Translator: CinderTL
Li Chunjun, acting as the will of heaven, precisely locked onto every Heart Demon hidden within the Azure Star Minor Realm.
Then, relying on his sword-and-self unity Sword Flight speed, he pierced through the void, pinpointing and eliminating these locked-on Heart Demons with incredible efficiency.
Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't sense it, and ordinary Primordial Spirit cultivators, too far away, remained oblivious to the changes unfolding across the Azure Star Minor Realm. However, Su Fang, Huang Tian, and Zuo Cheng, Nine Tribulation True Monarchs with Divine Senses spanning tens of thousands of miles, could clearly track Li Chunjun's movements.
Watching him repeatedly unleash his sword to slay these terrifying creatures, any one of which would have been fatal to them, the Nine Tribulation True Monarchs felt an indescribable surge of excitement coursing through their veins.
"So strong! Truly, incredibly strong!"
"Is this the power of a Quasi-Void Refinement cultivator? Is this the strength of a Cosmic Radiance-Tier expert!?"
"There's hope! We have hope of returning!"
"In my eight hundred and thirty-three years of life, this is the first time I've witnessed a Cosmic Radiance-Tier expert in action! Such power... an ordinary True Monarch would likely be slain in a single exchange! Whether instantly killed or not, what difference is there between them and a true Void Refining cultivator!?"
Excitement, shock, and awe filled the hearts of the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs.
At this moment, the potential of Li Chunjun, the Star Brilliance First Rank Peerless Prodigy, seemed to have materialized before them, surpassing them all by a wide margin and truly standing at the pinnacle of the Spirit Refinement Great Realm.
The Nine Tribulation True Monarchs were both surprised and delighted by Li Chunjun's display of overwhelming power.
As for the Heart Demons...
They seemed to possess a special method of communication.
When they realized Li Chunjun had begun a full-scale encirclement and annihilation campaign, all the Heart Demons spontaneously began to gather.
But this gathering lasted only a moment before turning into a rout.
Because the Nascent Soul True Lords' flight speed was simply too slow.
Unable to corrupt all the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, the Heart Demons outside the Golden Crow Battleship could only turn their Nascent Souls into puppets.
Even with their "Mind Power" enhancement, Nascent Soul-level puppets could only reach the power of First or Second Tribulation True Monarchs at best, and they were subject to various limitations.
At the very least, their flight speed couldn't exceed ten times the speed of sound.
Under these circumstances, the Heart Demons quickly realized that before they could form a formidable formation, this powerful human would pick them off one by one.
In an instant, the Heart Demons chose to flee.
To flee the Azure Star Minor Realm.
And to ensure Li Chunjun couldn't track them with secret arts, they abandoned their Nascent Soul puppets altogether, fleeing toward the outer reaches of the Azure Star Minor Realm.
Li Chunjun noticed this but didn't bother to stop them.
There were still many Heart Demons left to be purged from the Azure Star Minor Realm. His primary task was to first cleanse the realm, turning it into an impregnable Great Camp.
Half a day later.
Li Chunjun's powerful Divine Sense gradually withdrew from its state of embodying the World Will of the Azure Star Minor Realm.
Of the eighty-eight fully formed Heart Demons, he had personally slain or suppressed half of them.
Such efficiency...
Exceeded everyone's expectations.
It perfectly demonstrated the overwhelming advantage high-level cultivators held over lower-level cultivators.
This advantage was not diminished by numbers.
With a flash of light, Li Chunjun's figure reappeared on the Golden Crow Battleship.
"Sword Prodigy!"
As soon as he appeared, the True Monarchs quickly stepped forward and respectfully bowed.
Li Chunjun knew what they were most concerned about and immediately gave them reassurance.
"All the Heart Demons in the Azure Star Minor Realm have been completely eradicated and driven out."
At these words, joy simultaneously lit up everyone's eyes.
"Excellent! This is truly wonderful!"
"Truly worthy of Sword Prodigy Li! If not for Sword Prodigy Li, the entire Azure Star Minor Realm would have become a playground for Heavenly Demons!"
"To have the honor of traveling alongside Sword Prodigy Li is the greatest fortune of our lives."
One True Monarch after another offered their praise.
Li Chunjun ignored the comments and turned to the Chief Technology Officer. "How long will it take to repair the Golden Crow Battleship?"
"Due to the Heart Demon's damage, even if everything goes smoothly... it could take three years!"
"Three years?" Li Chunjun frowned.
While the aftershocks of a Cosmic Quake didn't occur every few hours or minutes like earthquakes, the time scale spanned months to years at most.
Three years...
The Azure Star Minor Realm was highly likely to be affected by the aftershocks.
"The main issue is a severe shortage of materials, coupled with a slightly insufficient workforce. These resources can't be effectively replenished from the Azure Star Minor Realm itself." The Primordial Spirit True Monarch replied with a hint of guilt.
Even the most skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients.
The Azure Star Minor Realm had originally been an ordinary Lesser Thousand World. It was only after the Starquake shifted its coordinates in the cosmos, making it suitable for constructing a Star Gate, that major factions began vying for control, ultimately elevating it to an Upper-Tier Lesser Thousand World.
However, because the Star Gate hadn't been completed yet, the Nine Immortal Sects' investments in the Azure Star Minor Realm hadn't fully materialized due to inconvenient transportation. As a result, the Azure Star Minor Realm remained...
...configured like an ordinary Lesser Thousand World.
There was nothing to be done about the lack of resources and manpower.
"If we don't have enough people, we'll have to look elsewhere for help," Li Chunjun said, turning his gaze toward the hundred or so twinkling stars in the Heavenly Vault. "The cultivation civilizations behind these Lesser Thousand Worlds must be formidable to have survived the Heart Demon's rampage."
Su Fang agreed.
"No!" Yu Jin suddenly interjected. "According to our latest intelligence, these Lesser Thousand Worlds aren't native to this Starfield. The native cultivators, to prevent the Heart Demons from reaching intelligent life, destroyed every Lesser Thousand World in this region and declared it a forbidden zone."
Li Chunjun nodded. He had already reached this conclusion from the fragmented information he had gleaned while refining the Heart Demons.
"The hundred or so Lesser Thousand Worlds we've detected here are likely civilizations that, like us, were knocked out of their original star system by the super-massive Starquake," Yu Jin said quickly. "Among them might be the top Lesser Thousand Worlds from our Azure Sea Domain! We should try to contact them and seek their help!"
He emphasized, "They, like us, belong to the Human Race and the Azure Sea Domain. We share a common desire to return to Human Territory, making us natural allies."
"Agreed," Li Chunjun said immediately, issuing an order: "Establish contact with these Lesser Thousand Worlds as quickly as possible."
Su Fang immediately responded, "My Flying Boat has been extensively modified, with energy transmission prioritized for the engines. It can complete a round trip to the nearest Lesser Thousand Worlds within a month."
"A month," Li Chunjun mused. That was a significant improvement.
"We're also refitting new battleships," the Primordial Spirit Realm Chief Technology Officer reported. "We'll first remove the functional power engines from the Golden Crow Battleship and install them on the Silver Leaf, which was originally designed for escape. Once the refit is complete, round trips will take only three to five days!"
"Alright."
Li Chunjun nodded. He glanced at the Nine Tribulation True Monarchs. "The Heart Demons in this area are reviving as Lesser Thousand Worlds fall. To ensure your communication process remains safe... prepare yourselves. Adjust your mental states. Once you're ready, I'll assist you in refining the Heart Demons and condensing Mind Power!"
At these words, all four Nine Tribulation True Monarchs erupted in ecstatic joy.
Everyone clasped their hands together and bowed deeply, saying in unison, "Thank you, Sword Prodigy Li!"
"Delegate your current tasks and make preparations," Li Chunjun instructed before heading straight for the cultivation chamber.
This area, teeming with dormant Heart Demons, was far from safe.
According to the information he had gleaned from refining Heart Demons, the entire Starfield contained tens of thousands of fully formed Heart Demons. Many of these were on the verge of reaching their Ultimate Form.
Based on his calculations...
Only those with a Mind Realm at the fourth level could hope to contend with an Ultimate Heart Demon.
Normally, because this starfield had been reduced to a void by another powerful civilization and declared a restricted zone, these Heart Demons couldn't reach intelligent life. Their evolution was interrupted, forcing them into hibernation.
But a Starquake had plunged over a hundred Lesser Thousand Worlds into this forbidden zone, and these Lesser Thousand Worlds were exceptionally massive.
If these Heart Demons were allowed to revive and devour all the intelligent beings from these hundred Lesser Thousand Worlds...
An Ultimate Heart Demon would inevitably be born.
Therefore, they had to either eradicate these Heart Demons before they reached their Ultimate Form...
Or repair the Golden Crow Battleship with all their might and escape this starfield.
Compared to the former, the latter seemed far more reliable.
After all, no one knew when the next Cosmic Aftershock would strike or how powerful it would be.
The previous Starquake had released energy levels reaching 20, but because they weren't at the epicenter, they had only suffered an 11-level energy impact.
The safest course of action was to leave this Starfield as soon as possible.
In the cultivation chamber, Li Chunjun continued to ignite his Mental Power Fire, refining and purifying the Heart Demons into nourishment for his Mind Realm.
This time, he had vanquished forty-five Heart Demons.
Half of them had been completely refined, while the remaining half, except for four, had also become fuel for his Heavenly Heart Eternal Method.
With so many Heart Demons vanquished, the Heavenly Heart Eternal Method was drawing ever closer to its third layer.
As Li Chunjun refined the Heart Demons, Yu Jin, whose foundation was the deepest, was the first to prepare.
He stood outside the cultivation chamber and bowed deeply, his expression solemn. "I humbly request Sword Prodigy Li to bestow the method."
Li Chunjun said nothing more. "Concentrate your mind."
Once the Guard Commander was ready, Li Chunjun tapped his forehead with a finger.
A Heart Demon was instantly forced into Yu Jin's body.
Now that the Heart Demon was inside, Yu Jin would have to face it alone.
Li Chunjun could only intervene if Yu Jin couldn't hold out, helping him extract the Heart Demon.
The process could take as little as ten to fifteen days, or as long as two or three months.
After Yu Jin's trial, Su Fang, Zuo Cheng, and Huang Tian each came forward to request the same method.
Li Chunjun didn't need their solemn assurances.
His single-minded pursuit of immortality had propelled his growth at an astonishing pace, leaving few who could keep up. Qin Zhou, Jiang Xue, Zhao Yu Pan, and Dong Xuan were prime examples. Huang Tian, Zuo Cheng, and Su Fang were likely no different.
Ultimately, they were merely scenery along his path, not companions on his journey.
Bestowing them with the Heart Demon refining method now was simply a means to better handle the trivial matters that lay ahead.
(End of the Chapter)
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