Chapter 1961: Reverse Infiltration

The high-level cultivators who had gone to observe the celestial phenomenon no longer needed to remain entangled in the region once they were no longer bound together. Scattered across the surrounding void, they had been watching the battle between Shang Xia and the Star Origin Lord unfold.

However, without their presence and due to the aftershocks of the fierce clash between two high-level Sages, the mirage-like projections in the void suddenly grew active. It began to seep into reality, as if it were about to materialize at any moment.

Realizing the danger, the observing experts quickly understood that if the mirage became real, it would mean foreign forces from other Star Fields would have infiltrated the Heaven Observation Star Region. Ignoring the threat of the battle's aftershocks, they rushed back to reinforce the void and prevent the invasion.

Figures such as Gu Yi, Shi Guan, and Kou Chongxue rapidly took their previous positions and began exerting their powers to suppress the mirage.

They had done it many times over the years, forming a seamless cooperation in resisting the mirage’s intrusion.

Once the void was reinforced, the rate of the mirage’s incursion into their space was indeed slowed.

However, slowing it didn’t mean they stopped it. The mirage from other Star Fields continued to turn real, slowly, but steadily.

Only then did the cultivators realize that while the Star Origin Lord may have deceived them and prepared his retreat, he had always been the core force during past suppressions of the mirage. Only with his coordination had they truly been able to hold it back.

"Without the strength of a high-level Sage, we may not be able to stop the infiltration!" The most powerful among them, Gu Yi, was the first to speak.

"This is bad, the mirage is turning more solid!" Shi Guan suddenly exclaimed in alarm.

The mirage had sensed the void becoming unstable and weak, and began its intrusion accordingly.

When it detected that the powers suppressing it were weakening as well, the forces from foreign Star Fields realized it was a rare opportunity. They poured in greater strength to push into the Chaotic Sea of Stars.

Before their eyes, the mirage reflected in the void expanded rapidly, its imagery becoming increasingly vivid, as if it were about to pierce through the void and descend upon Heaven Observation Star Region.

The few cultivators present gave their utmost to strengthen the void seal, yet their efforts appeared to yield little effect.

If the mirage were to breach the void and become real, then other Star Fields and the Chaotic Sea of Stars would overlap partially within the Heaven Observation Star Region, creating a spatial corridor between them, turning the Heaven Observation Star Region into the front line of an invasion.

While suppressing the void, the cultivators also began trying various means to send transmissions to both high-level Sages still fighting in the fractured void. They hoped Shang Xia and the Star Origin Lord would stop and assist, but they knew the chances of their transmissions getting through were slim.

Just as despair began to take root, the already-shattered chaotic void in the distance was suddenly torn open again. A powerful shockwave rippled outward, weakening the void that the mirage had been infiltrating.

But before anyone could curse the new disturbance, the brilliant starlight they had seen before descended into the center of the void.

The starry light receded, revealing a four-faced mace suspended before them. More precisely, a portion of its tip had already pierced into the void itself.

The mirage that had been spreading like an ink painting across the void froze completely, as if sealed in place.

At the same time, the cultivators who had been reinforcing the void instantly felt it strengthening rapidly, and the pressure on them lessened significantly.

"Is this the power of a high-level Sage?!"

The thought crossed the minds of every cultivator present.

And that wasn’t all. In the next moment, the Star Origin Lord’s figure appeared in the void, at the exact position where he had previously been during their earlier standoff.

Immediately after, their combined power was merged and guided by an even stronger force, clearly the Star Origin Lord’s, integrating into the void to further strengthen the seal.

The Void Mirage, which had been pinned down by Shang Xia’s Seven Star Mace, was further suppressed. Its newly expanded sections began to wither and retract.

Just as the cultivators were about to sigh in relief, they noticed something strange, Shang Xia and the Star Origin Lord had not stopped fighting. In fact, their movements grew more coordinated as they unleashed a new sequence of actions.

Gu Yi and the others quickly realized that although most of the void had been reinforced under the Star Origin Lord’s guidance, there was one area, the very spot where the mace had pierced the void, that remained untouched.

At first, they thought the Star Origin Lord was unable to control Shang Xia’s power or was merely showing him respect.

But they soon realized that wasn’t the case. The area where the mace pierced the void was actually growing weaker, as the power within the mace diminished.

The mirage, which had been shrinking, sensed a breakthrough point. It began converging toward that exact area, ready to burst through and become reality within the Heaven Observation Star Region.

Just then, a figure appeared precisely where the mace had pierced the void.

Other than Shang Xia, who else could it be?

He reached out and placed his hand on the mace’s handle. The inner qi produced by the Big Dipper Star Origin in his body surged like a flood into the weapon, driving the mace further into the void. Two-thirds of its length became buried in the void.

In the next instant, the starlight that had been sealed within the mace erupted across the void. Brilliant light surged into the mirage like ink being washed away.

The once-vivid mirage began to dissolve in chunks under the starlight, and the void gradually returned to its original state.

However, the mirage showed a strange sentience, quickly recognizing the threat. It began retreating rapidly and condensing to resist the powerful starlight.

However, Shang Xia’s inner qi was overwhelmingly dominant. The ink-like mirage failed to resist it despite condensing its power.

Soon, the mirage that had expanded during the earlier clash between Shang Xia and the Star Origin Lord was fully erased. The rays of starlight then surged back along the paths the mirage had used to invade, dissolving what remained.

As layers of the mirage were wiped away, the Star Origin Lord led the other cultivators in reinforcing the void, layer by layer.

The cooperation was seamless and highly efficient. Over 80 percent of the invading mirage was cleared out, leaving only a final remnant coalescing into a dense mass like a pool of ink. They forcefully resisted the final rays of starlight, trying to wipe it away.

At that moment, Shang Xia raised his head and looked across at the Star Origin Lord. "What are you planning to do now?"

But the Star Origin Lord, as if reading Shang Xia’s thoughts, shook his head. "We can construct a spatial tunnel over to the other side, but this is not the time. Us alone are not enough.”