Chapter 1131 : Clash of Celestial Titans

"The war has begun."

Heaven Wind Path Master murmured. After exchanging a glance with Eldrin Chen, the two immediately sped towards the battlefield.

They traversed countless millions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] of mountains and rivers, finally arriving before a scene of carnage. There, before the shattered World Membrane, the Star Spirit Clan and the Fiend Race were locked in a battle of unimaginable ferocity.

An uncountable tide of the Fiend Race Army clashed with the Star Spirit Clan. Vast arrays that blotted out the heavens collided, while the light of ten thousand stars mingled and warred with boundless, baleful energies.

At the heart of the maelstrom, thirteen dazzlingly brilliant Nine Heavens Star Spirit battled fiercely against seven True Demon.

"The number of these Star Spirit is far greater than what I encountered in my time,"

Heaven Wind Path Master remarked, his expression turning grave.

Back then, only seven Star Spirit had besieged him. Had there been thirteen, escape might have been impossible.

However, his previous foray into the Verdant Spirit Ancient Star had been brief, and many of the Nine Heavens Star Spirit had been in secluded meditation at the time. It was no surprise he had encountered so few.

Now, with thirteen Star Spirit deployed at once—including three powerful ones at the Late Ascendant Immortal Realm—their combined might was formidable indeed. Original publication: audio_novel.com - The source of this chapter.

Yet even so, they still found themselves at a disadvantage.

After all, although there were only seven True Demon, among them were two powerful True Demon of the Ascendant Immortal 9th Tier.

The Blood Spring Old Demon alone contended against three powerful Star Spirit [celestial beings born from starlight] of the Late Ascendant Immortal Realm, not only holding his ground but even gaining a slight upper hand.

The Frostbane Old Demon was even more ruthless in his methods. He fought six Nine Heavens Star Spirit [Star Spirits of the highest celestial realm] single-handedly, and in just over forty exchanges, the battle had already turned into a one-sided rout.

After observing for a moment, Eldrin Chen sighed, "These Star Spirit possess limited Divine Ability [supernatural powers granted by cultivation] and their combat experience is sorely lacking. It seems defeat is imminent."

"Ah—!"

As soon as his words fell, the Frostbane Old Demon swept across the battlefield. He summoned a demonic awl that gathered the chilling frost miasma from the heavens and unleashed it, piercing through and pinning one of the Nine Heavens Star Spirit dead in the void.

"My husband!"

Witnessing the death of that Nine Heavens Star Spirit, a female Star Spirit let out a heart-wrenching cry. Disregarding all else, she charged recklessly towards the Frostbane Old Demon.

Seeing this, the Frostbane Old Demon sneered coldly, "How presumptuous!"

As he spoke, Frostbane Old Demon summoned a gourd wreathed in frigid, soul-chilling energy and instantly drew the woman inside it.

This Frostbane Gourd possessed extraordinary power. It was forged by Frostbane Old Demon using water drawn from the depths of the Nine Nether Abysses within the Netherworld [the underworld realm of spirits and the dead]. It could freeze the flesh of an Immortal [a being who has achieved immortality through cultivation] and dissolve the soul of a Divine Spirits [a powerful spiritual entity].

Not only was its grade as high as the Upper Grade Immortal Rank, its potency ranked among the finest even amongst High-Grade Immortal Treasure [powerful artifacts used by immortal beings].

Now that the female cultivator's Star Spirit [a spirit born from or associated with a celestial star] had been drawn inside, she was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture, her life force utterly extinguished.

"Starlight Lament…"

Witnessing the fall of that female Star Spirit, the remaining Nine Heavens Star Spirit [Star Spirits associated with the highest celestial realms] were overcome with despair.

Some among the Star Spirit still wished to fight on, but their leader, while fending off an attack from Blood Spring Old Demon, cried out urgently, "Fall back to the Sacred Mountain! Do not throw your lives away needlessly!"

Seeing the situation, the Star Spirit understood they could not prevail by force. With heavy hearts, they began a desperate retreat.

Blood Spring Patriarch naturally had no intention of letting them escape. With a sharp command, he led his legions of Fiend Race [a race of malevolent, demonic beings] to encircle and trap them on the battlefield.

Unable to break free, the Star Spirit Clan had no choice but to make a painful sacrifice. They left behind a significant number of their Star Spirit brethren to cover their retreat, a heartbreaking necessity.

When this battle finally drew to a close, the Star Spirit Clan had suffered losses exceeding thirty percent. Among the thirteen Nine Heavens Star Spirit, four had perished upon this battlefield, including one at the Late Ascendant Immortal Realm.

"Alas—"

From beginning to end, Eldrin Chen surveyed it all, unable to suppress a pang of sorrow for the fallen, a feeling akin to mourning the fox when the hare dies.

The Star Spirit Clan were living beings, and in their war against the True Demon, there were tales both tragic and stirring.

Seeing this, Heaven Wind Path Master understood that Eldrin Chen's heart had been moved by compassion. He patted Eldrin's shoulder and said, "I know your thoughts, Fellow Daoist, but I believe you also understand the truth of the matter."

"The common man's only crime is possessing a priceless treasure." For uninterrupted reading, go to audio_novel.com.

"A Blessed Land or a ruin of the Earth Immortal level, without an Earth Immortal Patriarch to guard it, can only bring disaster upon itself."

"The Star Spirit Lineage lacked the requisite strength yet occupied such a magnificent Blessed Land. In the end, it was a path that invited calamity."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement. He naturally understood this principle.

Seeing his reaction, Heaven Wind Path Master spoke again, "In truth, you need not feel such compassion. Had the Star Spirit Lineage been of the Human Race, this old man would have intervened long ago."

"But this Star Spirit Lineage [a race of beings born from the light of the stars], they are born from the nurturing of Stellar [pertaining to the stars and celestial bodies] light. They are born without physical bodies. Before breaking through to the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] realm, they can only remain in their place of origin, relying on the nourishment of starlight to survive."

"If they leave their place of origin, even a gust of wind could scatter their spiritual souls. Do you know how they cultivate?"

Eldrin Chen's expression shifted slightly, and he couldn't help but say, "You mean...?"

Heaven Wind Path Master nodded and then spoke: "The Human Race is born with a Path Body [a physique innately attuned to the fundamental laws of cultivation], a constitution most intimate with the Great Path [the fundamental laws of the universe and cultivation]. It is also the most ideal vessel for the Star Spirit Clan."

"Therefore, before cultivating to the Ascendant Immortal Realm [a high realm of immortal cultivation] and condensing their Stellar Physique [a body forged from the essence of stars], most of them seize and possess the bodies of the Human Race to pursue their cultivation."

"I understand."

Eldrin Chen's expression hardened slightly, but he ultimately reined in some of his chilling aura.

Seeing this, Heaven Wind Path Master spoke up: "Let us go. It is time to claim the Star Spirit Clan's Sacred Mountain [a mountain imbued with profound spiritual power]."

"..."

At the heart of the Verdant Spirit Ancient Star, mountain ranges intertwined like great coiling dragons, guarding and venerating a single majestic, divine peak.

This was the Sacred Mountain of the Star Spirit Clan. At its peak stood a majestic Great Hall, its entire structure built from Stellar stone [a rare stone infused with stellar essence], lending it an aura of even greater grandeur and magnificence.

At this moment, beneath the Sacred Mountain, countless Treasure Ship [enchanted vessels used for transport and warfare] of the Fiend Race began to converge.

Yet, within the Great Hall forged from Stellar stone atop that Sacred Mountain, a deathly silence had fallen.

After a long silence, a man clad in a Star Veil [a garment woven from celestial threads] who stood at the forefront spoke, his tone grave. "In this battle, not only have four Elder fallen, but even the Second Elder has perished within the Tribulation [a cataclysmic heavenly trial or calamity]."

"Now, with the Tribulation upon us, we are left with only nine Elder. Do any of you have suggestions?"

Silence reigned in the Great Hall for another long moment. The assembled Star Spirit [celestial beings born of stellar essence] exchanged glances. Finally, an elder spoke. "The Sacred Mountain is protected by the Starry Firmament Formation [a defensive array drawing power from the starry sky]."

"If we simply hold fast within the Sacred Mountain, the Fiend Race will eventually withdraw after a prolonged and fruitless siege."

"That will not work."

As soon as the elder finished speaking, one of the Star Spirit shook his head. "The Fiend Race possesses two War Demonic Ship [demonic warships of immense destructive power]. They are far too effective at countering our Mountain Protection Formation [mountain-guarding defensive arrays]."

"Moreover, the Ancient Starry Firmament Bell [an ancient bell-shaped magical treasure] is damaged. I fear it too may be unable to withstand those War Demonic Ship."

The assembled Star Spirit [celestial beings born from the essence of stars] heard this and could not help but reveal expressions of helplessness.

The leading Grand Elder took a deep breath and said, "If that is the case, then we have no choice but to request the Star Lord to emerge from seclusion."

"The Star Lord!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of all the Star Spirit shone with a golden light.

That Grand Elder sighed and began to recount the tale: "In the past, our Star Lord ventured forth to explore the path ahead for our Star Spirit Clan [the clan of celestial star spirits]. In doing so, he forcibly attempted a World-Opening [the realm of opening one's inner world] breakthrough into the Earth Immortal Realm [the realm of an Earth Immortal, a powerful immortal being]."

"However, our Star Spirit Clan lacked the crucial legacy knowledge for breaking through to the Earth Immortal Realm. As a result, the Post-Heaven [the state of existence after the primordial chaos] land within the Star Lord's World-Opening realm collapsed back into Chaos [primordial, undifferentiated matter and energy], inflicting upon him a mortal wound."

"Now, he has been in deep slumber for a million years, healing his injuries. We do not know to what extent his strength has truly recovered."

Speaking to this point, the Grand Elder shook his head and said, "But now, at this critical juncture of life and death, we can no longer afford such concerns. It is time to invite the Star Lord to emerge from his mountain retreat." Continue reading this story at https://audio-novel.com.