Splitting the Heavens

Around the Void Mirage in the Heaven Observation Star Region.

The true body of the Star Origin Lord withdrew his gaze from the gradually dimming seven stars in the depths of the void. Then, turning to a patch of void where Kou Chongxue was situated, he smiled faintly and said, "Indeed, Patriarch Kou, your disciple is extraordinary. I already tried to estimate the abilities of Sage Shang as highly as possible, believing that he possessed more than one Fate Star, but now it seems I still underestimated his abilities. Seven Fate Stars illuminating the void... Even I have to admit my inferiority."

The stellar anomaly that had erupted in the sky had not gone unnoticed. The Star Origin Lord detected it immediately, and Kou Chongxue, who understood Shang Xia's martial path better than anyone else present, realized what was happening almost at the same time.

Of course, that was largely because Kou Chongxue had already learned of Shang Xia's whereabouts from the fleet that had returned.

Aside from the two of them, the other Sages from the major Heavenly Fields entangled in the Heaven Observation Star Region did not notice the anomaly until more than half a day had passed.

Once they realized Shang Xia had exposed the location of seven Fate Stars in one move during a confrontation, they were first shocked, then stirred with excitement.

Faced with the Star Origin Lord's veiled probing, Kou Chongxue remained composed and responded, "Though he is a junior of mine, he forged his martial path. If you wish to learn more about him, I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person."

The Star Origin Lord replied with an unconcerned chuckle, "Patriarch Kou, you're too modest. Without your early guidance and protection, how could this young man have reached such heights? That said, his actions this time were rather reckless. The Essence Chong Heavenly Field, shallow as its foundations were, was still a complete Heavenly Field. Its destruction is a great pity."

Kou Chongxue gave a dry laugh. "Isn't this precisely what you intended? Wasn't it your plan to bait him into action with your Starlight Clone, forcing him to expose his Fate Stars prematurely?"

The Star Origin Lord burst out laughing. "To think you'd misunderstand me so deeply! We are both stationed here in the Heaven Observation Star Region. Should chaos erupt in the Chaotic Sea of Stars, we will still need to rely on each other. Let us not allow such suspicions to breed discord."

Kou Chongxue responded only with a cold sneer, remaining silent.

Although the two were speaking through voice transmission, they made no effort to hide from the perception of other Sages. Thus, every word was clearly heard by the others.

For a time, the thoughts of those high-level expats from the various Heavenly Fields were in disarray.

Just then, a chilling gleam sliced through the eastern sky and streaked across the void directly toward the Void Mirage, instantly drawing the attention of several Sages gathered in the area.

At the same moment, Kou Chongxue, who had just settled into silence, suddenly unleashed a powerful aura. The chilling gleam in the sky seemed to be drawn to it and shifted direction, flying straight toward him before merging into his body.

In the very next instant, Kou Chongxue's aura surged, climbing swiftly past the peak of the first star, the second, and eventually rushing into the third.

"He's breaking through?!" A Sage exclaimed in shock, voice full of awe and envy.

"This was to be expected. Don't forget, the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field has just absorbed two Spirit Worlds." Another Sage chimed in. Though their tone sounded calm, the storm brewing in their heart was theirs alone to know.

"Frankly, this breakthrough is already overdue. Those are two complete Spirit Worlds. Add to that the already present Spirit Qing World, and the newly ascended Spirit Cheng World, the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field is about to possess four affiliated Spirit Worlds. With such a foundation, Kou Chongxue ascending to the third star is no surprise. He may even become a mid-level Sage!" Yet another expert spoke, silencing the rest instantly.

The implication was clear.

After all, most of the Sages gathered around the Void Mirage had needed centuries, if not a millennium, of accumulation just to obtain a Spirit World or two in their Heavenly Field.

How many years had it been since Essence Luxuriant World was born?

And now, with four affiliated Spirit Worlds, the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field's strength had already surpassed most of the experts present and their respective Heavenly Fields.

Of course, the Star Origin Lord was not to be included in such comparisons.

While other Sages counted their success by the number of Spirit Worlds they controlled, the Star Origin Lord directly collected Essence Worlds. His Four Essence Heavenly Field had already amassed four Essence Worlds.

Compared to that, Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, while astonishing, was still within the realm of comprehension.

But the Star Origin Lord's Four Essence Heavenly Field existed entirely outside their expectations.

Then again, the Star Origin Lord had once been branded as a survivor of the Heaven Observation Sect. More than likely, he was their final hope.

Carrying the legacy of that sect's deep foundation, he was also a high-level Sage. No one could guess how many trump cards he still held.

"It's all because Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field has two Sages!" one expert grumbled, "Kou Chongxue's growth has been fast, and his strength impressive, but still within reason. That other one, though..."

"Exactly," another expert interjected. "The Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field is still just a single Heavenly Field. Why should it have two Sages? Especially when Sage Shang is already a mid-level Sage?"

As soon as that cultivator finished speaking, the entire void around the Void Mirage fell completely silent.

Only after a long pause did someone finally speak again. "Patriarch Kou's cultivation speed does seem to align with Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field's rapid rise..."

The implication was obvious. The real anomaly lay with Shang Xia.

It was then that the Star Origin Lord spoke again. He cast his gaze once more toward the region of space where the light of the Big Dipper formation had faded and said quietly, "Sage Shang... He should be a high-level Sage now, right?"

At that moment, the entire void fell into dead silence. Not a single Sage dared utter another word.