Chapter 1063: with translation of chapter title

That soul‑rending wail emanating from the Star Hub fragments, like an icy steel needle, viciously pierced Han Wuxian's just‑stabilized sea of consciousness, tempered by Earth Vein Power! The intense pain was not from physical injury but from a deeper, more primal link being forcibly torn and trampled, causing a resonant agony!

"Xiao Ran!!!"

His crimson‑gold eyes instantly blazed with violent fury; Han Wuxian let out a low, earth‑vein‑like roar from his throat. He snapped his head down, locking his gaze onto the largest fissure below, where earth fire surged like the depths of a furnace!

At the center point where the destructive blast's energy had not yet fully dissipated, three shadowy figures were re‑condensing and stabilizing at a speed far beyond normal. Their star‑light armor had dimmed considerably, even showing fine cracks, and the icy sense of order surrounding them was thrown into some disarray by the blast, revealing panic and alarm.

The leader clutched a corpse tightly in his hand!

That was Xiao Ran!

But Xiao Ran's body now resembled a ragdoll repeatedly battered by countless forces. His clothes were in tatters, his bare skin criss‑crossed with intersecting cracks, as if it could shatter at any moment. Most shocking was the huge hollow in his chest, its edges stained with a mix of scorched black and frost— the epicenter of the destructive blast!

His vital breath had waned to the extreme, nearly extinguished, leaving only a faint thread of true‑spirit fire, forcibly locked by some dark star‑light, flickering at the edge of the hollow like a candle in a gale, ready to be snuffed out by the seal's power that had pierced his marrow. The small gray pouch at his waist had long since vanished.

"Target's vital signs are critical, on the verge of collapse! Core fragment energy response…… completely gone! Likely self‑destructed and annihilated!" A Star Hub guard swiftly scanned Xiao Ran's shattered body, his voice filled with incredulous shock and a hint of mission‑failure regret, "We've only captured the dying husk!"

"Trash!" the lead Star Hub guard's voice was ice‑cold and piercing as he fixed his stare on the terrifying hollow and wavering true spirit in Xiao Ran's chest, eyes flashing with annoyance and a hint of greed, "Detonating the fragments? What a ruthless move! Though the fragments are destroyed, this corpse…… this very body capable of carrying Star Hub fragments and unleashing such destructive power is the greatest anomaly! Take it back to the Star Calamity Abyss; even if only a wisp of remnant soul remains, we will wring out every secret!"

He snapped his head up, his deep gaze piercing the murky seawater and chaotic energy currents, precisely locking onto Han Wuxian hovering above the ruins, his whole body exuding mighty Earth Vein power and seething killing intent!

"Huh? Earth Vein aura? And…… stellar remnants? A strange fusion……" A flicker of doubt crossed the lead Star Hub guard's eyes, then was replaced by icy killing intent: "Insignificant insects, having witnessed everything, you shall be slain! Take the target's corpse!"

As his words fell, he poured dark star‑light from his hand into Xiao Ran's corpse, forcibly stabilizing the fading true spirit, then tossed it like cargo to the person behind him: "Seal it! Retreat now!"

The other two Star Hub guards reacted instantly. One produced a black jade box covered in stellar sigils, sucking Xiao Ran's shattered body inside in an instant; the box's surface flowed with dark light, forming layer upon layer of seals. The other formed hand seals, releasing a more condensed dark star‑light brimming with binding and annihilation aura, like a venomous snake seeking prey, it tore through the water and shot toward Han Wuxian!

Meanwhile, the black vortex that had just stabilized behind them spun up again, emitting a strong suction, clearly meant to cover their retreat!

"Put him down!!!"

Watching Xiao Ran be sealed into the jade box like a dead object, and feeling the soul‑wail from the utter annihilation of the Star Hub fragments, Han Wuxian's anger and killing intent surged past the barrier of reason in an instant! It was not only the rage at losing a companion, but also the resonance and roar sparked by the fragments' lament, originating from the newly born Stellar Vein within his body!

The "Earthfiend" heavy sword burst forth with an unprecedented roar! The dark‑gold Dao patterns and crimson‑gold edge along its blade seemed to come alive, frantically drawing in the surrounding violent Earth Vein qi and residual stellar destructive energy! Han Wuxian held nothing back, letting his newborn power explode fully!

He no longer tried to neutralize it; instead, he commanded it!

"Open…… for me!!!"

Accompanied by a roar that shook the ocean trench, Han Wuxian gripped his sword with both hands and, facing the lethal dark star‑light, hewed down fiercely!

This time it was not a rippling wave but a blade‑aura condensed to the extreme, imbued with the earth's heaviness, the stars' ferocity, and the earth‑fire's heat—a dark‑gold‑crimson sword‑aura that split chaos like a giant axe and cleaved forth with a thunderous boom!

Where the sword‑aura passed, space seemed forcibly twisted and torn! The violent Earth Vein qi was wrapped by the aura, forming a roaring Earth Vein dragon! The surging earth fire below was drawn upward, several scorching lava fire pillars shooting into the sky and merging into the aura! Even the lingering, not‑yet‑fully‑dissipated chaotic destructive energy from the Star Hub fragments' self‑detonation was forcibly absorbed and assimilated by that domineering strike!

Boom——!!!!

The dark‑gold‑crimson sword‑aura and the dark star‑light venomous snake collided fiercely!

No stalemate, only swift annihilation!

The dark star‑light venomous snake, like a fragile icicle striking a reef, shattered inch by inch in an instant! The sword‑aura's momentum did not wane, carrying destructive power straight at the three Star Hub guards maintaining the vortex and preparing to retreat!

"What?!" the lead Star Hub guard's pupils contracted, his face showing shock for the first time! This furious strike fusing Earth Vein, stellar, and earth fire far exceeded his expectations! He had no time to think, crossing his arms before his chest, a dark shield woven from countless tiny stellar sigils sprang up instantly!

Clang!!

A deafening metallic clang exploded in the water! The terrifying shockwave spread in a ring, utterly shattering the already tottering broken walls and ruins into dust!

Crack... crack!

The dark light shield barely held for a moment before spider‑web cracks spread across it! The lead Star Hub guard grunted, a trickle of star‑tinged blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, the immense force hurling him backward to slam hard into the black vortex behind him, causing the vortex to shudder violently!

The other two Star Hub guards were in even worse shape, caught by the dispersing sword‑qi ripple; the cracks on their star‑light armor instantly widened, their breath fell into disarray, and the one holding the jade box that sealed Xiao Ran's corpse nearly lost his grip!

"Retreat!" the lead Star Hub guard shouted, suppressing his surging qi and blood. He knew they couldn't linger; this sudden foe who wielded the strange Earth‑Vein‑Stellar power was too troublesome, the mission objective already in hand—further entanglement would only invite more variables!