The next morning, Li Yi departed silently from the Starroot Pavilion. Clad in dark azure robes etched with golden thread, he moved like a shadow through the Li estate. Few dared approach him now—his reputation had spread faster than wildfire.
Only a single slip of paper remained on his table:
> "Starlink Altar – sealed within the Forgotten Void. Location: Jadefall Ruins, South of Fallen Moon Valley."
He had no idea who left it. But it carried the faint trace of his mother's qi.
Without hesitation, he flew southeast, riding a spirit artifact shaped like a crescent blade. Below him, mountains blurred into waves of mist, rivers shimmered under the morning sun, and ancient trees whispered secrets long forgotten.
The Jadefall Ruins were dangerous. Once a sacred ground for ascendants, they had been torn apart during the collapse of the Divine Road. Now, only remnants remained—twisted halls, broken formations, and void storms that devoured the unworthy.
Three days passed.
Li Yi arrived at the edge of the ruins as the sun dipped low.
The land was deathly still.
Charred bones littered the cracked stones. Spirit beasts avoided the place. Even qi itself struggled to flow here, distorted by the lingering echoes of divine battle.
He stepped into the ruins.
Immediately, pressure fell upon him like a mountain. His twin cores flared in defense, but this was no ordinary pressure—it was the weight of space and time, compressed and fragmented.
Ahead stood an altar of obsidian and starlight, half-buried in rubble, surrounded by three massive stone statues—each depicting a celestial being in chains.
This was it.
The Starlink Altar.
He approached, but before he could step onto the platform, the ground shattered.
From beneath, a figure rose—wreathed in shadow, cloaked in void. Its face was hidden behind a jagged iron mask, and in its hand was a curved blade pulsing with abyssal energy.
"The Soul-Hollow Envoy," Li Yi whispered, eyes narrowing.
The figure pointed its blade at him. "Descendant of the Starborne Root. You carry what was sealed. Surrender the scripture. Die cleanly."
Li Yi answered with silence—and a flash of azure light.
Roots exploded from beneath his feet, lashing toward the enemy. The envoy moved like smoke, vanishing and reappearing behind Li Yi with a silent slash.
Clang!
Li Yi blocked the blade with his forearm, a golden root forming into a gauntlet around his wrist.
Then the battle truly began.
The ruins became a warzone—blades clashed, formations cracked, and void rifts opened with every strike. The envoy's attacks eroded space, but Li Yi adapted quickly. He began to absorb the distortion, redirecting it through the Azure Scripture's pathways.
A divine technique awakened within him—Heavenroot Cycle—which allowed him to store and convert foreign energy.
The Soul-Hollow Envoy faltered.
Li Yi's body glowed brighter, his qi evolving with each exchange. His merged core now pulsed with both divine resonance and abyssal resistance.
With a roar, he unleashed a final strike.
A giant starlit root burst from the sky, piercing the envoy and the altar together.
The void stilled.
The envoy disintegrated, shrieking, "The gate… cannot remain closed…"
Then all was silent.
Li Yi fell to one knee, panting. Before him, the altar began to rise, shaking off centuries of dust. Symbols lit up along its surface—an ancient array awakening.
A vision flooded his mind.
The God Realm battlefield.
His mother stood beside his father, both wielding divine weapons, surrounded by abyssal armies.
A whisper followed.
> "Son… the seal is almost broken. When the moon turns red, the abyss will descend. You must ascend… or all realms will fall."
The altar lit fully.
And above him, for just a moment, the stars formed a path.