Splitting the Heavens

"First... I plan to retrieve my soul from the World Origin Source connected to the You Continent!"

Shang Xia's words left Kou Chongxue visibly confused, as if he could not believe what he was hearing.

"What did you say?" Kou Chongxue frowned and asked again.

Shang Xia nodded calmly. "You heard correctly. I intend to reclaim my soul in order to fully sever my karmic ties with the Essence Luxuriant World and our Heavenly Field."

"Preposterous!" Kou Chongxue's expression darkened as he snapped, "Do you understand what you're saying? If you reclaim your soul from the World Origin Source, your foundation will crumble! You'll become extremely vulnerable, and in a life-or-death situation, there will be no turning back!"

Shang Xia nodded again. "I understand, but a cultivator ultimately relies on their personal strength to roam the stars. Besides, while I may not dare claim to be invincible, I have plenty of methods to survive. Even someone as powerful as the Star Origin Lord won't be able to take me down."

Kou Chongxue's expression grew even darker. "Without the support of the world and Heavenly Field, not only will your combat power decline, but your regular cultivation will also be severely affected. Don't forget, the reason both of us have advanced so far in under 100 years is largely due to the favor of the World's Will and the blessing it bestowed upon us."

Shang Xia acknowledged Kou Chongxue's reasoning but continued, "Patriarch, you know as well as I do. I have always been walking down my martial path. Compared to others, my dependence on our world is actually minimal."

He paused, then continued, "Of course, I'm not saying the world's blessing isn't important. On the contrary, they were essential to my rapid progress to this point."

"However, even if I lose the support of our world and Heavenly Field, I can still find ways to make up for it. On this point, while I may still fall short of other Sages who can command their World's Will, I'm confident I won't be far behind. At the very least, I won't face the risk of a drop in cultivation like Sage Jin or Zhuo Gudao."

Although Kou Chongxue had tried to persuade him with both emotion and logic, it was clear Shang Xia had already thought it through thoroughly before making his decision. Since he had laid it all out, he clearly had no intention of turning back.

Kou Chongxue remained silent for a long while before sighing lightly, "I know you're unwilling to remain in the Essence Luxuriant World. You're concerned that this world cannot sustain two Sages. The World's Will cannot assist both of us at the same time and you would rather it be given to me. With the increasingly dangerous Chaotic Sea of Stars, only by nurturing a powerful Sage will we be able to keep the Heavenly Field safe."

"But even if this is truly necessary, it should be me who gives up the connection, not a junior of the institution I created!"

Shang Xia, however, silently chuckled and replied, "Patriarch, what I'm doing is not a sacrifice! As I said, by relinquishing the connection between me and the world, I'm freeing myself from the karmic bonds. I'll be able to roam the stars freely without delaying my cultivation progress. No one else can do this, not even you."

"Are you certain?" Kou Chongxue frowned.

"I am. This is one of the main reasons I returned this time!"

Kou Chongxue knew there was no point in further persuasion and took a deep breath. "Very well. When you reclaim your soul, remember to draw half of the world origin contained in the World Origin Source to support your cultivation."

The You Continent was a massive continent in the Essence Luxuriant World, spanning over 20,000 miles. Thanks to decades of joint management by Kou Chongxue and Shang Xia, along with the full support of the Tongyou Institution, the You Continent stood at the very top of the ranks. It was the richest continent, surpassing even the once-dominant Northern Sea Continent.

Half of the world origin contained in the World Origin Source connection to the You Continent most likely surpassed whatever could be contained in the World Origin Source connected to 20 of the 26 continents in their world.

In truth, if Kou Chongxue weren't concerned that excessive extraction would destabilize the You Continent in the short term, he would have urged Shang Xia to take even more.

Even so, removing half of it could only be sustained temporarily. If it wasn't replenished, the long-term stability of the continent would be affected.

Kou Chongxue's plan was to divert world origin from the continents under the Tongyou Institution's control to maintain a balance in the You Continent.

But no matter what, the total world origin in their world would decrease, which would hinder their growth of the Heavenly Field.

Naturally, Shang Xia would not let it happen. He declined without hesitation as a smile appeared on his face. "I appreciate your intention, Patriarch, but it's unnecessary. Thanks to some fortunate encounters in the spatial vortex and the Nebula Forbidden Zone, I currently don't lack world origin. Extracting so much now would not only delay my absorption but also stunt the development of our world and Heavenly Field. It's just not worth it."

Kou Chongxue thought for a moment and sighed, "In that case, if you ever need it in the future, you may return to the Essence Luxuriant World and draw from the World Origin Source whenever necessary."

Shang Xia nodded with a smile. This time, he didn't refuse.

Although he and Kou Chongxue had reached an agreement for him to reclaim his soul, this matter was known only to the two of them.

Still, it wouldn't remain secret for long. After Shang Xia reclaimed his soul, the massive vacancy left in the World Origin Source of the You Continent could accommodate at least five True Immortals...

While the Tongyou Institution had recently secured many slots for advancement across multiple continents due to their world's advancement, those slots were finite. As the institution grew, they would eventually run out. At which point the vacancy in the You Continent would become obvious to all.

In the following period, instead of consuming world origin from the Essence Luxuriant World, Shang Xia actually contributed more by having Su Chi inject a portion of the world origin he had obtained from the remnants of the Essence Wilderness World in the Spirit Ark that contained Sage Jin's soul, further raising its foundations.

Although he traded the world fragment with Zhuo Gudao and Sage Jin, Shang Xia purified the world origin with the Crimson Soul Tablet to destroy the remnants of Sage Jin's soul. During that process, he retained a lot of world origin...

By integrating the world origin into the Essence Luxuriant World, Shang Xia not only accelerated the growth of the world but also helped Su Chi gain the acknowledgment of the World's Will. It was just like Gao Qin, Song Zhen, and Zhu Nang. He was effectively turned into a member of the Essence Luxuriant World with his 'contributions'.

Beyond what Shang Xia had given him, Su Chi also preserved some of the world origin from the Essence Wilderness World in the Origin Holy Artifact that once contained his soul.

Instead of immediately integrating the world origin, he started to establish a new continent with the help of the Tongyou Institution.

Naturally, creating a new continent in an Essence World was no simple task.

Aside from having enough world origin to fill the World Origin Source connected to it, they needed to develop a landmass of at least 10,000 miles. Moreover, that was only the most basic requirement.

The new continent would then need years, if not decades, of nurturing to awaken spiritual energy and become a land suitable for cultivation and the establishment of a sect.

Previously, with Shang Xia's help, Su Chi used the world origin of the Essence Wilderness World to create a hastily formed External Avatar. He couldn't leave the Spirit Ark back then due to the constraints.

Now that they had returned to the Essence Luxuriant World, Shang Xia used up a lot of precious treasures to forge a new External Avatar for Su Chi. It was free of the limitations of being confined to the Spirit Ark and he could travel anywhere within the Heavenly Field. He possessed combat strength comparable to fifth tier True Immortals. The moment the new continent was formed, he would be able to grow even stronger, possibly reaching the sixth tier. That was Su Chi's original cultivation level before his true body was destroyed anyway.

Sadly, with his true body gone, Su Chi's power had reached its limit. While he could move freely using the avatar, he could no longer improve further than his original cultivation.

Still, with his current strength, once the new continent was established, he could rebuild the Heart Lamp Sect. Even without the Tongyou Institution's backing, few sects in the Essence Luxuriant World could stand against him.

As for why Shang Xia and the Tongyou Institution were willing to help him... It was because Su Chi had promised to share all his martial inheritances with the institution.

As the most promising contender for the Martial Emptiness Realm before the Heart Lamp Sect's fall, Su Chi not only mastered its core legacy but had also studied the martial traditions of many other sects in the Essence Wilderness World. Those were all highly valuable to the Tongyou Institution. Even Kou Chongxue and Shang Xia stood to benefit.

For instance, Shang Xia managed to get his hands on a rank seven talisman inheritance!