Chapter 65: Star Palace Game, Killing to Establish Authority

After collecting the puppet core, Ye Li did not stop, leading everyone in Youge to quickly leave the square where there was trouble. The ruins were full of dangers, and the longer they stayed, the easier it was for them to become a target for others.

"Pavilion Master, why didn't you just..." Sun Xiaohou was a little puzzled. In his opinion, those disciples of the Weapon Hall and the independent cultivators were already at the end of their strength, and perhaps he could take advantage of the opportunity to gain some benefits.

Ye Li's eyes were cold as she interrupted him, "You're biting off more than you can chew. Our goal is the Star Stone and the Extraterrestrial Metal, so we shouldn't get involved in any further complications. That man in black has an unknown origin and ruthless methods. He might have a larger force behind him, so we shouldn't get too involved."

Lin Feng nodded in agreement: "The Pavilion Master is absolutely right. We are still weak, so we need to keep a low profile and develop. The best strategy is to make a fortune quietly."

Xia Zhihe also whispered, "During the melee just now, I secretly sprinkled tracking powder. Perhaps I can use it to find clues about those men in black in the future."

Ye Li glanced at Xia Zhihe approvingly. This woman was meticulous and worthy of being one of Youge's think tanks. "Well done, little monkey, you must be extra careful when exploring the road next time. In these ruins, it's easy to dodge an open attack, but it's hard to guard against an arrow from the dark."

"I understand!" Sun Xiaohou stopped laughing and looked serious.

Following the direction discovered by Sun Xiaohou, the group advanced deeper into the ruins. Based on fragments of ancient texts and scattered information provided by the sect, the core area of ​​the meteorite ruins might be a dilapidated building called the "Star Palace," where high-purity star stones and even star cores are most likely to be found.

Along the way, they encountered several waves of mutated monsters and scattered space cracks, but with Ye Li's strong attack and the cooperation of the team, they got through them safely and also harvested some high-quality star iron fragments.

The deeper they went, the more groups of cultivators they encountered. Besides the Xuanyun Sect disciples, they could also spot the Chiyan Sect disciples in crimson robes, the Fenglei Pavilion disciples with flowing sleeves adorned with wind and thunder patterns, and a variety of other independent cultivators. The conflict between the various factions was tense, and small-scale clashes were common over the occasional resources. Ye Li and his group avoided crowded areas as much as possible, choosing secluded paths.

Three days later, they passed through a jungle of twisted metal, and suddenly the view opened up. A massive palace, though dilapidated, still revealed its once magnificent outlines. Standing in the center of the relatively flat ruins, it was forged entirely from a dark silver metal, its surface covered in mysterious star patterns. Though largely collapsed, the remaining main structure still emanated a frightening energy surge—it was the Star Palace!

At this moment, dozens of monks had gathered in front of the only remaining giant portal of the Star Palace, which was dozens of feet high. They were divided into several obvious camps and confronted each other.

The largest group was a group of Red Flame Sect disciples, approximately fifteen or sixteen in number. Their leader was a tall, arrogant young man with the aura of an early Spiritual Residence Realm. A faint shimmer of flames swirled around him, clearly a true disciple of the Red Flame Sect. They occupied the area closest to the hall entrance, their attitude arrogant.

On the other side were seven or eight Fenglei Pavilion disciples, led by a woman with a fierce temperament and two swords on her back. She was also in the early stage of the Lingfu Realm. Her eyes were like lightning, and she confronted the Chiyan Sect without showing any weakness.

In addition, there were two other Xuanyun Sect contingents: one led by Leng Yun, a true disciple of Jianfeng (who had also arrived, surprisingly), and the other led by Gao Sheng, a member of Zhan Kuangfeng's contingent. Leng Yun's contingent was small but elite, while Gao Sheng's contingent was larger but of varying strength. Although these two Xuanyun Sect contingents shared the same ancestry, they maintained distinct divisions and did not merge.

The rest were some scattered cultivators and disciples from small sects, who gathered in the distance and did not dare to approach the core area.

The arrival of Ye Li and the others did not cause much of a stir. Compared to the numerous teams with true disciples of the Spiritual Residence Realm, their team, with only one leader at the middle stage of Condensation Veins and seemingly mediocre overall strength, seemed insignificant.

"Pavilion Master, the situation is complicated. The Chiyan Sect and Fenglei Pavilion are powerful. We..." Lin Feng analyzed in a low voice with a worried look on his face.

Ye Li's gaze swept across the scene, finally landing on the tightly closed door of the Star Hall, covered in star runes. The door seemed to be sealed by a powerful restriction, and everyone seemed to be discussing how to break it.

"Let's wait and see." Ye Li whispered, leading everyone to find an inconspicuous corner to stop and observe secretly. She noticed that when Gao Sheng saw them, a hint of sinisterness flashed in his eyes, but he was quickly attracted by the situation before him.

In the arena, the true disciple of the Red Flame Sect (named Yan Lie) was announcing, "Everyone, the restrictions of this Star Palace are too powerful to be broken by one person. I propose that my friends from the Red Flame Sect, the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, and the Xuanyun Sect work together to break the restrictions first. As for the treasures within the palace, how about each of us take them on our own? As for these small fry…" He glanced disdainfully in the direction of the casual cultivators, "It's best for them to get out of here as soon as possible, to avoid accidental injury later!"

The independent cultivators dared to be angry but not to speak out.

The sword-carrying woman from Fenglei Pavilion (named Lei Ying) snorted coldly, "We can join forces, but after breaking the ban, we must enter at the same time and not rush in first."

Leng Yun stood with his sword in his arms and said two words calmly: "Yes."

Although Goldman Sachs was unwilling to be represented by Leng Yun, the situation was stronger than the person, so it could only nod in agreement.

The three factions reached a preliminary agreement, each sending a disciple proficient in formations to study the temple gate's restrictions. The formation masters from the Red Flame Sect and Wind and Thunder Pavilion were clearly more skilled, and they quickly located several key points in the restriction.

"Attack those three star runes!" Yan Lie shouted, taking the lead and sending a thick pillar of fire towards one of the nodes!

Lei Ying unsheathed her twin swords, stirring up wind and thunder, her sword energy like a dragon! Leng Yun also slashed out with a fierce and unparalleled sword light!

Goldman Sachs and other disciples also took action!

Gathering the strength of nearly thirty elite disciples (primarily three Spiritual Palace Realm cultivators), the attack fell upon the temple gate barrier like a violent storm! The starlight curtain violently trembled, emitting a humming sound that could not bear the heavy burden!

Ye Li, who was hiding in the distance, narrowed his eyes slightly. The strength of this restriction was beyond imagination, but it did begin to loosen with the combined efforts of everyone.

At this moment, something strange happened!

When the light of the restriction dimmed to its absolute limit, a seemingly inconspicuous old man in gray, who had been silently following the end of the group of wandering cultivators, suddenly flashed a gleam of light in his eyes! He suddenly threw out a rusty bronze nail. The nail transformed into a stream of light and shot with lightning speed, accurately hitting the weakest point of the restriction, a hidden node that even the formation masters of the three major sects had never discovered!

“Puff!”

Like a balloon being popped, the entire starlight curtain instantly collapsed! The palace door roared heavily and slowly opened a gap inward!

"Oh no! It's a trick!"

"Stop him!"

Yan Lie, Lei Ying, and the others were shocked and furious. They had never expected to be taken advantage of by a casual cultivator! They immediately turned their attacks and blasted the gray-robed old man!

However, the old man's figure was like a ghost. He dodged most of the attacks at the critical moment. Blood spurted from his mouth, but his speed did not slow down. He was the first to rush to the gap in the temple door!

"Looking for death!" Yan Lie was extremely angry and slapped the old man's back with a giant flaming palm!

Seeing that the old man was about to be beaten into a pulp, he turned around and threw out a black talisman covered with strange runes!

boom!

The talisman exploded and turned into black mist that not only blocked Yanlie's attack, but the black mist also had a strong corrosive and spiritual interference effect, instantly covering a large area in front of the temple gate!

"It's the demonic 'Divine Eclipse Mist'! Be careful!" someone exclaimed!

The scene instantly erupted in chaos! The black fog obstructed vision and consciousness, making it impossible to see each other clearly. All kinds of attacks flew around randomly, and screams rang out everywhere!

"Opportunity!" Ye Li's eyes flashed! This sudden chaos was a godsend opportunity to fish in troubled waters!

"Follow me!" she shouted, pushing the "Universe Invisible Step" to its fullest potential. Her figure seemed to blend into the shadows as she rushed towards the gap in the palace door! Lin Feng and the other three followed without hesitation!

Ye Li contracted his spiritual sense to the extreme, covering only a few feet around his body. With his super perception and strange body movements, he shuttled through the black fog like a fish, narrowly avoiding the indiscriminate attacks and the chaotic crowd.

Just as he was about to rush into the palace gate, a fierce sword energy suddenly attacked from the side! It was a disciple of the Red Flame Sect, who seemed to recognize Ye Li and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to attack!

Ye Li's eyes turned cold, without dodging or evading, he swung out the Xuanbing Sword with his backhand, and arrived first!

Crack! The sword energy shattered! The Red Flame Sect disciple felt an irresistible force, his knuckles cracked, and the sword slipped out of his hand. Before he could react, a gust of icy wind touched his forehead, instantly freezing his soul!

Flash sale!

Ye Li didn't even look at the fallen corpse. Without stopping, he led the four people into the gate of the Star Palace like a sharp arrow!

Behind them, the black fog gradually dissipated, revealing a mess and several corpses. Yan Lie, Lei Ying, Leng Yun, and the others' faces turned pale, their faces also shattered by this sudden change. Although they had killed the gray-robed old man and several unlucky wandering cultivators, they had allowed a small, insignificant group to slip in first!

"It's Ye Li from Xuanyun Sect!" Gao Sheng said gritting his teeth.

"Chase!" Yan Lie roared, leading the Red Flame Sect disciples into the hall. Lei Ying, Leng Yun, and the others immediately followed.

Inside the Star Hall, there was not the treasure house as expected, but a wider and more dilapidated interior space, filled with collapsed star sculptures and broken corridors, as if it had experienced a shocking battle.

Ye Li and the other four did not dare to stop and quickly went deeper along a relatively intact passage.

"Pavilion Master, just now..." Zhao Xiaoyi was still in shock. Ye Li's ruthless method of instantly killing the disciples of the Chiyan Sect made him shudder with fear.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." Ye Li's tone was icy. "Here, being soft-hearted is suicidal. If you're going to do something, you have to do it cleanly and without leaving any trouble behind."

Lin Feng and the others were startled and all agreed. They realized once again that this young Pavilion Master was not only incredibly talented and powerful, but also had a resolute and ruthless character. He was definitely not someone who would hesitate or waver.

The battle within the Star Palace has just begun. Can Ye Li, having taken a head start, turn this slight advantage into real gains? And what kind of storm will the talented talents from the major sects chasing behind bring? An even more intense game quietly unfolds within the ruins of the ancient Star Palace.