Splitting the Heavens

For several consecutive nights, the sky above Tongyou City, and all of the You Continent, was dazzlingly brilliant.

The stellar convergence had triggered a radiant celestial phenomenon that not only garnered immense attention from the Tongyou Institution but also drew cultivators from other regions of the Essence Luxuriant World, who traveled great distances just to witness the spectacle.

What truly attracted so many, however, was not merely the beauty of the event, but the fact that it brought with it a massive descent of the Power of the Stars into the You Continent, which was particularly concentrated around Tongyou City.

The concentration of the Power of the Stars brought about many opportunities to harvest Star Exterminations, and even Star Dippers. There were many types as well, which to cultivators in the Martial Extermination Realm and Martial Dipper Realm, were priceless treasures. For there to be so many at once... It was practically an endless feast!

It was known that cultivators who chose to absorb and refine Star Exterminations or Star Dippers might have done so by chance, out of necessity, or more commonly, because of compatibility with their cultivation methods.

Yet when refining them, no cultivator could rely on just a single type, and each kind required an abundant amount of corresponding qi and force to support the process.

Without a stroke of exceptional fortune, acquiring these elements within a single world was both extremely difficult and inefficient.

Thus, cultivators would often leave their worlds to harvest them above the heavenly screen, where they could more directly tap into the starlight emanating from the deep void.

Even so, this harvesting method was still inefficient and largely dependent on luck.

A Martial Extermination Realm cultivator would need at least a year to gather a Star Extermination under favorable conditions, and two to three years if they were unlucky.

They would also need four exterminations in total, and the process could take them four to five years. Sometimes even double that.

Moreover... It wasn't as though they could sit there and refine Star Exterminations the entire time without doing anything else, right? After obtaining them, they would still need to be refined. Even if a Martial Extermination Realm expert encountered no bottlenecks, it would often take about 20 years to refine four strands of Star Exterminations.

As for those in the Martial Dipper Realm... The time required was even greater!

Thankfully, there was a better option for those in the Martial Dipper Realm. If conditions permitted, some would opt to travel on Star Ships, collecting Star Dippers and along the way. It was a method far more efficient than sitting at the Heavenly Screen.

That This led to a situation where, with every new Star Ship route established by the Essence Luxuriant World, many Martial Extermination Realm or Martial Dipper Realm cultivator would try every means possible to board, hoping to seize the opportunity to gather and refine their Star Exterminations or Star Dippers during extended voyages.

Naturally... Such voyages were fraught with danger.

Even though the Star Ships of the Essence Luxuriant World usually traveled in fleets, either led by a large Star Ship escorting several smaller ones, or composed of multiple medium vessels... Each fleet commanded by at least a True Immortal and capable of forming a joint defensive formation in the void, they still frequently suffered harassment, ambushes, and even direct attacks from star pirates.

Still, cultivators had no choice but to accept the risk if they wished to continue advancing in their path.

It was for that reason that the sudden manifestation of dazzling starlight over the You Continent, accompanied by the abundance of Star Exterminations and Star Dippers, further catalyzed by the birth of many rare starlight-related treasures, caused such a massive stir across the Essence Luxuriant World.

Even cultivators from the Spirit Qing World and the Azure Cheng World, who cultivated the Power of the Stars, heard the news and did everything they could to enter the Essence Luxuriant World in hopes of gaining a share.

Yet the very cause of this feast, Shang Xia, who remained secluded in the Talisman Pagoda of Tongyou City, was entirely unaware of what had transpired.

Having used the Reignition Talisman to forcibly break through to the fifth star of the Seven Star Realm, Shang Xia devoted himself entirely to stabilizing his cultivation. His meditative seclusion lasted for nearly a month, during which the starlight phenomenon continued in the You Continent for 30 nights.

During that time, the Tongyou Institution had the fastest and greatest response, benefiting most from their proximity to the event.

The institution's leadership quickly mobilized cultivators who cultivated the Power of the Stars to harvest and refine Star Exterminations and Star Dippers. Simultaneously, using formations, Star Ships, and whoever was available, they harvested a lot of spiritual treasures.

According to preliminary estimates by the Institution's Outreach Division, in just a single month, over 30 cultivators in the Martial Extermination Realm reached the next level. More than 10 Martial Dipper Realm experts refined another fate dipper. The others harvested a bunch but hadn't started refining them.

They expected many more would complete the refinement in the coming months, bringing about a collective wave of advancement among the cultivators of the Martial Extermination Realm and Martial Dipper Realm.

Those were only the cultivators in the institution. They hadn't accounted for all the Extermination Origins or Origin Dippers the institution collected.

Expanding beyond the institution... The number of cultivators benefiting from the 30 day phenomenon was even larger.

Of course, the event inevitably brought some chaos. The sudden appearance of treasures born from starlight led to sporadic skirmishes and brawls, resulting in hundreds of injuries or deaths among mid to high-level cultivators across the continent.

Fortunately, the Tongyou Institution maintained strong control over the region, dispatching at least one large Star Ship and over 20 small to medium ones to patrol the skies over the You Continent. After several decisive crackdowns, they effectively deterred would-be troublemakers. Without it, there might be even greater chaos in the continent.

30 days later, Shang Xia had successfully stabilized his cultivation. Although he no longer drew on the Power of the Stars through the seven suns, he didn't leave seclusion.

He needed more time to adjust to his newly stabilized cultivation realm and the changes it had brought, especially a strike of inspiration he had received during his meditation.

If all went well, he would be able to grasp the fourth form of his Seven Star Mace Technique.

He named it Emberkindled Legacy.

The inspiration came from the Reignition Talisman, though the underlying philosophy seemed to be the complete opposite.

Sitting quietly atop the Talisman Pagoda, Shang Xia swung his Seven Star Mace into the void before him.

When he withdrew it, it seemed as if nothing had happened. It was as though Shang Xia had merely gone through the motions.

Yet, at the very instant he struck, his clone, who was roaming the void around the Essence Luxuriant World, also reacted. As if linked by some mysterious resonance, his clone drew a mace created from his inner qi and lashed out towards a perceived presence in the void.

As ripples spread across space, layers of the void were pierced until a certain star hanging in the void appeared closer and closer. As it closed in, it eventually revealed its true appearance. It wasn't a star at all, but an enormous open eye.

The mace strike shattered the eye with a muffled groan echoing from the other side of the void, so powerful it nearly dispersed Shang Xia's clone into wisps of energy, as though it would scatter with a slight next breeze.

But just as quickly, several suns deep in the void flared to life. Rays of starlight fell upon the weakened clone. His body rapidly stabilized and reformed, regaining his solid form..

Atop the Talisman Pagoda in Tongyou City, Shang Xia turned his gaze away from the seven suns only visible to him and exhaled softly.

"So someone was spying," he muttered to himself. "If my guess is correct, only the Star Origin Lord would have the ability to refine a star into his eye."

"His goal is really clear. He's still trying to locate my Fate Star. Seems they haven't given up on finding it..."

As for why he would be doing it, the answer was simple.

The phenomenon had lasted 30 days. By then, anyone who needed to know surely knew what was going on.

Shang Xia doubted that such a vast space like the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field was free of the Star Origin Lord's informants.

And truly, who else but he could have caused such a grand phenomenon?

Still, despite the element of surprise, the fact that he had landed a solid blow on a high-level Sage testified to the might of his newly created move, Emberkindled Legacy.

Even more promising was that the technique was still in its infancy. Shang Xia would surely refine it further, and its power would only grow.

"But during my breakthrough, I sensed more than just one spying gaze from the void." Shang Xia's expression sank. "Some were subtler, deeper, almost undetectable... Could they be from entities even stronger than the Star Origin Lord?"

His expression grew solemn as he pondered.

With just a single Reignition Talisman, he managed to verify its power. He reached the fifth star just like that, and he even gained insight to the fourth form of his Mace Technique. It was a win-win-win situation!

Only after leaving seclusion did Shang Xia learn of the uproar his breakthrough had caused in the You Continent. Though most of the cultivators who had rushed over had already dispersed, a few high-level individuals remained, hoping to join the ever-expanding Tongyou Institution and treat the You Continent as a new sanctuary for their martial path.

Whatever it was, Shang Xia left the Essence Luxuriant World without being detected. In fact... He left the Heavenly Field.

His destination was the region of the void once occupied by the Star Origin Dao Field.

During his advancement, he had sensed that one of the spying presences, aside from the Star Origin Lord, seemed to come from that very area.

Although the Heaven Observation Field had since evolved into the Heaven Observation Star Region and its space it covered continued to expand, pushing the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field further away, the distance between it and the original Star Origin Dao Field was still not far for someone like Shang Xia.

Even without creating any spatial tunnels, it took him only two or three days to reach the area.

But just as he approached the edge of the region, before deciding whether to go further, he found himself blocked by several familiar and unfamiliar auras. All of them detected each other instantly.

Shang Xia stood stunned. The situation before him was beyond anything he had anticipated.

Fortunately, Kou Chongxue's aura was among the tangled threads of divine souls, and he instantly noticed Shang Xia's arrival.

"What are you doing here?" Kou Chongxue asked.

One of Kou Chongxue's clones emerged from the void and quickly noticed the change in Shang Xia's aura.

"You've advanced again?!" He gasped in shock.

Shang Xia smiled. "It was a bit rushed, but the outcome isn't bad."

"This is... Quite something," Kou Chongxue's clone muttered, then quickly added, "But as you can see, every Sage from the Heavenly Fields surrounding the Heaven Observation Star Region has come. Their divine souls are tangled together in a net, and no one can remain undetected, let alone try anything shady."

By then, Shang Xia sensed that the net of divine souls was slowly closing in on him as well, trying to trap him and prevent him from leaving.

Kou Chongxue's clone noticed it too. "You're still free," he said hurriedly. "You'd best not get involved, or you'll be caught in it like the rest of us. And since we come from the same place, if you're trapped, I fear others may target us both."

Shang Xia asked, "Is the Star Origin Lord among them?"

Kou Chongxue nodded. "He's already the primary target, but he has two fellow Sages aiding him, and his strength is exceptional. I think he's confident in his ability to break out any time."

Shang Xia wasn't surprised. "So what happened here? Why is the situation so tense?"