151: Chapter 151: Separation Successful, Apprenticeship Ended

The Evil Seed extraction presided over by Star Dust had lasted a full twenty-eight days.

Inside the Evil Suppressing Secret Chamber, thirty-six layers of purification Formations operated day and night, with the light chains of the Seven Star Soul Suppressing Formation coiled layer upon layer.

The beating of that dark red heart had grown as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

Lin Yue, Immortal Master Qingluan, and True Person Xuan Jian took turns overseeing the operation, each standing guard for six hours without interruption.

Today was the final half-day of Lin Yue's watch.

He sat cross-legged at the core of the Formation, his hands hovering, two strands of Origin separated from his star dragon nascent soul flowing like a gentle stream, continuously scouring the "Divine Soul Lock" on the heart's surface.

The patterns on the lock had dimmed by ninety-nine percent.

Only the final thread remained.

"Master, I sense an abnormal fluctuation."

Haotian suddenly warned within his Sea of Consciousness: "Inside the Evil Seed, energy is rapidly gathering. It's not self-destruction... more like some kind of 'transmission'."

Lin Yue's eyes narrowed.

A transmission?

At this moment, to whom?

"Can we intercept it?"

"We can try, but it will require mobilizing the Pocket Dimension's Origin."

"Do it."

Lin Yue did not hesitate.

Within the Pocket Dimension, the World Tree's branches and leaves swayed without wind. An invisible ripple traversed space, quietly seeping into the Evil Suppressing Secret Chamber and enveloping that heart.

Almost simultaneously—

Hum!

The heart suddenly began to beat violently!

A dark red beam of light shot from the heart's core, heading straight for the chamber's dome!

Within the beam, countless distorted runes could faintly be seen swirling, moving at an astonishing speed.

But just as the beam was about to break through the Seven Star Soul Suppressing Formation's blockade, the World Tree's ripple descended like a heavenly net, forcefully... intercepting the beam!

The beam twisted and struggled within the chamber, ultimately dispersing into countless points of light.

Within the points of light, a blurry image emerged—

It was a deep underground palace. At its center stood a white bone altar, upon which sat a shadowy figure.

The figure's face was unclear, but an aura of heart-palpitating evil qi emanated from its entire body.

Even more bizarrely, behind the figure, three dark red hearts identical to the Evil Seed before them hovered, arranged in a triangular Formation, slowly rotating.

The image lasted only three breaths before completely dissipating.

But Lin Yue had already memorized every detail.

"Three Evil Seeds... a white bone altar..."

He murmured to himself, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

So, the one in Falling Star Valley was only one quarter.

The other three had long been implanted elsewhere.

And that underground palace... "Haotian, can you deduce the location of the underground palace?"

"The image is too blurry. I can only determine the general direction—northeast, at least three thousand li away, likely already within the Central Region's territory."

"The Central Region..."

Lin Yue fell into deep thought.

The Black Lotus Cult's Foundation was in the Southern Border, but if the Evil Seeds had already spread to the Central Region, that meant... their infiltration was far deeper than imagined.

As he pondered, the chamber door opened.

Star Dust walked in. Though his face was weary, his eyes held excitement: "Sect Master Lin, the Divine Soul Lock... is broken!"

Lin Yue abruptly stood up.

He saw that at the center of the Formation, the dark red patterns on the heart's surface faded away like melting snow and ice, revealing a silver crystal core the size of a fist within.

The crystal core was pure and translucent, with a galaxy swirling inside, emitting a refined aura of Star Origin.

This was the true core of the Evil Seed—the polluted Star Origin!

"The extraction was successful!"

Star Dust let out a long sigh of relief, formed hand Seals, and carefully extracted the silver crystal core from the heart.

Losing the core, the dark red heart instantly withered and turned to dust.

The silver crystal core fell into Star Dust's palm, as docile as a newborn infant.

"Sect Master Lin, please."

Star Dust handed the crystal core to Lin Yue.

Lin Yue took it and probed it with his Divine Sense.

In an instant, a massive amount of information flooded his mind—

They were memory fragments that the Evil Seed had devoured and transformed from the Falling Star Valley Mineral Vein over the past three months.

There were scenes of miners excavating, Black Lotus Cult Cultivators patrolling, fragments of the White Bone Demon Lord personally inspecting... and most importantly, the final segment of memory.

It was a scene from three months ago, where the White Bone Demon Lord personally buried the Evil Seed deep within the Mineral Vein.

In the scene, the White Bone Demon Lord knelt before a shadowy figure, his demeanor as respectful as a servant:

"Master, all four 'spirit devouring seeds' have been implanted at the predetermined locations. Falling Star Valley, Burial Dragon Abyss, Black Wind Ridge, Heavenly Sword Peak... Once the time is ripe, they can be detonated simultaneously to devour the four great Spiritual Veins, aiding Master... in breaking the Seal and emerging."

The shadowy figure had its back to the scene, its voice hoarse like grinding stones: "Well done. When this venerable one breaks the Seal, you shall be... the foremost contributor in this realm."

"Thank you, Master!"

The White Bone Demon Lord kowtowed excitedly.

The scene ended there.

But the amount of information was already shocking enough.

"Four great Spiritual Veins... simultaneous detonation..."

Lin Yue slowly opened his eyes, his face ashen: "Their target is not to destroy the Burial Dragon Abyss Seal, but... to simultaneously devour the Southern Border's four great Spiritual Veins, forcibly aiding some 'existence' in breaking the Seal and emerging!"

"What?!"

Star Dust, Immortal Master Qingluan, and the others' expressions changed drastically.

Devouring four great Spiritual Veins—this was to drain the Southern Border's very Foundation!

If successful, the entire Southern Border would become a desolate land with depleted Spiritual Qi!

"Who is that 'Master'?"

Immortal Master Qingluan asked urgently.

"His face is unclear, but his aura... far surpasses that of the White Bone Demon Lord."

Lin Yue recalled the aura of that shadowy figure: "Cold, lifeless, filled with a desire to devour everything. I suspect... it might be the Spirit Devouring Clan 'War General'-level existence sealed deep within the Burial Dragon Abyss."

"Or even... higher."

A deathly silence fell over the chamber.

War General-level was equivalent to the Human Race's Soul Transformation.

If such an existence truly intended to break the Seal, no one in the entire Southern Border could stop it!

"We must stop them!"

True Person Xuan Jian gripped his sword hilt: "Among the four great Spiritual Veins, Burial Dragon Abyss has the Star Lord's Seal, temporarily safe. The Evil Seed in Falling Star Valley has been extracted by us. But Black Wind Ridge, Heavenly Sword Peak... we know nothing about them!"

"I know about Black Wind Ridge."

Immortal Master Qingluan said gravely: "It's a treacherous area at the border between the Southern Border and the Central Region, perpetually swept by 'Bone-Eroding Black Wind'. Cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage find it difficult to penetrate deeply. But there is indeed a large-scale wind-attribute Spiritual Vein there, a treasure trove for refining wind-attribute Magic Treasures."

"Heavenly Sword Peak... should be the mountain gate of the 'Heavenly Sword Sect'."

Star Radiance chimed in: "The Heavenly Sword Sect is one of the three great sword Sects of the Southern Border. Its Sect Leader, 'Immortal Master Heavenly Sword', is at the Mid Nascent Soul Stage. Their mountain gate is built on a naturally sword-shaped peak, and it's said there is a metal-attribute Spiritual Vein beneath the peak."

"Two great Spiritual Veins, two great Sects..."

Lin Yue's eyes flickered: "For the Black Lotus Cult to plant Evil Seeds there, they must have already infiltrated these two Sects."

"They might have even... already succeeded."

Everyone's hearts sank.

Indeed, three months ago, the White Bone Demon Lord said, 'All four spirit devouring seeds have been implanted.'

Now, three months later, if the Black Lotus Cult truly intended to act, they had likely already completed it.

"The urgent task is to confirm the situation at those two locations."

Lin Yue made a decision: "Immortal Master Qingluan, please contact the Seven Star Alliance and mobilize all forces to investigate anomalies at Black Wind Ridge and Heavenly Sword Peak. Pay special attention to any Sect Leaders who have suddenly gone into seclusion, or... large-scale disappearances of personnel."

"Understood!"

Immortal Master Qingluan acknowledged.

"Fellow Daoist Star Dust, regarding the residual memories in the Evil Seed crystal core, please have the Star Track Pavilion continue the analysis to see if more clues can be found."

"Rest assured, I will personally oversee this matter."

Star Dust solemnly accepted the crystal core.

"As for us..."

Lin Yue looked outside the chamber, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of rock and soil, gazing toward the distant horizon: "It's time to let those hiding in the shadows know—"

"The Luoxia Sect is not to be trifled with."

Three days later, the Mountain-Opening Ceremony concluded perfectly.

Out of twelve thousand participants, only eight hundred ultimately passed the assessment.

But these eight hundred were all seedlings with unwavering will and outstanding Aptitude.

Among them, eleven were directly accepted as personal Disciples by the various branch leaders.

And Little Star, the new Disciple Lin Yue had accepted, naturally became the focus of the entire Sect.

This orphan girl from Liuyun Village displayed astonishing stellar talent.

Merely three days after entering the Sect, under Lin Yue's guidance, she successfully drew Star Power into her body and stepped into the first layer of Qi Refining.

Her speed was so fast that even Star Radiance was amazed.

"The Star Spirit Body truly lives up to its reputation."

On the Star Gazing Tower, Star Radiance watched Little Star practicing basic sword techniques below and couldn't help but sigh: "At this rate, she will reach Foundation Establishment in at most half a year. She has hope of reaching Golden Core within ten years."

"What she lacks is not talent, but time."

Lin Yue stood beside her, his gaze calm: "But precisely, what we lack the most... is also time."

He handed Star Radiance a Jade Slip: "This is the Foundation Establishment chapter of the 'star lord secret record'. I have adjusted it according to her Physique. For the next three months, you will guide her Cultivation."

"Me?"

Star Radiance was taken aback: "Sect Master Lin, won't you personally instruct her?"

"I will be going into seclusion for a while."

Lin Yue looked toward the northeast: "There are some matters I must personally confirm."

Star Radiance's eyes flickered: "Are you going to... Black Wind Ridge?"

"Not only that."

Lin Yue shook his head: "Both Black Wind Ridge and Heavenly Sword Peak. But before that, I need to resolve a hidden danger first."

"What hidden danger?"

"The White Bone Demon Lord."

A cold glint flashed in Lin Yue's eyes: "Although he retreated in defeat, I left a Star Scar Mark on him. Over this past month, the mark's fluctuations have grown weaker, meaning he is either healing his injuries or... preparing something."

"I need to find him before he recovers."

"But your injuries..."

"They are no longer a hindrance."

Lin Yue flexed his wrist: "The star dragon nascent soul's recovery power far exceeds that of an ordinary Nascent Soul. Combined with the assistance of Pocket Dimension resources, I have now recovered eighty percent of my combat power."

"Moreover..."

He smiled: "This time, I won't be acting alone."

Star Radiance understood.

The Luoxia Sect now had two major allies: the Seven Star Alliance and the Star Track Pavilion, plus six hidden Golden Core combatants.

If they truly went all out, not to mention a severely injured White Bone Demon Lord, even if the Black Lotus Cult sent two more Demon Lords, they might not gain any advantage.

"When do you depart?"

"Tomorrow."

Lin Yue turned to look at Star Radiance: "As for the Sect, I leave it to you and Lin Cang. The Mountain-Opening Ceremony has just ended, and people's minds are unsettled. You must stabilize the situation."

"Rest assured."

Star Radiance solemnly acknowledged.

Lin Yue nodded, his figure flashing as he disappeared from the Star Gazing Tower.

He went to the underground chamber.

Lin Cang, Lin Hu, and the other four were already waiting there.

"City Lord."

The six of them bowed in unison.

Although they had officially changed to calling him "Sect Master," privately, they still habitually called him City Lord.

"Are you all prepared?"

Lin Yue looked at the six of them.

"Prepared!"

Lin Hu's eyes burned with Battle Intent: "Over this past month, the six of us have fully mastered Golden Core-level power. The three thousand Cultivators of the War Department have also completed their reorganization and are ready for battle at any time!"

"Very good."

Lin Yue nodded in satisfaction: "But this time, I don't need all of you to mobilize."

He looked at Lin Cang: "Grand Elder, you will remain at the Sect, overseeing the central command. Lin De, Lin Shi, and Lin Laosan will assist."

"Yes!"

The three acknowledged.

"Lin Hu, Lin Yan."

"Here!"

"The two of you will accompany me on the expedition. Lin Hu will lead the three hundred Evil-Crushing Assault Team ahead. Lin Yan will be responsible for logistics and Formation support."

"Understood!"

The two excitedly accepted their orders.

"Remember."

Lin Yue's gaze swept over the six of them: "The purpose of this battle is not to annihilate the White Bone Demon Lord—of course, if the opportunity arises, we naturally won't let it go."

"The true purpose is to probe."

"To probe the Black Lotus Cult's reaction, to probe the attitudes of other forces, to probe... how deep the waters of the Southern Border truly are."

He paused: "So, there's no need to hide our strength. When it's time to show our edge, show it to the fullest."

"I want everyone to know—"

"The Luoxia Sect's blade is not only sharp, but also... dares to kill."

A gleam flashed simultaneously in the eyes of the six.

"Go, make your preparations. Assemble outside the mountain gate at Chen hour tomorrow."

"Yes!"

The six withdrew.

In the chamber, only Lin Yue remained.

He walked to the wall engraved with the Southern Border's terrain, his finger tracing over Black Wind Ridge, Heavenly Sword Peak, Burial Dragon Abyss... finally stopping at an inconspicuous small dot.

That was the last location where the White Bone Demon Lord's mark had fluctuated.

"Old demon White Bone..."

Lin Yue murmured to himself: "You better... hide well."

"Don't let me... find you too quickly."

Outside the window, the night grew deeper.

And a new storm had quietly begun.