126: Origin Mark, Emperor Hunting Plan

Inside the spatial tunnel, starlight rapidly receded, and a fierce sensation of spatial tearing came. Xiao Chen firmly guarded his mind, fully maintaining the stability of the tunnel, while shielding the heavily injured Feng Xian behind him. Behind them, the destructive energy of the collapsing Ancestral Land Minor World surged against the tunnel's barrier like a tide, emitting a grating, cracking sound.

"Hold on!" Xiao Chen roared, the star origin imprint at his glabella shining brightly, continuously drawing Power of Starlight stored within the imprint to reinforce the tunnel. This temporary tunnel was extremely unstable; if he hadn't just fused with a portion of the star origin imprint, he would have been utterly unable to sustain it.

Feng Xian's face was pale, but his eyes were resolute, as he poured all his remaining Dou Qi into the flying sword beneath his feet, helping to stabilize their bodies.

He didn't know how long passed; it felt like both an instant and an eternity. Finally, a point of light appeared ahead—the tunnel exit was in sight!

"Charge!" Xiao Chen shouted, and the two transformed into streaks of light, bursting out of the tunnel!

"Thud!"

The two fell heavily onto the solid ground, their blood churning. Xiao Chen immediately scrambled to his feet, his Heavenly Realm Soul Power spreading out like a tide, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

This was a desolate valley, silent all around, with only the wail of the wind passing over the rocks. In the distance, the iconic dark red mountains of the Yun Shen Mountain Range were faintly visible. They had successfully escaped, returning to the outskirts of the Yun Shen Mountain Range.

"We're safe..." Feng Xian let out a sigh of relief, slumping to the ground, gasping for breath, his face showing the relief of having survived a calamity.

Xiao Chen, however, did not relax. He frowned deeply, sensing the star origin imprint at his glabella. The imprint still emitted a faint glow, but its connection to the Ancestral Land Minor World had been completely severed. He could feel that the Power of Starlight contained within the imprint was greatly depleted and seemed to have become somewhat dormant, as if it had lost its living source.

"With the Ancestral Land collapsing, this star origin imprint has probably become a rootless duckweed. The power within it diminishes with each use, so I must use it cautiously," Xiao Chen understood in his heart. Although this imprint was powerful, it was not an infinite energy source; it was more like a key and a one-time reserve of power.

He sat down cross-legged and carefully introspected. Besides the star origin imprint, his greatest gains from this trip to the Ancestral Land were the general concept of the Star Immortal Body and the incomplete insights inherited from the nine ancestral statues. This inherited information was branded deep within his soul and would require time to slowly digest and absorb. But even with just a preliminary understanding, it gave him a brand new comprehension of how to use power. Especially the Star Immortal Body's concept of fusing the physical body with the star origin to forge immortality, subtly complemented his heaven burning furnace physique. If he could integrate them, the strength of his physical body would undoubtedly reach a new level!

"Brother Xiao, this time, I owe you everything. Otherwise, I'm afraid..." Feng Xian regulated his breathing for a moment, recovered some strength, and stood up to formally salute Xiao Chen.

"There's no need for formalities, Brother Feng. We share the same boat; it's only right," Xiao Chen helped him up, his gaze sweeping over Feng Xian's pale face and torn clothes. "Your injuries are not light; you need to recuperate as soon as possible. Let's find a safe place first, then we can make long-term plans."

Feng Xian nodded: "Alright. I know of a secret stronghold of the Starfall Pavilion not far from here, which is relatively safe."

The two no longer delayed, concealing their aura and stealthily heading towards the stronghold Feng Xian had mentioned... Meanwhile, deep within the Yun Shen Mountain Range, in the void where the recently collapsed Ancestral Land Minor World had once been. Several figures shrouded in dense death qi hovered there. The leader was none other than a Soul Hall Heavenly Venerable whose aura had reached the Six-Star Dou Zun level! Behind him, several other powerful Venerable Elders followed.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" The Six-Star Heavenly Venerable's face was ashen as he watched the gradually calming spatial turbulence before him, his furious roar shaking the surrounding mountains. "Three Heavenly Venerables dead! The most important target of the Emperor Hunting Plan, Xiao Chen, escaped! Even the star origin that was within our grasp flew away! What good are you people?!"

The Venerable Elders below were as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to look up.

"Please calm your anger, my lord," a Venerable Elder skilled in spatial perception said, steeling himself. "That Xiao Chen, I don't know what method he used, but he was actually able to temporarily control that Minor World, forcibly opening a spatial tunnel to escape. His escape direction seems to be towards the Central Region..."

"Central Region?" A cold glint flashed in the Six-Star Heavenly Venerable's eyes. "He won't escape! Issue the order: activate the second phase of the Emperor Hunting Plan! Notify all our hidden agents in the Central Region to find Xiao Chen at all costs! Furthermore, spread the news that 'Xiao Chen carries the core inheritance of the Xiao Clan Ancestral Land'! I want the entire Central Region to know that he is a walking piece of fat! Let's see how long he can hide!"

"Yes!" The Venerable Elders acknowledged the order.

The Six-Star Heavenly Venerable looked towards the Central Region, a cruel arc forming at the corner of his mouth: "Xiao Chen... Do you think you're safe just because you escaped back to the Central Region? The Emperor Hunting Plan has only just begun! Your bloodline, your inheritance, will ultimately become the stepping stone for my Soul Hall to achieve a new Emperor! And the Pill Tower... Hmph, once Xiao Chen is dealt with, you're next!"

...In the Central Region, within the Pill Tower Holy Domain, inside the star tower.

Xuan Kongzi's true body (not a projection) suddenly opened his eyes, starlight bursting forth from them, a trace of shock and solemnity appearing on his face.

"The fluctuations of the star origin imprint... have disappeared? Chen'er... did he succeed? Or..." He calculated with his fingers, his Great Perfection of the Heaven Realm soul power communicating with the stars, attempting to glimpse the heavenly secrets, but he only felt a chaotic void, as if interfered with by a powerful evil force.

"Soul Hall... What exactly are you plotting?" Xuan Kongzi stood up and walked to the tower window, looking towards the Yun Shen Mountain Range in the west, his eyes filled with worry. "Chen'er, you must return safely..."

He pondered for a moment, then, with a flick of his sleeve, a soul message was sent out: "Order! The Pill Tower is to enter its highest state of combat readiness! All disciples outside are to be recalled immediately! Activate the tower-guarding formation! Prepare... for battle!"

The storm had already arrived! And Xiao Chen, who had just escaped with his life, was unaware that he had become the center of a massive storm sweeping across the entire continent! His return would undoubtedly cause the already turbulent Central Region to completely boil over!