Translator: CinderTL
"Li Chunjun!"
The Hong Guang Clan Leader's grief and hatred surged towards the heavens.
It was only now, belatedly, that he received a message from the Hong Clan's Heaven's Chosen, revealing the source of the Seven-Colored Rainbow Light:
Blue Star!
To be precise, the Golden Crow Battleship stationed on Blue Star!
The Golden Crow Battleship was a Tier 7 warship!
Despite Li Chunjun's claim that it was severely damaged, unable to even start properly, and undergoing frantic repairs...
But...
Who would believe a word from the enemy?
The Golden Crow Battleship was clearly still largely functional, its main cannon charging and firing without issue!
While they had been targeting the Golden Crow Battleship, Li Chunjun had undoubtedly set his sights on the Hong Clan's Tier 7 Supreme Treasure—the Eternal Light.
If he could acquire this treasure, capable of converting virtually any external material into pure energy, the Golden Crow Battleship would never have to worry about energy depletion again, maintaining its protective shields at maximum intensity at all times.
With such power, they could roam the starry sky with impunity, hunting Heart Demons without fear.
Even an incoming Starquake could be repelled by their ever-active protective shields.
After all...
What followed was merely aftershocks.
Theoretically, the magnitude of these aftershocks couldn't surpass that of the initial starquake itself.
Undaunted by starquakes, armed with an inexhaustible energy shield, and wielding the formidable firepower of a Tier 7 warship...
This expanse of starry sky would become their family's private hunting ground.
The people of Blue Star...
Li Chunjun...
How could they stoop to such vile treachery?!
For a moment, the Hong Clan Leader couldn't suppress another long, venomous roar: "Li Chunjun! I swear..."
"Who's calling my name?"
At that moment, a Divine Sense—stabilized by Mind Power and several times stronger and more resilient than Hong Guang's own—emanated from the region now reduced to cosmic dust.
That fluctuation...
"Li Chunjun?!"
Hong Guang's pupils constricted sharply.
Li Chunjun's Divine Sense...
No!
It wasn't Divine Sense!
It was Mind Power!
His Mind Power seemed terrifyingly resilient!
Could it be...?
Had his Mind Power also broken through to the Second Realm?!
It was possible!
Highly probable!
After all, they had long since purged the Heart Demons from the Azure Star Minor Realm. Having refined those demons, Li Chunjun's Mind Realm was likely to have advanced significantly.
Just like Hong Yan, the Hong Clan's Heaven's Chosen.
If Hong Yan could achieve it, there was no reason Li Chunjun, the top-ranked individual on the Star Brilliance List with even greater talent, couldn't do the same.
If his Mind Power had broken through to the Second Realm...
Wouldn't his combat strength truly reach the level of a Primordial Spirit Prodigy?
If one were to overestimate slightly, reaching the Sixth-Rank Cosmic Radiance-Tier wouldn't be an unrealistic expectation.
Such astonishing power, combined with a fully operational Tier 7 warship...
The anger, hatred, and murderous intent churning within Hong Guang seemed to be doused with a bucket of ice water, instantly calming him.
Never let emotions show on your face.
Control your feelings.
These were essential qualities for a qualified Clan Leader.
"Clan Leader Hong Guang, are you here to express your gratitude? For eradicating the Heart Demons from that fallen region? No need for formalities. To ensure none escaped, I turned the entire area into a wasteland, blasting it into dust. As fellow members of the Human Race, mutual assistance is only natural. There's no need for thanks."
"I... I..."
Hong Guang listened to Li Chunjun's words, forcibly suppressing the murderous intent that threatened to resurface. Sensing Li Chunjun's formidable divine sense power and recalling the Tier 7 warship behind him, he once again buried his fury deep within his heart, shrouding it with carefully controlled fluctuations of his mind power.
He forced a strained smile onto his face. "Y-you're welcome... The Hong Clan wishes to forge lasting ties of friendship with Sword Prodigy Li..."
"Is that so? Then why are there so few Heart Demons in the Fallen Zone?"
Li Chunjun's divine sense, accompanying his physical form, materialized at the horizon, piloting countless blazing "meteorites" that began to plummet from the sky.
"Furthermore, I've noticed the map provided by Clan Leader Hong is clearly flawed. Areas where Heart Demons should be abundant are sparsely populated, while supposedly cleared zones teem with them. Can you explain this discrepancy, Clan Leader Hong?"
The strained smile on Hong Guang's face froze instantly. He racked his brain for an excuse to stall for time, hoping Hong Yan could successfully seize the Golden Crow Battleship on Blue Star. Once they secured that Tier 7 warship, Li Chunjun...
...would be no match for them.
Before Hong Guang could devise a plan, Li Chunjun's voice rang out again.
"Never mind."
He seemed to have lost interest. "Why waste my precious time letting you squander it with your petty wordplay? Since you've made your choice, prepare to face the consequences."
Hong Guang's face paled further. "Sword Prodigy Li... what do you mean by that?"
"Enough, Hong Guang. Stop treating everyone like fools."
At that moment, Yu Jin and the Silver Leaf warship emerged from the thick flames and smoke, following Li Chunjun.
"Need we spell out the malicious intent behind that map you provided?" Yu Jin, his combat prowess significantly enhanced since mastering Mind Power, swept his gaze across the Protective Formation surrounding the Ancestral Temple. "Hong Yan isn't here, and the number of Primordial Spirit True Monarchs is far lower than expected. They weren't corrupted by Heart Demons—they were taken to your Hong Clan's Lesser Thousand World, weren't they? Your true target is the Golden Crow Battleship!"
Realizing Yu Jin had laid bare their entire scheme and shattered all pretense, Hong Guang dropped his facade. He glared coldly at Li Chunjun, Yu Jin, and the others. "Correct. But now that you know the truth, what can you do about it?"
Hong Guang chuckled coldly. "All your strongest fighters are here. Even if you turned back now, it would take at least three days to return. In that time, Hong Yan will have conquered the Azure Star Minor Realm and seized the Golden Crow Battleship! Without it, how will you escape this starfield? How will you survive the impending Starquake?"
"Is that all you've got?" Yu Jin retorted with a mocking smile.
"Yu Jin, if I were you, I'd switch allegiances and join the Hong Clan right now. Out of respect for General Xuan Mi, we might even allow you to rejoin the Human Race. As for Li Chunjun..." Hong Guang's gaze turned menacing. "You must die! Whether it's because your potential threatens the future of the Hong Clan, or to appease the souls of the millions we've lost, your fate is sealed! No one can save you from this confrontation!"
Yu Jin, amused by Hong Guang's overconfident demeanor, couldn't help but laugh. "How can a frog at the bottom of a well comprehend the vastness of the sky?"
He continued, "You think Sword Prodigy Li traveled here with us on the Silver Leaf? In reality, ten breaths ago, Swordmaster Li was still on Blue Star! Yet, with unparalleled skill, he tore through the Void, erected a Void Bridge spanning billions of miles, and descended upon the Hong Clan's Lesser Thousand World! That energy pulse you felt miles away? It was merely the shockwave from the Void Bridge colliding with your realm!"
"A Void Bridge?!"
Hong Guang's pupils constricted sharply.
This legendary dao technique, allowing cultivators to traverse space using external artifacts, was renowned throughout the cultivation world.
Many Void Refining clans constructed Void Bridges between closely spaced Lesser Thousand Worlds, using vast quantities of Fifth-Tier materials to facilitate travel between realms.
While less cost-effective than Star Gates, Void Bridges offered a critical advantage: they could remain continuously active, unlike Star Gates, which required lengthy cooldown periods after each activation to prevent excessive Void disturbances that could disrupt the cosmic balance of the starry sky.
The Hong Clan had once considered building their own Void Bridge, but the distance between their Lesser Thousand Worlds made it economically impractical, and the plan was shelved.
Now, Yu Jin's mention of a "Void Bridge," combined with Hong Guang's recollection of the seven-colored rainbow light that had accompanied Li Chunjun's arrival, forced an unwelcome truth upon him.
If Li Chunjun had truly mastered the Void Bridge technique, it meant...
He could return to Blue Star at any moment to confront Hong Yan and the Hong Clan's True Monarchs!
Their plan to lure Li Chunjun away from his warship and seize it had completely backfired, turning into a laughingstock.
"Impossible!" Hong Guang exclaimed, reeling as if struck by lightning, his body trembling uncontrollably. "It's impossible! The Void Bridge—even if one uses external aids to cast it—requires at least Seventh-Rank Void Dao Rhythm materials... Even if you're the top-ranked cultivator on the Star Brilliance List, you couldn't possibly obtain such materials! You could never have mastered the Void Bridge!"
While Yu Jin had attempted to crush Li Chunjun's spirit, Li Chunjun had lost all patience for wasting time with the Hong Clan.
He figured he'd be better off killing more Heart Demons than wasting his breath on them.
However, he believed in reciprocity.
Since the Hong Clan was so adamant about his death and their seizure of his Golden Crow Battleship, it seemed perfectly reasonable for him to wipe out all their True Monarchs and claim their Eternal Light.
With that thought, he instantly activated Void Heaven Flash.
In the next moment, fused with his sword, Li Chunjun seemed to shatter through the void itself, unleashing the raw power of collapsing space as he slammed into the protective barrier surrounding the Hong Clan Ancestral Shrine.
Crack!
The barrier shattered like glass struck by a bullet, collapsing instantly into fragments.
The scene before him twisted Hong Guang's face in horror.
"Damn it! Activate the formation!" he roared.
Deep within the Ancestral Temple, a blinding light erupted.
The protective barrier shattered by Li Chunjun's Void Heaven Flash visibly began to regenerate at an astonishing rate.
Yet the Clan Leader's eyes held no relief, only stark terror.
"How... how is this possible?" he stammered. "The Protective Formation of our Ancestral Temple is so formidable that even a Sixth-Rank Cosmic Radiance-Tier expert couldn't breach it easily... How could it collapse instantly?!"
He stared at Li Chunjun, his gaze filled with dread, as if confronting a monster.
Li Chunjun's ability to instantly shatter a barrier that even a Sixth-Rank Cosmic Radiance-Tier expert would struggle to break proved beyond doubt that his offensive prowess had reached...
The pinnacle of Sixth-Rank!
The pinnacle of Sixth-Rank!
Such a terrifying existence would easily secure a spot in the top ten of the Cosmic Radiance List!
Yet...
"How can this be? This is impossible!" he exclaimed. "He was just on the Star Brilliance List not long ago... He couldn't have broken through to become a Primordial Spirit True Monarch more than a year ago..."
How could he have risen to the top ten of the Cosmic Radiance List in less than a year?!
Hong Guang felt his heart clenching and trembling violently.
(End of the Chapter)
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