Chapter 1037 - 467: No Matter What Lies Ahead, I Will Forge On!

"The first target is the nearest to us, and also one of the fire seeds most deeply eroded by the void—’Nucleus of Annihilation’." The elder pointed to a dim light point shrouded in dense void aura on the star map, "The Nucleus of Annihilation was once a vibrant life planet, and also one of the initial birthplaces of the fire seed. But in a distant era, it was completely eroded by the Master of Nothingness, the fire was suppressed in the depths of the star core, turning into a ’dead star’ wrapped in void."

"The Master of Nothingness has laid heavy seals there, even dispatching powerful Pioneers to guard it, to prevent the fire from rekindling." The elder’s eyes flashed with a hint of gravity, "There, it is one of the areas where the power of the Master of Nothingness is most concentrated, and also the first challenge you will face."

Xu Qinghan’s heart tightened abruptly. The Nucleus of Annihilation, the place where the fire seed completely eroded by the Master of Nothingness was born? What a perilous place it must be.

"Child, are you ready?" the elder asked.

Xu Qinghan took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with determined light, "I am ready!"

The elder nodded, then looked at the other Guardians of Fire.

"Everyone, the hope of the fire seed will once again embark on a journey." The elder’s voice was loud, echoing in the valley, "We will once again activate the Fire Network, escorting the Fire Igniters."

"May the fire be everlasting!" Hundreds of aged voices responded in unison, they sat cross-legged around the altar, emitting a faint yet tough power of fire, intertwining with the flames on the altar, forming an ancient resonance.

Xu Qinghan felt this power, her heart filled with gratitude. She knew she was not alone; the entire Fire Network was fighting for her.

The elder waved his hand, a golden light shot out from the altar, landing at Xu Qinghan’s feet, forming an ancient teleportation array.

"Go, child." The elder said kindly, "Remember, the fire is undying, hope eternal."

Xu Qinghan saluted the elder and all the guardians once more, then resolutely stepped into the teleportation array.

The golden light instantly enveloped her, and in the next moment, she vanished from the Fire Sanctuary.

When Xu Qinghan opened her eyes again, she found herself in a deathly silent starry sky.

All she saw was endless darkness and cold. No starlight, no signs of life, only occasionally floating cosmic dust and that distant giant planet emitting dense void aura.

That planet was the Nucleus of Annihilation.

It was once a beautiful life planet, but now shrouded in pitch-black void aura, with its surface covered in massive cracks and charred marks, like a cursed eyeball exuding suffocating oppression in the darkness.

Xu Qinghan felt the terrifying aura emanating from the Nucleus of Annihilation, that void power was more intense and purer than what she felt on the Ancient Starry Battlefield, as if it could devour all life force.

"This is... the Nucleus of Annihilation." Xu Qinghan murmured, the Ancient God’s Fire within her began to throb violently, as if sensing a similar source of aura, yet also feeling threatened by the void.

She did not hesitate in the slightest, transforming into a golden stream of light, heading straight for the Nucleus of Annihilation.

The closer she got, the stronger that void power became, even starting to erode her fire barrier. Xu Qinghan clenched her teeth, fully mobilizing the Ancient God’s Fire to drive away the void aura that attempted to entangle her.

She rushed into the Nucleus of Annihilation’s atmosphere, where there was no atmosphere, only the ultimate dense void aura surging towards her like black tides.

"Buzz—"

Just as she entered the planet’s interior, pitch-black void chains shot out from all directions like poisonous snakes, aiming to entangle her!

These chains were not physical but condensed from pure void power, carrying a corrosive force that sought to completely bind Xu Qinghan.

"Hmph!" Xu Qinghan snorted coldly, erupting the Ancient God’s Fire, a blazing golden flame burst out from her body, instantly vaporizing the void chains!

However, more void chains surged from the darkness, densely packed and endless, like a giant net of nothingness threatening to completely trap her.

At the same time, low growling noises emanated from the depths of the planet, countless Fallen and Void Hunters charged from the darkness, their eyes glistening with greed and bloodthirst, pouncing towards Xu Qinghan.

"Indeed, this is one of the lairs of the Master of Nothingness!" Xu Qinghan’s expression was grave; she knew this was just the beginning.

Gathering the Ancient God’s Fire in her fists, she punched forward fiercely, torrents of golden streams shot skyward, instantly vaporizing the approaching Fallen.

Her figure moved like lightning through the dense attacks, each dodge was perilously close, every counterattack carried immense force capable of splitting mountains. She was no longer a girl needing protection but a reborn Fire Igniter, each of her attacks carried the purifying power of the fire, dispersing the void aura.

However, the power of the Master of Nothingness was too vast, as the Nucleus of Annihilation was a concentration of its power, the internal void creatures exceeded imagination in number.

Xu Qinghan fought while sensing the weak fire aura deep within the Nucleus of Annihilation. She knew that was the fire seed she sought.

She must break through these obstacles, delve into the star core, and find the oppressed fire.

"Roar!"

At that moment, a deafening roar emanated from the depths of the star core, an enormous figure with terrifying oppression charged from the darkness.

It was a gigantic Void Giant Beast, its body formed entirely of pure void power, eyes blood-red and exuding bloodthirsty glow. It dwarfed the Pioneers Xu Qinghan encountered before, enveloped in pitch-black thunder, each step causing the entire Nucleus of Annihilation to tremble.

"Guardian of Nothingness!" Xu Qinghan’s face changed drastically. She had seen records of the Guardian of Nothingness in ancient texts; they were some of the strongest combat power under the Master of Nothingness, responsible for guarding the most crucial void locations.

This Guardian of Nothingness was more formidable than a Pioneer, each of its attacks carried the power to obliterate everything, capable even of distorting space and corroding the law.

"Fire Igniter, you shall not awaken the fire suppressed by the Master of Nothingness!" The Guardian of Nothingness roared thunderously, its voice laden with boundless killing intent, it lifted a massive claw and slammed it towards Xu Qinghan.

Where the massive claw passed, void collapsed, law extinguished, seemingly intent on crushing Xu Qinghan completely.

Xu Qinghan dared not overlook; she erupted the Ancient God’s Fire fiercely, a blazing golden beam shot out from her body, directly meeting the giant claw of the Guardian of Nothingness.

"Boom!"

The golden beam violently collided with the void giant claw, producing a thunderous boom. The terrifying energy waves spread all around, instantly vaporizing surrounding void creatures.

Xu Qinghan’s figure trembled violently, she felt an irresistible tremendous force attacking, her body flew backwards like a broken kite, crashing hard into the distant rock wall.

"Puff!"

She spat a mouthful of blood fiercely, her face instantly turning pale. The power of the Guardian of Nothingness was beyond her imagination.

However, she did not retreat. She knew this was a challenge she must face.

Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, she stood up again, eyes flashing with unyielding fighting spirit.

"The fire... is undying!" she roared lowly, the Ancient God’s Fire boiled within her, emitting more blazing golden light.

She charged towards the Guardian of Nothingness, the power of fire gathering around her, transforming into golden blades slashing towards the Guardian of Nothingness.

The Guardian of Nothingness sneered disdainfully, it raised its giant claw, engaging in fierce combat with Xu Qinghan. Two powerful beings clashed intensely inside this void-eroded planet.