Chapter 160: Breaking Obstacles to Condense the Nascent Soul, External Evil Suddenly Arrives

Deep within the Star Quenching Platform, time seemed to have lost its flow.

Zhao Yuan sat cross-legged in the center of the star-brilliant stone platform, his entire person shrouded in star power that fell from the crystal dome like a waterfall of light. His breathing was long and weak, almost merging with the rhythm of the star power circulating around him. Every inhalation brought a massive amount of pure star power into his meridians, nourishing every inch of flesh and blood, nurturing his soul that was on the verge of its limit, and consolidating his crumbling Dao foundation; every exhalation expelled the subtle murky energy and residual battle fatigue from his body.

Deep in his consciousness sea, the dark-purple "Demon Seed," heavily sealed by gray-white sword intent and dark-blue star power, finally became completely quiet under the soothing of the gentle yet firm Imperial Dragon Qi continuously emitted by the "Imperial Supreme Soul-Protecting Token," and the continuous scouring of pure star power from the outside world. The dark-purple light retracted, no longer attempting to impact the seal, as if it had fallen into the deepest dormancy. But Zhao Yuan could feel that it had not disappeared, but had only lowered its presence to the minimum, like a poisonous snake waiting for an opportunity.

This bought him precious, undisturbed cultivation time.

His mind was completely immersed in two core tasks: one was to digest the insights from the battle with the "Star Fiend Blood Spine," completely making the "Evil-Slashing Sword Intent" that fused annihilation and star power his own, and further integrating it with inheritance knowledge such as the "Star Dust-Cleansing Art"; the second was to mobilize all his power to impact the bottleneck that blocked the peak of the Golden Core and the Nascent Soul, which seemed thin but was incomparably tough.

In his dantian, the Golden Core, which was originally round and full with contained light, under the continuous infusion and tempering of vast star power and annihilation sword intent, had expanded to the size of a fist, its surface flowing with strange patterns interwoven with dark gold and dark blue, emitting increasingly powerful energy fluctuations. Inside the Golden Core, it seemed as if something was gestating and struggling, wanting to break out of its shell.

"Golden Core as the seed, Dao intent as the soul, spiritual power as the soil... breaking the shell to condense the Nascent Soul, sublimation of the soul..." Various secrets about condensing the Nascent Soul flowed in Zhao Yuan's heart, both common methods of the sect and the unique perspective biased toward the star Dao recorded in the inheritance of the Star-Fallen People. He did not blindly copy any path, but took his own annihilation sword intent as the foundation, supplemented by the newly acquired star power and insights, to walk his own path.

Days passed one by one.

Outside the Star Quenching Platform, True Person Beichen guarded without leaving an inch, but his expression was more grave day by day. The jade talisman in his hand, which recorded the emergency warning from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion Master, seemed to weigh a thousand *jin*. Three Rebirth Sect strongholds inside the continent simultaneously activated suspected ultra-long-distance teleportation formations, pointing to Endless Hanhai! What did this mean? Was the Rebirth Sect transferring power to Endless Hanhai on a large scale? Or were they going to welcome the arrival of an even more terrifying existence? Shattered Star Island was the first to bear the brunt!

He had already reported the intelligence to Wei Gong, and the entire Shattered Star Island had entered the highest state of combat readiness. Patrol power increased several times, the great formation maintained more than 70% power operation at all times, and all teams performing tasks outside were urgently recalled. Elder Lingshuang personally led people to conduct a dragnet search of the surrounding sea areas with "Ghost Yawan" as the center, looking for any possible teleportation formation pickup points or spatial abnormalities. Wei Gong sat in the center, dispatching the Imperial Dynasty's "Demon-Slaying Army" and reinforcements from various sects, waiting in full battle array.

However, seven full days passed, and except for discovering a few small, insignificant hidden points that had long been abandoned, nothing was found! The three abnormal spatial fluctuations were like stones sinking into the sea, with no follow-up. This dead silence before the storm made the string in everyone's heart tighten even more.

The preparations for Lin Xuan's awakening ceremony were still proceeding in an orderly manner, and the location was set at the "Star-Fixing Hall," where the island's earth veins, star power, and formations intersected most stably. All materials, formations, and personnel were in place, just waiting for the "Star Tide Stable Period" two days later. Wei Gong strictly ordered that the ceremony proceed as usual, but the guard power increased three times, and he sat in command personally.

Everyone understood that this awakening ceremony might become the key node to detonate the undercurrent.

The eighth day, late at night.

Inside the Star Quenching Platform, the aura on Zhao Yuan's body suddenly climbed to a critical point!

The Golden Core in his body, which had expanded to the limit, suddenly lit up with dazzling brilliance on its surface, and the dark gold and dark blue patterns seemed to come alive, spinning madly! A vast energy fluctuation, mixed with annihilation, stars, and a trace of sharp, peerless sword intent, was like a waking volcano, spraying out from his dantian!

The Golden Core... began to crack!

It was not a violent shattering, but like a lotus blooming, and also like a star exploding and being reborn. The first fine crack appeared on the shell of the Golden Core, and then, the cracks spread rapidly, interweaving into a net! Brilliant light burst out from the cracks, illuminating the entire cave!

A violent pain, as if his soul was about to be torn apart and reorganized, swept through Zhao Yuan's entire body! This was a leap in the level of life, a fundamental reshaping of the Dao foundation, and pain was inevitable. He held onto a point of clarity in his heart, driving his Annihilation Sword Heart to the extreme, turning all the pain, distracting thoughts, and even worries about the "Demon Seed" into fuel for tempering himself.

"Break!"

A silent shout exploded deep in his soul.

*Crack—! *

The shell of the Golden Core completely shattered, turning into countless pure energy light spots, but they did not dissipate, but like stars arching over the moon, surrounded a tiny... spiritual light that was suddenly born in the center, emitting vast vitality and vast intent!

The spiritual light was only the size of a rice grain at first, presenting a chaotic gray-blue color, and inside, a tiny phantom sitting cross-legged, exactly the same as Zhao Yuan's face, could be vaguely seen, as well as an almost imperceptible sword-shaped mark!

The Nascent Soul prototype! Born!

Next, it was the critical moment of shaping and stabilization. The vast star power around found its destination, rushing madly toward that point of spiritual light. In Zhao Yuan's consciousness sea, all insights and will about the Annihilation Sword Dao and star inheritance also flowed into it like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

The spiritual light expanded and condensed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the phantom and sword shape inside became clearer and clearer. Gray-blue light flowed, and the intent of annihilation and star Dao rhyme reached a wonderful balance and unity within it.

However, just at the critical moment when the Nascent Soul was about to be completely condensed, and the infusion of heaven and earth spiritual energy (star power) reached its most violent point—

A mutation suddenly occurred!

It did not come from an external attack, nor was it a demon of the heart.

It was the "Demon Seed" in the consciousness sea that had been silent and dormant, heavily sealed, which suddenly erupted at this moment, the moment when Zhao Yuan's mind resonated most deeply with heaven and earth, and his defensive instinct dropped to the lowest!

It was not impacting the seal, but... releasing an extremely subtle, yet carrying a strong "assimilation" and "disguise" intent dark-purple fluctuation! This fluctuation followed the connection between Zhao Yuan's mind and the newborn Nascent Soul, silently... seeping into the gray-blue Nascent Soul prototype that was condensing!

*Hum—! *

Zhao Yuan only felt the newborn Nascent Soul shake violently! A strange aura, cold, evil, yet having a strange "affinity" with his own annihilation sword intent and star power, like ink dripping into clear water, began to permeate his Nascent Soul origin! In the gray-blue Nascent Soul light, there was faintly an extra trace of extremely faint, yet real... dark-purple hue!

This "Demon Seed" was actually so cunning! It took advantage of the moment when Zhao Yuan broke the core to condense the Nascent Soul, and his life origin was reshaped and opened, to "parasitize" a trace of its most origin aura into Zhao Yuan's newborn Nascent Soul like a brand! In this way, it was no longer just an "alien object" in the consciousness sea, but had a "symbiosis" with a part of Zhao Yuan's Dao foundation!

"Damn it!" Zhao Yuan was shocked and angry, almost losing his mind. Once this trace of Demon Seed origin took root in the Nascent Soul, the consequences would be unimaginable! At best, the Dao foundation would be polluted, and the future would be ruined; at worst, his mind would gradually be lost, and he would become a puppet controlled by the Demon Seed!

At the critical moment, the "Imperial Supreme Soul-Protecting Token" suddenly erupted with unprecedented brilliant golden light! The vast and majestic Imperial Dragon Qi rushed into Zhao Yuan's consciousness sea and dantian like a stormy sea, forcibly blocking the dark-purple aura that was seeping in!

At the same time, Zhao Yuan's own Annihilation Sword Heart, stimulated by the life-and-death crisis, erupted with the most resolute light! The sword-shaped mark in the newborn Nascent Soul trembled autonomously, emitting a clear sword sound as if it were about to slash all shackles!

"Annihilation as the blade, stars as the shield! My Nascent Soul, how can it be contaminated by evil filth! Slash!"

Zhao Yuan condensed all his will on the sword-shaped mark in the Nascent Soul! The mark's light flared, transforming into a gray-white sword light that was pure to the extreme, not slashing at that trace of dark-purple aura (because it had already entangled with part of the Nascent Soul origin), but... slashing at the small area in his own Nascent Soul that was "polluted" or "marked" by that dark-purple aura!

Cutting off the wrist to save the body! Self-purification!

*Chi—! *

The sword light flashed, and that small area of the Nascent Soul that had just been dyed light purple, along with the part of the newborn essence and weak consciousness contained within it, was actually "cut" and "stripped" from the whole by Zhao Yuan with great perseverance! Although it caused the Nascent Soul to be slightly damaged instantly and the aura to drop sharply, it successfully forced that trace of Demon Seed origin out of the core!

The group of light-purple energy that was stripped out twisted and struggled as if it had life, wanting to counterattack. But at this moment, Zhao Yuan's mind had re-stabilized, and the infusion of external star power was also nearing its end. With a thought, the Nascent Soul opened its mouth and inhaled, swallowing the last and purest star power around, and the light flared again! Subsequently, the Nascent Soul hugged the group of light-purple energy firmly with its hands, and then suddenly spat out an Annihilation Sword Intent fused with the newly understood "Star Dust-Cleansing" artistic conception!

The gray-blue sword light washed over, and the group of light-purple energy emitted a silent scream, quickly being decomposed, purified, and annihilated, finally turning into nothingness.

The crisis, at the cost of damaging part of the Nascent Soul origin, was temporarily lifted.

Zhao Yuan slowly opened his eyes, his eyes full of fatigue, his face as pale as paper, and his aura fell from the strength of just breaking through the Nascent Soul stage to the bottom, even weaker than before seclusion. But deep in those eyes, there was a more introverted and firm light that had experienced catastrophe and was tempered and reborn.

He succeeded in breaking through and stepped into the Nascent Soul stage. But the price paid was not small, the Nascent Soul was damaged, and it needed long-term nurturing. More importantly, the cunning and difficulty of the "Demon Seed" gave him a profound lesson. It was no longer just an "alien object" in the consciousness sea, but a "heart-trouble" that could spy on his flaws and attempt to pollute the origin of his Dao foundation.

He struggled to get up, about to regulate his breathing to stabilize this extremely weak early-stage Nascent Soul realm.

Suddenly—

*Boom!!! *

A terrifying roar, far more dull and grand than that day at "Ghost Yawan," as if coming from the depths of the earth under his feet, and as if coming from the distant void, suddenly spread throughout the entire Shattered Star Island! Even the cave where the Star Quenching Platform was protected by heavy formations shook violently! The starlight on the dome swayed, and the stone platform cracked!

Immediately following, a terrifying fluctuation, indescribable, mixed with spatial tearing, the eruption of filthy energy, and the arrival of some... grand and cold will, swept over like a tsunami! The isolation formation of the Star Quenching Platform emitted an ear-piercing wail, and the light dimmed by several layers instantly!

"Enemy attack?! Is it a teleportation formation?!" Zhao Yuan reacted instantly, forcibly raising his breath, grabbing "Silent Shadow," and staggering out of the cave!

Outside the cave, True Person Beichen's face was livid, looking far into the direction of the main island, his eyes full of horror.

I saw that in the sea area about fifty *li* southeast of Shattered Star Island, the space was torn apart as if by an invisible giant hand, presenting a huge and hideous spatial crack with a diameter of more than a hundred *zhang*, with dark and dark-red interwoven energy flowing at the edges! Inside the crack, a huge, twisted, dark-purple altar phantom covered in blasphemous runes could be vaguely seen, slowly "squeezing" out from the void! Around the altar, countless shadowy figures emitting fierce auras were shuttling and descending!

What was even more shocking was that the filthy energy emitted by the spatial crack actually produced a violent conflict and erosion with the "All-Heaven Star Dou Formation" of Shattered Star Island! The formation light curtain in the direction where the crack appeared was becoming dim at a speed visible to the naked eye, emitting an ear-piercing "creaking" sound of being unable to bear the burden!

And just below the crack, the originally calm sea surface suddenly set off monstrous waves, and countless sea beasts with hideous forms, infected by demonic energy, surged out like a tide, lunging madly toward Shattered Star Island!

At the same time, on the west and north sides of the island, several hidden corners simultaneously erupted with violent energy fluctuations and shouts of killing! Inside, there were traitors or those who were bewitched, taking advantage of the chaos to launch destruction and attacks!

Shattered Star Island, this outpost of the Alliance that had just undergone reconstruction and was preparing for a key ceremony, at the moment Zhao Yuan broke out of seclusion, ushered in a... comprehensive surprise attack that had been planned for a long time, with internal and external pincers!

Zhao Yuan gripped the still-humming "Silent Shadow" in his hand, feeling his own weak Nascent Soul and residual star power, looking at the huge spatial crack like the entrance to hell in front of him, and the island plunged into chaos and war.

There was no time to stabilize the realm, no time to heal.

The battle had already arrived. ===== CHAPTER 161 =====