Chapter 1176

Tian Shuzi placed his hand on his palm and praised: "Good! Young friend, your thinking is thorough! I will now open all relevant ancient texts and secret files of the Star Axis Hall for you to consult! And I will have Yun Chen assist from the side; he has considerable study in astronomy and geography."

In the days that followed, Han Wuxian immersed himself in the hidden archive of the Star Axis Hall. Countless jade‑slip ancient books concerning ancient secrets, stellar motions, and geographic veins were made available to him. With the aid of the Source Star Core, his comprehension and deduction reached an unfathomable level, and the massive information was swiftly absorbed, summarized, and analyzed.

Yun Chen assisted from the side, often left gaping at the bold hypotheses and precise inferences Han Wuxian presented, gaining great benefit.

Ten days later, Han Wuxian closed the final jade slip, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

"How is it?" Tian Shuzi and Yun Chen looked at him expectantly.

Han Wuxian walked to a massive celestial wall star map, his finger pointing to a vast ice plain at the junction of the Northwest and Northern realms.

"According to the ancient star palace scriptures, in the ancient great war three major alien stars shattered the barrier. One fell at Observation Cliff, forming the 'Eye of the Fallen Star'. The other, smaller, is recorded to have a trajectory toward the north, its final landing point possibly…"

His finger pressed heavily on a mark deep within the ice plain.

"Ten Thousand Year Abyss of Dark Ice!"

"There the climate is extremely cold, a barren land rarely trodden, with thin spiritual energy, long considered a wasteland. Yet the scriptures hint that there exists intense stellar radiation residue and spatial distortion. If another 'Eye of the Fallen Star' exists, this place is the most likely!"

Tian Shuzi's expression grew solemn: "Ten Thousand Year Abyss of Dark Ice… indeed a notorious perilous realm within the boundary. If Yong An truly has designs there…"

At that moment, an Elder rushed in, face alarmed: "Master! We have just received the highest priority emergency rescue signal from the Northern realm's Ice Soul Profound Sect! The signal is extremely weak and intermittent, reporting a cataclysm deep in the Dark Ice Abyss, with terrifying black vapors spilling out, Devour living beings, the sect in imminent peril! The signal… abruptly cut off!"

The hall fell into instant dead silence.

Han Wuxian and Tian Shuzi exchanged a glance, each seeing the other's solemnity and resolve.

Yong An… indeed has acted! And with such speed!

"It seems we have no time for gradual preparation," Han Wuxian said, slowly standing, the Return to Xu Jie sword intent circulating around him, the Source Star Core humming faintly in his dantian.

"Yun Chen, immediately tally the personnel, summon the Elders! Activate the fastest starship!" Tian Shuzi ordered decisively, then looked at Han Wuxian, "Young friend, this battle is extraordinarily perilous…"

"A true cultivator needs no words." Han Wuxian cut him off, his gaze turning north as if piercing endless void, seeing the darkness beneath the ice abyss, "Since I, Han, have inherited the Star Palace legacy, this matter is an undeniable duty."

"Yong An seeks to open a passage; I will go meet them again, to see how much Void Refinement they still have to exile!"

He took a step forward, his figure already beyond the great hall, his cold voice echoing:

"Go to Ten Thousand Year Abyss of Dark Ice!"

The Star Axis Hall's fastest drifting cloud starship tore through the clouds, at the cost of burning spiritual veins, boosting speed to the limit, carrying Han Wuxian, Tian Shuzi, Yun Chen, and three slightly wounded Huashen Elders, like a reverse‑flying meteor, straight toward the Northern realm's Ten Thousand Year Abyss of Dark Ice!

Inside the vessel the atmosphere was as heavy as iron. Tian Shuzi closed his eyes to regulate breath, striving to regain strength before arrival. Yun Chen nervously piloted the starship, evading increasingly chaotic spatial fluctuations and the fierce Nine Heavens gale. The three Elders remained silent, quietly polishing their artifacts, preparing for the imminent fierce battle.

Han Wuxian stood alone at the prow, letting the icy gale brush his robes. His divine sense linked with the Source Star Core, he far sensed the northward pulse of a familiar Silence Extinction desolation, a heart‑pounding aura, larger and more ferocious than what he felt in the Star Axis Hall.

"It's just ahead!" Yun Chen's voice was hoarse, pointing forward.

At the far edge of the view, what should have been a snow‑white vast ice plain was now shrouded by an ominous, rolling gray‑black fog! Within the fog, massive ice peaks were seen collapsing, the ground cracking, countless black, twisted, tentacle‑like energies reaching out from the abyss, crazily siphoning the faint geomantic spirit machines beneath the ice, and freezing, corroding, and turning all living things they touched into ash!

The ruins of the Ice Soul Profound Sect were already mostly devoured by that gray‑black fog, leaving only a few shattered ice‑crystal structures standing, in dead silence.

And at the core of the fog lay the bottomless Ten Thousand Year Abyss of Dark Ice! At this moment the Abyss resembled a gigantic mouth that selects victims to devour, spewing a breath of destruction.

"What a potent Silence Extinction star demon! They are forcibly expanding the 'Eye' here!" Tian Shuzi opened his eyes, his expression exceedingly solemn.

"The starship cannot advance further! The space and energy here are too chaotic!" Yun Chen struggled to steady the violently shaking starship.

"Then charge in!" a hot‑tempered Elder roared, brandishing a war axe wrapped in starlight.

"Hold on!" Han Wuxian raised his hand to stop, the light of the Source Star Core's deduction flashing in his pupils, "They have laid a tremendously strong transmutation array at the abyss entrance, merging the extreme cold of the ice abyss with the Silence Extinction star demon to form a domain! Recklessly entering, even Huashen cultivation cannot sustain long before turning into ice statues, eroded by the demonic aura!"

He pointed to several faint nodes within the gray fog: "We must first destroy those seven array eyes to weaken the domain!"

"I'll go!" another Elder proficient in arrays immediately volunteered.

"No, you all together." Tian Shuzi said in a deep voice, "Yun Chen, you take two senior uncles, follow Han's guidance, swiftly destroy the array eyes! Han, my old self and you will storm straight to the core, confront the one in charge inside!"

With the plan set, everyone moved instantly!

Yun Chen piloted the starship, dashing toward an array eye node, the two Elders boldly striking alongside, starlight erupting as they fought the Yong An cultivator guarding the array eye!

Han Wuxian and Tian Shuzi transformed into two swift silhouettes, ignoring the surrounding corrosive demonic aura and cold currents, charging straight to the Abyss entrance! Han's body radiated the Source Star Core's clear light, silently neutralizing and absorbing approaching demonic aura. Tian Shuzi, with a star imprint hovering above his head, remained untouched by any law.

The moment they neared the abyss entrance, a chill far colder than the outside, capable of freezing the spirit, mingled with the Silence Extinction demonic aura that corrodes the primal spirit, surged forward!

"Hmph! The remnants of the Star Axis Hall, indeed have arrived! I've been waiting for a long time!"

A cold, arrogant voice came from below the abyss.

Immediately, several powerful figures rose from the abyss, blocking the entrance. The leader, also clad in a gray robe, wore a featureless mask, but the robe's hem was embroidered with a dark‑gold twisted stellar pattern, his aura clearly at the mid‑stage of Void Refinement! Behind him followed four late‑stage Huashen Yong An cultivators, forming a bizarre battle formation.

"Yong An High Envoy!" Tian Shuzi's pupils narrowed, recognizing the higher rank, "You rampage here, what exactly is your intention!"

"What is the intention?" the Yong An High Envoy chuckled lightly, his voice mocking, "Naturally it is to welcome the descent of the 'Holy Star', bringing eternal tranquility and Silence Extinction to this realm. Tian Shuzi, your Star Axis Hall has occupied the Star Marrow Sea for years, merely pilfering the Holy Star's scattered power; now is the time for the thing to return to its original master! As for you…"

His cold gaze turned to Han Wuxian, bearing a hint of greed and murderous intent: "Surrender the Source Star Core and the Star‑Patrolling Torch, and perhaps you will die more pleasantly."

"Arrogant!" Tian Shuzi shouted angrily, the star imprint flaring brightly, about to strike.

Han Wuxian, however, was even faster!

The moment the Yong An High Envoy's words fell, Han Wuxian had already moved! He uttered no idle words, directly unleashing a killing technique!