43: The palace gates opened, revealing star official puppets.

A cold sensation emanated from his palm. The colossal Demon Suppressing Palace gate, a hundred zhang tall, was like an ancient iceberg, exuding a heavy, awe-inspiring presence that kept all at bay. On the door, patterns of sun, moon, and stars intertwined with grotesque demonic images, subtly forming a vast and complex Seal Formation.

Lin Xuan held his breath, concentrating his entire mind on the "immortal abode pivot token" mark in his palm. Golden Core spiritual power, like a floodgate opening, continuously poured into it, activating the Power of Authority originating from the Origin of the Misty Immortal Palace.

Buzz—

A low hum, seemingly originating from the depths of his Soul, resonated. The mark of the immortal abode pivot token suddenly erupted with unprecedented heat and clear light. The clear light flowed out like a living thing, spreading along Lin Xuan's arm to his palm pressed against the door, then rapidly diffusing like a spiderweb across the entire sun, moon, and star pattern on the door!

As if a parched riverbed had welcomed a sweet rain, the previously dim star engravings, which had seemed merely decorative, lit up one by one! The clear, pure, and vast Power of Stars bloomed from the door, quickly overwhelming the gloomy Devilish Qi emanating from the grotesque demonic images!

The sun and moon patterns began to rotate slowly, and the star trajectories reconnected. A vast, intricate Star Seal Formation, filled with supreme Daorhyme, was reactivated by the "key" after countless years of dormancy!

“Creak—Creak—Creak—”

A grinding sound, heavy enough to crush the Soul, came from within the door. The two colossal gates, a hundred zhang tall and weighing millions of jun, slowly and arduously began to open inward, forming a crack, propelled by the Power of Stars!

Even with just a crack, a terrifying Devilish Qi, countless times purer, more ancient, and more violent than what was outside, mixed with a cold, deathly, time-freezing Star Seal Power, surged out like a bursting dam!

“Be careful!”

Lin Xuan bore the brunt, feeling an indescribable pressure overwhelm him, causing even his Golden Core Stage cultivation to tremble! He let out a low roar, his body erupting in golden light. The Nine Revolutions Golden Body Art was pushed to its limit, forcefully stabilizing his figure.

Su Wanqing, Qu Feiyan, and Gongsun Yu were also buffeted by this sudden surge of Qi, their vital Qi churning. They retreated several steps before barely stabilizing themselves, their faces filled with horror. If the Qi leaking from a mere crack in the door was so terrifying, what would the world behind the door be like?

The colossal gate opened extremely slowly, the heavy grinding sound continuous, as if every inch of movement required an immense amount of energy. The crack gradually widened, from a sliver of light to a gap wide enough for several people to pass through side-by-side.

Looking inside through the crack, it was not the anticipated darkness, but rather a shocking sight!

It was a gigantic palace, its vastness indescribable, with a dome whose height was unknown, seemingly directly connected to the demonic cloud sky outside, yet inlaid with real stars that cast a clear, cold light. The palace's floor, walls, and even the massive pillars supporting the dome were constructed from a material that was neither metal nor jade, emitting a faint starlight, and inscribed with countless exceedingly complex star runes and Seal Formations.

Most striking, however, were the thirty-six towering figures suspended within the palace!

These figures were entirely made of a silvery-white metal, about three zhang tall, and their appearance was not human, but rather more abstract and majestic, like ancient Star Officials draped in starlight robes and wearing crowns! They were expressionless, their eyes two constantly rotating, miniature star phantoms, holding various weapons condensed from starlight—swords, halberds, axes, yue, whips, maces... Each one exuded a cold, deathly, yet incredibly powerful aura, clearly reaching the Early Golden Core Stage!

They floated silently in mid-air, moving slowly along mysterious trajectories, like stars obeying predetermined laws, guarding this core area.

“Star Official Puppets!” Lin Xuan's heart tightened, and Daoist Shoujing's reminder echoed in his mind. These thirty-six Star Official Puppets were the final barrier guarding the circumferential star lock!

The moment the door crack widened enough for passage, the thirty-six previously slowly moving Star Official Puppets seemed to be simultaneously infused with a Soul. Their star-like eyes suddenly fixed, and they all "looked" at Lin Xuan and the Three women at the entrance!

Cold, pure killing intent enveloped them like a tangible entity!

“Intruders... kill without mercy!”

A grand voice, devoid of emotion, like the grinding of metal and stone, resounded directly in the Sea of Consciousness of the four!

The next moment, the six Star Official Puppets closest to the entrance moved!

The starlight weapons in their hands suddenly lit up, and their figures transformed into six silver lightning bolts. With a sharp whistle that tore through space, they instantly traversed a hundred zhang, launching a merciless attack on the four! The sword light was cold as the moon, the halberd shadow heavy as a mountain, the axe blade split heaven and earth... The offensive was fierce, coordinated perfectly, sealing off all avenues of escape!

“Retreat!”

Lin Xuan roared, his fists flashing with golden light, directly meeting the most ferocious starlight sword energy! Fists and sword clashed, emitting a deafening metallic clang. The violent Qi shockwave even cracked the hard starlight material of the ground! Lin Xuan's figure swayed slightly, and the sword-wielding Star Official was also knocked back several steps, but the stars in its eyes still rotated coldly, completely unperturbed.

Su Wanqing brandished her ice sword, deploying her Moon Splendor Domain, attempting to freeze the other two Puppets, but the Power of Stars attached to the starlight weapons seemed to have some resistance to Taiyin Power, greatly diminishing the freezing effect. She could only rely on her exquisite swordsmanship to contend with them.

Qu Feiyan's Seduction Skill had little effect on these emotionless Puppets. Her figure flickered, and her blood lotus was primarily used to disrupt the Puppets' energy circulation, creating opportunities for others.

Gongsun Yu's lightning techniques could cause some paralyzing effect on these metal Puppets, but her attack power was relatively insufficient to break through their sturdy defenses.

The combined might of six Early Golden Core Stage Puppets was extraordinary! The four were suppressed at the entrance for a time, unable to advance an inch! Moreover, although the other thirty Puppets did not advance, their cold "gaze" remained fixed on the battlefield, as if ready to join the siege at any moment!

“We can't get bogged down in a fight! We must rush in and find the Star Lock!” Lin Xuan's thoughts raced. While fending off the torrential attacks, he fully activated the "immortal abode pivot token," attempting to establish a deeper connection with these Puppets, or with the Star Seal within this palace.

The clear light of the immortal abode pivot token once again emanated from his palm, enveloping his entire body. This time, the movements of the six Star Official Puppets attacking him seemed to show an extremely subtle stagnation. A ripple of undetectable doubt flickered in their cold, star-like eyes.

It worked!

Lin Xuan's spirits lifted, and he activated the cardinal edict even more vigorously, simultaneously attaching a wisp of his Divine Sense to it, probing towards the depths of the palace, in the direction where the Power of Stars was most concentrated and the Seal aura was strongest!

In his perception, at the very center of the palace, there was a high platform. Suspended above the platform was a colossal, dizzyingly complex three-dimensional rune woven from countless lines of starlight—that should be the core of the "circumferential star lock"!

And the path to the high platform was almost completely blocked by the remaining thirty Star Official Puppets!

“Charge with me!”

Lin Xuan seized the momentary delay of the six Puppets caused by the aura of the immortal abode pivot token, fiercely punched away the halberd-wielding Puppet in front of him, and shot forward like lightning, rushing into the palace first! He had to attract most of the firepower to create an opportunity for the Three women!

“Stop him!”

The cold command once again echoed in their Sea of Consciousness. Immediately, another twelve Star Official Puppets moved! Like a well-trained army, they instantly formed a battle array, their starlight weapons weaving into a net of death, enveloping Lin Xuan!

Seeing this, Su Wanqing, Qu Feiyan, and Gongsun Yu also did not hesitate, each unleashing their Divine Ability, following closely behind Lin Xuan, attempting to tear open a gap!

Within the Demon Suppressing Palace, a fierce battle erupted! Starlight and golden light, moon splendor, blood lotus, and lightning wildly collided, deafening roars echoing incessantly! Every step forward was accompanied by immense risk and consumption!

Lin Xuan, like a golden arrowhead, charged at the forefront. The light of the immortal abode pivot token was his only protective talisman and a guiding beacon. His gaze was firm, fixed on the core high platform at the center of the palace, which emanated vast star fluctuations.

The circumferential star lock was close at hand, yet it felt as if separated by a thousand mountains and ten thousand waters.