Splitting the Heavens

Within the fleet's formation, the eight Sages each displayed their own techniques, all aiming to destroy the Origin Pillar and harvest the solidified fragments of origin qi it contained.

Among them, Shang Xia proved to be the most destructive toward the Origin Pillar, and naturally, he harvested the greatest number of fragments formed entirely from solidified origin qi.

However, unlike before, when Shang Xia would dissolve them for the Crimson Soul Tablet to absorb, this time, he needed to seal and store them temporarily, since the majority were to be used for the development of the Essence Luxuriant World.

In addition, even though such solidified origin qi fragments were extremely rare, Shang Xia and the others immediately thought of their many other uses beyond cultivation.

While Shang Xia could use the Crimson Soul Tablet as a temporary storage vessel for origin qi, once the fragments were dissolved, it would be nearly impossible to re-solidify them. Moreover, with so many cultivators on board the Star Ship, it would be inappropriate for him to lay claim to all the origin qi fragments he collected.

Yet Shang Xia soon discovered that even attempting to store the fragments wasn't easy.

The fragments of the Origin Pillar were essentially the purest form of origin qi, refined to a level beyond what was usually found in the World Origin Source of any world.

Those fragments had solidified due to the unique properties of the spatial vortex, but once detached from the pillar and no longer under the spatial vortex's influence, they would instantly dissolve back into origin qi.

Thus, if the Sages wanted to preserve the fragments in their current state and prevent them from reverting to formless origin qi, they needed to employ powerful and intricate techniques that could mimic the spatial vortex's environment to seal them.

It was clearly not an easy task. Even if the fragments could be sealed initially, the seals would weaken over time or when too many origin qi fragments were stored, causing them to gradually dissolve and return to their state.

In such cases, if a secondary containment mechanism was in place, it could at least preserve the dissolved origin qi.

Though it would reduce the fragments' usefulness in certain applications, the origin qi could still nourish their World Origin Source and support its growth.

However, if they didn't seal it properly, the dissolved origin qi could leak, rendering much of the effort wasted and potentially ruining the entire process.

As the eight Sages continued their assaults on the Origin Pillar, powered by their respective Star Ships, aiming to collect more fragments, an issue soon arose. Surprisingly, it occurred aboard the ship under Mister Drama's command.

Previously, when the experts from the foreign Star Field attacked the formation, Mister Drama had intentionally acted as a decoy. Yet despite it, his Star Ship hadn't sustained significant damage, and with the protection of the fleet's formation, there should have been no cause for concern.

Who would have thought that the first sign of trouble would actually rise from Mister Drama's ship?

Thanks to his unique cultivation methods, Mister Drama had initially lagged behind, but quickly caught up in fragment collection. Though still far from the yields of Shang Xia, Sage Loudmouth, and Master Lightning, he managed to surpass Sages like Graceful Lady and Vortex Observer, evidence of his profound foundation, even while currently weakened to the third star of the Martial Emptiness Realm and being the last to act.

Yet not long after his progress peaked, his collection rate sharply declined, a change immediately noticed by the others.

At first, the other Sages assumed Mister Drama was simply tired due to his injury and needed rest. But they soon sensed something amiss. Origin qi was visibly leaking from his Star Ship.

Sage Loudmouth immediately called out across the void, "Mister Drama, are you all right?"

A hoarse voice came from within the Star Ship after a light cough. "The vessel is old and poorly maintained. It can't fully contain the origin qi released from the dissolving fragments. Quite embarrassing, I must admit."

Even as he spoke, the leakage from Mister Drama's ship significantly subsided, though not entirely.

From several thousand miles away, Shang Xia's divine soul could clearly detect dozens of high-level cultivators rushing about within the vessel, evidently in a state of disarray.

Mister Drama's Star Ship appeared to be pretty old. Its design clearly did not belong to a new era, and the weathered marks on its hull spoke of centuries, perhaps even a millennium, of history.

It wasn't impossible.

Constructing a large Star Ship required immense resources, manpower, and the collaborative effort of elite Formation Masters, Talisman Masters, and those with related disciplines.

Thus, even for a major Heavenly Field, such a Star Ship would represent a core strategic asset.

And for a single sect within such a Heavenly Field, it might very well be their most prized possession.

Under such circumstances, a large Star Ship being passed down and maintained for over a thousand years wasn't unheard of.

But old didn't always mean powerful, especially when it came to creations like Star Ships that embodied the most advanced research of various advanced disciplines. Newer vessels often performed better, being the products of accumulated wisdom and refinements from hundreds of years of development.

Mister Drama's Star Ship, though a symbol of his sect's long legacy, was clearly a counterexample. Its aged design was a testament not only to history but also to the sect's inability to build a newer replacement.

Roughly the time taken to brew a pot of tea later, the situation aboard Mister Drama's vessel stabilized. The origin qi leakage ceased entirely.

Yet Mister Drama did not immediately resume his attack on the pillar. Only after another incense stick of time did he rejoin the efforts to break apart the Origin Pillar.

"Everyone, sealing those fragments requires not just a stable environment, but also firm and effective containment methods. Otherwise, the fragments risk dissolving uncontrollably." As he resumed collecting fragments, Mister Drama addressed the other Sages, even adding with a dry chuckle, "Of course, the sorry state of my Star Ship is also largely to blame."

At that moment, Sage Cat spoke up. "Mister Drama, might I ask, how effective is your sealing technique? How many fragments can each seal contain, and for how long?"

Mister Drama was momentarily stunned, then replied, "Why do you ask, Sage Cat, unless..."

Sage Cat sighed softly. "A few of the boxes I sealed earlier are already showing signs of failure. Two or three of the seals are barely containing the expanding origin qi within."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a muffled thud rang out from inside her ship, followed by startled cries and several figures flashing across the deck.

With a helpless sigh, Sage Cat turned from the conversation and sighed, "Don't panic! The internal seal of our ship is still intact. The containment barriers are active. Even if origin qi leaks, it won't escape the vessel!"

Her words quickly calmed the experts on board. With her help, they reestablished the seals within the ship and once again secured the origin qi.

Despite her prompt response, the incident still disrupted her fragment collection, particularly impacting Graceful Lady, her previous partner in seamless cooperation. The two had to pause their harvesting efforts for some time.

Subsequently, both Vortex Observer's and Graceful Lady's Star Ships encountered sealing issues of varying degrees. Fortunately, with Mister Drama's prior example, they managed to address the problems promptly.

As for the Star Ships of Sage Loudmouth, Master Lightning, and Shang Xia... None of them experienced any issues from start to finish. Their collection rates remained unaffected, especially Shang Xia, whose attacks on the pillar grew even more forceful and efficient over time.

Sage Loudmouth and Master Lightning, who were mid-level Sages with the support of Super Star Ships, naturally had the strength and infrastructure to suppress and seal the collected fragments. There were no problems there.

Although the Jiao Continent, Shang Xia's vessel, was only a large Star Ship, it had been newly built by the Essence Luxuriant World in recent years to gain experience for constructing a true super Star Ship. It represented the pinnacle of the Essence Luxuriant World's current shipbuilding capabilities.

Not only did it possess partial functionality of a super Star Ship, but with Shang Xia himself on board, there was absolutely no risk of origin qi leaking.

In fact, not even the solidified fragments he harvested were at risk of dissolving under his seal.

This was because his inner qi possessed inherently powerful sealing properties. Moreover, he still had the Crimson Soul Tablet as his final trump card. No matter how much origin qi the fragments released, the Crimson Soul Tablet could devour it all with ease, at least for the time being.