Chapter 685: Dark Star Society's Assassination Attempt

Episode One: Secret Skill 'Three Autumn Leaves'

Episode One: Secret Skill 'Three Autumn Leaves'

Author: I Eat Tomatoes

In a dim void within the East Tai River Region, Meng Chuan, clad in a black robe with white hair, appeared.

"I'm out." Meng Chuan surveyed his surroundings, his consciousness rapidly spreading along spatial fluctuations.

It was like a single drop of water falling, creating ripples that spread in all directions, though the affected area was relatively small.

However, countless drops of water would generate countless sets of ripples. Adjacent 'circles' would influence each other, transmitting in expanding rings, causing the range to increase geometrically.

The spatial-level influence was far more complex.

Whoosh.

As Meng Chuan sensed carefully, the range quickly expanded, extending across a river system, and even further. The more distant it was, the blurrier it became, allowing him to perceive only rough outlines.

"The limit of vague perception is one river region," Meng Chuan thought as he vaguely sensed the 3,257 river systems within the East Tai River Region.

"Space-Time Token."

Using the exotic treasure, the Space-Time Token, a wisp of Meng Chuan's primordial spirit force permeated its intricate array. This could only be barely achieved by mastering the spatial rules. With a single thought, the array's 9,999 chains immediately activated the miniature space-time long river. The space-time power of the miniature universe rippled forth from the Space-Time Token. Whoosh—the space-time power of the miniature universe resonated with the external space-time long river.

Whoosh.

The instant they resonated, Meng Chuan, through the Space-Time Token, sensed the entirety of the space-time long river.

The vast space-time long river, with its countless tributaries, was all reflected in his mind.

"Is this the entire universe?" Meng Chuan was somewhat shocked.

Although he had previously seen the 'Space-Time Territory Map' recorded by Ancestor Cang Yuan, the sensation of witnessing the entire universe firsthand was thousands, even tens of thousands, of times more profound.

All river regions and all river systems were reflected in his mind. Within a single river system, powerful energy sources like the Sun Star and Lunar Star, dark black holes, living worlds, powerful array-protected immortal caves, cosmic danger zones, ancient ruins... Meng Chuan could vaguely sense all these places. Powerful life forms at the Fifth Tribulation Realm and above could also be sensed, but those with weaker energy were difficult to perceive.

"Over a hundred river systems are completely sealed off? I can't even enter them?" Meng Chuan discovered that over a hundred river systems in the entire universe were sealed and protected at the space-time level, making them practically impenetrable. Even with the 'Space-Time Token,' he couldn't infiltrate them, only observe them from afar.

"They all seem to be related to Eighth Tribulation Realm mighty ones."

Meng Chuan quickly found out, "Among these sealed and protected river systems, nine are related to Dragon Ancestor, one to Dao Monarch Shan Wu, and three to Phoenix Ancestor... As expected of Eighth Tribulation Realm mighty ones, they can arrange a river system into their own territory. Seventh Tribulation Realm beings wouldn't even dream of approaching."

Senior Fei Yu had said that no one below the Eighth Tribulation Realm should be able to find his hometown, 'Fei Yu Realm'.

Meng Chuan now understood that statement even more clearly.

"Hm?" Meng Chuan looked ahead. In the distance, an elderly man with a staff appeared out of thin air, followed by four more figures beside him.

The staff-wielding elder, a handsome man, a treant, a winged woman, and a flowing water-like life form.

"Darkstar Society?" Meng Chuan recognized them at a glance.

These five individuals were all renowned peak Sixth Tribulation Realm experts from the space-time long river, and they all belonged to the 'Darkstar Society'.

The Darkstar Society differed greatly from the Black Demon Hall. The Black Demon Hall had a long history, vast power, and numerous members, causing havoc and plundering everywhere, yet they generally avoided Sixth and Seventh Tribulation Realm mighty ones. They were like a pack of hunting wolves, avoiding strong enemies, only besieging them if provoked. The 'Darkstar Society,' however, was different; it was more like a 'venomous snake' that rarely struck.

When it did strike, it was always for a significant gain, like a venomous snake delivering a lethal, single bite.

Their targets were primarily Sixth Tribulation Realm mighty ones. For treasures, the Darkstar Society sometimes even dared to attack Seventh Tribulation Realm beings, though at such times, the Darkstar Society Master would personally make a move.

"I've been targeted by the Darkstar Society? I just left the Nine Refinements Pagoda, and they arrived in mere seconds. It seems they've been monitoring me through causality all along." Meng Chuan immediately understood. Although his sensing of the universe via the Space-Time Token seemed long, the actual time elapsed was very short, yet the Darkstar Society had already arrived.

"Kill."

The moment the five mighty ones of the Darkstar Society appeared, their killing moves descended.

A colossal array diagram illusion enveloped an area of ten billion miles, and the five mighty ones had already launched their attack.

The handsome man had transformed into a dazzling golden light—a light... a billion times brighter than the sun. If an ordinary Tribulation Realm mighty one were to look directly at it, their eyes would be incinerated the instant the golden light shone upon them. This was power infused with the 'Rule of Light' and the 'Rule of Gold'. This dazzling golden light had already spread within the array diagram, illuminating its countless runes.

The treant's eyes were devoid of emotion, yet standing there, it erupted with dazzling lightning. Its vibrant treant body was encircled by lightning, and streaks of green-infused lightning also merged into the array diagram.

The winged woman unfurled her fiery red wings, from which brilliant flames erupted fiercely. Gales also howled, and the might of wind and fire converged, their combined power spreading into the array diagram.

Around the flowing water-like life form, vast quantities of dark water surged, and countless streams of this dark water integrated into the array diagram, spreading along its runes everywhere.

The staff-wielding elder lightly tapped his staff, and a thick, turbid mist appeared throughout the entire array diagram. The mist billowed, manifesting in every part of the ten-billion-mile array. After the powers of the other four mighty ones merged into this array, guided by the turbid mist, they perfectly fused. Thus—the Land of Reincarnation descended.

Booming...

"Impressive." Meng Chuan admired his surroundings. The ten-billion-mile area had transformed into the Land of Reincarnation. A surging reincarnation array surrounded him, pressing down, intending to crush him into dust.

The pressure from the Land of Reincarnation was terrifying. At the Sixth Tribulation Realm level, only 'peak Sixth Tribulation Realm' experts could likely withstand it.

And clearly, Meng Chuan was now a peak Sixth Tribulation Realm expert.

Buzz.

Centered on Meng Chuan, the surrounding hundred thousand miles of space layered itself, resisting the pressure of the Land of Reincarnation.

Absolute Space!

For a master of spatial rules, maintaining maximum control over space has a range limit. 'A hundred thousand miles' was the extreme; if the range were larger, control over space would continuously weaken.

"What?"

"He blocked it?"

The staff-wielding elder, the handsome man, the treant, the winged woman, and the surging dark water all felt a jolt in their hearts at this moment.

Only by combining their efforts could the five of them make the 'Land of Reincarnation' descend! Their combined power was enough to contend with a peak Sixth Tribulation Realm expert, and their team was one of the core units of the Darkstar Society. They had initially thought that even if 'City Lord Dongning' survived in the Land of Reincarnation using his Undying Atom Body, he would be crushed into a cluster of atoms, losing all ability to resist. Who would have thought he would stand still and block the pressure of the Land of Reincarnation?

They had even considered that City Lord Dongning might have prepared in advance, launching a preemptive strike with his 'Dark Eye' secret technique on one of them. The remaining four could still barely form the Land of Reincarnation, albeit with nearly half its power, but it would still be enough to deal with City Lord Dongning.

Booming!!!

The Land of Reincarnation and Absolute Space collided, creating continuous roars. Absolute Space was subtly at a slight disadvantage.

However, a master of spatial rules possessed unpredictable movement techniques, enough to contend with them.

"It's Absolute Space!"

"Damn it, retreat!" The five of them knew things were bad. Their ambush was aimed at a top-tier Sixth Tribulation Realm expert, not a peak Sixth Tribulation Realm expert.

Although they didn't understand how City Lord Dongning, a newly advanced Sixth Tribulation Realm expert, could master spatial rules, they knew that 'retreat' was the wisest choice. Their combined power was only effective as long as they remained united; any slight opening would lead to them being defeated one by one. A peak Sixth Tribulation Realm expert could perfectly control the situation, and a prolonged battle would only result in losses for the five of them.

Moreover, they already knew that City Lord Dongning possessed another primordial spirit secret technique, the 'Dark Eye'.

However, as they realized the danger, Meng Chuan had already unleashed the Dark Eye. To ensure complete success, he didn't attack en masse but instead targeted the handsome man who had transformed into golden light.

"It's the Dark Eye." As the handsome man was about to retreat, a pair of dim eyes appeared in his mind.

In the past, when he transformed into golden light, weaker beings couldn't look directly at him, or they would turn to ash.

This time, however, he didn't want to see those eyes, yet he couldn't evade them. The dark eyes pierced into his mind, like a bottomless abyss, and his consciousness sank irresistibly.

"No—" The handsome man's consciousness struggled desperately, but as he sank, he could no longer cooperate with the array formation.

The Land of Reincarnation array was now missing one member.