Splitting the Heavens

As the eight Sages continued tearing at the Origin Pillar with the help of their respective Star Ships and hurried to collect the solidified origin qi fragments, various accidents began to occur due to the insufficiencies of their sealing methods and Star Ship capabilities.

Although those incidents did not last long and were quickly suppressed by the Sages on each Star Ship, they were merely the beginning.

If the Sages failed to reinforce the sealing formations within their Star Ships and improve their secret arts in time, the pressure from the continuous accumulation of fragments would only intensify, eventually causing those suppressed issues to resurface.

In fact, the few Sages who had just encountered problems had already realized what would happen. After they resumed damaging the Origin Pillar and collecting the fragments, they all, without exception, slowed their pace.

It was clear that they needed to allocate part of their focus to maintaining the suppression of origin qi in their Star Ships and strengthening their sealing methods.

As a result, the three who had never been distracted by such issues, Sage Loudmouth, Master Lightning, and Shang Xia, pulled even further ahead in the race to collect fragments, a gap already established by their superior strength.

Among the three, it was not Sage Loudmouth or Master Lightning with their super Star Ships who inflicted the greatest damage to the Origin Pillar and collected the most fragments, it was Shang Xia, who only had a large Star Ship!

In fact, Shang Xia's efficiency in harvesting origin qi fragments far exceeded the other two. Even if Sage Loudmouth and Master Lightning combined their collected fragments, they likely still wouldn't surpass him.

Had it not been for the strange self-repairing nature of the Origin Pillar, Shang Xia's persistent attacks on a single section might have already severed the entire structure.

Nevertheless, the damage he dealt was severe. Due to the massive number of falling origin qi fragments, the pillar, unable to snap completely, started collapsing rapidly.

That, in turn, had a mounting effect on the spatial gate hidden within the pillar, forcing the mysterious entities behind it to act sooner than they had planned.

Originally, the forces lurking behind the spatial gate in the foreign Star Field had intended to gather even greater strength before launching a decisive strike to crush the eight fleet battle formation held by the Sages.

Even though they had to rush, the power transmitted through the spatial gate caused immediate and significant danger to Shang Xia and the others.

Despite Sage Loudmouth and Master Lightning maintaining constant vigilance, their super Star Ships were the first to bear the brunt of the impact.

The reinforced Origin Pillar suddenly exploded from within, and the resulting fragments, driven by a terrifying shockwave, ripped through the void, trailing brilliant light as they dissolved back into origin qi.

The breathtaking sight carried devastating power. The super Star Ships were nearly flipped, and had it not been for the chains connecting them to the rest of the formation, the shockwave might have flung them directly back into the spatial vortex, even with Sage Loudmouth and Master Lightning taking charge.

Despite the formation's stabilization, the terrifying burst of origin qi fragments that were dense as a storm of arrows hammered the defensive formations of both Star Ships. Like thousands of fine needles, they pierced deeper and deeper into the barriers until they were thoroughly perforated, turning the hull into a giant beehive.

Fortunately, after breaching the barriers, the fragments lost most of their momentum. The Star Ships' hulls, though riddled with holes, suffered no real structural damage.

However, with the defensive formations riddled with openings and the barriers rapidly weakening, the remaining origin fragments retained more force upon entry, gradually causing more substantial harm as they continued to pelt the Star Ships.

At that point, the high-level cultivators aboard both vessels sprang into action. Sage Loudmouth and Master Lightning took the lead, using their domains to buffer the relentless assault of the origin qi fragments.

But such measures were only temporary fixes. Worse yet, both were still primarily focused on controlling their ships, limiting their defensive capabilities.

Meanwhile, the chains pulling the super Star Ships began to emit ominous creaks, clear signs they were reaching their breaking point under the strain.

The second a single chain snapped, a chain reaction was bound to occur.

If the formation broke, the entire fleet could fall into disarray. Star Ships would be isolated, vulnerable to defeat at the hands of the foreign forces who would send their divine souls through the spatial gate.

Given the previous clash, it was clear. Without the unified power of the formation, not a single Sage or their Star Ship would withstand the existences who sent their strength through the spatial gate.

At the critical moment, the Sages aboard all eight Star Ships could no longer afford to hold back. They unleashed their hidden trump cards.

On Sage Loudmouth's ship, three massive sails unfurled, then dropped, fluttering in the void above the Star Ship under the pressure of the origin qi fragment storm. They absorbed 30 to 40 percent of the impact instantly, easing the burden on the ship.

On Master Lightning's ship, dark clouds suddenly swelled and spread, enveloping the vessel. Thunder rumbled and lightning danced, forming a prison-like lightning fortress in midair to repel the storm of origin qi fragments.

At first glance, the technique bore a striking resemblance to Shang Xia's Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman.

However, Shang Xia's talisman conjured a fortress of colorful clouds, not a prison of thunder and lightning.

Following Sage Loudmouth and Master Lightning, the other Sages on their respective ships also took action, some reinforced the chains, others aided in resisting the origin qi fragment storm, while a few focused solely on protecting themselves.

At that very moment, Shang Xia also made his move.

Swinging the Seven Star Mace, the stars embedded on it lit up one by one. Boundless starlight rained down from the void, sweeping horizontally with the guidance of his Big Dipper Star Origin.

With that, he unleashed the third form of his Seven Star Mace Technique, Guided Dipper!