Chapter 65: The Source Star Era?

Chapter 65: The Source Star Era?

The Rusted Copper Furnace peeled open like a lychee, exposing its white flesh.

Mental Energy stirred.

With ease, a fist-sized crystalline core was removed.

Jiang Zhe held it in his palm, caressing its smooth surface. The lustrous texture made him reluctant to let go.

"Indeed, this is a world containment device."

Unlike the World Bracelet, no residual life imprint remained. Jiang Zhe's Mental Energy effortlessly merged with it, completing the master bond.

Channeling the world power inherent in the Crystal Core to scan its internal space, Jiang Zhe contemplated.

"I should leave a world containment device for the Jiang Clan. Like the Universe Mercenary Alliance, I can breed numerous fierce beasts inside for training purposes."

"At least this will be useful before reaching Cosmic Level. Once they become Cosmic cultivators, becoming a Grade-One mercenary will provide no shortage of training opportunities."

Suddenly, Jiang Zhe's eyebrows lifted slightly, shaking his head with wry amusement.

"Truly, thinking about something brings it to you..."

In mere breaths, he completely mapped the Core World's structure.

The world spanned approximately 100 million kilometers in diameter—2,500 times Earth's equatorial circumference. Mountains, wetlands, oceans, and deserts sprawled across its landscapes.

Countless low-intelligence beasts roamed here, with Cosmic Level as the strongest.

Jiang Zhe relaxed mentally. This scale of challenge was well within his capabilities.

Summoning Orianna, he erased the spiritual imprint on the crystalline core before handing it over for them to bond. Moments later, both Jiang Zhe and Silver Robe Yuan Shen were drawn into the Core World.

At the summit of the world's tallest peak—over 100,000 meters high—snow blanketed the landscape. Biting winds howled, capable of freezing ordinary beings solid in seconds.

But for Stellar cultivators, let alone Stellar and Cosmic beings, these conditions posed no threat.

Indeed, this was a Cosmic Level battlefield.

Jiang Zhe's true form possessed Stellar Class strength, while Silver Robe Yuan Shen had reached Cosmic Level.

For the latter, the only barriers to advancing beyond Pre-Immortal and Immortal stages were Law Comprehension.

Once Silver Robe Yuan Shen perfected the ninth heavenly layer of the Earth Domain and completed energy accumulation, he could ascend directly to Realm Lord Rank.

Of course, rapid advancement had drawbacks—his combat strength ranked relatively low among Domain Lords.

Even so, Jiang Zhe never considered suppressing Yuan Shen's cultivation.

Firstly, Yuan Shen's foundation lay in the Internal Cosmos. As long as he didn't slack during《Primordial Evolution》cultivation, his potential wouldn't diminish.

Secondly, Domain Lords could immerse their consciousness in the Sea of Laws, accelerating Primordial Law comprehension at terrifying speeds.

Luo Feng's teacher, Zhen Yan Wang, even advised Luo Feng to advance whenever possible, emphasizing that Domain Lords were when true power emerged.

Jiang Zhe's true body had thinner foundations, needing to balance multiple opportunities. He couldn't rush forward recklessly, needing to progress step-by-step.

Law Comprehension, combat techniques, Genetic Tier—all needed synchronized improvement through steady cultivation.

The Secondary Divine Spirit faced no such constraints.

The mountain peak had been flattened into a platform spanning thousands of square meters, cleared of snow.

Two figures in azure and silver robes suddenly materialized in the biting wind.

They flew toward the central raised altar platform.

A five-meter-tall stone monolith stood there, featuring eight fist-sized hollows awaiting specific objects to activate some mechanism.

This was the only artificial structure remaining in the entire world.

"A world within a world?" Jiang Zhe deduced.

"Quite straightforward, but where to find the key to open it?"

His first thought was the eight metal plates bearing Secret Patterns, but their shapes didn't match. The stone clearly required eight spherical objects.

Linking minds with Orianna, he ordered a thorough scan of the world for anomalies.

"I'm certain the eight keys must be within this world itself!"

"If they were placed outside, all these arrangements would be meaningless. The keys could never reunite. This world-within-a-world can only be forced open violently."

After roughly two and a half hours, Orianna reported.

"Master, I've identified eight particularly unique locations—each guarded by a Cosmic Level beast far superior to its peers."

"However, I found no keys near them. Perhaps we should try killing them. My scans couldn't penetrate those beasts' bodies."

"I understand." Jiang Zhe nodded. "Take us to one of these locations."

The scene shifted. Jiang Zhe and Silver Robe Yuan Shen reappeared in the outer hall.

Another flash, and they entered the Core World, hovering above a foul-smelling swamp.

"The lake's heart island—the crocodile nearly two kilometers long!" Orianna informed them.

Roars erupted in succession.

The swamp's hidden beasts had detected the sudden intruders.

With furious growls, hundreds of Stellar Class crocodiles surged from the mud, jaws wide to swallow the two "delicacies."

Crackling lightning erupted—Lightning Domain unleashed!

Silver Robe Yuan Shen's form dissolved. Churning Chaos Energy reformed into a colossal beast nearly three kilometers long.

Cosmic Level—Chasm Colossus!

A casual body swing shattered countless attacking crocodiles into blood mist.

Roar!

A thunderous bellow shook the heavens.

The giant crocodile leader, feigning sleep on the island, awoke to see Chasm Colossus slaughtering its kin.

Fury surged. It launched skyward, charging to kill.

A terrifying pressure radiated outward. Jiang Zhe sensed it instantly, commanding Yuan Shen into action.

"Quickly kill the leader. I'll handle the rest!"

Chasm Colossus nodded, rising onto its hind legs.

Instantly transforming from "armadillo" to "Godzilla", its powerful hind legs stomped mid-air, leaping to intercept the crocodile leader.

《Heaven-Shaking Earth-Shattering》!

Chasm Colossus's inheritance contained countless secret techniques. Silver Robe Yuan Shen had mastered only a few.

This was one of them—specializing in pouncing, ramming, and tail-whipping!

The crocodile leader had truly met its match.

Boom!

A dull impact sounded like two mountains colliding!

The shockwave swept outward. Jiang Zhe and Stellar Class crocodiles alike were blasted thousands of meters back.

Some unlucky beasts couldn't withstand the Cosmic Level aftershocks, exploding into blood mist.

Even clad in Primordial Force Battle Armor, with Orianna's Doppelgänger-formed copper armor absorbing damage, Jiang Zhe still felt his organs shift and bones fracture. He spat a mouthful of blood.

On Yuan Shen's side, the crocodile leader flew backward nearly a hundred kilometers, slammed into the swamp creating a deep crater—clearly outmatched.

But soon, Jiang Zhe had no time to monitor that battle.

He became surrounded by Stellar Class crocodiles.

Remember, those surviving the shockwave were Stellar Class elites.

Still, that was all.

If they were human cultivators, Jiang Zhe would take them seriously. But these low-IQ beasts, inferior even to Earth's animals, possessed only brute strength.

Jiang Zhe rode the Mistshadow Shuttle, deftly evading the encircling beasts.

Flash! Flash! Flash!

He deployed over a dozen Temporal Echo Techniques.

The beasts became disoriented, their coordinated attack collapsing as they scattered toward perceived real bodies.

Jiang Zhe's left arm wore Huisuo's Hand. With a thought, a lightning field descended, clearing the Stellar Class crocodiles.

Three-foot-long punitive lightning beams radiated terrifyingly silent destruction.

Four lightning bolts crackled within the Domain!

Normal Stellar cultivators couldn't activate Huisuo's Hand to this degree.

But Jiang Zhe relied on his formidable Law Comprehension and monstrous mental strength to forcefully form four lightning beams.

Combining lightning and time laws, they moved at inconceivable speeds, piercing the crocodiles' Cerebral Domains. Hundreds of meters-long corpses fell like dumplings into the swamp.

A blood-red flag brand flickered at Jiang Zhe's forehead. Scant streams of Primordial Essence Quanta trickled from the corpses into the brand.

"I'm Stellar Class Third Stage. Killing Stellar Class Seventh Stage beasts yields so little?"

"Could it be these beasts' low intelligence prevents them from being 'Conquered'?"

Suddenly, he understood. The【Conqueror】Innate Secret Art description mentioned conquering targets' "body" and "mind." Could one discuss conquest with a group of fools?

With comrades dying continuously, blood mist thickening the air, they didn't even comprehend fear.

《Life Blueprint》 cultivation allowed no shortcuts.

For example, having a Zerg Queen cultivate and raise a Realm Lord Rank Zerg King to kill would yield no Primordial Essence Quanta.

...

The crocodiles' low intelligence made them fearless.

More Stellar Class crocodiles gathered, nearly filling the sky. Jiang Zhe almost ran out of evasive space.

A roar echoed from afar—Chasm Colossus's victory cry.

Mind-linked to his Secondary Divine Spirit, Jiang Zhe knew the battle was won.

He disengaged, four lightning beams clearing a path. Riding the Mistshadow Shuttle, he departed.

The short-legged crocodiles could only roar in frustration, watching his figure shrink into the distance.

Back in the swamp, crocodiles bit into living comrades, triggering deadly "death rolls."

Retreating Jiang Zhe narrowly avoided a Cosmic Level bird beast's ambush.

The beast collided straight into the arriving Chasm Colossus's arms. Half its white wings torn off, its head crushed and thrown into the mountains below.

Suddenly, a pulling force seized them.

Neither resisted, and they were drawn out of the Core World.

Silver Robe Yuan Shen had resumed human form, offering Jiang Zhe a stinking stone from the crocodile leader's body.

Jiang Zhe didn't take it.

Examining it, the shape matched—could fit into the altar's stone hollow.

They continued their mission.

Seven slaughters later, 54 minutes total, collecting all "eight keys."

Ninth entry into the Core World brought them to the altar platform atop the tallest peak. Eight stones pressed into the hollows.

Boom!

The entire Core World violently trembled.

The world quaked, mountains shook.

Before Jiang Zhe, the altar's space tore open, expanding into a black hole dozens of meters wide.

The World-Within-A-World had opened!

Upon two worlds connecting, Orianna controlled the Crystal Core's world power to probe inside.

Within moments, she brought Jiang Zhe grim news.

"Master, most Cosmic Crystals in the World-Within-A-World have been mined. Remaining reserves barely sustain the world's stability. Please prepare mentally."

Jiang Zhe's face darkened but said nothing.

Flying into the Black Hole, they descended into the World-Within-A-World, arriving at the sole structure in its center.

A wooden pagoda stood there, resembling Hanxia Ancient Style but rougher, exuding a primordial aura.

At the top floor, a tiger-like Nine-Headed Human-Faced Beast poked its head out.

"Has it been over 8.2 billion years?"

"Hey, you kids, is it still the Source Star Era outside?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end