The moment a purple tribulation lightning tore through the firmament, Su Jiuli's fox tail coiled around Lin Xuan and plummeted sharply. Seventy-two bolts of lightning chased the silver radiance of the astrolabe into the abyss, and the shamanic patterns of the Chart of the Flaming Heart of Lucernarius on the cliff face actually began to devour the thunder. Lin Xuan's Greedy Wolf Star Mark burned like a branding iron against his chest, and the bronze key in his palm suddenly flew toward the main coffin on its own—that very coffin was inhaling and exhaling the remnant soul of the North Sea Dragon Vein!
"Grab the key!"
Su Jiuli lashed out with three fox fire ropes, but upon touching the bronze coffin, they were rebounded into sparks. The star scars on Lin Xuan's wrist suddenly spread to his elbow, and the Greedy Wolf Star Position among the Twenty-Eight Mansions on the astrolabe burst with a bloody radiance. The sound of chains snapping echoed from the bottom of the abyss, and nine dark iron chains burst out from the earth, tethered at their ends to none other than the corpses of the Star Palace elders who had perished three hundred years ago!
"Using souls to feed the formation—what a ruthless method!"
Su Jiuli formed hand seals with her nine fox tails, and the Hell-Burning Karmic Fire transformed into a lotus flower to cradle them both. In the firelight, Lin Xuan saw clearly that the glabella of each corpse was embedded with the exact same branding as the Greedy Wolf Star Mark. The astrolabe suddenly broke free from control, greedily devouring the lightning as a complete Big Dipper Nine-Star Chart surfaced on its surface—and those two extra stars were unmistakably the eyes of the Nether Palace Master!
"Star Lord, watch out!"
amid the elderly warning, the main bronze coffin burst open with a deafening crash. Lin Xuan saw that within the dragon pearl suspended inside the coffin, his own reflection was sealed—that figure wore blood-stained star robes, and his left eye flickered with the radiance of the Greedy Wolf star. The dragon pearl suddenly shattered, and countless star debris condensed into a giant palm that slammed toward his crown.
"Clang!"
The clash of metal shattered the cliff walls, and the Tail-Tip Gold Bell on Su Jiuli's fox tail transformed into a shield to block the fatal blow. Seizing the moment, Lin Xuan bit his fingertip and used his blood as ink to trace the Winnowing Basket Star Mark in the void. Sensing the homologous power, the astrolabe projected the Twenty-Eight Mansions onto the cliff's shamanic patterns simultaneously, actually refining the entire abyss into a starry battle array!
"So that's how it is!" The Nether Palace Master's cold laughter drifted down from the thunderclouds. "Using my Myriad Immortals Array to refine the Star Chart in reverse—you truly live up to being the reincarnation of Greedy Wolf!"
The purple tribulation lightning suddenly changed color, transforming into pitch-black nether thunder that crashed down. The star-locking nails in Lin Xuan's Dantian shattered in response, and a mighty torrent of starlight broke through the shackles of his meridians. He leaped toward the main coffin, and the bloody light shot from the Greedy Wolf position of the astrolabe pierced through the phantom of the dragon pearl, reflecting the Enforcement Elder's unfinished lip-reading—Watch out for Yao...
"Boom!"
The shockwave of the rampaging Dragon Vein overturned the entire Sword-Trial Peak, and Su Jiuli's fox fire lotus shattered inch by inch in the gale. Grabbing the falling bronze key, Lin Xuan discovered that the fox-head relief on the handle had actually opened its eyes. The key suddenly stabbed into the Greedy Wolf Star Mark on his chest, and amidst excruciating pain, an illusion emerged: deep within the forbidden grounds of Qingqiu, the stone statue of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox was pressing half a scroll of the Star Chart beneath its claws!
"Catch!"
Su Jiuli tore off her Tail-Tip Gold Bell and hurled it over, the bell's clapper transforming into a streak of light that merged into the astrolabe. Enlightened by sudden inspiration, Lin Xuan paced out the Seven-Star Step, every single step landing precisely on a shamanic pattern node. When his seventh step fell upon the Alkaid position, the roar of a Primordial Era beast reverberated from the bottom of the abyss—the sealed Black Tortoise True Spirit broke through the earth!
"Xuanming, suppress the seas!"
Lin Xuan pointed two fingers and shouted furiously, and the Black Tortoise phantom whipped up ten-thousand-zhang waves. The nether thunder was instantly annihilated upon touching the Xuanming True Water, and the astrolabe seized the opportunity to swallow the remaining lightning. Su Jiuli suddenly spewed a mouthful of blood, and three of her fox tails snapped on their own, transforming into chains that bound the rampaging Dragon Vein.
"Quickly slash Dubhe!"
Following her fingertips, Lin Xuan saw a black jade Go piece embedded at the seven-inch vital spot of the Dragon Vein. The Greedy Wolf Star Mark on the astrolabe suddenly tore away from his body, condensing into a blood-colored giant blade that slashed down. The instant the Go piece shattered, he heard the Nether Palace Master's roar of mingled shock and fury: "You dare..."
The Dragon Vein transformed into green light and merged into the astrolabe, the Twenty-Eight Mansions Star Chart mending its final crack. A Battle Armor of starlight manifested all over Lin Xuan's body, yet as he raised his hand, he caught sight of black runes spreading across his palm—unmistakably the symptom of the Soul-Devouring Gu flaring up!
The sea of clouds suddenly churned into a whirlpool, and a single flat skiff broke through the void to arrive. At the bow stood an old man in a coir raincoat and bamboo hat, a fishing rod in his hand dangling a bronze bell: "Greedy Wolf Star Lord, this old man has been waiting for you for a long time."
Amidst the crisp ringing of the swaying bell, a sharp pain pierced Lin Xuan's sea of consciousness. He saw that tethered to the end of the fishing line was none other than his own Destiny Soul!