Chapter 1101

He felt the small bronze fragment in his hand blazing with light so intense it was like grasping a tiny green sun, its humming like rapid drumbeats; a strong pulling force emanated from it, pointing toward the shattered star gate's direction, more precisely, toward the relatively intact huge doorframe fragment embedded in the soil at the base of that gate.

Just as Han Wuxian's mind was awed by this shattered star gate, he subconsciously stepped closer, wanting to examine the Dao Mark on that huge doorframe fragment more closely.

Suddenly, an anomaly arose!

In his sea of consciousness, the star core fragment that had been relatively calm suddenly burst forth with unprecedented brilliant light; a vast, pure power, seemingly originating from the cosmic source, surged forth!

This power did not nourish Han Wuxian; instead, it was instantly frenziedly absorbed by the violently trembling bronze fragment in his palm.

Hum!!!

The bronze fragment, having absorbed the star core's source power, suddenly broke free of Han Wuxian's control, turning into a cyan-gold meteor that, at a speed beyond perception, fiercely struck the huge doorframe fragment at the base of the shattered star gate—the very fragment it had been pulling toward.

Crack!

A clear sound rang out, as if some ancient seal had been broken!

At the spot where the huge doorframe fragment was struck by the bronze fragment, an extremely intricate miniature formation diagram composed of countless stellar runes suddenly lit up; the diagram flickered for an instant, then dimmed as if all its power had been exhausted.

But just that instant of light was like throwing a huge stone into a dead silent pond.

Boom—rumble!!!

The originally silent, slowly rotating shattered Celestial Star Gate that housed the destroying stellar vortex suddenly erupted with an earth-shaking roar; the huge doorframe violently trembled, countless tiny bronze fragments rustling down; the formerly dim and broken stellar Dao Marks on the doorframe, like dying stars reinfused with energy, began to flicker intermittently with an extremely faint light.

The most terrifying part was that the slowly rotating destroying stellar vortex at the center of the doorframe suddenly surged in speed; the chaotic space storm instantly intensified tenfold; the absolute darkness at its center expanded like a maw, and an irresistible terrifying suction, as if it wanted to devour the whole world, suddenly descended.

"Bad!" Han Wuxian's face drastically changed; he tried to pull back, but it was already too late! The suction's strength far exceeded his imagination, instantly locking onto him! The ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, and his whole body, like a leaf in a gale, was uncontrollably dragged toward that shattered star gate, which loomed like an awakening beast.

The stellar vortex rapidly expanded before his eyes, chaotic space fragments like countless sharp blades cutting his protective star essence; his soul felt as if it would be torn apart and frozen by the endless darkness at its center.

At the critical moment, a flash of ruthless determination crossed Han Wuxian's eyes. He frantically activated the miniature star domain within his body, pouring the little star essence he had just recovered, along with some star core source power, unreservedly into both arms.

"Stellar Expansion·Seal Space!"

His arms crossed before his chest; countless light Dao Marks instantly intertwined, forming a rotating shield made of pure star power—a miniature star chart shield—firmly placed before him! This was a spatial defense means he improvised on the spot by combining the Stellar Expansion True Exegesis with his star core insight.

Sizzle—sizzle—sizzle!

The star chart shield fiercely rubbed against the chaotic space storm, emitting a piercing crack; its light faded at a speed visible to the naked eye! The huge suction continued to pull him, his body inch by inch sliding toward the darkness that devoured everything.

Just as the star chart shield was about to shatter, the instant Han Wuxian half of his body was torn apart by the violent chaotic space turbulence at the edge of the stellar vortex, drenched in blood.

Hum!

The bronze fragment that had triggered all these changes, after illuminating the formation diagram on the huge doorframe fragment, was not devoured by the stellar vortex; instead, as if completing its mission, it turned into a dim cyan light, flew back, and precisely shot toward Han Wuxian.

It did not attack; instead, it ignored the space turbulence, like a weary bird returning to its nest, lightly pressing against Han Wuxian's chest and instantly merging into his body! A weak yet extraordinarily tenacious ancient star power sustained his pulse; simultaneously, an extremely fragmented star chart fragment pointing to a specific coordinate deep within the stellar vortex was directly imprinted onto his sea of consciousness.

"Coordinates?!" Han Wuxian's mind shuddered.

No time to think, the star chart shield completely shattered; the terrifying suction, now unobstructed, violently yanked his whole body into the frenziedly rotating destroying stellar vortex.

Before him lay bizarre, fractured, topsy-turvy space turbulence; his body felt as if torn by countless invisible hands! His consciousness rapidly blurred under the immense spatial pressure and the impact of the chaotic storm.

In the last lingering perception, only the outline of the huge shattered gate rapidly receding behind him, flickering with intermittent starlight, remained, along with a faint yet clear thought-wave transmitted from the star core fragment:

"Guard… protect… coordinates…"

When Han Wuxian regained consciousness, blazing sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and fell on his face. He jerked upright, his bones emitting brittle cracks under the strain, every inch of muscle aching as if crushed by a heavy hammer. His front garments were soaked with dried blood, and the bare skin on his body was covered in fine wounds—marks left by the space turbulence.

"I actually... survived..." he hoarsely whispered, his voice like sandpaper rubbing. Looking around, this was an unfamiliar primeval forest, towering ancient trees, entwined vines, the air thick with spiritual energy almost liquefied. In the distance, a waterfall's roar faintly echoed; farther on the horizon, several snow-capped peaks glittered under the sun with blinding light.

In his sea of consciousness, the star core fragment remained suspended, though its luster had dimmed considerably. The mysterious bronze fragment had fully merged into his body, forming a cyan-gold star pattern on the inner side of his sternum. When he focused his inner vision, he could feel the ancient star power within slowly healing his wounds, while the fragmented star chart imprinted on his soul flickered faintly, like breathing.

"I must first restore my strength..." Han Wuxian struggled to his feet, the Dao Marks on his body surface struggling to circulate, his breath drawn in to the extreme. In this completely unfamiliar environment, a grave injury was tantamount to suicide.

Following the sound of water, he found an ideal shelter in a hidden mountain cliff—a natural cave formed behind the waterfall. The water flowed down like a silver curtain, perfectly concealing the entrance; the interior was dry and spacious, with many stalactites on the stone walls condensed with abundant spiritual energy.

In the days that followed, Han Wuxian lived as if returning to the austere years of his early cultivation. Each day, aside from the necessary breathing exercises to heal his injuries, he devoted all his remaining time to contemplating the Stellar Expansion True Exegesis and the star chart coordinates brought by the bronze fragment.