Chapter 445: Harvest and Hidden Harvest

A speck of starlight, from its most primal state, was slowly refined into a sliver of sword light.

Then, using that sword light as a foundation, a star tower was projected upon the star.

Like laying a foundation.

This process appeared extremely lengthy.

But under the guidance of the Seven Kill Star Stele, it felt as if completed in an instant.

The next moment, Xu Jin suddenly sensed that this unnamed star in the star river was alive.

It had consciousness.

It could even be called a life.

The entire star breathed, rhythmically, like a human.

Xu Jin understood: this was what the Seven Kill Star Stele wanted to tell him.

The star's breathing was like the seasonal changes he understood.

Slow, yet resolute.

But the pattern!

When the sword heart sensed the star's rhythmic breath, he located its life consciousness.

Then, one sword strike.

That sliver of sword light, formed from the starlight, seemed insignificant—yet it was piercing beyond compare.

With a single strike, the heavens, winds, and clouds within the star shifted violently.

That breathing rhythm was abruptly severed.

Guided by the Seven Kill Star Stele, Xu Jin even felt the star's pain, sensed its life force draining away.

Yet compared to the star's vast life force, this loss was negligible.

Then, what remained was persistence.

One sword after another!

Refine the starlight into the star tower, strengthen the tower, then strike again at the star's source.

Bit by bit, fraction by fraction.

The star's source continuously dwindled; the star tower continuously grew.

After an unknown length of time, Xu Jin suddenly sensed submission.

He sensed the star before him willingly transmitting its intent to submit.

Or rather—to surrender!

Naturally, he accepted.

The instant mutual agreement was reached, the sword light surged into the sensed star source, and the star tower crashed down, rooting itself directly within the star's source.

In an instant, all the star's power fell within the tower's range of control and projection.

The difference lay only in how much power the controller could summon at once.

The next instant, the star tower flashed once, and the starlight coalesced into a single sword beam, slashing into the endless star river.

Instantly, within the star river, star waves surged, countless stars affected.

This was the Killing Star Art.

Also known as the First Sword of the Seven Kill: the Killing Star Sword!

Suddenly, the starlight vanished; Xu Jin's mind plunged as if into an endless abyss. The moment he opened his eyes, he was still seated before the Seven Kill Star Stele inside the Seven Kill Palace.

But the Killing Star Art was now fully understood in his heart.

Xu Jin instantly realized: this was the true transmission of the Seven Kill True Person!

His heart was utterly stunned!

The Spirit Era Star Invocation Art could summon at most two-tenths of a star's power, with only a two-tenths chance of breakthrough.

The recorded disciples of the Seven Kill True Person received the Five Elements Star Invocation Art, which could summon up to three-tenths of a star's power, with a three-tenths breakthrough chance.

The inner disciples received the Harmonizing Star Art, which could summon up to five-tenths of a star's power, with a breakthrough chance equally high—already exceedingly advanced.

But the Seven Kill True Transmission, the Killing Star Art, could summon star power without limit.

The more star power you projected and stabilized, the more you could summon.

What a gap would this create after cultivation?

Theoretically, under identical conditions, one who cultivates the Killing Star Art could crush an early Eighth Stage cultivator upon reaching Seventh Stage Third Rebirth.

This was no longer invincible within the same stage.

This was crushing within the same stage.

And this was under identical conditions.

If a genius like Xu Jin, whose every aspect was already exceptional, cultivated this Killing Star Art—

No wonder the Seven Kill True Transmission was so hard to obtain!

But now, it was all worth it!

More than worth it.

Yet, Xu Jin had only grasped the Killing Star Art so far; to master it, he still needed time.

Moreover, cultivating the Killing Star Art required one prerequisite: his cultivation base must first break through to Seventh Stage.

Below Seventh Stage, it was impossible to cultivate.

Beyond that, two further prerequisites existed for cultivating the Killing Star Art.

First, his Yuan Ling cultivation must reach Late Stage—and the stronger, the better.

If his Yuan Ling cultivation was insufficient, he could not cultivate the Killing Star Art.

Second, he must first forge the Seven Kill Sword Heart.

The Seven Kill Star Stele had already guided Xu Jin through the process of forging the Seven Kill Sword Heart.

But he had only experienced it, understood the method.

To actually forge it, he must personally experience it himself.

The most difficult, most critical part of the Seven Kill True Transmission was the Seven Kill Sword Heart.

According to prior gains, forging the Seven Kill Sword Heart required sensing the rhythmic movements of diverse lives, until finally, the Seven Kill Sword Heart could be forged, enabling perception of a star's life rhythm.

Sword Heart.

It was merely surface.

Only sensing the rhythmic movements of all things and beings was the essence.

If sensed and forged, a Spear Heart, a Hammer Heart, a Blade Heart—all were possible!

Moreover, only after forging the Seven Kill Sword Heart could one comprehend the other sword forms of the Seven Kill legacy.

The Seven Kill Sword had seven forms; the first, Killing Star Form, Xu Jin had grasped—but could not yet cultivate.

Additionally, there were Killing Yuan Sword, Killing Void Sword, Killing Consciousness Sword.

So far, the Seven Kill Star Stele's Seven Kill legacy contained only these four swords!

Three more swords remained undiscovered; the Seven Kill Star Stele had not spoken of them.

Almost the instant Xu Jin opened his eyes, the starlight on the Seven Kill Star Stele vanished, becoming a mass of starlight.

A mass pulsing with vast life rhythms.

A single speck of starlight flew from it and entered Xu Jin's third eye; instantly, a flood of information surged into his mind, and he understood everything before him.

The Seven Kill Star Domain was a star domain forged and stabilized by the Seven Kill True Person using the Killing Star Art.

The Seven Kill Star Stele before him was forged from part of the domain's star source.

Simultaneously, the domain's celestial authority resided within it.

Moreover, the Seven Kill Star Stele was the key to the entire Seven Kill Palace.

The Seven Kill Palace was part of the Seven Kill True Person's legacy, and also the manifestation of another portion of the Seven Kill Star Domain's star source.

Next, Xu Jin needed to refine the Seven Kill Star Stele.

When he refined it, the entire Seven Kill Star Domain would be fully controlled and stabilized by him.

Xu Jin would become the new master of the Seven Kill Star Domain, and the new master of the Seven Kill Palace.

From now on, the Seven Kill Secret Realm would no longer appear.

Because the Seven Kill True Person's legacy had found its true heir.

Should Xu Jin, this heir, perish, the Seven Kill Star Domain would return to this star region, waiting for the right celestial moment to reopen and seek a new heir.

Only one who receives the true transmission is the true heir of the Seven Kill True Person.

Others are merely tools.

Moreover, as a true disciple, he was bound by no restrictions.

That is, now that Xu Jin had become the true disciple of the Seven Kill True Transmission, he could, if he wished, transmit the Seven Kill True Person's legacy to anyone—even establish a new sect based upon it.

As long as he honored the Seven Kill True Person as the ancestral founder.

At this moment, Xu Jin's vast Yuan Ling spiritual will surged into the Seven Kill Star Stele, beginning its refinement.

In this regard, Xu Jin was already experienced.

The speed was quite fast.

Even though the Seven Kill Star Stele was a triple fusion, he estimated he could fully refine it within a few hours.

Of course, the key lay in Xu Jin's strong Yuan Ling cultivation.

Now, over forty days had passed; under the passive enhancement of the One Hundred Eight Cheng Po Star Patterns, his Yuan Ling cultivation had increased by three meters, and the maximum straight-line radiation distance of his Yuan Ling Tai Guang had reached twenty-nine meters.

Just one meter away from Late Stage of Yuan Spirit!

I'm also nearly ready to cultivate the Star-Slaying Art.

The refinement process will naturally be swift.

During the refinement of the Seven Kill Star Stele, countless pieces of information flooded into Xu Jin's mind.

This Seven Kill Star Stele functioned like a recorder, fully documenting every change within the Seven Kill Palace or the Seven Kill Star Region since the departure of the Seven Kill True Lord.

In four thousand years, this is the fourth time the Seven Kill Palace has opened.

The first opening was the easiest, known to the fewest people, and attracted the least visitors—its difficulty was relatively low.

The Ultimate Dao Emperor had merely stumbled in by accident, eventually becoming the inner disciple of the Seven Kill True Lord and gaining part of the inheritance.

The second opening was already vastly different.

During that time, the Ultimate Dao True Person—the Ultimate Dao Emperor—entered several times, and the earlier trials within the Seven Kill Secret Realm changed, with difficulty greatly increased.

Under these conditions, the second opening saw few participants and high difficulty; only a handful became registered disciples.

The third opening was the same, producing only three registered disciples, not a single inner disciple.

Now, it is the fourth time.

This fourth opening is fundamentally different from the first three.

The first three openings of the Seven Kill Secret Realm were like flowers blooming in a deserted corner—only those lucky enough to see it and bold enough would enter.

Some star gates opened and closed without anyone ever discovering them.

Even if discovered, few dared to enter.

Everyone was afraid.

Who knew what lay behind the star gate?

A few bold ones wanted to enter but could not.

Either their cultivation base didn't match, or their age didn't qualify.

The Seven Kill Star Gate had a filtering function.

But this fourth opening of the Seven Kill Secret Realm was, in essence, personally organized by the Ultimate Dao Emperor.

The conditions were directly set by the Ultimate Dao Emperor, a firsthand participant.

Then, various factions of the current era organized talented individuals who met the criteria to search for and enter the star gates.

According to records, the number of trial participants in this fourth opening exceeded four times the combined total of all participants from the first three!

Although the difficulty remained high, many still passed.

Even Xu Jin conquered the final trial.

Two hours later, the Seven Kill Star Stele transformed into a streak of starlight and flew directly into Xu Jin's Upper Star Palace, silently hovering beside his Yuan Spirit like a guardian star.

In that same instant, Xu Jin felt a blood-and-flesh connection with the Seven Kill Palace and the entire Seven Kill Star Region.

One step forward.

Xu Jin appeared at the boundary of the Seven Kill Star Region.

Another step, and he appeared deep within the mountains of the Seven Kill Star Region.

Countless star energies surged through heaven and earth, forming a terrifying starlight hand that reached toward the mountain's depths.

Boom!

The entire Seven Kill Star Region shook violently, as if heaven and earth had been overturned.

A small section of mountain range, like a candy pulled from a jar, was first lifted, then slid down piece by piece, reforming into a mountain range once more.

On the starlight hand, tiny specks of starlight appeared.

Dozens of medicinal herbs had landed in its grasp.

The next instant, these hundred-odd medicinal herbs appeared before Xu Jin, filling him with delight.

Nearly a hundred fourth-grade heavenly treasures, and twelve fifth-grade heavenly treasures—rare beyond measure in the outside world—mostly earth and metal element types.

Three sixth-grade earth-element heavenly treasures.

Even a piece of seventh-grade Tai Bai Chu Xuan Jing!

This was the greatest treasure left to Xu Jin by the Seven Kill True Lord.

It was the accumulation of four thousand years in this star region.

No—it was the accumulation of three thousand years.

The first thousand years' accumulation had been mostly taken away by the Ultimate Dao True Person.

Gazing down at the shattered mountain range, Xu Jin shook his head.

He had been too excited just now—almost like destructive mining.

Fortunately, only a ten-thousand-meter stretch of mountain was damaged, insignificant to the star region.

The next instant, Xu Jin's starlight form flashed repeatedly across every corner of the Seven Kill Star Region.

In the moment he fully seized control of the Seven Kill Star Region's authority, Xu Jin became its god.

An omnipotent god.

Everything within the Seven Kill Star Region appeared before Xu Jin.

Including all heavenly treasures buried and nurtured deep beneath the earth—all now within his perception.

The Seven Kill Star Region was, in essence, an eighth-grade star region.

Thus, its heavenly treasures were of extremely high grade.

Xu Jin now perceived four seventh-grade heavenly treasures.

More than twenty sixth-grade ones.

Over a hundred fifth-grade ones.

As for fourth-grade heavenly treasures, though not countless, there were surely tens of thousands.

If nurtured further, their quality might even rise to fifth or sixth grade.

This was the fundamental reason Xu Jin ceased destructive mining.

After indulging in the thrill of godhood, he would harvest only as needed.

Beneath the mountain range where Xu Jin now stood, deep underground, a single eighth-grade heavenly treasure was being nurtured.

More precisely, it was still growing, not yet reached eighth grade.

But it already faintly emitted an eighth-grade aura.

In a few years, perhaps a dozen, its aura would mature into eighth grade!

Then, it could be used by Xu Jin.

No need to mark it.

Whenever Xu Jin entered the Seven Kill Star Region in the future, he would sense its presence.

Including those fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade herbs—even seventh-grade ones—he decided to harvest slowly, leaving them to nurture if unused.

Who knows? They might ascend in grade.

The next instant, Xu Jin's mind stirred, and he reappeared above the Seven Kill Palace.

With a mere gesture, the Seven Kill Palace rose thunderously from the ground, transformed into a cluster of starlight, and landed in Xu Jin's hand.

This was another supreme treasure from the Seven Kill True Lord's inheritance.

Suddenly, Xu Jin's gaze shifted.

Inside the sealed Seven Kill Palace floated a delicate wooden sword!

Though made of wood, the aura upon it was vast and familiar!

The moment Xu Jin's mind sank toward it, he immediately sensed its nature.

The aura of this wooden sword was identical to that of the Seven Kill True Lord's illusionary body from the earlier battle.

As his mind sank deeper, more information flooded into Xu Jin's heart!

Xu Jin's eyes flashed bright—he instantly understood: this was the hidden reward the Ultimate Dao Emperor had spoken of!

(End of Chapter)