Chapter 0731 Emperor Wu’s Star

Chapter 0731 The Star of Emperor Wu

Qin Yun certainly had means to deal with a Martial King, but he hadn’t fully assessed the situation yet and wasn’t ready to reveal them!

"Aunt Xiao, let’s regroup with Yuemei and the others first!" Qin Yun said. "Once we understand the situation better, we can weigh our options!"

Xiao Xuanqin wasn’t entirely sure of Qin Yun’s current strength. Though he appeared to be below the Profound Martial Realm [a cultivation level], as a Runes Master, his hidden abilities were undoubtedly formidable.

"I wonder if Qingcheng and the others recognized those people!" Xiao Xuanqin led Qin Yun through the forest to reunite with Zi Qingcheng and the others.

After about half an hour, Qin Yun and Xiao Xuanqin finally met up with Zi Qingcheng’s group inside a cave on a small hill.

Zi Qingcheng and Shui Tianzi lit up when they saw Qin Yun. They had already learned from Xiao Yuemei that Qin Yun had arrived.

"Little Yun!"

Shui Tianzi walked over with a flirtatious smile, playfully pinching Qin Yun’s handsome face. "I thought that little puppet looked just like you! It made me really want to touch you!"

"Sister Baozi, Sister Shui, it’s been so long—I’ve missed you both!" Qin Yun laughed, swatting away Shui Tianzi’s delicate hand. He hadn’t expected her to be so bold, touching him so freely.

"You brat, you played the puppet bit so well!"

Zi Qingcheng could tell from Qin Yun’s gaze that he wanted to pinch her cheeks.

Xiao Yuemei, seeing Xiao Xuanqin so calm, felt relieved—the conflict between Qin Yun and Xiao Xuanqin had been resolved.

As women, Zi Qingcheng and the others could sense something more. They knew how deeply Xiao Xuanqin had once hated Qin Yun, yet now she had suddenly warmed up to him. It definitely wasn’t just because Qin Yun had saved her.

"What exactly was the crystal mountain you encountered?" Xiao Xuanqin asked, then glanced at Xiao Yuemei.

Xiao Yuemei, having been an Immortal in her past life, surely knew more than Zi Qingcheng and Shui Tianzi.

"That’s the core of a star!" Xiao Yuemei explained. "I’m not entirely sure what it is, but the star didn’t fall in that location. The core must have been hurled here during the explosion!"

Qin Yun said, "If it’s the core of a star, it could be incredibly valuable to me!"

He was already thinking about using it to enhance the Demon Star Overlord’s power.

"We’re not certain yet. Should we sneak over and take a look?" Xiao Yuemei suggested. "Let’s split into two groups—you and Aunt Xiao in one, and me with the two sisters in the other!"

Xiao Yuemei purposely paired Qin Yun and Xiao Xuanqin together, hoping to further ease the tension between them.

"Are you three really going to be alright alone?" Xiao Xuanqin was a little worried, as she and Qin Yun were the stronger ones in the group.

"With me here, nothing will go wrong! The two of you are stronger—if you work together, things will go smoothly!" Xiao Yuemei said with a grin. "It’s settled then. Let’s scout it out!"

Xiao Yuemei led Shui Tianzi and Zi Qingcheng out of the cave and headed in one direction.

Xiao Xuanqin, who had the crystal mountain’s coordinates marked on her message conch, guided Qin Yun along a different path.

Splitting up would make it easier to make a quick retreat if danger arose.

If one group were caught, at least they wouldn’t all be captured at once.

"Qin Yun, how useful is that crystal mountain to you?" Xiao Xuanqin asked. "If it’s really important, I’ll do my best to help you claim it!"

"Let’s check it out first!" Qin Yun said.

"You think I’m not strong enough?" Xiao Xuanqin asked quietly.

"Of course not!" Qin Yun chuckled, though inwardly he thought her abilities were limited.

"Don’t underestimate me. I’ve got an Immortal’s soul and past-life memories!" Xiao Xuanqin said. "If I go all out, I can take on one or two Martial Kings!"

"Aunt Xiao, you use a sword, right?" Qin Yun asked, stopping in his tracks.

"Yeah!" Xiao Xuanqin’s eyes lit up, sensing he was about to lend her a good weapon.

"Here, you can use this for now. I can’t let you keep it—it’s not mine to give." Qin Yun took out the sword Jian Nanhu had left with him.

Xiao Xuanqin inspected it, inwardly impressed, knowing Qin Yun must possess many treasures.

"With this sword, I could probably handle three Martial Kings!" she said confidently, gripping the blade. "It’ll be even stronger once I refine it!"

After storing the sword, she continued walking.

"Aunt Xiao, you’ve only just entered the Xuanwu Realm, right? How can you handle so many Martial Kings?" Qin Yun asked curiously.

"It’s a secret technique I’ve mastered—it unleashes my soul power to temporarily enhance my body and strength," she explained. "But afterward, I’ll be out cold for days."

"If you hadn’t stepped in, I’d have used that technique to hold off those Martial Kings for a while."

Since Xiao Xuanqin needed Qin Yun’s shadow power to conceal themselves, she had to hold his hand.

Their fingers laced together, her hand warm as jade—completely different from her usual cold demeanor.

It reminded Qin Yun of Bingxing, who also seemed icy but was warm and soft to the touch...

Before long, they spotted the small crystal mountain.

Roughly twenty to thirty meters tall, it wasn’t very large. Its surface was coated in a white layer that was slowly peeling away like a shell.

Through the gaps, the crystal inside appeared transparent.

Even at night, the crystal blazed with reflected light when illuminated.

Once the light hit them, their shadow power failed.

Xiao Xuanqin yanked Qin Yun behind a thick tree.

At the same time, Qin Yun activated his transparent martial soul, rendering them invisible.

Dozens of figures gathered below the crystal mountain—mostly Martial Kings, with a few in the Xuanwu Realm.

"Aunt Xiao, what *is* that? The crystal doesn’t seem to emit any energy," Qin Yun asked.

"That’s a powerful stellar energy crystal! This fallen star’s something else," Xiao Xuanqin said with a frown.

"Wait, it’s not just some random star?" Qin Yun asked in surprise, transmitting his voice.

"These stars are called Emperor Wu Stars—celestial bodies from the Spirit or Demon Wastelands, belonging to Emperor Wu-level beings," she explained. "Some Emperor Wu, when they hit their limits and near death, launch themselves into space and entomb themselves in tiny stars."

Qin Yun had heard stories like that before. Even in Wuhuang, some powerful Martial Kings would create small stars before death to hide their sects inside.

In the Desolate Spirit Realm, such phenomena also exist. However, due to the presence of celestial sects on the ground, to enhance communication, the stars in the sky gradually became burial grounds for Martial Kings, Emperor Wus, and Half-Immortals.

Xiao Xuanqin continued via voice transmission: "After an Emperor Wu dies, their Dao core may continue absorbing energy. Over time, the star begins its own cultivation due to the power of the Dao core. Then, due to other factors, Star Beasts may be born on it."

"So, there’s something inside this crystal mountain?" Qin Yun asked in surprise.

"This star falling here is definitely no coincidence! I wonder if Poetry Moon knows about this... If only Bingxing were here. She’d surely understand such matters better!" Xiao Xuanqin gazed intently at the crystal mountain, unable to discern its secrets.

"Aunt Xiao, why would Sister Bingxing know about this?" Qin Yun asked. Earlier, Ling Yuner had also speculated that Bingxing was born of celestial energies.

"Because she is a *Star Spirit Fairy*! She was born a fairy!" Xiao Xuanqin explained. "Of course, the circumstances of her birth are quite mysterious. It’s said to be connected to some major event, but later, your previous incarnation wronged her, leading to her being sealed away!"

The people at the foot of the crystal mountain drew their weapons and attacked it, trying to break it open!

However, the crystal mountain was astonishingly sturdy.

The weapons wielded by those Martial Kings were all at the Dao-artifact level.

Yet, when they struck the crystal mountain, they left not a single mark.

A gray-robed elder spoke up, "This crystal mountain might have something sealed inside! Perhaps we should wait for the Emperor Wu elders to arrive before attempting to open it!"

"No! If those Emperor Wus come, they’ll claim it for themselves! We should divide it equally now!" A stern-looking elder in white robes said coldly. "And none of you better send voice transmissions to the Emperor Wus!"

At that moment, a middle-aged man took out a message conch.

The white-robed elder saw this and immediately flicked his wrist, sending out several white needles that pierced the man’s neck and head.

The man collapsed instantly, spewing black ichor before his eyes burst—dead from poison.

"Anyone who dares send a voice transmission to the Emperor Wus will meet the same fate!" The white-robed elder, still uneasy, shouted, "Hand over your message conches to me for safekeeping! If anyone refuses to cooperate, I’ll have no choice but to eliminate you!"

A few powerful elder Martial Kings stepped forward to support the white-robed elder.

They all knew that even if just two or three Emperor Wus arrived, they could easily crush all dozens of Martial Kings present.

By then, the Emperor Wus would claim the crystal mountain for themselves!

And these Martial Kings would gain nothing.

"Those men are Martial Kings from the celestial sects—the strongest among them! They must be the ones who were chasing us!" Xiao Xuanqin transmitted to Qin Yun.

The white-robed elder and the celestial-sect Martial Kings worked together, confiscating many message conches before discussing how to divide the crystal mountain.

Xiao Xuanqin took out her message conch and heard Xiao Yuemei’s voice: "Aunt, do you have a plan?"

She glanced at Qin Yun before replying, "No, let’s keep watching for now."

"I do! We should go out and trick them, saying we have a way to split the crystal mountain, then figure out how to steal it!" Xiao Yuemei suggested.

After hearing this, Xiao Xuanqin relayed Yuemei’s idea to Qin Yun via voice transmission.

"Aunt Xiao, let’s work together to deceive them. Don’t let Yuemei and the others act—have them stay hidden and observe!" Qin Yun’s eyes gleamed with inspiration as he transmitted back to Xiao Xuanqin.