As Dongbo Xueying’s strength increased, the vast amount of information imparted to him by Fire Devil Venerable and Bloodblade Divine Emperor deepened his understanding of the Solar Star and the Lunar Star!
Both the Solar Star and the Lunar Star operate under natural laws, their rules no less formidable than those of the Material Realm or the Dark Abyss. Yet, they differ greatly from these realms. The Material Realm and the Abyss are, in essence, cradles—nurturing countless lives. The Material Realm shelters innumerable fragile beings, while the Dark Abyss, though more sinister and brutal, also gives birth to countless demons. Even outsiders who enter are merely repelled, left to be hunted by the Abyss’s native denizens.
The Solar and Lunar Stars, however, are entirely different.
They are utterly inhospitable to life, existing as extremes of aggression. Even their outermost layers are lethal enough to freeze or incinerate a Four-Heavens World God. The deeper one ventures, the deadlier they become—so much so that even a Paragon would inevitably perish. Their danger far surpasses that of any ancient relic!
These celestial bodies were naturally birthed by the vast cosmos.
They stand alongside the Material Realm and the Abyss as the two supreme celestial entities, wielding unimaginable power—yet they also attract mighty True Gods.
“The Solar Star represents the pinnacle of flame, its inherent laws surpassing even those of a Paragon,” said Ancestor Chihuo. “But if one remains only on its outermost surface, the perception of its operating rules is faint at best. The deeper one goes, the clearer the resonance becomes.”
“From what I understand…”
“The outermost layer of the Solar Star is its blazing surface. What appears as roaring flames is, in truth, liquid. This is the first layer—what we call the ‘Solar Sea.’ The Solar Sea is unbearably scorching; only a Great Power can reliably survive within it.”
“Descending through the Solar Sea, one eventually encounters a dense solid layer. The peculiar substances here are known as Solar Stones, forming the second layer—the Solar Stone Layer. This layer is far more perilous. Even the occasional wisp of flame that erupts from it can prove fatal to a Great Power, let alone the myriad other dangers lurking within.”
“Legend speaks of a third layer beneath the Solar Stone Layer—the Solar Wave Layer.”
“Deeper still lies the fourth layer—the Void Black Mud Layer.”
“Beneath that is the fifth layer—the Solar Deep Pool.”
“And at the very depths of the Solar Deep Pool lies the legendary sixth layer—the Solar Core.” Ancestor Chihuo spoke slowly, his voice tinged with longing. Having cultivated within the Solar Star for countless ages, it had become almost like his home.
Dongbo Xueying and Senior Brother Huiming listened intently.
They were already familiar with this knowledge.
“Originally, I possessed a Solar Core Stone,” Ancestor Chihuo said solemnly. “With its protection, the flames’ harm to my body was greatly diminished. Though I dared not venture deep into the Solar Stone Layer, the stone allowed me to sit cross-legged upon its surface. Touching the Solar Stone Layer… amplified my perception of the Solar Star’s laws and mysteries by dozens of times, vastly accelerating my cultivation.”
“Solar Core Stones are exceedingly rare. Not a single one has appeared in over ten billion years. From the dawn of the cosmos until now, the total number discovered has been vanishingly small. Those who obtain them treasure them dearly. Even Venerables—let alone Paragons—rarely trade them.”
Dongbo Xueying and Huiming nodded in agreement.
“But!”
“Thirty million years ago, the ‘Bamboo Sage’ of the Mo Clan’s Twin Saints somehow learned of my possession of a Solar Core Stone. He ambushed me, annihilated my Solar Star cultivation body, and seized the stone.” Ancestor Chihuo’s voice was low and calm, yet beneath the surface, boundless fury simmered.
In cultivation, opportunities are fiercely contested. For Ancestor Chihuo, the theft of his most prized treasure was an unforgivable grievance.
“The Bamboo Sage?” Dongbo Xueying frowned.
The Mo Clan’s Twin Saints were Great Powers of the Divine Realm, unaffiliated with any faction.
Among them, the Bamboo Sage was relatively less formidable, ranked fifty-third on the Cosmic Deities and Demons Ranking—just one spot below Dongbo Xueying, placing them in the same tier.
However, the true pillar of the Twin Saints was the elder ‘Leaf Sage,’ a Venerable-tier existence. Though an ordinary Venerable—unable to compare with the likes of the Bamboo Mountain Manor Lord or the North Profound Palace Master—the path he had forged was uniquely esoteric, allowing him to roam freely without bowing to any power.
The two were of the same clan, bound by deep camaraderie.
“Ancestor, what would you have me do?” Dongbo Xueying asked. If the request was to deal with the Bamboo Sage, he alone stood no chance. Even if conflict erupted, the Sage had a far stronger Venerable backing him.
“Revenge is beyond my reach,” Ancestor Chihuo said quickly. “The gap in strength is too vast, and his elder is even more formidable. All I seek is another Solar Core Stone. Flame has been my pursuit for endless ages. If I am to forge my own path, it will be through fire. Without the stone, I dare not even touch the Solar Stone Layer, forced to cultivate within the Solar Sea. My perception is now muddled beyond measure, my progress not even a thousandth of what it once was. Continuing like this, any breakthrough is impossible. Among those I know, only you, Dongbo, have the means to help me obtain another Solar Core Stone.”
In Ancestor Chihuo’s eyes, Dongbo Xueying’s strength and connections far surpassed his own. Backed by Bloodblade Divine Emperor and allied with figures like Qing Jun, the Bamboo Mountain Manor Lord, and Fire Devil Venerable, his network was ten—no, a hundred—times more formidable.
“Obtaining a Solar Core Stone?” Dongbo Xueying frowned. Even for him, this was no small challenge.
“There are two sources for Solar Core Stones,” Dongbo Xueying said. “First, they originate from the Solar Core at the star’s deepest heart. Only after immensely long epochs do fragments occasionally break free, traversing the Solar Deep Pool and the Void Black Mud Layer… to be discovered by cultivators.”
Ancestor Chihuo nodded eagerly. “By sheer luck, I once noticed a peculiar glimmer on the Solar Stone Layer’s surface. I excavated it with my weapon and unearthed a Solar Core Stone—about the size of a fingernail, weighing roughly half a kilogram.”
“That was fortune smiling upon you. Likely, a fragment had drifted over eons to the Solar Stone Layer’s surface,” Dongbo Xueying said. “But hoping to replicate such luck is nearly impossible. After all, no Solar Core Stone has surfaced in over ten billion years—or if one has, it was found by some fortunate Great Power who kept it secret.”
“Regardless, once obtained, none would willingly trade it,” Dongbo Xueying continued. “That leaves only the second method.”
“Refining vast quantities of ‘Void Black Mud’ to extract its essence, condensing it into a Solar Core Stone.” This was a method discovered by cultivators of the Divine Realm and Abyss. The Void Black Mud Layer, the Solar Star’s fourth stratum, is inherently lethally scorching—bearable only by Paragons. Yet, once refined, its concentrated essence solidifies into a Solar Core Stone, identical in nature.
Ancestor Chihuo looked ashamed. “I know it’s a tall order. I hesitated for so long, but as time passed and my cultivation stalled, I had no choice but to swallow my pride—”
“Say no more, Ancestor. Leave this matter to me.” Dongbo Xueying’s tone was resolute. Troublesome as it might be, this was Ancestor Chihuo’s first request—and it concerned his very path of cultivation. No matter what, Dongbo Xueying would see it through.
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