Xu Luo sped along, moving quickly. As he traveled across the Ancient Race Continent, he felt it wasn't much different from the Central Plains Star Continent or the Southern Celestial Divine Continent.
The Ancient Race Continent was also home to many ordinary people, with cities of various sizes, most of which were quite ancient.
Unlike the Central Plains Star Continent, the towns and cities here all belonged to the various great families. For example, the ancient city Xu Luo was currently passing through was the territory of the Su Family of the Ancient Race.
"The Su Family..." Xu Luo muttered to himself. He thought of that mischievous girl, Su Qianqian, and sighed inwardly. 'I wonder how she's doing. Is she still in hiding on the Central Plains Star Continent?'
Just then, a slight commotion arose from the street ahead.
"Ah, the Su Family Celestial Maiden is out! Everyone, look! It's the Su Family Celestial Maiden!"
"It really is the Su Family Celestial Maiden! Wasn't she said to be in seclusion? Could it be that the Celestial Maiden has broken through again?"
"The Celestial Maiden truly has outstanding talent and incredible wisdom. Her seclusion this time only lasted for half a year, right?"
"I'm so envious of the Su Family for having such an exceptional member of the younger generation!"
"The Celestial Maiden must be the strongest expert of the younger generation on the entire Ancient Race Continent, right?" someone in the crowd asked.
"That's hard to say, but even if she isn't number one, she's definitely not far off!" someone replied with a proud expression. "She's in the top tier, at the very least!"
Listening to the discussions in the crowd, Xu Luo couldn't help but look up, his curiosity piqued.
In the distance, a carriage was rapidly approaching along the wide road.
Pulling the carriage were, shockingly, four pure-blooded Unicorn Celestial Horses!
From the fluctuations of power they emitted, Xu Luo could clearly sense their cultivation levelāthey were all at the Peak of the Transformation Realm!
Spirit Beasts like these could even hold their own against a low-level Sword Saint, yet here they were, willingly pulling a carriage for a human... It was clear how high the status of the person inside must be!
Looking at the carriage itself, it was also extraordinary. The black desk Xu Luo had obtained in Fulong Cave on Hualong Mountain in the Southern Domain was already very unusualācarved from a single piece of Divine Wood, it had even attracted the attention of his Phecda Star Soul. But the carriage before him was as black as ink, its light contained within. It was profound and seamlessly crafted, without a single joint!
Upon closer inspection, it had been carved directly from a single, enormous ancient tree by the hands of a Grandmaster!
And this carriage... was actually also made from Divine Wood!
If not for having obtained that desk and remembering the aura of this Divine Wood, Xu Luo would have found it hard to believe that someone in this world could be so extravagant.
'Or is it that all the families of the Ancient Race are this wealthy?' Xu Luo marveled inwardly as he passed by the lavish carriage.
In the instant they passed each other, Xu Luo seemed to catch a glimpse of a breathtakingly beautiful silhouette through the corner of the carriage window, its curtain lifted by a gentle breeze.
The lands of the Ancient Race were rich with spiritual energy and produced generation after generation of outstanding talents.
Along his journey, Xu Luo had passed through the territories of many families and seen some extraordinary individualsāmen and women, old and young. The pomp and ceremony of their travels were all incredibly elaborate.
Only now did Xu Luo realize he was like a country boy who had never seen the world. Compared to some of the people he encountered later, the Su Family Celestial Maiden he had just seen was actually quite low-key.
Because later on, Xu Luo even encountered a carriage pulled by two Quasi-Saint Beast Jiao Longs!
Those two Jiao Longs, at the Quasi-Saint Beast level, had both reached the Divine Power Realm in terms of strength!
And the carriage itself was made from Celestial Yang Wood, something even rarer than Divine Wood!
This type of wood grew in places of extreme hardness and pure yang energy in the world and offered unimaginable benefits for cultivation.
If an ordinary person was lucky enough to obtain a palm-sized piece, they would surely store it like a family heirloom to be passed down for generations. Even for a Great Power Cultivator, obtaining a piece of Celestial Yang Wood meant using it with extreme care; they would feel the sting of wasting even a tiny bit.
Who would be like this person... directly carving it into a carriage to use as a means of travel? It was a level of luxury that was difficult to even imagine!
At that moment, the Phecda Star Soul in Xu Luo's Dantian couldn't help but stir restlessly, as if it wanted to snatch it away. Xu Luo forcefully suppressed the urge, because he sensed that the carriage must contain a formidable great power, someone he absolutely could not afford to provoke at his current level!
Sure enough, as the carriage passed by Xu Luo, the person inside seemed to sense his thoughts. From behind the curtain, a cold glance swept over him. That single look sent a chill down Xu Luo's spine, and the pores all over his body prickled!
Fortunately, the other party only gave him a cold glance and didn't pay him any real attention. The two Jiao Longs slithered through the sky, pulling the Celestial Yang Wood carriage as they quickly vanished from sight.
Watching the direction they disappeared in, Xu Luo let out a long sigh of relief and murmured, "Such intense killing intent, such a powerful aura... At the very least... that was an expert at the Fourth Layer of the Divine Power Realm!"
Along the way, Xu Luo had broadened his horizons and couldn't help but feel emotional. This truly was the most powerful place in the world. Deep in his heart, the desire to become even stronger began to sprout.
About three hundred li from the Huo Family's territory, Xu Luo stopped and found a quiet place to enter seclusion.
This seclusion wasn't for the purpose of raising his cultivation level. He was at the Peak of the Second Layer of the Divine Power Realm, and while the Third Layer seemed just half a step away, that half-step was actually a vast distance. At least, breaking through to the Third Layer in a short time would be extremely difficult, and Xu Luo held no such extravagant hopes.
The reason he entered seclusion was to awaken Beidou's Second Starāthe Merak Star Soul!
Back when he obtained the small, blood-red seal in the Southern Celestial Divine Continent, the Phecda Star Soul had told him that obtaining this Blood-Colored Seal would allow the Merak Star Soul to awaken!
Xu Luo had remembered this all along. Now that he was finally approaching the Huo Family's territory, he decided to awaken the Merak Star Soul first to raise his power to a new level. He had already tasted the benefits of this before. The might of his Five-Star Dharma Aspect compared to the Three-Star Dharma Aspect was on a completely different scale!
If he could awaken the Merak Star Soul, then once he unleashed a Six-Star Dharma Aspect, he probably wouldn't have to flee for his life even if he truly had to face a great power at the Fourth Layer of the Divine Power Realm.
The image of that ice-cold glance... and the carriage carved from a single stalk of Celestial Yang Wood, flashed through Xu Luo's mind.
Sitting cross-legged in the depths of the cave, Xu Luo brought out the small red seal and began to refine it. A vast and magnificent aura suddenly erupted from the seal, as if it wanted to suppress heaven and earth. Possessing a will of its own, it seemed unwilling to be refined!
Suddenly, the Merak Star Soul in Xu Luo's Dantian emitted a faint stream of Star Power, so weak it was almost imperceptible. It split into several tendrils and wrapped around the small red seal.
'How can such a weak power possibly restrain this treasured seal, which is erupting with an aura as vast as a mountain?' he thought.
But the reality left Xu Luo dumbfounded. After sensing that power, the small seal was like a puppy seeing its master, and it actually emitted a faint sense of intimacy!
The previous mountain-like pressure and vast aura vanished in an instant, as if they had never been there at all!
BUZZ!
The small red seal trembled slightly, then transformed into a streak of red light. With a WHOOSH, it shot into Xu Luo's Dantian and rapidly merged with the Merak Star Soul.
Then, under Xu Luo's stunned gaze, this blood-red treasured seal, which had once been able to emit an aura as vast as a mountain, began to undergo a drastic change. It rapidly melted, transforming into a single, luscious drop of blood!
Xu Luo had seen all sorts of colors and many beautiful sights, but he couldn't find the right words to describe the beauty of this drop of blood.
It was as if the entire world paled in comparison to it!
The majestic life force contained within it was on the verge of erupting. That dense aura of life shocked Xu Luo beyond words!
"What... what in the world is this?" Xu Luo murmured, dazed.
"Original True Blood!" a Divine Thought suddenly transmitted from the Phecda Star Soul in his Dantian.
"Original True Blood?" Xu Luo was completely baffled. There was nothing left for him to do; after merging with this incomparably brilliant drop of blood, the Merak Star Soul had already begun the awakening process.
"It is the purest blood in the universe. A single drop can give birth to a living planet! For instance, the initial form of this very star was a drop of Original True Blood!" said the Phecda Star Soul.
"A single drop of blood... can create a living planet?" Xu Luo stared in disbelief at the brilliant drop of blood in his Dantian being absorbed and merged with by the Merak Star Soul. The corner of his mouth twitched, though he wasn't sure if it was from shock or pain at the loss. 'Such a vast and majestic life force, how much would that have increased my strength!'
"That's right. Original True Blood can also cultivate on its own. In the end, if it can successfully survive the cosmic tribulation, it can become a living star!" The Phecda Star Soul paused for a moment before adding, "For example... us!"
"Us?" Xu Luo latched onto that word, momentarily setting aside even the matter of a "cosmic tribulation."
This was the first time an awakened Star Soul within his body had expressed something so clearly to him.
"Yes... us." The Phecda Star Soul's voice was low, as if unwilling to explain further. It changed the subject back to the drop of Original True Blood. "This drop of Original True Blood was sealed by someone before it could develop its Spiritual Wisdom. Somehow, it ended up in this realm... Speaking of which, it shouldn't have appeared here at all. This just goes to show, your luck has always been so... heaven-defying!"
Xu Luo fell silent for a moment. For some reason, he suddenly lost the courage to press for more answers.
Deep inside, there was anticipation, confusion, fear... and a faint trace of sorrow. That was why he didn't know why, when faced with matters related to Beidou's Eighth Star, he felt both a deep craving and a bone-deep resistance.
"If it's such a Divine Object, what kind of person would have the power to seal it?" Xu Luo adjusted his emotions and then asked.
"The being who could seal it is obviously not in this realm," the Phecda Star Soul sent a faint Divine Thought, then said, "You don't need to know anything more right now. You just need to follow your heart and keep moving forward... That's all!"
"Do you think so too, Shaking Light?" Xu Luo suddenly asked.
After a moment, Shaking Light's ancient, desolate voice replied, "Yes. Just follow your heart and continue on your path. We will only help you, not influence or control you. Just believe in your own heart... that is enough!"
HUFF!
Xu Luo let out a long breath, the confusion in his eyes gradually fading. He murmured, "That's right. Trust my own heart. I am who I am. I am Xu Luo! And Xu Luo... is me!"