"Twelve stars, heed my command!"

Once determined, Yun Xiao acted without hesitation. As a deep voice echoed from his mouth, the sealing array encompassing twelve array points erupted with an extraordinary energy.

This energy transformed into twelve blood-red light beams, reminiscent of the previous Thousand Stars Blood Gathering Array's light pillars, yet fundamentally different.

The previous array's beams, connected to the stars, had been completely sealed away by Yun Xiao. These blood-red beams were a special power unleashed through his Ancestral Vein Fire combined with numerous array flags.

The Thousand Stars Blood Gathering Array absorbed star power from beyond the Nine Heavens to operate the formation, a feat Yun Xiao alone couldn't hope to undo. His utmost could only temporarily seal it.

The twelve sealing arrays Yun Xiao was employing now differed substantially from those he had used in the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield's city-states.

Unlike those lesser Array Masters' works in other cities, this was the core of the Thousand Stars Blood Gathering Array, the critical point of the whole formation.

Only Yun Xiao, with his previous life experience as a Holy Rank Peak Array Master, could adapt to the changes in the array points and make corresponding adjustments; any other Array Master might have abandoned the attempt.

Moreover, this wasn't the most powerful version, the Myriad Star Blood Gathering Array, granting Yun Xiao a slim chance. Given his current cultivation, undoing arrays above the Heavenly Rank level was still challenging.

Yun Xiao now utilized previously arranged sealing arrays, alongside certain powers of the original Thousand Stars Blood Gathering Array, to draw upon star power from the Nine Heavens.

His aim was to use the Nine Heavens Star Power to completely dismantle the Thousand Stars Blood Gathering Array. Though it seemed unchanged from the beginning, control had shifted to Yun Xiao.

Star Power is magical; despite the stars being trillions upon trillions of miles away from the Nine Dragons Continent, the starlight was drawn to Impermanence Island's lakeshore in less than thirty minutes.

Swish, swish, swish...

As twelve beams descended from the sky, the twelve red beams Yun Xiao controlled instantly were driven back into the array points. Concurrently, twelve vast forces erupted forcefully.

Under Yun Xiao's control, these chaotic energies—not fully controllable—shattered all twelve array points, causing the entire Thousand Stars Blood Gathering Array finally to fall apart.

Boom, boom, boom!

Yet at that moment, the star power exploding the array points did not dissipate. Instead, it simultaneously struck Yun Xiao's physical body.

These star forces, unreasoned, knew who summoned them. In earlier times, their target had been the human youth who called them.

Due to Yun Xiao's deliberate control, the star power first destroyed the array points, and the remaining energy ultimately struck Yun Xiao's body.

This outcome was Yun Xiao's greatest fear. His current cultivation couldn't fully control the star power, and certainly not within the needed destructiveness to break only the Thousand Stars Blood Gathering Array.

After barely maneuvering star power to destroy the array points, he realized the coming moment was critical—a failure to withstand might lead to destruction of his Divine Soul.

Twelve streams of Nine Heavens Star Power were immense. Though Yun Xiao was prepared, and the Earth Burst Stone Lotus Armor enveloped him, his eyes were more focused than ever.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The twelve incoming star power beams assaulted Yun Xiao's physical body.Their ultimate aim, however unintentionally hostile, was to temper the physique of the human who summoned them.

If Yun Xiao retained his previous life's Holy Rank Third Realm Peak strength, these star powers would have been mere nuisances. Unfortunately, after rebirth, he was far from reaching the Heavenly Rank Realm, unable to endure such violence.

Star Power is unthinking, unconcerned with the receiver's cultivation. Summoning it means full delivery without reservation.

Crash!

On the first impact, the Earth Burst Stone Lotus Armor shattered under the twelve star powers, inundating his body with countless star energies.

Bam, bam, bam!

The overwhelming star power caused Yun Xiao's skin to erupt into bloodshed and turmoil.

"Ancient Dragon Taming Technique, circulate!"

Feeling his body on the verge of explosion, Yun Xiao let out a deep shout, and the magical cultivation technique he had mastered after rebirth began to operate rapidly.

Unfortunately, although the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique was miraculous and formidable, the power of those twelve strands of star power was simply too immense. Even though the technique could refine and dissolve part of it, it still could not completely free Yun Xiao from the danger of his body exploding.

"Xiao Wu, it's up to you!"

At this critical moment, Yun Xiao finally shouted in his heart once again, his final reliance and deliberate intention embedded in his subconscious.

In fact, if not for the existence of the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique and Xiao Wu, Yun Xiao would never have resorted to such an extreme method, because one slip could mean certain death.

Due to the previous borrowing of power many days ago, Xiao Wu's strength hadn't fully recovered. True to its usual style, it had to devour as much energy as possible to have a chance of returning to its peak.

And at this moment, the Nine Heavens star power was undoubtedly a great source of help for Xiao Wu, but this power was too vast. Whether it could withstand it, even Yun Xiao wasn't sure.

"You really have high expectations of me!"

Feeling the violent energy that had already rampaged into Yun Xiao's flesh, the serpent eyes of the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu flickered with seriousness. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

However, Xiao Wu did not hesitate in the slightest, and the devouring power belonging to the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon surged forth, instantly easing some of the pressure on Yun Xiao.

Under the explosive force of Yun Xiao's physical strength, the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique, and Xiao Wu's power, he ultimately wasn't struck dead by the twelve strands of Nine Heavens star power.

However, Yun Xiao looked utterly miserable at the moment, his clothes blasted into strips, revealing a scene of bloody flesh within. If an ordinary cultivator saw him now, they would probably scream out in fright.

Swish!

Yet at this moment, as Yun Xiao was operating the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique and struggling against the twelve strands of star power, a water bundle suddenly extended from the nearby lake surface.

This water bundle came extremely bizarrely and suddenly, at a crucial moment when Yun Xiao was desperately contending with the star power, leaving him with no time to react as his ankle was caught by the water bundle.

"Not good!"

At this moment, even though Yun Xiao was fully contending with the star power, he could clearly see the changes on his skin, but unfortunately, at such a time, he really had no strength left to contend with the sudden water bundle.

Splash!

A sound of water being struck echoed as water splashed everywhere, engulfing Yun Xiao's entire body, dragging him directly into the lake. The sight filled with water caused a wave of shock to surge in his heart.

This is indeed unfortunate! Just now, under those twelve strands of star power, Yun Xiao was already overwhelmed. Who knew that the being at the bottom of the lake would also take action?

Fortunately, having broken through to the half-step Heavenly Rank, Yun Xiao could long manipulate Earth Power, differing from ordinary humans or some low-level cultivators, being able to survive underwater without breathing.

But simple survival could not set Yun Xiao's mind at ease. While continuing to operate the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique and contend with the twelve strands of star power, he opened his eyes wide, surveying the depths of the lake.

"Is that...?"

The lake water was very clear. When Yun Xiao saw a massive entity ahead, a familiar feeling emerged in his heart. The scene he witnessed in the seventh layer of Xuanyin Cave rushed to his mind like a tide.

"So it's you!"

Yun Xiao's heart was struck by realization, because it was exactly the same as the slumbering Strange Spirit he saw in the seventh layer of Xuanyin Cave, only this one appeared more lively.

Worth mentioning is that, in Yun Xiao's eyes, the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit, shifting its form like a ghost in the water, had an extremely listless aura, enveloped entirely by a blood-red light membrane.

"Those must be the energies transferred by the Thousand Stars Blood Gathering Array over the past year?"

With Yun Xiao's keen eye, he immediately recognized the nature of the blood-red membrane, but given the current situation, it seemed the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit hadn't completely devoured and refined it, leaving behind a significant portion.

Seeing this, Yun Xiao did not know how all of this came to be, though his face was already grave. This was a Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit, who knew what other powerful moves it might have?

As Yun Xiao scrutinized the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit, the latter suddenly opened its seemingly nonexistent eyes at that moment, a gaze filled with a certain gloomy intent to devour staring at the young human not far away as if eager to consume him.