Without hesitation, Lu Yuan retrieved the Fuxi Bagua Diagram and activated it with his essence blood. This time, however, he was not looking for the Celestial Star.
Instead, he was surveying all inhabited planets in the vicinity before setting out. According to their deductions, the Extraterrestrial Demon was bound to devour living beings once again.
Very likely, members of the Celestial Clan were acting as its guides. Thus, every planet bearing life was now cloaked in peril. Fortunately, they only needed to scan the Thunderstrike Star Domain; scouring the entire cosmos would have been an entirely different matter, as the number of worlds was so vast that even they could never locate them all.
Even if they could find them, traversing them all would be impossible due to the sheer quantity. Before long, under Lu Yuan's activation, stars lit up one after another upon the Fuxi Bagua Diagram.
Among them, those teeming with life became clearly visible. Such was the function of this treasure: as long as the user held a specific target in mind, it could identify all relevant stars, wasting no time and achieving pinpoint accuracy.
"There are a total of thirteen planets around us that harbor abundant life. We'll check them one by one, from nearest to farthest. Barring any unforeseen mishaps, we will surely ferret out that Extraterrestrial Demon." Looking at the projections on the Bagua Diagram, Lu Yuan already had a general plan and route mapped out in his mind.
Beside him, Jiang Ningxian and the others raised no objections, nodding in unison. They did not know what encountering the Extraterrestrial Demon would truly entail, nor did they know just how powerful such an entity was. Only one thought occupied their minds: they could not allow it to continue slaughtering the living beings of this universe.
At that moment, Lu Yuan stowed away the Bagua Diagram and swept his hand through the air. With a low rumble, a void passage opened.
On the other side of the passage lay a planet—their first destination. Ordinarily, planets that fostered life were separated by astronomical distances; even an expert of the Immortal Realm would require considerable time to reach one. Yet Lu Yuan was excessively powerful, wielding methods that defied the heavens.
The passage he carved could bridge immense gulfs across space. Without further delay, the group stepped into the passage.
Meanwhile, in another part of the Thunderstrike Star Domain, upon a colossal planet...
A massive black altar had been erected across a certain region. Surrounding it stood dozens of active volcanoes, continuously spewing molten lava into the sky. A scorching, suffocating heat blanketed the entire land.
Suspended in midair above was a member of the Celestial Clan. Arcs of lightning raged ceaselessly around him, radiating an extremely formidable aura.
Down below, lining the rims of the active volcanoes, were countless living beings. Though not human, they were native creatures of this universe. Their appearances differed from mankind's, but fundamentally, both were life-forms belonging to this cosmos. More importantly, these creatures possessed no extraordinary power, being no different from ordinary mortals on Earth.
"Hurry! Throw yourselves into the volcanoes, or I shall do it myself!" the Celestial cultivator commanded from above, his voice booming like thunder.
Compared to these ordinary beings, he was overwhelmingly powerful, akin to a god descended from heaven. In truth, the Celestial Clan was the absolute ruler of the Thunderstrike Star Domain. In the eyes of the other creatures inhabiting this domain, they were revered as divine beings. Thus, despite the terror gripping their hearts, they ultimately obeyed the order, trembling as they cast themselves one after another into the fiery craters.
It was a horrific scene. If this were Earth, it would be akin to someone coercing ordinary civilians to march to their deaths. Yet because these beings viewed the Celestials as gods, they leaped down without turning back. Some had indeed attempted to resist, but they had long since been put to death.
And so, such a tragedy unfolded across this planet. Under intimidation and fear, countless ordinary beings were herded to the same place, voluntarily plunging into the magma to become sacrificial offerings. This process had already gone on for some time, and the dead numbered in the hundreds of millions.
"Everything is ready now. I wonder when that esteemed lord will arrive," the Celestial cultivator muttered to himself, gazing into the distance.
Ever since those lords descended, the Celestial Clan had submitted to them. Upon hearing that a blood sacrifice of living beings was required to help those lords restore their power, they had carried it out without hesitation. In return, the Celestial Clan had garnered immense benefits throughout this process. More crucially, word had previously arrived from the Ji clan.
Therefore, it was not merely this planet. Across the entirety of the Thunderstrike Star Domain, every planet that harbored a large population had been turned into a blood-sacrifice ground by the Celestial Clan. As for worlds with sparse populations, the Celestials ignored them entirely; the numbers were too meager to provide any meaningful benefit.
Rumble~
Just as he was lost in thought, the void violently shook, and a dark shadow abruptly materialized. The figure was shrouded entirely in dense mist, an overwhelming presence radiating from him. Perhaps because his power was so bizarre and alien, the space around him warped and twisted, groaning continuously as if this universe vehemently rejected his arrival.
"Lord!" The Celestial cultivator rushed forward upon spotting him, adopting an exceedingly reverent tone. "I have already sacrificed hundreds of millions of living beings on this planet, gathering a tremendous reserve of power atop the altar. It will certainly allow you to recover another portion of your strength.
"Furthermore, preparations on the other planets are underway. Once you finish here, you may proceed straight to them."
Hearing this, the shadowy figure nodded and spoke in a low rasp: "Well done.
"Presently, many powerful figures have gathered upon the Celestial Star.
"Those companions of mine can only barely hold the line. Therefore, I must continue accumulating power and take another step forward before heading to the Celestial Star. When that time comes, the scales of victory will tip. I hear there is even a Supreme Immortal there." As he spoke, a hint of anticipation crept into his voice. It seemed everything had been meticulously planned from the start.
"Understood!" A glint of excitement flashed in the Celestial cultivator's eyes.
Without another word, the shadowy figure stepped forward and appeared directly atop the black altar. He sat down cross-legged, opened his mouth, and drew in a deep breath.
Instantly, boundless life essence erupted from the dozens of surrounding volcanoes, surging entirely into his body. All of it was power condensed from the sacrificed creatures, now treated as raw nourishment by the black shadow.
As he absorbed more and more vital essence, the dark mist enveloping him grew thicker than ever, and the aura he exuded turned increasingly dreadful and terrifying.
It seemed only through absorbing such life essence could an entity like this grow stronger. It was an appalling sight; standard cultivation and evolution drew upon the natural energy of heaven and earth, yet this shadowy figure relied strictly on devouring the life essence of living beings.
Chapter 472