Transmigrating Into a Fantasy World: Signing in During Pregnancy, Reaching the Summit with My Childhood Sweetheart

212: Chapter 212: Star Core Devouring Stones and Rift MutationThe sudden, intense sense of ”hunger” originating from the Soul link caused Nangong Xuan’s movements to falter slightly. This feeling was incredibly clear, even carrying a hint of urgent demand that brooked no refusal. It was entirely different from the faint throbbing he had felt when sensing that dark-red crystal before; it was more like the violent frenzy he experienced when devouring foul energy in the North Nether Sea, yet it possessed a more targeted craving.

The chaos star core had developed an immense ”interest” in the fire smelting stones he had just obtained!

”What’s wrong?” Su Muxue keenly noticed Nangong Xuan’s abnormality.

Nangong Xuan’s mind raced. Without hesitation, he took out the smallest fire smelting stone from his storage Magical Artifact and held it in his palm. Simultaneously, he sank his Divine Sense inward, attempting to communicate with the star Core: ”You want this?”

Hum!

He was answered by an even more violent vibration from the star Core and a longing that almost manifested physically! It was as if a starving child had seen the most delicious food.

Without further hesitation, Nangong Xuan quietly circulated his Cultivation Technique, guiding a strand of pure Fire Fiend Qi contained within the fire smelting stone toward the star Core in his chest.

The moment that strand of energy touched the star Core—

A sudden change occurred!

The chaos star core didn’t wait for Nangong Xuan to guide it slowly. The dark-gold patterns on its surface suddenly lit up, and a domineering suction force generated itself. It didn’t just take the single strand Nangong Xuan was guiding, but directly locked onto the fire smelting stone in his hand across the air!

Sizzle!

The entire hard fire smelting stone, which was sturdy enough to serve as a spiritual material for forging, instantly turned dull. Countless cracks appeared on its surface before it transformed into a cloud of ash, scattering into the scorching air. All the pure Fire Fiend Qi contained within was instantly devoured by the star Core in a manner that bordered on plunder!

The entire process was incredibly fast!

After devouring one fire smelting stone, the sense of satisfaction transmitted by the star Core was minuscule. That intense hunger had only weakened by an insignificant fraction before becoming intense again, its target set directly on the remaining stones in the storage Magical Artifact!

Nangong Xuan was deeply shaken. The efficiency and desire with which the star Core devoured the fire smelting stones far exceeded his expectations! The attraction of these things to the star Core seemed even more direct and intense than that of the dark-red crystal?

”Nangong?” Su Muxue and Zi Linger were both stunned to see the fire smelting stone instantly turn to ash.

”It’s the star Core,” Nangong Xuan quickly explained via voice transmission. ”It has an extremely strong desire to devour the fire smelting stones. They seem to be... a great supplement?”

As he spoke, he took out another slightly larger fire smelting stone. Sure enough, the same thing happened again. The star Core domineeringly plundered the Ore’s energy across the air, once again leaving behind a pile of ash.

After devouring two fire smelting stones in succession, the hunger transmitted by the star Core finally weakened significantly, though it was still not satisfied. The flow of the dark-gold patterns on its surface accelerated slightly, and the energy it fed back was even more pure and scorching. This drove Nangong Xuan’s cultivation to rise steadily, and the scorching characteristic within his Nirvana Sword Intent also grew noticeably stronger.

Nangong Xuan’s eyes lit up. He instantly realized that this seemingly cruel and dangerous Trial of the Molten Heart might be an unprecedented opportunity for him and the star Core!

To others, fire smelting stones were proof for completing tasks and exchanging for rewards, but to him, they were precious resources that could directly enhance the star Core and his own strength!

”We need more fire smelting stones!” Nangong Xuan said in a low voice, his gaze turning back toward the incessantly erupting Bing Qi Fissure, his eyes becoming incredibly heated.

Su Muxue and Zi Linger also immediately understood the key to this, and their spirits were lifted.

”The previous method worked, but the efficiency isn’t high enough,” Nangong Xuan quickly formulated a new plan. ”Mu Xue, Linger, you two remain responsible for defense and support. This time, I won’t gather them bit by bit. I’ll try to use my Nirvana Sword Intent to temporarily calm the torrent over a larger area and directly seize a large number of stones!”

The risk was higher, but the potential gains were also enormous!

This time, Nangong Xuan proactively sank a portion of his mind into the star Core, attempting to guide that energy which had become more active after devouring the fire smelting stones.

When he faced the surging torrent of Fire Fiend Qi again, he pointed his fingers like a sword. He pushed his Nirvana Sword Intent to the limit, but this time, within the gray, desolate sword light, a hint of scorching power with a faint chaotic color—fed back by the star Core—was subtly integrated!

”Nirvana · Flame Devourer!”

He thrust out his sword, but it wasn’t a simple annihilation; it carried a certain characteristic of ”devouring” and ”decomposition”!

Sizzle—!

Wherever the sword light passed, the violent torrent of Fire Fiend Qi seemed to have met its sovereign. It let out a mournful sizzling sound and dissipated silently in large swaths, directly assimilated and absorbed by that hint of Chaos power contained within the Sword Intent! The gap opened was far larger than before, and it lasted for a few tenths of a second longer!

It was precisely those few tenths of a second of difference! Nangong Xuan’s figure shot in like lightning. His Nirvana Sword Essence transformed into dozens of invisible hands, and like a gale sweeping away fallen leaves, he instantly seized all twenty-plus fire smelting stones of various sizes visible at the edge of the rift!

However, just as he succeeded and was about to retreat—another mutation occurred!

Perhaps it was because his disturbance this time was too violent, or perhaps the energy accumulation of the Bing Qi Fissure itself had reached a critical threshold.

The entire earth shook violently! Accompanied by a dull roar like the bellowing of a giant beast, a sound came from the deepest part of the rift!

That Fire Fiend Qi rift, which had been erupting somewhat regularly, suddenly expanded by a whole circle! What gushed out was no longer a dark-red torrent, but a terrifying energy pillar that was nearly pitch-black as ink, thick as sludge, and emitting an aura of destruction and ill omen! At the Core of the energy pillar, there was even a faint, heart-palpitating flicker of... the distorted fluctuations unique to the dark side’s filth!

Rumble!!!

The black energy pillar soared into the sky, its power more than ten times greater than before! Its range covered an area of nearly a hundred feet around the rift!

”Not good! The rift is mutating! Retreat, quickly!” In the distance, other Cultivators let out terrified screams and fled backward frantically.

Nangong Xuan bore the brunt of it! That terrifying black energy pillar almost swallowed him whole! The moonlight shield Su Muxue had propped up let out an overwhelmed cracking sound the moment it touched the black energy, its light dimming rapidly!

Zi Linger gave a sharp cry and, regardless of the backlash, pushed her Life Force to the absolute limit. The ground in front of them suddenly split open, and several thick, crimson vines shimmering with a metallic luster burst forth, weaving into a giant shield to block the three of them!

Crack! Boom! The giant vine shield lasted for only a single breath before it was instantly corroded, crushed, and turned to ash by the black energy! Zi Linger groaned, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

But that one breath of obstruction bought Nangong Xuan the most critical time! ”Hah!” A fierce light flashed in Nangong Xuan’s eyes. He unhesitatingly brought out all twenty-plus fire smelting stones he had just obtained and hadn’t even warmed yet, while simultaneously pushing the chaos star core with all his might!

Sensing such a large number of ”delicacies” so close at hand, as well as the sinister power within that black energy—which shared the same source as the North Nether filth but was even more scorching—the star Core instantly erupted with unprecedented ”excitement”!

Hum!!!! A chaos vortex, more condensed than the one used to devour the foul mist before but only the size of a bowl, manifested autonomously in front of Nangong Xuan. Like a bottomless black hole, it generated a terrifying suction force!

The twenty-plus fire smelting stones bore the brunt, instantly turning to ash as their pure energy was devoured! Immediately following that, the surging, thick, pitch-black energy pillar was also forcibly dragged, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, frantically pouring into that small chaos vortex!

The star Core accepted all comers, madly devouring this mutated energy that was a mix of pure Fire Fiend Qi and the filth of the dark side!

The scene was extremely bizarre! On one side was the world-destroying eruption of black energy, and on the other was the tiny but unwavering chaos vortex devouring everything!

Nangong Xuan stood behind the vortex, his clothes flapping loudly and his expression incredibly solemn as he fully supported the star Core’s devouring. He could feel that intense changes were occurring inside the star Core; the chaotic sea of energy was boiling and expanding, and the power it fed back was growing stronger and stronger, but it also brought a sense of heavy burden.

This mutated energy was far too vast and violent!

The Cultivators in the distance were all dazed, looking in disbelief at that chaos vortex that seemed capable of devouring everything, and the upright figure standing behind it.

”What... what kind of Magic Treasure is that?” ”He can actually absorb mutated Earth Fiend Fire?” ”A monster...”

The black eruption lasted for about ten breaths before it gradually weakened, eventually reverting to the previous dark-red torrent, though its scale was noticeably smaller, as if its vitality had been greatly damaged.

The chaos vortex also slowly disappeared. The star Core settled down contentedly, feeding back a surge of incredibly vast yet exceptionally violent and mixed energy that rushed into Nangong Xuan’s limbs and bones!

Nangong Xuan’s body shook violently, and his skin instantly turned crimson, with even faint black electrical sparks flickering on his surface. He groaned and forcibly operated the four keys’ balance and his Nirvana Sword Intent, frantically refining this sudden, massive surge of power. A trace of blood leaked from his lips; he had clearly suffered some internal injuries.

But correspondingly, his aura also climbed steadily at this moment, rapidly approaching the threshold of the Late Golden Core Stage! His Nirvana Sword Intent became more condensed, even taking on a domineering attribute of devouring all things!

”Let’s go!” He suppressed the churning blood in his body and grabbed the injured Zi Linger and the spiritually exhausted Su Muxue. Transforming into a sword rainbow, he instantly distanced himself from this dangerous area that had just undergone mutation at a speed even faster than when they had arrived.

Leaving behind only a mess on the ground and those trial-takers in the distance, who were still in shock and their faces full of horror.

This time, they had gained immensely, but it was also fraught with danger. The mutation and needs of the star Core would undoubtedly completely change the trajectory of their Trial of the Molten Heart.