Chapter 1102

When the first wisp of purple qi of dawn pierced the waterfall, Han Wuxian's fingertip-congealed starlight finally stopped flickering. He gazed at the miniature Big Dipper formation diagram hovering three cun above his palm, composed purely of star power, and his eyes flashed with sharp light: "Now I understand!"

The formation diagram suddenly split and recombined, turning into seven interconnected star glyphs — exactly the 'Seven Star Seal' prohibition recorded in the 'Star Derivation True Explanation'. This is a method ten times more exquisite than the star power usage he previously mastered; it can not only seal the enemy's spiritual power circulation, but also temporarily freeze spatial fluctuations within a radius of three zhang!

Inside the cave, the temperature plummeted, and fine ice crystals condensed on the stone walls. Han Wuxian's bare upper body was covered in fine star patterns; those originally chaotic light Dao marks had now evolved into an orderly stellar orbit network. When he circulated the Zhou Tian Star Body Forging Technique, miniature nebula vortices would appear beneath his skin, completely Devour and refine the water spirit qi contained in the waterfall.

Condense!

With a soft shout, the Star-Shard Blade turned into flowing light, spiraling inside the cave; the trail left by the blade was no longer simple starlight, but a star chain formed from countless tiny runes! Each star chain precisely struck the tip of a stalactite, and the stone shards it cut off were ground to powder by the following chains before they even hit the ground. This is the 'Star Chain Nine Slashes', integrating star core insight into swordsmanship; each slash secretly contains the orbital trajectory of the Zhou Tian stars.

When moonlight streamed through the waterfall and cast shifting patches of light on the stone wall, Han Wuxian finally began to attempt to touch the greatest secret brought by that bronze fragment — the incomplete star map.

His divine sense sank into the azure-gold star pattern on his chest, and a vast starry sky instantly unfolded in his consciousness. Unlike ordinary star maps, the vast majority of stars in this map appear in an eerie dark red, as if soaked in foul blood. Only a thin line composed of seven blue-white stars extends from the edge of the scroll inward, ultimately pointing to a blurred nebula‑shaped mark.

This is... some kind of route?" Han Wuxian frowned. As he tried to analyze it using the method from the 'Star Derivation True Explanation', the star core fragment suddenly trembled, injecting a thread of pure star power into the star map. In an instant, the entire scroll came alive! Those dark‑red stars twisted into anguished faces, while the nebula mark transformed into the illusory image of a bronze giant gate — precisely the shattered Celestial Star Gate!

Now I understand..." Han Wuxian snapped his eyes open, cold sweat soaking his back. The route marked on this star map is clearly an escape path from a contaminated star region, and that gate at the end is very likely a passage to this world! The resonance between the bronze fragment and the star gate, the reaction of the star core fragment to the star map... all clues point to a horrifying truth: the 'Nine Abysses Calamity' of thirty thousand years ago may never have truly ended!

In the darkness before dawn, Han Wuxian stood atop the waterfall. After forty‑nine days of arduous cultivation, his internal star essence not only fully recovered but surged to more than three times its former amount. The fusion depth between his star core fragment and his flesh reached a new level, and star radiance naturally flowed with his every gesture. More importantly, he had initially mastered the 'Star Escape' technique granted by the bronze fragment, enabling short‑range stellar translocation.

It's time to leave." He gazed toward the faint cooking smoke visible at the forest's end. Cultivation isn't about secluded study; one must understand this world and find clues to the Starfall Valley and the Tomb Keepers.

Just as he was about to set out, a violent fluctuation of spiritual power suddenly came from afar, accompanied by the howls of demonic beasts and human screams. Han Wuxian's brows furrowed slightly; his form turned into a streak of starlight rushing toward the source. Passing through the dense forest, the sight before him made his pupils contract:

Five cultivators dressed in identical white cloud‑pattern robes were locked in a bitter battle formation, protecting a wounded elder at their center; around them were more than ten crimson‑red wolf‑shaped demonic beasts whose backs bore bone spikes. Three torn‑apart corpses already lay on the ground, their blood staining the brook red.

Most striking was the battlefield's edge, where a boy about fifteen or sixteen years old was driven to desperation by two demonic wolves. The boy clutched a piece of odd bluish‑gray ore that flickered with faint star‑spots in the moonlight — clearly a raw ore containing stellar essence‑gold.

Starfall Valley's mineral resources?" Han Wuxian's eyes narrowed. At the very moment the demonic wolves lunged at the boy, he pointed his fingers together like a sword, and a thread of starlight condensed to the utmost shot forth!

Hiss! Hiss!

The two demonic wolves' skulls exploded simultaneously!

Amid the astonished gazes of everyone, Han Wuxian descended upon starlight from the sky. Without drawing his Star‑Shard Blade, he relied solely on the star chains emanating from his fingertips to annihilate the remaining demonic wolves. When the last wolf fell, the wounded elder suddenly widened his eyes, fixing his stare on the azure‑gold star pattern inadvertently revealed on Han Wuxian's chest.

Star... star pattern?!" the elder's voice trembled, "Could you possibly be... a lineage of the Tomb Keepers?"

Han Wuxian's heart jolted, but he kept his composure: 'Do you recognize this?'

The elder strained to perform a salute: 'I am an steward of the Outer Gate of the Qinglan Sect. This star‑pattern marking... is exactly the same as the 'Star Tomb Guide Sigil' recorded in our sect's ancient texts!' He pointed toward the distant snow‑capped peak, 'Beyond that mountain lies the forbidden zone of Starfall Valley... but for three hundred years, no one has ever found the entrance...'

The boy suddenly knelt, raising the star‑spotted ore high: 'Benefactor! This ore is what I picked up at the valley mouth! I can take you there!'

Han Wuxian took the ore, and the star core fragment immediately transmitted a strong resonance.

Han Wuxian followed the Qinglan Sect members over the snow peak; along the way, the boy named Lin Xiao Shi continually recounted legends about Starfall Valley.

As the village elders said, three hundred years ago Starfall Valley was suddenly shrouded in a layer of starlight; anyone who approached would lose their way and end up inexplicably looping back out." Lin Xiao Shi gripped the star‑spotted ore in his hand, "But a few days ago, I picked up this stone near the valley mouth; it felt as if it had flown out from inside."

Han Wuxian rubbed the ore, and the star core fragment trembled slightly, as if responding to something. He lifted his gaze to the distance; at the summit of the snow peak, a faint layer of stellar light barrier could be vaguely seen, like an upturned glass bowl, enveloping the entire valley.

Stellar Canopy Barrier..." Han Wuxian murmured to himself.

This is the high‑level formation recorded in the 'Star Derivation True Explanation', layable only by a true stellar grandmaster. What shocked him even more was that this barrier is not merely a defensive measure; it is a seal that contains something inside!

Benefactor, the valley mouth is right ahead!" Lin Xiao Shi pointed forward.

Everyone halted their steps. Before them, at the valley mouth, a huge bluish‑gray stone tablet was slanted into the snow, its surface engraved with several large ancient seal characters:

Starfall Forbidden Zone, trespassers die.

The strokes were vigorous and powerful, faintly exuding a lethal aura. Beside the tablet lay several weathered skeletons, their bones covered in fine cracks, as if shattered by some force.

The Qinglan Sect elder's face grew grave: 'For three hundred years, everyone who tried to force their way in has died here.'

Han Wuxian fell silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand, condensing a thread of starlight at his fingertip and lightly tapping it against the tablet.