A dense, ethereal mist swirled around the peak of Forbidden God Mountain, making it look like a paradise.

Lin Hao sat cross-legged on the summit, his figure flickering in and out of view, like a True God from the heavens.

As Lin Hao entered a meditative state, the ethereal mist on the peak began to flow toward him at a visible speed. Before long, a strange phenomenon occurred above his head.

The mist formed a spiral, funneling directly into the crown of his head!

The turtle egg, which had been scurrying about like an ant on a hot pan, froze in shock at the sight.

Lin Hao had cultivated on the peak of Forbidden God Mountain before, but nothing like this had ever happened.

The turtle egg had been suppressed within Forbidden God Mountain for ten thousand years and was very familiar with the ethereal mist on its peak. It knew the mist was of immense benefit to a Martial Artist’s cultivation.

But despite the benefits, this ethereal mist was not something an ordinary person could withstand. If anyone else tried to absorb it like Lin Hao, their body would have exploded long ago.

Of course, the turtle egg also knew that on this entire continent, Lin Hao was likely the only one who could absorb this ethereal mist.

After watching for a while, the turtle egg lost its patience again and walked straight toward the celestial stone monument.

However, it didn’t dare take another step forward.

Ahead was a barrier of air formed by Chaos Qi. It had suffered a great loss there last time.

Although it was on a whole other level now, the turtle egg still didn’t dare to act rashly in the face of this Chaos Qi.

The area ahead was a hazy blur. Staring forward, the turtle egg once again recalled the sight of Lin Hao passing through the Chaos Qi completely unimpeded.

’Freak!’ It glanced back at Lin Hao and sullenly spat out the single word.

The turtle egg couldn’t help but feel frustrated. It understood the value of that Saint Medicine even better than Lin Hao, yet here it was, just a few hundred meters away, completely unobtainable.

The stark contrast was enough to make the turtle egg want to cough up blood.

Sigh!

Staring at the hazy area ahead, the turtle egg could only sigh.

If Lin Hao didn’t make a move, the Saint Medicine had not a damn thing to do with it.

For now, all the turtle egg could do was wait for Lin Hao to finish.

And so, the turtle egg waited from day until night.

Throughout this time, the ethereal mist on the peak continued to spiral into the crown of Lin Hao’s head without a moment’s pause.

At first, the turtle egg was still somewhat shocked, but by the end, it had gone numb to the sight.

Night enveloped Forbidden God Mountain, making it seem exceptionally mysterious.

Gradually, specks of starlight began to appear in the vast sky.

Just then, the ethereal mist that had been converging above Lin Hao’s head on the mountain peak suddenly dispersed.

A flash of joy appeared in the turtle egg’s eyes. It thought Lin Hao was about to awaken, but it stopped in its tracks after taking just two steps.

The next moment, the turtle egg looked up at the sky.

Above, the stars were few and far between, and extremely dim.

But the turtle egg’s eyes suddenly widened, for it saw a star in the sky brighten in an instant.

’Lin Hao is activating his Soul Gathering Realm Cultivation Technique!’

The turtle egg held its breath, staring without blinking.

Although it knew of Emperor Hongtian’s Soul Gathering Realm Cultivation Technique, most of its knowledge came from Lord Lingdi. It had never seen the Great Emperor cultivate after it was born.

This was the first time it had ever seen this Cultivation Technique in action, and the turtle egg couldn’t help but be shocked.

Absorbing the power of the stars for one’s own use, nourishing the soul with starlight—this was a truly terrifying feat.

"I really should have Little Mengmeng see this. Too bad she’s in seclusion," the turtle egg muttered to itself, staring at the sky.

Little Mengmeng, of course, was Lord Lingdi. When the turtle egg had entered the Heaven-Stepping Sect, it had been all fired up, even tossing Lin Hao onto the God-Proving Dais just so it could go see Lord Lingdi.

Unfortunately, Lord Lingdi was in seclusion, and the turtle egg hadn’t been able to see her.

Now, upon seeing the celestial phenomenon, the turtle egg’s first thought was again of Lord Lingdi.

Lord Lingdi was incredibly knowledgeable. If she were here, the turtle egg could ask her if Lin Hao’s Cultivation Technique measured up to Emperor Hongtian’s back in the day.

And just as the turtle egg was muttering to itself, that star in the sky grew even more dazzling. The next moment, the turtle egg saw the star actually begin to trail a long tail behind it.

Lin Hao was absorbing the power of the stars!

On the mountain peak, the turtle egg’s hackles rose, and it shot backward.

Just now, it had felt a terrifying power trying to absorb its Divine Soul!

Without a doubt, it was Lin Hao’s Cultivation Technique at work.

The turtle egg retreated over a hundred meters, but the terrifying power didn’t weaken; it actually grew stronger.

"Worthy of an Emperor’s Art, so tyrannical!" As the turtle egg spoke, its two front claws swiped casually through the air.

The mysterious patterns on its shell suddenly lit up, and then a mystical rune flashed in the air before vanishing.

After making this gesture, the turtle egg once again began to walk straight toward Lin Hao.

If Lin Hao could have seen the turtle egg’s actions right now, he would have cried out in shock. This was true Array Pattern Skill!

However, that was obviously impossible, as Lin Hao was at a critical juncture in his cultivation.

In the sky, the star that had trailed a long tail returned to normal, but it was much dimmer. Then, a neighboring star began to exhibit the same symptom.

This didn’t last long before appearing on a third star...

Just like that, over the next few hours, all the stellar power in the region of sky closest to Forbidden God Mountain’s peak was absorbed by Lin Hao.

Phew...

The turtle egg, which had been lying on its back on the ground, nearly asleep, let out a breath and was about to sit up.

It had waited for so long. Lin Hao was finally finishing.

But it immediately realized it was wrong.

Up in the sky, all the stars in the region that Lin Hao had drained, which had grown dim, suddenly flared with brilliant light. Then, they all began to trail long tails simultaneously.

The turtle egg’s eyes lit up. It then saw beams of light from the sky all converge on a single point—the crown of Lin Hao’s head!

The turtle egg was dumbfounded.

Not far from the base of Forbidden God Mountain, somewhere within the Heaven-Stepping Sect, a cat that had been resting with its eyes closed suddenly snapped them open. With a WHOOSH, it stood up on its hind legs like a person and gazed at the sky. Within its eyes, a strange phenomenon appeared: the sun and moon manifested!

"What a freak. He’s only just started cultivating the Divine Illumination Scripture, yet he’s already produced such a phenomenon. He might even surpass what Emperor Hongtian could do!"

At the same time, in the central region of the Celestial Break Mountain Range, a woman of peerless grace stood on a cliff’s edge, looking as if she might ascend to the heavens at any moment. She, too, was gazing at the sky.

Her beautiful eyes flashed, and a massive Cyan Simurgh shot out from her body, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

「One second later...」

SPURT!

The Cyan Simurgh returned to her body, and the peerless woman suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"An Emperor’s Art! It’s a good thing he was the one to obtain it." Looking up, the woman paid no mind to the blood at the corner of her mouth. Her face was filled with horror, yet within that horror was a trace of relief and gratification.

But her brow quickly furrowed, and she muttered, "I have still underestimated this continent. However, you all had best remain in your slumber. Otherwise..."