Chapter 221: Rune Tremor

Li Qingxuan's decision was like throwing a boulder onto a calm lake, causing considerable ripples among the alliance's high ranks.

Actively intervening in the Star Sea struggle was undoubtedly a huge adventure for the newly stabilized Light-Tan Alliance.

Based on trust in Li Qingxuan and consensus on the future crisis, no one objected in the end.

Li Feifei immediately mobilized all the alliance's observational equipment, including the Dwarf Engineering Telescope, the Elf Natural Perception Array, and the Energy Detector improved upon Shadow Hall technology, all pointing roughly toward the K-7 star region.

At the same time, she also conveyed Li Qingxuan's intention to Mo Ying via an encrypted channel.

This time, the Shadow Hall's response was astonishingly fast.

Mo Ying also seemed to be in some kind of tension; he agreed to deeper talks and proposed an unexpected location—not any known stronghold or shadow dimension, but an asteroid belt called the Shattered Star Belt situated at the border between the Light-Tan Alliance and the Shadow Hall's spheres of influence.

There the environment is complex, energy chaotic, easy to hide, and also convenient for both sides to withdraw.

Three days later, a small starship roughly modified by dwarves and equipped with hidden runes provided by the Shadow Hall carried Li Qingxuan, Huang Rong, and the Yanxin Runesmith serving as a technical advisor, silently departing the Light-Tan Alliance and sailing into the vast Star Sea.

As its name suggests, the Shattered Star Belt consists of countless rocks and ice fragments of various sizes slowly rotating and colliding under the delicate gravitational balance, forming a vast and hazardous region.

The starship, like a nimble fish, weaved through the gaps in the rubble and, following the coordinates, reached a relatively large asteroid whose surface was pockmarked with impact craters.

On the asteroid's dark side, the entrance to a hastily carved stone hall emitting a faint gloomy light suddenly came into view.

Upon entering the Stone Hall, Mo Ying was already waiting there.

Besides him, there were two other powerful star-spirit beings: one an elder wearing a Star Cloth Robe and holding a Crystal Ball (the Xingyuzhe), the other a warrior clad in dark metal armor whose aura resembled a drawn sword (the Xingren).

The Shadow Hall obviously attached great importance to this meeting as well.

Without much small talk, Mo Ying cut straight to the point, his obsidian eyes grave: "Lord Li Qingxuan, your decision is admirable but extremely dangerous. Regarding the Exile Land, our information is also limited. It is an ultimate prison forged by the combined power of the gods in the Former Lord's era, sealing some ancient horrors that even the Former Lord could not fully eradicate, only choosing to imprison."

The Star Speaker Elder spoke, his voice echoing with starlight: "According to our clan's oldest astral records and the fragmented remnants left by the Former Lord, the seal of the Exile Land is not immutable; it requires periodic maintenance and reinforcement by the Guardian Clan. But the Former Lord fell, and the Guardian Clan has long been lost. The False Emperor must have found some means to interfere with or even destroy part of the seal's structure."

"His purpose is clear," the Xingren's voice cold and resonant, "using those released monsters as vanguards to cleanse all potential resistant worlds, draining our strength, and perhaps… probing some deeper existence thereby. This is a mad gamble, but the False Emperor obviously no longer cares about the consequences."

Li Qingxuan asked in a low voice: "Just how powerful are those Void Spawn and Fallen Ancient Gods?"

Mo Ying fell silent for a moment, then slowly said: "They are not living beings in the conventional sense. Void Spawn are born of absolute nothingness beyond order; their very existence erodes the laws of reality. And Fallen Ancient Gods…… are remnants of ancient deities from an earlier epoch who lost themselves, embracing chaos and madness. Any one of them, if fully manifested, possesses the power to easily destroy a star system."

Easily destroy a star system!

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts sank.

This has completely surpassed the range of what they can currently comprehend.

"We cannot possibly confront that existence head-on," Huang Rong pointed out calmly.

"Yes, confronting them head-on would be suicide," Mo Ying nodded, "but our goal is not to defeat them outright. What we need to do is prevent the False Emperor from fully opening the prison, or… before the disaster fully erupts, find a way to restrain, or even exploit, them."

The Star Speaker Elder added: "Since the Former Lord chose imprisonment over destruction, perhaps he left some backups. The Exile Land itself might conceal a secret. We suspect that it may seal something…… capable of opposing or even controlling those terrifying beings—a 'key,' or the ultimate secret related to the Primordial Rune."

Primordial Rune!

Li Qingxuan's heart stirred; the thread of Life Source Breath within him also seemed to sense something, warming slightly.

"We need concrete intel and a feasible plan," Li Qingxuan stared at Mo Ying, "the Shadow Hall has operated in the Star Sea for years; it couldn't possibly have zero infiltration of the Exile Land. We need to know the exact extent of the seal's breach, how much force the False Emperor has poured in, and… whether we have a chance to approach, even infiltrate, it."

Mo Ying exchanged glances with the Xingyuzhe and the Xingren, then he seemed to have made up his mind: "We do indeed have a covert reconnaissance squad operating on the outskirts of the Exile Land. But the information they send back is extremely limited and dangerous. All we can be certain of is that the seal is not completely broken, but several major confinement nodes have loosened, allowing small amounts of low-tier Void Predators and Ancient God Whispers to leak out, causing chaos in the surrounding star regions. The False Emperor has dispatched a force composed of his fanatics and remodeled monsters—the Realm Breaker Legion—there, trying to widen the gap."

He paused, his tone heavy: "Approaching is extremely dangerous—not only are there omnipresent spatial rifts and energy storms, but also the leaked monsters and the False Emperor's troops. Infiltration…… is nearly an impossible task."

Just as the talks reached an impasse, pondering whether to risk attempting more direct contact with that reconnaissance squad, the Life Source Breath within Li Qingxuan suddenly began to throb uncontrollably!

A strong surge, carrying a sense of longing and guidance, penetrated the starship and the asteroid's shielding, pointing far toward a deep point of the Shattered Star Belt!

At the same moment, the Crystal Ball held by the Star Speaker Elder suddenly burst into brilliant light, its inner nebula spinning wildly, ultimately pointing in the same direction as Li Qingxuan's sensation!

"That direction…… has a powerful energy reaction! Moreover…… it resonates highly with the source of Life!" the Xingyuzhe exclaimed in astonishment.

Mo Ying and the Xingren also instantly became alert, their sharp gazes turned toward the outside of the Stone Hall.

Li Qingxuan suppressed the throbbing within him, exchanged a glance with Huang Rong, and both saw shock and doubt in each other's eyes.

How could this barren Shattered Star Belt suddenly produce something that resonates so intensely with the Life Source Breath?

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