Chapter 2163: Star Rinsing Muslin and Illegal Immigrant (Stowaway)

After several years, Shang Xia once again stepped into the radiant river formed by the convergence of countless blazing suns, the Star River itself.

Compared to his last visit, he was far stronger and far more composed, his foundation vastly deeper than before.

As the formless and weightless starlight swirled around his body, Shang Xia could clearly feel his life force pulsing, as though it was about to escape to the Star River and become lost forever.

Fortunately, his inner qi surged in response. His comprehension of his martial intent brought gains that had merged into his Big Dipper Star Origin, allowing him to quickly stabilize his life force. Even the overwhelming power of the Star River failed to affect him.

After properly looking around and ensuring he was safe, Shang Xia started to spread his divine soul to the greatest extent possible. Apart from the densely packed stars, he detected no other presence.

Only after confirming that there was no immediate danger did he begin attempting to draw upon the essence of the stars in the Star River that contained the power of space and time. After refinement, he replaced the inner qi he had previously expended.

It was a risky endeavor, but if he succeeded, it would allow him to endure much more pressure within the Star River and stay for a much longer time.

He didn’t act recklessly. Since the Star River was filled with countless stars, their essence, though not as compatible with him as that of the Dipper Star Formation, could still be refined in small amounts. Since there was an abundance of it, he would replace quality with quantity, and he would eventually accumulate a substantial amount.

Of course, another thought crossed his mind. If he could successfully refine the essence of the stars in the Star River, could he also absorb and integrate the power of space and time it contained?

Even if it could not be incorporated into his cultivation foundation, enhancing the upper limit of his martial intent, the Star Shifting Constellation Transformation would still be an immense gain.

It was clearly not a process that could yield results quickly. Yet fortunately, it did not require constant focus, allowing Shang Xia to find a chance to refine the Star River’s energy while simultaneously refining the Starlight Yarn with the secret art he had learned to transform it into Star Rinsing Muslin.

Before long, he began to make progress in absorbing the essence of the stars, and his inner qi gradually recovered.

However, during the process, the power of space and time contained in the Star River also managed to infiltrate his body.

Even though he had already comprehended his fourth martial intent, the Four Constellation Samsara Nether Blade, and his seventh martial intent, the Star Shifting Constellation Transformation, both of which contained the power of time, he could not prevent his life force from eroding.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Fortunately, the amount lost was minimal. It was insignificant compared to his centuries of remaining lifespan.

But that was only true for short stays. If he lingered too long without finding a way to stop the constant drain, even 1,000 years of lifespan would be devoured in time.

Once he adapted to the effects of the Star River, Shang Xia flicked his wrist, retrieving a soft, silvery fabric which was 9.9 feet by 3.3 feet wide.

The instant it emerged, it resonated with the Star River, as if both recognized each other.

The thin, translucent silk unfurled in his hand, and the luminous current of the Star River seemed to rise to surround the silk, yearning to envelop and merge with it.

Shang Xia didn’t dare to delay. He immediately started following the steps recorded in the secret art he had received. He channeled his inner qi into rhythmic pulses, shaking the silk gently to scatter away any impurities in the essence of the stars before allowing the rest of the starlight to touch it. Then, maintaining that complex rhythm, he continued the washing process, repeating it over and over.

Though he had expected the procedure to be difficult, he was still shocked by the amount of inner qi it consumed.

One complete wash had drained nearly 30 percent of his dantian.

At this rate, even if he could somehow reduce the consumption, he could manage at most three washing cycles before he would have to retreat and recover to ensure he had enough inner qi to deal with any sudden changes.

He could not afford to deplete his qi entirely within the Star River. He needed to keep some in reserve in case of emergencies. Yet according to the secret art, the Starlight Yarn needed to be washed 36 times in total.

That meant that based on his current endurance, Shang Xia would need to enter and exit the Star River at least 12 times to complete the process.

Had it been anyone else, even a Sage at the grand completion stage would have struggled to complete even two cycles per entry, and their recovery would have taken far longer.

Even for Shang Xia, the timeline felt unbearably long.

The void beyond the Star River was too barren for him to replenish his inner qi effectively. To speed up his recovery, he would need to return to the Chaotic Sea of Stars, or at least to a region where he could form a connection with his Dipper Star Formation.

Moreover, each journey between the Star River and the Chaotic Sea of Stars was perilous. Every crossing brought new threats, ambushes, distortions, and the risk of becoming lost forever. Even Shang Xia could not guarantee he could remain safe all the time.

While washing the Starlight Yarn for the second time, he continued refining the essence of the stars in the Star River and the power of space and time it contained while pondering over his choices.

The Starlight Curtain he was crafting followed the secret art provided by the Star Origin Lord, but its specifications were derived from the Crimson Soul Tablet’s deduction of his rank eight advancement formula.

According to the Star Origin Lord’s version, the Starlight Curtain was supposed to be 99 by 33 feet. Yet if he were to attempt washing such a massive piece of Starlight Yarn within the Star River, he would run out of inner qi before he completed a single cycle.

Even he could not endure that, and he doubted any other Sage could either.

Not even the Star Origin Lord’s true body could accomplish such a feat.

After all, that difference in size meant a hundredfold increase in surface area.

No one could possibly be that much stronger than him. It wasn’t even possible for a Sage to be 10 times stronger than him, let alone 100 times.

The secret method for making the Starlight Curtain was part of a personal exchange between the two of them, and the secret art itself was genuine. Thus, if there was deceit, it had to lie elsewhere.

Perhaps the truth was that the crafting of a complete Starlight Curtain required multiple Sages working together.

Such an immense piece of silk could never be purified in the Star River by one person alone. It would take the combined effort of several powerful Sages.

Alternatively, the Starlight Curtain might be divided into several smaller pieces, each refined separately before being reassembled.

The first possibility, while daunting, reminded Shang Xia of the ancient Heaven Observation Sect, which had once dominated the Chaotic Sea of Stars precisely because their martial inheritance made advancement to the Martial Emptiness Realm relatively easier, granting them multiple Sage-level cultivators.

If their elders had worked together back then, they might indeed have forged a single, enormous Starlight Curtain.

In fact, Shang Xia strongly suspected that the Star Origin Lord once possessed such a complete piece.

Leaving aside the mystery of the Star Origin Lord’s Fate Star, it had always puzzled Shang Xia how the Heaven Observation Field could remain hidden for nearly 1,000 years within the Chaotic Sea of Stars. He suspected that the grand barrier shielding the entire domain had been formed from the Starlight Curtain itself.

Of course, the second method, washing smaller fragments separately and then fusing them, was also possible.

Yet, as the saying goes, “A seamless sky has no stitches.” A Starlight Curtain made of fragments would inevitably bear flaws where the pieces were woven together, rendering it far inferior to a Starlight Curtain that had been woven as a whole.

As the thoughts churned in his mind, Shang Xia completed the second refinement.

This time, the process went more smoothly, and the consumption of his inner qi dropped slightly.

As he continued to draw on the essence of the stars in the Star River, his inner qi was slightly replenished, although his efforts to refine the power of space and time contained within it yielded little success.

“It seems after the third cycle, I’ll need to withdraw for some time...” he muttered with mild helplessness as he began the next cycle.

The third washing proceeded even more fluidly, consuming less energy. But even so, when it was done, he was left with barely 20 percent of inner qi.

Reluctantly, Shang Xia stowed away the Starlight Yarn he had refined thrice and withdrew from the Star River through the opening he created earlier.

As the gateway to the Star River gradually sealed, he let out a quiet sigh.

Behind him stretched the chaotic void that barely held any origin qi and was greatly polluted, making it impossible to absorb or refine anything useful for recovery.

After another long journey through turbulence and danger, he finally neared the edge of the Chaotic Sea of Stars, his energy nearly spent.

Only then did he reestablish synchronization with the flow of time and realize that nearly half a year had passed since he had left the Chaotic Sea of Stars.

At his current pace, to complete all 36 cycles would mean he would need 11 more trips, spending nearly six years to complete the refinement!