Chapter 1173: Combined Effort

Buzz! The talisman burns, turning into a gray bubble that envelops him, instantly tearing space, about to flee ten thousand li!

'Sever!'

Han Wuxian will not let him escape; the Source Star Core flares, invoking the surrounding stellar laws, forcibly disrupting the spatial transmission!

Crack! The gray bubble twists, the transmission is broken and deviates, yet it still wraps the gravely wounded gray‑robed man and vanishes, leaving only a venom‑filled howl and a half‑sleeve of gray robe shredded by Space Power.

Han Wuxian does not pursue, his complexion turning slightly pale. The brief clash seemed to give him the upper hand, but it was extremely draining; the opponent's technique is bizarre, and without the Source Star Core's exact counter, the outcome is uncertain. An elite assassin of Eternal Darkness possesses such power, its depth unfathomable.

He folds the half sleeve back, his gaze again turning to the main peak of Star Axis Hall. The battle's ripples here have likely drawn attention.

He no longer hides; his form becomes a brilliant star‑ray, charging straight toward the mountain gate of Star Axis Hall!

Just as he nears the gate, a harsh shout rings out: "Halt, intruder! Star Axis Hall is sealed, no one may… Han Dao Friend?!"

Guarding the gate is a junior brother of Yun Chen, his clothes stained with blood, his face pallid, struggling with a group of disciples to sustain a shattered formation eye. Seeing Han Wuxian arrive, he is first startled, then his expression turns to a mix of surprise and delight.

"Han Dao Friend! You're back! Excellent! Quickly, quickly go to the Star Marrow Sea to aid the Patriarch and the Grand Elder! Strong enemies have invaded, they…" The disciple speaks at a rapid pace, pointing behind the main peak, his tone frantic.

Han Wuxian follows his pointing, seeing toward the Star Marrow Sea, starlight soaring, yet mingled with a dense, impenetrable gray‑dark death‑Silence aura, as if light and darkness are engaged in a final contest there!

He asks no more, nods, his form flickers, instantly swooping past the gate, racing toward the Star Marrow Sea.

What he sees along the way horrifies Han Wuxian. Pavilions and towers lie in ruins, sacred mountains defiled, numerous disciples dead or wounded, clearly a brutal raid. Amid the battle's traces remain the starlight of Star Axis Hall's techniques and the detestable Eternal Darkness Silence Extinction power.

The nearer he gets to the Star Marrow Sea, the greater the pressure. The vast stellar Power intertwines with the filthy Silence Extinction power, forming a massive energy storm; even a casual Nascent Soul Cultivator would likely be unable to approach.

Han Wuxian expands the Return Ruin Sword Domain, a Star‑Patrolling Torch hovering overhead, the Source Star Core in his dantian slowly rotating, absorbing and converting most of the incoming Chaos energy, his speed not waning but increasing!

At last, he breaks through the energy storm and sees the scene of the Star Marrow Sea!

It is a vast silver lake formed from pure star marrow, and above it floats the core of Star Axis Hall—the star seal empowered by successive patriarchs.

At this moment, Tian Shu Zi's beard and hair stand on end, his Dao robe torn, blood spilling from his mouth, hovering beneath the star seal; his hands continuously emit incantations, drawing the seal's and the entire Star Marrow Sea's power, forming brilliant stellar rivers to clash with the three massive gray figures ahead!

Those three gray figures dress like the earlier assassin, yet their aura is several times stronger, unmistakably at the Refinement Void stage! They jointly lay a bizarre gray triangular formation, from which foul, death‑Silence gray mist continuously erupts, corroding the stellar rivers and contaminating the Star Marrow Sea! The silver of the Star Marrow Sea is slowly dimming!

Yun Chen and several Transformation Divine elders fight on the outskirts, struggling against a few Eternal Darkness Transformation Divine assassins; the situation is precarious. Yun Chen's face is ghastly pale, clearly gravely wounded, sustained only by a surge of will.

Tian Shu Zi sees Han Wuxian appear, a flash of brilliance erupts in his eyes, especially upon sensing the power on Han Wuxian that differs from before, bearing a vast stellar source aura, prompting a hint of surprise and complexity.

"Han Xiao You! Help me purify the Star Marrow, expel the Eternal Darkness foul aura! The star seal must not be compromised!" Tian Shu Zi's voice directly enters Han Wuxian's sea of perception, tinged with urgency and trust.

The three Refinement Void leaders of Eternal Darkness also notice Han Wuxian, and upon sensing his Source Star Core and Star‑Patrolling Torch aura, their eyes simultaneously blaze with murderous intent and… greed!

"Source Star Core!"

"Star‑Patrolling Torch!"

"Kill him! Retrieve the sacred relic!"

One leader immediately extends a hand, a palm strike through the air toward Han Wuxian! A massive gray giant palm, composed of pure Silence Extinction death aura, blankets the sky, crushing down fiercely!

The might of Refinement Void far surpasses Transformation Divine!

Han Wuxian suddenly feels as if heaven collapses and earth caves in, space around him solidifies, Silence Extinction death aura rages in, devouring!

Yet there is no fear in his eyes; instead, his battle spirit boils!

"Good, you came!"

He lets out a long howl, the Source Star Core drives at full power, the Star‑Patrolling Torch blazes brilliantly! The Return Ruin Sword Essence operates in an unprecedented way, merging the cycles of stellar birth and death with the marvel of spatial folding!

One sword, cutting against the vastness!

A Refinement Void palm, power surging to the heavens! The gray Silence Extinction giant palm has not yet fully descended, yet its terrifying pressure already makes Han Wuxian's bones groan under the strain, the Return Ruin Sword Domain quaking violently, as if about to collapse.

Yet his resolve is steadfast; having faced life and death and inheriting the star monument and Source Core legacy, how could he fear battle?

"Source Star as guide, Star‑Patrolling Torch as torch, Return Ruin… Devour Heaven!"

Han Wuxian lets out a long howl, elevating his state to its peak! The Source Star Core in his dantian spins at an unprecedented speed, erupting a chaotic-colored radiance that instantly floods his meridians, perfectly merging with the Star‑Patrolling Torch seal at his brow and the Return Ruin Sword Essence in his hand!

He no longer regards the Return Ruin Sword Path merely as destruction; he integrates it with the stellar cycle of birth and death and the expansion of spatial folding! A sword thrust out, its tip seemingly forming a tiny rotating chaotic black hole, its edge streaming brilliant starlight, exuding a contradictory aura that both devours all and nurtures new life!

This is not a simple sword technique, but the condensation of his insight into the Great Dao.

Boom!!!

The chaotic sword tip and the Silence Extinction giant palm collide fiercely!

The anticipated earth‑shattering explosion never occurs; the Silence Extinction giant palm, capable of erasing Transformation Divine cultivators, upon touching the chaotic sword tip, is wildly devoured, disintegrated, and transformed by the tiny chaotic black hole as if countless rivers poured into the sea!

The chaotic black hole trembles violently, clearly the Refinement Void's power exceeds its load limit, yet the Source Star Core supplies strong support, forcibly converting the devoured Silence Extinction death aura into the purest stellar Silence Extinction origin; part replenishes Han Wuxian's consumption, and part, through some mysterious link, pours into the boiling Star Marrow Sea below!

"What?!"

The Eternal Darkness Refinement Void leader who struck is astonished, feeling his palm's force like a mud ox entering the sea—failing to crush the opponent, and instead being nullified and even exploited by the opponent's bizarre method! This kid is odd!

The other two Refinement Void leaders also fix their gazes, clearly not expecting Han Wuxian to withstand that palm.

"This one bears a precious treasure, his technique is bizarre, must not be kept! Combine forces and kill him first!" The initial leader shouts fiercely, no longer holding back, signaling his companions to strike together.