Starlight swirled and danced, converging high in the sky to form a completely new star palace.
Unlike the previous star palaces, this one directly hovered high in the air. Its scale was grand and imposing, exquisite and gorgeous, greatly surpassing those star palaces on the mountains.
"The Eighth Star Palace has finally appeared! My guess was right on the mark!" All-Encompassing Star Lord exclaimed excitedly.
Shi Lei canceled his Iron Crown Eagle transformation and reverted to his human form. His body was covered in wounds, and blood flowed without stop. He swiveled his golden pupils and glanced coldly at the sky. "No wonder you guessed this was the central hub of the Grotto-Heaven. Looking at its bearing, it's more than likely the case." Having said that, he winced and sat down cross-legged to begin healing himself.
His healing process was not simple. He first had to use a large number of Gu to erase the various Dao Marks of the Star Dao, Wind Dao, Dark Dao, etc., that filled his wounds, and only then could he use Gu to treat them and achieve visible results.
All-Encompassing Star Lord waited for a while. Seeing that Shi Lei's injuries were roughly seventy to eighty percent treated, he could no longer contain himself and urged, "Can we go now? Time is limited, Lord Immortal Monkey King. The prerequisite for the Eighth Star Palace's appearance is the formation of the Seven Star Palaces first. Every time the Seven Star Palaces appear, they only exist for the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Once the Seven Star Palaces vanish, the Eighth Star Palace will disappear along with them."
"What's the rush? If you're in such a hurry, you can go ahead by yourself." Shi Lei opened his eyes and indifferently shot a glance at All-Encompassing Star Lord.
"Lord Shi jests. My combat power has hit rock bottom. To break through the defenses of the ancient desolate beast, I still have to rely on you, milord." All-Encompassing Star Lord chuckled and did not speak any further.
However, his fists hidden inside his sleeves were secretly clenched. If not for his sudden drop in power and the imminent Heavenly Tribulation, why would he willingly expose this treasure trove? Why would he suffer such humiliation?
He knew Shi Lei's schemes and plans.
Shi Lei lived for battle, and had a violent and irritable temperament, but he was not stupid.
Any high-ranking individual must have outstanding qualities. Shi Lei, who had achieved such a fearsome reputation, was not lacking in shrewdness.
Having been invited by All-Encompassing Star Lord to explore the Starry Sky Grotto-Heaven and plunder its resources, Shi Lei did not go all out. Although he was interested in breaking through the Eighth Star Palace, he did not want All-Encompassing Star Lord to get rich from this, obtaining a massive amount of resources, smoothly weather the tribulation, and break free from his control.
If All-Encompassing Star Lord did not get a large supply of resources on this trip, he would inevitably have to seek help from others when the tribulation struck. Shi Lei could then make his move, helping him while also restraining him.
In this way, next time he entered the Starry Sky Grotto-Heaven, Shi Lei would be able to reap an even greater profit, far more than the current fifty-fifty split.
Every year, the Starry Sky Grotto-Heaven only revealed a small slit, allowing Gu Immortals to enter. Each time they went in, the Gu Immortals could only stay inside for the equivalent of two days in Central Continent.
The Starry Sky Grotto-Heaven was filled with desolate beasts and abundant resources, clearly designed for long-term profit. Wasn't All-Encompassing Star Lord an example of this? He was just a lone cultivator, but by entering the Grotto-Heaven time and again, he grew stronger. At his peak, his battle prowess was no weaker than most of the Gu Immortals of the Ten Great Ancient Sects. Even when fighting against the fierce warrior Song Zi Xing, he once fought with considerable flair.
After waiting for a good while, Shi Lei finished healing, his body completely free of any injuries.
Bound by the terms of their previous pact and oaths, Shi Lei could not go overboard. After checking his body, he stood up and said to All-Encompassing Star Lord, "Sorry to keep you waiting. We can set out now."
A smile appeared on All-Encompassing Star Lord's face, and he waved his hand. "It is I who was too anxious. I hope the Immortal Monkey King will not take offense. Sharpening the axe does not delay the woodcutter. I will have to heavily rely on your strength going forward."
Shi Lei nodded unceremoniously. "That goes without saying."
With that, he stomped his foot heavily and shot up into the sky.
All-Encompassing Star Lord followed closely behind.
The two immortals charged together towards the Eighth Star Palace floating high in the sky.
Meanwhile, Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan also leaped out from the wellhead.
"This is another star palace," Fang Yuan said, looking around.
Hei Lou Lan nodded. "We tried many methods to test it before. It wasn't wrong. These six wells are the teleportation channels."
The two looked back behind them.
In the center of this star palace, there were still six wells.
But their colors were slightly different from the previous star palace.
In the previous star palace, the six wells were red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and white. Here, the water in the six wells emitted red, orange, yellow, blue, cyan, and white.
One less purple, one more cyan.
Hei Lou Lan and Fang Yuan exchanged a glance. Both were sharp-minded and deeply calculating individuals, and a realization arose in their hearts.
"What are you thinking?" Hei Lou Lan asked.
Fang Yuan split his mouth into a grin, revealing sharp and sinister fangs, and hoarsely replied, "If my guess is correct, the terrain of this Starry Sky Grotto-Heaven is special. It consists of seven spaces. These seven spaces are isolated and independent from one another. Outsiders can only enter and exit through the six wells in the star palaces."
Hei Lou Lan nodded, picked up a Gu worm from the ground, and said, "This is a mortal Gu. It's the Gu I threw into the purple well earlier. It is the best evidence. If my deduction is not wrong, there is another piece of evidence—the sky. When we go out of the star palace, the sky of this space should also have six circular star shadows. It's just that the purple star shadow is missing, and a cyan one has taken its place."
Fang Yuan completely agreed with Hei Lou Lan's conjecture.