Chapter 2158: Hesitation and Secrets

When the other Sages of the Crowned Star Region finally arrived, Yuan Ling immediately pinned all the blame on Shang Xia, accusing him of causing the World Origin Source’s chaos, the destruction of the Dao Field, and the deaths of countless cultivators across the floating continent.

The newly arrived Sage said nothing and joined Yuan Ling in a coordinated pincer attack against Shang Xia.

Fortunately, Shang Xia had anticipated it a long time ago. Before either of them could act, he dove directly into the torrent of surging space, disappearing into the shifting rifts.

Yuan Ling immediately prepared to pursue, preparing to leave the floating continent at once. Too bad for him, the other Sage was already aware of his true intentions. He blocked his path and sneered in a deep voice, “Sage Yuan Ling, where are you going?”

Seeing his way barred, Yuan Ling’s expression twisted in fury. “Why are you stopping me?! That was Shang Xia of the Heaven Observation Star Region! If you don’t let me go, he’ll escape!”

The Sage sneered coldly, “If I let you pass, wouldn’t you be the one escaping?”

Yuan Ling’s face darkened. “What do you mean by that?”

The other Sage continued to sneer, but before he could say another word, his face suddenly changed. “You... What are you doing?!”

Startled, he threw himself backward and hastily raised his defenses.

A burst of invisible shockwaves erupted. The next moment, the man was sent flying by Yuan Ling’s sudden ambush.

Yuan Ling let out a cold snort as his expression remained dark and grim. He swept the other Sage with a chilling glance before swiftly departing.

Judging by the direction he took, it was clear that he had no intention of chasing Shang Xia.

Moments after Yuan Ling fled, two more figures emerged from different directions in the void. Their gazes fell simultaneously upon the injured Sage who had just steadied himself.

“What happened here?” A high-level Sage of the Simple Sea of Stars questioned in a low voice.

The first to arrive cast him an unwilling glance but still recounted everything that had just transpired.

“Yuan Ling?! Shang Xia!” The cultivator of the Simple Sea of Stars forced their names through his clenched jaw.

The next moment, the other figure, another Sage from the Crowned Star Region who had arrived alongside him, finally spoke. “This floating continent... Should we attempt to stabilize it?”

The expert from the Simple Sea of Stars simply turned away. His voice echoed faintly through the air as he departed. “There’s no need. Now that the reconstruction of the Essence Chang World’s Will has proven feasible, we might as well go to war.”

The first cultivator turned toward the remaining Sage of the Crowned Star Region. “Sage Xi, why were you traveling with that man?”

Sage Xi waved a hand casually and brushed it off. “Just a coincidence.”

The other frowned. “But according to what that man said, isn’t it reckless to begin reconstructing the Essence Chang World immediately?”

Sage Xi sighed helplessly. “We have no choice. Still, with the Essence Chang Floating Continent destroyed, our decades-long cooperation with the Simple Sea of Stars will be delayed for dozens of years. Yuan Ling will have to bear full responsibility for this!”

The other nodded at once. “Sage Yuan Ling truly is despicable.”

No sooner had those words left his lips than the ground beneath them answered with a deep, resonant crack. From the heart of the floating continent came a thunderous rumble. The massive floating continent was beginning to collapse from within.

...

When Shang Xia had leapt into the surging void currents, he quickly broke free within another fractured layer of the void, successfully shaking off all pursuit.

Back in the Towering Star Region, he had already mastered the art of navigating the void currents. Compared to that, what he was facing that had been created by the shattered Dao Field was nothing. It caused him no serious harm, at most, it drained a portion of his inner qi.

But what truly pleased him was the fact that his Crimson Soul Tablet had absorbed enough origin qi from the Simple Sea of Stars. Out of the eight different origin qi required for his rank eight advancement formula, he had gathered seven. Among the eight Star Regions of the Chaotic Sea of Stars, only the Aligned Star Region remained unexplored.

According to his plan, he would next wash the Starlight Yarn in the Star River, then travel to the forbidden region of the Aligned Star Region to obtain the eighth and final origin qi.

Now... The most important thing he had to do was to leave the Essence World Ruins!

Before leaving Essence Chang Floating Continent, he glanced back one last time. The world origin there had first been recklessly drained by Yuan Ling, then nearly emptied of the origin qi from the Simple Sea of Stars by Shang Xia. Finally, the Dao Field shattered. The floating continent was basically about to crumble.

That continent was clearly the result of cooperation between multiple Sages from both the Crowned Star Region and the Simple Sea of Stars. There was no need to doubt its importance.

If the Essence Chang Floating Continent were to collapse, Shang Xia felt that the Sages of both sides would surely attempt to save it.

That, in turn, would reduce the number of cultivators hunting him, giving him a better chance to escape the ruins.

And indeed, events unfolded just as he had predicted. After breaking free from the spatial torrent and traversing several layers of spatial rifts, he encountered no further pursuers. Even the traps and traces he had left behind earlier had gone undisturbed, confirming that no one was following him.

Shang Xia allowed himself a faint, amused smile and relaxed slightly as he began searching for a way out.

Due to the chaotic and distorted nature of the void within, even he no longer knew where exactly he was.

Fortunately, during his earlier skirmishes with the Sages of both sides, he had secretly left subtle marks and talismans scattered throughout the void. Though most had been destroyed or swallowed by spatial turbulence, a few remained. They were more than enough to guide him.

Along the way, he encountered several cultivators from both factions, but they were far beneath his level and failed to sense his presence. After navigating through multiple layers of broken space, he finally found the exit to the Essence World Ruins.

All things considered, the trip had been a complete success.

However, just as he emerged from the ruins, he was startled to see a mid-level Sage standing in the void ahead, as if expecting him.

“Sage Shang Xia of the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field of the Heaven Observation Star Region. I have been waiting for you.” The man’s tone was calm but wary.

As he spoke, Shang Xia started to spread his divine soul, scanning the void for hidden threats.

Despite the immense pressure of Shang Xia’s aura, he smiled faintly and said, “Sage Shang, rest assured, only I have come. There are no others in hiding.”

Shang Xia looked him over carefully, then asked with mild suspicion, “You are Mister Drama? How did you know I would appear here?”

The man shook his head. “The Mister Drama you know was my elder cousin. He was gravely wounded after escaping the Spatial Vortex years ago and lived only a short while after that. But before his passing, he told me in detail about everything that happened within the spatial vortex, including you, Sage Shang. That is how I recognized you.”

“As for how I knew to wait for you here, it was pure coincidence.”

Shang Xia clearly did not believe him. He studied the man’s face, then said quietly, “So Mister Drama has already passed away... A pity indeed.”

Back during the incident in the spatial vortex, eight Sages had entered together but were scattered when disaster struck. After escaping, Shang Xia had sent people to investigate their fates, yet the situation was too chaotic, and the rumors were too contradictory. Even he, the so-called Sage Seven Star, had been declared dead and alive several times in various accounts. Since everyone had entered under assumed names, he had never learned what truly became of the others.

Sage Xi smiled slightly, then came straight to the point. “Sage Shang, I have come today with a request.”

Shang Xia’s expression remained indifferent. “Oh? Speak.”

Seeing his calm demeanor, Sage Xi hesitated for a moment before speaking again, “I wish to ask for an inheritance of the Stargazer lineage. Sage Shang, please, on behalf of the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, trade it with me!”

Shang Xia looked at him, slightly surprised.

Sage Xi continued, “I do not seek a high-level inheritance. A rank five Grand Stargazer inheritance would suffice. In return, I will offer you a piece of secret information.”

After a brief pause, he added, “Of course, if there is anything else Sage Shang requires, anything that my Essence Lun World can provide, we will not refuse.”

Shang Xia did not immediately decline. He smiled faintly instead and asked, “Why the Stargazer inheritance? Is it merely to prevent your starships from losing their way in the Chaotic Sea of Stars?”

Sage Xi laughed softly. “The importance of Stargazers to navigation across the sea of stars is obvious. But that is not my true reason. It concerns the Essence World Ruins and the Simple Sea of Stars.”

Seeing Shang Xia’s slight frown, he elaborated, “I suspect you already know the general situation within the ruins. Our cooperation with the Simple Sea of Stars was aimed at reconstructing a transitional world, something blending the origin qi of both Star Fields so as to open trade routes between us. The Stargazer inheritance would become our key tool to balance the Simple Sea of Stars’s influence.”

Shang Xia’s expression grew thoughtful as he began to understand the larger ambitions of the Crowned Star Region.

Sage Xi pressed on after seeing his reaction. “The secret I wish to share with you concerns the old Heaven Observation Sect, and the Star Origin Lord.”

Shang Xia raised an eyebrow and asked, “What kind of secret?”

Sage Xi’s voice deepened. “My family’s lineage stretches back over a millennium, with an unbroken line of Sages. We have preserved many ancient records. One such record, penned personally by an ancestor over 1,000 years ago, stated that the Heaven Observation Sect’s Stargazer inheritance, if cultivated to its peak, could detect the existence of worlds beyond our Star Field. The Star Lords of the Heaven Observation World sought contact with those worlds from other Star Fields, and even attempted to create passages through the void between them. They established bases in various Star Regions, constructed Star Observatories, and formed a massive sect spanning the entire Chaotic Sea of Stars, all to pinpoint the weak spots in the void between our Star Field and those beyond.”

He paused before he continued in a low voice, “And now, every Forbidden Region that links to a foreign Star Field, regardless of when it appeared, can be traced back to them. To the Heaven Observation Sect and to the survivors.”