Chapter 1140: Subduing the Star

The Black Wind Ascetic's roar was like a solid ice spear, hammering the hearts of every villager in Stone Forest Village. The terrifying pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage, mixed with dense blood‑devouring evil qi, was like a heavy lead cloud bearing down, making low‑level or even non‑cultivators gasp for breath, turn pallid, and nearly collapse to the ground. Children's cries were choked in their throats, leaving only desperate whimpers.

Village Chief Zhao's face turned ashen, his hand gripping the hunting knife trembling violently, and his gaze at Han Wuxian was filled with a final, almost collapsing plea.

Han Wuxian slowly rose to his feet. Within his body, the Star Torch Stone that had just merged above his dantian emitted a warm, steady teal‑gray aura. The aura, like a master weaver, delicately linked the pure, tranquil stellar primordial power to the cracked, wildly untamed Returning to Void Sword Essence below.

The excruciating pain remained; the clash between Returning to Void Power and the world's laws had not been eliminated, but the deadly sense of disintegration was greatly eased. A faint yet genuine sense of power was slowly budding from the Sword Essence temporarily "sewn" together by stellar energy. The lamp‑shaped mark on his forehead warmed slightly, resonating with the Star Torch Stone and the bronze fragment in his chest, conveying an ancient will of protection.

He stepped out of the woodshed, his figure appearing in the village clearing. His ash‑gray skin glimmered with an odd sheen in the dim light, and in his deep eyes a speck of cyan‑blue star fire had replaced the previous absolute cold.

In the sky, the Black Wind Ascetic stood upon a rolling black cloud, surrounded by visibly filthy blood qi. He was gaunt as a skeleton, cloaked in a bizarre black robe woven from countless struggling, tormented human faces, and held a white‑bone banner whose surface echoed with wailing spirits. Upon seeing Han Wuxian appear, his gray‑green pupils snapped shut, greed and murderous intent nearly spilling over.

"Is that you? Killing Wang Mazi, seizing the Star‑Falling Relic?" the Black Wind Ascetic's voice was sharp. "Hand over the treasure, abandon your cultivation, and I might spare your whole body, turning this village into the main soul banner!"

Han Wuxian said nothing. In response, he slowly raised his right hand. From his fingertips a wisp of ash‑gray air curled silently, the Silence Extinction aura causing the surrounding light to warp slightly.

"Seeking death!" the Black Wind Ascetic cackled, swinging his white‑bone banner forcefully.

"Ten‑Thousand Souls Devour the Heart!"

Wua!

A horribly piercing ghostly howl erupted instantly! Countless twisted, tormented spirits surged from the white‑bone banner, forming a sky‑blotting black torrent that bore chilling cold that froze souls and death‑energy that corroded life, sweeping toward Han Wuxian in an overwhelming surge! Wherever it passed, vegetation withered instantly and the ground crusted with black ice!

The villagers let out desperate cries, closing their eyes and awaiting death.

Han Wuxian's gaze remained unchanged. Facing this Ten‑Thousand Soul assault that would make ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators flustered, he simply lifted his finger and gave a gentle forward point.

The ash‑gray Returning to Void Power wisp at his fingertip suddenly spiraled, forming a miniature, all‑devouring vortex! At the vortex's core, a speck of cyan‑blue star fire flared up instantly.

The surging spirit torrent, the moment it touched the ash‑gray vortex, seemed to encounter the universe's Returning to Void terminus! The leading spirits didn't even have time to scream before they vanished silently, turning into primordial void energy! The trailing spirits howled in terror, but were forcibly pulled, shredded, and devoured by the vortex's dreadful suction.

The ash‑gray vortex was like a bottomless abyss, ravenously devouring the Ten‑Thousand Soul death qi! At its center, the cyan‑blue star fire leapt, continuously purifying the ingested filthy death qi and converting it into pure stellar power, which fed back into Han Wuxian's body, nurturing the Star Torch Stone and the Returning to Void Sword Essence!

Fight to fuel the fight! Returning to Void devours, star fire purifies!

"What?!" the Black Wind Ascetic's snarling grin froze instantly, turning to horror! He felt the soul power within the white‑bone banner raging out of control! That ash‑gray vortex seemed to be the natural nemesis of his demonic technique!

"Perverse path! Behold my filthy blood demon!" He snapped his tongue, spitting a gush of refined blood onto the black banner! The faces on the banner suddenly became clear and savage; what erupted was no longer spirits but a viscous, dark‑red blood demon exuding overwhelming venomous hatred. This blood demon was exceedingly filthy, capable of shattering righteous magical power and corroding the aura of treasures!

The dark‑red blood demon surged like a breached river of blood, carrying a nauseating stench, charging at the ash‑gray vortex in an attempt to contaminate and burst it!

Han Wuxian frowned slightly. The filth of this blood demon far exceeded that of the spirits, its core even bearing a faint trace of the same corruption that taints the Returning to Void realm! The Silence Extinction vortex's devouring speed noticeably slowed, and the cyan‑blue star fire's purification became difficult; a strand of filth seeped back along the energy link, causing his dantian Sword Essence to tremble slightly!

Cannot resist directly!

His thoughts flashed like electricity, and his form suddenly became blurred! The terrifying speed unleashed by the Returning to Void sword body erupted, leaving an afterimage in place while his true body appeared like a phantom behind the Black Wind Ascetic's side.

The bronze fragment in his hand, at some point already clasped in his palm, forced the teal‑gray stellar power to erupt.

"Slash!"

A low shout rang out! Han Wuxian pointed his fingers like a sword, using the bronze fragment as a blade, gathering a gray‑green sword aura that blended Returning to Void Silence Extinction power with stellar purification power, and viciously slashed at the Black Wind Ascetic's vital rear! This strike, at a cunning angle and blistering speed, seized the instant when his old power had just faded and the new power had not yet formed!

The Black Wind Ascetic's hair stood on end! The deadly sense of crisis made him let out a startled cry; the human‑face black robe on his body bulged suddenly, the countless tormented faces emitting sharp wails, forming a thick, twisted black shield!

Snort!

The gray‑green sword aura struck the black shield! Returning to Void power frantically annihilated the shield's evil energy, while stellar purification power burned those twisted faces! The shield quivered violently, emitting a strained moan, and the faces on it blurred and dissipated at a visible rate!

"Ah! My Ten‑Thousand Soul Robe!" the Black Wind Ascetic winced, blood dripping, for this was the protective talisman he had forged for years! Seizing the moment, he spun sharply, spat out a jet‑black, whirling, slick thunder bead of Yin‑Demon energy! This was his trump card, a vile artifact imbued with subterranean Yin‑Demon qi, capable of severely injuring a mid‑Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator once detonated!

"Die for me!" he snarled, hurling the thunder bead toward the nearby Han Wuxian!

At such close range, the thunder bead detonated instantly!

Boom!!!

A terrifying Yin‑Demon shockwave mixed with destructive lightning flash engulfed Han Wuxian in an instant! The black lightning raged, blasting a massive charred crater into the ground!

"Hahaha! No matter how bizarre your tricks, you'll still die beneath my thunder bead!" the Black Wind Ascetic cackled triumphantly.

But the laughter abruptly halted.

The black lightning faded, and at the crater's center Han Wuxian's silhouette slowly rose. He still stood, enveloped by a thin yet unusually resilient teal‑gray light shield! Upon the shield, the phantom of the Star Torch Stone drifted slowly, emitting a warm, powerful protective starlight! The dreadful power of the Yin‑Demon thunder bead was blocked by this shield by ninety percent!