Chapter 1896: Celestial Phenomena

Shang Xia truly did not wish to waste the hard-earned energy that was obtained from the center of the spatial vortex

Thus, when he restored close to 50 percent of his inner qi and he felt confident in his ability to defend himself, he quickly emerged from his meditative state.

At that very moment, several strands of divine souls belonging to Sages, who had been lingering cautiously nearby in the void, approached with care.

One of the divine souls was the first to speak, transmitting their voice over politely. "Fellow Daoist, are you well? We greet you with utmost respect!"

Had Shang Xia heard the discussions among those who had watched his entire process of breaking into the spatial vortex, he would have recognized it as the third divine soul in their earlier exchange.

Originally, the speaker was a crude fellow, but when addressing Shang Xia, there was a noticeable hint of flattery in his tone.

Shang Xia also intended to communicate with them. After all, they had monitored the spatial vortex for a longer time. Although they may not have penetrated it as deeply as he had, their long-term observation would surely have yielded insights, especially from before the spatial vortex’s expansion reached its current magnitude.

"Greetings. I acted recklessly and ventured beyond my abilities, returning by mere fortune. I must have embarrassed myself." Seeing that these divine souls had not revealed their identities immediately, Shang Xia likewise refrained from disclosing his, even concealing his physical presence and aura.

Although he did not believe these threads of divine soul could trace his aura, he also assumed they would not dare try.

"Not at all, not at all! What you’ve done is precisely what we all dreamed of doing but dared not attempt. We can only admire and respect you!" Another voice chimed in from among the divine souls, though its tone drifted with uncertainty, as if fearful of revealing its exact presence.

Shang Xia smiled and asked, "Then may I know what brings you all here?"

His blunt question left the approaching divine souls briefly unsure of how to respond.

Eventually, the second voice from their earlier discussion cleared its throat and said, "Actually... The expansion of the spatial vortex is of great consequence. It threatens the safety of the Original Stars Corner and has already caused unrest beyond its borders. Thus, several of us have been closely monitoring it in case of an emergency."

"We’ve been here long enough that, out of boredom, we began to share findings through our divine souls. This way, if danger arises from the spatial vortex, we can respond together."

"Of course, sharing is not the only reason for gathering. We sometimes exchange rare items as well, each taking what they need. After all, we stand at the top of the Chaotic Sea of Stars, and there’s little left that catches our eye."

Shang Xia did not immediately agree. He pondered for a moment before replying slowly, "That is indeed a good idea, but I fear I won’t be staying here much longer. I may only leave behind a clone to continue remote surveillance of the spatial vortex."

"Hahahaha!" A hearty laugh rang out from the third divine soul. "Perhaps fellow Daoist is unaware that few of us still have our true bodies here. Each of us tends to our own Heavenly Field. Who has the luxury of staying here in person?"

Shang Xia chuckled in return. "I see. In that case, I’m relieved. I’m also willing to share knowledge. Since you’ve been here longer, your information must far surpass mine. I must admit, I’m rather envious." Saying this, he chuckled a little awkwardly.

Seeing that Shang Xia agreed to join, the previously restrained divine souls suddenly became lively.

At their invitation, Shang Xia separated a strand of his divine soul and let it intertwine with those of the other Sages. Including himself, eight strands of divine soul formed a circle in the void, immediately beginning an eager exchange.

Shang Xia could guess why they had been so eager to invite him into their circle. Although he was warmly welcomed and flattered by the others, he remained cautious and refrained from disclosing anything truly substantial.

After a while, he had grown familiar with the other seven divine souls in the circle. Although their true identities were hidden, each referred to themselves by an alias.

The divine soul that had first spoken to Shang Xia called himself Mister Drama, while another more elusive divine soul was called Sage Cat. Finally, the person who gave Shang Xia the invitation in the first place called himself Vortex Observer.

Other than the three of them, the divine soul that had initially shown envy and hostility toward Shang Xia referred to himself as Lord Actor, although the others often called him Lord Actor.

Another divine soul that had spoken earlier, the fifth to join the conversation, was humorously referred to as Sage Loudmouth.

Two others had remained silent but observant. The first was called Lightning Master, while the other was called Graceful Lady.

As for Shang Xia, due to the profound strength he displayed in charging into the spatial vortex, the others allowed him to pick his temporary alias.

After some thought, Shang Xia chose the rather impressive ‘Seven Star Racer’ for them to call him, but the others, wishing to show respect, all addressed him as ‘Sage Seven Stars’.

When he first heard them call him that, he was slightly dumbfounded. The title elevated his stature significantly. Even though it sounded a little too intense and risked revealing the nature of his cultivation, he eventually accepted it happily.

To be fair... It certainly sounded much better than the shit name he gave himself.

Despite everyone hiding their true identities, the divine soul exchanges felt unexpectedly sincere under such conditions.

After they became more familiar, and realizing Shang Xia was unwilling to speak freely without incentive, the most talkative among them, Mister Drama, spoke up. "Although we meet regularly, it’s usually once a month, and rarely do we gather in full. But today, with Sage Seven Stars included, all eight of us have gathered. Let me break the ice with a recent discovery. The Original Stars Corner is slowly contracting, likely due to the spatial vortex."

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Sage Loudmouth immediately raised his tone and exclaimed, "Are you saying the spatial vortex is swallowing the Original Stars Corner?"

Lord Actor, or as everyone called him, Lord Actor, transmitted, "Isn’t that obvious? The spatial vortex exists within the Original Stars Corner! But, Mister Drama, how do you know the Star Region is shrinking?"

Mister Drama chuckled mysteriously. "You don’t need to know how I know. All you need to know is that I’m speaking the truth."

His enigmatic tone led Shang Xia to wonder whether Mister Drama hailed from a Heavenly Field within the Original Stars Corner itself.

Of course, if Shang Xia could make the connection, so could the others. Mister Drama might even have intended to let them assume as much by dropping the information.

Still, his claim was undoubtedly true. At their level, none of them had much reason to lie.

After Mister Drama spoke, the next to share was Lady Grace, who had remained silent even when others introduced her earlier.

Her voice was clear and melodious, but the content of her message instantly caught Shang Xia’s attention. "In the Distant Star Region, not to be confused with the Original Star Corner, the ruler of the Essence Frontier Heavenly Field, Qin Ming, was reportedly injured recently in the Nebula Forbidden Zone. The news only leaked recently, so he must have recovered already."

"The Nebula Forbidden Region?!" Mister Drama sounded gleeful. "Qin Ming always aimed too high, yet lacked the proper etiquette. The way he took over the Essence Wilderness Heavenly Field was far from admirable."

He had clearly wanted to engage Lady Grace further, but she fell silent after dropping her news, leaving Mister Drama hanging.

None of them knew that the person responsible for injuring Qin Ming was among them now.

Next to speak was Lord Actor. "Speaking of the spatial vortex and the Nebula Forbidden Zone, both count as celestial phenomena of the Chaotic Sea of Stars. So let me add news of another. Have any of you heard of Yuan Ling from the Essence Ling Heavenly Field?”

Vortex Observer scoffed. "He’s practically a celebrity in the Chaotic Sea of Stars now. I doubt any of us here doesn’t know his name."

Lord Actor remained unfazed and said calmly, "Then you must know that just decades ago, he was only a regular third star Sage. Yet in a short time, he became a mid-level Sage and even reached the peak of the fifth star! His combat strength stands at the top of those at the same level. He’s even approaching the high-level Martial Emptiness Realm. What could explain this?"

Vortex Observer replied quickly, "Obviously, he ran into a great opportunity. You mentioned a celestial phenomenon. Are you saying Yuan Ling’s rise came from discovering such a place? I heard he accidentally entered a ruined Essence World and obtained powerful inheritances."

Lord Actor responded, "That’s not incorrect. The celestial phenomenon was hidden inside the ruins of an Essence World, but it wasn’t even in the Aligned Star Region where Yuan Ling Domain belongs. It was in a remote void edge of the Crowned Star Region."

"A celestial phenomenon appeared in the Crowned Star Region?" The drifting voice from the divine soul of Sage Cat echoed gently. "Then allow me to share something too. The Lightning Prison in the Flood Star Region has existed for nearly two centuries and is slightly younger than the Nebula Forbidden Region. But recently, several Sages there joined forces to break into it. Rumors say they found something from beyond the Chaotic Sea of Stars."

Sage Cat’s revelation briefly silenced the other divine souls, though no one pressed further. Clearly, they already knew that other Star Fields existed.

At that moment, Vortex Observer cleared his throat and said, "Since everyone seems so interested in these celestial phenomena, let me share news of a newly discovered one."

Sage Loudmouth asked curiously, "A new one? Where?"

Vortex Observer chuckled. "In the newly formed Heaven Observation Star Region! Apparently, the Sages of several Heavenly Fields there gathered urgently. There are even whispers that traces of battle were sensed in the void, as if our peers in the Heaven Observation Star Region had clashed with beings from beyond the Star Field!"

Lord Shouter replied skeptically, "Heaven Observation Star Region? Are you sure? That place is special, don’t forget the Heaven Observation Sect!"

Vortex Observer sneered. "It’s easy to confirm. Just have your true body visit the Heaven Observation Star Region."

Lord Shouter replied coolly, "I’m not that reckless. If remnants of the Heaven Observation Sect remain, there may be ancient monsters who are high-level Sage hiding there. I’ve no interest in courting that kind of disaster."

Shang Xia was startled to hear the Heaven Observation Star Region mentioned and hadn’t expected news from there to have already reached the Sages across the Chaotic Sea of Stars.