Chapter 848: Star Cluster Launch

Jian Changsheng caught the miniature silver scabbard, still dazed for a moment.

Chen Ling pondered for a moment, then reached out and took the scabbard. Little Jian stared at him blankly, neither stopping him nor asking any questions... It wasn't until Chen Ling used his reshaping ability to transform it into a silver necklace, stringing the scabbard onto it, that he placed it back into Jian Changsheng's hands.

"Put it on," Chen Ling said calmly. "We've changed your destiny for you."

Jian Changsheng looked at the necklace in his hand, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably...

Jian Changsheng had never imagined that the Heavenly Star position would ultimately come to him in this manner. Not only he, but even the Five Great Domains, and the pinnacle of the Skillful God Path, the Tower of Heaven, could not conceive of or achieve such a feat... Yet, Chen Ling and Sun Bumian did it.

Jian Changsheng's fate had been difficult and tragic; he could never have accomplished all of this on his own. Chen Ling and Sun Bumian were like two bright hands reaching out from the darkness, pulling him forcefully from the mire of destiny and slapping fate twice in the face!

Sun Bumian was right; he owed them a massive favor.

Jian Changsheng silently put on the necklace, his gaze fixed on the two individuals before him, his expression incredibly complex...

He remained silent for a long time, then a thousand words converged into two:

"Thank you."

"This is no time for thanks," Chen Ling said, looking down at the Assembly of All Beings token in his hand, which was covered in cracks. His expression was solemn. "We need to hurry."

"What are we waiting for?! We have to run now!"

Without another word, Sun Bumian launched himself into the sky with a cloud-stepping technique. The composure of an old artist he once displayed was gone; his legs moved so fast it seemed death itself was hot on his heels.

The Assembly of All Beings token had a limited duration. If Chen Ling and the others hadn't turned back earlier, it would have been enough to protect them all the way out of the Tianshu Domain.

But they chose to fight their way back into the Old District and spent a significant amount of time on the Heavenly Star position. Now, the duration of this foundational treasure was extremely tight, and it was uncertain whether it could still protect them long enough to escape...

Currently, the five domain representatives present, as well as the high-ranking members of the Tower of Heaven, were completely enraged. If Chen Ling and the other two retreated even a little slowly, their fate would be sealed.

"Go!"

Chen Ling also quickly stepped into the void, turning into a long red streak as he chased towards the horizon.

Jian Changsheng, disregarding his fear of heights, closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and charged forward. His right hand clutched the scabbard necklace tightly, as if praying for good fortune to turn danger into safety.

The three figures successively burst out of the Old District. The people of the Tianshu Domain, who had barely recovered, saw the trio moving freely and cried out in renewed terror!

"They actually destroyed the Heavenly Star position!" one domain representative exclaimed, his face ghastly.

"The five of us attacked simultaneously, combined with the Tower of Heaven's encirclement, yet they still moved in and out of the Tianshu Domain as if it were uninhabited... If news of this incident spreads, it will surely cause widespread panic."

"We absolutely cannot let them leave the Tianshu Domain just like that..."

"Damn it, how much longer until this thing expires?!"

The domain representatives frantically resisted the effects of the Assembly of All Beings, as dense cracks spread across the ground beneath their wooden chairs. The Master of the Tower of Heaven watched the trio vanish into the distance. Just then, the six Heavenly Star positions scattered throughout the Old District began to emit dazzling starlight!

The starlight, like blazing torches, shot straight into the sky, several times more powerful than before. Demigod-level pressure, carried by these six pillars of light, rapidly spread outwards!

At this moment, everyone in the Old District instinctively looked up. Amidst the interwoven starlight, a phantom figure seemed to stand in mid-air.

The Tianshu Lord!!

Upon seeing this sight, the Twilight Society members' hearts sank.

As members of the Twilight Society, they naturally had access to various intelligence channels and had heard of a hidden power within the Tianshu Domain: the ability to activate a trace of starlight left behind by the Tianshu Lord before his slumber, unleashing demigod-level destructive power for a short period, almost equivalent to the Tianshu Lord's full-strength attack!

They had believed this power was reserved for repelling the invasion of world-ending calamities. They never expected it to be activated now.

Wait...

To repel world-ending calamities... Well, that didn't seem wrong.

But were they truly planning to use such a grand maneuver against three fourth-tier youngsters? Even if they killed Chen Ling and his companions this way, it would exhaust a demigod-level reserve, a loss of ten thousand to kill a thousand enemies!

Did those three truly warrant such treatment??

At the same time, a voice came from the intercom in the Tower Master's arms:

"Tower Master, 'Star Cluster' is ready. Do we still need to deploy it?"

The domain representatives exchanged glances. At this point, they had actually calmed down, carefully weighing the pros and cons... To the outside world, these were villainous Twilight Society members who could move freely within the Tianshu Domain, but the representatives knew full well that they were merely three fourth-tier ants. Regardless, expending 'Star Cluster' on them would be too great a cost.

However, if they didn't act, human morale would suffer another blow, and it would be incredibly difficult to restore it.

At this moment, everyone's gaze turned to the Master of the Tower of Heaven. After all, this was the Tianshu Domain's territory, and he was the one to make the final decision.

The Master of the Tower of Heaven remained silent for a long time, then, as if finally making up his mind, he heavily uttered a single word:

"Use."

Audience Expectation: 3Current Expectation: 34

When these two lines of text floated before Chen Ling's eyes, his heart lurched, and his cloud-stepping speed increased even further!

Although he didn't know where this "expectation" came from, anything that made the audience anticipate at this moment was certainly not good news... An ominous premonition washed over Chen Ling.

Boom—!!!

A deafening roar erupted from behind the trio.

Ninth Lord-level fluctuations, centered on the six Heavenly Star lights in the Old District, swept in all directions. The surging air currents nearly knocked the trio directly out of the sky!

On the streets closer to the Old District, the packed crowd was swept by the violent winds, falling to the ground and looking up at the sky in bewilderment...

"That's..." Jian Changsheng turned to look back, his face instantly turning deathly pale!

Dazzling starlight surged into the sky, stars connecting into lines. Amidst the haze, a phantom figure appeared, seemingly stepping on a cluster of stars. This figure, facing Chen Ling and his companions, slowly raised a palm...

"Is it the Tianshu Lord?!" Sun Bumian's heart sank as well. Before the Ninth Lord-level aura fluctuations, they were like kindling before a scorching sun, fragile and insignificant... Sun Bumian clenched his jaw, all traces of calm and amusement vanishing from his face, and exclaimed in shock,

"They actually used the Tianshu Lord's power just to kill us three fourth-tier individuals?!"