117: Chapter 117 Dragon Qi Tempering the Body, Star Chart Reappears

Luoxia City, Star Gazing Pavilion.

Lin Yue sat cross-legged in the center of the meditation chamber, closing his eyes to look inward.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the mark of the cave realm was much dimmer than usual, with fine cracks even appearing on its surface.

His Divine Sense sank into the cave realm.

The scene before him made his heart sink.

Large swathes of the spiritual fields had withered and turned yellow; half of the originally lush, High Grade Spiritual Plants were wilted, their vitality dim.

The Spirit River had dried up, its riverbed exposed, leaving only scattered puddles.

All seven Mineral Veins had ceased production, with piles of gray-white waste rock accumulating at the mine entrances.

The most severe damage was to the World Tree.

On the main trunk, which stood twenty zhang tall, a crack stretched from the roots all the way to the crown. Deep within the crack, there were faint traces of black erosion—a hidden injury left behind from forcibly extracting its Origin when burning the cave realm's Foundation.

The face on the main trunk of Haotian was closed in slumber, its aura as weak as a candle flickering in the wind.

"The price... was indeed too great."

Lin Yue murmured.

But he did not regret it.

If he hadn't done that, both he and Star Radiance would have died in the Burial Dragon Abyss, and the Seal would have completely collapsed.

Now, at least they had bought a year's time.

"Master."

A faint voice sounded within his Sea of Consciousness.

Haotian slowly opened its eyes; the light within them was dim, but it remained conscious.

"You're awake." Lin Yue felt a wave of relief.

"I'm barely maintaining my spiritual awareness from dissipating."

Haotian's voice was low, "The damage to the cave realm is more severe than anticipated. The losses to the spiritual fields, Spirit River, and Mineral Veins can still be repaired, but the Origin crack in the World Tree... requires nourishment from at least three types of 'Life Origin' above the fourth rank to slowly heal."

"Which three?"

"First, Ten-Thousand-Year Wood Heart Marrow, which contains pure wood-element life essence, can repair the cracks in the tree body."

"Second, Earth Vein Dragon Crystal, which contains earth vein Origin, can stabilize the cave realm's Foundation."

"Third..."

Haotian paused, "true dragon essence blood."

Lin Yue was taken aback.

"true dragon essence blood? Didn't we just obtain heart source essence blood?"

"That is for repairing the sealing pillars and cannot be diverted."

Haotian shook its head, "Moreover, although the heart source essence blood is pure, the quantity is too small to repair the World Tree's crack. We need at least three drops of fresh, complete true dragon essence blood."

Fresh, complete true dragon essence blood... meant slaying a living dragon.

Or, striking a deal with a living dragon.

"The dragon skeleton in the Burial Dragon Abyss is already dead; its essence blood is contaminated and unusable."

Lin Yue frowned, "Could there be other True Dragons in this world?"

"Although True Dragons went extinct in ancient times, sub-dragon species like flood dragons and hornless dragons should still survive."

Haotian analyzed, "However, most of them hide in deep seas, Secret Realms, or Void Realm rifts, making them extremely difficult to find."

The lead was broken.

Lin Yue fell silent for a moment.

"Let's repair the other parts first. Do Luoxia City's reserves contain Ten-Thousand-Year Wood Heart Marrow and Earth Vein Dragon Crystal?"

"No. Ten-Thousand-Year Wood Heart Marrow is a fifth-rank spiritual material, and Earth Vein Dragon Crystal is a fourth-rank High Grade treasure—both are rare finds that cannot be sought out."

Haotian paused, "However... there might be an alternative."

"Speak."

"Master, do you remember the 'Dragon Qi' in the Burial Dragon Abyss?"

Lin Yue nodded.

That Dragon Qi, emitted from the dragon skeleton and contaminated by Spirit Devourer roots.

"If we can purify and refine that Dragon Qi using a secret method to extract the most primitive 'Dragon Source Essence Qi,' it might temporarily replace true dragon essence blood to repair part of the World Tree's crack."

Haotian explained, "Although the effect is only thirty percent of true dragon essence blood, it would at least prevent the crack from expanding further and maintain the cave realm's basic functions."

"What needs to be done?"

"We need a 'Dragon Qi Purification Formation.' The Star Lord Inheritance should have records of it; Master can check."

Lin Yue immediately took out the scroll "Star Lord Inheritance · Upper Volume" and probed it with his Divine Sense.

Sure enough, at the end of the Formation section, a Formation named "Nine Dragons Purification Source Formation" was recorded.

This Formation required nine pieces of "dragon pattern jade" as its Foundation, combined with the Power of the Stars, to strip the Impurities from the Dragon Qi and refine it into Dragon Source Essence Qi.

dragon pattern jade... the cave realm happened to have Mineral Veins that produced it.

Although the quality wasn't high, it should suffice as Formation Foundations.

"Feasible."

Lin Yue withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness and was about to go to the cave realm to fetch the dragon pattern jade.

Outside the meditation chamber, Star Radiance's voice came.

"City Lord Lin, are you available?"

"Star Envoy, please come in."

Star Radiance pushed the door open, still wearing her star-patterned white robe, but her complexion looked much better than before.

She held a jade box in her hands.

"This is the 'Green Jade Meridian Restoration Pill' just delivered by the Qinglan Sect; it has miraculous effects on meridian injuries. Additionally, my Senior Brother sent word that the Star Track Pavilion has agreed to fully support the southern border's Seal repair. The pavilion is currently mobilizing resources, and a batch of supplies will arrive in half a month."

"Thank you."

Lin Yue accepted the jade box, "How is the Star Envoy's recovery?"

"I'm already fine."

Star Radiance sat down and looked at Lin Yue, "But City Lord Lin... your injuries seem more severe than they appear on the surface."

Stars flowed in her eyes; she had clearly activated her pupil technique.

Lin Yue felt a chill in his heart but kept his expression unchanged.

"Just the backlash from burning my Foundation; it'll heal with some time and recuperation."

"I'm afraid it's more than just backlash."

Star Radiance stared at him for a moment, then suddenly said, "Within your body... there's an extremely subtle 'spatial fluctuation.' Although faint, its nature is extremely high, far beyond the level a Golden Core Cultivator should possess."

Lin Yue's heart skipped a beat.

Could this woman even sense the spatial fluctuation of the cave realm?

"The Star Envoy must be joking; what spatial fluctuation could Lin possibly have?"

"Perhaps I was mistaken."

Star Radiance didn't press further and changed the subject, "I came today mainly to discuss two matters with you."

"Please speak."

"First, regarding the star core fragment."

Star Radiance said seriously, "Although the Seal is temporarily stabilized, the existence of the star core fragment remains a hidden danger. The Spirit Devouring Clan is extremely sensitive to the Power of the Stars; the imprisoned soldiers under the Seal will eventually lock onto the fragment's location and forcibly break the Seal to seize it."

"What do you mean?"

"I suggest that within the one-year timeframe, we proactively retrieve the star core fragment and either refine it or relocate it."

Star Radiance explained, "The star Origin contained in the star core fragment is not only a supreme treasure for Cultivators but also a great supplement for the Spirit Devouring Clan. If they obtain it, their strength will increase severalfold, making the Seal even harder to maintain."

Lin Yue pondered.

He understood this reasoning.

But the problem was... how to retrieve it?

"The situation under the Seal, the Star Envoy knows better than I do. The Spirit Devourer lieutenant can already force its way through the cracks; there are likely even stronger beings deeper down. Venturing down recklessly would be extremely dangerous."

"Hence the need for a plan."

Star Radiance took out a scroll of animal skin map and spread it on the table.

It was a deep structural map of the Burial Dragon Abyss she had deduced using her Star Gazing Pupil Technique and the Star Track Pavilion's secret methods.

The map marked three possible passages and several suspected "prisoner soldier nest" locations.

"The safest route is this one."

She pointed to a winding dotted line, "Enter from the 'Ancient Dragon Marrow Passage' three li east of the dragon nest. This avoids most areas dense with Spirit Devourer fungal carpets and leads directly to the bottom of the abyss. However, this passage is blocked by a 'Dragon Soul Restriction' that requires True Dragon Bloodline or a Dragon Clan token to open."

Dragon Soul Restriction... Lin Yue recalled that star lord token.

"Perhaps I have a way."

He took out the token, "This star lord token might serve as a token."

Star Radiance took the token and carefully sensed it.

A moment later, a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"The token... indeed contains a trace of extremely pure dragon might. Although faint, its nature is extremely high, likely an imprint left when the Star Lord refined a dragon soul into the token after slaying a True Dragon in the past."

"Can it be used?"

"We can try."

Star Radiance returned the token to Lin Yue, "However, even if we can open the passage, the dangers at the bottom of the abyss still exist. We need more preparations."

"So that's the second matter?"

"Yes."

Star Radiance nodded, "I need to borrow Luoxia City's Artifact Refining Workshop to refine an upgraded version of the 'Star Lock Formation Flags'—the 'Star Dragon Spirit Lock Formation.' This Formation uses the Power of the Stars as its Foundation, incorporating Dragon Qi characteristics, making it more effective at suppressing the Spirit Devouring Clan."

"Additionally..."

She looked at Lin Yue, "I hope City Lord Lin can study the star Formations in the Star Lord Inheritance with me. The core of the Seal is bound to have powerful Formations guarding it; without knowing how to break them, entering would be suicide."

This request was reasonable.

"Agreed. However, before that, I need to take care of some personal matters."

"As you wish."

Star Radiance stood up, "Regarding the Artifact Refining Workshop, I'll first communicate with Elder Lin Shi. In three days, we'll begin our Formation studies."

After seeing Star Radiance off, Lin Yue immediately entered the cave realm.

He first went to the dragon pattern jade Mineral Vein and mined nine pieces of the highest-quality raw stone, each the size of a fist, with faint dragon-shaped patterns flowing inside.

Then, following the method recorded in the "Star Lord Inheritance," he began setting up the "Nine Dragons Purification Source Formation."

The Formation core was placed under the World Tree.

The nine pieces of dragon pattern jade were arranged according to the nine palaces orientation, connected to each other by threads of starlight.

After completing the Formation setup, Lin Yue sat cross-legged at the formation eye, forming hand Seals.

"Formation, activate."

The nine pieces of dragon pattern jade lit up simultaneously!

The dragon-shaped patterns on the jade surfaces seemed to come alive, swimming and leaping within the jade.

Immediately after, Lin Yue took out three specially crafted jade bottles from his storage ring.

Inside the bottles was the "contaminated Dragon Qi" he had secretly collected in the dragon nest of the Burial Dragon Abyss.

When retrieving the heart source essence blood, he had casually condensed several bottles of Dragon Qi using purifying spirit dew, originally intending to study it, but now it came in handy.

He opened the stoppers and poured the Dragon Qi into the Formation.

The black, viscous Dragon Qi, upon contacting the Formation, was immediately drawn by the nine pieces of dragon pattern jade, flowing into the jade interiors like rivers returning to the sea.

The dragon pattern jade shone brightly; the dragon-shaped patterns on their surfaces frantically devoured the Dragon Qi while simultaneously stripping and expelling the mixed Spirit Devourer Impurities.

The stripped black Impurities fell to the ground, quickly corroding small pits.

The purified Dragon Qi transformed into pale golden mist, slowly rising from the tops of the jade pieces and converging at the center of the Formation.

There, a leaf from the World Tree floated.

The leaf acted like a funnel, absorbing all the pale golden Dragon Qi, then channeling it through the leaf stem into the World Tree's main trunk.

As the Dragon Qi was infused, the crack on the main trunk began to heal at a visible speed!

Although only the surface healed, and the deep Origin crack remained, it at least halted the worsening trend.

More importantly, the World Tree's aura began to slowly recover.

The face on Haotian's main trunk also gradually regained its vitality.

"Effective..."

Lin Yue felt a surge of joy in his heart.

He increased his spiritual power output, accelerating the purification process.

One hour later.

All three bottles of contaminated Dragon Qi had been purified.

The crack on the World Tree's main trunk had completely healed on the surface, leaving only a faint pale golden mark.

And that mark, instead, gave the World Tree a hint of... dragon might?

"Master, the Dragon Source Essence Qi not only repaired the crack but also gave the World Tree a 'Dragon Qi Affinity' characteristic."

Haotian's voice carried a hint of delight, "From now on, spiritual materials produced in the cave realm may carry a faint Dragon Qi attribute, providing additional benefits for Cultivators' Body Tempering."

"Additionally, after absorbing part of the Dragon Source Essence Qi, my spiritual awareness core's 'Rule Analysis' ability has unlocked a new function."

"What function?"

"Dragon Language Analysis."

Haotian explained, "It can analyze Dragon Clan-related runes, formation patterns, and incantations. This will be of great help in breaking the Dragon Soul Restriction in the Burial Dragon Abyss and exploring Dragon Clan ruins."

An unexpected boon!

Lin Yue's eyes lit up.

This ability seemed tailor-made.

"Excellent. Continue absorbing the Dragon Qi and recover fully as soon as possible."

He exited the cave realm and began meditating to recover from the Formation's consumption.

Three days later.

Deep within the Artifact Refining Workshop, in a specially vacated meditation chamber.

Lin Yue and Star Radiance sat facing each other, with the Formation scroll of the "Star Lord Inheritance" spread open between them.

On the scroll, detailed explanations of seventeen star Formations were drawn with silver star sand, each formation pattern containing profound truths of heaven and earth.

"Let's start with the star part of the 'Nine Heavens Demon Suppression Grand Array.'"

Star Radiance pointed her fingertip to the center of the scroll, "This is the core of the grand array and the Foundation for sealing the Burial Dragon Abyss. If we can fully master it, it will not only help with repairing the Seal but also be of great reference for you when setting up Luoxia City's City Protecting Great Formation in the future."

Lin Yue nodded, focusing intently.

Both were Geniuses in Formations—one having received the true teachings of the Star Lord, the other a Star Gazing Emissary of the Star Track Pavilion. Their mutual verification led to rapid progress.

Many difficulties Lin Yue had encountered while studying alone became clear with Star Radiance's guidance.

And Star Radiance also saw many ancient Formation variations not recorded in the Star Track Pavilion's Legacy from Lin Yue.

Time flew by in deep study.

Seven days later.

The meditation chamber door was knocked.

Lin Yan's voice came through: "City Lord, Sect Master Mo Chen of the Qinglan Sect has arrived in person, saying he has important matters to discuss."

Sect Master Mo Chen in person?

Lin Yue and Star Radiance exchanged glances, both seeing gravity in each other's eyes.

Unless it was a major event, a Nascent Soul Cultivator would not easily leave his Sect.

"Please escort the Sect Master to the council hall; we'll be there shortly."

Lin Yue stood up and straightened his robes.

Star Radiance also put away the scroll.

As the two walked out of the meditation chamber, Lin Yue suddenly felt a premonition and looked up at the sky.

It was noon, with bright sunlight.

But in his eyes, deep within the firmament, there seemed to be an extremely faint, distorted black trajectory streaking from the northern horizon toward the southern border.

The aura of that trajectory... was identical to that of the Black Lotus Cult.

"It seems trouble has come again."

He muttered to himself.

Star Radiance also looked up at the sky, stars flowing in reverse in her eyes.

"It's more than just trouble..."

Her voice was grave, "That is... a 'Spirit Devourer Beacon.'"

"Someone is actively summoning the Spirit Devouring Clan."