130: Chapter 130 Dragon Qi Healing, Star Chart Secrets

The quiet room of the City Lord's Mansion.

Lin Yue sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his body enveloped in a layer of faint golden misty vapor.

That was the residual Dragon Qi extracted from the depths of the Corrupt Dragon Pool; although it was mixed and thin, after initial purification by the Grotto-Heaven, it had miraculous effects on repairing injuries to the Meridians.

Wisps of Dragon Qi seeped into his skin, washing through the residual Spirit Devourer corrosive power within his body like a warm stream. Under the nourishment of the Dragon Qi, those black erosion marks slowly peeled away and dissipated.

But the most serious were the cracks in the Meridians caused by the forced eruption of the Star Body.

"Master, this damage is deeper than expected."

Hao Tian's voice echoed in the Sea of Consciousness, "Seventy-three cracks in the Meridians, including nineteen in the main Meridians. If relying on natural recovery, it would take at least three months. But if Dragon Qi is used to force healing, it can be cured in seven days, only..."

"Only it will consume a large amount of Dragon Qi reserves, slowing down the Grotto-Heaven's recovery speed?"

Lin Yue took over the conversation.

"Yes. The Dragon Qi obtained from the Corrupt Dragon Pool can yield about thirty percent pure Dragon Source after purification. Half is needed for healing, while using it to nourish the Grotto-Heaven could accelerate recovery by thirty percent. Master needs to make a choice."

A choice... Lin Yue pondered for a moment.

"Heal. Strength is the foundation. It doesn't matter if the Grotto-Heaven recovers slowly, but I must regain full combat power before the Seven Star Alliance notices anything unusual."

"Understood."

Hao Tian said no more, mobilizing the Dragon Qi stored within the Grotto-Heaven to begin fully repairing Lin Yue's Meridians.

The process was slow and painful.

Although Dragon Qi could repair, forcing the healing was like remelting shattered porcelain pieces with high heat; every instance of healing was accompanied by violent twitching of the Meridians.

Lin Yue gritted his teeth, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

But he didn't let out a single groan, merely forming hand Seals and fully operating the Seven Star Essence Refining Art, guiding the Dragon Qi to flow through his Meridians in an orderly fashion.

Time passed in the silence.

Three hours later.

When the last crack in the main Meridians was repaired by the Dragon Qi, Lin Yue slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi.

The turbid Qi was mixed with faint blackish-gray Impurities—the last trace of the Spirit Devourer corrosive power being forced out.

The injury was finally stabilized.

Although still some distance from full recovery, at least it didn't affect normal combat, and the flow of spiritual energy had returned to eighty percent smoothness.

"The price was not small..."

Lin Yue inspected the Grotto-Heaven internally.

The luster of the Spirit Field had dimmed by twenty percent, the flow speed of the Spirit River had significantly slowed, and the production efficiency of the Mineral Vein had also dropped by about ten percent.

But it was worth it.

He stood up from the prayer mat and stretched his limbs, his bones letting out crisp popping sounds.

"Master, a guest has arrived."

Hao Tian suddenly reminded him.

Almost simultaneously, a soft knock came from outside the quiet room.

"City Lord Lin, is it convenient?"

It was Star Radiance's voice.

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and Star Radiance walked in carrying a jade bowl.

The bowl contained a green medicinal soup with a rich aroma, and a few faint golden leaves floated on the surface—it was the "Starry Brilliance Essence Nourishing Soup" specially made by the Star Track Pavilion, which had a dual nourishing effect on the Divine Soul and Meridians.

"I just observed some turbulence in the spiritual energy fluctuations from the direction of your quiet room and guessed your injuries hadn't healed, so I brewed this bowl of medicinal soup."

Star Radiance placed the jade bowl on the table, her gaze lingering on Lin Yue for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Your recovery speed... is much faster than I imagined."

"I was lucky enough to obtain some secret healing methods."

Lin Yue didn't explain, picking up the medicinal soup and drinking it in one gulp.

The warm medicinal power dissolved within his body, overlapping with the residual nourishing effect of the Dragon Qi, giving his spirits a boost.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Star Radiance sat down opposite him, her expression solemn.

"I came to inform you of something else as well."

"Please speak."

"Mysterious Yang Master just spoke with me."

Star Radiance said in a low voice, "Within the Seven Star Alliance, the attitude towards the southern territory is not unified. The 'Tianshu Department' led by Mysterious Yang Master tends to support Luoxia City, believing that if the southern territory can hold out independently, it would be more beneficial to the Seven Star Alliance's strategic layout."

"But the radicals led by the 'Tianxuan Department' advocate for directly taking over the southern territory spiritual pivot, reasoning that the Spirit Devouring Clan threat is too great to pin hope on a frontier city."

Lin Yue's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What does Mysterious Yang Master mean by telling me this?"

"He is buying time."

Star Radiance explained, "Mysterious Yang Master has already submitted an emergency report to the Alliance Leader, describing the actual situation of the Burial Dragon Abyss in detail. He hopes to buy at least half a year's time for Luoxia City to prove it has the capability to defend itself independently."

"And the price?"

"The price is... within half a year, Luoxia City must show 'substantial progress'."

Star Radiance paused, "For example, finding a way to repair the Seal; or cultivating at least three Late Golden Core Stage combatants; or... proving that the Star Lord Inheritance indeed exists and can be used against the Spirit Devouring Clan."

"He is forcing us to pick up the pace."

Lin Yue understood.

Mysterious Yang Master seemed to be helping, but in reality, he was also applying pressure—he wanted to see how much potential Luoxia City really had and whether it was worth the Seven Star Alliance's investment.

"There's one more thing."

Star Radiance took out a roll of yellowed animal skin map from her sleeve and spread it out on the table.

"This is the possible location of the 'Star Lords Relic Mansion' that I've deduced over the past few days using the Star Gazing Pupil Technique combined with the records in the Star Lord Inheritance."

On the map, the Burial Dragon Abyss was meticulously divided into dozens of areas.

Three of these areas were marked with prominent star-shaped symbols.

"According to the hints of the Star Lord Inheritance, the entrance to the Relic Mansion must satisfy three conditions: a Star Power convergence point, a place with dense Dragon Qi, and a weak Seal zone."

Star Radiance pointed to the three symbols.

"All three of these areas satisfy the first two conditions simultaneously. But the third condition... requires on-site investigation to confirm."

Lin Yue carefully examined the map.

Of the three areas, two were located in the deep layers of the Burial Dragon Abyss, not far from the crack where they previously encountered the Spirit Devouring War General's claw, making them extremely risky.

But the third area... "Here... it seems to be thirty miles northeast of the Corrupt Dragon Pool?"

Lin Yue pointed to a star-shaped marker at the edge of the map.

That position was close to the periphery of the Burial Dragon Abyss, the miasma concentration was lower, and it was relatively close to Luoxia City.

"Yes."

Star Radiance nodded, "This area is the most special—it's not within the main body of the Burial Dragon Abyss, but located at the source of an underground river. I speculate that it might have been a 'backup entrance' set up by the Star Lord back then, just in case."

A backup entrance... Lin Yue's heart stirred.

If there really was a backup entrance, the difficulty and risk of entering the Relic Mansion would be greatly reduced.

"Can you be sure?"

"I can't be completely sure, but I have seventy percent confidence."

Star Radiance looked at Lin Yue, "However, even if the entrance is found, opening it requires the resonance of the star lord token and the Dragon Soul. Your Dragon Soul..."

"It's dormant, but it can be briefly awakened."

Lin Yue didn't hide it, "I need about ten breaths of time and an absolutely safe environment."

"Ten breaths..."

Star Radiance pondered, "If a 'Star Concealment Formation' is set up near the Relic Mansion entrance, it might be able to hide the spiritual energy fluctuations and avoid being detected by the Spirit Devouring Clan or the Seven Star Alliance. But setting up the Formation takes at least half an hour, and I won't be able to focus on anything else while maintaining it."

In other words, she wouldn't be able to participate in the exploration and could only act as a Protector on the periphery.

"That's enough."

Lin Yue made a decision, "Three days from now, we will head to this area to investigate. If it's confirmed to be the Relic Mansion entrance, we'll try to open it."

"Alright."

Star Radiance put away the map and got up to leave.

When she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Lin Yue.

"City Lord Lin."

"Hmm?"

"I won't ask much about the secrets you carry. But one thing... please be careful."

Her eyes swirled with a river of stars, carrying a rare seriousness.

"The Star Gazing Pupil Technique of the Star Track Pavilion can see many things ordinary people cannot. I can feel that the 'Starry Karma' within you is getting heavier, as if countless threads of fate are converging upon you."

"This means you are about to face a major choice, or... become the core of some great catastrophe."

She paused.

"Regardless, I hope you can... survive."

After saying that, she turned and left.

In the quiet room, only Lin Yue remained.

He was silent for a long time, then whispered to himself:

"Starry Karma, is it..."

"Hao Tian, what do you think?"

"What Envoy Star Radiance said is not false."

Hao Tian's voice was solemn, "Master has triggered the Power of the Stars twice in a row and resonated with the Star Lord Inheritance, binding yourself to the Karma of the 'Star Lord Lineage' in the unseen world. This Karma is both an Opportunity and a tribulation."

"Can it be avoided?"

"It cannot be avoided. Once Karma is entangled, it's like a maggot on a bone; only by facing the tribulation and breaking it can one transcend."

Hao Tian paused.

"However, Master needn't worry too much. The Star Lord Lineage was able to fight the Spirit Devouring Clan back then, so its Legacy must have a way to deal with it. If we can find the Relic Mansion, perhaps we can find a way to resolve it there."

"I hope so."

Lin Yue stopped thinking about it and began to regulate his breathing to consolidate his state.

Three days later, there would be another hard battle to fight.

Outside the quiet room window, the night grew deeper.

In the Guesthouse at the other end of the City Lord's Mansion, Mysterious Yang Master was standing by the window, looking towards Lin Yue's quiet room from afar.

In his hand, he played with a dark red crystal—it was a "Spirit Devouring Crystal Core Fragment" refined from the remains of the Spirit Devouring Clan brought back from the Burial Dragon Abyss.

The fragment rotated slowly in his palm, emitting cold fluctuations.

"Lin Yue... just how many secrets are you still hiding?"

Mysterious Yang Master whispered to himself.

"Half a year's time... just how far can you go?"

"I... am looking forward to it."

He put away the crystal, a hint of deep meaning flashing in his eyes.

Outside the window, stars filled the sky.

The future of the southern territory, much like this night sky, seemed calm but was actually surging with undercurrents.

A storm was brewing.