Xing Yun couldn't even remember how long she'd been in the star field. The space-time teleportation array she'd used to arrive had broken down, leaving her unable to find her way back. She wandered the boundless star field. If it weren't for her lingering fantasy of one day encountering a teleportation array to another world, she'd probably have given up on continuing.
But ultimately, the girl was still at an age full of fantasy and hope, and she was fortunate to have met Ming Qi. Not every lost soul encounters hope and grasps it before going completely mad.
Xing Yun followed Ming Qi's advice and continued her training in the star field, rather than leaving immediately.
Ming Qi had been stuck in Nirvana Heaven in the Nine Heavens Attracting Stars Art for quite some time, with no sign of a breakthrough. No matter how many Heavenly Star Crystals he absorbed, it was like a drop in the ocean, unable to make a single ripple.
Traveling together, the two of them would no longer feel so lonely.
Time slipped by, ten or twenty years passing in the blink of an eye.
Although Ming Qi had aged considerably slower, he now looked like a man in his thirties or forties. However, the young girl, Xingyun, remained as young as when Ming Qi first met her, retaining a youthful innocence.
Ming Qi had once inquired curiously, but the answer he received shocked him. Xingyun had already reached the Martial Emperor realm before entering the Star Domain!
But the shock didn't stop there: Xingyun's actual age made her almost Ming Qi's grandmother. So Ming Qi decisively abandoned his research. After all, the thought of intimacy with a centuries-old woman was hardly a joyous one.
But later, Ming Qi suddenly realized that Xingyun's race was unique, possessing a 400-year-long childhood. This finally dispelled his psychological imbalance.
During this time, Ming Qi also learned a great deal about the Star World. He subsequently concluded that Xing Yun's Star World, in both rank and sequence, was likely higher than the Tianhuang World, due to the presence of numerous superior life forms within it.
The Star World offered a vaster world, richer resources, and countless truly powerful beings.
Of course, these weren't Ming Qi's primary activities during this time. His activities remained simple: hunting star monsters and refining them into Heavenly Star Crystals. Once the crystals were refined, he would continue hunting star monsters.
While this life was dull, at least he had Xing Yun by his side.
The only thing that frustrates Ming Qi is his long-standing inability to break through to Nirvana Heaven. His plan was to cultivate the Nine Heavens Attracting Stars Art to the highest level and then leave the star region, but he unexpectedly remained stuck in Nirvana Heaven for decades, unable to make any progress.
The natural forces of the star field suppressed both of them to the Xiantian realm. Although they had fully adapted to the battles of the star field over the years, no matter how hard they tried, their strength remained stuck at the tenth level of the Xiantian realm, unable to rise any higher.
Decades passed, and the two had emerged from the wilderness and entered a new region known as the Forest of Stars, symbolizing vastness, power, and inviolability.
Entering the Forest of Stars, Ming Qi felt a powerful awe emanating from the heavens within the boundless forest.
"I read something on a stone tablet, saying that within the Forest of Stars lies a star palace filled with secrets, and that this palace has its own name, not the one given by the explorer."
After entering the Forest of Stars, Xingyun recalled some of the things he had learned about this area.
"Oh? What's it called?"
Ming Qi was immediately intrigued. It was said that there were no formalized characters in the star field. Large areas were named by powerful experts among the countless explorers after exploring the area. He hadn't expected something to have its own name.
"It's called the Future Star Palace. Strangely enough, there are many powerful star demons in this Forest of Stars, but within a radius of thousands of miles around the Future Star Palace, there aren't any at all. They seem to be wary of it and avoid it. That's why explorers get a glimpse of its true form."
Speaking of this Future Star Palace, Xing Yun was both curious and puzzled.
The star field was the world of star demons. It was unimaginable that there was a place even star demons feared.
"Then let's go check out this Future Star Palace."
They left as soon as they said they would, and the two of them set off with swift action. Although Xing Yun didn't possess Ming Qi's celestial teleportation technique, which could instantly travel thousands of miles, she had her own methods. She transformed into a star and attached herself to Ming Qi, saving him even the slightest effort. Although they were heading to the Future Star Palace, and they had a rough idea of its direction, even Ming Qi couldn't estimate the distance. It might take three to five months, or even a year or two.
To save time, Ming Qi generally avoided hunting star monsters along the way. He sensed that Nirvana Heaven had accumulated sufficient energy, but for some unknown reason, it was unable to break through and condense the Nirvana Nebula. This time, Ming Qi was heading to the Future Star Palace, partly to see what mysteries this legendary palace held, and partly to see if he could find an opportunity that would allow Nirvana Heaven to achieve a breakthrough.
The Forest of Stars was unknown in its circumference. Ming Qi traveled almost non-stop, taking a full year to finally reach the approximate location of the Future Star Palace, but he still couldn't tell how far it was.
After all, the records on the stone tablet were only approximate. Fortunately, the contents were reliable. While vague, the information available was still quite reliable and accurate.
The direction was correct, so Ming Qi continued on.
After walking for over half a month, Ming Qi finally sensed the absence of any star demons. Needless to say, the Future Star Palace was not far away.
Ming Qi once again activated Celestial Shift, darting forward for nearly a thousand miles. When he emerged from the surrounding nebula, a massive palace, suspended high in the sky, appeared before him. The palace encompassed nearly a hundred miles in radius, swirling with swirling streams of stellar energy. These energies condensed into rivers of stars of varying sizes, swirling and swirling around the palace, like a natural barrier, blocking any who attempted to enter.
Across the Star Palace's open gates, a massive plaque a full mile long hovered, inscribed in flamboyant ancient seal script: "Future Star Palace."
"Is this the Future Star Palace? It looks so grand!"
Xing Yun, as if freshly awakened, stared at the massive Star Palace floating in the air with wide, curious eyes.