Chapter 464: Capturing The Stones

Many orbs of light were already entangled with the barrier, inseparable from it.

If these Elemental Star Stones were forcibly removed, it would trigger a chain reaction, possibly causing unpredictable changes to the barrier.

With limited time, even Granny Jing found it difficult to stabilize the barrier. She warned Qin Sang not to act recklessly—if he accidentally triggered a spatial collapse in Zhitian Peak, none of them would escape.

No wonder Vice Island Master Xiao had never mentioned this issue before. The Spirit-Sealing Bangle alone was far from sufficient to extract the Elemental Star Stones entangled with the barrier—only the Star Spirit Net could accomplish that.

"Enter from here."

Instead of choosing the seemingly safer route along the waterfall to leave the grassland, Granny Jing raised her hand and pointed toward a stone path leading into the forest.

Noticing Qin Sang’s hesitation, she said indifferently, "Rest assured, Daoist. I will guide you through the barrier, and along the way, the Elemental Star Stones you gather will be enough to surpass the others."

The forest was dimly lit, shrouded in an eerie silence.

Yet, it was far from quiet. Colorful glimmers flickered within, resembling countless lurking monsters. In reality, they were fluctuations caused by fragments of the barrier.

The multicolored radiance atop the trees was merely a fraction of the barrier fragments scattered throughout the forest. These barrier remnants made traversing the forest extremely difficult—every step fraught with obstacles.

Ultimately, Qin Sang chose to trust Granny Jing.

As he was about to enter the forest, he looked up to survey the peak.

Zhitian Peak was far taller than he had imagined, its majestic silhouette piercing through the clouds.

Through the mist, Qin Sang vaguely spotted a peak resembling a soaring eagle—one of the rare landmarks on Zhitian Peak, as Vice Island Master Xiao had previously mentioned.

Spotting this landmark from his location indicated that he was already at a relatively high altitude on Zhitian Peak.

To be honest, his luck was not particularly great.

The distribution of light orbs on Zhitian Peak followed a pattern. The higher up, the denser the orbs, but also the more perilous the environment.

The barriers and terrain near the summit were more treacherous and complex, yet they also harbored many light orbs not entangled in barriers, making them easier to collect.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Unlike this vast grassland, where not a single light orb was in sight.

An hour later.

Judging by the surrounding terrain, without Granny Jing and the Star Spirit Net, Qin Sang might still be able to earn a reward. However, if he aimed to seize the top position, he had no choice but to steel himself and venture into the forest, disregarding personal safety.

Only by maneuvering through the gaps between barriers and collecting Elemental Star Stones one by one could he have a sliver of hope.

Of course, there was another option, but that depended on encountering others.

Stepping into the forest, Qin Sang’s vision suddenly brightened. His face was bathed in a split hue—half in red light, half in azure.

The source of the glow was the radiance between two ancient trees ahead. Red and green light pressed tightly against each other but never blended, forming a distinct dividing line in between.

They seemed to regard each other as mortal enemies, unwilling to yield, yet trapped within this confined space, forced to squeeze against one another. Sometimes, the azure light would gain the upper hand; at other times, the red light would engulf part of the azure.

Qin Sang swiftly stepped forward to observe the two-colored radiance, when Granny Jing’s voice sounded, "Take the Elemental Star Stones above."

At her words, Qin Sang looked up and finally noticed five light orbs floating amidst the treetops.

His luck was decent; three of them hovered at the edges of the two-colored radiance, while the remaining two were embedded within the seam where the colors met, swaying slightly with the light’s undulations.

"Don’t touch the two in the middle," Granny Jing added.

Qin Sang immediately understood—the central light clusters were deeply intertwined with the barrier. If removed, they might provoke an intense clash between the red and azure lights.

Raising his palm slightly, a strand of silk shot forth from his hand, swiftly expanding into a fine net as it left his grasp.

Having long since refined the Star Spirit Net, Qin Sang effortlessly completed the necessary incantation seals. The Star Spirit Net unfurled into a large web as it neared the three outer light orbs, enveloping them completely.

Whoosh!

The Star Spirit Net flared with brilliance, sweeping unceremoniously toward the three light orbs.

Under Qin Sang’s precise control, the Star Spirit Net avoided the two-colored radiance entirely.

The light orbs had no physical form, merely condensed starlight energy. Without special artifacts like the Star Spirit Net or the Spirit-Sealing Bangle, one’s hand would simply pass through them.

Only by using such artifacts could they be condensed into Elemental Star Stones.

The moment the Star Spirit Net enveloped the light orbs, the starlight reacted as if encountering its nemesis. Its glow fluctuated chaotically, attempting to resist or flee, yet it was utterly unable to break free from the Star Spirit Net’s restraints.

If it had been the Spirit-Sealing Bangle, it could only have captured one light orb at a time. Moreover, the Spirit-Sealing Bangle was far weaker than the Star Spirit Net, struggling even to suppress a single light orb—requiring the wielder’s full effort to assist.

If one failed to subdue the light orb, it was crucial to abandon the attempt immediately. Otherwise, if the light orb resisted and accidentally triggered the barrier, the fragile Spirit-Sealing Bangle would be utterly incapable of withstanding the barrier’s impact.

Even with the Star Spirit Net, Qin Sang had to remain extremely cautious while dealing with the light orbs' resistance.

Fortunately, his control was precise, and he successfully restrained all three light orbs without incident.

Under the Star Spirit Net’s continuous suppression, the light orbs’ struggle gradually weakened, their forms shrinking as the starlight compressed inward.

Bit by bit, they transformed into irregularly shaped crystal beads.

Swish!

The Star Spirit Net carried the three nearly identical crystal beads back into Qin Sang’s palm.

These were the Elemental Star Stones.

Though called stones, they were, in truth, beads.

A cool sensation spread across Qin Sang’s palm. The Elemental Star Stones were incredibly light, as weightless as drifting willow fluff, yet they were astonishingly hard—no matter how much force he applied with his fingers, he couldn’t crush them.

When his spiritual consciousness swept over the Elemental Star Stones, Qin Sang could only perceive an indescribable sense of ethereal vastness—something he had never encountered before.

Can these really be used to set up arrays?

Curious, Qin Sang pondered for a moment but knew this was not the time to examine them. He promptly stored the stones in the specially crafted pouch provided by Stargazing Island, then gripped the Star Spirit Net tightly and turned to look at Granny Jing.

From the moment he deployed the Star Spirit Net to capturing the Elemental Star Stones, only a few breaths had passed—an unbelievably swift process, far surpassing the fragile and inefficient Spirit-Sealing Bangle.

Thinking of the two artifacts waiting for him outside, Qin Sang felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

Granny Jing had long been aware of the Star Spirit Net’s capabilities. Her expression remained unchanged as she fixed her gaze on the gap between the two-colored radiance. With a slight lift of her finger, she instructed, "Go through here!"

The duration was too short for Qin Sang to fully analyze the nature of this barrier fragment, leaving him with no choice but to follow Granny Jing’s command.

The forest itself wasn’t densely packed with ancient trees. Rather, it was open and interconnected. Yet Granny Jing had deliberately chosen the most dangerous path.

If she wants to harm me, she won't need to go through such trouble.

This thought flashed through Qin Sang’s mind. Without hesitation, he followed Granny Jing’s order, his figure turning into a streak of flowing light as he dashed into the gap between the two-colored radiance.

At that instant, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended from both sides. If that force had landed directly on him, his robes wouldn’t have lasted even a moment before disintegrating, and his body would have been crushed into pulp.

Fortunately, the moment Qin Sang sensed the pressure, he had already passed through the gap in the two-colored radiance and emerged safely on the other side.