Splitting the Heavens

A brief yet intense clash had severely depleted the Chaotic Sea of Stars Sages' Alliance, forcing them to pause and recuperate.

Meanwhile, among the three high-level Sages who had descended from foreign Star Fields and suffered setbacks at the hands of Shang Xia's group, only two retreated into the Origin Pillar.

Both sides knew that a more brutal confrontation was inevitable. Either the native cultivators of the Chaotic Sea of Stars would break the spatial gate and foil the invaders' descent, destroying the Origin Pillar to claim the energy for themselves, or all eight Sages would fail, allowing the spatial gate within the Origin Pillar to fully form and enable the true arrival of forces from other Star Fields.

Yet, a troubling possibility lingered. Would additional Sages send their divine souls through the spatial gate while Shang Xia and the others were still recovering?

The question had already been raised before the group decided to rest, but there was no effective countermeasure. The best they could do was recover their strength quickly and shorten the time before launching another assault on the Origin Pillar.

Another pressing matter was Mister Drama's injuries. After Sage Loudmouth and Shang Xia reclaimed his divine weapon, the flying wheel, Mister Drama had thanked them, but then secluded himself within his Star Ship, claiming to be in seclusion to recover.

When everyone was recuperating, others had attempted to gather information about his condition from his subordinates aboard his Star Ship. But they were told that Mister Drama had shut himself inside a secret chamber, issuing strict orders not to be disturbed, even his closest followers were unaware of his true state.

That cast a shadow over the minds of the other Sages. If Mister Drama failed to recover some of his strength before the next assault on the Origin Pillar, they would lose not only a mid-level Sage, but also a significant portion of the fleet's total strength.

"Does anyone have rare medicinal pills or treasures that can swiftly heal a Sage? If so, bring them out now. We must prioritize the greater cause!" Sage Loudmouth's voice was amplified through the ship formation to reach the other Sages.

"Didn't you hear what Mister Drama's subordinates said? He's in seclusion, and even his own disciples aren't allowed near. What good would your treasures do if we can't deliver them? You wouldn't break in by force, would you?" Lightning Master, who was in relatively good condition among the mid-level Sages, asked.

Shang Xia sighed, "We'll just have to wait until Mister Drama emerges on his own. There's little we can do at the moment."

At that moment, Graceful Lady suddenly spoke up, "What kind of secret art did he use? That flesh puppet of his was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Not only did we not notice, even those high-level Sages from other Star Fields didn't realize it was just a decoy."

In truth, everyone had been curious about that secret. They had simply refrained from asking.

When the puppet appeared, Shang Xia had already been using his divine soul to examine it closely, hoping to glean the truth behind Mister Drama's secret art.

But in the end, he found nothing useful. Even as the puppet was destroyed and completely annihilated, no clues emerged.

Sage Loudmouth suddenly declared, "Let's wait half an hour. Whether or not Mister Drama comes out by then, we must set out for the Origin Pillar! At this point, there's no turning back."

He hardly needed to say it. Everyone already understood.

Half an hour passed quickly. Just as the others were preparing to depart, an unusual fluctuation arose from Mister Drama's ship. The defensive formation around it weakened, and his aura surged outward, though noticeably diminished.

"Everyone, I can currently maintain only the strength of a third star Sage," Mister Drama's voice rang out, weary and faint.

Still, that was more than enough for the others. Though it was regrettable that Mister Drama had dropped in rank, the impact on the formation's overall power was minimal.

"Very well, let's proceed!" Sage Loudmouth's voice sounded visibly reinvigorated. Meanwhile, aboard the Jiao Continent, Shang Xia looked somewhat surprised before falling into thought.

Huang Jinghan, standing nearby, asked, "Is something wrong?"

Shang Xia smiled faintly. "Oh, nothing. Just realized that Mister Drama's puppet was created through a self-mutilation technique."

Huang Jinghan blinked. "Self-mutilation? You mean embedding his flesh and blood into the puppet?"

"Exactly," said Shang Xia. "Some organs can be halved without being fatal, especially for a cultivator of the Martial Emptiness Realm."

Huang Jinghan couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

Shang Xia then turned to Gao Qin. "Do you know how a Sage transfers a strand of their divine soul into another high-level cultivator, allowing them to temporarily bear the strength of a Sage?"

The question visibly unsettled Gao Qin, reminding her of memories best left buried. But she quickly steadied herself and replied, "I don't know the exact method. Back then, I didn't even realize Gu Yi had implanted a strand of his soul in me."

Shang Xia nodded as if he expected as much and didn't press further.

In fact, Gu Yi's attempt to use Gao Qin as a puppet to carry his divine soul was a common method used in the Chaotic Sea of Stars. Though it cost the life or freedom of a high-level cultivator, it was a relatively low-cost strategy for the Sage.

But Shang Xia seemed to have discovered an alternative, possibly one that demanded less sacrifice and offered a more accessible path.

The fleet resumed its advance. This time, they quickly approached the Origin Pillar. No further danger emerged, as if the forces behind the spatial gate had given up.

But the Sages aboard the eight Star Ships were not so naive. On the contrary, they grew even more cautious, convinced that a deadlier ambush awaited.

The Origin Pillar loomed closer. From afar, it looked like a slender needle, but up close, it resembled a massive pillar. Shang Xia thought of the stone rod used to prop up the Spirit Ruling World back then and it seemed like a mere toy in comparison. Even the two super Star Ships nearest the pillar didn't match its diameter.

"What's the plan now?" Sage Loudmouth asked first.

Suddenly, Lightning Master spoke up. "The battle formation must remain intact. Everyone else can act according to their abilities."

Sage Loudmouth hesitated, then shouted toward Shang Xia, "What do you think, Lord Seven Star?"

Shang Xia smiled and called out, "Fellow cultivators, if you're going to act, don't stray too far from our battle formation!"

"Agreed, agreed," Sage Loudmouth echoed. "Do not leave the formation! Even if the flow of origin qi may be slow, safety comes first!"

After that, the battle formation continued to function, but it soon began showing signs of weakening as each ship started to shift a part of the energy to be used for themselves.

Still, the Sages on each vessel exercised restraint, ensuring the formation wouldn't weaken excessively and could be restored to full power if needed.

Shang Xia, too, withdrew some of his inner qi, preparing to plunge into the Origin Pillar again and claim the vast origin qi within. If an opportunity arose to destroy the forming spatial gate with the others, he would take it.

Who would have thought that someone would beat him to it?

Just as Shang Xia was communicating with the Crimson Soul Tablet to aid in extracting the solidified origin qi, a golden beam of light burst from Vortex Observer's Star Ship and slammed into the Origin Pillar.

A grating shriek rang out. Even with the protection of the battle formation, the screeching, like glass being scraped with a knife, was unbearable for those who hadn't reached the Martial Emptiness Realm. Even the Sages winced.

But their focus wasn't on the noise. All eyes were fixed on the point of impact.

From Shang Xia's perspective, that golden strike looked overwhelming, but in truth, it merely produced a loud sound and scraped off a burst of glittering debris. The fragments flared slightly before dissipating into dense origin qi that quickly dispersed.

"Just a scratch?"

"Did it even scratch the pillar?"

"But that small explosion of origin qi... It was dazzling!"

"The fragments dissolved too fast, likely washed back into the vortex and reabsorbed by the Origin Pillar."

The Sages muttered among themselves.

Lord Actor called out, "Vortex Observer, were you able to collect any of that origin qi?"

The question was well-founded. After witnessing the whole event, Lord Actor doubted the Vortex Observer had been quick enough to gather the dispersed essence.

Indeed, Vortex Observer seemed dazed by the experience. He replied absentmindedly, "Not worth it... This is not worth it..." However, he quickly snapped out of it and laughed, "Let me try again. I wasn't prepared last time!"

Once more, a golden beam rose from his ship, this time sharper and faster. The tip of the beam had turned nearly platinum in hue.

BOOM!

A deafening blast resounded again, but this time, the sound was less grating. A subtle cracking soon followed.

Several large fragments burst from the Origin Pillar. Before they could dissolve, Vortex Observer, who had prepared himself, intercepted them and swept them into his sleeve from a distance.

As the golden light faded, a shallow dent, barely a gouge, was visible on the pillar.

"Hmm, as expected, this Origin Pillar is incredibly dense. Just a few chunks already contain such rich origin qi!" Vortex Observer exclaimed, retreating to his ship to process the fragments. Perhaps he also needed to recover from his strenuous effort.

Inspired by his success, the other Sages began their own strikes on the pillar, attempting to collect the solidified origin essence.

What they didn't know was that Shang Xia had already knocked loose a far larger fragment, long before the others even made their move.

Next came Lightning Master's turn. His attack was even grander in scale. His super Star Ship transformed into a fortress of lightning. Thunderbolts, lightning serpents, and fiery dragons burst forth, blanketing the Origin Pillar in a massive wave of energy.

Fragments exploded midair like firecrackers. But Lightning Master acted fast. His ship housed many high-level cultivators, who, using the ship's power, quickly gathered the glowing shards before they could be absorbed back into the Origin Pillar.

Though Lightning Master's method caused considerable waste, it was undeniably efficient. With his super Star Ship and many followers assisting, he collected origin qi several times faster than Vortex Observer.