Chapter 277 - 263: Star Monarch vs. Imperial Apex
Qi Yun’s eyes suddenly focused. The last trace of ordinary color deep within his pupils faded away, replaced by a silver-white so pure it was almost ethereal.
His Deep Blue Daoist Robe whipped about without a wind, snapping loudly.
As the sleeves of his robe billowed, tiny specks of Star Dust faintly burst forth.
Behind him, a vast, boundless halo of Chaos Color, in a constant cycle of creation and destruction, suddenly manifested!
It was his Venerable Dao Foundation—[Daluo Heaven]!
Within [Daluo Heaven], countless motes of light, the "stars" that were once dim or naturally circulating, erupted with a silver radiance so brilliant it was blinding!
In an instant, they transformed into a [Star River Sky Curtain] that stretched out behind Qi Yun, slowly revolving and containing the infinite Daoist Intent of the creation and destruction of stars!
Within the Sky Curtain, one could faintly see great stars anchoring constellations, lesser stars arrayed in patterns, the Star River flowing, and celestial bodies arranged in their hosts.
An ancient, majestic, and immense will that governed the orbits of the Circulation Stars emanated from the depths of that Sky Curtain.
[Mastering All Skills]
Activate!
With a silent shout in his heart, Qi Yun furiously pushed his Innate Divine Techniques to their absolute limit.
That immense will, which surpassed all Dao Principles, no longer suppressed its surroundings. Instead, it pried with pinpoint precision at the [Celestial Star Foundation] he had yet to fully refine and absorb!
VMMMM—!
Inside [Daluo Heaven], the light of the Star River Sky Curtain suddenly exploded, and countless stellar phantoms madly expanded and solidified.
An unstoppable and utterly pure Star Dao Intent erupted from within Qi Yun!
In the center of his brow, the skin silently split open, revealing a straight, inch-long, vertical silver mark.
The Divine Technique of the [Celestial Star Foundation]—[Great Star Monarch]
Qi Yun felt a slight tremor in his Divine Soul as an unprecedented sensation swept through his entire body.
He felt a clear and intimate resonance with the eternally orbiting Circulation Stars, impossibly high and infinitely distant!
With every movement, it seemed he could summon the boundless power of the Star River to do his bidding.
[Great Star Monarch: Omnidirectionally enhances all Star Fighting Techniques, allows for the temporary Guiding of the true Power of Circulation Stars, and elevates the Realm of said techniques!]
"Now is the moment!"
Feeling the vast Magical Power surging like a Star River within him, and the mystical, intermittent connection to the Circulation Stars, the silver light in Qi Yun’s eyes flared to its peak. He no longer hesitated.
He thrust his hands upward, his ten fingers blooming like a lotus as they formed an Ancient Seal for "plucking stars" from the sky.
The boundless Magical Power within him, amplified by the [Great Star Monarch] state and as vast as an ocean, was held back no longer. Like the celestial river of the Ninth Heaven pouring down, it surged into the dark silver [Evil Star]!
"A Star Monarch descends, all other stars give way—Suppress!"
The single True Word, like a Decree from a primordial Star Monarch, echoed with unquestionable authority throughout the Heaven and Earth shrouded in gray mist and dead silence.
RUMBLE—!!!
Above the Valley of No Life, the eternally present, hazy gray "Celestial Vault" began to tremble violently, as if on the verge of collapse!
For the first time, the dark silver [Evil Star] that had always hung coldly in the sky became clearly visible to the world!
It was no longer a phantom, conceptual point of light.
It was a solid star, hundreds of zhang in diameter, formed from the purest light of stellar annihilation!
On the star’s surface, countless enormous, deep-silver patterns appeared. With every throb, the space for a thousand li around pulsed in rhythm, causing the gray mist to recede and the deathly aura to dissipate.
Then, at the core of the [Evil Star].
A figure materialized from the void and slowly stood up!
The figure was a thousand zhang tall. Its face was a blur, save for a pair of eyes that were hollow and indifferent, gazing down upon all living things.
On its head was a Star Crown, formed by nine miniature, orbiting stars caught in a perpetual cycle of creation and destruction.
It wore a wide Star River Daoist Robe, upon which billions of stars flickered and flowed, outlining a vast tableau of celestial lodges, their domains, and the Four Symbols standing guard.
Its mere presence, and the starlight that naturally radiated from its body, was enough to completely wash away the gray mist from a large area below, revealing the cracked, pale-white earth.
This phantom of a Star God, born from the [Evil Star], slowly raised its right hand the moment it appeared.
Its five fingers opened, palm facing up, as if holding the weight of an entire world.
In the next moment, centered on its palm, endless starlight frantically converged, collapsed, and evolved!
Phantoms of the sun and moon cycled, celestial paths were laid out, the Star River flowed, and nebulas expanded and died...
A [Star Battle World], though miniature, was structurally complete and suffused with a solemn Dao Rhyme, and it took shape in the being’s palm with a thunderous roar!
Within that world, meteors fell like rain, comets swept their tails, supernovas erupted, and black holes devoured...
All the terrifying phenomena of stellar evolution played out simultaneously within it.
"Fall."
Divine light gleaming in his eyes and his aura surging, Qi Yun stood atop the cliff and pointed toward the World-Suppressing Army to the northeast.
The thousand-zhang phantom of the Star Monarch, holding that suffocating [Star Battle World] in its palm, took a single step toward the target area!
BOOM—!!!
Heaven and Earth lost their color, and the void itself wailed!
The [Star Battle World] left the Star Monarch’s palm and expanded with the wind, instantly transforming into a terrifying anomaly that covered hundreds of miles of the Celestial Vault.
Wreathed in immense Star Power, it ruthlessly descended upon the place where the World-Suppressing Army was entrenched!
...
「The World-Suppressing Army Encampment.」
Li Xuanqing, who had been sitting in the Central Army Tent and analyzing charts with Celestial Master Chen, shot to his feet the instant the Star Monarch’s phantom appeared!
His crimson Python Robe stirred without a wind, and for the first time, an expression of ultimate gravity and grimness appeared on the Grand Protector Nanyin’s face.
He could clearly feel that the Star Power pressing down from the Celestial Vault had already surpassed the limits of any ordinary Foundation Establishment Master!
This was a colossal force, enough to heavily wound or even annihilate the main body of his entire army in a single strike.
"Celestial Master Chen!" Li Xuanqing’s voice was ice-cold, his gaze like lightning as he looked at the Daoist beside him, whose expression remained placid.