414: Core of the Ancient Road

As if sensing the owner's will bordering its limit and the provocation of that same-source yet higher-level power, a certain ancient will slumbering deep within the starfall pagoda was completely enraged!

Buzz—!

A hum suddenly erupted from deep within Di Xingyun's Dantian!

On the body of the starfall pagoda, those profound star patterns that were originally just shimmering with faint light suddenly burst forth with unimaginably blazing radiance!

A terrifying aura that stood above ten thousand stars descended with a crash, like a sleeping Supreme awakened by an ant!

The moment this aura appeared—

Rumble!

The star dome core power that was originally surging violently into Di Xingyun's body was crazily swallowed by an invisible vortex formed by the starlight from the starfall pagoda's body!

The starfall pagoda was like a bottomless abyss, greedily absorbing the Star Power.

The dim star patterns on the pagoda were lit up at a speed visible to the naked eye—one layer, two layers... the aura emitted by the pagoda climbed steadily, becoming more ancient, heavy, and profound!

"This... this is..."

Clan Chief Pan Shan's tiger-like eyes widened. Feeling the terrifying star majesty emanating from Di Xingyun's body that made even a Saint Domain Realm expert like him feel his Soul tremble, his face was full of horror!

The purple Star Vortex Eyes of the Great Priestess Xing Mou were filled with unparalleled shock and awe. She murmured:

"Waiting for eternity, protected by the ancestors... the Guiding Star... has descended!"

The swallowing process did not last long.

When the last trace of pure Star Dome Source Power was completely swallowed by the starfall pagoda, the light of the deep purple star dome core dimmed significantly. Its humming became faint and submissive as it slowly floated down into Di Xingyun's Dantian, lining up alongside the starfall pagoda and the zhou tian star chart, quietly suspended within Di Xingyun's Dantian, emitting a soft starlight.

An unbreakable master-servant connection was established between it and Di Xingyun.

Di Xingyun breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling warm all over as if soaking in a hot spring of Power of Starlight.

Under the nourishment of this massive and pure source power, his previous heavy injuries were mostly healed!

His cultivation even vaguely touched the threshold of the Heaven-Reaching Realm Eighth Level!

More importantly, the recovery of the starfall pagoda made him feel more powerful than ever before!

He could even vaguely perceive that deeper within the pagoda, an even more powerful force seemed to be slumbering.

"Starfall... no, Lord Guiding Star!" Clan Chief Pan Shan no longer hesitated. He knelt on one knee, his right hand clenched into a fist and heavily struck his chest, performing the tribe's highest ancient salute, his voice excited and devout.

"Pan Shan, Clan Chief of the Star Stone Tribe, leads the entire tribe to pay respects to the Guiding Star! Waiting for ten thousand years, we finally see the dawn! Our tribe is willing to follow the Lord through mountains of blades and seas of fire, never shrinking back even from ten thousand deaths!"

Great Priestess Xing Mou also bowed deeply: "The prophecy has come true, the ancient core has recognized its master, and the Guiding Star is the master of our tribe. You have obtained the preliminary recognition of the Ancient Path, but to truly trigger the power of the Ancient Path's core and open the way home for our tribe, you still need to go to the true core of the Ancient Path. Only there, by undergoing the final baptism of the Ancient Path's Origin will, can your power truly resonate with the Ancient Path!"

Di Xingyun looked at the star dome core in his Dantian, felt the surging power in his body, and then looked at the fire of hope that had burned for ten thousand years in the eyes of the two tribal leaders. A heavy sense of responsibility and pride welled up within him.

"Clan Chief, Great Priestess, please rise. I do not yet dare to accept the title of Guiding Star, but I, Starfall, received the life-saving grace of the tribe and the help of this ancient core to recover from my injuries. This kindness must be repaid! Where is the core? I am willing to go!"

"Good!" Clan Chief Pan Shan stood up abruptly, his eyes shining with sharp light.

"There's no time to lose! Great Priestess Xing Mou, you lead the way personally! I will gather the whole tribe to announce this matter!"

"There's no need to make such a scene."

Di Xingyun felt the guidance of the starfall pagoda within him, as well as the vague direction coming from the star dome core. "Please just point the way, Great Priestess. I will go on my own."

Xing Mou looked deeply at Di Xingyun, seemingly seeing through the power recovering within him, and slowly nodded: "Since Lord Guiding Star is confident, this old woman will say no more. The core is located deep within the Lightless Ruins. Following the guidance of the star dome core and crossing the most chaotic Starfall Turbulence Zone, you will arrive."

"That is the core of the Ancient Path, and also... the source of the Seal and power."

She formed a hand Seal, and a streak of purple starlight containing some spatial information of the Ancient Starry Path sank into Di Xingyun's brow.

Di Xingyun closed his eyes to sense it for a moment. In his Sea of Consciousness, a perilous path composed of broken stars and violent energy turbulence appeared. At the end of the path was a magnificent place shrouded in endless brilliant starlight.

He opened his eyes: "I understand. There's no time to lose, I'll set off now."

Without too many goodbyes, under the hopeful and reverent gazes of Clan Chief Pan Shan and Great Priestess Xing Mou, Di Xingyun's mind stirred.

"Star Shield Art!"

Brilliant starlight enveloped his entire body, and his figure instantly disappeared from the stone hall, leaving only a faint star trail in his place.

In the next moment, he appeared outside the invisible star barrier of the Star Stone Tribe, facing the eternally broken Lightless Ruins filled with an aura of destruction.

Before him were twisted spatial cracks, violent energy storms, floating star fragments, and dead silence.

But Di Xingyun had little fear in his heart.

The star dome core provided warm Star Power protection, and the starfall pagoda in his Dantian shimmered with light, emitting a power that stabilized space and commanded the stars.

He took a deep breath, locked onto the path guided by Xing Mou and double-confirmed by the starfall pagoda and the star dome core, turned into a condensed star rainbow, and plunged resolutely into the dark depths symbolizing death and chaos!

With the enhancement of the starfall pagoda's power, the Star Shield Art became swifter and more stable than ever before.

He was like a flexible fish, weaving through violent Starfall turbulence, twisted spatial folds, and deadly star fragments.

The light of the star dome core was like a guiding lamp, dispersing the surrounding chaos and darkness, while the starfall pagoda was like a stabilizing pillar, suppressing the violent Laws that attacked, allowing him to open a relatively safe passage in the desperate situation.

After crossing an unknown number of violent turbulences and shattering countless blocking meteorite fragments, Di Xingyun's speed finally began to slow down.

The chaotic and violent energy turbulence ahead seemed to have encountered an invisible dam, beginning to become relatively orderly, with an ancient and majestic rhythm emerging from the violence.

He rushed out of the last raging star sand storm, and the scene before him suddenly opened up, making his mind tremble and his breath hitch!

This was a magnificent place that could not be described in words.

There was no ground, only a sea of stars composed of solidified starlight and endless stardust.

In the center of the sea of stars, an unimaginably huge palace was suspended!

The palace was built entirely of a material that was neither metal nor jade and emitted an eternal starlight. Its style was ancient and vast. The corridors, domes, and walls of the palace were covered with star runes billions of times more profound and complex than those on the star dome core.

These runes flowed of their own accord, unending and self-sustaining, forming a massive star array that covered the entire palace!

Surrounding the palace were nine incredibly huge, mountain-like ancient star steles.

The material of the star steles was similar to the palace, and they were engraved with blurred but seemingly profound ancient star charts and characters that contained the principles of the Great Dao, as if recording the Origin and end of the Universe's stars.

Above the palace and the star steles was a slowly rotating galaxy vortex!

From the center of the vortex, billions of star light pillars as condensed as substance hung down like the sashes of a deity, connecting the palace and star steles below, illuminating this core area billions of times brighter than day!

Star Power so pure it was unimaginable, seemingly originating from the Universe's Origin, surged and flowed here like a tangible tide!

This was the core of the Ancient Starry Path!

It was also the source of the Ancient Path's power and the place of the Seal!

Just by being in this ocean of starlight, Di Xingyun felt his Star Body cheering and jumping for joy, every cell greedily absorbing this pure Origin Star Power.

The stagnant cultivation Bottleneck began to loosen, and the starfall pagoda in his Dantian let out a roar of desire. The light on the pagoda's body was more brilliant than ever before, producing a strong resonance with this world!