The plaza before the Ten Thousand Laws Palace had a sticky, oppressive atmosphere. All three forces tried various methods to break the restrictions on the shut palace doors. Flaming Sun Sect's young master Yan Feng was most impatient, attempting to bombard the doors with violent fire techniques, but this triggered a restriction backlash—a chaotic thunder light struck down. Though an elder beside him barely blocked it, Yan Feng was thoroughly disheveled and didn't dare act recklessly again. Mysterious Mechanism Holy Land's Mu Xue tried using exquisite ice spiritual energy to penetrate restriction nodes, progressing slowly with little effect.
Mu Qingfeng observed for a long time, combining the experience of entering this small world earlier, and said gravely: "This door's restriction shares the same origin with the outer barriers and internal trials—rejecting violence, valuing peace and purity. Forceful attack is absolutely impossible. One must use power resonating with its dao rhythm to trigger it."
His gaze again landed on Xiao Qi.
Xiao Qi understood, stepping forward several paces to the enormous dark golden palace door. Being closer, he felt even more the vast pressure and the endlessly circulating mysterious runes from the door. He held his breath, not immediately acting, but first fully circulated the Spirit Concentration Art to adjust his state to clarity. Then, cautiously, he guided the jade pendant at his chest to emit that unique, pure purification aura, like invisible tendrils slowly extending toward the palace door.
This time, the palace door didn't immediately reject it. The circulating runes seemed to slow slightly upon touching the purification aura, emitting a scrutinizing fluctuation.
Xiao Qi had a flash of insight. He didn't try to impact or break any node, but immersed his mind in that "protecting the pure land" and "cleansing evil" intent, merging with the jade pendant's emitted aura as if declaring his "dao heart" to this ancient palace.
Time passed bit by bit. Just as Yan Feng grew impatient, about to speak sarcastically—
"Hum..."
A low, magnificent hum seemingly originating from primordial times resonated from within the palace door, spreading across the entire plaza!
The tightly shut dark golden Ten Thousand Laws Palace door, as if never opened since antiquity, in everyone's shocked gazes, accompanied by a heavy rumbling of grinding ages, slowly opened inward a crack! The gap gradually widened, finally becoming an entrance sufficient for several people to pass side by side!
Behind the door was not the expected palace interior, but an even more brilliant, even more soul-shocking starry sky!
"The door opened!" A Qingxu Temple disciple couldn't help crying out, wild joy surging on his face.
The Flaming Sun Sect and Mysterious Mechanism Holy Land people also instantly became spirited, their eyes blazing hot.
"Enter!" Mu Qingfeng immediately decided, shouting low. He and Liu Yun took the lead, protecting Xiao Qi as they first rushed into that starlight entrance. Qingxu Temple disciples followed closely.
"Quick! Don't let them get ahead!" Yan Feng was beside himself, leading Flaming Sun Sect disciples swarming in.
Mu Xue's eyes narrowed slightly. Without hesitation, she led Mysterious Mechanism Holy Land disciples, transforming into streams of light entering the door.
Just as the last person stepped through the palace door and the massive doors began slowly closing, in the shadows of the distant Hundred Herb Garden, the Silver-Faced Envoy's eyes flashed cold: "Now! Follow closely!"
Six ghost-like black shadows, seizing the moment before the palace doors completely shut, pushed Shadow Stealth to the limit, like bone-attached sores, silently clinging to the ground, narrowly slipping through in the nick of time without alerting the three forces ahead rushing for treasure.
The palace doors completely closed behind them with a muffled boom, sealing inside from outside.
And the scene inside the doors left all intruders—whether the three visible forces or the hidden Shadow Snake Pavilion—speechless.
Here was not a palace, but a boundless, real starry sky!
Beneath their feet was a transparent "ground" seemingly formed from condensed starlight, clearly showing slowly rotating nebulae and brilliant galaxies below. Above was an even deeper, even closer to origin universe, with countless massive stars seemingly within reach, emanating vast stellar power and law dao resonance.
In the center of this starry sky floated an enormous circular altar. The altar was entirely made of some dark stone neither gold nor jade, emanating chaotic energy, divided into nine levels. Each level was carved with densely packed ancient runes containing heaven and earth's ultimate principles. These runes were autonomously absorbing surrounding stellar power, emanating heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.
At the very top of this nine-level altar, a light source impossible to describe in words for its purity and brilliance was quietly suspended there.
That light source wasn't static, but constantly being born and extinguished, evolving—sometimes becoming a blooming lotus, sometimes rotating like a nebula, sometimes seeming to contain a world's prototype. It emanated a warm, peaceful, yet supreme aura, as if the source of all wisdom, the destination of all power, the ultimate meaning of this secret realm's existence—core inheritance!
However, the path to this light source was blocked by layers upon layers of incredibly complex restriction light screens. These light screens displayed seven-colored glazelike colors, with runes circulating so fast they were hard to trace with the naked eye, forming a perfect and powerful protection system, firmly guarding it in the center. That vast pressure emanated from this protective restriction, making all who approached feel their own insignificance, as if facing the entire universe's will!
"Core inheritance!" Yan Feng's breathing became rapid, his eyes filled with greed, wanting nothing more than to immediately rush up.
Mu Xue's beautiful eyes also flickered. Even on her cold face, shock and longing were hard to conceal.
Mu Qingfeng was calmer, carefully observing the altar and restrictions, saying gravely: "Don't be impulsive! This protective restriction is far more powerful than any we've encountered before. Approaching rashly means certain death!"
Before his words fell, as if confirming them, a Flaming Sun Sect disciple overwhelmed by greed couldn't hold back, suddenly rushing toward the altar, trying to pass through the outermost light screen.
However, the moment his body touched the light screen—
"Sizzle!"
Like a water droplet falling onto a red-hot iron, without even a scream, that disciple's entire person, including his protective spiritual light and magical artifacts, was instantly annihilated by the circulating runes on the seven-colored light screen into the most basic particles, dissipating into the starry sky without leaving a trace!
This scene, like ice water poured over heads, instantly calmed everyone who had been eager to move, horror appearing on their faces.
This core inheritance was indeed not so easily obtained!
The three forces again formed a standoff around this central altar. But this time, the target was clear, and the atmosphere even more tense. Everyone was sizing up the altar, sizing up their opponents, while also being wary of unknown, potentially existing other dangers.
And the Silver-Faced Envoy hiding in the starry sky's edge shadows, looking at that pure light source, his eyes flashed with disgust and dread—that light made him very uncomfortable. But his gaze was more fixed on Tang Xiao Qi, and those layers of restrictions.
"Purification Source... perhaps this kid is the key to opening this turtle shell..." he calculated coldly in his heart.
The starry sky was silent. The inheritance was before them. Restrictions blocked the way. Undercurrents surged. A struggle around this ultimate opportunity in this magnificent Central Inheritance Hall (this starry sky was the hall) was about to begin.