In short order, the pulverized dust scattered across the starry sky, eventually fading into oblivion. More than a dozen Ancient Ancestors had fallen, just like that!
Lu Xuan then turned his gaze to Guixuan, casually bringing his palm down. A thunderous boom shook the cosmos as an overwhelming pressure cascaded, unleashing a torrent of astral gales that engulfed Guixuan and his companions.
“Wait!” Guixuan’s face blanched, and he shrieked, a desperate plea ripping from his throat.
With another deafening roar, an ancient bronze mirror erupted from Guixuan’s chest. Thick, inky black mist billowed from its surface, coalescing into the spectral form of an old man cloaked in shadow. His face was a roadmap of withered wrinkles, each crease seemingly etched by eons of time, brimming with an unsettling Eerie Power. His aura was abyssal, and even as a mere projection, his oppressive might seemed to rival Lu Xuan’s own.
The black-robed elder spoke, his voice a low, raspy murmur. “Greetings, old friend.”
“Old friend, my foot!” Lu Xuan scoffed, his voice laced with disdain. This old geezer was none other than the Eerie Lord himself. Was he seriously trying to play the ‘long-lost comrades’ card now?
Guixuan and the other Eerie Ancient Ancestors exchanged bewildered glances. Their Venerable Lord wasn't immediately clashing with Lu Xuan? Had the passage of endless ages truly mellowed their ancient animosity?
“Let the past remain in the past,” the Eerie Lord’s projection continued, a chilling calm in his voice. “Welcome back, Sir. Indeed, in your previous life, I manipulated a few individuals, but they were nothing more than fools. Though you suffered defeat, I still hold a measure of respect for your former glory.
“Sir, I offer you two choices. First, become my ally. You and I shall divide this Star Sea, each ruling half its vast expanse!”
Before the Eerie Lord could even finish his proposition, Lu Xuan cut him off, his tone utterly flat. “I’ll take option two…”
“Hahahahaha!” The Eerie Lord’s laughter boomed, a sinister, mocking sound. “Sir, once, you had no choices at all. Now, if you wish to die, then I shall grant your wish… Hehehehe!”
With a casual flick of his sleeve, Lu Xuan unleashed a torrential wave of power that surged forth, instantly obliterating the Eerie Lord’s projection.
“Seven-star Ancient Ancestor power!” In that fleeting instant, the Eerie Lord’s projection registered Lu Xuan’s cultivation realm. “Hehehe… You are weaker than before, merely at the Ancient Ancestor Realm. But I am no longer a Half-step Heavenly God. I have ascended to the Heavenly God Realm! Welcome to the Eerie Plateau.”
“I knew you would come.” With a final, arrogant declaration, the Eerie Lord’s projection shattered into countless fragments. Guixuan and the five other Eerie Race Ancient Ancestors disintegrated in the same instant, utterly annihilated by Lu Xuan’s casual strike.
Even as his projection vanished, the Eerie Lord’s voice echoed through the void, laced with chilling anticipation. “Sir, I await you on the Eerie Plateau.”
Then, a vivid image materialized before Lu Xuan. Xuanji Holy Lord Baili sat cross-legged within the Eerie Sect, enveloped by an endless shroud of Eerie Power. Her cultivation surged with astonishing speed: Nine-star Myriad Phase Realm! Peak Nine-star Myriad Phase Realm! Then, with a resounding boom, she broke through, stepping directly into the Ancient Ancestor Realm!
As she ascended, a torrent of forgotten memories flooded Baili’s mind. “Sir…” she whispered, a tear tracing a path down her cheek. “The Star Sea Great War…” Another tear fell. “Master…” Each word was punctuated by a fresh wave of emotion, memories of a bygone era, fragmented yet vivid, burning with a profound warmth as if they had happened only yesterday.
Suddenly, a colossal black palm materialized above Baili, effortlessly snatching the entire Eerie Sect from its cosmic perch. The massive star, once a world, was now a mere toy in its grasp. The monstrous hand enveloped Xuanji Holy Lord Baili and surged towards the Eerie Plateau.
Baili’s expression flickered with alarm. “Master!” she cried out. The Eerie Lord’s voice, now tinged with triumph, reverberated once more. “Sir, come to the Eerie Plateau. Let us converse.”
“Baili, don’t worry,” Lu Xuan’s calm voice cut through the cosmic silence, a promise of absolute protection. “Your Master will be there in an instant.”
The Eerie Lord’s sinister chuckle echoed. “I eagerly anticipate this battle. Since you refuse to join me, then you shall simply be buried within this boundless starry void.”
Lu Xuan let out a disdainful chuckle. With a mere thought, he activated the Heaven-Reaching Spatial Array Patterns, a profound energy instantly enveloping Ji Fuyao, Ye Chen, and the others. Boom! They vanished from their positions, their destination: the Eerie Plateau!
Mid-transit, Lu Xuan casually waved a hand, unleashing several rivers of divine splendor that streaked towards the heart of the First Star Ring. Boom! Boom! Boom! Wherever they passed, the very firmament ripped apart, and a terrifying killing intent plunged all living beings into dread and horror. What unfathomable power was this? Even among Ancient Ancestors, such a display was unheard of! These rivers of divine splendor locked onto Yangzheng Mountain, the Shenwu Empire, and the Cold Mountain Temple, descending with devastating precision!
Witnessing this cataclysm, all living beings were utterly stunned. “Could it be that Shenwu Emperor Tianye and his allies have already been defeated?” someone gasped. “Did the White-Robed powerhouse finally make his move?” another whispered in terror. “This is too horrifying! Every force in the First Star Ring that opposed the White-Robed powerhouse is destined for annihilation!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! A terrifying wave of destruction swept across countless stars. In mere moments, Ancient Ancestor-level powers that had stood for endless ages within the First Star Ring crumbled one after another! Yangzheng Mountain: annihilated! Shenwu Empire: annihilated! Cold Mountain Temple: annihilated! … More than a dozen Ancient Ancestor-level forces, utterly wiped from existence! In an instant, the entire First Star Ring erupted in chaos and disbelief. What heaven-defying power was this?
As the cosmic populace reeled in shock, a sudden cry pierced the air. “Look!” Someone pointed towards the Eerie Plateau. Countless divine senses and spiritual probes converged on the distant location. Shock! Where the Eerie Plateau had stood in endless, desolate darkness, a brilliant white sun now blazed across the heavens. This colossal orb of light radiated a terrifying, scorching pressure, visible even from billions of miles away. A few ancient elders, their voices trembling with dawning realization, murmured, “I… I’ve seen fragments in ancient texts. They spoke of a White-Robed powerhouse, his might transcending all Ancient Ancestors, who single-handedly suppressed the Eerie Plateau for countless ages. Then came the Star Sea Great War, and the White-Robed powerhouse… fell.” A scattering of people nodded, a flicker of memory stirring. But the vast majority remained utterly bewildered. The reason was simple: after the Star Sea Great War, the Eerie Plateau had seized a fragmented River of Time, using its power to erase 'Sir’s' past, burying his legend in the dust of ages. Later, with the establishment of the Four Star Rings, the Star River Alliance, led by Shenwu Emperor Tianye, had further conspired to conceal this forbidden history.
Meanwhile, on the Eerie Plateau itself. This was a continent of unimaginable scale, its landmass rivaling the entire First Star Ring. It lay perpetually shrouded in an endless, inky black mist, within which intricate Dao patterns pulsed with sinister energy. The very flow of time here was warped, creating a terrifying, oppressive field. Even powerhouses like Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen, now Ancient Ancestors themselves, felt their own Daos twisting and contorting under its influence! The sky above was perpetually gloomy, Eerie Power saturating every nook and cranny, exerting an overwhelming suppression. Twisted, gnarled spirit trees clawed at the air, and the terrain itself was a grotesque mockery of natural order, far more terrifying than any ancient forbidden zone. Faintly visible across the desolate landscape were countless colossal tombs. Chilling, hair-raising sounds echoed incessantly: “Screech!” “Hiss!”
Lu Xuan’s gaze pierced the depths of the Eerie Plateau. Xuanji Holy Lord Baili was there, and the Eerie Lord sat cross-legged, radiating an unsettling calm. Boom! In a flash, Lu Xuan stepped onto the Eerie Plateau, unleashing his full, terrifying pressure. Behind him, endless Dao Rhymes manifested, forming swirling rings of divine patterns. The moment Lu Xuan’s feet touched the eerie ground, the surrounding Eerie Power surged towards him like a ravenous tide. From beneath the earth, countless black shadows erupted, quickly coalescing into a host of ominous beings. Some were covered in grotesque red fur, others possessed bizarre, twisted forms. And every single one of them was at the Ancient Ancestor Realm!