Splitting the Heavens

As the majority of the power from the star fragment hurled through the spatial gate was redirected by Shang Xia back toward the Origin Pillar, only a small portion remained unchanneled. And yet, even that small portion, upon release, generated a shockwave powerful enough to completely overturn the fleet.

And while the two super Star Ships were overturned and the others swept away and lost to the aftermath, Shang Xia's Jiao Continent, thanks to his execution of Void Seal using the Crimson Soul Tablet, withstood the shock and remained unmoved amid the devastation.

In truth, however, from a strategic standpoint, Shang Xia's choice to hold his position was not particularly wise. Rather than resisting the shockwave head-on, it would have been better to retreat with the momentum, which would have saved a considerable amount of origin qi and reduced potential danger.

However, Shang Xia clearly had another goal in mind for taking such a risk, an ambition far greater than mere survival.

At that moment, not a single other Star Ship remained around the Jiao Continent, which stood alone amid the surging void currents. Ahead of it lay the wreckage of the Origin Pillar.

It was worth remembering... The fleet had only endured a small portion of the leftover power contained in the star fragment. How devastating was the redirected energy when it struck the Origin Pillar and the spatial gate?

As the Jiao Continent stabilized in the turbulent void, Shang Xia ignored the depletion of his inner qi and urgently sought out Zhang Yusheng, the Tongyou Institution's Stargazer.

"What's the state of the void? Has the spatial vortex transformed? What about the Origin Pillar?" Shang Xia pressed anxiously.

Zhang Yusheng, drenched in sweat, his eyes bloodshot and brimming with tears, rubbed them hard to snap back to reality before observing the distant void.

As Shang Xia questioned Zhang Yusheng, the high-level True Immortals, Gao Qin, and Huang Jinghan, hurried over.

They both appeared deeply exhausted, clearly having expended a great deal of energy, proof that the Jiao Continent's survival had not been Shang Xia's effort alone. Yet Zhang Yusheng had clearly entered a crucial moment in his observation and remained completely unresponsive to Shang Xia's questioning.

They were about to remind Zhang Yusheng when Shang Xia raised a hand to stop them.

Gao Qin stepped forward and said gravely, "Sage Shang, though we've steadied ourselves for now, we can't remain here for long!"

Shang Xia, of course, understood what she meant. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to Zhang Yusheng immediately to verify a few things.

But he gestured toward Zhang Yusheng and replied firmly, "This is his opportunity! Yuan Qiuyuan once said that without a fortuitous encounter, Zhang Yusheng's talent in stargazing would require at least 50 years of accumulation to reach the level of a Grand Stargazer. As for ascending to the sixth rank? Almost impossible. But if he can break through this threshold now, he can save three or four decades!"

"But..." Gao Qin tried to argue, only to be cut off again by Shang Xia.

"I understand your concern, but don't worry. We'll be able to hold out longer than you think." As he spoke, Huang Jinghan and Gao Qin suddenly noticed that Shang Xia's aura, which had previously seemed depleted, was rapidly recovering. Within moments, the surge of energy around him nearly returned to his peak state.

Were it not for the exhaustion still visible on his face, the two might have thought his earlier weakness was an act.

Though they were shocked, both knew well that this kind of rapid recovery technique came with an unknown price.

Still, since Shang Xia was willing to wait and buy time for Zhang Yusheng's breakthrough, the two of them no longer objected, though they remained uneasy.

Waiting for Zhang Yusheng to awaken didn't mean everyone else stayed idle.

In that brief window, the elite cultivators aboard the Jiao Continent resumed their duties. First priority was repairing the damaged parts of the ship's body, along with its protective formation.

Soon, another cultivator reported that a stream of origin energy was surging in from the chaotic void ahead, but it seemed to contain something strange.

At that point, even without reports, Shang Xia himself had already sensed an anomaly spreading toward them through the void ahead, something concealed within that tide of energy.

The defensive barrier, which had only recovered to 70 percent, was swiftly raised again. Under Shang Xia's orders, a small origin qi fragment was unsealed and embedded directly into the formation core on the ship.

The formation, designed by Chu Jia, had dozens of slots for embedding essence crystals. Normally, only low-grade essence crystals would be used in the peripheral slots.

In emergencies, higher-grade crystals would be used. In extreme danger, all slots would be activated and fitted with the highest-grade essence crystals available.

Now, a Formation Master carefully embedded a small fragment, broken off from the Origin Pillar, into a slot and lifted its seal per Shang Xia's instructions.

The fragment immediately began to dissolve, releasing an immense amount of pure origin qi.

Before the energy could dissipate into the void, the formation absorbed the majority of it.

It wasn't because the formation was inefficient, but because the fragment released more energy than the formation could possibly take in.

Thanks to this rush of ultra-pure energy, the barrier created by the protection formation, originally only restored to 70 percent, suddenly surged to 90 percent of its original strength!

The remaining 10 percent wasn't due to lack of energy, but because some part of the formation had been broken due to the damage to the ship.

Shang Xia now stood once again on the bow, facing the strange existence rushing at them.

"It has to be one of the residual powers left behind by a foreign Sage from beyond the Star Field," said a voice from behind him. A smile crept onto Shang Xia's face.

As the strange tide neared and its malice became clearer, Shang Xia turned around and asked with a grin, "You succeeded?!"

Zhang Yusheng nodded, then shook his head. "This insight has opened the path for me to become a Grand Stargazer, but since I only advanced recently, my foundation isn't solid enough yet for the necessary transformation. Still, I expect to step through that threshold in two to three years."

"Hah, that saves nearly a decade's effort. It's wonderful news!" Shang Xia cheered. He was clearly pleased.

Zhang Yusheng smiled too, but his joy quickly froze. His gaze shifted over Shang Xia's shoulder, mouth parting in alarm.

But Shang Xia remained unfazed. With a chuckle, he turned and, in one smooth motion, swung the Seven Star Mace that had somehow appeared in his hand.

First form of his Seven Star Mace Technique, Shattered Starry Skies! Even without the power of the Crimson Soul Tablet, the moment Shang Xia struck, the overwhelming tide was shattered, and the hidden being within was forced to reveal its true form.

"The power of that strike has already exceeded what a mid-level Sage can achieve!"

"Indeed... Sage Shang's cultivation has advanced again!" Gao Qin and Huang Jinghan stood on either side of Zhang Yusheng on the deck as they praised.

It was Zhang Yusheng's first time standing alongside both high-level True Immortals. He felt awkward, but also secretly thrilled and deeply satisfied.

"Are you two saying that Sage Shang is now a high-level Sage?" He asked suddenly.

The two masters exchanged smiles. Zhang Yusheng's reaction was exactly what they expected. As a cultivator in the Martial Dipper Realm, he still didn't understand the strength of Sages.

Huang Jinghan, who always had a more straightforward personality, explained, "After reaching the Martial Emptiness Realm, each level becomes exponentially harder to ascend. Advancing one level can take dozens of years, and success isn't guaranteed."

"Sage Shang only recently reached the fifth star, and he's still far from the next. Advancing to the sixth star marks the leap from a mid-level Sage to a high-level Sage."

"In that sense, taking a large step forward at the fifth star, even if he doesn't make a full breakthrough, is already a tremendous accomplishment."

Zhang Yusheng nodded, somewhat understanding. Then he suddenly said, "So... To advance in the Martial Emptiness Realm takes dozens of years? If I'm not mistaken, hasn't Sage Shang been cultivating in the institution for less than 100 years?"

Huang Jinghan didn't know how to respond to that.

Just then, a formless wave rippled through the void. The deck beneath them suddenly trembled, nearly throwing them into the air.