The starlight portal slowly opened before Bai Cheng.

Behind the door was no longer a sea of stars, but a palace composed of pure starlight.

An ancient star chart floated in the center of the palace, the scroll unfurling automatically to reveal the complete star tracks of the Emerald Sea,

as well as... every step, every node, and every spark of starfire that needed to be ignited to recast these star tracks.

The blueprint for recasting the star tracks was finally presented before her.

But Bai Cheng did not immediately go to take the blueprint.

Her consciousness returned to reality instantly, and the moment she opened her eyes, she saw the weakening Mo Yan on the Observatory, as well as the dark red mist frantically battering the Star Ring on the island's periphery.

"Senior—"

"Don't worry about me!" Mo Yan shouted. "Take the blueprint and leave this place! Erosion Heart's target is you. As long as you leave, they won't trouble an empty island!"

Before his voice had even faded, the first crack appeared on the surface of the Star Ring.

Erosion Heart's wild laughter pierced through the barrier: "Leave? None of you are leaving today!"

The dark red mist transformed into twelve giant hands, simultaneously grabbing at various weak points of the Star Ring.

The cracks spread rapidly.

Bai Cheng glanced at the blueprint in the Starlight Palace, then at the old man on the Observatory who was burning his life force.

Then, she made a decision.

She turned around, not towards the blueprint, but towards the exit of the Secret Vault.

"Miss?" Zi Yuan's voice came through the faith connection.

"Prepare for battle." Bai Cheng's voice was calm and firm. "The starfire of Star Chart Island has already ignited for me; I will not abandon the one who lit it."

She stepped out of the Secret Vault, her silver hair flying like flames in the golden light of the Star Ring. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The emperors imprint on her forehead was fully revealed, the pale gold patterns already covering ninety percent of it.

And behind her, the Star Rail Gate swung wide open, and the light of four clusters of starfire fully bloomed in the real world for the first time.

The warmth of amber, the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) solemnity of rose gold, the hope of pure white, the perseverance of dark gold,

and the golden starfire of Cuiluo Bay, which had just been ignited in the Mind Image Star Sea.

The five-colored light streams converged, condensing into a brilliant starlight longsword in her palm.

The sword pointed directly in the direction of Erosion Heart.

"You want to hunt me down?" Bai Cheng's silver eyes were like ice. "Then come and try."

At this moment, the night sky of Star Chart Island was completely illuminated by the starfire.

And across the distant Emerald Sea, all the islands still struggling and all the glimmers yet to be extinguished felt an unprecedented resonance at this moment.

It was as if a new lighthouse had suddenly been lit in the deep sea.

The fifth step of the path of the emperor was quietly taken amidst the battle.

In the night sky of Star Chart Island, the five-colored starfire was like blooming flame blossoms, tearing a rift through the darkness.

Bai Cheng stood atop the Observatory, her starlight longsword pointing down toward the sea. The light of faith flowing along the blade reflected Erosion Heart's scarlet eyes and the twelve dark red giant hands tearing at the Star Ring.

Mo Yan's aura was extremely weak, yet he was still supporting the Starfall Array.

He looked at Bai Cheng, a hint of relief and determination flashing in his clouded eyes: "Child... you shouldn't have come back."

"If starfire only burns for oneself, it is no longer starfire."

Bai Cheng replied softly, raising her starlight longsword and pointing its tip at the bone boat where Erosion Heart was, "but a selfish flame."

Before her voice had even faded, she had already stepped into the air.

The five-colored starfire trailed brilliant light behind her; wherever it passed, the dark red mist melted rapidly with a sizzling sound, like frost meeting a scorching sun.

Erosion Heart's pupils constricted; what he felt was not mere suppression of power, but a more fundamental restraint.

It was the natural rejection of distorted obsession by pure faith.

"Form the array!" he roared sharply.

Twelve Obsession Priests simultaneously cut their wrists, and dark red blood gushed out, weaving together in the air to form a massive bone totem.

A vertical scarlet eye opened in the center of the totem, reflecting countless wailing soul shadows deep within.

"Heart-Eroding Soul-Devouring Array... based on the resentment of the living beings corrupted in the Emerald Sea over the past three years."

Leng Ningxue's voice came through the faith connection, data streams scrolling frantically in her icy eyes,

"Once the array is fully deployed, it will directly strike the soul source; anyone below the King rank will collapse upon contact."

Bai Cheng did not pause.

The starlight longsword in her hand turned into a five-colored rainbow, piercing straight toward the scarlet eye at the center of the totem.

Before the blade arrived, the sword intent preceded it.

It was not killing intent, but something more vast.

The prayers of Broken Shell Island turned into a golden surge, the solemnity of Sighing Cliff became dark blue chains, the hope of the Forgotten Corridor turned into pure white light feathers, the perseverance at the edge of the Return to Ruins became a dark gold barrier, and the rekindled starfire of Cuiluo Bay turned into a scorching flame core.

Five-colored faith, condensed into a single sword.

The scarlet eye widened suddenly, reflecting the unstoppable sword light.

Then, cracks spread from the center of the pupil like a shattered mirror.

"Impossible—" Erosion Heart's roar was drowned out by the deafening sound of shattering.

The bone totem exploded, and the twelve Obsession Priests spat blood and were sent flying backward, the dark red threads wrapped around them snapping inch by inch, revealing skin as pale as paper underneath.

But Erosion Heart did not retreat.

Instead, he took a step forward, his form swelling and twisting under the shroud of the dark red mist, eventually transforming into a thirty-meter-tall bone golem.

Embedded in the golem's chest was a constantly throbbing dark red heart, its surface revealing thousands of faces screaming in pain.

Those were the soul fragments of the residents of the corrupted islands.

"You think you've won?"

Erosion Heart's voice came from the golem's chest, overlapping and hoarse: "These souls have long since been assimilated by me. If you kill me, they too will have their souls scattered!"

The golem's giant palm struck down, the dark red runes on its palm lighting up to form a net covering the sky, descending over Bai Cheng.

Wherever the net passed, even the starlight twisted and dimmed.

Bai Cheng raised her sword to parry; the moment the blade collided with the net, a sharp pain shot through the depths of her soul.

It was not a physical impact, but a resonance of thousands of instances of despair and pain, back-eroding her consciousness through the faith connection.

"Miss!" Zi Yuan's blade light slashed an opening, but more dark red threads immediately filled it.

Blue Bird's thunder dragon roared and struck, but it was eroded by resentment upon touching the net, its lightning rapidly dimming.

Lu Duo's emerald radiance bloomed with full force, attempting to purify the resentment, but the quantity was too vast, and the purification speed could not keep up with the erosion.

The pure heart vine in Yu Nian's arms grew frantically, silver-white buds oozing crystal teardrops that fell as light rain, yet they could only barely protect everyone from being completely eroded.

Bai Cheng stood in the center of the net, the star track reflections in her silver eyes beginning to blur.

She saw those faces.

Old people, children, fishermen, Astrologers—every face was screaming silently, every gaze soaked in the despair of being betrayed, abandoned, and eroded.