Time flowed like water. Three years had passed since that fierce void battle.
Deep within the "Star Realm," that halo of light that had swirled with countless starlight and vital essence finally, at one peaceful moment, dissipated layer by layer from outside to inside, like a lotus blooming.
Mu Xue, seated outside the halo of light, was the first to open her ice-blue eyes, with a trace of irresistible tension and anticipation, gazing toward the center.
As the starlight dispersed, the figure seated within was revealed.
It was still that familiar blue robes. His features seemed unchanged, but his bearing had become more profound and restrained, as if the vastness of the entire star sea was contained within those calm eyes. His surrounding aura was harmonious and stable. He had clearly reached the peak of Nascent Soul cultivation, even more refined and powerful than three years prior. This life-and-death ordeal had brought him unexpected benefits—his control over his own power had reached a new level.
Tang Xiaoqi slowly opened his eyes.
Those eyes remained clear as before, but seemed to have washed away all ostentation, gaining instead a penetrating insight into worldly affairs and accumulated vicissitudes. His gaze first fell upon Mu Xue waiting faithfully at his side. A gentle arc of apology appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"You've had a hard time, Xue'er." His voice was slightly hoarse, yet carried a reassuring strength.
The chord of tension that Mu Xue had held for three years finally completely released at this moment. Her ice-sealed features melted, revealing a faint smile bright enough to make the stars dim.
"As long as you're awake." No more words were needed. All worry, persistence, and emotions were contained within that glance and greeting.
News of Xiao Qi's emergence from seclusion spread like spring breeze throughout the "Watcher's Barrier" high command. Senior Brother Mu Qingfeng, Third Senior Sister Liu Yun, Zhao Tiezhu, and others rushed over at the first moment. Seeing Xiao Qi with steady aura and fully recovered injuries, everyone was overjoyed—the biggest worry pressing on everyone's hearts could finally be set aside.
However, the joy of reunion did not last long. After Xiao Qi learned in detail everything that had happened during his unconsciousness, especially the Demonic Entity's disappearance and Second Brother's discovery of the Void Dragon Crystal's characteristics, his expression immediately turned grave.
"Time is short. The spatial traces left by the Demonic Entity may dissipate at any moment." Xiao Qi did not delay in the slightest. The day after emerging from seclusion, he went directly to Second Brother's heavily guarded laboratory.
At the laboratory's center, that Void Dragon Crystal was now placed in the center of a more complex and precise ring formation, with dozens of new-model spiritual energy probes connected like tentacles, continuously activating and capturing those faint spatial trace signals. Second Brother's virtual image appeared much more solid than three years prior, clearly indicating his soul power had recovered well. He was intently monitoring the data streams.
"Xiao Qi, you came at just the right time!" Second Brother greeted him immediately. "The signals captured by the Dragon Crystal are continuously decaying, the direction becoming more and more vague. We must proceed with large-scale joint divination as soon as possible!"
Besides Second Brother, another guest was present in the laboratory. An elderly man wearing a plain star-patterned robe, his features thin and gaunt, but whose eyes seemed to contain countless changes of the Milky Way—the current Head of the Celestial Bureau, Mystery Star Zi. The Celestial Bureau had ancient heritage, excelling in celestial divination and astrology. Though they did not often intervene in worldly struggles, since the Demonic Entity's catastrophe concerned the world's survival, Mystery Star Zi had also come personally to assist the alliance per their invitation. In his hands he held an ancient bronze compass—the treasure of the Celestial Bureau: the Heavenly Revolving Star Plate.
"Tang Alliance Leader, long heard your reputation." Mystery Star Zi slightly nodded, his gaze lingering on Xiao Qi for a moment, revealing a flash of amazement. Clearly, he could see this person's extraordinary state.
"Thanks for your trouble, Senior Mystery Star Zi." Xiao Qi returned the greeting with a fist. No time for pleasantries. "No delay. Let's begin."
The three did not hesitate, immediately sitting down around the central formation.
The divination officially began!
Second Brother struck first. He controlled the formation, stimulating the Void Dragon Crystal to its limit! Midnight blue light blazed brilliantly. Those several nearly transparent silver filaments appeared again. Though still thin, under more powerful energy support they appeared much clearer. Their directional angle data was precisely captured and recorded.
"Directional angle data stream stable, energy decay model synchronized input..." Second Brother's voice was like a cold machine, inputting the most basic spatial coordinate data stream into the divination core.
Next, Xiao Qi closed his eyes. He did not directly intervene in the data. Instead, he slowly released his primordial spirit power, tempered through life-and-death tribulation, increasingly pure and majestic, combined with the purification Dao rhythm deeply fused with his Green Lotus Origin. This power was not for attack or defense but transformed into an extremely sensitive "perception amplifier" and "interference filter," like the most precise lens, enveloping the entire divination area above.
Under his spiritual sense envelopment, those faint signals captured by the Dragon Crystal, mixed among countless void background radiation and chaotic energy fluctuations, seemed to be instantly purified and amplified. The extremely hidden "malicious intent" characteristic belonging to the Demonic Entity's origin was clearly extracted and marked. Simultaneously, the innate law disturbances of the void itself and other irrelevant energy interferences were filtered and eliminated to the maximum extent.
"Signal purity increased four hundred percent! Interference reduced seventy percent!" Second Brother reported with delight.
Finally came Celestial Bureau Head Mystery Star Zi. His expression solemn, his hands virtually holding the Heavenly Revolving Star Plate, murmuring ancient and obscure incantations. On the star plate, those originally motionless star engravings lit up one by one, as if truly invoking the power of all the stars in the heavens! Rays of starlight descended from the star plate, intertwining with Second Brother's data streams and Xiao Qi's purified amplified perception signals. The three began to interweave and fuse in a mysterious and indescribable way.
At the center of the star plate, a miniature, continuously changing star field image gradually formed. Countless points of light flickered, representing known star domains and plane coordinates. And among them, an extremely dim, intermittent, composed of silver light points a virtual line struggled to extend forward, bypassing areas of dangerous star domains or spatial turbulence represented by shadows.
One day, two days...
On the third night, the energy fluctuations in the laboratory reached their peak!
Hum—!
The Heavenly Revolving Star Plate emitted a clear hum. The starlight suddenly converged. The miniature star field image at the star plate's center stabilized. That intermittent silver virtual line, after countless attempts and corrections, finally pointed toward three areas specially marked with eye-catching red lights!
The divination was successful!
The three almost simultaneously let out a long breath. All their faces carried unavoidable exhaustion, but their eyes were full of excitement.
The screens clearly displayed three complex void coordinates, along with their corresponding star field descriptions:
**Area One: The Depths of the Abyssal Sea's Eye (near the dragon tribe's traditional forbidden zone, spatial structure extremely unstable, obvious devouring characteristics).**
**Area Two: The Core of the Desolate Star Nebula (a known life forbidden zone, where stellar remains and negative energy gather, laws are silent).**
**Area Three: Shadow Plane Rifts (a negative space adhering to the main world's rules, entrance hidden, environment).**
These three areas were all extremely dangerous places where ordinary cultivators never ventured, precisely matching the Demonic Entity's needs for concealment and healing.
"The range... is locked!" Xiao Qi gazed at those three coordinates, his eyes sharp as blades.
Though still like finding a needle in a haystack, at least they now knew which three "seas" to search! The Demonic Entity's concealment range, from boundless unknown void, had been narrowed to three specific target areas!
The next actions finally had clear direction. An in-depth exploration and search of these three dangerous locations was about to begin. This tracking and counter-tracking struggle had entered a new, more critical phase.