"This…" Xu Luo was truly stunned by the scene. He stood there in a daze, watching the old man taking shape from the coalescing points of light. The corners of his mouth twitched violently, and he felt a powerful urge… to turn and run!
"Who are you?" A thought suddenly reached the depths of Xu Luo's mind.
"I am Xu Luo," Xu Luo thought back instinctively.
Then, the old man formed from light raised his eyebrows in a very human-like manner, and another thought came: "Are you the Inheritor chosen by the Beidou? Too weak… Far too weak!"
Huh?
Xu Luo was momentarily stunned. He suddenly recalled the bizarre dream he had when he was unconscious!
That Shaking Light Star Hall, and that door!
He remembered someone telling him that he was the Inheritor chosen by the Beidou, only to then say he was too weak…
After waking up, Xu Luo felt that although the dream was absurd, it was also too real. So he secretly swore to himself that he would become stronger and unlock the secret of the seven Beidou Star Souls in his Dantian.
But today… he was wide awake!
"Who… Who on earth are you?" Xu Luo asked.
"Me? I no longer remember who I am…" The old man formed from light let out a faint sigh and then said slowly, "Seeking eternal life, cultivating for longevity, building my foundation toward the Dao for a million years, only to have it all amount to nothing in the end…"
Xu Luo was completely baffled. Just then, he saw the old man's gaze fall upon him again, and there was actually a trace of envy in his eyes.
"I cultivated bitterly for countless years, forgot time, forgot the ages, single-mindedly pursued the Dao, but Heaven showed me no pity. Alas, alas!"
Suddenly, the old man's expression twisted, becoming utterly ferocious as he gritted his teeth and stared at Xu Luo.
"You little brat, on what grounds were you born with a Star Constitution? On what grounds did you gain the favor of the Beidou? On what grounds could you become the Inheritor? You're so weak, you might as well just surrender yourself to me!"
As he spoke, the old man transformed into a chain of light and lunged at Xu Luo!
BOOM!
A vast aura suddenly erupted within the stone chamber!
Xu Luo immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, the bones throughout his body feeling as if they were about to be crushed!
"YEOOWL!"
A sharp, piercing, cat-like cry rang out as a yellow figure pounced directly at the chain of light.
"A young Tier Nine Spirit Beast? You dare provoke this ancestor? Die!" A roar suddenly echoed in the stone chamber.
The chain of light transformed into a Light Whip and viciously lashed out at the yellow figure.
"Miaomiao, no!" Xu Luo, his body on the verge of collapsing from the pressure, watched Miaomiao rush forward, his eyes wide with fury and despair.
CRACK!
The Light Whip struck Miaomiao fiercely, sending it flying. It slammed hard against the wall of the stone chamber, cracking the incredibly hard stone and sending a large shower of rubble crashing down.
Miaomiao was buried under the debris, its fate unknown!
"Ah! You old bastard, I'll fight you to the death!" Seeing that Miaomiao's fate was unknown, Xu Luo's eyes turned red. He suddenly gathered all the strength in his body, and the light on his Shaking Light Star Soul flashed brilliantly.
"Shaking! Light! Burst!" Xu Luo roared, charging toward the Light Whip.
BANG!
Xu Luo's body was viciously struck by the Light Whip and sent flying high, toward the ceiling of the chamber. As the world spun around him, Xu Luo felt as if he could reach out and touch the Luminous Pearls on the ceiling…
WHOOSH!
After reaching the apex, Xu Luo's body began to plummet rapidly.
"Hahaha, this ancestor has waited for countless years, and I've finally found you! Come! Offer your soul… to me!" A wild laugh erupted from the Light Whip as it shot directly toward the falling Xu Luo.
RUMBLE!
Miaomiao, who was buried in the rubble, suddenly transformed into its true form. The debris exploded outward as it roared at the Light Whip and shot out a beam of light.
This beam of light contained a terrifying power, as if it could destroy this entire space!
"Eh? A member of the Heaven-Swallowing Fox clan?" A cry of surprise came from the Light Whip, its voice tinged with a hint of fear.
RUMBLE!
The beam of light struck the Light Whip directly, causing it to let out a wail of agony. But unfortunately, this power was still too weak and failed to stop the Light Whip's advance.
"Damn you… Heaven-Swallowing Fox! Once I've devoured his body, I'll come settle the score with you!" A furious voice erupted from the Light Whip. It instantly drilled into Xu Luo's body, and in the next moment, the stone chamber… collapsed with a thunderous roar!
Miaomiao transformed into a streak of yellow light and shot out, barely escaping being buried in the rapidly collapsing chamber. As for Xu Luo's body… it vanished without a trace in an instant!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH! DAMN IT! YOU BASTARD! WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO ME? YOU BASTARD! DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT!" Miaomiao stood in the narrow passage, roaring frantically. Then it turned and charged back toward the buried stone chamber, starting to dig furiously.
For a moment, rubble flew everywhere. The hard stone was as fragile as tofu under Miaomiao's claws, quickly turning to dust.
But after digging for a long time, having practically sifted through the entire stone chamber, Miaomiao still couldn't find any trace of Xu Luo.
Finally, Miaomiao let out an earth-shattering roar. An incomparably terrifying power erupted from its body. It roared as its body transformed into a streak of light, rushing back the way it came through the narrow passage in the mountain's belly.
Its speed was like lightning. It shot straight out of the cave entrance it had come through, soared into the sky, and vanished over the horizon.
...
Xu Luo had completely lost consciousness. In that moment, he had profoundly felt his own weakness!
Facing that evil and terrifying old man, he didn't have even a sliver of strength to resist!
Wrapped up by the Light Whip, he was dragged down into the depths of Divine Maiden Peak!
The hard stone walls turned into a substance like air. After they passed through, the walls immediately returned to their original state.
What Xu Luo didn't know was that as Miaomiao rushed out of Divine Maiden Peak and he himself continued to sink, the section of stone wall he had broken earlier was also quietly and imperceptibly repairing itself!
If anyone were to pass by there again, they would never be able to tell what had happened in that place!
BOOM!
The Light Whip, carrying Xu Luo's body, landed deep within Divine Maiden Peak. Here, there was another stone chamber.
The stone chamber was not large, but it was very clean and fully furnished with a table, chairs, and a bed.
The Light Whip placed Xu Luo's body on a Cold Jade Bed, then transformed into its human shape, standing before Xu Luo and staring at his unconscious form with a greedy expression.
"Hahaha, after so many years, Heaven has finally shown this ancestor some favor, sending me a youth with a Star Constitution! Hahahaha, a Star Constitution! Though he's weak, it's… it's truly wonderful! In just a few years, this ancestor… will once again re-emerge into the world and command it! Mwahahahaha!"
The old man laughed maniacally. If he could cry, he would be shedding tears of joy.
"Seven-Star Soul… Awaken for me! All of you! You chose the wrong Inheritor, followed the wrong master! Follow this ancestor, and one day, I will let you, the Big Dipper, shine in glory once more!"
Following the old man's deep roar, a terrifying power spread from his body and enveloped Xu Luo.
At the same time, in Xu Luo's Dantian, the seven Beidou Star Souls, one by one, slowly… all began to glow!
Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Tianquan, Jade Balance, Kaiyang, Shaking Light… all seven stars began to emit light under the influence of the old man's vast power!
"Hahahaha, the Star Body, the Inheritor of the Beidou! This is perfect! This is truly perfect!" The old man was so excited he could barely control himself. Laughing wildly, his hands continuously formed seals in the air!
"Soon… you will belong to me!" the old man exclaimed in admiration. "What a flawless body!"
BOOM!
Just then, inside Xu Luo's Dantian, the seven Beidou Star Souls were suddenly connected by a beam of light. Then… another beam shot out from his Dantian, hurtling toward the old man formed of light.
THWIP!
The old man, who was concentrating on forming various mysterious and complex hand seals, was pierced straight through the center of his brow by the beam of light!
"This… this is impossible! This kid… he's only a mere Great Sword Master! How could he possibly awaken a Star Soul? Impossible… This can't be real!"
"This ancestor has cultivated Star Power for countless years! I have an endless understanding of Star Souls… This cannot be happening!"
"This isn't real!"
After the old man of light was shot in the brow, all the power in his body began to drain away at an incredible speed, flowing toward Xu Luo's Dantian.
The old man desperately formed hand seals, trying to stop the loss of his power, but it was useless. He could only watch helplessly as the power in his body flowed into Xu Luo, who was lying on the Cold Jade Bed.
"No! This isn't what this ancestor wanted! This ancestor is a hundred times stronger than this kid… no, a thousand… ten thousand times! Why can't it be me? WHY CAN'T IT BE!"
The old man roared madly, flailing his arms and legs, wanting to charge forward and attack Xu Luo. But he was held in place by the beam of light shot out from the seven connected stars in Xu Luo's Dantian, unable to move an inch!
"No… Don't… I was wrong, I know I was wrong! Seven-Star Soul… You've taken most of this ancestor's power, you can stop now! Let me go, I'll never dare to do it again!"
"Are you going to let go or not? If you don't, this ancestor would rather self-destruct my soul! At worst, we'll all perish together!" The old man of light's face was ferocious and twisted as he threatened madly.
Unfortunately, the beam of light holding him in place was completely indifferent, ignoring both his pleas and his threats.
A vast and majestic power flowed ceaselessly into Xu Luo's Dantian, all of it converging on the Shaking Light Star Soul.
In the end, the light from the old man grew dimmer and dimmer, and his voice became fainter and fainter.
It was almost inaudible!
Finally, the Shaking Light Star Soul shone with brilliant light, releasing a vast power that enveloped Xu Luo's body. The injuries he had just sustained were instantly healed, as if they had never been there!
As for the old man formed from light, he had vanished without a trace. The very last bit of his power was also completely… absorbed into Xu Luo's Dantian.
Afterward, the Kaiyang Star Soul began… bit by bit… slowly, so slowly… to emit a faint glimmer of light.