The overwhelming oppressive aura grew even stronger!
In the heavens above, a massive hand shrouded in boundless black mist descended swiftly!
The twelve Buddhist Protectors turned pale.
"Great Heavenly Demon Hand?"
Immediately, radiant golden light erupted from their bodies, revealing faint manifestations of Buddhist figures exuding boundless majesty.
The Protectors' auras intertwined, their internal energies linked as they raised their hands together.
A pair of colossal golden palms of Buddha materialized, surging toward the demonic hand pressing down from above.
Boom!
The clash rang out like thunder, reverberating through the valley.
The Buddha palms and the demonic hand collided violently, unleashing an infinite torrent of energy that transformed into a raging gale, sweeping in all directions.
Winds roared, dust billowed, and those with lesser cultivation staggered helplessly under the pressure.
Seizing the moment, Ye Xuezhang activated his Ethereal World Steps, dashing back into the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
Opportunities like this are rare—once in a lifetime!
With the guards and attending experts entirely focused on the terrifying woman outside, only a few caretakers remained within the pavilion.
Not taking advantage of this chaos would be a disservice to my own moral code!
Ye Xuezhang had never claimed to be a saint!
Swiftly darting to the top floor of the pavilion, he entered one of the rooms without hesitation.
"Who's there?"
A voice barked, followed by a sudden blast of palm energy.
Monochrome Realm!
Ye Xuezhang had no time for entanglements. He immediately unleashed his unique skill.
Instantly, the room lost all color, transforming into a realm of stark black and white.
The attacker was frozen in place, entirely immobilized within the monochrome realm.
Taking advantage, Ye Xuezhang dashed toward a jade pedestal at the center of the room.
If my guess is right, the treasure must be inside!
Crash!
With a single palm strike, the pedestal shattered, and a delicate box tumbled out.
Opening it, Ye Xuezhang was greeted by the sight of a precious spiritual herb!
Ye Xuezhang's heart leapt with joy. He stowed the box away and glanced out the window—what he saw left him utterly shocked!
Unbelievable!
In the short time that had passed, the twelve Buddhist Protectors, all Masters of the Stellar Sea Fifth Stage, had been slain to the last.
The white-robed woman was now engaged in battle with the remaining experts present.
None of them could withstand even a single exchange!
The woman moved like a wolf among sheep, effortlessly overwhelming her opponents.
However, it was evident she was not killing indiscriminately; she only injured her adversaries before ceasing her attacks.
A terrifying woman!
By his own assessment, Ye Xuezhang admitted that her cultivation surpassed his.
Yet, he felt a 70% chance of defeating her.
The ultimate technique of his Ghost Valley Sword Technique remained untested.
If unleashed with all his might, even Ye Xuezhang couldn't fathom its full power.
Time is running out!
Ye Xuezhang knew that once the commotion outside was resolved, the woman would inevitably enter the pavilion.
When that happened, his identity would be exposed!
Resolving himself, Ye Xuezhang opened another window and activated his Ethereal World Steps, disappearing into the night.
"You think you can escape?"
A cold voice rang out behind him—it was the woman's!
Ye Xuezhang's heart skipped a beat. What an incredible woman!
Even amid the chaos of battle, and from such a distance, she had pinpointed his movements with uncanny accuracy.
A streak of light shot from her fingertips, speeding toward Ye Xuezhang like a divine arrow.
His expression shifted rapidly.
Should I counterattack?
Recalling how the woman had spared others after injuring them, Ye Xuezhang hesitated.
Perhaps…
Making a split-second decision, he channeled his internal energy to shield his body, bracing himself for the strike.
Bang!
The streak of light struck him squarely, its chilling power spreading rapidly.
Yet, under the flow of his internal energy, the frost was swiftly neutralized.
Feigning injury, Ye Xuezhang tumbled to the ground, crawling away in a show of weakness before staggering toward the valley's exit.
As he had hoped, the woman did not pursue him further.
The Rare Treasure
Once outside the valley, Ye Xuezhang retrieved his Yuanhong Sword and sprinted a thousand miles away before finding a secluded location.
There, he seated himself cross-legged and opened the box.
Inside lay a Nine-Grade Spiritual Herb—Dragonheart Nineleaf Ganoderma!
His heart raced with elation.
A single Seven-Grade Spiritual Herb was already worth millions. A Nine-Grade Herb was truly priceless!
Such a treasure was exceedingly rare, even in the possession of Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
Unbeknownst to him, this particular herb was the only Nine-Grade Spiritual Herb featured in this year's gathering, and the first in three decades!
Without hesitation, Ye Xuezhang consumed the herb and activated the Ghost Valley Breathing Technique to absorb its potency.
As time passed, Ye Xuezhang entered a state of boundless meditation, merging with the universe itself.
In this trance-like state, he found himself within a mysterious realm.
Nine towering peaks stretched endlessly, surrounded by vast oceans whose waves crashed against the mountains with relentless force.
Above the peaks, three primary stars—Taiyin, Sun, and Ziwei—shone brightly in the heavens.
The Three Constellations, the Four Domains, and the Twenty-Eight Star Mansions orbited the primary stars, forming a vast celestial chart.
Within this chart, most stars glimmered dimly.
However, the Twenty-Eight Star Mansions and the Three Constellations of Tianshi and Taiwei radiated brilliantly, casting dazzling light across the realm.
To fully illuminate all the stars would signify the pinnacle of Stellar Sea Ninth Stage, a step away from achieving Cosmic Boundlessness.
At present, only the Ziwei Constellation and the three primary stars remained unlit for Ye Xuezhang.
As the celestial forces shifted, Ye Xuezhang's body erupted with radiant golden light.
This light surged skyward, converging on the Crown Prince Star within the Ziwei Constellation.
In an instant, the Crown Prince Star released beams of divine brilliance, illuminating the entire mysterious realm before converging back into Ye Xuezhang's body.
Gazing at the celestial expanse, Ye Xuezhang sighed deeply.
"The Ziwei Constellation contains sixty-seven stars.
"In three months, I've only managed to ignite seven: Crown Prince, Celestial Pivot, Celestial Advisor, Celestial Mentor, Lesser Chancellor, Yin Virtue, and Inner Chamber.
"No wonder no one in history has ever reached the Cosmic Boundlessness Realm."
"To illuminate all these stars… what an insurmountable task!"
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