Goodness, I originally thought I was the legitimate heir to the Starry Clan's inheritance. I never expected I was just a hapless soul bound by their slave contract! Sterl felt a bit speechless; if it weren't for the cheat of leveling up and evolving, he would have truly become a puppet!
Fortunately...
The outcome was favorable. After leveling up, his star power had already reached royal standards. Instead, he had unlocked the Starry Clan's trials and was the first to obtain the Relics of the Stars. In the future, he would have the opportunity to inherit the entirety of the Starry Clan's legacy.
Once the giant had completed his task, he seemed quite weary. "Don't worry; as the true inheritor, you will receive some privileges."
"My remnant soul still has some energy left. I hope to see you as the victor during the ceremony of power transfer for the clan. Then I can boast a bit to my old friends."
...
After saying these words, the giant's form began to gradually shrink, ultimately dissipating into a wisp of light smoke. As his figure completely vanished, the illusion started to shatter. As it broke apart, streams of azure energy surged toward Sterl's body.
With a peculiar chime, the azure waves transformed into a storm that surged into Sterl's being. This was an incredibly tumultuous and strange energy. Sterl felt a unique mark gradually forming within him. It was called the Star Mark!
Eventually, the storm intensified, and Sterl felt as if his soul were being washed anew. After experiencing several years of tempering in the folds of the Crystal Barrier Galaxy, his soul level had risen by three levels. Now, it was about to surge once more.
Level 54...
Level 55...
...
Finally, it came to a stop at level 59. However, the impact brought by the Star Mark continued to grow, until Sterl felt his mind go blank. After a long time, he regained consciousness.
At this moment, Sterl had completed the integration of the Star Mark. The Starry Clan's artifacts still could not be viewed for their effects through his panel. It seemed that his level was too low to fully utilize the capabilities of the Star Mark.
After searching for a while, he finally noticed a new plugin added to his map system. It displayed numerous bright points. The underground palace beneath him was also pulsating and flashing. However, the brilliance gradually dimmed, seemingly indicating that the Relics of the Stars had already been taken.
The remaining 107 bright points were stable and shining, but most were located at extreme distances, appearing outside Sterl's map. It seemed that the positions of these underground palaces were all beyond Alpha 8.
The nearest underground palace...
"It's actually in a layer of hell, and the spatial distance from Alpha 8 isn't far at all?"
"What's going on?" Sterl was taken aback. Countless Crystal Barrier Galaxies had once formed a continent, where the underground palaces of the Starry Clan were scattered. As the continent fragmented, the palaces were also carried into different Crystal Barrier Galaxies. But how could one possibly end up in a layer of hell?
He felt puzzled. Upon closer inspection, he was astonished to find that as many as 16 underground palaces were located in hell.
"Could it be that hell was once part of the original continent?" After much contemplation, Sterl could only arrive at this conclusion.
However, based on the images he had seen in the boundary fragments, when the continent was shattered, no part had been taken out to form hell separately. Moreover, wasn't the number of layers in hell supposed to be infinite? No matter how many portions were cut from the original continent, it wouldn't be enough to form hell, would it?
Sterl muttered in confusion. He wasn't in a hurry to search for other Relics of the Stars; after all, the Starry Clan would actively select qualified individuals and urge them to collect the Relics of the Stars. For the sake of efficiency, Sterl could wait until others had gathered a significant number of the Relics before making his move to seize them.
It wasn't that he was lazy. From the perspective of Stars Change, the effects of the Relics of the Stars were powerful, but they might not significantly enhance Sterl's combat ability. There was no need to rush into collecting them and disrupt his own development plans.
For this, these beings were willing to endure countless years of torment!
Sterl, who had some knowledge of formations, could see through it all. These deities had intentionally sealed themselves within the underground palace. The reason they had evaded the enhanced calamity was that, once sealed, they could no longer act independently; they could only move when the heir of the Starry Clan appeared.
This was a rather unique formation, with the core involving making an oath and fulfilling that oath in exchange for incredible power.
"But the formation itself is quite damaged."
"Even if I were to eliminate these deities, I wouldn't be able to derive anything useful."
"However, if I could access multiple underground palaces, each housing such self-sealed deities..."
"Perhaps I could piece together a fragmented understanding of the formation?"
"Then I could refine it through additional points?"
But...
Sterl couldn't help but scoff internally.
How many terrible deeds had the Starry Clan committed? The giant he had encountered earlier had left a good impression, and the illusions he had seen showcased the courage, fearlessness, and sacrifice that the Starry Clan exhibited when facing the crisis of extinction.
Just moments ago, he had thought the Starry Clan quite noble.
Yet now, faced with a life-threatening situation, he couldn't help but recall the giant's words—
Many races, even at the cost of their own survival, were willing to fight against the Starry Clan.
It was evident that despite their strength, this clan had stirred up great animosity.
Most likely, they had committed numerous misdeeds!
So much so that the powerful beings of rival races would risk their own lives to eradicate the Starry Clan!
Some even used special methods to turn themselves into mummies, preparing to snuff out the spark of the Starry Clan's resurrection after countless years!
At this moment, Sterl still had the presence of mind to scoff. After all, divine-level beings posed a threat to him, but it wasn't overwhelming.
However, he found himself puzzled. The Stellar Guardian in the underground palace had combat strength akin to that of a demigod, which was understandable. The Starry Clan was selecting an heir, not trying to make things difficult for them, so the guarding force wouldn't be overly strong, and after countless years of wear, the guards had devolved to the demigod level.
But why were these warriors, who aimed to extinguish the Starry Clan's chance of resurrection, only at the upper tier of divine authority?
Wasn't there a stronger presence?
Sterl pondered, remaining calm; after all, he had started to make his escape the moment the first divine-level being appeared.
These entities had been sealed for who knows how long, and even if they were to fight, it would be better to change the battleground to avoid the opponent's home-field advantage.