Terran Guardian - Chapter 3333

Chapter 3314 Star Core Remnants

. The battle in Xuanxiao Territory

instantly thrust the Heavenly Demon Holy Land into the sights of numerous factions.

This battle

was unlike any previous one.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Shen Changqing had suppressed two peak Immortal Emperors with a flick of his finger. Even if his strength didn’t reach the top ten on the Immortal Emperor Monument, it was certainly not far behind.

The Nine Mountains Immortal Court’s protective formation, in particular, was incredibly powerful.

Without the necessary strength

, easily breaking it would be impossible.

Furthermore,

the Wusha Emperor and the Purgatory Emperor were no match for ordinary peak Immortal Emperors.

In a true comparison, both could be considered the strongest Immortal Emperors below the Immortal Emperor Monument.

Even so,

Shen Changqing offered no chance of resistance.

Such strength

was bound to shock other factions.

After all,

there’s a watershed at the peak of the Immortal Emperor hierarchy.

The difference between those who qualify for the Immortal Emperor Monument and those who don’t is staggering.

To reach the former level, relying solely on arduous practice is absolutely useless; it requires a strong innate foundation and a foundation of opportunity.

Throughout history,

countless peerless geniuses

have achieved such a level of strength in just hundreds of thousands of years, a feat exceedingly rare.

Unless one

is the reincarnation of a powerful being,

benefiting from the legacy of a previous life,

then their cultivation naturally cannot be matched by other cultivators.

Of course,

even the reincarnation of a powerful being varies.

A powerful being who has experienced more reincarnations and has experienced a greater degree of resurgence often has some advantage in strength, but it’s not significant.

However, for a cultivator who has awakened the wisdom of a previous life without undergoing many reincarnations, the situation is different.

Such a cultivator

has inherited all the memories of their previous life perfectly, including a perfect understanding of cultivation. They can master

a variety of magical skills almost effortlessly.

This way,

their strength increases dramatically.

In the eyes of these forces, Shen Changqing must fall into the latter category.

And cultivators who aspire to this level must have possessed extraordinary strength in their previous lives.

Some factions believed Shen Changqing had great luck, enabling him to achieve this.

Whatever the reason,

the Heavenly Demon Holy Land was destined to fall into the sights of numerous factions.   Shen Changqing was unaware

of these events .   However,   even if he knew,   he wouldn’t be afraid.   While destroying the Nine Mountains Immortal Court would bring considerable trouble, compared to the resources it would yield, Shen Changqing considered these inconveniences negligible.   Immortal Elixir!   Top-grade Immortal Stone!   A fragmented Tenth-Rank Star Core!   Any of these, if released to the outside world, would be enough to draw countless powerful individuals to scramble for them.   In the path of cultivation, there’s no such thing as having the best of both worlds.   To gain something, a small price is worth paying.   Currently,   Shen Changqing was completely focused on refining the star cores.   Forty-two ninth-rank star cores   had enabled him to rapidly advance in his cultivation of the Primordial Star Domain Sutra.   After completely refining the last of the ninth-grade, supreme-grade star cores, Shen Changqing looked inward and saw two acupoints brimming with brilliant starlight.   Within his flesh,   there were various acupoints,   including   one hundred and eight major acupoints.   The original practice of the Ancient Star Domain Sutra didn’t cultivate these major acupoints, but rather, the cultivator’s physical body was compared to an entire ancient star field, carrying 3.65 million ancient stars, ultimately reaching the state of mastery.   However, as the Ancient Star Domain Sutra reached its perfection, this practice transformed.   Where once the physical body was transformed into the Ancient Star Domain Sutra, now it sought the 108 major acupoints throughout the body, each one likened to an ancient star field, carrying 3.6 million ancient stars.   Currently   , after refining forty-two ninth-grade star cores, Shen Changqing has opened up another 4.119 million ancient stars.   Including the original 3.6 million ancient stars,   so far.   Shen Changqing successfully opened up 7,719,000 ancient stars, transforming two of the great acupoints into ancient star fields. While the other acupoint didn’t become an ancient star field, it still contained 519,000 ancient stars.   With further cultivation in one more acupoint, opening up a third ancient star field would be no problem.   ”The power of a ninth-grade ultimate star core is truly incomparable to that of a ninth-grade inferior star field. Unfortunately, such star cores are hard to find. So far, aside from the three ninth-grade ultimate star cores I obtained from the Nine Mountains Immortal Court, there are no more!”   Shen Changqing shook his head slightly, feeling a sense of regret.   Honestly   , one ninth-grade ultimate star core is equivalent to a thousand ninth-grade inferior star cores.   Refining just one of the former is enough to open up a million ancient stars.   In other words,   less than four ninth-grade ultimate star cores are needed to transform one of the great acupoints into an ancient star field. For   one hundred and eight star fields, only a little over three hundred to four hundred ninth-grade ultimate star cores are needed.   Unfortunately,   star cores of this caliber are incredibly hard to find.   If ninth-grade star cores are already rare, then ninth-grade, top-grade star cores are even rarer.   Otherwise,   Shen Changqing wouldn’t have only found three ninth-grade star cores to date, and those were only found after ransacking the Nine Mountains Immortal Court.   This shows that obtaining a ninth-grade, top-grade star core is no easy feat.

Even within Primordial Chaos, there are countless ancient stars, but only a handful are truly capable of nurturing a ninth-grade, supreme-grade star core.

Any ninth-grade, supreme-grade star core requires unimaginable years of sedimentation before it can truly be nurtured.

Chaos is boundless.

Finding such a star core in such a place is incredibly difficult.

“However, while I can’t obtain a ninth-grade, supreme-grade star core, I do possess a fragmented tenth-grade star core. Even incomplete, this core is incomparable to a ninth-grade one.

If I can refine it, I shouldn’t have any trouble reaching the Primordial Star Domain Sutra, let alone achieving full mastery. Entering the second stage should be a breeze.”

Shen Changqing’s thoughts flashed, and the tenth-grade star core appeared before him.

Refining the star core’s power would inevitably be impacted by the lingering Dao aura of this supreme treasure.

If he could suppress it, it wouldn’t be a major problem. Failure to do so would risk complete destruction. If the star core before him weren’t a low-grade tenth-rank   star core

, but a higher-level mid-grade or even high-grade one, Shen Changqing wouldn’t have dared to refine it rashly.

However— a low-grade tenth-rank star core,   and one that was incomplete at   that—refining it wouldn’t be that difficult.   Immediately,   Shen Changqing calmed his mind and immediately refined the tenth-rank star core before him.   As his mind focused on it, a terrifying force erupted from the star core.   This stellar power was dozens of times more intense than that of a ninth-rank star core.   Simultaneously   , a vast, ancient aura washed over him. Shen Changqing felt like an ancient star, lost in the desolate void for eons, devoid of life and communication.   Such loneliness, over time, could drive a person mad.   Suddenly,   a towering, faceless figure appeared, gazing at the ancient star before him and shaking its head slightly.   ”Well, since we’ve stumbled upon this by chance, I’ll grant you a chance!”   With a flick of their fingers, this being dropped a drop of blood into the ancient star, causing it to tremble violently, as if blessed with great fortune. The feeble divine power, like a tonic, began to frantically refine and absorb it.   Having done this, this being departed.   Over countless years, its divine power gradually grew, and so did its body. Its body, once a million feet in size, now rivaled the size of a world.   Time passed.   The ancient star’s inherent Dao rhyme flowed passively, tightly enveloping it. Simultaneously, life evolved within it, and the once barren star had now transformed into a world.   An unknown amount of time passed.   The beings of this world grasped the Dao of cultivation, and some began to soar into the sky and burrow into the earth.   The divine power of the ancient star, like the Way of Heaven, silently watched the growth of its beings, without interfering.   Perhaps millions of years!   Or perhaps even eons!   The creatures of this world grew increasingly powerful, and wars became frequent. Several catastrophes devastated the entire world, wiping out all cultivation methods.   But after a certain period of evolution, some would eventually return to the path of cultivation.   This cycle continued,   like an endless cycle of reincarnation.   Until one day,   a terrifying being suddenly descended. Its aura, as vast as the abyss, annihilated all creatures in the world before they could even react.   The divine consciousness of the ancient star trembled in fear. A   profound fear welled up within it.   At this moment ,   the terrifying being looked at this ancient star and spoke indifferently, “You are only one step away from ascending to the semi-saint realm, and you are already nurturing your divine consciousness. If you were given more time, you might truly achieve the status of an ancient god.   Ancient gods born semi-saints are rare, even among the vast majority of ancient gods.   But alas, you no longer have that opportunity!”   He finished.   This terrifying being brought down a single finger, completely shattering the ancient star. The star core nurtured within fell into its grasp. Even   as the ancient star’s lingering consciousness faced destruction, it still heard the terrifying being’s words.   ”A fragmented tenth-order star core is a bit inferior, but it’s still quite good. Otherwise, if you succeeded in ascending, I wouldn’t be able to suppress you!”   With those words, the ancient star’s remaining consciousness dissipated.   At the same moment, Shen Changqing’s consciousness returned to his body. In   that instant,   he opened his tightly closed eyes, taking in the familiar yet unfamiliar void before him, his face a moment of daze.   ”Who am I?”   ”I am the ancient star… No, I am Shen Changqing, a human Shen Changqing!”   At this thought, Shen Changqing’s dilated pupils slowly focused, his dazed expression gradually clearing.