The [Aegis of the Fallen Star] was not mere armor; it was a living relic forged from the core of a dying sun and bathed in the blood of Outer Gods. As Shen Yuan's fingers touched the cold, obsidian surface, the armor pulsed like a heartbeat, recognizing its true master.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The pieces flew toward him, snapping onto his limbs. A helmet, stylized like a snarling void-beast, encased his head, leaving only his glowing violet eyes visible. The weight of the armor would have crushed a Soul Transformation expert, but for Shen Yuan, it felt like a second skin.
"Wait for me, Sovereign," Hecate rasped, her silver eyes narrowing as she pulled herself from the wall.
Shen Yuan didn't waste words. He grabbed the golden shackles binding her. These were [Sun-God's Restraints], designed to burn the soul of any dark-aligned being who touched them.
Sizzle.
Shen Yuan's hands smoked, but he didn't let go. He channeled his Black Hole Core directly into the chains. The gold turned black, then brittle, then shattered into dust.
"Your strength... it's different," Hecate whispered, rubbing her scarred wrists. "It's hungrier."
"The world grew soft while we slept, Hecate," Shen Yuan said, his voice distorted by the helmet into a metallic growl. "Let's remind them what hunger looks like."
Outside the Vault – The Valley of Whispers
The valley was no longer empty. Over ten thousand soldiers of the War-Tusk Legion had surrounded the exit, their heavy armored rhinoceroses snorting steam into the cold mist. Floating above them were the elders of the Silver Moon Pavilion, their faces contorted with fury.
Sect Master Iron-Hoof stepped forward, his massive war-club resting on his shoulder. "Out! Come out, you rat! I know you're in there with the prisoner! Surrender now, and I might only execute your kin!"
The massive iron doors of the vault didn't open. They were kicked off their hinges, flying through the air like two-ton projectiles.
CRUNCH.
Two war-beasts were flattened instantly.
Shen Yuan walked out of the dust, the Aegis of the Fallen Star absorbing the dim light of the valley. Beside him, Hecate drifted like a vengeful ghost, her silver hair whipping in a wind that shouldn't exist.
"Iron-Hoof," Shen Yuan's voice boomed, amplified by the armor's enchantments. "You spoke of graves earlier. I've decided you were right. This valley is a perfect size for your entire sect."
"Arrogant brat!" Iron-Hoof roared, his Soul Transformation aura exploding, shaking the very foundations of the valley. "Legion! CRUSH THEM!"
The ground shook as ten thousand soldiers charged. The Silver Moon elders began to play their flutes, sending thousands of crescent-shaped Qi blades raining down from the sky.
Shen Yuan didn't draw a sword. He raised his gauntlet and clenched his fist.
"[Fifth Gate: The Void-Star Nova]"
The Aegis didn't block the attacks; it acted as a lightning rod. Every Qi blade, every stomp of a war-beast, and even Iron-Hoof's oppressive aura was sucked into the armor's runes. Then, the armor released it all at once in a 360-degree shockwave of pure, compressed darkness.
BOOM.
The first three ranks of the Legion didn't just die—they were vaporized. The crescent blades were reflected back at the Silver Moon elders with double the speed.
"My turn," Hecate hissed. She raised her hands, and the shadows of the remaining soldiers rose up, turning into black spears that impaled their owners from below.
In the center of the carnage, Shen Yuan moved like a phantom. He appeared in front of Iron-Hoof. The Sect Master swung his massive club, but Shen Yuan caught it with one hand.
Crr-ack.
The legendary stone club snapped like a twig.
"You... you're not a miner..." Iron-Hoof stammered, his eyes bulging as he realized the sheer gap in their soul-density. "That armor... the Aegis... You are—"
"I am the debt collector," Shen Yuan said.
He drove his fist into Iron-Hoof's chest. The [Void-Fracture] technique, amplified by the Aegis, didn't just turn the man's organs to liquid—it sent a shockwave through the entire valley, detonating the Dantians of every Iron-Tusk soldier within a mile.
Within minutes, the silence returned to the Valley of Whispers. Ten thousand men lay dead. The "Forbidden Zone" had become a slaughterhouse.
Shen Yuan stood amidst the bodies, his armor pulsing with a satisfied, dark glow. He looked at Hecate.
"One sect down," she noted, licking a drop of blood from her lip. "Only a few hundred more to go."
"Not just sects, Hecate," Shen Yuan said, looking up toward the Second Heaven. "I can feel them. The 'Gods' are watching. They're sending a Heavenly Envoy."
"Good," Hecate smiled, her silver eyes flashing. "I haven't tasted a god's heart in millennia."