The Star Tear Battlefield: A Whetstone and a Reunion

The Star Tear Battlefield, also known as the Abyssal Battlefield, serves as a conduit to the twenty-third layer of the Abyss—the Starry Abyss itself.

Though connected, it remains an integral part of the Aelta Continent. In ancient eras, the insidious invasion of abyssal demons caused the borders of the Aelta Continent to be relentlessly eroded by the demonic energy spewing forth from the Starry Abyss.

The Titan Gods and the Dragon race eventually succeeded in sealing the abyssal demons back into the Starry Abyss, but only after paying a devastating price. Yet, this battlefield, a grim testament forged from countless corpses, endured.

From the fissures of the Starry Abyss, demonic energy ceaselessly overflowed, steadily consuming this blighted land. With each passing day, the abyssal demonic energy intensified, growing ever more potent.

Under this pervasive corruption, a faint trace of abyssal nether energy began to manifest in the blood of certain magical beasts. Even some of the battle’s lingering souls succumbed to the decay, transforming into undead creatures. Furthermore, hybrid species emerged, born from the intermingling of native continental magical beasts and lower-tier abyssal demons.

Within this cursed battlefield, relics of the ancient war lay scattered: forgotten legacies, and potent divine artifacts. It was also home to savage magical beasts and fierce battle souls, all tainted with the pervasive abyssal aura.

Consequently, the Star Tear Battlefield evolved into a perilous yet invaluable proving ground, a place where formidable cultivators could hone their skills and seek out untold treasures.

Yet, the passage of eons had taken its toll; the ancient seal of the Titan Gods had significantly diminished. Inevitably, a few exceptionally powerful abyssal creatures would slip through, escaping the depths to wreak havoc upon the Aelta Continent.

To safeguard their populace and maintain order, the various empires began dispatching powerful human cultivators to garrison this strategic location. It was from these tears and sacrifices that the name ‘Star Tear Battlefield’ truly originated.

Thinking of this, Su Han suddenly realized there was no need for her to embark on a deliberate search. There was something she seemed to have forgotten all this time.

‘I remember, Ye Qi had vaguely sent me a message, indicating she would go to the Star Tear Battlefield to avenge me against Bailuan.’ Three years had just elapsed, so it was unlikely she would have departed. ‘Perhaps I might even encounter her during my journey there!’

The sky above was a bruised, ominous purple. Below, the earth lay charred and blackened, bearing the scars of ancient, raging fires.

Unidentifiable fragments of wreckage were scattered everywhere, while shattered weaponry littered the entire expanse of the battlefield.

From the mountaintop, her gaze struggled to penetrate the pervasive gloom. Wisps of pale purple abyssal demonic energy hung heavy in the air, slowly but surely devouring the magical power within her.

Gazing into the distance, she discerned countless colossal, dark pits scarring the landscape. Their abyssal depths remained a mystery.

Within the battlefield’s desolate expanse, rivers had long since withered, and not a single blade of grass or tree survived. Instead, bizarre creatures frequently emerged from the shadows, and spectral souls drifted aimlessly.

The elemental energy here, much like in the Great Abyss, was exceedingly scarce. Once exhausted, replenishing it proved immensely challenging, rendering medicinal potions incredibly precious in this grim environment.

While some might consider Su Han a burden, that assessment was only relative to a crisis potent enough to entrap even Bai Que. For her current strength, most common dangers were trivial.

However, she knew she still had to exercise extreme caution in the more unsettling and treacherous regions of the battlefield.

In her heart, the Star Tear Battlefield was nothing more than a whetstone, a place to hone her resolve and strengthen her power.

“Wahahaha! I never imagined this! I never imagined it! I’ve spent three years in this world, and by harnessing its demonic energy, I’ve finally transformed myself into an undead lich! Now, I can live forever!”

The soul fire within Shen Luo’s skeletal eyes flickered wildly, and a hint of fervent madness gleamed as he surveyed his own bony form. This was no ordinary body; it was a perfect skeletal vessel, meticulously pieced together from the bones of countless powerful undead creatures he had painstakingly collected!

“I was just playing a damn holographic online game, only to inexplicably find myself in another world! Had I not witnessed the deaths of those beta testers firsthand, I truly wouldn’t have believed any of this was real. I’ve fought with every fiber of my being just to survive in this cursed place!”

Having just devoured a sixth-tier wandering soul and, in doing so, broken through to the seventh-tier, he reveled in his surging power. A raspy, triumphant laugh tore from his throat. “Now, hahaha, I have achieved immortality! My strength must surely rank me among the few remaining powerhouses in this realm!”

The moment his soul fire advanced, Shen Luo eagerly extended his divine sense, testing the limits of his newfound perception. “Hmm? What’s this? A beta player’s energy signature? Perfect! You’ll be the first to fall by my hand!”

Just then, a girl wielding a sleek black longsword materialized directly before him. It was Su Han.

Swollen with the arrogance of his recent power breakthrough, Shen Luo felt an unparalleled surge of confidence. “A rather fetching lass, indeed. A pity my current form cannot appreciate your charms. Then, perish!”

He cackled with grotesque delight, a chilling sound, before unleashing a super-tier magic spell, the “Lich’s Sigh,” directly at Su Han.

“Witness my most potent technique! For a beta player such as yourself, to fall to this attack is hardly a dishonorable end!”

Su Han merely shook her head, a sigh escaping her lips at the sight of such a lunatic. “Everyone’s journey is unique. As a super-tier mage, what exactly fuels this boundless confidence of yours? Is it merely because you’ve transformed into this grotesque, neither-human-nor-ghost undead lich?”

To abandon the very essence of life and willingly transform into an undead creature—she truly couldn’t comprehend the twisted logic behind his choices.

“Enough chatter! Face my attack!”

A colossal skull, wreathed in eerie green netherflame, hurtled directly towards Su Han.

Su Han, with a swift, decisive movement, raised her Dragon Horn Sword and cleaved through the air. The menacing skull exploded in mid-air, scattering into ephemeral wisps.

Then, with a flash of iridescent light, as graceful as a single drop of water streaking across the sky, a real skull arced through the air and was flung far into the distance.

“This… how… how is this even possible!” Even as death claimed him, Shen Luo’s mind reeled, unable to grasp how Su Han could possess such immense power, ending his existence with a single, devastating move.

“Nothing is impossible!”

All seventy-three beta players had been transported to this alien world. Now, three years later, the prophecy that only one of them would survive had not come to pass.

However, the ordeal had undeniably driven many of them to the brink of insanity.

Reflecting on it now, very few must remain. Apart from Bailuan and the enigmatic individual who forged the ghost dragon’s wings, every other survivor, including Su Han herself, had undoubtedly endured profound transformations.

These changes had twisted their personalities, making them bizarre and unsettling. Even Su Han, in her current state, wouldn’t dare claim normalcy, perhaps retaining only a faint glimmer of pity for the truly weak.

“Bailuan, just you wait for me!” Naturally, Su Han remained intensely eager to exact her revenge.

“The path of cultivation cannot be rushed, and transforming oneself into an undead creature is nothing more than a heretical, twisted path.” Luo Shang advised Su Han, signaling her to dismiss such impractical thoughts.

With that, he guided her toward the encampment of the human army.

The human encampment was situated within a small, ancient city. Upon recognizing Su Han and Luo Shang as powerful cultivators, the guards offered no obstruction to their entry.

Luo Shang’s initial intention was to enter the city and gather intelligence on any recent peculiar events. However, he was abruptly struck by a familiar energy fluctuation.

“Strange,” Luo Shang mused. “Isn’t Aedris of the Moon-Worshiping Empire typically stationed in the Southern Border? Why would she be here?”

He surmised that his own entanglement might somehow be linked to Aedris’s unexpected arrival. Knowing that aimless inquiries would yield nothing, he swiftly ascended the city wall and made his way to Aedris, a woman with striking purple hair.

Su Han had, of course, heard tales of Aedris. As the undisputed strongest individual within the Moon-Worshiping Empire—and a woman, no less—her Mystic element, much like Luo Shang’s Holy Spirit element, was considered utterly unique.

Nevertheless, upon finally meeting her in person, Su Han was undeniably captivated. Aedris exuded a cold, glamorous aura, coupled with a domineering presence and piercing, intelligent eyes. This, combined with her exquisite beauty, created a truly astonishing sight.

“Hmm? The Saint Son of the Church of Light?” Aedris, who had been surveying the lands beyond the city walls, turned her head to fix her gaze on Luo Shang. “What brings you here?”

“On the contrary, I was about to ask you what compels you to be in a place like this. Has something significant occurred?”

Aedris casually tossed her long hair over her shoulder. “The seal on the Starry Abyss is on the verge of shattering. Not long ago, a ninth-tier abyssal demon managed to escape from within.”

“Thankfully, we apprehended it swiftly, though it turned out to be merely an Aztek, which subsequently self-destructed.”

“What? The seal on the Starry Abyss is about to be completely broken?”

“It will inevitably shatter within the next decade. My purpose here is to ascertain if any powerful demons have slipped through the cracks, and to eliminate them while I’m at it.”

“Are there no plans for a re-sealing?”

“The matter of the seal will naturally be handled by others. My presence here is merely to deal with any stragglers, and to assist a certain dean by keeping an eye on a particular high elf.”

Upon hearing “high elf,” Su Han couldn’t help but interject. “A high elf?! Is her name Ye Qi?”

“Oh? You know her? Come to think of it, old man Isaac did mention a name similar to that.”