Chapter 83: Crimson Luan and Frost-Kill
Starlight cascaded like rain, pouring down from the heavens above, yet none of it touched the valley below.
Above the valley, an invisible barrier seemed to catch the starlit rain.
A magnificent transformation began at that moment.
The starlight poured down, gathering and stacking together, following some unknown pattern, slowly forming a base.
Then came walls, doors, windows, eaves...
Before the eyes of all in the valley, the countless starlights "cast" the shape of a small building.
The starlight flowed, gradually filling in details, outlining specifics.
Window patterns, textures, murals...
In the end, a seven-story tower composed entirely of gathered starlight materialized, suspended directly above the valley.
It was like an abode of immortals.
Jiang Chen looked up at it as well, truly marveling at its beauty, yet feeling that it was not quite real. It seemed to exist here, yet not truly be *of* this place.
It was a contradictory feeling.
"The Seven Stars Tower has opened!" someone cried out excitedly, but quickly realized the silence around them and immediately clamped their mouth shut.
"The Seven Stars are in the northern gate, the River of Stars flows westward."
Tian Huanzhang's weathered voice rang out as he formed hand seals, withdrawing the Tian family's final layer of arrangements above Seven Stars Valley.
And so the Seven Stars Tower opened.
What unfolded was the star-gathered Seven Stars Tower hovering above the valley. On the massive circular platform at the valley's center, one hundred cultivators stood within their respective star position light circles.
Starlight streamed and painted, completing all final details of the Seven Stars Tower, then blazed with brilliance.
This radiance was dazzling yet not blinding, but even if the bright moon were hung upon this night sky, it would be overshadowed by the Seven Stars Tower's current splendor.
This was the moment of the Seven Stars' solitary dance.
This light poured into the valley.
Jiang Chen faintly sensed that the star position he occupied had produced some subtle reaction with the light emanating from the Seven Stars Tower.
He knew clearly that the next step would be his being "sent" into the Seven Stars Tower.
The supplementary information Li Fengyao had provided regarding the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm was extremely detailed, describing most stages. It also included a reminder for this very moment—now was not the time to relax, but precisely when one needed to focus their attention most...
"Fellow cultivators!" Lei Zhanqian, standing at the Heavenly Chief star position, suddenly half-knelt, pressing one palm to the ground.
His voice carried an innate fervor: "Those who shouldn't be here need not come. Dragons do not dwell with serpents!"
The instant his palm contacted the ground, a blindingly intense light erupted from it, almost overwhelming the Seven Stars Tower's radiance for that brief moment.
And simultaneously, across the entire central space of Seven Stars Valley, all one hundred and eight star positions erupted with lightning!
That lightning took the forms of either dragons or serpents. Each was ferocious, tearing and biting toward every cultivator participating in the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm.
The Yin Talisman Scripture says: "When the earth releases its killing intent, dragons and serpents rise from the land."
Lei Zhanqian's killing technique was the Lei family's secret art, named "Dragons and Serpents Rising from Earth"—using the thunder method to manifest heaven and earth's killing intent, its lethal power was staggering.
No one knew from when it began, but before entering the Seven Stars Tower each time, at the final moment of the starlight's guidance, there would always be such a segment.
Anyone could strike at anyone nearby, attempting to drive them from their star position.
They called it "verifying each other's qualifications."
In reality, it was merely to reduce competition.
This was an unspoken, potential rule with no written record—those who were uninformed beforehand would easily fall victim.
Of course, after so many years of the Seven Stars Tower opening, those who won the qualification for the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm now were rarely unaware of these matters.
When the guiding starlight fell, everyone was silently wary, also weighing whether they could drive anyone away.
Many were waiting to see the show at the Heavenly Chief star position, watching how those powerful cultivators who refused to submit would make Lei Zhanqian pay.
But no one had expected that Lei Zhanqian would be the first to strike, and that he would attack everyone simultaneously!
He was so arrogant, yet with an air of absolute justification.
Directly using lightning to sweep through all cultivators.
As soon as a killing technique of the level of "Dragons and Serpents Rising from Earth" erupted, more than twenty cultivators were immediately blasted from their star positions by the lightning serpents, losing their chance to enter the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm. Their journey to the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm ended before it even began.
And Jiang Wuxie, who received special attention from the lightning, merely smirked, casually extending his hand to grasp a fiery red long spear. He gave it a magnificent flourish before flipping the spearhead and driving it into the ground.
Just in time to pin the ferocious lightning dragon that surged from beneath the earth.
This lightning dragon was massive and terrifying, its ferocity fully revealed, its might far surpassing those lightning serpents attacking the other cultivators—unknown times more powerful. Yet under this fiery red long spear, it had not the slightest room to struggle, instantly dissolving into a few wisps of electricity.
This long spear was entirely scarlet red, from tip to base, perfectly unified. Once one saw it, their gaze was difficult to tear away.
Having long heard of the Crimson Luan, this was the first time Jiang Chen laid eyes on this legendary spear. Compared to the Candle-Burning Spear he had once borrowed, this spear was undoubtedly far more dazzling, far more magnificent—but which was truly stronger, it was difficult to say.
Jiang Wuxie's casual thrust shattered the lightning dragon, and with a flick of his spear tip, he turned his gaze toward Lei Zhanqian.
Then he saw an arrow.
A crystal-clear arrow, carrying frost that seemed to descend from eternity itself.
This arrow landed before Lei Zhanqian almost simultaneously with his gaze.
Where his eyes fell, the arrow also fell.
The two lightning dragons guarding before him didn't even have time to bare their fangs before being frozen in place, instantly becoming like ice sculptures.
The surge of lightning halted instantly.
This arrow had frozen the lightning!
Frost spread, the arrow tip reaching toward the center of his brow.
Just then, Lei Zhanqian's figure flickered and vanished.
He had somehow used a secret method to communicate with the guiding starlight, entering the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm a step earlier.
Over these years, not only the Tian family of Daze, but various factions had never ceased their research on the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm. What Lei Zhanqian revealed this time was one of their achievements.
It showed how much preparation the Lei family had invested for this Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm.
And this arrow, which was even faster than Jiang Wuxie and nearly intercepted Lei Zhanqian—who else could it be?
Jiang Wuxie turned his gaze toward Li Fengyao, seeing her delicate foot stomp down, completely crushing the lightning dragon that attacked her. The Frost-Kill Bow in her hands, like ice, like jade, seemed capable of freezing one's very gaze.
Despite being a woman, her counterattack was fiercer than any man present. When facing a killing technique of the level of "Dragons and Serpents Rising from Earth," her first choice was to fire an arrow at Lei Zhanqian, with defending herself only secondary!
Among the one hundred and eight star positions in Seven Stars Valley, each was spaced at least three steps apart.
Jiang Chen, far away at the Earthly Fiend star position, also witnessed this scene. He had never doubted Li Fengyao's strength, but this was truly the first time he had personally witnessed... the combat power that repeatedly thrashed Xu Xiangqian.
Xu Xiangqian of Qingya Academy was never weak. Yet in front of Li Fengyao, he couldn't even escape.
The dozen or so members of the Tian family seemed prepared from the start. The moment "Dragons and Serpents Rising from Earth" erupted, under Tian Chang's organization, they formed a formation, directly keeping the lightning at bay outside their array.
They wouldn't specifically trouble Jiang Wen, who shared their star position area, at such a time—firstly, that would be too offensive, and secondly, it would waste extra effort without benefiting anyone.
Thus Jiang Chen was able to leisurely watch the show, taking in everyone's reactions.
It was precisely because of this that after witnessing Li Fengyao's archery, he was the first to notice Lian Shao at the Earthly Swift star position, already struggling to hold on.
Probably because several people around him had already been expelled by the lightning, the nearby lightning serpents had all converged on him—a full seven tearing at him from above and below.
Seeing that Lian Shao was already hard-pressed, Jiang Chen seized the timing, stepped out of the Tian family's formation, easily occupied the vacant Earthly Orbit star position before Lian Shao, and struck back with a single sword.
Sword light folded and turned several times.
Around Lian Shao, already exhausted, the lightning dissipated and electricity scattered.
Sword slash cleaving lightning serpents!