Ao Hai turned sideways to lead the way, his movements smooth and natural. The interior of the fortress was not the resplendent splendor one might imagine.
The huge and solid passageways were constructed entirely from massive slabs of dark star ore, cutting off all probing by Divine Sense.
Bone Lamps that emitted a faint radiance hung upon the walls; every kind of flame upon those lamps was birthed between Heaven and Earth, each blossom possessing a power near enough to incinerate an ordinary Transformed Realm Demon.
Yet here, they could be seen everywhere.
From time to time, other powerhouses of various races hurried past, their auras fierce, their gazes cold and sharp; when they saw Ao Hai, they would slightly nod in greeting, but when their eyes fell upon this "unfamiliar" face of Jiang Shu, they carefully engraved his features in their memory.
All who could come to this place were without exception the proud scions of the great powerful clans.
To enter the Starfall Abyss was akin to obtaining a great fortuitous opportunity.
Perhaps in the future, they would all be able to advance to Demon Venerable, or even stand above Demon Venerable.
Naturally, they had to pay extra attention.
"The summons for this Starfall Abyss this time is of exceedingly high standard."
"Phoenix, Kunpeng, True Roar—every ancient remnant bloodline has core clansmen coming."
"With the will of the Emperor Palace pressing down from above, the various clans dare not show the slightest negligence."
Ao Hai spoke as he walked, his tone carrying a faint gravity.
"This time, within the core region of the Abyss, they will select the true seeds qualified to receive the Star Abyss baptism. Once they succeed, in Talent and potential they may even surpass the current Jiang Taixuan of the Human Clan."
At the mention of this name, even this proud Dragon Clan powerhouse could not completely conceal a trace of heaviness in his voice.
The name Jiang Taixuan was like a heavy boulder, pressing upon their hearts.
Even a clan as powerful as the Dragon Clan now had to acknowledge Jiang Shu's renowned might.
Jiang Shu nodded in silence, yet in his heart his thoughts turned ceaselessly.
This Star Abyss baptism should be the core method for concentrating resources to nurture elites.
The core region of the Array Hub was likely in that so-called "baptism ground."
Leaving the fortress corridor area and crossing an iron trestle bridge suspended above a vast gorge, the view suddenly opened up ahead as they reached a relatively level, enormous platform—this was the Starfall Platform.
The Starfall Platform was situated within a mysterious space.
Seen from the outside, it seemed no more than a small patch of land.
Yet as long as one had some comprehension of the Space Dao, one could, through the various streams of space turbulence, discern that the platform's diameter actually extended for several thousand li.
Compared to the great islands of the Chaotic Demon Sea in the Endless Sea Domain, it was vastly larger.
The rock beneath their feet displayed a strange, glassy luster, incomparably solid.
At the edge of the platform, one could even see the outline of low mountain ranges formed from the core material left behind by some colossal impact.
Farther out lay an Abyss of unfathomable depth, space there strongly distorted, like the gaze of a cosmic Black Hole.
The chaotic energy drifting in the air grew denser, forming a low, wailing hum.
Upon the platform, several factions stood with their territories distinctly demarcated.
Most dazzling among them was naturally the place where the Phoenix Clan stood.
More than a dozen figures, whether male or female, all wore feathered robes in which rosy radiance flowed.
Their auras were blazing and proud, like the core of a flame. At their head was a youth with phoenix eyes, scarlet hair cascading over his shoulders, his features so handsome as to verge on the demonic; only his gaze was far too sharp, like two burning flaming Divine Swords, scorching any existence that dared meet his eyes.
The scorching pressure emanating from him clearly surpassed that of the other clansmen by a wide margin; he was already at the peak of Demon Lord Late Stage.
They were the darlings of the sky, the masters of flame; that innate sense of superiority seemed almost to have condensed into a tangible halo.
In the area beside them, however, the atmosphere was entirely different.
The Kunpeng Clan had only a scant few people present; most of them wore long robes dark and deep as liquid mercury, their figures like mist and haze, as if they could merge into the surrounding space at any moment.
Their leader was a silver-haired youth; though his features were still somewhat tender, his eyes were as cold and indifferent as a ten-thousand-year Cold Pond. His aura seemed faint, yet carried a spacetime-folding kind of Mysterious danger.
The Kunpeng Clan's Talent lay in space and devouring; their bloodline was rare yet powerful, their ways secretive and low-key, but no one dared to underestimate them.
Their sense of presence was not strong, yet they were like shadows in the Abyss, omnipresent.
Farther away were the burly men of the True Hound Clan; their muscles knotted like metal and stone, Demon Energy about them condensing into solid black tiger stripes, brimming with wild explosive force as they lowly roared at one another, exuding a kind of primordial aggressiveness.
There were also several groups of Demon Race whose auras were completely different; some had grotesque forms like amalgams of lava and rock, while others were ethereal and formless, like cloud or smoke.
The representatives of various ancient remnant bloodlines were clearly among them as well, each aura more obscure and unfathomable, shrouded in a hazy gray mist that concealed their true forms.
Under Ao Hai's lead, the Dragon Clan contingent of over a dozen young men and women walked to an open area and stood firm.
Most of them had straight, upright postures, their blood and qi surging, echoing like dragon song; their Dragon Horns were imposing—some jet black, some dark gold, some cyan—symbolizing different branches of their bloodline.
The Golden Horn incarnation of Jiang Shu stood among them, neither ostentatious nor overly reserved, blending in to just the right degree.
Almost the instant the Dragon Clan had just taken their positions, a Divine Thought fluctuation carrying an obvious note of provocation swept over like an invisible ice thorn, in an instant stabbing toward the Dragon Clan camp, with particular focus sweeping across Jiang Shu.
"Heh, since when did even the Dragon Clan start being this sluggish?"
"Merely at Demon Monarch Early Stage, yet just because he has comprehended a few Great Dao, his airs are quite something."
The voice was not loud, yet it rang clearly within the Sea of Consciousness of all the Demon Race present.
The source was a Phoenix Girl standing beside that red-haired youth of the Phoenix Clan, her aura equally scorching, her cheeks narrow and long.
At these words, the air instantly congealed.
Ao Hai's thick brows knit together, the Dragon Breath around him sinking sharply, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Chapter 1256: 669: Gathering of the Mighty! Star Abyss Baptism!
6 min read