Chapter 165: Re-exploring the Sea Eye

Inside the Star-Fixing Hall, time passed slowly in a heavy atmosphere.

Lin Xuan used Chaos Tribulation Force as a guide, like the most brilliant craftsman, carefully combing through the chaotic energy flow in Zhao Yuan's body, repairing the cracks in the Nascent Soul, and at the same time continuously reinforcing the seal on the restless "Demon Seed." The gray mist airflow wrapped around Zhao Yuan, blending with the star vitality residual in the jade pool that had been stimulated by the "Star Essence" fragment, forming a unique nourishment and suppression force.

Outside the hall, the battle on Shattered Star Island had come to an end. The Demon Abyss remnants, having lost the support of the spatial crack and high-level command, were rapidly defeated under the organized clearing of Alliance cultivators. Most were annihilated, and a small number fled into the vast Hanhai, no longer able to become a climate. Smoke and blood rose everywhere on the island, but also sounded the horn of victory and the cries of survivors who were happy to cry.

Wei Gong arranged the outer defense and post-war disposal, and returned to the Star-Fixing Hall for the first time. Seeing Lin Xuan healing Zhao Yuan, he did not disturb, just stood aside with a grave face, his gaze wandering between Lin Xuan's slightly pale complexion and Zhao Yuan's tightly furrowed brows.

For a long time, Lin Xuan slowly withdrew his hands, and the chaotic light halo around his body dimmed by a few points again. He opened his eyes, and the rotation speed of the vortices in the depths of his eyes also slowed down, clearly consuming a lot.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, how is it?" Wei Gong stepped forward immediately and asked in a low voice.

"Life is not in danger, the cracks in the Nascent Soul have been temporarily stabilized, but the origin is damaged and needs long-term nurturing." Lin Xuan's voice carried a trace of fatigue, but still steady, "The tricky thing is that 'Demon Seed.' This object has been deeply entangled with part of his Nascent Soul origin and inheritance memory, almost symbiotic. When I was healing just now, it actually tried to absorb the chaotic tribulation force I dissipated to nourish itself, although it was curbed in time, its 'adaptability' and 'concealment' far exceeded expectations."

Wei Gong's brows locked: "The sea eye movement just now..."

"It was indeed triggered by that Demonic Seed." Lin Xuan nodded, a trace of coldness flashing in his Chaos Tribulation Pupils. "The resonance fluctuation it emitted pointed directly to that foul star-evil and blood-resentment power deep within the Sea Eye, which shares the same origin as the 'Blood Skeleton Star God' and the 'Sunken Star Ruins.' Although I cut it off in time, that instant 'greeting' had already been sent out. Deep within the Sea Eye, something must have 'responded'."

Wei Gong took a deep breath, his old face full of frost: "In that case, the infiltration and designs of the Demon Abyss on the Returning to Ruins Sea Eye are far deeper and earlier than we imagined. They are not only trying to catalyze the Blood Skeleton Star God and use the Fallen Star Contract, but may also... have buried other backhands deep in the sea eye? The Demon Seed in Zhao Yuan's consciousness sea might be one of the links, both a poison bait for polluting the inheritor, and possibly... some kind of 'key' for positioning or awakening?"

"Possibility is great." Lin Xuan walked to the window, looking at the direction of the island's depths that was invisible but faintly transmitted a sense of oppression, "Returning to Ruins Sea Eye, connecting the origin of this world and the Ruins Abyss Demon Sea, is the natural target and breakthrough point of the 'Eroding World' plan. The previous Blood Skeleton Star God chaos might just be the tip of the iceberg. Now that the Demon Seed and the sea eye resonate, it shows that there are still 'pollution sources' or 'sleeping objects' closely related to Demon Abyss power inside that have not been cleared. If the root cause is not found and solved, Shattered Star Island will have no peace, and the hidden danger in Zhao Yuan's body will be difficult to eradicate."

"Need to explore the sea eye again." Wei Gong said deeply, his tone resolute, "And must go deep into the core area to investigate the source of the resonance. It's just that..." he looked at Lin Xuan, "Fellow Daoist Lin, you just woke up, your Dao foundation is not stable; Zhao Yuan is even more seriously injured and unconscious. The environment deep in the sea eye is harsh, and there are unknown dangers, the candidates..."

"I will go." Lin Xuan turned, his gaze calm but unquestionable, "Chaos Tribulation Force has a natural advantage in purifying demonic energy and disintegrating anomalies. And I have dealt with that 'Source Primordial Demonic Energy' in the sea eye, and am more familiar with its nature. This deep exploration is not only to find out the root cause of the anomaly, but if possible, also to try to thoroughly purify or seal that hidden danger."

He paused, looking at the unconscious Zhao Yuan: "As for Zhao Yuan... the Demon Seed in his body is too deeply connected to the sea eye, taking him is too risky, for fear of being counter-controlled by the Demon Seed or triggering more terrible mutations. But in the inheritance he obtained, there may be key information about the sea eye and ancient star contracts. Need to find a way to obtain this part of information without him going personally."

Wei Gong pondered for a moment: "In the Star Palace heritage, there is a technique called 'Star Brilliance Soul Reflection Art.' When the subject is in a deep coma or voluntarily releases their soul defense, the practitioner can guide them to project specific related memory fragments from their sea of consciousness in the form of star-brilliance imagery for others to observe and study. It is just that this method has extremely high requirements for the practitioner, and the subject's subconscious must not strongly resist. Young Friend Zhao Yuan is currently in a coma, and his subconscious defense might be chaotic due to the interference of the Demonic Seed..."

"I will perform the technique." Lin Xuan said, "Chaos Tribulation Force can temporarily suppress the activity of the Demon Seed and stabilize his soul. And my cultivation method once resonated with his, which might reduce exclusion. Just need to reflect memory fragments related to the sea eye, star contracts, and Demon Abyss pollution."

Seeing Lin Xuan's determination, Wei Gong said: "Good! This old man will arrange it immediately. Star Brilliance Soul-Reflecting needs to be carried out in the 'Star Gazing Quiet Room' where star power is purest and most stable, and requires at least three Soul Formation cultivators proficient in star soul Dao to protect from the side. This old man will personally invite Beichen, Lingshuang, and another soul Dao master from the Imperial Dynasty Supplicant Hall."

"Thank you, Wei Gong." Lin Xuan nodded slightly, "Time is of the essence, after Zhao Yuan's state stabilizes slightly, we will proceed tonight. After the reflection, I will prepare immediately, and set off to explore the Returning to Ruins Sea Eye again before dawn tomorrow."

The order was issued quickly. The entire Shattered Star Island operated efficiently again in the exhaustion of the battle and the lingering rhyme of victory. The Star Gazing Quiet Room was urgently cleaned and set up, and the required materials and guard personnel were in place quickly.

An hour later, Zhao Yuan was carefully moved into the "Star Gazing Quiet Room." The quiet room was located at the highest point of Shattered Star Island, and the roof could be opened and closed, currently completely open, revealing the brilliant starry sky that was temporarily not polluted by demonic energy. On the ground inside the room, a huge star-gathering formation was engraved, and there was a strange beast sculpture cast from Star Essence Gold at each of the four corners, with a treasure bead emitting soft star brilliance in its mouth.

Zhao Yuan lay flat on the jade couch in the center of the formation, still unconscious, but his aura had stabilized a lot under the nourishment of the chaotic tribulation force continuously input by Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan sat in front of the couch, True Person Beichen, Elder Lingshuang, and a Soul Formation late-stage soul Dao grandmaster from the Imperial Dynasty Supplicant Hall, known as "Soul You Old Man," sat in a triangle, forming a "Three Talents Soul-Protecting Formation" that stabilized the soul and guided star power. Wei Gong personally guarded the door of the quiet room, isolating all interference.

"Start." Lin Xuan whispered, raised both hands, his left hand pressed on Zhao Yuan's forehead, and his right index and middle fingers joined, pointing at his own brow. A pure and gentle Chaos Tribulation Force followed his fingers, slowly injected into Zhao Yuan's consciousness sea, like the most dexterous key, while suppressing the restlessness of the Demon Seed, gently "inquiring" about those deep areas wrapped in the Star-Fallen People inheritance memory.

At the same time, True Person Beichen and the other three simultaneously urged the formation and their own star power and soul power. The starlight falling from the roof and the formation light on the ground merged, turning into soft, spiritual light bands, winding around Zhao Yuan's body, and slowly seeping into his body, assisting in stabilizing the soul and guiding memory reflection.

Star light flowed in the quiet room, silent.

Lin Xuan closed his eyes and focused, his mind following the guidance of Chaos Tribulation Force, sinking into the vast and chaotic "memory star sea" in Zhao Yuan's consciousness sea. The gray mist chaotic aura was like a bright lamp, illuminating the front, avoiding those violent and chaotic areas (mostly Demon Seed influence or memories that were too painful and desperate), specifically looking for star points flashing with "labels" related to stars, contracts, sea eyes, and filthy energy.

His consciousness was like walking through a bizarre dream corridor.

He saw fragmented images: the ancient Star-Falling people looking up at the starry sky, holding grand sacrifices, and establishing flickering contract runes with the "Three Enclosures Star Gods" in the netherworld; stars falling, seawater backflowing, and civilization collapsing in blood and fire; the surviving priests forging the "Core of Sunken Stars," attempting to preserve the spark of life, only to be polluted and imprisoned instead; foul star-evil and blood-resentment power settling and twisting deep within the Return-to-Ruins Sea Eye...

He also saw some blurry fragments that did not seem to belong to the original inheritance of the Star-Fallen People, but were darker and more twisted: dark-purple runes wriggling like living things, trying to erode the nodes of star contracts; low, greedy whispers echoing in the blood fiend, inducing desperate creatures to head toward deeper depravity; deep in the Returning to Ruins Sea Eye, in the absolute darkness that even starlight could not touch, it seemed that some kind of huge and ancient thing was... pulsating slowly in endless demonic energy and star remains resentment, like the fetal movement of a sleeping...

These fragments were fragmented, full of contradictions and noise, clearly the result of the combined effect of Demon Seed pollution and the decay of the inheritance information itself. But Lin Xuan, relying on the analysis ability of the Chaos Tribulation Pupil and his own keen perception of "tribulations" and "anomalies," still extracted key information from them:

First, deep in the Returning to Ruins Sea Eye, there indeed existed a "pollution source" or "distortion core" closely related to the ancient "star contract" and the destruction of the "Star-Fallen People." It was very likely a deformed existence produced by the combination of some negative power and the "Source Primordial Demonic Energy" of the sea eye itself when the contract backlashed and stars fell, and it was also an important inducement for the later Blood Skeleton Star God remains to sink and be polluted.

Second, the Demon Abyss (or similar existences in earlier ages) likely began to covet and attempt to influence this "distortion core" in a very distant age. Some rituals and symbols of the Rebirth Sect had astonishing similarities with the parts of the ancient contracts of the Star-Fallen People that were polluted and twisted, indicating that they likely inherited or stole part of the polluted and twisted contract knowledge.

Third, the essence of the Demon Seed in Zhao Yuan's consciousness sea seemed to have a "homologous" but "secondary" connection with that "distortion core." It was like a "sub-body" or "beacon" carefully crafted to "mark," "resonate," and finally possibly "trigger" or "control" that core. When Zhao Yuan obtained the inheritance in the Fallen Star Ruins, he happened to "activate" and "parasitize

Finally, and most crucially—on the edge of those darkest, most chaotic memory fragments, Lin Xuan vaguely "saw" that the "Aberration Core" did not seem to be entirely inanimate. It seemed to retain a certain extremely weak, yet filled with endless resentment and hunger... primitive will! This will was different from the chaotic madness of the Blood Skeleton Star God; it was more ancient, colder, and closer to the dark side of a certain "rule."

"The backlash product of the Star-Falling contract... long-term pollution and infiltration by the Demonic Abyss... an Aberration Core possessing a weak primitive will..." Lin Xuan gradually outlined a vague yet heart-palpitating silhouette in his mind.

Just at this moment, a sudden change occurred in the quiet room!

Perhaps because Lin Xuan had touched upon some memory areas that were too core or dangerous, the "Demonic Seed" deep within Zhao Yuan's sea of consciousness, which had been heavily sealed, suddenly erupted with an extremely intense power of resistance and backlash! The dark purple light actually pierced through part of the seal, forcibly twisting several nearby memory star-seas, scrambling and blurring certain key information about the "Aberration Core" within them, and even attempting to inject false, highly misleading images!

"Puff!" Zhao Yuan's body shook violently, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of dark red stagnant blood, the dark purple light between his brows flickering crazily!

The protectors, Beichen, Lingshuang, and Elder Hunyou, all groaned simultaneously, their faces turning pale; they had clearly been impacted at the soul level. The light of the maintained Three Talents Soul-Protecting Array fluctuated violently.

Chaos light flared in Lin Xuan's eyes, and he gave a low shout: "Suppress!"

More powerful Chaos Tribulation Power surged out like an invisible giant hammer, smashing fiercely onto the restless Demonic Seed! At the same time, he made a prompt decision to cut off the connection with the memories in those polluted areas and quickly withdrew his mind from Zhao Yuan's sea of consciousness.

The "Star Brilliance Soul Reflection Art" was forced to terminate.

The starlight in the quiet room gradually dimmed, and the formation stopped running. Elder Beichen and the others adjusted their breathing for a moment before they recovered, their gazes toward Zhao Yuan filled with worry.

Zhao Yuan remained in a coma, but there were bloodstains at the corners of his mouth, and the dark purple light between his brows slowly retracted and was suppressed again, though his complexion was even more ashen than before.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, how is it?" Wei Gong asked urgently.

Lin Xuan was silent for a moment and said slowly: "I obtained some key information, but at the last moment, I was interfered with by the Demonic Seed and failed to see the full picture. However, the general outline is already clear."

He concisely informed everyone of his findings and speculations.

Upon hearing terms like "Aberration Core," "homologous sub-body," and "weak primitive will," the expressions of Wei Gong and the others all became extremely grave.

"In that case, the trouble deep within the Sea Eye is even harder to deal with than the remains of the Blood Skeleton Star God." Elder Beichen said hoarsely, "It is closer to the origin, more deeply entangled with the Demonic Abyss, and may... possess a certain 'activity'."

Ice-blue light flickered in Elder Lingshuang's eyes: "It must be purified or sealed before it is completely awakened or triggered. Otherwise, once it erupts, the consequences will be unimaginable. Starfall Isle will bear the brunt, and the entire eastern part of the Endless Hanhai will be plunged into misery."

Elder Hunyou's voice was hoarse: "The Demonic Seed within Young Friend Zhao, while a disaster, might... also become a clue. It shares the same origin as that core; after going deep into the Sea Eye, it might produce a clearer resonance, helping us locate it."

"But taking him there is too dangerous." Wei Gong shook his head.

"No need to take him." Lin Xuan spoke, his gaze falling on Zhao Yuan, then looking at a wisp of residual Chaos Tribulation Power on his own fingertips that had been contaminated with an extremely weak dark purple aura after confronting the Demonic Seed. "I already captured a 'trajectory' and 'frequency' of its resonance with the core deep within the Sea Eye when the Demonic Seed backlashed. Using this as a catalyst, I may be able to cast a spell for remote tracking and sensing. It is just that this method requires getting within a certain range of the Sea Eye, and the consumption is quite large."

He looked at Wei Gong: "Before dawn tomorrow, I will go to the Sea Eye alone. Using the Chaos Tribulation Power as a basis, I will track the resonance and head straight to the core area. If the state of that 'Aberration Core' can be purified or sealed, I will take action. If it cannot be done, I must also ascertain its reality to prepare for what follows."

"Go alone?" Wei Gong frowned. "The depths of the Sea Eye are fraught with crises and hold unknown dangers. Fellow Daoist Lin, you..."

"I have my own measure." Lin Xuan interrupted, his tone calm but unquestionable. "The Chaos Tribulation Dao inherently requires tempering oneself while moving forward amidst 'tribulations.' This trip is both to resolve external threats and an opportunity to stabilize my newly awakened Dao foundation. Wei Gong, you sitting in command of Starfall Isle to stabilize the overall situation and guard against possible follow-up moves by the Demonic Abyss is even more important."

Seeing that Lin Xuan's mind was made up and his reasons were sufficient, Wei Gong knew he could not dissuade him. He sighed deeply and solemnly cupped his hands: "In that case, this old man wishes Fellow Daoist Lin success! Everyone on Starfall Isle awaits the good news! If there is any need for assistance, send a message from ten thousand miles away, and this old man will surely lead the troops to support you!"

Lin Xuan nodded and said no more. He took one last look at the unconscious Zhao Yuan, sat cross-legged, and began to adjust his breathing and recover, making final preparations for his solitary deep dive before dawn.

Outside the quiet room, the night was deep, and the galaxy gradually faded.

After a brief, victorious respite, Starfall Isle was about to face another adventure concerning its very foundation, one that would plunge into the deepest darkness.

And deep within the Return-to-Ruins Sea Eye, the "Aberration Core," which had been silent for who knows how many years, seemed to have sensed the "visitor" about to arrive from the netherworld. Its weak, cold, primitive will fluctuated... extremely slowly, amidst the endless filth and darkness.