122: The Secret of the Array Core

The night was as dark as ink, and Star Moon Lake returned to silence.

When Lin Fan returned to the Lin Family, it was already late at night. He did not disturb anyone, quietly returning to his cultivation room and activating an isolation Formation.

Inside the room, the star pagoda hovered in his palm, slowly rotating and emitting a soft starlight.

"Pagoda Spirit, do you know anything about the Starfall Ancient Tomb?" Lin Fan communicated via Divine Sense.

The pagoda's body vibrated slightly, and an ancient, ethereal thought entered his mind: "Master, my memories are fragmented. I only know that this tomb is related to the ancient catastrophe of the Star Race. The Restrictions in the tomb are a Fusion of the Star God Clan's 'Great Array of the Heavens' Stars' and the Dragon Clan's 'Ten Thousand Dragons World-Refining Art.' They cannot be broken by brute force."

Lin Fan's eyes flickered. "If a blood sacrifice is not used, is there another way to open it?"

The Pagoda Spirit was silent for a moment before saying, "One must satisfy the 'Righteous Path' conditions set by the tomb owner during their lifetime: the star god token as a token of faith and the Dragon Clan Bloodline as a catalyst; this is the 'qualification verification.' The blood sacrifice method is actually a trick used by later generations of the Evil Path, using filthy power to corrode the gaps in the Restrictions. If Master wishes to open it via the Righteous Path... perhaps you could try using pure Power of the Stars to nourish the tomb door's runes, allowing them to recover naturally. At that time, the Restrictions will naturally weaken."

"Power of the Stars?" Lin Fan said thoughtfully.

"Exactly. My Origin can provide the purest Zhou Heaven Star Power," the Pagoda Spirit said. "However, this process takes a very long time and cannot be interrupted. In my current state, nourishing it for a hundred days might weaken the tomb door's Restrictions by thirty percent."

A hundred days? That was too long.

The Dark Moon Divine Cult's Blood Sacrifice Grand Array would be completed in a month at most. If they forced the tomb open then, he would be put in a passive position.

"Is there a way to speed it up?"

"There is," the Pagoda Spirit said. "Find a 'star source crystal.' This item is formed from a stellar core and contains vast Power of the Stars. If you obtain this, the nourishment time can be shortened tenfold."

star source crystal... Lin Fan searched his memory for information on this item. The Lin Family's records stated that this item was only occasionally found in ancient ruins or deep within extraterrestrial meteorites, and it had long since gone extinct.

While he was thinking, the star god token at his waist suddenly grew slightly warm.

Lin Fan took off the token. On the originally simple surface of the token, fine star patterns actually emerged. The patterns flowed, pointing toward the northwest.

"What is this token sensing?" His heart stirred.

He activated his Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils and stared at the token. Inside the token, a tiny thread of starlight emerged, extending far toward the Scripture Pavilion deep within the Family estate.

"Is there something in the Scripture Pavilion that resonates with the star god token?"

Lin Fan put away the star pagoda and quietly went out.

Part One: Secrets of the Scripture Pavilion

The Lin Family's Scripture Pavilion had nine floors. The bottom three were open to all clansmen, the middle three required contribution points for exchange, and the top three were only accessible to the Clan Chief, the Divine Son, and core Elders.

As the Divine Son, Lin Fan had an unobstructed path all the way to the eighth floor.

The eighth floor was empty and silent, with only a few dozen Jade Slips and ancient books hovering within light shields. He followed the sensation of the star god token and walked toward an inconspicuous corner in the deepest part.

There, a dust-covered bronze box lay quietly on a stone platform. The surface of the box was carved with star patterns similar to those on the star god token, but they had been blurred by time.

Lin Fan lightly touched the box with the star god token.

With a "click," the lid opened automatically. Inside, there was no Jade Slip, but only a map drawn on an unknown beast skin and a palm-sized, entirely silver-white diamond-shaped crystal.

As soon as the crystal appeared, the temperature of the entire eighth floor dropped by several degrees, and a faint astral chill filled the air.

"A star source crystal?!" Lin Fan's pupils constricted slightly.

He had searched far and wide only to find it so easily. The Lin Family ancestors had actually hidden such a treasure here and had not recorded it in the archives, clearly intending to keep it a secret.

He picked up the crystal; it was cold to the touch. Inside, there seemed to be a river of stars flowing. Vast Power of the Stars surged through his palm and into his entire body. The Eternal Indestructible Body began to operate spontaneously, and he even felt a faint sense of improvement.

"What pure Power of the Stars!" Lin Fan praised inwardly.

Looking at the beast skin map again, it depicted a three-dimensional view of the Meteor Star Ancient Domain. The location of Star Moon Lake was highlighted, and next to it was a line of small characters:

"In the land of the starfall, there are three Formation cores. The lake's center is the base, the ancient forest is the pivot, and the firmament is the eye. When the three stars gather, the Restrictions will unlock themselves. Signed, Star Trace."

Star Trace? This name was unfamiliar, but to use "Star" as a title and leave behind a star source crystal and a map, they must have a great connection to the Star God Clan.

"Three Formation cores..." Lin Fan pondered these words.

The lake's center as the base clearly referred to the Ancient Tomb at the bottom of Star Moon Lake. The ancient forest as the pivot? There were many places with lush trees in the Meteor Star Ancient Domain, but one that could be associated with the word "pivot"...

"Could it be the 'Ancient Formation Forest'?" Lin Fan remembered a strange woodland in the southeast of the Ancient Domain, where the trees grew in a way that naturally matched the trajectories of Formations. Family Seniors had suspected it was a remnant of an ancient Formation, but years of investigation had yielded nothing.

The firmament as the eye was even more baffling. Above the firmament... could it mean the starry sky?

He put away the map and the star source crystal. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly felt something. His figure flashed, and he hid in the shadows of the bookshelves.

A moment later, very light footsteps came from the stairs.

The visitor's aura was extremely well-concealed; if not for Lin Fan's sharp spiritual perception, he would have hardly noticed. His Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils quietly operated, seeing through the obstacles to clearly identify the person's face—the Vice Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen was dressed in a black robe and walked cautiously. His gaze scanned the eighth floor and finally landed on the bronze box that had already been opened.

His expression changed, and he stepped forward quickly. Seeing the box empty, a look of shock and anger instantly flashed in his eyes.

"Who?!" he barked in a low voice, his Divine Sense spreading out like a tide.

Lin Fan held his breath and focused his mind. The Eternal Indestructible Body perfectly concealed his aura, blending him into the surroundings. Lin Zhen's Divine Sense swept past three times, but he failed to find any trace.

"Damn it... could it be the Clan Chief?" Lin Zhen's expression shifted uncertainly. He stood there for a moment before finally gritting his teeth and quickly leaving the Scripture Pavilion. Only after he was far away did Lin Fan reveal himself.

"It really is him." A cold light flickered in Lin Fan's eyes. "This star source crystal and map are probably also targets of the Dark Moon Divine Cult. Lin Zhen coming here late at night must be on orders from the cult."

He did not linger and quickly left the Scripture Pavilion to return to his cultivation room.

Part Two: The Plan of the Three Stars

Inside the room, Lin Fan spread out the beast skin map and, using the star source crystal as a catalyst, injected a trace of Power of the Stars.

The map immediately lit up, revealing a three-dimensional holographic image, which was a miniature model of the Meteor Star Ancient Domain. Three light points were particularly bright: Star Moon Lake, the Ancient Formation Forest, and a certain void coordinate tens of thousands of feet in the air, directly above the Meteor Star Ancient Domain.

"The Eye of the Firmament is actually in the void?" Lin Fan frowned. This was beyond his current capabilities. Flying in the sky required reaching the Late Stage of the Divine Power Realm, and the astral winds at tens of thousands of feet were fierce, not to mention the spatial turbulence and numerous dangers.

"Perhaps I don't need to go there in person," he thought. "The three stars of the Formation cores essentially form a three-dimensional Formation to resonate with the Power of the Stars. If I can trigger the stars from the ground and project them onto the firmament coordinates, it might work."

This idea was bold but not impossible. The star pagoda could trigger the Power of the Heavens' Stars, and if amplified by the star source crystal, it might be worth a try.

"The Ancient Formation Forest is the pivot; I need to uncover its secrets first."

He decided to head to the Ancient Formation Forest tomorrow to investigate. But before that, he still needed to deal with the hidden threat of Lin Zhen.

Lin Fan took out a blank Jade Slip and used his Divine Sense to record everything he had seen today—Lin Zhen's late-night visit to the Scripture Pavilion and his clear goal of finding the bronze box—in detail, adding his own deduction: Lin Zhen had very likely defected and colluded with the Dark Moon Divine Cult.

Once the Jade Slip was sealed, he summoned an absolutely loyal secret guard.

"Deliver this Jade Slip personally to the Clan Chief. If you encounter anyone trying to intercept you on the way, destroy it immediately," Lin Fan ordered in a heavy voice.

"Yes, Young Lord!" The secret guard took the order and his figure blended into the night.

After his father received the news, he would surely monitor Lin Zhen in secret. This way, it would prevent him from acting out of desperation and also allow them to follow the trail and root out more moles.

Part Three: The Labyrinth of the Ancient Forest

Early the next morning, under the pretext of "cultivating Martial Skills," Lin Fan entered the Ancient Formation Forest in the southeast of the Meteor Star Ancient Domain alone. This forest covered a hundred miles, with towering trees of various species. However, if viewed from high above, one would find that the distribution of these trees vaguely formed a giant circular Formation. The fog in the forest never dissipated throughout the year, making it very easy to lose one's sense of direction upon entering.

Just a hundred feet into the forest, Lin Fan felt the surrounding space warp slightly, and the path he had come from was already hidden in the fog.

"Natural Labyrinth Formation." He wasn't flustered. His Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils activated, and the mist before him immediately thinned. Beneath the ground, he could see faint Spiritual Vein patterns flowing, interwoven into a net that supported the operation of the entire labyrinth.

He followed the Spiritual Veins deeper, while sensing the fluctuations of the star source crystal in his robes.

The closer he got to the center, the more pronounced the vibrations of the source crystal became.

After walking for about half an hour, the path ahead suddenly opened up to a clearing about a hundred zhang across. In the center of the clearing stood nine bronze stone pillars ten zhang high. Their surfaces were covered with Star and Dragon carvings, though most were weathered and damaged.

The nine pillars were arranged according to the Nine Palaces positions, with a recessed altar in the center, filled with withered leaves and dust.

"This is where the 'Pivot' is located." Lin Fan approached the altar and brushed away the dust, revealing a groove at the bottom that perfectly matched the shape of the star god token.

He took out the star god token and placed it into the groove.

"Buzz." The nine bronze stone pillars vibrated simultaneously, and the surface dust fell away. The damaged carvings actually began to self-repair, emitting a hazy starlight. Above the altar, a pillar of light shot into the sky, piercing through the forest mist and reaching the firmament. But this phenomenon only lasted for three breaths before coming to a sudden halt.

The stone pillars stopped vibrating, the light pillar dissipated, and everything returned to silence.

"Insufficient energy?" Lin Fan frowned. He tried to inject his own spiritual power, but the stone pillars had no reaction. He took out the star source crystal and brought it close to the altar.

This time, the nine stone pillars lit up simultaneously, the starlight several times more intense than before. The central light pillar rose again and remained sustained. At the same time, Lin Fan felt the animal skin map in his robes grow slightly warm. He took it out to check and saw that the "Ancient Formation Forest" light point on the map was completely lit, and a clear starlight bond had appeared between it and the "Star Moon Lake" light point.

"As expected, the star source crystal is the key to activating the Formation eye." Lin Fan understood.

He maintained the injection of Star Power and carefully observed the changes in the stone pillars. The starlight from the nine pillars gradually converged, condensing into a miniature projection of the starry sky above the altar. In the projection, the positions of the three stars (Lake Center, Ancient Forest, Firmament) were clear, connected to each other by lines of light to form a perfect equilateral triangle.

"When the three stars gather, the Restriction will resolve itself," Lin Fan murmured. "Now that two stars are lit, only the Eye of the Heavens is left."

He tried to communicate with the star pagoda via Divine Sense: "Pagoda Spirit, if I use this place as a base to channel the Power of the Stars and project it toward the coordinates of the firmament, can it be done?"

The Pagoda Spirit responded: "It is possible. However, the Master must use Divine Sense to lock onto the coordinates of the firmament and use Star Power to construct a 'Reception Channel'. This process requires a continuous infusion of Star Power and must not be interrupted. I can assist the Master in stabilizing the channel, but the core must be completed by the Master himself."

Lin Fan estimated his own Star Power reserves. Although the Eternal Indestructible Body was strong, his cultivation was still only at the Early Stage of the Divine Power Realm. Maintaining high-intensity Star Power output for a long period would still be a great burden.

"Perhaps I can use the Formation here." His gaze fell upon those nine stone pillars. These nine pillars were essentially a Star Power energy conversion and amplification array. If he could place the star source crystal at the Formation eye and use the power of the Formation to maintain the Reception Channel, he would only need to provide Divine Sense guidance and the activation energy, which would greatly reduce the burden.

No sooner said than done. He embedded the star source crystal into an inconspicuous small hole next to the altar's groove—it was a hidden Formation eye he had just discovered with his Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils.

The moment the crystal was embedded, the earth vein spiritual light of the entire Ancient Formation Forest boiled over. The nine stone pillars shone brilliantly, and starlight flowed like a physical substance, converging into a massive vortex above the altar. In the center of the vortex, a pillar of Star Power, condensed as if solid, slowly turned and aimed toward the coordinates of the firmament marked on the animal skin map.

"Now!" Lin Fan sat cross-legged in the center of the altar, his Divine Sense extending at full strength, following the Star Power pillar and rushing toward the high heavens.

His Divine Sense pierced through the clouds, crossed the astral winds, and searched for those ethereal coordinates in the vast Void Realm. The process was extremely mentally taxing; if not for the support of the Eternal Indestructible Body, his Divine Sense would have been exhausted long ago.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he finally sensed a faint fluctuation in a certain part of the Void Realm, one that shared the same Origin as the star god token.

"Found it!" With his Divine Sense locked on, the Star Power pillar projected precisely toward it.

"Boom!" High in the firmament, it was as if an invisible star had been lit. The third light point on the animal skin map suddenly brightened.

The lines of light between the three stars were completely connected, forming a complete astral triangle. In the center of the triangle, the phantom of an Ancient Tomb vaguely emerged. The tomb door slowly opened a crack, and a vast, desolate aura caused Lin Fan's heart to tremble, even across the endless Void Realm. But at that moment, a sudden change occurred!

Part Four: The Interceptors Appear

Outside the Ancient Formation Forest, three dark shadows leaped into the forest like ghosts, heading straight for the altar.

The leader was none other than Lin Zhen. The two people beside him were both wearing the Black Moon Robes of the Dark Moon Divine Cult. Their auras were cold, and they were both clearly at the Middle Stage of the Divine Power Realm.

"He really is here!" Killing intent exploded in Lin Zhen's eyes. "Lin Fan, you actually dare to steal the cult's supreme treasure and privately activate the Formation eye, ruining the Cult Leader's great plans! Today, you shall not be spared!"

Lin Fan was at the critical moment of maintaining the resonance of the three stars. He could not move, much less interrupt, otherwise all his previous efforts would be wasted, and he might even suffer a backlash from the Star Power.

His eyes were tightly closed, as if he were completely unaware of the danger.

Lin Zhen gave a sinister laugh and attacked simultaneously with the two Dark Moon Cultists. A pitch-black palm print and two blood-colored scimitars, carrying sharp killing intent, crashed toward Lin Fan in the center of the altar!

At the critical moment, the star pagoda at Lin Fan's waist flew out automatically, expanding against the wind into a three-zhang-tall pagoda. It shed billions of star-glows, firmly protecting Lin Fan.

"Clang! Clang! Boom!" The palm print and scimitars struck the star-glow barrier, letting out deafening roars. The barrier shook violently but did not break.

"A growth-type supreme treasure?!" Lin Zhen was both shocked and envious, then shouted sharply, "Attack with all your might! He can't distract himself; he won't last long!"

The three of them attacked frantically, and the star-glow barrier became precarious.

The Pagoda Spirit's thought entered Lin Fan's mind: "Master, I can only hold on for thirty breaths at most."

Lin Fan's mind was calm as he accelerated the resonance of the three stars. High in the firmament, the phantom of the Ancient Tomb became clearer and clearer. The crack in the tomb door had opened to three fingers wide, and a majestic Star Power and Dragon prestige surged out through the crack, pouring down.

Twenty breaths.

Cracks appeared on the star-glow barrier.

Fifteen breaths.

The cracks spread like a spiderweb.

Ten breaths.

"Crack!" A corner of the barrier finally shattered, and a blood-colored blade light pierced through, slashing straight toward the back of Lin Fan's neck!

At that moment, Lin Fan suddenly opened his eyes. The three-star resonance was complete! Behind him, the phantom of the Ancient Tomb shook violently. From the crack in the tomb door, a Chaos light pillar, mixed with Star Power and Dragon prestige, descended with a speed beyond perception!

The light pillar was not aimed at Lin Fan; instead, it automatically locked onto the dense Dark Moon Evil Power and Blood Sacrifice Resentment on Lin Zhen and the other two.

"No!" Lin Zhen's pupils shrank. He only had time to let out a desperate roar before being engulfed by the Chaos light pillar.

The two Dark Moon Cultists didn't even make a sound before being turned into ashes.

The light pillar lasted for three breaths before slowly dissipating.

In its place, only a bottomless scorched pit remained, with a dying, charred, and cracked Lin Zhen at the bottom.

Lin Fan stood up, walked to the edge of the pit, and looked down at this former high-level member of the Family.

Lin Zhen struggled to lift his head, his eyes full of fear and confusion: "Why... why did the power of the Ancient Tomb attack us..."

"Because," Lin Fan said slowly, "the Starfall Ancient Tomb is where the heroes who guarded the stars and the Dragon Clan are buried. Their Legacy will only be left to those who turn toward the light and revere life. While you are covered in blood and resentment, in the eyes of the tomb's master, you are no different from filth."

Lin Zhen opened his mouth as if to say something more, but he had already breathed his last.

Lin Fan was silent for a moment, then waved his hand to bury the body.

He looked up at the firmament. The three star points had faded, and the phantom of the Ancient Tomb had also dissipated, but the resonant connection had already been established.

"Next, I must use the star source crystal to nourish the tomb door and wait for the best time to open it." He retrieved the star pagoda and the star source crystal, turning his gaze toward the direction of Star Moon Lake.

"Dark Moon Divine Cult, your blood sacrifice is likely going to fail." He turned and walked out of the Ancient Formation Forest.

Outside the forest, the sunlight was just right. A storm concerning the Ancient Tomb Legacy, the survival of the Family, and even the landscape of the Human Realm was quietly approaching.