Chapter 264: At All Costs

In an ancient palace deep underground in the mountains, a divine statue with a void face stood at the very top of the great hall.

Below, dozens of believers in uniform attire were kneeling and sitting there, praying silently.

For the core believers of the Worship-Battle Divine Sect, the daily morning, noon, and evening prayers were not just an act of faith, but also an improvement in cultivation.

As they prayed, star light faintly fell from the ancient Star-Battle True God divine statue onto these core believers, and then merged into them.

Allowing the auras of these believers to rise slowly and firmly.

For those with profound cultivation, it was imperceptible.

For those with low cultivation, there was a clear improvement.

In front of the divine statue, there were seven offering positions, but only six jade tablets were enshrined; in front of each jade tablet, there was an empty space, and in front of one jade tablet, a seal stood.

It was exactly the same as the Star Official seal that had appeared earlier.

Crack!

Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out.

The second jade tablet from the left suddenly began to crack, and in the time of just one breath, it crumbled into fragments.

The expressions of the core believers of the Worship-Battle Divine Sect changed slightly, but only slightly.

Clearly, this situation was not uncommon.

They saw it often.

A Star Official had died!

Then, one by one, the core believers looked up toward the daylight outside the underground palace, waiting for that strand of star light to descend.

This was the most important thing.

If a Star Official was gone, they would find another; they came one after another.

But the Star Official seal was where the inheritance of the Worship-Battle Divine Sect lay.

As long as the Star Official seal returned, it was fine.

As one of the four divine palaces of the Worship-Battle Divine Sect, there were originally seven Star Official seals, but after thousands of years of inheritance, there were only six Star Official seals left.

All the core believers, including the Grand Manager of the Zhu Que Palace, were waiting quietly for the return of the Star Official seal.

One hundred breaths.

Half a quarter of an hour.

Until two quarters of an hour had passed, no star light descended.

At this, the Grand Manager of the Zhu Que Palace suddenly panicked.

A Star Official dying was very normal.

In their four divine palaces of the Worship-Battle Divine Sect, it would be a rare thing if a Star Official didn't die every year or two.

But if the Star Official seal was lost.

Even the Lord of the Zhu Que Palace, True Person Zhu Que, would have to bear the blame.

What was even more terrifying was that it would also affect the future strength of the Worship-Battle Divine Sect's Zhu Que Palace.

Without hesitation, the Grand Manager of the Zhu Que Palace used an emergency contact method to inform True Person Zhu Que.

In just half a quarter of an hour, a strand of star light fell from the sky and condensed into a phantom beside the Star-Battle True God.

In an instant, the core believers in the underground palace knelt down.

"We subordinates pay respects to the True Person."

"Which Star Official seal had an accident?" True Person Zhu Que's phantom sat down and looked at the jade tablets and seals in front of him; the fragments of the Shang Xinggong's life-bound jade tablet were still there, and with just one glance, True Person Zhu Que's phantom fluctuated.

"Zhu Wenhai is dead?

How is this possible?

Where was Zhu Wenhai previously?" True Person Zhu Que asked repeatedly.

The Grand Manager of the Zhu Que Palace heard this and said tremblingly, "True Person, our first three Star Officials, including the Second Ghost Mansion Star Official seal that was lost in battle this time, were all personally arranged by the True Person, so this subordinate truly does not know."

The next instant, True Person Zhu Que stroked his forehead with his hand, "It is this seat who is muddled. The Second Ghost Mansion Star Official was previously in..."

Suddenly, True Person Zhu Que's aura sank fiercely, and the atmosphere in the entire underground palace hall instantly dropped to freezing point.

The next instant, True Person Zhu Que's mind sank into his Upper Shang Xinggong, starting to activate the aura of the brand unique to the Second Ghost Mansion Star Official seal.

But no matter how he activated it, this Second Ghost Mansion Star Official seal was like a stone sinking into the sea, without any feedback, without any movement.

It was lost.

It had been controlled by someone!

"This old scoundrel, he killed two Star Officials for me in two months; is there any way he can do things? This time, he even lost the Second Ghost Mansion Star Official seal for me!"

Amidst the angry shout, True Person Zhu Que directly took out the Star-Plucking Token in front of him and immediately sent out a questioning star light message; within a few breaths, a star light message was transmitted back.

【What? Zhu Wenhai is dead?

This is impossible!

Zhu Wenhai was arranged in the Fourth-Tier Guards Huo Yun star domain; he had already subdued the Queen of the Wind Spirit Leopard-Tail clan, had the protection of a clan of elites, his own combat power could even temporarily break through to pseudo-Sixth Tier, and he had the protection of the divine statue.

In the Fourth-Tier Guards Huo Yun star domain, he was an invincible existence.

It is impossible for anyone to be able to kill him.】

True Person Zhu Que looked at this star light transmission, but sneered, and the laughter was exceptionally chilling.

【Chai, do you think I would joke with you about this kind of thing? A Star Official dying is nothing, losing a year or two of collection is nothing, but if the Star Official seal is lost, I won't be done with you.

Now, immediately!

One, immediately send someone to investigate what happened in the Guards Huo Yun star domain.

Two, besides the experts you are going to send into the Guards Huo Yun star domain, I will also send elites to the Guards Huo Yun star domain; arrange it for me immediately, in three and a half days at most, the elites under my command will arrive at your place, and you will send them into the Guards Huo Yun star domain for me.

At all costs, I must get this Star Official seal back.

If you can't get it back, don't blame me for falling out with you!】

In a certain mansion on the Star River Battlefield, an elderly man in brocade robes surnamed Chai looked at the content of the star light transmission, his brows locked, already realizing the seriousness of the matter.

【Don't be impatient, I will immediately start sending people into the Guards Huo Yun star domain to investigate; you just wait for my news, it won't be too late to act after I find out the truth.】

【You had better find out quickly and give me an explanation! You know the importance of the Star Official seal to me.】

【Understood. Within two days, there will definitely be news.】

【Good, I will wait for you for two days.】

After the exchange, the star light on True Person Zhu Que's face changed gloomily; looking at the shattered jade tablet in front of him, he still couldn't feel at ease.

The last time the Worship-Battle Divine Sect's Zhu Que Palace lost a Star Official seal was over forty years ago.

That time, the Sect Master was furious.

He ordered the previous True Person Zhu Que to find it within a time limit.

He didn't find it, and the Sect Master didn't say the consequences.

But the final consequence was that the Star Official seal wasn't found, and the previous True Person Zhu Que also disappeared.

He didn't know if he was dead.

Or if he had been punished and imprisoned by the Sect Master.

But he just disappeared.

After that, it was he, the new True Person Zhu Que, who took office.

The benefits of being True Person Zhu Que didn't need to be mentioned; over these forty-plus years, he had already experienced them, and his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.

He even held great power, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was comparable to an emperor.

But if he lost this Star Official seal, then...

The Sect Master would hold a grand sacrifice to the Star-Battle gods at the beginning of each New Year; at that time, he would summon the twenty-eight constellations of the four-phase star palaces to worship from afar, and at that time, the Sect Master would discover that this Star Official seal was lost.

There were less than two months until New Year's Day.

After the Sect Master discovered it, he would give him at most three months to find it.

So theoretically, he only had five months at most to find this Star Official seal.

Of course, the best situation was to find this lost Star Official seal before New Year's Day.

As long as the Sect Master didn't discover it, this matter hadn't happened.

Otherwise, if the Sect Master knew, even if he found it back, he, this True Person Zhu Que, would probably be finished, and would be transferred to another post.

"How many Fourth-Tier Ninth-Layer elites are there in the palace?" Suddenly, True Person Zhu Que asked.

Hearing the True Person's inquiry, the Grand Manager of the Zhu Que Palace felt as if he had been granted amnesty, and hurriedly kowtowed, "Returning to the True Person, among the core believers cultivating in the palace, there are three Fourth-Tier Ninth-Layer elites, and a total of eight Fourth-Tier late-stage elite believers.

Among the believers training outside the palace, there are twelve Fourth-Tier Ninth-Layer ones, and over seventy Fourth-Tier late-stage elites..."

"Don't use those outside the palace; their loyalty cannot be guaranteed, and their combat power is not good either. Immediately arrange for these eight Fourth-Tier late-stage elites to go to Star River Pass and wait for orders.

Once the order is given, order them to slaughter their way into the Guards Huo Yun star domain.

Even if they have to sacrifice themselves to the True God, they must snatch the Star Official seal back." True Person Zhu Que said.

"I respectfully receive the True Person's decree; this subordinate will arrange it right away."

After the Grand Manager of the Zhu Que Palace left, True Person Zhu Que pondered for a few breaths on the divine throne before turning into star light and dissipating.

The entire Zhu Que underground palace finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In Wind Spirit City of the Guards Huo Yun star domain, Xu Jin, who was cultivating, had a new understanding of the storage capacity within the Star-Battle True God again. Don't look at the fact that most of the star power within the Star-Battle True God had been consumed earlier, leaving only a small portion.

But it was this small remaining portion that still allowed Xu Jin's Middle Shang Xinggong to rise to the Fourth-Tier First-Layer peak in one breath.

Just as Xu Jin intended to use this massive amount of star power to condense another star core and break through to the Fourth-Tier Second-Layer in one breath, he suddenly realized something.

He couldn't break through again!

Gold Star and Brilliant Star, ah.

The rule for challenging Gold Star and Brilliant Star in the Star-Plucking Secret Realm was that every time the cultivation broke through a small realm, the number of challenges would be reset, but it would not be retained.

Xu Jin's cultivation breaking through from the Third-Tier Ninth-Layer peak to the Fourth-Tier Condense Star First-Layer meant that Xu Jin had obtained the qualification to challenge Gold Star and Brilliant Star again.

With Xu Jin's current combat power, he would likely challenge successfully and obtain Gold Star and Brilliant Star.

But if Xu Jin broke through to the Fourth-Tier Second-Layer in one breath, he would miss the challenge opportunity for the Fourth-Tier First-Layer.

He would lose two precious Gold Stars and one Brilliant Star.

Therefore, he couldn't break through.

Although the cultivation of the Middle Shang Xinggong couldn't be improved, the cultivation of Xu Jin's Lower Shang Xinggong could break through and improve.

The next instant, Xu Jin drew the massive amount of star power toward the Lower Shang Xinggong and began to break through the cultivation of the Lower Shang Xinggong.

At the same time, the star core of the Upper Shang Xinggong rotated, slowly absorbing the divine soul power leaking from the divine statue.

Among the various handbooks Xu Jin had obtained from the Star-Plucking Tower branch earlier, there were handbooks recording how to deal with the power within the Star-Battle True God divine statue.

How to absorb it to the maximum.

How not to waste it.

There was research on these aspects.

It could be seen how fierce the Spirit Discipline Shang Xinggong's strike (love) against the Worship-Battle Divine Sect was back then.

Xu Jin had also learned this at this time.

While absorbing, he used star power and divine soul power mixed together to plug the leaks in the Star-Battle True God divine statue.

Striving not to waste a single bit of divine soul power.

With the breakthrough of the Middle Shang Xinggong, Xu Jin already had experience, so the breakthrough of the Lower Shang Xinggong was a matter of course.

However, for the first star pattern of the Lower Shang Xinggong, Xu Jin chose the Great Da Ju Xingwen.

In the handbooks obtained earlier, there were predecessors from the Spirit Discipline Shang Xinggong who studied that engraving more Bright Discipline Star Patterns could slightly enhance the sensing range and ability.

But this was just one person's opinion.

He had only discovered one such record.

Xu Jin intended to wait until he was stable and had determined what star arts his Middle Shang Xinggong and Lower Shang Xinggong's second star cores would engrave, and then come to do a test.

At this time, he would first engrave the Great Da Ju Xingwen with higher certainty.

Of course, the more critical point was that the Great Da Ju Xingwen was faster and he was too familiar with it; the current Xu Jin could engrave it in a few breaths.

The Bright Discipline Star Pattern was relatively more complex.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the second star core of Xu Jin's Lower Shang Xinggong appeared, and his cultivation also broke through to the Fourth-Tier Condense Star First-Layer early stage.

Xu Jin had originally thought that the cultivation of his Lower Shang Xinggong could also reach the Fourth-Tier Condense Star First-Layer peak.

But when the cultivation of the Lower Shang Xinggong reached the Fourth-Tier Condense Star First-Layer late stage, the star power within the Star-Battle True God divine statue was completely exhausted.

The final result was that both of Xu Jin's Middle and Lower Star Palaces broke through to the Fourth Tier at the same time.

Middle Shang Xinggong Fourth-Tier First-Layer peak.

Lower Shang Xinggong Fourth-Tier First-Layer late stage.

And the time taken was only a little over half an hour.

This speed was too fast.

No wonder that Star Official Zhu Wenhai's cultivation was Fifth-Tier peak, no wonder the Wind Spirit Leopard-Tail clan's Fifth-Tier Eighth-Layer experts were one more than the Fire Spirit clan.

The power accumulated by this Star-Battle True God divine statue was truly too terrifying.

If it hadn't been consumed significantly earlier, if all the star power within the Star-Battle True God divine statue had been used by Xu Jin, Xu Jin estimated that his cultivation could have broken through to the Fourth-Tier Third-Layer or even Fourth-Layer in a short time.

But if there was such an opportunity, Xu Jin wouldn't be willing either.

Cultivation could be improved slowly, and it would eventually be improved.

But Gold Star and Brilliant Star, once missed, were missed forever.

After the star power was absorbed, Xu Jin could concentrate fully on dealing with the massive amount of divine soul power within the Star-Battle True God divine statue.

Xu Jin just slowly absorbed it for half an hour, which allowed Xu Jin's divine soul power to break through from the Fourth-Tier Fifth-Layer mid-stage directly to the Fourth-Tier Sixth-Layer mid-stage.

Another divine soul star was added to the Upper Shang Xinggong.

Correspondingly, another Clear Soul Star Pattern was added.

Xu Jin didn't start absorbing immediately, but first spread his divine sense and sensed the remaining divine soul power within the Star-Battle True God divine statue.

There was about seventy percent left.

After thinking about it, Xu Jin started absorbing again.

A quarter of an hour later, another divine soul star was added to Xu Jin's Upper Shang Xinggong, and another Clear Soul Star Pattern was added.

At this point, the number of Clear Soul Star Patterns engraved in Xu Jin's Upper Shang Xinggong had reached an astonishing eighteen.

And they were all Sixth-Tier-plus Clear Soul Star Patterns.

Divine soul cultivation Fourth-Tier Condense Star Seventh-Layer.

And when he had leisure time, he could engrave another Clear Soul Star Pattern on each of the seventh and eighth divine soul stars added to the Upper Shang Xinggong.

By then, the total number of Clear Soul Star Patterns Xu Jin engraved would reach an astonishing twenty.

Plus the Sixth-Tier-plus rank boost.

Xu Jin estimated that if he did nothing and just relied on the passive boost of the Clear Soul Star Patterns, in less than a month, he should be able to raise his divine soul cultivation from the Fourth-Tier Seventh-Layer early stage to the Fourth-Tier Eighth-Layer early stage.

Two or three months later, Xu Jin's divine soul cultivation would inevitably reach the Fourth-Tier Ninth-Layer peak.

And begin to condense the primordial spirit prototype.

This was an inevitably certain thing.

Therefore, Xu Jin didn't intend to absorb the remaining sixty percent of the divine soul power in the Star-Battle divine statue.

Not intending to absorb it didn't mean not utilizing it.

This was an extremely precious thing.

Why had the Grand Master's divine soul cultivation been stuck at the Fourth-Tier Ninth-Layer peak and unable to break through?

One of the fundamental reasons was that every time divine soul power broke through a major rank, besides other corresponding conditions, it also required a large amount of divine soul power for support.

A large amount of star power could be found.

But a large amount of divine soul power was extremely difficult to find.

Therefore, Xu Jin wanted to gather and store the remaining divine soul power within the Star-Battle True God divine statue.

Not to mention anything else, it was one of the most important resources Xu Jin would need when his future divine soul cultivation broke through from the Fourth-Tier Ninth-Layer peak to the Fifth Tier.

If this were in the past, even if Xu Jin wanted to store it, he would have no way.

Who would store and gather divine soul power?

But the experts of the Spirit Discipline Shang Xinggong would.

That was what they played with.

Among the various research handbooks obtained from the Star-Plucking Tower branch last time, there were methods for gathering and storing divine soul power.

And several of them recorded methods specifically for storing divine soul power obtained from the Star-Battle True God divine statue.

It wasn't difficult.

It required a Fourth-Tier or higher blank star jade tablet as a carrier.

Then, after applying a special sealing method, one could store divine soul power.

But it was only a temporary storage method.

Especially that method of sealing divine soul power, which required reinforcement every ten days, otherwise it would continue to leak.

He had Fourth-Tier or higher star jade tablets.

Xu Jin was now considered a master of emblems, so making them into blank star jade tablets was even simpler.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Xu Jin began to draw the remaining sixty percent of the divine soul power within the Star-Battle True God divine statue into the newly made star jade tablets and began to store the divine soul power.

It was a bit raw at the beginning, but as he continued, he became more and more familiar with it.

At the same moment, in the Fire Spirit Wang Cheng, the Wind Spirit Leopard-Tail clan's Commander-in-Chief Feng Zhi, who was leading his troops to hunt down the Fire Spirit clan, suddenly felt a jade tablet in his bosom begin to heat up; when he looked up at the sky, he saw a point of star light fall from the starry sky and land directly into his bosom.

As his mind sank into the jade tablet, Commander-in-Chief Feng Zhi's expression changed.

A few breaths later, Commander-in-Chief Feng Zhi handed over the command of the troops to his deputy, ordering him to continue hunting down the Fire Spirit tribesmen and thoroughly occupy the Fire Spirit clan's territory, while he himself needed to return to Wind Spirit Wang Cheng for a while.

After giving clear instructions, Commander-in-Chief Feng Zhi took the ten Fifth-Tier elites under his command and headed straight for Wind Spirit Wang Cheng.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 265 =====