Chapter 255: One Person, One Item

Draw forth the three lights, a fragment of the Immortal Scripture?

Jiang Changkong looked at the Three-Colored Stone Pearl in his hand. Wasn’t he already doing that?

Draw the three lights out from within it?

He didn’t believe it required a cultivator with three attributes.

If that were the case, he would have been treated like royalty the moment he entered.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Changkong channeled pure blood energy into the Three-Colored Stone Pearl.

Hum

The Three-Colored Stone Pearl trembled violently. Mysterious Star Script appeared on the floor beneath his feet, and the surrounding blood energy surged madly into the stone pearl.

The blood energy and Power Runes within Jiang Changkong’s body were now being frantically absorbed by the Three-Colored Stone Pearl.

“Damn it, wasn’t it supposed to draw out the three lights? This is drawing me out instead!”

Jiang Changkong cursed angrily and quickly retreated from the room, activating his Three-meter Golden Body.

Fortunately, the space outside wasn’t too small, barely able to accommodate him.

His pure strength doubled, and his Power Runes surged, but the Three-Colored Stone Pearl continued its frenzied absorption.

It absorbed the surrounding blood energy, as well as Jiang Changkong’s own blood energy and strength.

His Three-meter Golden Body visibly shrank, his body withering away.

“Will it drain me completely?”

A flicker of fear rose in Jiang Changkong’s heart. He tried to release the stone pearl, but it clung stubbornly to him.

Two meters!

One meter!

In just a few breaths, Jiang Changkong had shrunk to only one meter tall, his body reduced to skin and bones.

Yet even then, the Three-Colored Stone Pearl continued to absorb.

He had been tricked by this thing!

Jiang Changkong cursed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do except let the stone pearl continue its absorption.

Only when his body returned to its normal size did the suction begin to slow. By then, Jiang Changkong was already sprawled on the ground.

A faint pull drained the last traces of his strength.

Finally, this damned thing stopped.

Jiang Changkong lay on the ground, utterly exhausted and unable to move. He could no longer sense his Power Runes or even the existence of his own body.

He dared not use the Divine Control Art or any other abilities, forced to remain lying there.

Hum

The Three-Colored Stone Pearl vibrated, the three lights shining together as starlight bloomed.

The surrounding blood energy surged, arranging itself in an eerie pattern to form ancient Star Script that flooded into Jiang Changkong’s mind.

Vast amounts of blood energy seemed to come alive, rushing over to envelop him.

His withered body swelled as if being inflated.

Jiang Changkong’s eyes widened as he realized his strength was returning, and his awareness of his body gradually restored.

He regained control, feeling abundant power flowing through him once more.

Unfortunately, the blood energy only restored him to his previous state, without any increase.

Next, the blood energy that had surged into his mind formed ancient Star Script, while some of it etched countless Star Arrays into his consciousness.

Was this the fragment of the Immortal Scripture?

Checking his data, he indeed saw changes.

Jiang Changkong: Late-stage Stellar Embryo.

High-Rank Lower-Grade Martial Arts:

Three-meter Golden Body: Mastery 1/1,800,000

Taiji Yin-Yang Art: Mastery 1/1,800,000

Tyrant Blade: Mastery 1/1,800,000

Holy Sun Technique: Mastery 1/1,800,000

Divine Control Art: Mastery 1/1,800,000

Bright Moon Art: Mastery 1/1,800,000

White Cloud Nine Layers Scripture: Mastery 1/1,800,000

High-Rank Lower-Grade Array Dao:

Battle Form Star Array Diagram (Incomplete): Beginner 0/50,000

Essence: 491,155.4

High-Rank Middle-Grade and Upper-Grade Star Array Diagrams (Incomplete). Insufficient strength to cultivate.

“Star Array Diagram? High-rank and incomplete?”

Jiang Changkong’s mind was in disarray. This was high-rank lower-grade, middle-grade, and upper-grade.

Could they correspond to the three layers of the palace?

If calculated this way, the six missing levels correspond to the pinnacle, and even beyond the pinnacle!

Boom

The Blood Qi Palace suddenly trembled, and voices rose from below:

“Everyone, be careful. This place is strange and eerie. Stay alert.”

“Don’t touch things randomly. Watch your step—this palace is filled with Star Arrays everywhere.”

“There are Star Scripts on the walls. Let’s go take a look.”

“Finally here, huh?”

Jiang Changkong held the Three-Colored Stone Pearl, not rushing to go down.

He checked the other rooms and found that none of the corpses had Spatial Equipment. Their weapons were either broken, decayed, or simply absent.

He didn’t rush to cultivate the array diagrams, planning to wait until he returned and translated all the Star Scripts first.

For now, while there was still time, he decided to head to the third floor first.

Just as he stepped onto the third-floor staircase, voices echoed from below again.

“Watch out for the Star Arrays. Everyone, be careful. This place is peculiar—likely left behind by a body-refining Martial Artist.”

“Supreme Martial Artists. These Star Scripts were all carved by the most elite Martial Artists, Near-Deities.”

“Everyone, take note. Besides us, there’s also Jiang Changkong here. Jiang Changkong has some connection to this place. He must have gone up.”

Jiang Changkong stopped listening at this point and proceeded to the third floor.

“Don’t go up.”

An aged voice suddenly rang out, speaking in ancient Star Script.

Jiang Changkong’s hair stood on end. Terrified, he turned around to find an old man standing silently behind him. He hadn’t even noticed how the man had appeared.

He had just seen this person—one of the corpses!

“Are you human or a ghost?”

Jiang Changkong felt a chill in his heart. The eeriness of this place far exceeded his imagination.

“Within the War Palace, each person may take one item. You have already taken yours. Taking more will require you to stay.”

The old man ignored his question entirely, speaking expressionlessly.

“Senior, what exactly is this War Palace? Is it truly a legacy of the Celestial Gods?”

Jiang Changkong changed his attitude, asking respectfully.

What nonsense about Celestial Gods’ opportunities—all he had obtained were array techniques, specifically the Battle Form Star Array Diagram.

The old man showed no emotional fluctuation and continued, “One item per person. Bear the consequences yourself. Inform the others.”

With that, the old man vanished, disappearing completely without a trace.

Jiang Changkong glanced at the third floor but ultimately decided not to go up. Instead, he began descending.

This place was too bizarre. A clearly dead person had actually come out to speak to him.

If it were just an ordinary person, it might be different, but these corpses were once terrifyingly powerful experts in life.

Descending the staircase, a group of people came into view in the hall.

Counting them, there were twenty-three in total, and not a single one could Jiang Changkong see through.

All were Stellar Bodies, or even Martial Artists beyond the Stellar Body level!

As Jiang Changkong appeared, the group’s eyes simultaneously focused on him. “Jiang Changkong?”

“Greetings, everyone. Have you discovered anything?” Jiang Changkong walked over.

“Wait, don’t come any closer. Why aren’t you being attacked here?”

A middle-aged man asked sternly.

The others also watched him with caution.

“Because I am also a body-refining Martial Artist.” Six Power Runes materialized around Jiang Changkong’s body. “These are called Power Runes. The humanoid patterns on the palace walls bear the same markings as mine—Runes of Power.”

“When body-refining reaches a certain level and one’s strength is sufficiently great, Power Runes will condense.”

“Power Runes?” Many martial artists were startled, with several suddenly realizing, “So that’s it. I’ve seen this mentioned in some Star Scripts. Legend says that extremely powerful body-refining martial artists could shatter stars with a single punch and grasp the sun and moon in their palms.”

A man radiating red light said, “I am from the Yaoguang Merchant Guild, Yao Chan’s fifth uncle, Yao Qing, at the Star Body Peak. You’ve been up there—what’s inside?”

“Inside are piles of strong corpses. One of them told me that each person here can only take one item, or else they must stay here forever.” Jiang Changkong did not conceal anything, informing them, “This place is called the War Palace, rumored to hide opportunities from the Celestial Gods, though I don’t know the specifics.”

Everyone exchanged glances. “What did you take?”

“A Star Array. If you want one, go find it yourselves,” Jiang Changkong said calmly. “But remember, only one item per person.”

“Haha, kid, who are you trying to fool? A corpse told you that?” A martial artist sneered, scoffing, “If you have the guts, call that corpse out here.”

“Believe it or not, it’s up to you,” Jiang Changkong replied indifferently.

Yao Qing said, “I believe you. Let’s first examine this Star Script, and I’ll introduce you to a few friends. This is Heng Qingyue’s mother, Heng Xi. And this is Nan Zhaokong from the Nan family.”

“Nice to meet you, Brother Jiang,” the two nodded slightly in greeting.

Jiang Changkong responded to each in turn but remained standing to the side without moving.

“Come over. If we really wanted to act, this place wouldn’t be able to stop us,” a martial artist said. “This place only restricts those below the Star Body Peak.”

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Changkong walked over.