Forging a Path of No Return

Without a true inheritance, it would be extremely difficult for Long Chen to awaken his Natal Divine Rune. And time waited for no one—he was now at an absolute disadvantage.

Bing Yi had only just awakened her Natal Divine Rune and had yet to fully grasp its true power, yet she had already pushed Long Chen to such a desperate state.

Those who had truly awakened their Natal Divine Runes and grasped the laws of the world—how terrifying would they be?

"The Eight Gates... it's an unprecedented path. Its power is shocking, but no one knows what lies beyond them.

Since you walk the path of the Nine Star lineage, I believe you must still draw from its essence. Take what is useful and discard what is not—that is the true way forward." Kun Ding spoke solemnly.

The Eight Gates were a cultivation path that Long Chen had created himself, inspired by the divine diagrams he saw during his tribulation.

But no one knew where this road would lead. Was it a dead end? That was an even greater unknown.

Throughout history, countless people had forged their own cultivation techniques and divine arts. However, these techniques were honed through endless failures and untold sacrifices.

The road of self-creation was full of thorns, fraught with peril. No one knew how many had perished on this path.

Though those who succeeded became legends, founders of sects whose names echoed through eternity…

Who remembered the ones who failed?

To walk this path, one had to be a genius among geniuses. Even then, success was one in ten thousand.

Kun Ding had absolute confidence in Long Chen's intelligence, and he was in awe of his talent.

But self-creation required time. And time was something Long Chen did not have.

Right now, Long Chen was like a beacon in the dark, his enemies lurking in every corner of the Heavenly Domain Battlefield, eager to claim his life.

His only way to survive was to awaken his Natal Divine Rune and grasp the power of the laws.

Long Chen had the power of Three Bloods, meaning he could consider awakening at least one Natal Divine Rune. The Purple Blood Rune was likely the easiest to comprehend.

However, awakening the Purple Blood Rune would take time. And if he devoted himself to it, there would be no time to awaken another.

Even if he did succeed, the power of Purple Blood was strong in defense but weak in offense. That didn't align with his combat style.

Among his Three Bloods, the strongest was his Dragon Blood. But he hadn’t had time to fully assimilate it. As a second choice, he could try the Seven-Colored Supreme Blood, but he felt reluctant.

Because no matter how strong his Three Bloods were, they couldn't compare to the power of the stars.

Only by awakening a Natal Divine Rune connected to the stars could he truly survive this crisis.

Kun Ding never doubted Long Chen’s ability, but time would not wait for him. Neither would his enemies.

Long Chen spoke in a low voice. "Senior, I understand your meaning. But even if I learn their so-called orthodox inheritance—so what?

No matter how strong they are, are they stronger than the Star Lord? Even the Star Lord, such a mighty existence, ultimately perished.

If I want to survive, I must surpass him. If I cannot, then my brothers and I will all die at the hands of our enemies.

If I borrow their techniques, I will likely be led down the same path as the Star Lord. Even if I become a second Star Lord—so what?

The enemies he could not defeat, I would also fail to defeat. The result would be the same—a tragic end."

Long Chen’s words left Kun Ding silent. He had never imagined that Long Chen’s goal was not to become the next Star Lord, but to surpass him entirely.

"Yes! Who cares about the Star Lord? We must surpass him!" Evilmoon shouted excitedly, infected by Long Chen’s ambition.

It had completely forgotten that it was the one who had started this conversation in the first place.

Seeing Kun Ding remain silent, Long Chen quickly said, "Senior, studying and borrowing their techniques would be no different from drinking poison to quench my thirst.

My future is shrouded in uncertainty. But it is precisely because of that uncertainty, because of the unknown, that I have an infinite desire to explore.

My fate must be in my own hands. The Star Lord’s inheritance is merely my foundation.

Under the same starry sky, I will shine with a different light, forging a different path, creating a different destiny!"

"Not just forging," Evilmoon corrected. "I'll be cutting out a new destiny!"

Hearing Long Chen’s words, Kun Ding sighed. "Perhaps you are right. Only by taking a different path can the future be changed."

Seeing that Kun Ding wasn’t angry, Long Chen relaxed. Kun Ding was a senior he deeply respected, and he had no desire to go against it. But in this matter, he could not compromise.

Long Chen took a deep breath and said, "According to my original plan, I was supposed to assimilate my Three Bloods first, increasing my body’s strength to an unprecedented level before attempting to open the Eighth Gate.

But looking at things now, I don’t have the time for that. I need a different method."

Kun Ding asked, "What method?"

"I want to borrow your power… to refine my body." Long Chen’s voice was calm but firm.

Kun Ding was stunned. "You’re insane! You want to treat yourself like a pill and refine yourself? If anything goes wrong, you’ll be reduced to ashes! Absolutely not!"

It immediately understood Long Chen’s meaning—he wanted to place himself inside the furnace, using Kun Ding’s power to refine himself, forcing the Three Bloods and Star Power to merge through sheer brutality.

This was madness. Such a method was extremely dangerous, with a sky-high failure rate. If he failed, there would be no saving him.

"Damn, that’s hardcore!" Even Evilmoon sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Senior, listen to me. Last time, didn’t I obtain the Heavenly Star Water Lotus?

With its help, my success rate will be much higher. Plus, I’ve already run countless simulations. The chances of success are good.

And I have one last trump card. If I fail, it can save my life."

Long Chen opened his palm, revealing a golden lotus seed.

Seeing this lotus seed, Kun Ding hesitated for a long time before finally smiling bitterly. "Fine, fine… You are my master. I cannot go against your will. I’ll go crazy with you."

If Long Chen died, it would be as if Kun Ding had personally refined its own master to death. That thought alone was enough to drive it insane.

But Kun Ding knew that once Long Chen had made up his mind, nothing could stop him. If it refused, Long Chen would surely find another way—one that could be even riskier.

Seeing Kun Ding agree, Long Chen was overjoyed and quickly flattered it to show his gratitude.

Kun Ding transformed into a massive cauldron, a hundred zhang tall. Countless precious herbs were refined into a divine medicinal pool.

Stalks of Heavenly Star Water Lotus floated above the shimmering liquid. As Long Chen slowly stepped into the pool, Evilmoon muttered in awe, "He’s literally stewing himself… What a madman."

Buzz!

Kun Ding’s divine runes lit up, and in an instant, the medicinal pool began to boil.

Final Thought:

The road ahead is one of madness and defiance. To carve his own path, Long Chen must endure a trial that could mean either rebirth… or total destruction. In this moment, he steps into the flames of destiny—will he emerge stronger than ever, or will he be consumed by his own ambition?