, uttering indistinct chirps that grew ever more affectionate.

Compared to a human form, this demonic shape was clearly more familiar to it, and it would have gladly agreed at once.

"Gu—"

It eagerly came up to Longling's avatar, nodded slowly, and seemed to understand Longling's meaning.

The Star Beast was young and had never encountered anything else; now that Longling's avatar appeared before it, carrying a familiar aura and able to communicate simply, it naturally agreed.

In short, everything was fated from the start—this might be the destiny between Ye Qin and the Star Beast.

Thus the little Star Beast was bewilderedly led away by Ye Qin.

As the white gas dissipated, Longling's avatar snapped open its eyes, a fleeting green light flashing across its azure pupils.

"Moo—"

The next second, the ground beneath trembled strongly, and a strange sound echoed from the void, as if some ancient creature were awakening.

The powerful surge kept spreading, affecting even the tiny stars and meteorites around, making them tremble; some turned to dust and vanished in the void, showing the might of this force.

Before the huge star, Longling's avatar was like an ant; despite the tremendous power and magnetic field, it suffered no effect, as if bound by something.

"Indeed, the demon race is too unique—it doesn't exist in cosmic cultivation civilization, yet it resembles the Star Beast!"

Longling's avatar turned into a stream of light and vanished at the horizon, while that star itself began to vibrate violently, chasing after Longling's footsteps and tracing a path across the universe.

If anyone were here, they'd surely be astonished—the power of the forbidden zone is gradually fading!

And within the forbidden zone, the largest star suddenly vanished, shooting off like a meteor toward the distance.

Know that ordinary stars hardly ever move, let alone such a massive entity.

Only some small stars and meteorite fragments remain; without the forbidden zone's power, this place is no different from any other part of the universe—utterly ordinary, save for a lingering aura in the air.

Meanwhile, the outer sect disciples of the Heaven Sect prepared to return and make their report.

I don't know what that female cultivator is thinking, actually stepping into the forbidden zone; it's practically courting death, utterly ridiculous.

Who says otherwise? We still have an intact corpse in our hands; if it were in the forbidden zone, there would likely be nothing left of it by now.

That works too; it saves us some effort, and we can now return to report to Elder Ming.

Just as they were discussing, an ancient aura suddenly spread out; from the depths of the distant universe, an inexplicable fluctuation seemed to emanate, instantly drawing their attention.

Everyone's gaze instantly turned to the distance, a hint of curiosity: 'There seems to be a fluctuation coming from over there; let's go check it out.'

Several people were about to go over when, in the distance, a green light suddenly flashed, brilliant like a meteor; before they could react to what it was, everyone's pupils sharply contracted, their faces turned deathly pale, expressions as if they had seen a ghost, and one disciple stammered.

I, I didn't see wrong, did I?

What the hell is that?!

Not far away, the depths of the universe were deep and mysterious, as if nurturing something, like a void giant beast opening its bloody maw; by the time they reacted, it was already too late.

An enormous star appeared before them, its surrounding terrifying force continuously absorbing nearby stars; yet, in its haste to move on, it didn't have time to adhere and simply crushed them.

Bang bang bang!

Crackling sounds rang out continuously as several stars exploded one after another, like brilliant fireworks leaving a bold streak of ink on the dark curtain.

Tianzong disciples on the spot watched a nearby star explode into countless fragments, with many shards splattering all over them.

Many people's expressions turned dazed; at this moment they did not know that this star was actually a star beast's incarnation.

Although there are countless stars in the universe, each star has a fixed orbit and generally does not move easily.

A star moving so swiftly and erupting with such terrifying pressure is also rare to them, truly astonishing.

The next moment, a tremendous gravitational force burst from within the star, dragging them down into the abyss; Tianzong disciples could feel their Cultivation Level constantly draining.

This is clearly the power of the forbidden zone!

How could this star carry such a terrifying influence, and yet our position is clearly far from the forbidden zone!

Tianzong disciples' minds filled with doubts, but now is obviously not the time to think about them.

Run!

With a loud shout, the others finally came to their senses and fled in disarray.

That green light was an avatar of Longling, and behind him followed the star beast!

Watching those Tianzong disciples fleeing in disarray, Longling's avatar felt immensely satisfied, green light flickering in its eyes as a plan instantly formed.

Tianzong's Signal Tower had such a great impact on Earth; not returning the favor would be impolite, and given the previous pursuit, not giving them something in return seems hard to justify.

Originally heading toward Earth, it instantly shifted to the location of the Tianzong Signal Tower.

……

Tianzong Relocation Office temporary base.

Several disciples returned in a sorry state; seeing their fleeing appearance, Elder Ming and the other staff frowned.

You look so panicked—what kind of conduct is this!

One disciple swallowed, steadied himself, and then replied: 'Elder, please forgive us; we really encountered a sudden situation on the road——'

Elder Ming had no patience for their excuses, quickly interrupting: 'Alright, how did that female cultivator fare?'

That female cultivator and her companion, because of our pursuit, panicked and strayed into the forbidden zone; they likely have perished by now.

Elder Ming nodded, showing satisfaction: 'Those who enter the forbidden zone never end well; this saves us the effort.'

Right, you said earlier you encountered a sudden situation on the road—what was it?

As we were returning, we suddenly encountered a rapidly flying star; that star is really strange.

The disciple was speaking when suddenly a few people beside him widened their eyes, their gazes falling into the void, expressions mixed with surprise and shock.

Senior Brother, the strange star you mentioned—could it be that one?

That disciple jerked his head around as if struck, his whole body beginning to tremble, and he shouted hoarsely: 'How is it still following us!'

The other disciples were clueless, still unaware why a few of them showed such fearful expressions.

(End of chapter)