Starlight poured down like rain from the firmament, but did not fall into the valley.
Above the valley, an invisible barrier seemed to catch the rain of starlight.
Then the magnificent transformation happened.
The starlight poured down, piled together, and slowly formed a base following some hidden pattern.
Then came walls, doors, windows, eaves...
Under the gaze of everyone in the valley, the countless starlight "poured" into the shape of a small tower.
Starlight flowed, slowly filling in details, outlining specifics.
Window grilles, textures, murals...
Finally, a seven-story tower made entirely of gathered starlight took shape, hovering directly above the valley.
Like an immortal's dwelling.
Jiang Wang looked up at it as well, truly marveling at its beauty, yet also feeling it wasn't real. As if it existed here, but not in this realm.
It was a contradictory feeling.
"The Seven Stars Tower has opened!"
Someone shouted excitedly, but quickly realized the surrounding silence and clamped their mouth shut.
"The Seven Stars are at the north door, the River of Heaven flows westward." (1)
Tian Huanzhang's aged voice rang out. He formed seals with both hands, withdrawing the last layer of Tian family's arrangements above Seven Stars Valley.
And so the Seven Stars Tower opened.
The scene before them was the Seven Stars Tower, formed of starlight, hovering above the valley. On the massive circular platform at the center of the valley, one hundred cultivators each stood within their star position light circles.
Starlight flowed and painted, the Seven Stars Tower completely finishing all its details, then bursting into radiance.
This brilliance was dazzling but not blinding, yet even if the bright moon hung upon this night sky, it would be suppressed by the Seven Stars Tower's radiance at this moment.
This was the time when the Seven Stars danced alone.
The light shone into the valley.
Jiang Wang vaguely sensed that the star position he occupied and the light shining from the Seven Stars Tower had produced some subtle reaction.
He knew clearly that the next step, he would be "sent" into the Seven Stars Tower.
The supplementary and revised information about the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm that Li Fengyao had provided was extremely detailed, describing most of the process. It also included a reminder for this very moment—not only should one not relax, but this was precisely when one needed to focus most intensely...
"Everyone!" Lei Zhanqian, standing at the Heavenly Chief star position, suddenly half-knelt, pressing one palm to the ground.
His voice carried an innate passion: "Those who shouldn't be here need not come—dragons do not dwell with serpents!"
The instant his palm touched the ground, an intensely blinding strong light erupted from it, that moment nearly overwhelming the Seven Stars Tower's radiance.
And at the same time, across the entire central space of Seven Stars Valley, all one hundred and eight star positions surged with lightning!
The lightning took the forms of flood dragons or spirit serpents. Each was ferocious, tearing and biting at every cultivator participating in the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm.
The Yin Talisman Scripture says, "When earth triggers killing intent, dragons and serpents rise from the earth."
This killing technique of Lei Zhanqian's was the Lei family's closely guarded secret, called "Dragons and Serpents Rising from the Earth," using thunder arts to evolve the killing intent of heaven and earth, with astonishing lethal power.
No one knew when it started, but every time before entering the Seven Stars Tower, at the final moment of starlight guidance, there would be such a segment.
Everyone could freely attack anyone nearby and try to force them out of their star position.
Ostensibly to verify each other's qualifications.
In reality, it was just to reduce competitors.
This was an implicitly accepted unwritten rule. Those who didn't know about it beforehand were easily caught off guard.
Of course, the Seven Stars Tower had been open for so many years, and now those who won qualifications for the Secret Realm rarely didn't know about these matters.
When the guiding starlight shone down, everyone was secretly on guard, also weighing whether they could drive out anyone.
Many were waiting to see the drama at the Heavenly Chief star position, watching how those strong individuals unwilling to be inferior would teach Lei Zhanqian a lesson.
But no one expected that Lei Zhanqian would strike first, and actually attack everyone simultaneously!
He behaved so arrogantly, yet with a sense of righteous justification.
Directly using lightning to bombard all cultivators.
As soon as a killing technique of the caliber of Dragons and Serpents Rising from the Earth erupted, almost immediately over twenty cultivators were blasted out of their star positions by lightning serpents, thereby losing their chance to enter the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm. The journey to the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm, before it even began, had already ended.
And Jiang Wuxie, who received special attention from the lightning, the corner of his mouth curved slightly. He casually reached out and grabbed a vibrant red long spear, then with great nonchalance flickered a brilliant spear blossom before leisurely reversing the spearhead and planting it into the ground.
Just right, pinning down a terrifying lightning dragon that had surged up from the ground.
This lightning dragon was enormous and terrifying, its ferocity fully displayed, its might far exceeding the lightning serpents attacking other cultivators, incomparably more powerful. But beneath this vibrant red long spear, it had not the slightest room to struggle, instantly dissipating into several threads of electric light.
This long spear was entirely a brilliant red, from spear tip to spear butt, seamlessly unified. At first glance, one could hardly look away.
Long having heard the name [Crimson Luan], it was Jiang Wang's first time seeing this famous spear's true appearance. Compared to the Ash-End Spear he had once borrowed, this spear was undoubtedly far more dazzling and more magnificent, but which was actually stronger or weaker was hard to judge.
Jiang Wuxie's casual spear strike shattered the lightning dragon, the spear tip lifted, and he turned his gaze toward Lei Zhanqian.
Then he saw an arrow.
A crystal-clear arrow, yet carrying frost that seemed to come from primordial antiquity.
This arrow landed before Lei Zhanqian almost simultaneously with his gaze.
As his sight fell, so did the arrow.
The two lightning dragons guarding in front of him didn't even have time to bare their fangs and claws before being frozen in place, instantly becoming like ice sculptures.
The surging of lightning stopped instantly.
This arrow froze the lightning!
Frost spread, the arrow tip reaching his brow.
At that moment, Lei Zhanqian's figure flickered and vanished.
He had actually used some secret method to communicate with the guiding starlight, entering the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm a step ahead.
Over the years, not only the Daze Tian family, but various parties' research into the Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm had never stopped. What Lei Zhanqian exposed this time was one of those achievements.
This showed just how much preparation the Lei family had invested for this Seven Stars Tower Secret Realm.
And who else could be faster than Jiang Wuxie, nearly intercepting Lei Zhanqian with this arrow?
Jiang Wuxie turned to look at Li Fengyao, just seeing her delicate foot stamp down, completely crushing the lightning dragon that had attacked her. The Frost Kill Bow in her hand, like ice like jade, seemed capable of freezing one's gaze.
She was a woman, yet her counterattack was fiercer than any man present. Facing a killing technique of the caliber of Dragons and Serpents Rising from the Earth, her first choice was actually to shoot an arrow at Lei Zhanqian, and only secondly to defend herself!
The one hundred and eight star positions in Seven Stars Valley were spaced at least three steps apart.
Jiang Wang, far away at the Earthly Fiend star position, also witnessed this scene. He had never doubted Li Fengyao's strength, but this was truly his first time personally witnessing... the combat power that had repeatedly beaten Xu Xiangqian.
Xu Xiangqian of Qingya Academy had never been a weakling. But before Li Fengyao, he couldn't even escape.
The dozen or so Tian family members seemed to have been prepared long ago. The moment Dragons and Serpents Rising from the Earth erupted, under Tian Chang's organization they formed a formation, directly keeping the lightning outside.
They wouldn't specifically bypass their star position to get mixed up with Jiang Wang at a time like this—first, that would offend people too much, and second, it would waste effort for no gain, harming both parties.
Jiang Wang thus could leisurely watch the show, taking in everyone's reactions across the entire arena.
And precisely because of this, after witnessing Li Fengyao's archery, he was able to immediately spot Lian Shao at the Earthly Swift star position, already struggling to cope.
Perhaps because several people around him had already been driven out by the lightning, all the nearby lightning serpents had gathered on him—a full seven tearing at him from above and below.
Seeing the man already struggling, Jiang Wang seized the timing, took a step out of the Tian family's formation, easily occupying the Earthly Circle star position that Lian Shao's前方 had vacated, and struck back with a single sword.
The sword light turned several times.
Around Lian Shao, who was already running out of strength, the lightning instantly dissipated.
Sword slashes lightning serpent!