Chapter 2000: Dipper Annihilation

Shang Xia had indeed promised the Great Ape King that, within a time frame in the future, he would take it to the edge of the Chaotic Sea of Stars to hunt a rank seven Bird King.

However, that was clearly not something that needed to be done immediately.

After he and Kou Chongxue had roughly surveyed the situation in the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, Shang Xia once again returned to the void and entered his residence, which no longer seemed to be one to be used temporarily. Entering the grand structure, he entered seclusion.

Although the construction site of a large, newly built Star Observatory was not far from this residence, Shang Xia was clearly unaffected once he entered.

He needed some time to settle down, to digest the gains from the recent Expedition of the Essence Du Heavenly Field, particularly the final moments of the Essence Du World’s collapse, and then convert them into his own cultivation and combat strength.

Just as he had told Kou Chongxue, his cultivation had once again improved. He was even close to making an attempt to enter the seventh star of the Seven Star Realm, igniting the seventh auxiliary star in his dantian.

But before that, he needed to first create and perfect the sixth form of his Seven Star Mace Technique, so that he could accumulate as deep a foundation as possible.

After all, the time since he advanced from a mid-level Sage to the high-level was still too short. Fortunately, during his escape from the great spatial vortex, he not only obtained a large amount of solidified origin qi but also comprehended a secret technique for purifying and solidifying origin qi. That meant that in his upcoming cultivation, he would always have an abundant and high-quality supply of origin qi to refine and accumulate.

Furthermore, having witnessed firsthand the final collapse of the Essence Chong World, Essence Xing World, and the Essence Du World had greatly enhanced his insights into the martial path. The most direct result of the improvement was the creation of the Seven Star Mace Technique, while the deeper understanding allowed his martial path to proceed more smoothly and his soul to become more resilient.

Of course, although the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field felt distant, it was still kind and tolerant enough to let him share in some benefits during the strengthening and refinement of the Heavenly Field. Aside from that, there was an even more important, little-known reason why Shang Xia’s progress had so quickly reached the edge of the seventh star! He had further refined the great suns in the Big Dipper Formation he established deep in the void that served as a projection of his Big Dipper Star Origin.

Rather than calling the seven suns, he changed the address to the Dipper Star Formation, as he didn’t just adjust their position. He added two auxiliary stars while also converting the other sun near the Mizar Position to assist it.

That way, the Dipper Star Formation not only had the seven main stars but also one auxiliary star and two hidden stars.

Although the three stars didn’t appear in his Big Dipper Star Origin in his dantian, their existence undoubtedly strengthened his Big Dipper Star Origin and enhanced his foundation.

With the accumulation of all those benefits, Shang Xia’s cultivation was able to advance quickly again in a few short years.

The opportunity arrived nearly a year into his seclusion.

On the floating island where the large Star Observatory was, at least a hundred cultivators from the Tongyou Institution, all of which at the Martial Extermination Realm or above, worked tirelessly under the dim starlight projected from the void.

The next instant, everything turned dark.

Even though mid to high-level cultivators naturally possessed considerable night vision, the abrupt change still made them uncomfortable as everyone stopped whatever they were doing.

“What happened?”

“Why is it so dark?”

“It’s the stars! Everyone, look! The stars reflected deep in the void are gone!”

Soon, someone discovered the cause of the change. As they surveyed the surroundings, they suddenly found that apart from the heavenly screen of their world still shimmering with faint starlight, and four clusters of dim light in the distance that should belong to the other Spirit Worlds of their Heavenly Field, everything else was completely dark. Not a speck of light could be seen.

“This isn’t right, is it?”

“Of course it’s not! The stars scattered across the void can’t just disappear for no reason!”

“Did someone do this? But who would have the power to hide all the stars in the void?”

While the group cultivators were talking, a slightly hesitant voice suddenly came. “It’s naturally impossible to hide the entire Sea of Stars, but if it’s only to completely cover the Heavenly Field, it might not be impossible for a Sage...”

Many cultivators turned to look and saw a young-looking man with a hesitant expression on his face, slowly walking out of the unfinished interior of the Star Observatory.

“True Immortal Qiuyuan!”

“Grand Stargazer Yuan!”

“Hall Master!”

Those who had gathered spoke up one after another, clearly familiar with the person who spoke. Their tone was filled with respect.

It was none other than Yuan Qiuyuan, Hall Master of the Stargazing Hall, the rank six Grand Stargazer of the institution, and a True Immortal!

Even though Yuan Qiuyuan had interacted more with the outside world in recent years, he still felt somewhat flustered to be addressed so respectfully by so many people. The forced calm on his face was tinged with an awkward blush.

“Hall Master, you just said that the stars in the void haven’t disappeared, but that someone has hidden them. Is that true?” After the greetings, someone immediately raised their voice to ask.

This question seemed to steady him. He calmed himself and corrected, “It’s not the stars that have been hidden, but rather that the void surrounding our Heavenly Field has been obscured.”

Another person quickly asked, “True Immortal Qiuyuan, can anyone really do that? Could it be the work of our Heavenly Field’s Sages?”

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Yuan Qiuyuan answered seriously, “Of course it can be done! Don’t forget, when the Heaven Observation Field still existed, the Star Origin Lord once set up a Star Curtain that not only erased the Heaven Observation Field’s presence from the Chaotic Sea of Stars but also prevented communication between the inside and outside.”

A Stargazer from the Stargazing Hall asked, “Hall Master, it’s said that the Heaven Observation Field’s Star Curtain back then didn’t prevent Stargazers from peering out. Can you still see what is happening outside now? We disciples are completely blind when looking into the surrounding void!”

Yuan Qiuyuan shook his head. “I can’t either. And although I’m certain that it’s only our Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field that has been hidden, no one can truly erase every star in the heavens. When I tried to observe, it genuinely felt as though every star in the entire sky had vanished. That contradictory feeling is strange, but it proves the strength of the person using such a method!”

Someone else frowned and asked, “Could it just be a powerful illusion?”

Yuan Qiuyuan tilted his head in thought but didn’t continue the answer.

Another voice spoke up instead. “No, it’s not just an illusion. What that person unleashed is truly capable of erasing the stars if the person so wished!”

Yuan Qiuyuan turned toward the voice, his expression freezing in astonishment. “Patriarch Kou?!”