Chapter 273 - 260: Full-Domain Sniping
Eight upgrades!
It had directly pushed this Secret Skill, considered all but useless in the Celestial Star Sect, to a terrifying height that even its original owner, Xuan Hengzi, could never have imagined.
Its range, targeting precision, and destructive power had all taken a qualitative leap.
The current Omen Star Shining High, in terms of sheer burst damage and over-the-horizon sniping capability alone, had likely surpassed many of the Celestial Star Sect’s orthodox Star-Attracting Attack Techniques!
However, amidst this pleasant surprise, Qi Yun’s mind was crystal clear, and he perceived a deeper issue.
He performed an Inner Observation of the Self, sensing the Daoist Foundation Origin of the Celestial Star Foundation deep within his Daluo Heaven. It had only been partially refined, yet it still pulsed with a majestic starlight Dao Rhyme.
This power was vast and pure, but...
’My foundation in the Dao of Stars is nearly nonexistent,’ Qi Yun thought, his brow furrowing slightly as he ran mental calculations.
’The reason I was able to obtain Omen Star Shining High and upgrade it eight times wasn’t so much that Daluo Heaven refined this Dao Foundation.’
’Rather... it was that Daluo Heaven happened to strip away and absorb the part of the Dao Foundation’s essence most compatible with the Omen Star Shining High Dharma Gate.’
’Daluo Heaven is all-encompassing, capable of deducing the Ten Thousand Laws, and its Refinement ability is truly miraculous.’
’But unlike the almost cheatingly domineering Refinement of the Magic Technique Panel...’
’The Refinement of Daluo Heaven is more dependent on my own ’understanding’ and ’capacity’.’
He carefully reviewed the Refinement process he had just experienced.
The stellar mysteries contained within the Celestial Star Foundation were incredibly profound, were they not?
In his entire life, Xuan Hengzi had cultivated far more than just Omen Star Shining High.
The various subtle Daoist Intents within it were as vast as a Star River.
But Qi Yun himself was a blank slate when it came to the Dao of Stars.
Although Daluo Heaven could forcibly "swallow" this Daoist Foundation Origin, it couldn’t fully comprehend it in a short time.
The vast majority of the starlight Daoist Intent, after entering Daluo Heaven, was not immediately "digested." Instead, like a great stone dropped into a deep pool, it slowly sank into the depths.
It would be slowly broken down, analyzed, and ruminated upon by Daluo Heaven’s own ceaseless power of deduction and assimilation.
Only then could it possibly transform into nourishment to nurture Daluo Heaven and broaden the foundation of Qi Yun’s own Dao Foundation.
This process was by no means instantaneous. It required time, and he might even need to actively study and engage with related stellar knowledge in the future to accelerate it.
’The Refinement of Daluo Heaven, while not as domineeringly direct as the Magic Technique Panel’s, is more ’refined’ and ’long-term’.
’It can prioritize extracting the parts I can understand and use based on my current state, while ’sedimenting’ what I can’t yet digest, saving it for later.’
A flash of understanding passed through Qi Yun’s eyes.
’That makes sense.’
’If it could really be like the Magic Technique Panel, ignoring all prerequisites and converting the entire Daoist Intent of a complete Dao Foundation into promotion Resources for a single Magic, it would probably incite heavenly envy.’
’Best to keep the good stuff for myself.’
’This starlight Daoist Intent sedimented in the depths of Daluo Heaven, while unable to directly enhance my Magic’s power for now, is subtly broadening the foundation of my Daluo Dao Foundation.’
’Given time, as my cultivation deepens, this sediment will naturally transform into new techniques and nourish me in return.’
Weighing the pros and cons, Qi Yun’s thoughts became clear.
He no longer obsessed over his failure to completely "squeeze dry" the power of the Celestial Star Foundation.
Instead, he turned his attention back to his newly acquired and completely transformed Omen Star Shining High.
In the next instant, a sliver of incredibly pure, flawless, silvery-white divine light flashed in Qi Yun’s eyes and vanished.
His vision was suddenly elevated, pulled far away!
It revealed a strange "Celestial Eye" perspective, as if he were perched high above the nine heavens, gazing down indifferently upon the earth!
In his "eyes," the gray-white mist of the Valley of No Life thinned, and the chaotic disturbances of the Spiritual Mechanism formed clear patterns.
Streams of life force—some strong, some weak, some Righteous, some Demonic—appeared like stars of varying brightness in the night sky, dotting this deathly silent chessboard.
He could even "see" the trajectories of certain life forces entangling, colliding, and chasing one another. He saw the residual ripples of Magical Power left by battles and the subtle shifts in the Earth Veins of certain areas...
Among them were two particularly dim life forces, closely linked, struggling to move slowly in a specific direction.
It was Woodcutter Guest and the barely breathing Fairy Shuyu!
’After eight upgrades, Omen Star Shining High can now be used as such a wide-range scouting Secret Technique...’ Qi Yun’s gaze shifted slightly.
This detection range far exceeded the limits of what his own Divine Sense could cover.
Moreover, the unique perspective was exceptionally sensitive to life forces and even the residual traces of Magical Power on the battlefield.
Although this "overlooking" state consumed his Heart and Spirit and wasn’t as precise to control as his own Divine Sense, making deep probing or interference impossible, for wide-area enemy searching, situation assessment, and early warnings, it was already an incredibly terrifying support ability.
"Woodcutter Guest... Fairy Shuyu..." Qi Yun murmured the two names, his tone as calm as still water.
That his previous strike had failed to finish the job was within his expectations.
Foundation Establishment Masters, especially one as mentally tough as Woodcutter Guest, always had a few life-saving trump cards up their sleeves.
His original intent wasn’t necessarily to kill, but rather to test his new ability.
’The test is more or less complete.’
Qi Yun slowly rose to his feet. His Deep Blue Daoist Robe billowed without any wind as he waved a long sleeve.
HUMMM!
The Human Emperor Banner—profoundly black with a surface of flowing dark gold—materialized from thin air. It snapped loudly, its staff looking as if it could prop up the heavens, radiating a grim majesty that made one’s Divine Soul tremble.
Immediately after, the body of the banner flashed with a spectral light.
Three Grand Arrays unfurled with a ROAR!
The energies of the Grand Arrays linked together, their Array Patterns intertwining to form an even larger, more imposing triple-layered composite Array Domain, securely guarding Qi Yun’s position.
At the core Array Hub of each Grand Array, a quiet and subservient figure could be vaguely seen sitting cross-legged, presiding over it.
Three Master Level Main Souls, each performing its duty, operated the three already formidable Grand Arrays with even greater harmony, integrating offense and defense seamlessly.
Qi Yun stood alone in the center of the triple-layered Array Domain. The Northern Defense Array unfurled beneath his feet, and his figure once again sank deep underground.
"Fellow Daoists of the Northwest, your misunderstanding of our Holy Sect has gone on for far too long."
"Today, I, Qi, will demonstrate the benevolent style of our Holy Sect."
Before his voice had even faded, he raised his hands and slowly formed a Dharma Seal as profound as the inverted constellations.
As the Seal Technique was completed, the aura around Qi Yun changed abruptly!
His eyes, once as deep and dark as an ancient well, suddenly erupted with an blindingly intense, silvery-white light.
It was as if billions of miniature stars were being born, dying, revolving, and colliding within them!
Omen Star Shining High, activated at full power!
High above the Valley of No Life, deep within the gray, deathly silent Celestial Vault...
...a speck of dark silver light suddenly flared, then expanded and condensed at an incredible speed!
The dormant Evil Star reawakened.
Like a cold, emotionless eye opening from above the nine heavens, its gaze swept silently across the vast and chaotic battlefield of the Valley of No Life, flowing like mercury over the ground.
The intermingled Righteous and Demonic auras in the valley, the fierce fluctuations of Magical Combat, the hidden life forces... under the gaze of this eye, everything was revealed in minute detail, with nowhere to hide!
In an instant, it had locked onto several unique life forces belonging to Righteous Dao Masters!
No warning, no premonition.
Within his array, the light in Qi Yun’s eyes swirled like a revolving galaxy.
"Let’s start with you all."
With a flicker of his Heart Thought, it was as if he had plucked the strings of destruction hanging high above the nine heavens.
BOOM—!!!
The first strike!
An Elder of the Vast Sect was using an Eight Trigrams Copper Mirror, unleashing Pure Yang Golden Light to suppress a Northwest Master. A warning bell had just rung in his mind, but before he could fully react, the gray mist above his head was blasted open!
A dark silver pillar of light over fifty zhang in diameter, formed purely of baleful Star Power, pierced through his hastily erected Eight Trigrams Golden Gang and Protective Spiritual Light with pinpoint accuracy!
The Elder only had time to let out a short, horrified cry before his figure was completely engulfed in the blinding starburst.
By the time he dispersed the surging Star Power and reappeared, furious and shocked, the Northwest Master before him was long gone.
And he didn’t even know who had just attacked him!
Almost simultaneously—
The second strike!
Three Masters from different Sects, who were joining forces to lay down a "Three Talents Demon Purification Array" to refine two Northwest Masters, suddenly felt a heart-stopping tremor from the earth beneath their feet.
Before they could look up, a pillar of dark starlight, etched with spiraling, tearing Dao Patterns, had already smashed down violently from a crack in the void above!
It didn’t attack the three of them directly, but instead precisely struck the core of the Array Map they had just finished outlining.
With a deafening crash, the not-yet-fully-activated "Three Talents Demon Purification Array" was smashed open by the Star Pillar.
The two Northwest Masters immediately rode the wind and fled, vanishing in an instant!
The third, the fourth... Star Pillars descended continuously from the Celestial Vault in different corners of the Valley of No Life.
Full-domain sniping!
In the Valley of No Life, the "white pieces"—the Righteous Dao side, which had been gradually gaining the upper hand due to their numerical advantage—suffered a terrifying, unpredictable, and unstoppable blow from above the nine heavens!
The Righteous Dao Masters frowned and looked up, only to see the fleeting trail of dark silver that flashed through the openings blasted in the gray mist.
"Which Demon is it?! Skulking around and launching sneak attacks!" a hot-tempered Master roared, sending his Magical Treasure blasting toward the sky, only to fruitlessly disperse a patch of mist.
"It’s Star Power! Such pure and domineering Destruction Star Force... Could the Celestial Star Sect have defected?!" someone said, alarmed and uncertain, looking toward the surviving Cultivators of the Celestial Star Sect.
"No! Although this Magic resembles the Dao of Stars, its intent is completely different—far more malevolent! While it looks very similar to a technique from the Celestial Star Sect, it is clearly the work of the Demon Dao," a more knowledgeable individual judged with horror.
"It’s no use. I can’t find the caster. This person is protected by a Secret Skill, so karmic deductions fail. What’s more, they are casting from an extremely distant location, so their aura can’t be traced," a Master said after attempting to divine Qi Yun’s position, only to find almost every path blocked.
Protected within the triple-layered Array Domain, the silvery-white galaxy in Qi Yun’s eyes slowly calmed, returning to its usual depth.
The Human Emperor Banner snapped in the wind, the triple Grand Array pulsed with spectral light, and the three Main Souls stood silent guard.
The dark silver "Evil Star" hanging high in the formless Celestial Vault remained like a cold eye of heavenly punishment, quietly looking down upon the deadly valley, where the slaughter was intensifying and karma churned.
Its existence had become one of the most terrifying variables on this chessboard.
...