Chapter 779: Starry Sky Kill
From the battlefield to the chaotic mountains to the Pine Mountain Military Prefecture and then to this snowy ridge, no one had ever seen the young formation master on the stretcher open his eyes.
In everyone's eyes, he had long been on the verge of death, surely beyond recovery from his injuries.
At this moment, his eyes opened.
The shallowest layer of his gaze was a clean, bright innocence, but delving slightly deeper revealed a savagery suffused with a primeval aura.
Innocence and savagery are two emotions that are diametrically opposed yet often arise together. Combined, they become extremely complex and profoundly deep.
At this moment, Nanke and Chen Changsheng were high above in the distant, cold night sky.
Chen Changsheng prepared to use his final three swords to sever all of the Demon Lord's hopes.
The Demon Lord prepared to use his most overbearing means to sever Chen Changsheng's hopes.
No one noticed that the young formation master had opened his eyes, nor did anyone see his hand fall upon his own chest.
A few days earlier, in that great battle on the snowy plains, he had suffered a serious wound, and that was where it was.
The young formation master's hand left his chest, carrying with it some fluids, as well as an object.
That object was a pestle-shaped stone implement, its surface mottled, whether from blood or some other reason, it was hard to tell.
The young formation master gripped the stone pestle and thrust it toward the Demon Lord's lower abdomen.
Lying on the stretcher, he could only strike from below upward, making the angle and intent seem exceptionally treacherous and venomous.
Yet he acted as if he were performing something extraordinarily sacred, even appearing somewhat devout.
His movements were not slow, quite casual, yet especially cautious and focused.
The entire process was silent, not even stirring a wisp of wind.
Even the Demon Lord did not notice, but he was not someone who could be easily assassinated.
He did not notice this insidious stone pestle, but the seal in the night sky sensed it.
That stone seal was a Heavenly Book Stele he had taken from the Zhou Garden long ago. He had roamed the world with it for centuries, and it had long since comprehended him, becoming one with him.
If anyone attempted to threaten the Demon Lord's life, the stone seal would automatically react, initiating defense and then counterattack.
For centuries, countless experts, both from the human race and the Elder Council of Snow-City, had tried to assassinate the Demon Lord, all without success. Even in the previous battle, the reason Haidi had lost so miserably was precisely because of this.
The stone seal ignored the remaining stone beads and vanished into the night.
The next moment, it appeared before the Demon Lord's lower abdomen, facing the stone pestle.
Logically speaking, no matter what material the stone pestle was made of, it could not be stronger than a Heavenly Book Stele. The next moment, it should have been shattered to dust.
Yet, the most unbelievable thing happened in that very next moment.
The stone seal halted in the night wind, no longer attempting to destroy the stone pestle.
It seemed to have recognized the other party from countless eons ago, even actively making way.
With the seal no longer restraining them, the remaining stones formed from Heavenly Book Steles shot into the night with a hissing sound, and the star chart instantly shattered.
The Demon Lord finally sensed the danger, but it was too late.
He looked down and saw a stone pestle deeply embedded in his lower abdomen.
The other end of the stone pestle was held in the young formation master's hand.
The Demon Lord could clearly feel the chill emanating from the stone pestle.
Of course, what chilled him even more was the young formation master's face, and the faint fluctuations of aura emanating from the stone pestle.
Countless faint, seemingly eternal aura fluctuations drifted toward the night sky, as if announcing his location to the entire world.
To this world, and to all other worlds.
What exactly was this mysterious stone pestle?
The human Daoist canon held no record of it, nor did White Emperor City have any news of it. Only the master of the Demon Palace in Snow-City would know its origin.
Because this stone pestle and the story associated with it were the untold secrets of the demon race.
The Demon Lord, of course, knew what it was.
It was a divine artifact that had never appeared in the world before.
Starry Sky Kill.
...
...
A furious cry rang out in the night sky.
Green wings tore through the darkness. Nanke streaked back toward the ground like flowing light, while Chen Changsheng was thrown aside.
Just before her violent aura could draw near, the young formation master floated up from the stretcher and silently drifted several dozen zhang away.
He moved like dust drifting across the ground, his movements casual yet his body technique extremely eerie, naturally revealing a profoundly high level of cultivation.
Under normal circumstances, Nanke would have spared no effort to kill him at this opportunity, but now was not the time.
She lunged toward the Demon Lord, but before she could even get close, he flicked his sleeve and sent her flying into the distance.
Chen Changsheng also crashed to the ground, not far from the Demon Lord.
With just one more reach, the Demon Lord could have killed or subdued Chen Changsheng, then drunk his blood and devoured his flesh, thereby gaining new life and seeing freedom.
But he did not do so, not even sparing Chen Changsheng a glance.
A thousand years of old wounds, a thousand years of ambition—all were tied to Chen Changsheng. Yet suddenly, he seemed to no longer care.
The Demon Lord looked down at his body, at the stone pestle embedded in his lower abdomen, then reached out, pulled it out, and threw it to the ground.
The mottled marks on the stone pestle had been completely eroded by the golden demon blood, leaving only a rough surface.
But something remained inside his lower abdomen, faintly emitting a blue glow, like a star.
That cluster of blue light sent faint aura fluctuations toward the starry sky.
His robe trailed phantom shadows through the night. The seal shot into the sky, howled as it descended, and then halted.
No one knew that in an instant, he had traveled a thousand li away, only to return to the same spot.
No matter where he went, he could not shake off that blue light.
Those faint aura fluctuations remained unaffected, clearly continuing to mark his position to the starry sky.
Indeed, what could not be escaped was fate.
The Demon Lord looked up at the starry sky, a profoundly complex expression crossing his face.
It was disdain, anger, and unwillingness, ultimately transforming into a trace of lament.
Fate was the starry sky.
If the starry sky wanted to kill you, how could you possibly avoid it?
...
...
Chen Changsheng's gaze also fell upon the starry sky.
His consciousness soared upward, transcending the concept of time, crossing the vast Milky Way, until it reached that distant red star.
His Destiny Star continuously offered him warmth and energy, confidence and courage.
This place was extremely far from the ground, as if at the other shore of the galaxy, vast and empty, with only a few scattered stars.
He looked toward the even more distant, deeper darkness, and suddenly felt a tremor of fear.
In that endless darkness, it seemed there were countless stars, faintly visible, unknown, mysterious, and terrifying.
Suddenly, from those distant, seemingly unreal stars, a bright pillar of light emerged, heading straight for his Destiny Star!
Sweat instantly soaked Chen Changsheng's clothes, then froze into frost, all because of fear.
What was this pillar of light? Where did it come from, and where was it going?
Fortunately, that pillar of light did not strike his Destiny Star but passed by it.
Afterward, the pillar of light continued through the galaxy, heading toward this world.
Chen Changsheng's body was utterly rigid, unable to move or make a sound.
The Demon Lord looked up at the starry sky, his expression indifferent, lost in thought.
From afar came Nanke's furious shouts.
A beam of light broke through the night sky and fell upon the snowy ridge.
It landed on the Demon Lord.