On the extraterritorial battlefield, within Lei Family City, Golden Core cultivators from across the cosmos were a common sight.
Controlled by the Reincarnation Divine Church, the majority of Golden Core cultivators from more than ten stars had converged here.
Each star was allotted one thousand tokens, and even if ten to twenty percent of these tokens remained undiscovered, at least ten thousand Golden Core cultivators from various cultivation stars had arrived on this battlefield.
Lei Family City was a gathering place for rogue cultivators in the vicinity. The extraterritorial battlefield, unlike the cultivation stars, was highly unstable, riddled with spatial rifts and bizarre ancient beasts. Only a few unique areas were relatively stable.
Over countless years, these regions naturally became gathering spots for cultivators, eventually evolving into cities. Lei Family City was one such city, controlled by a Nascent Soul family.
Inside the largest inn of Lei Family City, Wan Wuying, Zhao Wuya, and Huang Yuanwu were gathered.
"Have we still not found Chu Xuan?" Wan Wuying asked in a low voice.
Zhao Wuya and Huang Yuanwu both shook their heads repeatedly. "I went east, and he went south; neither of us found any trace of Chu Xuan."
Zhao Wuya sighed lightly, "Fellow daoist Chu is highly skilled and would have been a great asset. Alas... perhaps he was just unlucky, landing amidst a group of demonic beasts."
Huang Yuanwu murmured thoughtfully, "I heard yesterday that a large group of Nether Crocodiles appeared on the western battlefield. Since the opening of the extraterritorial battlefield, many who landed there perished, and only a very few lucky ones escaped.
Even the talented disciples of the Majestic Sword Sect from Dawn Star died there. If fellow daoist Chu also landed on the western battlefield..."
Wan Wuying fell silent, eventually letting out a long sigh.
"Alive or dead, it's fate. It's not easy to stay in Lei Family City. We are all people with not much life left; there's no need to keep searching for him deliberately. Let's prioritize our own survival."
Zhao Wuya and Huang Yuanwu nodded in agreement, saying no more.
...
On Blue Star, Chu Xuan tossed ten Thunder Crystals into the Reverse Thunder Formation. Each head-sized Thunder Crystal was worth twenty thousand small spiritual stones, and these ten amounted to a staggering two hundred thousand small spiritual stones—all proceeds from the auction of the tokens.
"Fortunately, I had Wan Wuying gather some, or else it wouldn't have been enough to condense the Yin Thunder Seeds," Chu Xuan chuckled lightly, focusing intently on the task.
Days turned into years, and in the blink of an eye, three years had passed. The number of Yin Thunder Seeds in his spiritual sea had reached five thousand.
During his free time, Chu Xuan also delved into the study of poisons and occasionally checked the situation on Blue Star and the status of the Psionic Cube.
"Hmm? This fellow is still talking to himself, nonstop," Chu Xuan remarked, surprised as he took out the Psionic Cube. Over the past five years, that person who called himself Ma Nanshan talked daily, seemingly unbothered by solitude.
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Just then, Chu Xuan noticed another light spot appear, significantly larger—about seven or eight times—than Ma Nanshan's. It radiated a bright light. Ma Nanshan, who had been mumbling to himself, was overjoyed at this development.
"Another newcomer has arrived!" he exclaimed. "Quick, tell us your name, which star you're from—talk to me!"
Chu Xuan, intrigued, watched the new light spot, waiting for it to speak. After a long moment, a weary voice emerged from it.
"My name is Yun Ming, Soul King of the Rectitude Hall on the Soul Star. Are you the summoned ones from Blue Star and Pegasus Star? I represent the Rectitude Hall, requesting your presence on the Soul Star to save our precarious civilization…"
Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow. I haven't spoken yet. How can he see me?
Then, Yun Ming proceeded to provide detailed information. After listening to Yun Ming's explanation, Chu Xuan's interest was piqued.
Unexpectedly, there was such a human civilization!
The Soul Star once harbored a brilliant human civilization. Perhaps due to the unique nature of the Soul Star, or maybe because its inhabitants chose the wrong evolutionary path, they did not follow the technological route like Blue Star.
Instead, they developed a soul civilization!
The people of the Soul Star had developed an extremely advanced soul system. They could even use soul techniques for attack and defense, to tame wild beasts, and facilitate daily life.
However, they soon realized that the physical body limited the soul. Without a physical body, the soul could become much stronger. Perhaps it could even climb to a higher tier of life!
But those from the Soul Star who had forsaken their physical bodies underwent great changes in temperament, becoming exceedingly bloodthirsty. Only a few managed to retain their personalities from before they discarded their bodies.
Over time, the people of the Soul Star split into two factions. The Eternal Hall advocated for the abandonment of the physical body to evolve the soul and pursue absolute immortality.
In contrast, the Hall of Rectitude believed that both the body and soul were essential; once the body was discarded, one ceased to be a true human and became an aberration. The term "rectitude" in the Hall of Rectitude signifies the essence of true humanity.
As the disagreements between the Eternal Hall and the Hall of Rectitude intensified, conflict inevitably erupted. The Soul Star was thrown into chaos, with countless lives lost.
Terrifying vengeful spirits and ghastly specters roamed every inch of the planet, and only one in ten of the Soul Star's inhabitants survived. They found themselves unable to salvage their world with their dwindling strength.
To preserve their civilization, the Hall of Rectitude was compelled to disperse the Psionic Cube, which contained powerful primal Psionic energy, to foster the evolution of other planetary civilizations in the hopes that these worlds' humans would come to their aid.
According to Yun Ming, those in possession of the Psionic Cube were invariably the strongest on their respective planets. The Hall of Rectitude believed that only such powerful beings had the capacity to save the Soul Star.
Yun Ming continued, "...Before you, four newcomers were transported to the Soul Star via the Psionic Cube. Their progress has been favorable. As a member of the Hall of Rectitude, I earnestly request that you both join us.
Here is the method to activate the Psionic Cube's soul teleportation matrix. Once activated, your souls will be transported to the Soul Star. Upon arrival, you can enter containers prepared by the Hall of Rectitude to begin the rescue mission. As a reward, the Hall of Rectitude will provide methods for you to further enhance your capabilities."
He sent out a message, which entered the light points representing Chu Xuan and Ma Nanshan.
Chu Xuan pondered after reading it. The activation method was not complicated; it merely required charging the Psionic Cube. He estimated that throwing a few small spiritual stones into it would suffice to activate the soul teleportation matrix.
The only consideration was... whether to go.
"The Eternal Hall and the Hall of Rectitude are at loggerheads, expecting outsiders to come to their rescue?" Chu Xuan scoffed.
Relying on outsiders instead of holding hope in their own hands—what does that mean?
"However, the Soul Star is plagued with a vast number of vengeful spirits and specters, and its people live in dire straits! Such a task of saving the souls of the Soul Star is our inescapable duty!"
Chu Xuan nodded, primarily motivated by the desire to rescue the souls of the Soul Star. Collecting the vengeful spirits and specters was merely incidental.