Chapter 1157: Crossing the Boat

The hand, reaching out from the raging spacetime turbulence and holding a dim yellow lamp, was steady as a rock. Where the light fell, the destructive energy storm, like a tamed ferocious beast, temporarily subsided. The vague star‑cloaked figure behind the gate exuded an ancient, desolate aura; its gaze fell on Han Wuxian, bearing a detached, timeless indifference and an irresistible authority.

"Come in."

"Or, stay."

The calm voice echoed in the sea of awareness, yet it carried an undeniable power of law, as if the two choices themselves were a heavenly rule.

Han Wuxian's heart hammered wildly, blood roaring through his vessels. Danger! Extreme danger! The being behind the gate possessed power far beyond a Transformation Saint, perhaps even a legendary immortal or higher! It could easily quell the spacetime turbulence, crush and dismiss two Transformation Saints with a flick of a finger, its strength utterly incalculable. Stepping through that door meant life and death were no longer in his own hands.

But stay? Outside the gate were the Sect Master of Tiansha and the Nether Path escort, this death‑silent battlefield brimming with murderous war spirits, and possibly more powerful foes in pursuit at any moment. Staying would also be a dead end, perhaps even worse than death.

In the flash of lightning, Han Wuxian made his decision.

Rather than remain in a hopeless place to be torn apart, he chose to plunge into unknown danger for survival! At least, the being behind the gate seemed to take an interest in the Star‑Roving Torch, perhaps offering a sliver of hope!

He drew a deep breath, suppressing all fear and hesitation, and faced the figure behind the bronze massive gate, slowly bowing his hands. His voice, hoarse from exertion, still held unbending resolve: "Junior, I wish to enter."

The moment his words fell, the hand holding the lamp twitched slightly.

Buzz!

The bronze gate, which had only opened a narrow slit, suddenly emitted an irresistible yet exceedingly gentle pulling force—not a rough yank, but more like a spatial "reception."

Han Wuxian relaxed his body's resistance, allowing the force to envelop him.

The scene before his eyes instantly blurred, twisted, and shifted! It felt as if he traversed the endless Time River, yet it seemed only a fleeting instant.

When his sight returned, he found himself in a completely different place.

No longer the death‑silent ancient battlefield, nor the raging spacetime turbulence.

He stood within an immensely wide yet empty ancient stone corridor. On either side rose towering, mirror‑smooth black walls; at regular intervals were set simple bronze lamps, their flames a dim yellow like the one the star‑cloaked figure held, bathing the long passage in a hushed, amber glow as if it had always been so.

The spiritual aura in the air was so dense it seemed liquid, yet it was none of the external elemental types; it was an extremely ancient, pure unknown energy tinged with faint starlight and the quieting resonance of all things. It bore a seventy‑to‑eighty percent similarity to the Sword Essence of Return that dwelled within him, and here it flowed like water for a fish, even autonomously absorbing energy to swiftly mend his wounds!

What startled him even more was that the temporal and spatial laws here were stabilized to an unimaginable degree! He felt his Transformation Saint cultivation here was as insignificant as a stream in an ocean. Not to mention tearing space; even flying felt extremely arduous, as if invisible shackles suppressed everything.

This… is the world behind the gate? The interior of the Star Tomb?

"Follow me." The calm voice sounded ahead.

Han Wuxian looked up and saw the star‑cloaked figure had, at some point, appeared not far ahead, back turned to him, strolling slowly forward. He still could not discern the figure's exact features, only a vague, upright silhouette and the hand bearing the dim yellow lamp. That lamp's light was the sole source and guide in this amber world.

He dared not ask further, silently following. Their footsteps echoed through the vast, empty stone corridor, sounding especially clear and lonely.

After an indeterminate amount of time—perhaps a moment, perhaps years—the star‑cloaked figure ahead finally halted.

The stone corridor ended. Before him stretched an endless, dark void. Within the void floated countless massive, mountain‑like… coffins!

These coffins varied in material—bronze, black stone, jade, even some carved directly from fragments of stars! They hovered silently in the darkness like sleeping stars, exuding vast auras that were bleak, heroic, majestic, or death‑silent. Each coffin seemed to entomb a once‑earth‑shaking great being!

Here lies the true Star Tomb! The final resting place that buries stars, deities, demons, and countless epochal masters!

Han Wuxian was overwhelmed by the sight, his spirit roiled, barely able to stay composed.

The star‑cloaked figure stood silently at the edge of the void, gazing at the endless coffins. After a moment of silence, it spoke slowly, its voice still calm yet tinged with an indescribable melancholy:

"The Star‑Roving Torch you carry belonged to your old friend Yan Xi. She… also rests here in peace."

Yan Xi? The Torch's master's name?

Han Wuxian's heart trembled violently as he looked toward the endless sea of coffins.

The star‑cloaked figure did not specify which coffin was Yan Xi's, but continued: "That you have obtained her inheritance and brought the Torch here is fate. This place is the All Realms' realm of Return to Silence, the tip of the law, not a place for the living to linger long."

He slowly turned, and the vague visage seemed to glance at Han Wuxian, and also at the now‑calm Star‑Roving Torch in his hands.

"The 'Crossing the Boat' of the Nether Path has sensed the disturbance here and is on its way. They have coveted the Star Tomb's power for ages; your bearing of Yan Xi's Torch makes you their primary target."

Han Wuxian felt a chill; indeed, a stronger presence lay behind the escort.

"Please, senior, guide me!" Han Wuxian said respectfully. Since the other had brought him in and now offered a warning, there must be purpose.

The star‑cloaked figure raised the hand that did not hold a lamp, pointing toward a direction deep within the void. There floated an especially unique coffin, its entire body crafted from a transparent crystal that seemed to seal a miniature stellar river inside, inconspicuous among the many coffins.

"That is the coffin of Void Flow. He commands extreme spatial speed; within the coffin lies a spacetime fissure not yet fully sealed, which can lead outward… perhaps to your origin, perhaps to another realm. It is currently the only path that can let you depart quickly."

Leave? Return to the original world? Or drift into an unknown spacetime?

Han Wuxian looked at the crystal coffin, then at the star‑cloaked figure: "Senior, why aid me?"

The star‑cloaked figure was silent for a moment, then its voice remained detached: "It is not to help you. I merely do not wish to see a dear friend's inheritance severed easily, nor allow the Nether Path to stain the Star Tomb. Decide quickly; the 'Crossing the Boat' is imminent."