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    The shrill screams of Zhou Hai''s followers echoed in the valley, but Ye Chen could no longer hear them.


    He had already crossed numerous mountain regions and entered a ck pine forest.


    "The Spirit Sea Realm is indeed strong, just a single talisman was able to wield such mighty power, even capable of prating and killing a cultivator of the twelfthyer of the True Qi Realm directly!"


    "And that spiritual instrument fragment, mysterious and unfathomable, it not only drastically enhanced the strength of the Silver-Patterned Snake Demon but also allowed me to touch upon the threshold of Sword Intents.


    Now I can even block the talismans crafted by strong practitioners of the Spirit Sea Realm, truly miraculous."


    Ye Chen flew swiftly, while touching the talisman and the broken sword fragment in his chest pocket.


    "I am currently at the fifthyer of the True Qi Realm, still far from the Spirit Sea Realm."


    "Sword Intents, I have only just condensed a wisp of Sword Intent Seed, and with this broken sword fragment, I must continue toprehend Sword Intents, striving topletely grasp the full Sword Intents soon."


    "I must continue cultivating. Zhou Hai''s father is a strong practitioner of the Spirit Sea Realm, and I''ve already attracted this trouble, so I must keep improving my strength!"


    Countless thoughts raced through Ye Chen''s mind, and soon after, he flew out of the ck pine forest.


    ...


    One dayter, in a secluded cave within a mountain.


    The entrance to the cave was concealed by numerous stones, making it difficult to spot from a distance.


    Inside the cave, Ye Chen sat in quiet meditation.


    After running continuously, it was only after he was a few hundred li away from the valley where he had killed Zhou Hai that he found a cave to stop and rest.


    Following his battles with the Silver-Patterned Snake Demon and Zhou Hai, his cultivation in the True Qi Realm had not increased, but a pleasant surprise had urred unexpectedly.


    The final three of the thirty-three Meridian Wheels that he had not yet refined started to show signs of loosening during the process ofprehending the battles.


    The thirty-three Meridian Wheels form the final step of the Primordial Star Scripture''s "Meridian Refining Art." If Ye Chen couldplete this step, then he would have finished all the "Qi Meridians, the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and the thirty-three Meridian Wheels" outlined in the Meridian Refining Art.


    That would qualify him to acquire the secondyer of cultivation techniques from the Primordial Star Scripture''s "Gang Yuan Chapter" and would allow him to enter the Starlight Tower once again!


    The Starlight Tower, the Divine Tower with inscrutable depths, where the Primordial Star Scripture''s firstyer "Meridian Refining Art" had already brought countless surprises to Ye Chen.


    It not only let him advance smoothly from the firstyer to the fifthyer of the True Qi Realm, but it also greatly increased the speed of his True Qi cultivation and recovery.


    More precious still was that it was the Meridian Refining Art that greatly enhanced his body''s sensitivity to his surroundings, allowing him to escape perilous situations time and again, and even reach the threshold of understanding Sword Intents, thereby condensing a Sword Intent Seed!


    Ye Chen was extremely eager to obtain the secondyer of cultivation technique from the Primordial Star Scripture''s "Gang Yuan Chapter," following the "Meridian Refining Art."


    Ye Chen was already looking forward to entering the Starlight Tower once again!


    Gathering his Qi and nurturing his spirit, Ye Chen sat quietly in the cave.


    Once his mind and spirit hadpletely settled, he finally began to tackle thest three Meridian Wheels of the thirty-three.


    Two hourster, the thirty-first Meridian Wheel was finally refined; after six hours, the thirty-second Meridian Wheel was also sessfully refined.


    One dayter, when the thirty-third Meridian Wheel was refined, the True Qi within Ye Chen''s body, even without being drawn upon, suddenly burst out from the Qi Sea and wildly circted through his Qi Meridians, the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and the thirty-three Meridian Wheels within his body.


    In the end, it formed aplete Great Zhou Heavenly Cycle.


    Just as the Great Zhou Heavenly Cycle was formed, and the True Qi flew back into the Qi Sea, Ye Chen felt that the magnificent Star Tower within his Qi Sea once again began to draw him in.


    It was the Starlight Tower calling him to enter.


    He was finally about to enter the Starlight Tower again!


    With a thought, Ye Chen entered his Qi Sea and in an instant, just like the first time he entered the Starlight Tower, the gates of the tower flung open, and his entire mind and spirit were drawn into the firstyer.


    In the firstyer of the Pagoda, in the great hall.


    He recognized the great hall and the five enormous Fire Altars.


    Watching the mes roaring within the Fire Altars, Ye Chen felt an indescribable sense of familiarity.


    As Ye Chen''s gaze swept over the five giant Fire Altars, a mysterious melody entered his mind.


    This was the activation spell for the secondyer of the Primordial Star Scripture''s "Gang Yuan Chapter!"


    Indeed, havingpletely cultivated the firstyer of the technique, he finally qualified to activate the secondyer.


    Apanied by the mysterious melody, Ye Chen sat down amongst the five giant Fire Altars.


    He closed his eyes and began to recite the activation spell for the secondyer of the "Gang Yuan Chapter."


    As he recited, fierce winds swept through the firstyer of the great hall again, and the fire inside the Fire Altars zed into the sky!


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Boom!


    Golden lights flickered, magical beastly howls sang, and thunder exploded wildly.


    In the midst of this miraculous scene, strands of light formed into words and flew into Ye Chen''s mind.


    ncing at the neatly arranged words in his mind, the first thing he saw were nine bold characters: Gang Yuan Chapter, Second Layer — Gang Yuan Mantra!


    While Ye Chen entered the Starlight Tower and obtained the secondyer of the Primordial Star Scripture''s "Gang Yuan Chapter," the "Gang Yuan Mantra," above the valley where Zhou Hai had died, a mournful howl pierced the air.


    This blood-curdling scream, which echoed in all directions, caused all cultivators within a hundred miles to experience a painful ringing in their ears.


    "What is this sound?"


    Countless cultivators in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain looked up into the sky.


    When they saw a blood-red Escaping Light sh across the sky at an incredibly fast speed, each of them was struck with terror, and dared not even breathe heavily, "A powerful elder from the Spirit Sea Realm hase to the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain!"


    Boom!


    In the midst of countless horrified gazes, the blood-red Escaping Lightnded in the valley where Zhou Hai had died. The light faded to reveal the figure of an elder d in a Blood Robe.


    This elder was extremely thin, resembling a skeleton, yet he radiated an immensely vast aura.


    Even without exerting any oppressive force, his breath alone was strong enough to make the leaves of trees that were more than a meter thick rustle wildly.


    "Elder, Elder, you havee… The Young Master, he, he…"


    Upon the arrival of the Blood Robe elder, the eight figures in the valley were shaking all over with fear, stammering, unable toplete their sentences; the eighth-ranked Demon Beast, the Fiery Lion Beast, was so frightened that ity prostrate on the ground, not daring to move an inch.


    These eight figures were none other than Zhou Hai''s eight followers, and the elder in the Blood Robe was Zhou Hai''s father, an elder from the seventh-rank Heavenly Net Sect, a powerful mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm cultivator, Zhou Yuntian!


    Zhou Yuntian didn''t pay any attention to these eight people; his gaze was fixed on the decapitated corpse and the huge skull next to the body on the ground.


    Upon seeing the face on the skull, even Zhou Yuntian, a powerful mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm cultivator, stumbled backward several steps.


    "Hai''er!"


    Afterward, Zhou Yuntian let out a piercing scream of agony.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Amidst his screams of sorrow, he waved his hand through the air, and countless trees were uprooted and flung about wildly.


    Furthermore, with a single gesture, he sucked two of his followers toward him, and with a p, he bashed them until blood flowed from their seven orifices, killing them instantly.


    "My Hai''er is dead; what use is there in keeping your dog lives!"


    Afterpletely smashing the corpses of these two followers, he flung their bodies tens of meters away with a swing of his hand.


    "Elder, have mercy! Elder, please have mercy!"


    The six remaining followers had already lost all color in their faces and knelt on the ground, frantically kowtowing.


    Looking at the six people who continued to kowtow until their heads were broken and bleeding, Zhou Yuntian''s eyes were filled with a cold light, "Only my Hai''er should be killing others; who would dare kill my Hai''er!"


    "Speak, who was it? Who killed my Hai''er? I will tear him to pieces! Tear him to pieces!"


    While the six followers were repeatedly kowtowing, they hurriedly reported, "Elder, we were apanying the Young Master hunting Demon Beasts on the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain when we suddenly heard the hissing of the Silver-striped Snake Demon."


    "The Young Master then went to the Mirror Lake area and encountered five people…"


    "That young man was too fast; we couldn''t keep up with him, and only the Young Master chased after him…"


    "By the time we found the Young Master again, he had already been killed by that despicable murderer!"


    Amidst their babbling, Zhou Yuntian''s gaze grew colder and colder.


    "The fifth level of True Qi? How could a youth at the fifth level of True Qi possibly kill Hai''er!"


    "I had provided Hai''er with three Spirit Talismans, three whole Spirit Talismans; unless it were a powerful cultivator from the Spirit Sea Realm, no one could have harmed his life!"


    "You are lying!"


    Whoosh!


    Zhou Yuntian stretched out his hand and sucked in four men, and with four consecutive "smacks", without even blinking, he pped the four men to death.


    "Elder, it''s true!"


    "The other four who were with that young man can testify!"


    The two still alive were so scared they wet their pants and cried out in a panic.


    Zhou Yuntian, with a chilling tone, addressed the pallid pair, "Find me those four people, discover the identity of the one who killed my Hai''er!"


    "This blood debt, I will have it repaid with blood!"


    "Yes, Elder, we will definitely find out that person''s identity!"


    The two who narrowly escaped with their lives frantically kowtowed in agreement.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Yunhai''s gaze returned to Zhou Hai''s corpse once more, hisplexion deathly white, remaining silent for a long time.


    …


    "Gang Yuan Mantra, the ''Gang Yuan Chapter'' secondyer of the Primordial Star Scripture''s cultivation technique."


    "This mantra is the most crucialyer of the Gang Yuan Chapter, it is the Profound Mystical Method for cultivating ''Gang Yuan True Qi''."


    "Practitioners who breathe in and out are absorbing the Heaven and Earth True Qi, and ''Gang Yuan True Qi'' is a further Refinement of this Qi to reach the degree of ''Extreme Gang Yuan''!"


    Inside the cave, Ye Chen had emerged from the Starlight Tower and his Mind and Spirit had returned to his body.


    Looking at the new cultivation technique within his mind, the more Ye Chen read, the brighter his eyes shone.