Splitting the Heavens

The fifth form of the Seven Star Mace Technique, Dipper Vortex!

This was the first time Shang Xia had used the fifth form of his self-created Seven Star Mace Technique in actual combat, and he did so by directly channeling the power of the seven suns. His aim was to unleash its full might to completely destroy the Essence Chong Heavenly Field.

At the same time, he had another goal in mind. He wanted to destroy the Star Origin Lord's Starlight Clone.

With the battle eventually concluding, both objectives had been achieved.

The inspiration for the fifth form of the Seven Star Mace Technique had come to Shang Xia from the great spatial vortex.

The power it contained did not disappoint him. Even though he wasn't using his Seven Star Mace, his move still manifested a truly astonishing might when empowered by the seven suns.

As the majestic energy of the seven suns gradually dissipated, Shang Xia's figure appeared in the void not far from where the Essence Chong World once was. In fact, he wasn't far away from where the Star Origin Lord's Starlight Clone previously stood. He stood within the ladle segment formed by four of the seven stars.

Having annihilated the Star Origin Lord's Starlight Clone, Shang Xia had come to realize that it might have been the Star Origin Lord's true plan all along. He planned to sacrifice his Starlight Clone in order to lure him into revealing the existence of his so-called Fate Stars.

The Star Origin Lord was right. When Shang Xia unleashed the fifth form of his Seven Star Mace Technique with the aid of the seven suns, he caused a massive celestial anomaly in the starry void.

If any high-level Stargazer had been observing the void, they might well have detected and pinpointed the positions of those seven stars.

Of course, while it might appear that Shang Xia had fallen into the Star Origin Lord's trap, in truth, he never placed as much importance on his so-called Fate Stars as the Star Origin Lord had imagined.

In the distant void, even though the Essence Chong Heavenly Field had been shattered by Shang Xia's strike, its destruction didn't mean that the worlds it contained were entirely annihilated.

The Spirit Light World had lost a third of its mass. Much of the world was exposed to the void, yet there remained hope for salvation.

Indeed, all of the Spirit Light World's high-level cultivators were struggling to preserve their broken world.

In comparison, the Essence Chong World had suffered even heavier damage. Shang Xia had deliberately targeted and destroyed Pei Ji's physical body, yet his soul seemed to still be barely surviving within the shattered World Origin Source.

Every Sage was notoriously difficult to kill. Even though Pei Ji was far inferior to Shang Xia in terms of cultivation and strength, he still clung to a thread of life.

Ironically, the Essence Chong World, despite appearing more damaged than the Spirit Light World, might have a better chance of recovery.

Besides its deeper foundation and greater number of high-level cultivators, it was an Essence World at the end of the day.

If the Essence Chong World chose to regress into a Spirit World, they would likely be able to quickly restore their heavenly screen and stabilize their situation.

However... Shang Xia might not give them a chance to do so.

Apart from Pei Ji, whose soul barely survived in the World Origin Source, no other cultivators in the Essence Chong World or Spirit Light World knew they had been attacked by a mighty Sage. They still believed it was merely a disastrous meteor storm.

As long as Shang Xia wished for it, he would be able to wipe out both worlds in an instant.

However, with his goals already achieved, he no longer desired unnecessary slaughter.

In the blink of an eye, without anyone noticing, Shang Xia entered the devastated Essence Chong World. The heavenly screen had already collapsed and he descended directly onto a continent, near where it was connected to the World Origin Source.

Because the world wasn't completely destroyed, the remnant World's Will still resisted his presence. Due to its extreme fragility, even with Shang Xia suppressing his cultivation as much as possible, his presence alone strained the world.

The moment he entered, the Essence Chong World, which was already on the verge of collapse, began to destabilize further. Earthquakes intensified, volcanoes erupted violently, and rain and lightning roared across the skies. The world seemed to plunge into an apocalyptic state.

"How much longer does Sage Pei intend to hide?" Shang Xia asked coldly, his gaze locking onto a specific section of the void, precisely where the World Origin Source was connected to that continent. By then, more than two-thirds of the energy it contained had been drained away.

He received no reply, as if the World Origin Source truly held nothing.

Shang Xia sighed softly again, "Sage Pei, must you act like this? Since I've already shown myself, you must recognize me. Surely you also understand that there can be no reconciliation between us. If that's the case, why drag everyone else in your world down with you?"

Still, the fractured World Origin Source only continued to leak world origin. No sign of life emerged.

Either Pei Ji was still clinging to hope, betting that Shang Xia was bluffing...

Or Shang Xia had simply guessed wrong, and Pei Ji was no longer present at all.

Seeing this, Shang Xia shook his head in resignation. If it had been before he comprehended Emberkindled Legacy, perhaps he might still have been fooled. But now, with Pei Ji still playing ostrich, he had no patience left.

Shang Xia reached out into the air and closed his fist.

Ripples of force radiated outward, causing the surrounding void to grow even more brittle. Space began collapsing in large swathes, reshaping the terrain around him.

But Shang Xia did not stop.

As his fingers tightened, a terrible, shrill wail suddenly rang out, echoing in the minds of every cultivator in the Essence Chong World who was in the Martial Dipper Realm or higher.

The next instant, they felt a sharp drop in the already-weak world origin contained in their world. More than half was lost.

Strangely though, despite losing so much more world origin, their world suddenly seemed more stable.

Earthquakes began to subside. Volcanic eruptions became less frequent. Even the rampant storms began to weaken.

The True Immortals of their world were the first to realize what happened, then came those in the Martial Dipper Realm... All of them eventually felt that their world might actually survive the crisis.