Ning Fan closed his eyes and it was as if he had forgotten the entire world.
When he reopened them, Ning Fan’s mind was immersed inside a world of starlight.
Dark crystals glowing with dusky light were embedded in the world’s heaven and earth. Each and every one of these crystals was the source of star power of this world.
He reached out his hand and drew one of the crystals towards him. When he held it in his hand, the look on his face immediately changed.
The moment he held the crystal, it suddenly broke into pieces and turned into a black beam which then entered his body. In the next moment, Ning Fan felt a sharp pain inside his body. What followed it was a burning sensation which ran across his devil marks on his back.
“What is this crystal!?”
His eyes gradually calmed down and the pain he felt when the crystal entered his body just now subsided.
However, after examining the internal parts of his body, his eyes slightly widened with surprise because he realized that after that piece of crystal went inside, his demon power and magic power remained unchanged, but his devil qi increased by a bit.
That is to say that by consuming one piece of dark crystal in this world, his devil power would increase by 1 unit!
Not only that, Ning Fan immediately found out that after he consumed the crystal, the hardness of his body had increased slightly, gradually advancing towards the Third Level of Jade Life Realm. Besides that, there was some kind of transformation happening in his body’s foundation.
The most important thing was that when he lifted one of his fingers, a ray of black starlight shot out from the tip!
“This is…’Natal Star Power’! By consuming the crystals of this place, not only could it increase my ‘Natal Star Power’, but also increase the level of my devil cultivation! Does this mean that the nature of the black star is rather similar to devil qi?”
“After Lu Wu gave me the white chess piece, I have gained quite a number of new insights. All of them were inherited from the Celestial Emperor. One of them is the method of comprehending the ‘Black Star Technique’. In order to completely comprehend the ‘Black Star Technique’, the first step is to understand the difference between the black star and the other types of stars. For this step, I have already gotten the necessary understanding in the past. Secondly, one would need to condense the ‘Natal Star Power’. Thirdly, one has to condense the ‘Natal Star’ using the star power. When the first ‘Natal Star’ is condensed, I will then successfully learn the ‘Black Star Technique’. If I am injured in the future, I could then summon the ‘Natal Black Star’ to heal my injuries with star power!”
“Condensing a ‘Natal Star’ will need at least ten thousand wisps of ‘Natal Star Power’. In other words, I only need to engulf ten thousand pieces of dark crystals and I can then successfully condense my first ‘Natal Star’!”
Ning Fan’s gaze swept across the surroundings. This place was the world within his state of mind. With a single glance, he could tell that the approximate quantity of dark crystals in this entire world was certainly not less than 50,000!
If he can engulf all the crystals here, he could condense at least five Natal Stars and obtain fifty thousand traces of devil qi at the same time, improving the level of his devil cultivation by fifty thousand units!
“This is a chance! If I completely engulf all fifty thousand pieces of crystals here, I can obtain fifty thousand units of devil power and let my devil cultivation break through to the Mid Divine Transformation Realm! Afterwards, I will then have Mid Divine Transformation Realm demon power and devil power and Half-Step Divine Transformation Realm magic power. If my magic power also attains the Mid Divine Transformation Realm, I definitely can break through to the Late Divine Transformation Realm in one go when I combine all three types of powers!”
Since there were more than fifty thousand crystals in this place, it was the perfect opportunity for Ning Fan to improve his devil power!
Inside the world within his mind, Ning Fan seemed to be the only ruler. He moved his fingers to perform a number of complicated and incomprehensible hand seals. When he opened his mouth and inhaled. Violent black gales blew, carrying countless crystals which were embedded in the world’s heaven and earth into his abdomen.
By engulfing the crystals in this manner, he managed to swallow almost one thousand crystals within just half a day.
His devil cultivation base had increased by one thousand units and one thousand traces of Natal Star Power had been condensed inside his body.
Vaguely, inside his right eye, a half, illusory black devil star was taking form.
Within his state of mind, Ning Fan was busy swallowing the star power.
While at the huge palace outside the world within his mind, Ning Fan’s physical body was standing upright for a long time with his eyes tightly shut. Every single muscle of his body stayed still, making him look just like a wax sculpture.
After consuming one thousand crystals, the fifty thousand rays of black starlight that revolved around his body was reduced by one thousand.
These one thousand star rays that had gone into his body were not only increasing his devil qi, but also improving the foundation of his body.
In front of Ning Fan’s physical body, Lu Wu’s eyes gradually became stern and solemn.
“The Celestial Emperor had once said that the most difficult part in condensing the Natal Star is to condense the first star. During the process of condensing the first Natal Star, one would need to engulf ten thousand traces of star power. The most dangerous part of that process is when one has engulfed the first one thousand traces of star power. Everything has a soul including stars. When a cultivator condenses the first one thousand traces of Natal Star Power, he will face the first test of the stars … Would this man be able to pass it?”
Inside his mind, Ning Fan had no idea about the situation of the outside world. At the current moment, he was sitting amidst the frosty sky in a meditative position to refine the one thousand dark crystals inside his body.
One thousand crystals were equivalent to one thousand traces of star power. When the crystals were all completely assimilated, not only did his devil power experience a sharp improvement, but also his aura force. When he unleashed it, it conjured one thousand rays of black starlight which revolved around his body. That very scene was incredibly stunning.
Sensing the star beams which surrounded his body, Ning Fan revealed a satisfied expression. He could feel that after condensing one thousand traces of Natal Star Power, his injuries recovered at a much faster speed.
However, a brief moment later, the starry sky in front of him suddenly trembled.
A fierce, menacing roar of a beast came from the front, resounding all over heaven and earth.
Ning Fan immediately stood up and every part of his body was on high alert. In front of him where most of the star power was concentrated, one thousand crystals suddenly crumbled and their star power converged at a point, forming a huge, dark figure of a beast.
*Roar*
The beast let out another deafening roar. Its eyes flashing with ferocity. When it spotted Ning Fan, it charged towards him, emanating a terrifying qi at the Mid Divine Transformation Realm!
“The power of the stars is not something a mere ant can comprehend. I am the star soul and I am here to take your life!”
The huge beast spoke human language. But as soon as its voice fell, it immediately opened its mouth and blasted out a column of flames which engulfed Ning Fan.
“A star soul…”
Ning Fan muttered to himself. With a pair of composed eyes, he steadily walked out from the sea of flames, unscathed.
In a flash, he suddenly disappeared without leaving any traces. At the next moment, he was already standing above the head of the huge beast with his hands clasped behind. As the wind blew, his sleeves fluttered.
“A Mid Divine Transformation Realm star spirit is not enough to make me afraid… Crush!”
Ning Fan lifted one of his feet and then stomped on the beast’s skull which was as huge as a mountain.
When that stomp landed on its head, the giant beast’s expression was immediately filled with terror. Upon receiving the tremendous impact from Ning Fan’s stomp, it gave out a loud shriek. Eventually, its huge body exploded and vanished into nothingness with a bang!
Ning Fan then opened his mouth and the one thousand rays of starlight that formed the huge beast were all sucked into his stomach.
*Hiss*!
Inside the Cloud Palace, Lu Wu wore a look of shock.
Just before a few breaths ago, the first one thousand traces of Natal Star Power condensed inside Ning Fan’s body, triggering the first attack from the star soul.
But with just a few moments, Ning Fan had crushed the star soul and seized another one thousand traces of star power.
That scene moved Lu Wu for the first time.
“After condensing the first one thousand traces of Natal Star Power, one will meet the first star soul. Usually, this star possesses Mid Divine Transformation Realm level of strength. This Lu Bei is clearly also just a Mid Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. However, he was able to kill the Mid Divine Transformation Realm star soul in just an instant. This man’s battle power is slightly terrifying… I suppose he is unparalleled among the cultivators at the same level as him…”
“He truly is someone who deserves to be given the black chess piece by the Celestial Emperor. However, it is still unsure whether he can still be so calm when he meets the second wave of attack from the star soul after condensing five thousand traces of star power.”
In the world within Ning Fan’s state of mind, it did not take long for him to refine the additional one thousand traces of star power. Currently, there were already two thousand traces of Natal Star Power inside his body.Rays of starlight hovered around him. Ning Fan increased his flying
speed to the maximum, making him look like a wisp of purple smoke as he travelled among heaven and earth within that internal world.
Each of the crystals was pulled out one after another Ning Fan from the sky and earth, swallowing them all to refine his star power.
One day later, the Natal Star Power inside his body reached five thousand traces!
When the five thousand traces of star power were successfully condensed, the mass of star power in front of him suddenly turned chaotic. This time, nearly three thousand crystals broke and the star power that was unleashed condensed into a star soul beast which was much more gigantic than the previous one.
*Roar*
When the colossal beast roared, the earth trembled and the mountains shook. A Late Divine Transformation Realm aura force ferociously poured out from the beast!
“The star power is not something a mere ant can comprehend. I am the star soul and I’ve come to take your life!”
The beast’s jaw lowered, intending to spew out flames again. This time, however, Ning Fan did not even give it time to open its mouth.
Looking at the gigantic fierce beast which was approximately two thousand and five hundred zhang* large (3.33m per zhang), Ning Fan’s face remained indifferent. He pointed one of his fingers and a golden purple mist suddenly blew at the sky.
This golden purple mist had the power of weathering away everything. That power was the power of Samsara; the power that could put an end to everything that has ever existed!
*Roar*
Before the beast could even react, it was already enveloped by the golden purple mist. Its scale mail which had a hardness comparable to golden iron was literally turned into sand which drifted down its body amidst the mist!
The beast’s pupils revealed a look of disbelief and its body quivered uncontrollably.
It was proud earlier because it claimed to be a star soul and viewed Ning Fan as a mere ant.
But in front of this golden purple mist, an irresistible fear rose within the gigantic beast.
With the power of his Wind Mist Finger, Ning Fan was not the ant in this situation but the things that existed within this world were!
Screaming in pain, the beast was reduced to floating ash and was completely weathered away.
Three thousand traces of star power dispersed from the beast’s corpse and all of them were then sucked by Ning Fan into his stomach.
“There are eight thousand traces now…”
Ning Fan muttered to himself.
Inside the cloud palace, Lu Wu’s pupils dilated with surprise. If Ning Fan was said to have gained Lu Wu’s attention after witnessing him killing the star soul which was at the same level as him with just a single blow, Ning Fan could now be considered to have impressed Lu Wu after instantly killing the star soul which was a small cultivation base higher than him.
Killing enemies beyond one’s level is not something that just about anyone can do. Those who can are doubtlessly a one-in-ten-thousand genius.
At the very least, Lu Wu clearly knew that he wasn’t that kind of genius himself and he did not have the capability to kill an enemy who has a higher cultivation base than him.
However, Ning Fan did it with ease.
What Lu Wu found especially difficult to understand was the golden purple mist which appeared around Ning Fan’s body when he killed the second Star Soul.
“What technique was that golden purple mist? Anyhow, I was once the demon marshal of the Heavenly Court. Although my cultivation base was not high, I had seen innumerable experts. However, I have never seen any expert who could exhibit the power of this golden purple mist… The power contained within the mist is extremely terrifying. It is something that is beyond my comprehension…”
Lu Wu’s expression was filled with confusion.
At first, he only treated Ning Fan as a Divine Transformation Realm junior. Now, however, the way he looked at Ning Fan was similar to the way he looked at his peers.
“I can’t see through this Lu Bei! Even among the Divine Transformation Realm heavenly generals of the Heavenly Court in the past, this young man could also be considered as an outstanding expert!”
Within his state of mind, Ning Fan sat in lotus position in midair after swallowing a great number of crystals and began refining their power.
He sat there continuously for three days without moving or being affected by any external things. Three days later, he abruptly stood up and his body was already covered with ten thousand rays of starlight!
“I have ten thousand traces of star power now. It’s time to condense the first… Natal Star!”
The Celestial Emperor possessed one million Natal Stars. When he calls upon these one million stars, he could withstand the onslaughts of multiple Immortal Emperors without dying.
What Ning Fan was condensing right now was only his first Natal Star. Compared to the late Celestial Emperor, he was like a hair from nine oxen, truly insignificant.
Even so, this star was of great significance to him. It was his first step in learning the Black Star Technique and he could not afford to fail!
*Roar*
At the moment Ning Fan finished condensing ten thousand traces of star power, another thunderous roar of a beast reverberated through the sky. Another beast had come as expected!
Within the world’s heaven and earth, nearly ten thousand black crystals shattered and ten thousand traces of star power condensed into a three thousand zhang* enormous beast.
Another star soul! Besides, this star soul was apparently at the Peak Divine Transformation Realm!
“I only need to eliminate this star soul and I can then… condense my first Natal Star!”
Ning Fan made a step forward. His body was giving off masses of black qi and his white robes turned black!
Without even giving the star soul time to spit any harsh words, his body had already burst and dispersed into countless black shadows!
The black shadows vanished from heaven and earth. But at the next moment, they reappeared around the enormous beast and transformed into innumerable black virtual shadows that rushed towards the beast. That scene looked as if a drop of concentrated ink was spreading.
All of a sudden, the beast seemed to have just witnessed something unbelievable and its expression froze.
Subsequently, the scattered black shadows recondensed into a young man in black robes.
As for the beast, its body blew up with a bang, turning into bloody mist which permeated the atmosphere. It was instantly killed by a single move from the black shadows!
At the moment the beast died, the first black star rose at the end of heaven and earth!
An unusual feeling spread throughout every fiber of Ning Fan’s body. His bones, tendons, and skin began to fester and decay. However, when they were basked in the black starlight, they recovered and shone with life again.
His bones were rearranging themselves. Every inch of his muscle had been filled with even more energy than before.
“This is… Star Power Body Tempering?!” Ning Fan’s eyes glowed with excitement. He could feel that after condensing the first black star, his body was being reconstructed again, thoroughly remolding itself and making it become even stronger and tougher!
The first time he experienced such changes was during his second phase of corpse transformation.
This time, however, his body was being tempered by star power!
“I’m about to break through to the Third Level of the Jade Life Realm!” Ning Fan felt that his physical body was advancing to a greater body refining realm!
In the Cloud Palace, Lu Wu sighed with admiration.
He had sensed that Ning Fan had also killed the third star soul with a single move and completely condensed his first Natal Star.
As such, Ning Fan could be considered to have mastered the initial stage of the Star Technique…
“Even a Peak Divine Transformation Realm star soul was also killed instantly by this young man with a single move… Is he really just a Mid Divine Transformation Realm cultivator? Even I am doubting my judgement right now… Hehe. This kid is indeed extraordinary. I suppose he rarely has any opponents among the cultivators below the Void Refinement Realm. If this kid were to be born in the ancient times, he would definitely be one of the candidates competing to be an Immortal Emperor!”
“So he is the person who was invited by Lu Daochen… That kid, Chen always had a keen sense of people.”
Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel.
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