Bai Cheng nodded slightly. "I know.

But it's precisely because they will interfere that we need to race against time even more.

Every island that can still light up faith could become a crucial anchor in the coming storm."

Three figures slid silently from the side of the train. Under the cover of the star track's ripples, they merged into the sea breeze and shimmering water, rapidly approaching Broken Shell Island.

The island's silhouette gradually became clear.

It was an island formed from a vast amount of white coral debris and shells, with flat terrain.

In the center stood a modest stone mountain, its body riddled with natural holes and tunnels, forming a coral labyrinth that was easy to defend but hard to attack.

The village was built against the mountain, with houses mostly made of pure white coral stone, possessing a rugged and primitive style.

In the small plaza at the center of the village, a statue of faith stood as expected.

The statue did not bear Bai Cheng's likeness, but rather the image of an old man holding a shell staff and wearing a robe made of fishing nets.

It was clearly the Old Priest on the island who had repelled the Mind-Eroding Demons.

However, at the base of the statue, several extremely faint strands of silver light, sharing the same origin as Bai Cheng's aura, were entwined.

Those were the marks left by the Filament of Faith that Bai Cheng had infused with her Doorway Bloodline when the statue was first erected.

At this moment, this mark was faintly resonating with the weary yet resilient faith of the island's two thousand-plus inhabitants, emitting a faint golden halo that was weak but exceptionally stubborn, like a candle flame in the wind that ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) refused to go out.

Bai Cheng and the other two landed quietly on the edge of a hidden hole at the top of the stone mountain.

From here, they could overlook the entire village and clearly sense the gathering and flow of faith.

"The faith is very pure, centered on protecting their home and passing on their legacy, mixed with reverence for the ocean and a longing for peace."

Qingniao lowered her voice, the lightning at her fingertips receding to avoid causing a disturbance.

"But it's also very weary," Zi Yuan added. Her saber intent was particularly sensitive to emotions.

"Continuous fighting and vigilance have exhausted most of their mental energy. That Old Priest... seems like he's about to reach his limit."

Bai Cheng's silver eyes narrowed slightly as she looked toward an inconspicuous stone house on the edge of the village.

There, the aura of life was weak and intermittent, but the radiance of faith was most concentrated. It was the Old Priest's residence.

She could feel that the Old Priest was using his remaining life force as a catalyst to forcibly maintain the operation of the island's faith network, resisting the pervasive erosion of war's malice from the outside.

This state could not be sustained for long.

"Help him stabilize it," Bai Cheng decided. "Zi Yuan, guard the perimeter. Qingniao, follow me down.

We don't need to show ourselves. We just need to use the power of the Star Rail Gate to secretly organize and reinforce the faith pathways here, and provide a trace of vitality to the Old Priest."

However, the moment her voice fell—

A sudden change occurred!

The originally calm sea surface around Broken Shell Island began to boil without warning!

It wasn't natural waves, but countless dark red threads, like viscous plasma, suddenly precipitating from the seawater!

These threads intertwined and spread frantically, weaving a massive dark red net covering several nautical miles around the island in the blink of an eye!

On the net, countless cold, pupil-less grayish-white eyes snapped open, simultaneously locking onto the faith statue in the center of the island and... the three of them atop the stone mountain!

A cold, mechanical, and inorganic grand consciousness descended from the depths of the net:

"High-concentration heretical faith convergence point detected... Emperor life reaction detected... Coordinates confirmed... Executing Purification Protocol Chapter Seven: Cradle Strangling."

"purifying world net, deploy." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Light of Slumber, release."

On the dark red net, all the grayish-white eyes lit up simultaneously!

There were no blinding beams, only a silent, soul-freezing grayish-white light that surged toward the entire island like a tide!

Wherever it passed, the seawater instantly solidified and lost its vitality, and the law pathways in the air were forcibly stripped of color and temperature, turning into absolute 'dead silence'!

Bearing the brunt of it was the faith statue in the center of the village and the faith mark on its base connected to Bai Cheng!

Simultaneously, in the sky on the other side of the island, space abruptly tore open to reveal a brilliant star gate.

Twelve figures clad in starlight battle armor, with auras at least at the early King Rank, stepped out. Leading them was a tall warrior holding a star track spear, with the phantom of a lion branded on his helmet.

His cold gaze swept over the island below, which was being enveloped by the purifying world net, and finally fixed on the now-visible Bai Cheng, announcing indifferently:

"By the decree of the Star Lord: The star track shall not be usurped; the fledgling must be erased. Star Guard Battle Group, execute the purge."

Ahead was the Light of Slumber from the purifying world net, and behind was the intercepting elite Star Guard Battle Group from the Constellation.

Broken Shell Island, which had just caught its breath from the harassment of the Mind-Eroding Demons, instantly became the first hunting ground for the two major forces targeting Bai Cheng, the newly emerged 'Emperor'!

The hunt had begun.

Bai Cheng's silver hair flew up amidst the sudden double killing intent. Standing atop the stone mountain, she looked at the encroaching grayish-white light of dead silence, and then at the Star Guard Battle Group coldly approaching from the starry sky.

On her forehead, the dim Emperor brand flickered once more due to the intense crisis and battle intent.

The phantom of the Star Rail Gate slowly unfolded a corner behind her, flowing with quiet and vast silver light.

She raised her hand, palm upward, as if holding up the yet-to-be-extinguished glimmers and prayers of the entire sea.

Her voice was clear and firm, echoing over Broken Shell Island as it was shrouded in death and starlight:

"They view faith as weeds and living beings as dust."

"Then we shall let them see—"

"Weeds gather to form a prairie; dust accumulates to form a mountain."

"Where glimmers converge, there is also... the power to set the prairie ablaze."

"Battle!"