Chapter Sixty-Eight: Stars Caught in Claws (III)

"This is the shrine?" With a snap of his folding fan, Feng Xiang appeared genuinely intrigued. Since his arrival in the Ancient First Star Domain, he had heard countless rumors about these shrines, and now, at last, he was seeing one for himself.

Above Lu Han’s head, the shrine radiated dazzling light, swirling with violet and azure energy, accompanied by a cascade of spiritual brilliance falling like a curtain, its aura extraordinary and mysterious.

"It doesn’t feel like the energy of the Spiritual Cosmos," Qing’er said, her delicate brows furrowing. Her clear, emerald eyes shone faintly with golden flames, which seemed to pierce through the sealed heavenly gate of the shrine, glimpsing the scene within.

"Don’t misuse your ability," Feng Xiang snapped, instantly alarmed.

Qing’er’s eyes were peculiar—born with the power to see through illusions. If she unleashed this gift recklessly, she could even affect time and space. Yet the talent was immature; she had once fainted from overuse.

He recalled when Qing’er had collapsed, Da Jiuxing’s expression had grown grave, immediately beginning to refine divine energy. Days passed before she recovered her vitality. Only then did Feng Xiang realize that Qing’er’s bloodline was anything but ordinary, hailing from a mysterious cosmic clan, merely fostered in Nine Star City.

"It’s not a big deal. I still have a few opportunities each year to use it," Qing’er replied softly, her golden flames burning brighter for a moment, as an indescribable power spread through the air.

"What’s happening?" Lu Han recoiled in shock. As the little girl gazed at the shrine, the violet-azure artifact shuddered, displaying a clear sense of rejection, fiercely resisting her scrutiny.

Lu Han was utterly stunned.

The shrine had always felt like a cold, emotionless transaction to him, but in that instant, he sensed real life dwelling within!

"It truly isn’t from the Spiritual Cosmos," Qing’er’s golden flames faded, her expression puzzled.

"Miss Qing’er’s eyes harbor divine brilliance," the young man remarked, slightly surprised. As her golden flames flickered, he detected a deeply noble aura. "If you use your eyes as a method to derive divine imagery, perhaps you’ll find something astonishing."

"Divine imagery from the eyes… yes, I’ll try," Qing’er nodded gently.

"But nothing was revealed. Don’t use it again," Feng Xiang insisted.

"Brother Feng Xiang, the shrine’s aura doesn’t belong to the Spiritual Cosmos, and there’s something hidden inside—probably a living being, continuously drawing power from the outside world."

"There’s something inside?" Feng Xiang’s curiosity was piqued as he looked again at the violet-azure shrine.

"Very well, we’ll dismantle it and see for ourselves."

Lu Han was tense, watching this group with unease. Not one among them seemed simple—even the seemingly powerless young girl appeared shrouded in mystery.

He could only flee!

Lu Han gritted his teeth. Earlier, he’d planned to fight, but after witnessing the girl’s probing of the shrine, he abandoned the idea.

They were likely children of nobility from the flourishing star domain—saints and noble ladies, each surely armed with treasures bestowed by elders, capable of unleashing power far beyond their ranks. It wasn’t worth the risk.

"Hand it over—or are you considering resistance?" Feng Xiang smiled at Lu Han.

"Go!" Lu Han barked, stamping his foot. He unleashed his utmost speed, darting into space. At the same time, a flash of azure light appeared in his hand—a cracked, ancient azure talisman.

This was a Void Teleportation Talisman.

With it, he could instantly transport himself thirty billion miles away. He’d found it years ago in the ruins of the Ancient Dao Gate, and it was now his most precious life-saving treasure.

Thirty billion miles—a vast distance for someone of his rank, enough to save himself in a mortal crisis. Though the talisman had been used many times, only one activation remained.

But Lu Han couldn’t afford to hesitate.

He sensed that if he confronted Feng Xiang directly, even with the shrine’s full power, he wouldn’t last long.

"It’s pointless," Feng Xiang said, as if reading Lu Han’s mind. A surge of radiant divine energy flowed from him, forming a white palm that shot swiftly toward Lu Han.

"Go!" Lu Han shouted.

The cracked azure talisman began to burn; its lines came alive, releasing a flood of light that enveloped him and vanished. The talisman, drained of all power, splintered into fragments of spiritual energy.

The white palm grasped only empty air.

Feng Xiang paused, then smiled. "Interesting—he used the teleportation talisman to escape. Now he’ll have to face Uncle E."

In the starry void, Lu Han gasped for breath.

He was thirty billion miles from Ancient Turbid Star—temporarily safe.

"So fast, unbelievably fast. Thank heavens for the Void Teleportation Talisman," Lu Han wiped cold sweat from his brow, still shaken by what had just happened.

"Terrifying. What was that hand made of? Even if I unleashed my full power, I’d likely be easily suppressed."

He wiped his brow again, but quickly remembered the danger wasn’t over. Gathering his strength, he prepared to flee with everything he had.

Suddenly, a cold gaze fell upon him.

Lu Han felt it, turned toward its source, and was instantly stunned—his jaw dropped wide enough to fit an egg.

"My god! What am I seeing?"

He shrieked.

Before him was a scene he would never forget.

The radiant starry sky, the lunar and solar stars circling each other, weaving splendid clouds of light. At the location of Ancient Turbid Star stood a deep azure, utterly monstrous cosmic beast, silent and unmoving, its cold eyes fixed upon him.

Its unimaginable, scaly giant claw cradled Ancient Turbid Star—so immense that the star itself was dwarfed by a single talon.

"This is the legendary Star Fiend!"

Blood vessels burst in Lu Han’s eyes as he froze. Suddenly, he understood why, before Feng Xiang’s arrival, storms had howled across Ancient Turbid Star, tearing the earth as if the atmosphere had been sucked away.

At that moment, the azure beast had stretched its claw toward the star, stripping away its atmosphere. From start to finish, the star’s fate depended solely on whether this beast chose to crush it.

Lu Han swallowed hard, a chill racing through him, his body trembling uncontrollably. As each second passed, his heart sank deeper, as if cast into an abyss.

The cosmic wind wailed—a mournful dirge.

The Sky E stared coldly at him, and soon, a giant claw reached out. In a single breath, it crossed the vast distance that even the teleportation talisman could barely span.

Lu Han watched, his pupils dilating as the giant claw grew larger and larger.

His face turned ashen; he forgot to resist, forgot the shrine still on him, his mind emptied, only the image of the claw remained—a scene he would never forget, not even in death.

Bang!

Like the flick of a speck of dust.

The Sky E’s claw touched Lu Han, and instantly, his soul, his body, and even his precious core—all were pulverized...