Chapter 1796: Spirit Tip World’s Split Pt.3

Before Shang Xia, cultivators in the sea of stars had typically advanced to the Martial Emptiness Realm in one of three ways.

The first involved relying on a Dao Field, using the power of the World Origin Source to complete the breakthrough. However, cultivators who advanced that way were almost permanently bound to that Dao Field, with influence limited strictly to the world they belonged to. Their reach didn’t even extend meaningfully to subsidiary worlds to their Heavenly Field.

Few used that method, as it required access to a preexisting Dao Field established by a Sage. Such places were typically preserved by older sects hoping to force a successor to draw on inherited power.

A typical example of that path was Emperor Qi of the Essence Xing World.

Those who reached that level were often limited in potential. Their foundation would be heavily influenced by external forces and the World’s Will, resulting in poor growth and the weakest combat strength among those of the same level. Moreover, they would constantly be devoured and assimilated by the World’s Will, often merging into it before their lifespan ran out.

While similar in form to Elysium True Immortals, those Sages were fundamentally different.

The second path involved over-reliance on the World’s Origin Source. It would create an extreme dependency, forging a deep entanglement with the World’s Will. Within their Heavenly Field, such cultivators could actually see a dramatic boost in combat power thanks to the assistance they received. But if they strayed too far or too long from their Heavenly Field, their strength would decline sharply.

Still, as their cultivation deepened, their range and duration of activity outside the Heavenly Field would grow, and the reduction in strength would lessen accordingly.

Many had taken that path, such as Yu Tang and Chen Ji of the Essence Xing World. Yan Yu was the same, and so was Yuan Ping of the Essence Hong World and Gu Yi of the Essence Ming World.

The third method involved achieving a balanced connection with their World’s Will during the breakthrough. It would form a mutually beneficial symbiosis between cultivator and world.

Such Sages received less support within their Heavenly Field compared to those of the second path. However, they suffered a little drop in strength when venturing outside, nor were they forced to periodically return.

Those were often the most fearsome figures, roaming freely across the stars. An example of an existence like that was Sage Jin, who had plotted against the Spirit Abundance World and Essence Ping World for centuries. Sage Yuan Ling of the Essence Ling Heavenly Field, and most recently, Kou Chongxue of the Essence Luxuriant World.

Additionally, Emperor Chen of the Essence Xing World had long sought this exact route to open new possibilities for his world’s future.

As for Shang Xia himself, he suspected that his advancement followed none of these three.

The most striking proof was that he had virtually no binding with the Essence Luxuriant World.

Though he had placed a sliver of his soul within the World Origin Source of the You Continent and received the blessing of the world during his advancement, he could withdraw the portion of his soul at any time. He could even sever all ties with the Essence Luxuriant World permanently.

Shang Xia had also realized that his cultivation system within the Seven Star Realm was inherently self-contained. It could function independently of any world’s support.

That was, of course, only if he chose to do so.

Yan Yu, by contrast, had taken the second path, burdened with deep ties to his world. When far from the Essence Du World, his strength would drop considerably.

Shang Xia had originally believed that, with his Origin Star Avatar, stopping the fusion of the Spirit Tip World and the Essence Du World would be relatively easy. What he didn’t expect was that Yan Yu would go so far as to physically shift his world to meet the Spirit Tip World halfway, speeding up the merger into a unified Heavenly Field.

It was a bold move, no doubt.

After all, shifting a world across the void was an immense undertaking.

Even back when the Azure Qing World was relocated, it required their Elysium True Immortal within their world, and more than 20 True Immortals outside. Shang Xia and his Origin Star Avatar also protected them to a certain extent. Even so it still suffered countless disasters. Before it joined the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, the Azure Qing World teetered on the brink of apocalyptic collapse.

One could only imagine the cost of moving an Essence World like the Essence Du World.

But in hindsight, Yan Yu’s decision had been spot on.

By the time Shang Xia and his Origin Star Avatar caught up, hoping to intercept the Spirit Tip World, they were misled by Yan Yu who reached the second star and had the advantage and redirect Lingmang toward Yuanfeng, they were met instead by Yan Yu, who had already advanced to the second level of the seventh rank, fortified by the complete formation of his Heaven Domain.

When Shang Xia was intercepted over a million miles from the Spirit Tip World, he didn’t feel it that obviously. But when his Origin Star Avatar attempted to sneak closer, the suppression from the Heavenly Field instantly cut his power from the second star to the first star.

At the same time, the high-level experts from the Spirit Tip World and the Essence Du World joined forces. Drawing strength from their shared Heavenly Field, they launched a combined strike that hurled his Origin Star Avatar into deep space.

The power of a Heavenly Field far exceeded the support offered by individual worlds. As long as multiple worlds were under the same Heavenly Field, they could freely share energy. Among them, cultivators born in the main Essence World gained the greatest advantage, able to draw from any of the others without resistance.

Though ambushed, Shang Xia’s Origin Star Avatar flying away did not give Yan Yu an edge over Shang Xia himself.

Yan Yu’s heaven-reversing palm strike was magnificent, but Shang Xia countered it easily with his Seven Star Mace, summoning celestial light from beyond the heavens.

With the 7 suns shining constantly above his head, techniques that turned the space around him had little effect on Shang Xia.

In fact, Yan Yu’s attack gave Shang Xia an opening.

With a flick of his Seven Star Mace, he tapped the void in Yan Yu’s direction. The patch of void shattered, collapsed, and a surge of horrifying energy that possessed the power to destroy anything in its path surged forth.

The first time he used the mace technique was against Gu Yi. After improving on it, Shang Xia finally gave it a name.

Shattered Starry Skies