Chapter 2011: Scared Into Retreat

"Shang Xia is about to advance to the seventh star?!"

Gu Yi, who had just joined the two of them, froze slightly when he heard what the Star Origin Lord said. Even the inner qi he was pouring into the seal seemed to pause for a brief instant.

However, Gu Yi had cultivated his composure for centuries. That trace of astonishment flashed away in less than a blink, and aside from the Star Origin Lord and Shang Xia, no other Sage could have noticed it.

When it came to resisting the Illusory Sea of Stars’s invasion, Shang Xia and the Star Origin Lord, just like the Sages of the Heaven Observation Star Region, were standing on the same side.

In the previous situation, everyone had gone all out. Not only Shang Xia, but even the Star Origin Lord and Gu Yi had no longer hidden their true abilities. No one would be foolish enough to preserve strength at such a moment.

Because of that, when they resisted the final collective assault of several high-level Sages from the Illusory Sea of Stars, the power Shang Xia erupted with in that instant truly shocked both the Star Origin Lord and Gu Yi. It was precisely Shang Xia’s sudden outburst that crossed the void to grievously wound the soul of a high-level Sage on the other side, forcing them to halt their assault on the seal for fear of further losses.

Looking at the void that had calmed again, and at the seal which seemed more resilient now with Gu Yi’s reinforcement, Shi Guan could not help but glance at the three high-level Sages to ask, "After reinforcing the seal this time, how long can it hold?"

Gu Yi pretended not to hear. Shang Xia wore a pensive expression, but finally, it was the Star Origin Lord who answered helplessly. "As things stand, the Star Fields can launch an invasion at any time. The only difference lies in the price they are willing to pay."

The Star Origin Lord’s words made the faces of the gathered Sages darken.

Shi Guan quickly pressed, "What do you mean?"

Shang Xia sighed softly, "What we are facing is an entire Star Field. If they wish to open a passage into the Chaotic Sea of Stars, all they need is to stack enough high-level Sages. Before absolute strength, our mere Heaven Observation Star Region cannot stand in opposition."

"Of course, whether that Star Field is willing to gather so many high-level Sages, or when they can manage to do so, is beyond our control."

Shang Xia’s words left Shi Guan speechless for a while.

Gu Yi chuckled and added, "You should feel fortunate. It was only because Shang Xia used a secret art to forcibly pierce the barrier of our Star Field and caught one of their high-level Sages off guard, gravely injuring him, that the enemy could not gauge our depths and strength. They chose to withdraw temporarily. From the looks of it, they dare not attack again soon since gathering five high-level Sages at once was no easy feat for them either."

The moment Gu Yi finished, even the seasoned Sages present could not help but draw in a sharp breath.

Gu Yi seemed to take perverse pleasure in seeing the others’ stunned expressions, and he looked exceedingly satisfied. "But rest assured, now that this seal has been reinforced by the three of us late Sages, even without supervision or maintenance, the enemy will likely need a long time to break through. At the very least, it should be safe for two to three years!"

That was Gu Yi’s final statement.

"Two to three years?” Shi Guan murmured to himself.

During the battle to split up the Essence Du Heavenly Field, his Essence Jing Heavenly Field had also claimed a share. Shi Guan, who had long been at the fourth star, had taken advantage of the chance to push his cultivation to the peak of the fourth star. Two to three years would be enough for him to step into the fifth star.

The other Sages, upon hearing Gu Yi’s assessment, also began to think to themselves, each planning how to improve their strength as much as possible in the next few years.

With the seal at the Void Mirage now temporarily secure, the Sages of the Heaven Observation Star Region prepared to leave.

"Please wait, all of you, wait!" Yan Yu hurriedly called out to stop them.

"Honored Sages, my cultivation is sliding, my strength continually declining. Before long, I may fall to the second star, then the first. Perhaps, one day, I will not even be able to maintain my cultivation at the Martial Emptiness Realm!"

"To resist the assault of the experts of the other Star Fields, I had no choice but to burn the foundations of my Dao Field and even my own lifespan as the price. Only then did I endure until your arrival!"

"In such a condition, do you truly think I still have the strength to continue protecting this region?"

Kou Chongxue frowned. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Yan Yu said in a deep voice, "I need origin qi to sustain my cultivatio,n and I need a way to replenish my lifespan. I need to stabilize my cultivation. Only then can I continue to hold the fort. Otherwise, before the experts of the Illusory Sea of Stars descend, I will already wither and die!"

The Sages from each Heavenly Field exchanged glances, but ultimately all looked toward the three high-level Sages standing in front of them, especially the Star Origin Lord.

As the oldest and strongest among the Sages in the Heaven Observation Star Region, no one doubted that the Star Origin Lord had mthe eans to extend one’s lifespan.

In fact, everyone was certain the Star Origin Lord held not one or two, but multiple methods of prolonging life.

The Star Origin Lord did not respond immediately, and his expression remained unreadable.

After a pause, Shang Xia spoke slowly. "If it is only a matter of temporarily maintaining Yan Yu’s cultivation realm to avoid draining his lifespan further, then infusing a certain amount of origin qi into his Dao Field should suffice to sustain him for some time."

Yan Yu sneered, "Oh? Shang Xia, is your Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field willing to provide me with origin qi then?"

Shang Xia’s method could stabilize his cultivation, but it could not restore the lifespan he had already consumed. Shang Xia exchanged a glance with Kou Chongxue, who then cleared his throat and said, "It’s not difficult for our Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field to supply some origin qi. But this matter should not fall on us alone. At the very least, all major Heavenly Fields should contribute."

As soon as Kou Chongxue spoke, dissatisfaction arose.

Hong Jing of the Essence Xia Heavenly Field immediately retorted, "Your Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field has been growing rapidly these past years, so perhaps you care little about losing some origin qi. But my Essence Xia Heavenly Field is poor, and every fraction of origin qi is precious. We have none to spare for others!"

The other Sages remained silent, but their expressions showed they were equally unwilling to squander their world’s origin qi, even if they knew that if the seal were broken, all of the Heaven Observation Star Region and even the Chaotic Sea of Stars would face a massive invasion.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Shang Xia understood more clearly. It was just that they weren’t willing to provide origin qi at this stage. They simply expected the stronger Heavenly Fields, such as the Five Essence Heavenly Field, Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, and the Essence Ming Heavenly Field, to shoulder the larger burden.

Shang Xia considered for a moment and was about to speak when the Star Origin Lord suddenly cut him off. "I can provide treasures to prolong your lifespan. As for origin qi, I suggest you make use of the energy seeping through from the Illusory Sea of Stars beneath the seal. Sage Shang... What do you think?”