Chapter 1989: Outside the Essence Du Heavenly Field

The second Yuan Ling arrived, he adopted a defensive posture as if facing a formidable enemy. However, he quickly noticed that the atmosphere at the scene was not as tense as he had expected.

"So, you must be the esteemed Star Origin Lord?" Yuan Ling first greeted the Star Origin Lord, then turned to Shang Xia and added, "I didn’t expect Sage Shang to have arrived ahead of me."

Shang Xia responded with a faint smile. "I just arrived as well."

Yuan Ling glanced between the two of them, then remarked thoughtfully, "You both seem to be enjoying a pleasant conversation? I wonder, what exactly were you discussing?"

Compared to the actual topic they had been discussing before his arrival, what Yuan Ling feared more was whether Shang Xia would choose to join forces with the Star Origin Lord.

After all, at their level of cultivation, what might seem like world-shattering decisions to others were merely things they decided on a whim.

Standing at different heights naturally meant seeing things from different perspectives.

Before Shang Xia could respond, the Star Origin Lord interjected first. "We were simply discussing some matters beyond the Chaotic Sea of Stars."

"Oh?"

Seeing Shang Xia nodding with a smile, Yuan Ling’s curiosity grew. He couldn’t help but mumble, "Indeed. These days, very few who personally experienced the war over 1,000 years ago remain. You, Star Origin Lord, were not only a witness but a major participant. I imagine no one understands the void beyond our Chaotic Sea of Stars better than you."

Shang Xia smiled and agreed. "That’s true. I’m also quite curious about the truth behind the invasion from the other Star Fields more than 1,000 years ago."

With that statement, Shang Xia clearly revealed his stance. Yuan Ling understood and gave him a slight smile in response.

The Star Origin Lord didn’t seem to mind their veiled exchange. He chuckled casually, "What’s so mysterious about it? In the end, the goal is still the same. It’s to ascend to the Eighth Order!”

"The Eighth Order, the Martial Eternity Realm!" Yuan Ling murmured.

Standing beside him, Shang Xia realized then that Yuan Ling, or perhaps the Essence Ling Heavenly Field as a whole, was not entirely ignorant of the connection between the invasion from beyond the Star Field and the path to the Martial Eternity Realm.

Yuan Ling continued his inquiry. "There are many theories about why the Heaven Observation Sect was besieged jointly by foreign forces and local Heavenly Fields during that war over 1,000 years ago. The most common explanation is that the Heaven Observation Sect stole part of the inheritance related to advancing to the Martial Eternity Realm from those other Star Fields, which led to retaliation and destruction. Is there any truth to this?"

Shang Xia’s heart stirred at the mention of the possibility of what had happened. He quickly followed up. "I’ve also heard that the Star Origin Lord once possessed a rank eight spiritual treasure, which is the key to your breakthrough. Is that true? Some say the treasure was hidden in the Star Origin Lord Manor within the Heaven Observation Dao Field. Others claim it never left the your side. Could this item be part of the inheritance that Yuan Ling is referring to?"

Even Yuan Ling appeared surprised upon hearing it from Shang Xia. Clearly, he, or perhaps even the previous Sages of the Essence Ling Heavenly Field, was unaware of the secrets or had no records of the matter.

But with both pieces of information corroborating each other, it only strengthened their belief that the Star Origin Lord indeed possessed something vital for advancing to the Martial Eternity Realm.

Yet, in the face of their pointed questions, the Star Origin Lord seemed quite unconcerned. He chuckled softly, "That was a special Star Core, and yes, I do possess it. But I have yet to discover its exact use. Otherwise, I would have already stepped into the Martial Eternity Realm and transcended this Star Field."

Hearing his casual admittance, Yuan Ling and Shang Xia instinctively looked at each other, as if trying to verify something in the other’s eyes, but both only saw confusion mirrored back at them.

"Then this Star Core..." Yuan Ling began.

But under the Star Origin Lord’s strange half-smile, he fell silent.

It was also then that Shang Xia turned his gaze toward a particular direction outside the and said casually, "Things are heating up over at the Essence Du Heavenly Field. Since Yan Yu has already chosen to ally with you, are you not planning to intervene on his behalf?"

The Star Origin Lord laughed, hands behind his back. "Didn’t the two of you come here specifically to prevent me from doing just that?"

Yuan Ling added, "Since a confrontation is inevitable, I must admit, I’m itching for a fight. To face off against the renowned Star Origin Lord of the Heaven Observation Sect, who once dominated the Chaotic Sea of Stars more than 1,000 years ago... What an honor!"

To that, the Star Origin Lord merely waved his hand while smiling. "What’s the point of you and me exchanging blows? In the end, your goal is merely to hold me here. Why not simply wait and let matters in the Essence Du Heavenly Field resolve themselves?"

Yuan Ling was momentarily stunned. His gaze instinctively shifted to Shang Xia, only to find Shang Xia lost in thought, seemingly unaware of the unspoken question in Yuan Ling’s eyes.

"It seems the Star Origin Lord never truly intended to accept the Essence Du Heavenly Field as part of your Four Essence Heavenly Field, right from the start?" Shang Xia, who had been deep in thought, suddenly looked up and stared intently at the Star Origin Lord, who stood across the void with a serene and carefree expression.

This time, the Star Origin Lord merely smiled and remained silent.

Yuan Ling, however, asked in confusion, "What do you mean? Wasn’t it because of the Chen Dynasty Emperor’s betrayal?"

Shang Xia didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said slowly, "All along, apart from the established Essence Ping World, the other Heavenly Fields admitted into the Four Essence Heavenly Field were all newly promoted Essence Worlds. Furthermore, each of those new Essence Worlds had originally been Spirit World within the Heaven Observation Field. And traces of the Star Origin Lord’s involvement can be found in their ascension. But the Essence Du Heavenly Field was already a complete Heavenly Field. Though it too recently advanced to become an Essence World, its promotion occurred before the Star Curtain vanished."

Yuan Ling was a sharp man. He immediately responded, "You mean to say, for the Star Origin Lord to continue growing, he has to assimilate Essence Worlds that were personally modified by him?"

Shang Xia stared solemnly at the Star Origin Lord and said in a heavy tone, "Star Origin Lord, you seek to reconstruct an Essence World. Is that why you chose to protect the Chen Dynasty Emperor? You plan to use the core regions from the collapsed Essence Xing World as the base for a new Essence World?”

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The Star Origin Lord slowly withdrew the smile from his face. His expression grew calm as he mumbled, "You’re learning far too much, young one."

Yuan Ling now spoke with some puzzlement. "You accepted Yan Yu’s allegiance, yet now you seem to be going back on your word. Isn’t that beneath someone of your stature?"

The Star Origin Lord replied in a low voice, "He wanted to join my ranks and become part of the new Heavenly Field. All I told him was to come over if he felt like it...”

Yuan Ling’s gaze sharpened. "How could he be so foolish?"

But the Star Origin Lord gave him a meaningful look and suddenly asked a question that left Yuan Ling momentarily speechless. "Did you find something in the ruins of that Essence World in the Crowned Star Region? Otherwise, why would Yan Yu approach me mid-way and seek to merge into my Heavenly Field?"

Shang Xia was just as surprised by this revelation and instinctively turned his gaze toward Yuan Ling. At the same time, his mind began drawing connections between the incident and the now-destroyed Essence Chong Heavenly Field.

The Star Origin Lord was almost stating outright that whatever Yuan Ling found in the ruins was directly related to the formation of the alliance of the Heavenly Fields. Furthermore, after this alliance was established, the Essence Du Heavenly Field began its journey away from the Heaven Observation Star Region, heading toward the Star Region where the Essence Ling Heavenly Field resided.

The Essence Chong Heavenly Field had originally planned something similar. But due to its remote location, moving the Heavenly Field to join the alliance was far too risky, especially if their Sage couldn’t arrive in time to protect it.

If the speculations proved accurate, then as the one responsible for the destruction of the Essence Chong Heavenly Field, Shang Xia had almost singlehandedly sabotaged Yuan Ling’s plans.

However, Yuan Ling merely growled, "Our only goal today is to stop the Star Origin Lord. Everything else can wait."

Shang Xia nodded and said no more.

The atmosphere in the void suddenly grew tense. Yuan Ling and Shang Xia slowly started to store their energy, and it seemed the clash with the Star Origin Lord was inevitable.

The next second, the Star Origin Lord spoke once again. "You two want to join forces against me? Aren’t you afraid someone else might swoop in at the end to take advantage of the situation?"

Shang Xia’s eyes narrowed immediately.

“Gu Yi, since you’re here, why don’t you show yourself?”