Chapter 1082

Han Wuxian slowly opened his eyes amidst the intertwining of intense pain and rebirth.

The dark gold material on his body was no longer a thin layer, but like solidified liquid metal, tightly adhering to every inch of his skin, with star patterns flowing within it, as if the trajectories of the entire starry sky had been engraved upon his flesh and blood. The Bone-Eating Azure toxin inside him, which had just been shattered by the aftermath of the energy explosion, was completely pulverized.

It was not forcibly suppressed, but directly decomposed by the primal power of the stars and the earth into the purest spiritual energy, which then nourished his damaged meridians.

"This power..." he tried moving his fingers; the dark gold material flowed with his will, and even his fingertips could condense a trace of imperceptible, gritty-feeling stardust. His body, which had been on the verge of collapse, now brimmed with an unprecedented sense of fullness, as if each drop of blood slept with a mountain, and each breath could pull the trajectories of the stars.

The tremors deep in the cave had long subsided, but that vast pressure had not truly dissipated; it had merely turned into a barely-there 'gaze', gentle yet inviolable. Han Wuxian knew this was the cave's 'will' confirming his identity.

Star Marrow Ore Vein

He stood up, brushed off the rubble on his body, and glanced around. Having been too focused when he woke, he now noticed the cave's oddity: the azure glows on the rock walls were not chaotic but arranged along some mysterious trajectory, faintly forming a star chart spanning the entire cave, and his position happened to be the dimmest 'lonely star' in that chart.

"These glows... are they 'star marrow ore'?" Han Wuxian approached the wall, reaching out to touch the spots emitting the faint light. A cool, warm sensation came from his fingertips, and a pure stellar power flowed inward along them, merging with the earth vein source power at his core, producing a comfortable hum.

Star marrow ore is the core material for refining high-grade stellar artifacts; even a piece the size of a fingernail is worth a fortune, yet here the cave walls are densely covered with this ore, as if the entire cavern were formed from a star marrow ore vein!

But what concerned him more was the layout of the star chart. He had seen a similar pattern in a fragment of an ancient text. It was the 'Celestial Cycle Slumber Diagram' drawn by the ancient Star Dao Sect, said to be able to draw forth the stellar vein power from deep within the earth and set up a trap that even a Great Vehicle Stage cultivator could not break.

"Could this be a relic of the Star Dao Sect?" Han Wuxian's heart jolted. The Star Dao Sect was an ancient sect that vanished without a trace ten thousand years ago; legend held that they mastered the supreme secret art of 'nurturing stars with the earth, anchoring stars to the earth,' and if he could find their inheritance...

He no longer hesitated, following the star chart's trajectory deeper into the cave. The deeper he went, the brighter the star marrow ore's glow became, and the stellar earth vein power permeating the air grew denser, even beginning to condense into tiny light particles on his skin that merged into the star patterns of the dark gold material.

After walking about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the space ahead suddenly opened up into a circular stone chamber tens of zhang across. In the center stood a stone platform a zhang high, its surface etched with profound runes sharing the same origin as the star patterns on his body; in a depression at the top floated a drop of liquid resembling liquid starry sky, a deep azure, slowly rotating and emanating an aura that made the whole cave resonate.

"This is... the 'star marrow source'?!" Han Wuxian sucked in a cold breath. Star marrow ore is already a supreme treasure, while star marrow source is the essence nurtured over billions of years in the star marrow ore vein; it is said that a single drop can temper a cultivator's flesh into an 'Immortal Stellar Body'.

Just as he approached the platform, that drop of star marrow source suddenly turned into a stream of light, shooting precisely toward his chest—exactly where the dark gold material was thickest and the star patterns most dense, and also where, when first enveloped by the dark gold material, the initial 'mark' that fused with his skin had formed.

Falling Star Cliff

The star marrow source entered his body without any rejection, instead merging like a river flowing into the sea, instantly blending with his core power. Han Wuxian felt a 'buzz' in his mind as countless streams of information surged in like a breached flood: the birth and extinction of stars, the rising and falling of the earth, the secret history of the rise and fall of the Star Dao Sect, the true purpose of the 'Celestial Cycle Slumber Diagram'...

It turned out that the dark gold material on his body was not formed from any heavenly treasure, but was a 'Star-Earth Seed' refined by the last Sect Master of the Star Dao Sect, who fused his own natal star core with earth vein source crystal; it was originally meant to preserve the sect's fire of inheritance upon its destruction. For ten thousand years, the Star-Earth Seed had lain dormant in the deep earth vein of the Falling Star Cliff, until the earth vein source power fluctuation from Han Wuxian's fall awakened it, and it actively merged into his body.

This cave was precisely the Star Dao Sect's 'Sinking Star Secret Realm', the final barrier storing star marrow source and guarding the Star-Earth Seed. That earlier vast pressure was the will of the secret realm's guarding formation, the 'Celestial Cycle Slumber Formation'.

"..." Han Wuxian digested all the information, a hint of coldness flashing in his crimson-gold eyes. The information flow contained not only the inheritance, but also records concerning the Bone-Eating Azure. This toxin was created by the traitor 'Qinglin Lao Guai' who betrayed the Star Dao Sect and caused its downfall, and the present Azure Scale Peak is none other than his descendants.

No wonder they pursue us relentlessly; it's probably not just to kill and seize treasure, but also because the scent of the "Star Earth Seed" awakened in their bloodline a fear and greed toward the Star Dao Sect!

"Since I have inherited this legacy, this debt naturally needs to be settled," Han Wuxian clenched his fist, the Dark Gold Star Pattern on his body suddenly flaring, resonating with the star map surrounding the stone chamber, and the entire Sunken Star Secret Land began to tremble slightly.

Han Wuxian walked to the stone platform, followed the guidance in the data stream, and pressed his palm onto the groove at the top of the platform. In an instant, countless star forces converged from all directions, coalescing in his palm into a short blade about three feet long. The blade was black as night sky, yet speckled with flowing starlight, exactly the Star Dao Sect's basic artifact "Broken Star Blade".

"Everyone, it's time to change the game's rules." Han Wuxian lifted the Broken Star Blade; its tip quivered lightly, emitting a faint sound as if slicing the starry sky.

Han Wuxian turned and walked toward the cave entrance, his steps steady, no longer the previous clumsiness. Dark Gold Material circulated around him, subtly forming a simple yet hefty armor outline; his flesh, tempered by the primal star marrow, allowed him to ignore the gale force of the Falling Star Cliff.

When Han Wuxian stood again at the cave entrance, looking down at the rolling clouds below, a faint shout from a Qinglin Peak disciple came from above the cliff wall.

They indeed hadn't given up yet; they were organizing manpower, preparing to lower ropes to explore.

Han Wuxian's mouth curled into a cold, sharp curve.

Han Wuxian showed no hesitation, leapt—not falling downward but propelled by an intensely refined star force, like a dark‑gold leaf, silently gliding toward the upper cliff wall.

The Broken Star Blade traced a barely perceptible arc in the moonlight; the next instant, a short, sharp scream echoed from above the cliff wall, then fell into Silence.

The wind and snow persisted, but the hunters and prey of the Falling Star Cliff had already swapped roles.