Splitting the Heavens

On the Jiao Continent, three rounds of void net casting had already taken place, and including the reserves, only five nets remained.

By then, nearly half an hour had passed. The deadline Zhang Yusheng had set for a safe withdrawal was rapidly approaching.

"The final cast. Deploy quickly!" Zhang Yusheng's voice carried urgency. It was clear he increasingly sensed imminent danger. Even the coordinates he gave were less precise than before.

Based on the previous three rounds, such imprecise deployment greatly increased the risk of net damage. Normally, the True Immortals managing the nets would have objected.

But unexpectedly, no one did. At that moment, all of them disregarded the cost of using high-grade artifacts like void nets. In their minds, even one successful reel among the five nets would more than make up for the potential losses.

And so, even though the True Immortals still controlled the nets personally, the moment they were cast, one was immediately swallowed by what had appeared to be a region of calm void.

If the cultivator handling that net hadn't reacted in time and let go, he might have been dragged out of the ship along with it.

The remaining four nets avoided the hidden traps of the void and successfully captured origin qi fragments. They obtained three to four pieces at minimum, seven to eight at most.

Their yield, in terms of per-net average, far exceeded any of the previous attempts. However, during retrieval, one of the nets was destroyed by the newly intensifying hidden currents in the void.

In the end, out of five nets cast, only three were recovered, but the total harvest was nearly 20 origin qi fragments. It was on par with the third round.

At that moment, Zhang Yusheng's urgent cries were transmitted directly to Gao Qin and Huang Jinghan.

Huang Jinghan's expression sharpened, and he said solemnly, "Turn the helm. I'll steer it myself. Everyone to your posts. Push the ship's speed to maximum. We must leave this region immediately!"

The massive starship began to shift course through the void. Under Zhang Yusheng's guidance, it adjusted direction with delicate vertical and horizontal shifts.

Meanwhile, Shang Xia still stood at the bow, unmoved by the flurry of orders and activity, eyes locked on the void beneath the ship as though he were merely a bystander.

What others could not see, Shang Xia saw clearly. He saw the remains of a broken Origin Pillar deep beneath the ship.

At the broken end, the pillar showed signs of slow regeneration. Where the structure had been cracked and eroded, origin qi was gathering, slowly repairing the damage.

And at the base of that shattered pillar lay a dark void so deep that even Shang Xia could not perceive what lay beyond it.

It was clear. Though they had risked much to destroy the Origin Pillar and the spatial gate within it, their actions were only temporary.

The Origin Pillar was slowly restoring itself, and the spatial gateway might well return with it. But whether Shang Xia and the others could ever again gather eight Sages and eight Star Ships for such an expedition into the vortex's depths was highly doubtful.

While Shang Xia was lost in thought, a deep, ancient, and mournful roar suddenly echoed from the dark abyss beneath the broken Origin Pillar.

In that instant, Shang Xia felt the tremor of the pillar and a jolt from his soul.

He instantly raised his guard, and the Crimson Soul Tablet within his sea of consciousness suppressed the disturbance at once.

Even without the help, his will was strong. It was strong enough that he merely felt a burst of brief dizziness.

Still... What is that roar from the depths of the abyss?!

Shang Xia realized it wasn't the first time he had heard that sound.

The last time, only those of sufficient cultivation had sensed it. As for cultivators of lower levels...

He suddenly turned to look at the deck behind him, where everything continued in perfect order. The cultivators of the Essence Luxuriant World were laughing and talking about the origin qi fragments they had just harvested.

Clearly, none of the elite cultivators on board, not even Huang Jinghan or Gao Qin, had heard the roar from the abyss.

Shang Xia didn't bother confirming it with them. Instead, he listened with mild amusement to the conversation on deck.

"With the origin qi fragments we gathered this time, once they're fully dissolved into origin qi and merged into the World Origin Source, do you think we'll get two new continents?" A cultivator with a garlic-shaped nose asked hopefully, taking a deep swig from the gourd on his waist. The scent of strong wine immediately filled the deck.

"Wait, is that Hundred Blossoms Brew from the You Continent? That's a rank four spiritual wine! You stingy bastard, you actually brought that out?" Another cultivator who was clearly his drinking companion was immediately enticed.

The garlic-nosed cultivator tossed the gourd to his friend and said seriously, "If they really create a new continent, this old man here plans to get in on it. Maybe I can contribute and earn a little merit. With luck, maybe with the blessing from the World's Will, I'll get a shot at entering the Martial Void Realm!"

Another cultivator, short with prominent ears and sharp eyes, added, "We've all seen the origin qi fragments ourselves. Some of us even helped retrieve them. In terms of quantity and purity, I'd say establishing two continents is extremely feasible. But..."

This sharp-eared cultivator clearly had influence among the group. Everyone went quiet the moment he spoke, even pausing their movements.

"But let's not forget... We aren't the only ones on the Star Ship! Experts from the other worlds in our Heavenly Field are also on board. I'd wager the True Immortals and even Sage Shang will allocate a portion of the origin qi fragments to them. Whether there'll still be enough left for two new continents is uncertain."

Garlic-Nose instantly felt uneasy. "If we establish two continents, I might have a shot. But if it's only one, or worse, if it's used to reinforce existing ones... Small-timers like me don't stand a chance."

"Haha, don't worry. When we return, everyone on board will have a share!" A new voice cut into their conversation.

As the group looked up in surprise, they saw a young man strolling toward them.

A smile could be seen on his face as he added, "You've only counted the origin qi fragments gathered by our ship, but you've forgotten that I took part in the collection from the very start. What I obtained may not be any less than what our Star Ship retrieved."

"Sage Shang!"

"Sage..."

"..."

A chorus of startled greetings rose at once.