Chapter 80: Operation Begins!

As the message spread through all demonic cultivators, every single one of them simultaneously sprang into action. "Kill! Kill! Kill!" Countless ghosts, demons, and corpse fiends surged out from their hiding places, charging toward the Seven Extremes Sect's stronghold. The mountains and plains were completely covered with dense hordes of evil creatures. Killing intent, resentment, demonic energy, ghostly aura, and corpse miasma soared into the sky like dark clouds pressing down upon the city, creating an exceptionally terrifying scene. "Enemy attack!" Within the stronghold, Seven Extremes Sect disciples issued piercing alarms. Numerous disciples immediately rushed to their predetermined defensive positions as arrays activated one after another, forming a massive glowing shield that completely protected the entire stronghold. Soon after, close combat ensued. Countless demonic cultivators unleashed their most terrifying wave of attacks - spells, magical artifacts, and controlled monsters all bombarded the defensive arrays! Boom! Boom! Boom! Massive magical explosions erupted continuously, their deafening roars shaking heaven and earth. The intensity of the battle reached its peak from the very beginning - there was no probing, no talking, just full-force attacks right away! However, contrary to the demonic cultivators' expectations, the arrays didn't shatter immediately. The sect's cultivators inside seemed to have anticipated this, not only quickly activating the arrays but also steadily withstanding the first wave of sudden attacks. Some demonic cultivators immediately sensed something was wrong. But with the arrow already nocked, they had to let it fly. Hordes of demonic creatures were driven to crash against the array shield - some were drawn inside the formation and jointly attacked by Seven Extremes Sect disciples, while others were repelled, crashing into their own allies. Although the stronghold withstood the initial assault, the spiritual energy consumption rate of the defensive arrays was extremely alarming! "Keep pushing! Their spirit stone reserves definitely won't last!" The Nascent Soul demonic cultivator leading this siege calmly commanded his forces to press forward. Looking into the stronghold, he saw a red light shooting skyward and smirked - the distress signal had been successfully sent! Similar distress signals were being sent from dozens of major Seven Extremes Sect facilities across their territory. Such a massive surprise attack would surely draw out their Soul Formation elders! Suddenly, from within the Seven Extremes Sect, seven beams of starlight shot up from a Seven Stars Magic Tower, piercing straight into the clouds! Nangong Xianweng immediately performed a divination secret technique, attempting to investigate what was happening. But at that moment, three concealed beams of starlight also shot up from three different directions around the Seven Extremes Sect! Several stars in the sky suddenly brightened. The Big Dipper shone brilliantly, sending down starlight. Meanwhile, three other stars near the Big Dipper also suddenly brightened, shifting their positions to form a triangular formation that intercepted the Big Dipper's light! The Big Dipper's radiance quickly dimmed, disappearing into the starry backdrop, while the three other stars grew increasingly brighter, completely obscuring the constellation. Simultaneously, three differently colored starlight beams traced back along the Big Dipper's original path, attacking Nangong Xianweng! Cross-domain Star Kill! Nangong Xianweng wanted to abandon the divination, but it was already too late! The three starlight attacks instantly struck him, passing through numerous array restrictions to directly assault his Nascent Soul. Nangong Xianweng's face paled as his energy suddenly scattered. He violently spat out a mouthful of vital blood, which burned into pure life energy to protect his consciousness sea and suppress the incoming stellar attack! Just this single strike had severely injured him! Not caring about the damage, Nangong Xianweng slapped the Seven Stars Altar, causing it to collapse completely and cease channeling the Big Dipper's light! On Tianxing Mountain, the Heavenly Star Ancestor smirked: "So fragile, truly a star cultivation novice! Now it's my turn to deduce the Seven Extremes Sect's countermeasures!" Instantly, he activated the Tiankui Star Altar, sending starlight shooting into the clouds again. Forming hand seals, he performed stellar divination, awaiting Tiankui Star's results. The other two stars also brightened significantly, showing that the other two star cultivation masters had also taken action! Though the three didn't know each other's identities, they cooperated tacitly. Their three starlight beams crisscrossed in a triangular pattern, weaving a stellar network to deduce the Seven Extremes Sect's response strategies. At this moment, the previously obscured Big Dipper suddenly shone brightly again, instantly outshining the three stars! "Bold! Still daring to fight back?" The Heavenly Star Ancestor sneered. The previous attack had been a warning - if Nangong faced their full-force strike again now, he risked fatal injury! As the stars confronted each other in the firmament, their shifting patterns drew the attention of all notable star cultivators across the land. Such stellar cultivation battles were rare and drew much interest. In Cave Abode No. 6, Su Yuan's aura erupted powerfully! He glanced at his system panel: [Name]: Su Yuan [Region]: Green Vine Continent [Reputation]: Famous (112,000/1,000,000) [Cultivation]: Peak Foundation Establishment (99/100): Peak Golden Star Stage [Trait 1]: Work-Rest Balance: Current rest time: 92 days [Trait 2]: Daoist Techniques Naturally [Trait 3]: Seven Stars Shine Bright [Trait 4]: Mind Echo [Trait 5]: Great Master's Bearing Over three months, Little Cai had frantically absorbed spiritual energy, reaching peak second-stage cultivation before entering a special bloodline awakening state, now breaking through her bottleneck surrounded by five-colored light. Through Little Cai's feedback of true essence, Su Yuan had been forcefully pushed from early Foundation Establishment to peak Foundation Establishment, advancing from Golden Sand Stage through Golden Bean Stage and Golden Pearl Stage all the way to peak Golden Star Stage! Reaching this stage meant he had completed the energy accumulation for Foundation Establishment. Within his dantian, seven golden stars and two dark stars orbited according to the Big Dipper's pattern inside a golden cauldron. Anyone who could simultaneously observe the actual Big Dipper would notice these golden stars perfectly mirrored the constellation's movements in the sky! Three of the golden stars already bore intricate Dao patterns representing metal, wood, and fire concepts! Meanwhile, an additional stellar concept pattern continuously flowed across the entire seven-star formation! Beneath Su Yuan's feet, the Big Dipper Altar activated! A sixth-grade cave heaven spiritual treasure anchored the Tian Shu position, with Xiao Li providing full support! Though the Myriad Treasures Qiankun Cauldron was damaged, its seventh-grade nature allowed it to easily stabilize the Yao Guang position, providing powerful energy to the altar! The Nine Stars Linked Pearl Sword also fully assisted the spellcasting, with starlight flowing across its blades, tempering them and slowly upgrading their spiritual quality! Beside him, Nangong Xianweng sat with closed eyes, healing his injuries. The [Great Master's Bearing] trait successfully activated, and Su Yuan integrated its majestic pressure into his consciousness, making his control over the Seven Stars Altar significantly more effortless, as if his strength had increased by several tenths. Su Yuan looked at the panel and immediately activated [Work-Rest Balance] - twice in succession! Instantly, his comprehension rose, and his control over the altar skyrocketed. [Mind Echo] simultaneously projected three consciousness threads, dividing his awareness four ways - with three projections appearing above three different altars! The next moment, [Great Master's Bearing] activated! An immense pressure instantly weighed down upon the Soul Formation cultivators performing rituals at their respective altars! The Heavenly Star Ancestor and the other two Soul Formation cultivators' expressions changed dramatically! This inexplicable pressure suppressed their strength by about thirty percent! "What's happening?" The Heavenly Star Ancestor's expression changed! He immediately realized something abnormal was occurring! But the changes came too quickly! The Big Dipper in the sky suddenly brightened several times over! Seven beams of starlight carrying astonishing stellar might suppressed the radiance of the three stars! "This isn't right! This isn't Nangong - the Big Dipper's response speed is hundreds of times faster!" The Heavenly Star Ancestor's pupils contracted! Laymen watch the spectacle while experts discern the technique! Stellar cultivation was a path that didn't demand high cultivation levels but required exceptional stellar insight, because fundamentally it borrowed stellar power to achieve effects. Whether from Foundation Establishment or Soul Formation cultivators, the power provided was negligible compared to the stars themselves - cultivators merely provided the initial spark! A stellar cultivator's strength was judged by their constellation's response speed - faster responses meant greater power! Compared to Nangong Xianweng earlier, this unfamiliar cultivator's stellar cultivation was on an entirely different level! "Not good!" Without hesitation, the Heavenly Star Ancestor activated self-destruct measures! His altar below instantly erupted with destructive force, completely burning away the entire structure, leaving only a fifth-grade spiritual treasure to fly back into his hand. Looking at the destroyed altar, a flash of pain crossed the Heavenly Star Ancestor's eyes - some of those materials had been fifth-grade, quite valuable! But he was grateful for his quick reaction, avoiding counteratt... Wait, why was that strange pressure still there? Realizing this, his expression changed dramatically as he immediately raised the Heavenly Star Mirror! Seven beams of starlight crossed vast distances to strike at him! Seven Stars Fall, exploding violently! The Tianxing Mountain arrays shattered inch by inch as numerous buildings were damaged. Cultivators screamed in panic, dodging the residual shockwaves. At the center, the Heavenly Star Ancestor bore the brunt of the attack. The terrifying strike blasted a massive crater where he stood! Lying in the pit, his Heavenly Star Mirror was covered in cracks but hadn't shattered completely! This was the might of heavenly stars! Combined with the backlash from his own interrupted spell, the power rivaled a full-force attack from a mid-stage Soul Formation cultivator! This demonstrated the danger of stellar cultivation battles - backlash effects would amplify celestial attacks, making the combined power unimaginable. The Heavenly Star Ancestor tightly guarded his consciousness, keeping his mind completely blank. The strange pressure abruptly disappeared after this strike! Gasping for breath, he had sensed the lingering pressure after destroying his altar and realized his opponent wasn't just tracking through stellar connections but something like a curse-based perception. By keeping his mind blank, he had indeed avoided further targeting! This was fortunate amidst misfortune! But actually his worry was unnecessary - without the backlash amplification, Su Yuan's remote attacks couldn't truly threaten a Soul Formation cultivator. Still, this lesson would make the Heavenly Star Ancestor think twice before provoking the Seven Extremes Sect again. The other two locations experienced similar situations. Stellar masters were indeed intelligent - both took decisive action and wisely avoided further thoughts about Su Yuan, making it impossible for him to locate them again. Su Yuan immediately redirected his [Mind Echo] to observe the Soul Formation ambush site, where battle had already begun.