Splitting the Heavens

Mister Drama's divine weapon, the spinning wheel, was seized from the void, prompting him to leap from the Star Ship and leave the protection of the formation in an attempt to retrieve it.

Unbeknownst to him, his action likely played right into the enemy's hands. Without the protection of the battle formation, Mister Drama was, at best, an ordinary mid-level Sage.

Despite the cries and warnings of the other Sages, Mister Drama acted as if he heard nothing, stubbornly chasing after his weapon that had been stolen.

"Quick, turn the ship, support Mister Drama!" Though furious at his recklessness, Sage Loudmouth and Lightning Master, commanders of both super Star Ships, both chose to redirect the formation to support him.

While the massive fleet wasn't exactly slow, it still couldn't match the mobility of a Sage mid-flight, especially while turning mid-course.

By the time the ships completed the turn, the distance between them and Mister Drama had only grown, and he was soon approaching the very edge of the formation's protection range.

At that moment, Mister Drama finally slowed down. Though still flying forward, he seemed to have realized something and appeared hesitant.

It was also then that another surge of energy burst forth from the spatial gate inside the Origin Pillar, a third high-level Sage's power arrived through the gate and immediately severed the connection between Mister Drama and the formation.

Three distinct high-level Sages!

It was also the strength they could display after their energy had diminished after transmission through Star Fields.

What kind of terrifying power would they wield if they crossed the spatial gate entirely?!

In that instant, the Sages on board weren't the only ones who thought about it. Even True Immortals among the crew were struck by the same chilling thought.

Yet, just as the third force attempted to cut Mister Drama off, the Sages on the fleet didn't try to pull him back. Instead, they launched a joint assault on the newly arrived power.

Even Mister Drama, seemingly isolated, didn't try to flee from the danger. He turned and charged headlong into the descending force!

In a thunderous explosion, the third force, already weakened by the fleet's coordinated assault, was finally shattered by Mister Drama's all-out strike.

Meanwhile, the two previously high-level Sage energies swooped in from either side of the fleet, intending to use the disruption to kill Mister Drama, weakening the lineup of the eight Sages.

It was a shame things didn't go as they had planned. Mister Drama's decision caught them off guard.

Through the remains of the shattered third force, a haggard figure drifted toward the Star Ship Mister Drama had originally occupied.

Seeing him nearly make it back, both remaining forces rushed in from either side and struck the broken form from afar, unwilling to let him return.

Yet, at that moment, none of the other Sages on the fleet acted to help. They watched as Mister Drama's damaged body was completely destroyed and was turned to dust.

At the same time, a piercing scream tore through the void as the last wisp of consciousness from the third enemy was annihilated, signaling its complete erasure.

Shang Xia had realized during his first clash with the entity through the spatial gate that they were guided by a strand of divine soul.

If the divine soul wasn't fully destroyed, the power could recover rapidly using the energy within the pillar.

That was why, after a brief discussion, the eight Sages agreed to the plan, to use both the fleet and their full strength to destroy the strand of divine soul of the invading consciousness entirely.

As for the 'Mister Drama' who had just perished, it was nothing more than a puppet imbued with part of his inner qi and divine soul. Well... It was good enough to pass as the real thing.

Naturally, the weapon he lost was likely truly gone. The destruction of the puppet would also deal a great blow to the real Mister Drama, who had never acted personally even at the climax of the plan when the third invader was forcefully expelled.

With one of the three invading divine souls destroyed, the other two quickly realized that Mister Drama had been a decoy. They immediately retreated, attempting to withdraw into the Origin Pillar.

How could Shang Xia and the others allow that to happen? Both Sage Loudmouth and Shang Xia acted in unison.

A fiery whip lashed out from one of the two leading Star Ships, burning through the void and striking directly toward the force suppressing Mister Drama's wheel.

Naturally, the other side wouldn't yield easily. They also conjured a long whip that coiled around Sage Loudmouth's whip while the other power rushed to assist.

Before they could outnumber Sage Loudmouth, Shang Xia's attack arrived.

Although the center of the void vortex appeared calm, the distortion it caused had created a sealed space where those inside could no longer perceive the sea of stars.

Suddenly, that sealed space was illuminated by starlight cascading from above.

The Sages aboard instinctively looked up, only to see stars falling and crashing down on the second invading power with blinding speed.

The relentless offensive, though not strong enough to defeat a high-level Sage, was sufficient to force it back temporarily.

And that was all Shang Xia needed!

Before the full might of his Seven Star Mace Technique, Falling Dipper, even subsided, Shang XIa unleashed the third form, Guided Dipper!

The starlight, intangible as it should have been, not only continued suppressing one of the invaders but even split off to sweep across the other force locked in a stalemate with Sage Loudmouth.

The spinning wheel, previously trapped, had its restraints weakened drastically. In the next moment, it broke free and, under the shelter of starlight, flew back to Mister Drama's Star Ship.

"Many thanks!" Mister Drama's voice rang out from within the Star Ship. It was heard clearly by Shang Xia and the other Sages thanks to the fleet's communication channel.

Since they had entered the vortex's core, the relatively stable spatial environment no longer required most of the fleet's energy for defense. They were able to reestablish their communication channels.

After the wheel returned, Sage Loudmouth's fire whip was shredded, and Shang Xia's Guided Dipper failed to cause lasting damage. All it did was waste his energy.

Sensing the unfavorable turn, the two remaining foreign powers covered one another's retreat and withdrew toward the Origin Pillar. Neither Sage Loudmouth nor Lightning Master pursued them.

Though brief, the clash had drained enormous amounts of energy and resources from both the cultivators and the eight Star Ships.

They needed time to recover, especially Mister Drama, whose real condition remained unknown.

"Who would've thought there would be not just one, not even two, but three high-level Sages who would send their divine soul through the spatial gate?!"

"Was it because Lord Seven Star startled them prematurely?"

"No, if he hadn't warned us early, we might have delayed breaching the vortex, and by then, even more experts might arrive... In fact, even Eighth Order monsters might have arrived!"

"Indeed. As the spatial gate continues to stabilize, the limit on what can descend from the outer Star Fields will only increase!"