No one answered. Just as Han Feng was about to curse, a point of blue light suddenly appeared ahead. The light grew brighter and brighter, gradually condensing into a palm-sized multifaceted crystal—its entire body was a deep blue like that of the Nether Crystal Clan, but its core flowed with the silvery-white fluid unique to the Moon Demon Clan.
The moment the energy stone appeared, the three star mirrors within Han Feng's body trembled simultaneously, and the tingling sensation from the resonance spread from his dantian throughout his entire body. A call beyond words emanated from the crystal, as if it were the final missing piece of the puzzle for his soul.
(Dangerous...but I must get it...)
Han Feng's reason issued a warning, but his body had already involuntarily drifted forward. As the distance shortened, the energy stone began to rotate on its own, each side refracting different fragments of memory—scenes of fierce battles, scenes of Moon Demon Clan rituals, and even... a blurry image of the first Star Soul Lord?
When his fingertips finally touched the surface of the crystal, Han Feng suddenly understood Jue Li's unspoken words:
This is no ordinary energy stone.
This is the key to the supreme realm.
It is also the biggest trap.
"Click—"
The sound of the crystal cracking was particularly jarring in the silent space. Before Han Feng could react, an unprecedented torrent of energy surged through his arm and into his body. It wasn't just simple stellar power, but a chaotic torrent that fused the spiritual power of the Moon Demon Clan, the crystal energy of the Nether Crystal Clan, and the inheritance of the Star Soul Lord!
"Ugh—!"
Han Feng knelt in the void, his veins bulging, and blue-silver interwoven patterns appearing beneath his skin. The three star mirrors spun wildly in his dantian, attempting to digest this power, but they were as powerless as a small boat encountering a tsunami.
Most terrifyingly, he sensed another consciousness trying to invade through the energy flow—cold, ancient, and filled with greed...
(The Emperor of the Nether Crystal Clan?!)
Han Feng barely managed to stay conscious amidst the excruciating pain. Jue Li wasn't wrong; this was indeed an unimaginable gain, but only if... he could survive and absorb it!
"Zero!" Han Feng roared deep within his consciousness, "If you keep playing dead, you're really done for!"
"Coming, coming." Zero's voice finally came. "What's going on?"
"I should be asking you that too! Do you know what this is? Its consciousness is invading my body again."
"Let me think about it."
"Enough nonsense!" Han Feng roared in his mind, every nerve struggling against the invading, icy consciousness. "What the hell is this?!"
Zero's voice was tense: "A triple encryption structure was detected inside the energy stone: the Moon Demon Clan's spiritual seal, the Nether Crystal Clan's crystal matrix, and... the Star Soul Lord's bloodline lock."
Han Feng's sea of consciousness had now become a battlefield. In the energy storm interwoven with dark blue and silver, a black shadow that blotted out the sky was devouring his consciousness space—it was the spiritual projection of the Nether Crystal Clan Emperor, like ink dripping into clear water, dyeing everything in its path a cold, deep blue.
"Since... it was left behind by Jue Li..." Han Feng gritted his teeth, maintaining the last shred of clarity in his mind, "Why... does such a tyrannical consciousness exist?! I'm almost being possessed!"
"Two possibilities" Zero responded quickly, "Either Jue Li deliberately set a trap to test the inheritor, or..." The voice suddenly became serious, "This energy stone was once corrupted by the Nether Crystal Clan Emperor, it's a trap."
The shadow had spread to the core of his consciousness, and Han Feng "saw" his memories being roughly searched—childhood fragments, battle scenes, even his interactions with Liu Mengran... all exposed to that cold consciousness.
(Get out!)
The power of the stars stirred up a counterattack in his sea of consciousness, but it was like a stone thrown into the sea. The consciousness of the Nether Crystal Clan Emperor was too ancient and vast, like an adult facing the fists and feet of a child. Even more terrifying, Han Feng felt his energy being analyzed in sync with the opponent, each act of resistance teaching the enemy how to suppress him more effectively.
"Han Feng!" Zero suddenly raised his voice, "Star patterns are appearing on the surface of the energy stone!"
In reality, Han Feng barely opened his eyes. On the surface of the crystal he held in his palm, the interwoven blue and silver patterns were reorganizing, gradually forming a familiar pattern—a starburst crack that perfectly matched the scar on Jue Li's chest!
(The mark of the Star Soul Lord?!)
In a flash of inspiration on the verge of collapse, Han Feng suddenly changed his strategy. He stopped resisting the energy infusion and instead actively guided more chaotic energy into his dantian, while simultaneously injecting stellar power into the crystal!
"Are you crazy?!" Zero shouted, somewhat losing his composure. "This level of energy purity will instantly destroy your meridians!"
Han Feng could no longer hear. His eardrums were filled with the roar of energy, and blue-silver streaks of blood seeped from his seven orifices. The blood vessels beneath his skin writhed like living things, as if they might burst at any moment. But amidst this extreme pain, he clearly felt a certain mechanism deep within the crystal being triggered—
"Snap!"
The energy stone suddenly shattered, turning into countless points of light that entered Han Feng's body. The roar of the Nether Crystal Clan Emperor exploded in his sea of consciousness, and the black shadow, as if struck by lightning, began to convulse violently.
"This is the restriction left by the first Star Soul Lord!" Zero exclaimed. "Could this be a backup plan?"
Han Feng had no time to think; he seized the fleeting opportunity to launch a counterattack. The three Star Mirrors formed a triangular matrix in his dantian, forcibly compressing the surging chaotic energy. The blue-silver patterns on his skin began to change, gradually being replaced by golden-red starlight—the dormant Star Soul bloodline was awakening!
The consciousness of the Nether Crystal Clan Emperor launched a frantic counterattack, but each attack was weakened by a third by some invisible force. Han Feng "saw" that Jue Li's figure suddenly became clear in those memory fragments, and he nodded slightly at him.
(I see...)
Han Feng suddenly realized. Jue Li had known all along that the energy stone was contaminated, so he deliberately left clues. This seemingly suicidal test was actually the key to activating the restrictions imposed by the first Star Soul Lord!
"This is impossible!" The consciousness of the Nether Crystal Clan Emperor roared deafeningly in Han Feng's sea of consciousness, the black shadow twisting violently. "The First Generation has long since perished, body and soul!"
Han Feng wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. The three star mirrors spun wildly in his dantian, crushing and recombining the surging chaotic energy like miniature galaxies. With each unit of energy absorbed, the patterns on the surface of the star mirrors brightened, while the shadow of the Nether Crystal Clan Emperor dimmed.
"No—!" The shadowy figure's anger turned to terror in mere seconds. "Stop! We can cooperate! The Star Soul Lord needs allies to fight—"
"Shut up." Han Feng sneered, his consciousness controlling the Star Mirror to accelerate its operation. "Weren't you very arrogant when you were going through my memories?"
The shadow began to dissipate, like morning mist illuminated by sunlight. Just as it was about to vanish completely, a clear, cold female voice suddenly emanated from the fragment of the energy stone:
"Your mental strength has finally weakened..."
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