Chapter 1838: Hollow Heaven Stones

After departing from the You Continent Ship, Guardian Gong Da and the other four returned to the market. As soon as they returned, the other four who had clearly been suppressing their doubts halted in unison, turning to face Gong Da.

Gong Da wasn’t surprised. He turned and looked at his companions.

Guardian Ji was the first to speak. “Brother Gong, what you just did was completely different from what we agreed on. Why did you suddenly change your mind?”

Guardian Qian added, “Brother Gong, your actions were baffling! As per our earlier discussion, we were only supposed to hand over one of the two boxes. After all, it was Yuan Ling and the others who plotted against Shang Xia, it had nothing to do with us! And yet, not only did you hand over both boxes, you even invited Song Zhen to join our ranks as the 6th guardian of our market. Don’t you think that was a bit much?”

Gong Da didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he turned his gaze to the other two fifth tier True Immortals. “Brother Ma, Brother Chai, do you share the same opinion?”

The two exchanged glances, and Guardian Ma replied first, “I believe Brother Gong must have had his reasons.”

Guardian Chai added, “No need to rush to judgment, Brother Ji and Brother Qian. Brother Gong has always been prudent. There must’ve been a reason behind his sudden change in attitude this time.”

While the sixth tier True Immortals were still dissatisfied, they didn’t continue pressing. Instead, they quietly waited for Gong Da to explain.

Gong Da withdrew his gaze from the two and looked back at Guardian Ji and Guardian Qian before finally saying, “Sage Shang Xia of the Essence Luxuriant World has already stepped into the mid-level of the Martial Emptiness Realm. He is already a fourth star Sage.”

“What?!”

The revelation shocked not only Guardian Ji and Guardian Qian, but also the others. Their expressions quickly morphed from surprise to fear and then to relief in a matter of seconds. It was actually an impressive performance.

None of them believed Gong Da would lie about something so serious, especially since they knew he possessed a secret treasure capable of detecting the cultivation level of those who weren’t actively concealing it.

Still, the truth was hard to accept.

As guardians of the Starsea Market, they were among the most well-informed people in the Chaotic Sea of Stars. They had long known about the Essence Luxuriant World and Shang Xia’s background, as well as the progression path for cultivators in the Martial Emptiness Realm. In fact, they might have understood the difficulty of advancing from low to mid-level Martial Emptiness Realm better than Shang Xia himself.

It was also why the revelation from Gong Da was so astonishing. They fully grasped what it meant for Shang Xia to go from the third to fourth star.

Even so, Guardian Ji couldn’t help but frown. “That seems impossible. From what we know, he only ascended to the Martial Emptiness Realm a few years ago. How could he have already reached mid-level? I heard he’s a Talisman Grandmaster and knows how to disguise his cultivation realm using talismans... Could he be deceiving us?”

Gong Da nearly laughed at the absurd suggestion. “Do you think he knew I had a treasure that can detect someone's cultivation realm? Who would go to such lengths to fake their cultivation realm for someone they didn’t know was watching? And even if he did, what would be the point?”

He continued coldly, “Have you not considered why, after surviving an ambush by Yuan Ling and the others, he would dare return so openly to the Chaotic Sea of Stars, and even come back to this very Starsea Market? Isn’t he afraid they might ambush him again?”

“Unless he is no longer afraid of them. He is probably sure he has the means to survive any such ambush!”

“His confidence came from advancing to the fourth star and becoming a mid-level Sage!”

“When he was still in the third star, he could escape the encirclement by Yuan Ling and two other Sages. Now that he’s a mid-level Sage, how strong must he be?”

“Such a figure is rare in the Chaotic Sea of Stars. He’s already among the upper echelon of Sages. Wouldn’t it be worth the cost of both treasures and the seat of a guardian for his subordinate to win him over?”

After Gong Da’s explanation, the other four didn’t dare argue further.

A moment later, Guardian Qian said reluctantly, “That may be true, but adding another guardian will dilute our shares of the market’s profit...”

Even as he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer, clearly realizing how petty and out-of-place it sounded.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Guardian Ji quickly changed the subject. “Brother Gong, when we spoke with Sage Shang earlier, he seemed interested in recent events in the Chaotic Sea of Stars, particularly the news of Yuan Ling leading the invasion of the Essence Xing Heavenly Field. Do you think Sage Shang plans to act on this?”

Gong Da didn’t answer immediately but turned instead to Guardian Ma and Guardian Chai. “What do you two think?”

Guardian Ma thought for a moment and replied, “Probably not, at least not until one side wins. Based on what we know, both Yuan Ling and the Sages of the Essence Xing World have clashed with Shang Xia before. If I were him, I’d just wait on the sidelines for them to wear each other out and then swoop in for the spoils.”

But Guardian Chai offered a different perspective. “As far as I know, the Essence Xing Heavenly Field is located relatively close to the Essence Luxuriant World, while Yuan Ling’s Heavenly Field is quite far away. I think the Essence Xing Heavenly Field might be in real danger this time. The Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field can take the opportunity to kick them while they’re down.”

Guardian Ji asked in disbelief, “You mean to say Shang Xia and Yuan Ling, who were just at each other’s throats, would work together now against the Essence Xing Heavenly Field? That’s ridiculous!”

Guardian Chai countered, “If there’s a chance to split the spoils of an Essence World... Why wouldn’t they? What’s a personal grudge compared to such massive gains?”

They looked ready to continue debating, but Gong Da raised a hand and interrupted. “Enough. Let’s just keep an eye on the situation for now. What we need to do is discuss how we’ll divide the market’s future profits, and prepare to welcome Song Zhen as our 6th guardian.”

...

Back on the Star Ship, the You Continent...

After the five guardians of the 6th Sector departed, Song Zhen glanced at the two ornate boxes in Shang Xia’s hand and asked with a hint of puzzlement, “Sage Shang, the attitude of those guardians seemed... Strange.”

Shang Xia smiled, tossed the boxes over, and said, “Open them.”

Though still unsure, Song Zhen followed the instruction. Inside each box lay a similarly sized irregular crystal.

His expression shifted as he examined them. “Two Hollow Heaven Stones? Hmm? No... This was originally one piece that was cleanly cut in half!”

Shang Xia’s reaction confirmed that he already knew. “How would you judge the quality of this stone?”

Song Zhen examined them more closely, even lifting one. After a while, realization dawned on him. “If whole, this Hollow Heaven Stone would be just the right size to forge a Spirit Ark. But now it’s been split in half...”

Shang Xia chuckled. “Those guardians had their own ideas. At first, they probably only meant to give us one piece.”

Song Zhen nodded sharply. “They were planning to use the other half to bargain for something better from us!”

Then he added, “They’re clearly well-informed. They knew we’ve been in need of Hollow Heaven Stones.”

“But what made them change their minds midway and give us both pieces?” Song Zhen frowned.

Shang Xia replied, “Not all of them changed their minds. Gong Da made the decision.”

Before Song Zhen could ask why, Shang Xia answered, “Because he has a treasure that can detect my cultivation realm. He likely used it to confirm that I’ve already advanced to the fourth star.”