156: The Star Key returns to its place, and storms rage outside the valley.

Ling Tianyu collapsed at the edge of the altar like a puddle of mud, his breath fading; in his eyes, apart from pain, only endless fear and regret remained.

His three remaining guards were even more deathly pale, lacking even the courage to meet the gazes of Lin Xuan and the others.

Lin Xuan no longer paid attention to these defeated dogs; his gaze fell back upon the solid light barrier shrouding the three treasures of the altar.

The light barrier shimmered, emitting an incredibly resilient Power of Stars; clearly, it could not be easily broken by brute force.

With a flick of his mind, he took out the jade hairpin he had obtained from Wangshu, which had been silent all along, as well as the broken star path compass.

When these two items neared the light barrier, it immediately rippled; in particular, the broken star path compass resonated strongly with the complete star path compass inside the barrier.

"It seems a specific 'star key' is required." Lin Xuan thought thoughtfully.

He attempted to slowly inject his own spiritual power, imbued with the Taichu Concept and affinity for the Power of Stars, into the broken star path compass in his hand.

"Hum—" The broken star path compass shone brightly, and a miniature projection of the starry sky rose from it, echoing the complete star path compass within the light barrier.

Immediately after, the light barrier shrouding the treasures rippled like water, revealing a gap large enough for only one person to pass through.

"It worked!" Gongsun Yu said joyfully.

Lin Xuan was the first to step inside the light barrier.

He walked first toward the complete star path compass.

When his fingers touched the cold surface of the compass, a vast torrent of information instantly flooded his mind—it contained coordinates of the endless starry sky, records of ancient star paths, and a clearer map pointing to the distant, unknown location of the "Hall of All Stars"!

【Obtained key item: Complete star path compass! Unlocked partial information on ancient star paths, "Hall of All Stars" coordinate clarity increased to 65%!】 The System notification rang out in time.

Lin Xuan suppressed the excitement in his heart and solemnly put away the complete star path compass.

This item would be the key to their future search for the Hall of All Stars and their confrontation with the Guixu Cult.

Subsequently, his gaze swept over the "Star Ancient Scroll" and the "yaoguang immortal sound zither".

To him, the "Star Ancient Scroll" could serve as a supplementary reference for the Primal Beginning Sword Scripture, but it was not essential.

As for the "yaoguang immortal sound zither", a musical Magic Treasure, it did not perfectly align with his path.

He turned and looked at the four women outside the light barrier.

"Yun Shang." Lin Xuan called out first.

Under Yun Shang's surprised gaze, he handed over the "Star Ancient Scroll", "You possess a Star Spirit Body; this Cultivation Technique is the most compatible with you. I hope you will Cultivate diligently and achieve great things on the Star Dao in the future."

Yun Shang was trembling with excitement; this was the Legacy Cultivation Technique of the ancient Star Palace!

She took the ancient scroll with slightly shaking hands and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Senior Brother Lin! Yun Shang will certainly not let Senior Brother down!"

【Ding! Investment target Yun Shang successful! Gifted ancient Legacy "Star Ancient Scroll"!】

【Triggered hundred-fold return! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Star Origin Baptism (effect already absorbed), special status 'Star Favor' (slightly permanently increased Cultivation speed and Comprehension Ability in star environments)!】

Lin Xuan nodded slightly, feeling a mysterious favor from the stars upon him, making his perception of the Power of Stars even clearer.

Next, he picked up the crystal-clear "yaoguang immortal sound zither".

Seven stars flowed across the zither body, which was beautiful and elegant.

His gaze swept over Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan.

Su Wanqing was as cold and clear as the moon, with an ethereal temperament, seemingly compatible with the elegant melodies of this zither.

Qu Feiyan, however, was enchanting and alluring, and her Blood Lotus Demonic Art was treacherous, seeming completely at odds with a musical Magic Treasure.

However, Lin Xuan smiled slightly, held the Immortal Artifact zither, and walked in front of Qu Feiyan.

Qu Feiyan was stunned, her beautiful eyes full of astonishment.

Even Su Wanqing revealed a trace of surprise.

"Senior Sister," Lin Xuan looked at Qu Feiyan's charming eyes, which were wide with surprise, and said gently, "The Dao of the blood lotus lies in controlling the human heart and confusing the Divine Soul. The art of music can also reach directly to the Divine Soul and manipulate the seven emotions. This zither is named 'Yaoguang', implicitly matching the meaning of the Army-Breaking star's revolution; it might not be impossible for it to complement your Blood Lotus Demonic Art and lead you down another path. Your Dao should not be limited."

As he spoke, he handed the yaoguang immortal sound zither to Qu Feiyan.

Qu Feiyan stared blankly at Lin Xuan, then at the Immortal Artifact zither, her heart churning with turbulent waves.

She had never imagined that someone would think she, a demoness of the Demonic Path, could wield such elegant celestial music!

Even less did she expect Lin Xuan to understand her so well, and even point out another possibility for her!

An indescribable warmth and palpitation surged into her heart, more intense and real than any previous success in her seduction.

She extended a slightly trembling hand and took the yaoguang immortal sound zither.

The moment the zither body was in her hands, a strange resonance actually occurred within her body; the blood lotus swayed slightly, faintly harmonizing with the zither's sound.

"Junior Brother..." Qu Feiyan's voice was somewhat choked, watery light swirling in her charming eyes, revealing such real and soft emotions in front of outsiders for the first time, "I... thank you."

【Ding! Investment target Qu Feiyan successful! Gifted Tier 7 musical Magic Treasure 'yaoguang immortal sound zither'!】

【Triggered special bond return! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Significant increase in Divine Soul strength! Obtained Divine Ability 'Seven Emotions Bewitching Sound' (Elementary, can induce emotional fluctuations in enemies)! Bond with target Qu Feiyan increased to 'Devoted'!】

Su Wanqing watched this scene, a trace of complexity flashing in her icy eyes, but she did not say much.

She understood the deep meaning behind Lin Xuan's action and trusted his judgment.

Lin Xuan smiled at Qu Feiyan, then looked at Su Wanqing, his eyes filled with apology.

Su Wanqing shook her head slightly, indicating she did not mind.

The frost silence sword was already a rare Immortal Artifact in the world, and she was satisfied.

As for Gongsun Yu, Lin Xuan had already prepared subsequent lightning-attribute Cultivation Techniques and resources for her, so there was no need to rush.

The Legacies had found their owners, and everyone was happy.

Just as Lin Xuan had collected the complete star path compass, and Yun Shang and Qu Feiyan had initially refined their respective gains, the entire Star Palace altar suddenly began to shake.

The starry sky projection on the dome began to blur, and the light of the altar beneath their feet gradually dimmed.

"The Star Palace Legacy has been obtained; this place is about to close!" Yun Shang said hurriedly.

"Let's go!" Lin Xuan did not hesitate, leading everyone to leave the altar quickly and return along the original path.

When they rushed out of the Star Palace corridor and returned to that broken Starfall Valley basin, they discovered that the entire Starfall Valley was shaking violently.

The starlight in the sky had become chaotic, and the silver pillar of light connecting heaven and earth began to shatter and dissipate inch by inch.

"The tide of Star Power is receding! The space inside the valley will become unstable again; we must leave as soon as possible!" A Cultivator exclaimed.

In an instant, all the Cultivators still in the valley surged toward the outside like a tide.

Lin Xuan's group of five blended into the crowd, moving extremely fast.

After the Star Palace baptism, Lin Xuan's cultivation had reached the Golden Core Great Perfection, his aura deep and profound; although the Taichu Sword Domain had not manifested, that invisible pressure made the Cultivators blocking the way instinctively clear a path.

Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan were on his left and right, one cold as ice, the other enchanting as fire, their auras equally powerful.

Wherever the five-person team passed, no one dared to challenge their edge.

Very soon, they rushed out of the Starfall Valley area.

Outside the valley, a large number of Cultivators who had failed to enter or had come out early were still gathered.

When they saw Lin Xuan's group of five emerging unscathed with powerful auras, it immediately caused a stir.

Especially upon sensing Lin Xuan's unfathomable cultivation, and seeing that Su Wanqing and the others had clearly gained quite a bit, it drew countless gazes of envy, jealousy, and even greed.

Lin Xuan turned a blind eye to this.

He swept his Divine Sense across the area, but did not find any trace of Ling Tianyu and his subordinates; they must have used some secret technique to escape early, or had perished inside the Star Palace.

"Let's leave here first." Lin Xuan said in a low voice.

The star path compass was of great importance, and it was not suitable to stay long.

The five turned into beams of light and were preparing to leave when suddenly, a powerful Divine Sense swept over them unceremoniously, carrying scrutiny and a hint of malice.

"Young friends, you have gained quite a bit in Starfall Valley." An eerie voice sounded.

In the distance, an old man in black robes with a withered face was seen walking slowly, surrounded by a group of Cultivators.

His aura had shockingly reached the Early Nascent Soul Stage!

Clearly, someone had seen wealth and become greedy, wanting to block their path and rob them!

Lin Xuan's eyes turned slightly cold.

He stopped his beam of light, protected the four women behind him, and looked calmly at the black-robed old man.

Having just made a Breakthrough, he happened to need a whetstone.