Chapter 600: Moon Palace Myth, Taiyin Shape Refining Talisman

Previously, it was quite a distance away, and the laurel tree, glowing like white jade with misty moonlight, appeared to be the most precious of treasures. This was why it had been saved for the grand finale.

Now, being so close, he realized this laurel was like a flower in the mist or the moon in the water—visible yet intangible.

This was indeed disappointing.

However, given such an abundant harvest, there was no need for excessive regret.

"What is destined to be mine will be; what is not, will not."

Murmuring this to himself, Wang Yu quickly walked beneath the colossal laurel tree, his heart filled with intense curiosity.

In the myths of his previous life, there were legends of Chang'e flying to the moon and Wu Gang chopping the tree. Given that his own innate divine ability was the Twelve Phases of Guanghan, he had often harbored doubts and hesitated just from these various phenomena.

He had wondered if the moon truly held the Guanghan Palace and a laurel tree. Now, while the Guanghan Palace remained unseen, he had indeed encountered this laurel tree, filling him with a momentary surge of emotion.

Fortunately, he hadn't transmigrated to worlds like *Journey to the West*, Primeval Myths, or *Investiture of the Gods*; otherwise, as a demon, he likely wouldn't be tolerated by the Heavenly Court.

These brief reflections did not, however, deter his next course of action.

Although the laurel tree was an illusory image, its appearance closely resembled a solid object. Wang Yu ascended through the gaps in its branches, deeply curious about the reasons behind its formation.

Every phenomenon in the world has an underlying cause for its existence.

Even the Lunar Star within this prison world, which holds a fraction of the Cosmic Venerable's power, to establish a Daoist sanctuary here is something no ordinary person could achieve.

The laurel's position subtly aligned with the principles of Feng Shui.

He suspected this construct was artificially arranged, or at the very least, it was highly probable that it was a manifested projection of the true Lunar Star. One should not forget that the Lunar Stars in these lesser realms are derived entities of the genuine Supreme Stars.

Though called a projection, it was, in essence, real.

Thus, the true body of this laurel tree was likely located on the actual Lunar Star. Such Supreme Stars are crucial spiritual energy hubs within the Vast Immortal Realm and must never be lost.

Naturally, immortals are permanently stationed there, and the same applies to other such stars.

The same holds true for the Solar Star, another Supreme Celestial Body. It is said that these two stars belonging to humanity are not unique; other mighty Immortal Realms governing parts of the Cosmic Sea also possess their own Lunar and Solar Stars.

Legends whisper of undiscovered Supreme Stars in the deepest reaches of the Cosmic Sea. While Lunar and Solar Stars are comparatively numerous, Imperial Stars like the Ziwei Star are genuinely rare.

Beyond the one in the Vast Immortal Realm, their presence in other domains remains unknown, but they are presumed to be equally scarce.

A wealth of information swiftly passed through his mind.

Wang Yu couldn't help but marvel; the inherited memories of the Ice Phoenix clan were truly invaluable, at least in helping him grasp the sheer immensity of the world and the cosmos.

The concept of the Cosmic Sea, or the Gui Xu.

In his view, it bore similarities to the starry heavens of his previous life's universe—both vast, empty, and immeasurable.

Much like the Dao itself, it was boundless and infinite; there was always a heaven beyond the heaven, and the path to enlightenment was ceaseless.

It felt as though his state of mind had achieved a minor breakthrough.

Wang Yu flew higher and higher, and the laurel tree seemed to contain a universe within itself. He had initially perceived it as merely a giant tree, and after ascending from its base into the canopy, the distance covered didn't appear significant.

Yet, despite flying for a full half-hour, he still couldn't see its end.

The surrounding branches and leaves grew progressively larger, completely unlike what he had observed from the outside. Wang Yu instinctively looked at his hands.

He muttered to himself, bewildered.

"Have I shrunk, or has this tree expanded?"

Despite being an illusion, it contained such profound mystique.

Wang Yu couldn't help but grow expectant.

And so, after flying for three full days, completely oblivious to the passage of time or distance, an exquisite and magnificent palace appeared on one of the branches.

Jade pillars carved with dragons and phoenixes, long murals depicting exotic flora and fauna, and graceful eaves adorned with round moon-shaped wind chimes that tinkled crisply with every cold gust of wind.

Their sound evoked distant, sorrowful memories from the depths of time.

Wang Yu subconsciously touched the corner of his eye, realizing that two streaks of tears had unknowingly traced down his cheek. The sound of the wind chimes was desolate and ancient, possessing an unexpectedly poignant ability to stir one's soul.

That even his realm and state of mind could be affected was truly remarkable.

He was immediately filled with awe, yet held no covetousness for the wind chimes, as everything here was an illusion—visible and audible, but intangible.

It was as if he was witnessing a mere silhouette from a specific moment within the grand river of time.

A brief, accidental glimpse was all he was afforded.

Upon reaching the palace entrance, the plaque was too blurry to read, so Wang Yu simply referred to it as the Moon Palace. He flew through the grand doors, taking in the style and sights within.

Its aesthetics were utterly distinct from those of the Ice Prison Realm.

It was the epitome of luxury; even the jade bricks paving the floors were energy crystals far superior to top-grade spirit stones. Though he couldn't identify them, he could sense their extraordinary nature.

He was repeatedly astonished when he occasionally recognized items through his Ice Phoenix memories. For instance, a couch-like resting area above the main hall was crafted from Immortal Parasol Wood.

This versatile piece of furniture, designed for leaning, lounging, sitting, and sleeping, was both exquisitely crafted and lavish, truly an eye-opener for him.

The tour lasted for just under half an hour.

Wang Yu eventually discovered a fragmented scripture within a sealed meditation chamber at the rear of the palace. With his mastery of ancient texts, he could confidently determine that this fragment was certainly not a product of the Ice Prison Realm.

A wondrous idea immediately sprang to his mind.

"Could this be a projection from the true Lunar Star, somehow related to the Supreme Star's past?"

The situation could only be surmised, not confirmed.

Although Wang Yu did not understand the scripture's script, the placement slot presented no reading obstacles. A single glance was enough to directly place it into the slot.

Once he gained cultivation experience, all difficulties would naturally unravel.

And so, Wang Yu waited for a full three hours before the first wave of experiential feedback arrived.

"Lunar Refining Form Treasure Scroll… Stellar Ancient Script… Star Lord Mythology… So that's how it is!"

In an instant, Wang Yu seemed to achieve enlightenment, instantly grasping the underlying truth.

It turned out that the *Lunar Refining Form Treasure Scroll* was none other than the innate cultivation method of the Lunar Star Lord. Although the Vast Immortal Palace now had similar positions, this Star Lord was not merely a title—it referred to a specific type of being.

According to the *Lunar Refining Form Treasure Scroll*, the very first Lunar Star Lord was a primordial deity born from the Lunar Star itself, endowed with innate knowledge, and this lineage was a gift from Heaven and Earth.

Such beings are also referred to as Star Gods.

While the Stellar Ancient Script wasn't as potent as the Five Great Dao Scripts, it nevertheless embodied the mysteries of the stars. It could be used in artifact forging, talisman crafting, pill refining, and formation arrangement, all with the effect of drawing in stellar essence.

This effectively allowed for twice the results with half the effort.

As for these primordial deities, they once ruled the Vast Immortal Realm an incredibly long time ago—not mere thousands or tens of thousands of years, but hundreds of millions, even billions, of years in the past.

It was truly ancient history within ancient history, with many events impossible to trace back.

The inherited knowledge merely offered a fleeting mention.

It didn't elaborate further, focusing instead on the cultivation methods of the Star Gods. This excessively ancient inheritance seemed fundamentally incompatible with the current era, making it difficult for Wang Yu to assess its true rank.

He presumed it to be of an extraordinarily high caliber, certainly a profound ancient scripture beyond the grasp of a mere mortal from the lower realms like himself.

After fully absorbing the experience feedback from the placement slot, Wang Yu was simultaneously astonished and delighted.

The *Lunar Refining Form Treasure Scroll* was not intended for humans. Theoretically, it was only suitable for Star Gods born from yin-aligned stars; even if humans attempted to cultivate it forcibly, they would be unable to grasp its fundamentals.

This was due to their entirely different internal structures.

While some commonalities in demonic inheritances allowed for their modification into human versions, the very genesis of the Star God inheritance was fundamentally distinct.

Deities born from the very essence of stars are inherently close to the Dao.

Even without possessing the rudimentary spatial Dao principles, their profound affinity allowed them to traverse space. Furthermore, comprehending the Great Dao they were naturally aligned with was incredibly straightforward.

Often, within a mere thousand years of their birth, they could attain Dao Integration combat prowess.

The most exceptional among them could even directly reach the Mahayana realm, or even completely control a Dao principle. While their cultivation realm might be slightly inferior to that of a True Immortal, their combat power was a tier higher, earning them the title of Starry Sky Dao Masters.

Wang Yu was astonished by the *Lunar Refining Form Treasure Scroll*'s astonishing potential, and delighted by the efficacy of his placement slot.

Indeed, the "cheat" ability seemed limitless. Despite being a Star God cultivation method entirely unsuitable for human practice, he could actually master it. His main body couldn't cultivate it independently; all progress was gained solely through the feedback from the placement slot.

There were pros and cons, of course.

However, considering the power bestowed by the *Lunar Refining Form Treasure Scroll*, its occupation of a placement slot was a trivial drawback.

The Path of Star Gods placed immense emphasis on comprehending Dao principles and enhancing the essence of the primordial spirit. Cultivating this method would effortlessly grant Wang Yu access to the threshold of the Grand Lunar Dao.

By cleansing the primordial spirit with the power of Dao principles, divine patterns could manifest between the eyebrows. Realms were divided into one to nine patterns, with nine divine patterns signifying a Starry Sky Dao Master, fully wielding a Grand Dao.

Unfortunately, the *Lunar Refining Form Treasure Scroll* was severely incomplete, only containing cultivation methods for the first to third patterns. This level of completion, however, already met the requirements for the placement slot to fill in the rest.

Yet, the time required was excessively long. Wang Yu merely glanced at it before shaking his head; just to deduce and supplement it to the fourth divine pattern realm would take as long as cultivating the *Ice Phoenix Heaven-Cry Melody*.

"The Star God's path emphasizes Dao principles and the primordial spirit. Especially regarding Dao principles, it can help me gain an advantage. I absolutely cannot let go of such an opportunity."

Even if only the first to third patterns were available, it was sufficient for his current stage of cultivation.

A single Lunar Divine Pattern was equivalent to the Spirit Transformation stage.

Two Lunar Divine Patterns equated to the Void Refinement stage, three to peak Void Refinement, and so on. An eight-pattern Star God rivaled a Tribulation Transcender, while a nine-pattern Star God stood on par with an Immortal.

What lay beyond remained unknown.

Furthermore, Star Gods possessed one pattern upon birth, surpassing even true spirit bloodlines—a truly astonishing testament to Heaven and Earth's immense favoritism! It was incredibly enviable!

"Cultivating the *Lunar Refining Form Treasure Scroll* can only be achieved through the placement slot, but once the first Lunar Divine Pattern is truly forged, my primordial spirit will undoubtedly undergo a fundamental change. At that point, I will be able to absorb and refine lunar-attributed heavenly materials and earthly treasures to advance my realm. Consequently, the vast quantity of spiritual items I previously acquired would be ill-suited for selling to exchange for immortal cultivation resources."

A torrent of ideas rushed through Wang Yu's mind.

This Star God path might be cultivable concurrently. Having previously suffered the bitter consequences of an insufficient primordial spirit when his physical body perished, he understood that if his primordial spirit essence were comparable to a Star God's, the hidden danger of a second consciousness emerging would be entirely eliminated.

The only consideration was whether the Immortal Palace forbade this Star God path. After all, from the scant information revealed by the cultivation method, Star Gods were once the orthodox rulers of the Vast Immortal Realm.

And transitions of power are invariably accompanied by bloodshed.

After a moment's thought, Wang Yu shook his head, dismissing his own conjecture. The present era was different from the past.

The Immortal Dao's inclusiveness was arguably the greatest in history!

Furthermore, humanity had already given rise to nine True Immortals, establishing itself as a dominant force in the Cosmic Sea and a superior race among the myriad others; it was no longer in a period of decline.

Whether the method was forbidden or not was unimportant, as humans ordinarily couldn't cultivate it anyway. His only concern was whether his race would undergo a change after he formally began his cultivation.

After all, throughout history, cultivators had been known to seize control of True Spirit bodies.

However, as long as his primordial spirit's essence remained unchanged, he could still identify as human. If the change was too drastic, it would affect his future path to join the Immortal Palace.

"It seems I have no other choice..."

Wang Yu offered a wry smile to himself.

In the current climate, every increment of power brought a new sliver of hope. He genuinely had no alternative, and undergoing a fundamental change in his essence would ultimately be beneficial.

If his status could indeed ascend to that of a being nurtured by Heaven and Earth, then the contingency left by the Ancient Demon of Life within him would likely be rendered ineffective. After all, harming spirits of Heaven and Earth incurred heavenly wrath; what about deities directly nurtured by Heaven and Earth?

It would be akin to the difference between a favored legitimate eldest son and a concubine's child.

There was no reason for the Heavenly Dao to aid the illegitimate child in distress while turning a blind eye to the suffering of the favored legitimate son, was there?

Of course, these were all Wang Yu's conjectures, whether they would come to fruition or not was another matter. However, one thing he could be certain of was that once he successfully cultivated the first Lunar Divine Pattern, the Life Demon would absolutely be unable to possess him. While he might still struggle to fully escape its influence, this fundamental inability to be manipulated at will was the true prerequisite for him to seek a fair deal and his genuine requirement.

Ultimately, humans must rely on themselves!

"Let's cultivate it."

Rearranging the order of the placement slots, Wang Yu dedicated the slot previously used for his conceptual rotation to the *Lunar Refining Form Treasure Scroll*, allowing this cultivation method to exclusively occupy it.

And so, after spending several days and experiencing a few more rounds of feedback, he formed a general assessment.

"Placing this cultivation method allows it to draw Lunar essence from the ethereal realms, fundamentally altering my primordial spirit. It's less like conventional cultivation and more like an essential transformation. No wonder humans cannot even begin to cultivate it."

What exactly was this Lunar essence? Even the Lunar Star projection he currently stood upon contained some of this essence, but its quantity was far from abundant. If forcibly extracted, the moon would most likely naturally disintegrate.

Subsequently, the Ice Prison Realm would be left without a moon, leading to far-reaching consequences. For example, ninety percent of the cultivation legacies relying on ghost paths and moonlight absorption would become obsolete.

Furthermore, it would become exceedingly difficult for natural spiritual treasures of that nature to manifest again, disrupting the normal flow of spiritual energy, and so forth.

Stellar essence had profound implications; damage to the main star itself would impact all worlds within the Vast Immortal Realm.

This demonstrated the incredible power of the placement slot, which could even draw in Lunar essence for him.

In fact, he had long suspected that the placement slot didn't create resources out of thin air. It was more likely a unique power siphoned from some hidden source, one he simply couldn't detect.

"Well, no need to overthink it," he mused. "As long as it serves my purpose."

With these thoughts in mind, Wang Yu's lunar expedition had yielded immense rewards, leaving him with no regrets. After departing the Moon Palace, he spent another month aimlessly exploring the inner depths of the laurel tree's contained universe.

After confirming he had overlooked no further opportunities, he once again activated his Lunar Nether Pupil, allowing the moon-bound passage to guide him back to the Void Daoist Secret Realm.

This time, he no longer needed to concern himself with Daoist Kongkong.

Daoist Kongkong was too preoccupied suppressing the ancient demon's clone. Upon his return, after bidding farewell to Xingyue and the others, Wang Yu would be free to set out and gather the four Feng Shui Tokens. After that, his next risky step would be to contact and negotiate with the Life Demon's physical shell.

Only by resolving all lingering threats and mastering the Jade Void Glazed Wall could he begin his escape from the confines of this prison, covertly traveling to other realms, where an entirely new world awaited him.

He would finally achieve complete freedom.

"The vast ocean allows fish to leap, and the boundless sky lets birds soar freely. I, Wang Yu, have strived for half my life and will finally overcome all hardships and obstacles. Only the final step remains!"