Chapter 666: The Emperor Jun

Within the Lord Lingji Small World, Xu Jin finished reading what Sima Qu had given him, his expression grave.

The Extreme Path Emperor Jun's layout in Kunling Domain was far deeper than he had imagined.

The Worship of the Dipper Sect actually emerged a thousand years ago.

But its origin stemmed from an ancestral decree.

It pointed out the characteristics of a certain small world, instructing the then Lord Lingji Star Hall's Hu Hu Dianzhu to send disciples to explore it, along with the relevant methods.

That generation's Lord Lingji Star Hall Hu Hu Dianzhu, after losing over a hundred elite disciples, finally discovered the inheritance of the Worship of the Dipper Sect mentioned in the ancestral decree.

Subsequent ancestral decrees were issued, and only then did the Lord Lingji Star Hall secretly establish the Worship of the Dipper Sect.

Two forces—one open, one hidden—have been passed down to this day.

As for the jade box sealed with multiple restrictions, it was found alongside the Worship of the Dipper Sect's inheritance: a blood-red crystal.

According to the original ancestral decree, the Ancestor demanded that the Lord Lingji Star Hall's Star Lords refine the blood-red crystal into their bodies to better commune with the Star Deity.

But that generation's Lord Lingji Star Hall Tianyang Xingjun was cunning—or perhaps wisdom granted by time—and did not obey the ancestral decree to refine the crystal; instead, he sealed it away.

After all, the Ancestor could only issue decrees, not communicate directly with them.

Of course, that cunning Tianyang Xingjun had even prepared an excuse: even if the Ancestor appeared face-to-face, he would simply claim the blood-red crystal had never been found.

Moreover, that cunning Lord Lingji Star Hall Tianyang Xingjun even established sect rules.

Every succeeding Hu Hu Dianzhu must swear a Great Dao Oath never to refine the crystal, not even under an ancestral decree.

As the Tianyang Xingjun predicted, every hundred years, their Ancestor would issue a new decree.

Each decree's content was nearly identical: find the Star God's Blood Crystal and refine it.

Yet every Hu Hu Dianzhu, to inherit the position and all the predecessor's legacy, had to swear the Great Dao Oath—so the ancestral decrees were useless.

This was, in effect, a demonstration of "the county magistrate is not as powerful as the local official."

Each generation of Hall Masters recorded these details and passed them down.

Until it reached Sima Qu's hands.

Sima Qu possessed ambition and a certain curiosity.

He wanted to test what would happen if he refined the Star God's Blood Crystal.

But unfortunately, at the moment of succession, he had sworn the Great Dao Oath.

Unless he was willing to destroy his own cultivation path, there was no way.

Now, with the Lord Lingji Star Hall utterly destroyed, Sima Qu used this fragment of his divine essence to pass on the Star God's Blood Crystal and all related information about the Worship of the Dipper Sect to Xu Jin.

This was not out of kindness on Sima Qu's part.

More accurately, his actions likely concealed malicious intent.

The Star God's Blood Crystal had been refused by every generation of Lord Lingji Star Hall Hall Masters—and now it was in Xu Jin's hands.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Xu Jin dares not refine it now—what of the future?

Everything is uncertain.

Of course, it might also be kindness—an alert to Xu Jin.

But Xu Jin understood well the principle that curiosity kills the cat.

He knew better than anyone how troublesome the Star God's power drawn by the Worship of the Dipper Sect had been.

Over a thousand years, the Extreme Path Emperor Jun had issued at least ten ancestral decrees regarding this crystal.

This thing is almost certainly the core of the Star Deity.

It likely holds great secrets.

Before having firm confidence, Xu Jin would never touch it.

At once, he sealed the jade box with layers of restrictions, even adding Thunder Sect seals on the outermost layer, before casting it into the deepest recesses of his Numinous Space.

"Master, build him a memorial tomb."

"Already prepared."

After a brief exchange, Xu Jin departed with the main tower of the Lord Lingji Star Hall's Star-Picking Tower.

A dozen breaths later, Xu Jin appeared at the edge of the Star River Continent, four Star-Picking Towers towering into the sky, fifty li apart.

Xu Jin had fully seized the authority of these four original Star-Picking Tower main towers; now, he only awaited his uncle-grandmaster, Uncle Youyu True Person.

Then Xu Jin sat cross-legged, activating the Star Altar Technique to rapidly restore his depleted divine soul energy and star power.

Six hours later, the thousand-star token flickered with light—Uncle Youyu True Person's star-message arrived.

【Little Jin, I've reached the vicinity of Kunling Domain. Hurry up—finish within an hour. The Chaotic Star Gales within the Star River are ferocious; I can only hold my position for an hour at most.】

【Understood. I'm moving now.】

In the next instant, Xu Jin rose abruptly, activating the supreme authority of the four original Star-Picking Tower main towers.

Instantly, all four main towers blazed with starlight, their waves faintly surging toward the heavens.

At the same moment, Xu Jin stepped upon the stars, riding the starlight straight up to the ninth heaven, his divine thoughts transforming into specialized tracking Yinyu Insects that would trace the origin of the starlight.

In barely a breath, Xu Jin's expression sharply shifted.

Found it!

He spun his body and vanished from the spot, teleporting twice, appearing above the ninth heaven's clouds.

Above the ninth heaven's clouds, only rolling sea of clouds existed—everything else was void.

Yet all of Xu Jin's Yinyu Insects floated nearby.

Xu Jin lightly stamped his foot; silver spatial star power rippled outward like waves.

In an instant, a star tower, a hundred stories tall and shimmering with brilliant starlight, appeared before him.

The Star-Picking Tower's Central Tower revealed itself!

As Emperor Master Fenghua had said, space is the foundation.

No matter how powerful a Core Zhenqi is, it requires space to exist; find the clue, disrupt the space, and it will manifest.

Now came the most critical step.

As his master, Emperor Master Fenghua, had said, destruction was the most straightforward method.

But if this Central Tower was truly the tenth-rank Core Zhenqi left behind by the Extreme Path Emperor Jun, Xu Jin could not destroy it.

Those who achieved Emperor status were no ordinary tenth-rank Star Lords; their Core Zhenqi were naturally immensely powerful.

Moreover, this Core Zhenqi, nurtured for countless years in the Kunling Domain, had grown to an astonishing degree—though its rank had not increased, it was undoubtedly the strongest of all tenth-rank Core Zhenqi.

Xu Jin had virtually no chance of destroying it.

Thus, Emperor Master Fenghua's advice to Xu Jin was to directly refine the vessel's spirit.

No matter how powerful the Extreme Path Emperor Jun, his support across billions of miles would be extremely difficult; even if he could intervene, Uncle Youyu True Person would block his power—refining the vessel spirit would be relatively simple and safe.

【Uncle-grandmaster, I'm beginning.】

【Rest easy—even if the Emperor projects power here, I'll cut it off with one sword.】 Uncle Youyu True Person was utterly confident.

In the next instant, Xu Jin merged the four main towers' celestial authorities into one, then used this unified authority to activate the Central Tower before him.

One breath later, a starlight portal opened directly on the surface of the Central Tower's brilliant radiance.

Xu Jin's heart leapt with joy.

His master, Emperor Master Fenghua, had been right.

Emperor Master Fenghua deduced that the authority of the main towers had been separated from the Central Tower.

When gathered together, they could exert partial control over the Central Tower.

Once inside, find the vessel spirit, and forcibly refine it.

A fortress is easiest to breach from within.

In the next instant, Xu Jin stepped into the Central Tower—upon entry, he appeared in a misty starlit space, and simultaneously, the vessel spirit manifested.

"Xu Jin, how did you get in?" the vessel spirit asked, startled.

"I gathered the authority and came in—that's how. Why haven't you appeared lately?" Xu Jin asked.

"The Master gave orders," the vessel spirit said.

"What orders?"

"I cannot say!"

Xu Jin sighed helplessly.

A vessel spirit is a vessel spirit—it obeys its master's commands with absolute loyalty.

It must be refined.

Instantly, silver ripples erupted from beneath Xu Jin's feet; the vessel spirit's eyes widened in terror as the entire Central Tower trembled violently. At the same moment, Mingji Star Patterns imbued with Xu Jin's vast divine thought spread instantly throughout the entire Central Tower.

Xu Jin had begun, as Emperor Master Fenghua taught, searching for the vessel spirit's true location.

At the same moment, in a distant star realm palace, the Extreme Path Emperor Jun suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze instantly sharp as a blade.

In the next instant, as a star tower's shadow appeared in the Emperor's pupils, another illusory star tower also materialized before him.

Within the illusory star tower stood a tiny white-robed vessel spirit.

Instantly, everything unfolded before the Extreme Path Emperor Jun—including Xu Jin's actions.

"So it wasn't my disciple who obtained that half of the Xia Key?"

"And this little one has a powerful mentor guiding him."

"Trying to refine my vessel spirit, severing my backup plan entirely."

As he murmured, the Extreme Path Emperor Jun smiled, "Clever indeed—and your reasoning is correct! But you have no idea what my true arrangements and intentions are!"

"My three-thousand-year scheme, refined and adjusted over time—how could you possibly comprehend it?"

Alright, let me try you out!

In the next instant, with a single thought, he subtly stirred the main tower of the Star-Picking Tower, and a beam of starlight coalesced from the Star River, then swiftly fell toward the Kunling Domain like a river of stars descending.

In the Star River, True Person Uncle Youyu's eyes turned icy, and in an instant he slashed out with his sword.

The sword light, like a traveler against the current within the Star River, severed the falling river of stars as countless stars flashed all around; the starlight, now leaderless, instantly scattered into the chaos of the Star River.

Faint ripples also stirred within the Star River!

"You really dare to come!" True Person Uncle Youyu sneered, his sword light still poised and ready to strike.

He knew well: if this matter was truly vital, this projection of power would likely not end here—it might even summon disciples or attendants!

The big move should still be coming.

Inside the Star Realm Hall, the Ultimate Dao Emperor, sensing his projected power shattered, turned his gaze toward the Kunling Domain and a smile appeared in his eyes.

"A True Person guards it—there must be other forces involved. This matter cannot be delayed!"

In the next instant, the Ultimate Dao Emperor gazed with affection at the star spirit avatar within the Star-Picking Tower's phantom image and said softly, "Little Star Spirit, you'll have to suffer."

He instantly activated the incantation!

In the next moment, inside the main tower of the Star-Picking Tower, Xu Jin, who had been searching for the Star Spirit's true form, suddenly brightened—found it!

In the instant his spiritual sense reached out, the white-robed Star Spirit, radiating the Star-Picking Tower's primordial aura, appeared before Xu Jin.

The white-robed Star Spirit's expression suddenly twisted into utter terror.

Being found by Xu Jin was normal.

"Run!"

The instant the white-robed Star Spirit uttered those two words, his entire body exploded into fragments.

Exploded with perfect uniformity.

The fragments of the Star Spirit fell with extreme regularity onto specific locations throughout the main tower of the Star-Picking Tower, and instantly, a brilliant silver-star array materialized.

Xu Jin did not react to the Star Spirit's response.

But the sudden appearance of the shimmering star array, Xu Jin immediately recognized its nature.

Spatial displacement!

There was the aura of spatial displacement.

But it was complex—and not just that!

Coupled with the Star Spirit's warning, Xu Jin sensed something was wrong and instinctively moved to activate the spatial displacement star art to flee.

But at the very instant Xu Jin reacted, the Star Spirit's explosion triggered the full power of the entire Star-Picking Tower.

The entire Kunling Domain erupted with violent power fluctuations, which converged into the main tower of the Star-Picking Tower; the accumulated power of the Star-Picking Tower over thousands of years exploded in that instant.

In the next moment, the main tower of the Star-Picking Tower, engulfing Xu Jin in starlight, shot skyward, becoming a streak of starlight that blasted out of the Kunling Domain and plunged deep into the Star River.

Above the Star River where the Kunling Domain lay, True Person Uncle Youyu watched this scene and stood frozen in shock.

Contact Master Fenghua Emperor immediately!

(End of Chapter)