Chapter 2181: Destruction

Although the Star Origin Lord’s clone spoke in vague terms, Shang Xia had already more or less guessed the reason behind it.

However, he did not take the Star Origin Lord’s threat seriously. What truly caught his attention was the matter concerning the Star Origin Lord himself.

“Since you claim my actions have disrupted the opportunities of those from the other Star Fields, why did you rush here in such haste? Could it be that I have also severed the chance your true body sought?” Shang Xia chucked.

The Star Origin Lord’s clone looked at him in surprise, then laughed lightly. “Why would Young Friend Shang say such a thing? My true body has cultivated for over 1,000 years, my accumulation is unfathomably deep, my foundation beyond what ordinary beings could imagine. Besides, surely you don’t truly believe that after the collapse of this rift, the connection between the Chaotic Sea of Stars and the Illusory Sea of Stars will be completely cut off?”

Shang Xia smiled faintly. “That Star River Stowaway left his Eternal Golden Boat lodged between both Star Fields. I have never underestimated myself, but I’m also not naive enough to believe that the arrangements left behind by over a dozen Star River Stowaways more than a millennium ago could all be undone by me in a single day.”

The smile on the Star Origin Lord’s clone’s face gradually faded. His voice grew heavier. “It seems you know far more than my true body expected.”

Shang Xia’s expression turned serious as well. “You didn’t come here just to talk, did you? You came for the Essence Jing World.”

The clone smiled again and glanced slowly around at the devastated surroundings. “Do you really think the Essence Jing World still deserves to exist?”

Shang Xia shook his head slightly. “I fear Shi Guan doesn’t think so. And I suppose what he truly doesn’t realize is that while you came here to obstruct me, you were also coveting his world.”

The Star Origin Lord’s smile disappeared completely. His tone deepened. “You don’t seem very anxious.”

Shang Xia replied calmly, “That’s because you’ve overestimated the people from the Illusory Sea of Stars.”

A flicker of realization crossed the Star Origin Lord’s eyes. In the next instant, his form blurred and vanished, reappearing in the void above the Essence Jing Heavenly Field. Shang Xia appeared almost simultaneously, hovering a short distance away.

What the Star Origin Lord’s clone had expected, a scene of the Heaven Observation Star Region’s Sages being slain or routed after Shang Xia’s supposed restraint, had not come to pass. Instead, Shi Guan, whose world had been devastated and World Origin Source shattered, had suffered greatly. The damage to his World's Will had in turn weakened him, leaving him seriously wounded by Gu Yi.

Apart from Shi Guan, there were still the five mid-level Sages of the Illusory Sea of Stars whom Shang Xia had forcibly displaced earlier with his chain of attacks, as well as several others already engaged in battle with the Sages of the Heaven Observation Star Region. When the Star Origin Lord’s clone arrived, he had assumed the situation was completely in their favor.

Yet he never imagined that after Shang Xia had suppressed the Star River Stowaway and destroyed the rift, cutting off their reinforcements, the Illusory Sea of Stars experts fled at the first opportunity instead of fighting desperately.

“Young Friend Shang... The might you command today is truly terrifying!” The Star Origin Lord’s clone sighed.

He instantly understood the reason. Those Illusory Sea of Stars experts had not fled because they were losing, but because they feared Shang Xia, who had freed himself from the battle with the Star River Stowaway. Even the appearance of the Star Origin Lord’s clone could not give them enough confidence to stay.

Shang Xia smiled slightly. “Nah. They merely lack faith in you.”

The clone shot Shang Xia a wry look. He already knew his fate was sealed. “So, even after your Fate Stars were relocated and destroyed, you didn’t grow weaker... Instead, you even managed to grow.”

Shang Xia chuckled softly, “Let’s just say I found a new opportunity.”

“In the Star River?”

Shang Xia nodded.

By then, the Sages of the Heaven Observation Star Region had mostly regained control of the battlefield. Though each was visibly exhausted and wounded, they had taken up positions in the void, surrounding the Star Origin Lord’s clone in a loose encirclement to prevent any chance of escape.

But his clone knew escape was impossible. His aura had already been completely suppressed by Shang Xia’s overwhelming presence.

He realized then that whatever had changed in Shang Xia, it had brought him closer and closer to the level of his true body.

“You... How did you achieve this?” He finally asked, unable to hold back. “My true body possesses an Essence World and the combined blessings of the Six Essence Heavenly Field! Yet... You stand alone!”

Shang Xia chuckled and did not answer. Instead, he merely lifted the Crimson Soul Tablet in his hand and pointed it at him.

At that moment, within the already shattered Essence Jing Heavenly Field, a heavenly phenomenon erupted once more. The vast leakage of energy created two successive waves of brilliant bursts of incandescence that illuminated the broken skies.

And with that, the Battle of the Essence Jing Heavenly Field finally came to an end.

The Heavenly Fields of the Heaven Observation Star Region, united in effort, had managed, at least for the time being, to repel the invasion from the Illusory Sea of Stars.

Naturally, it was only temporary. Although Shang Xia had destroyed the spatial rift, he had only obliterated the half connecting to the Chaotic Sea of Stars. Both Star Fields remained physically bound together, with the Eternal Golden Boat still wedged between them, stabilizing their connection.

It would not be long before the passage reopened, and when it did, the invasion from the Illusory Sea of Stars would surely return.

The war had ended, but the aftermath was immense.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Fortunately, it was no longer just the responsibility of Shang Xia, Kou Chongxue, or the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, it was now a burden to be shared by all the Heavenly Fields of the Heaven Observation Star Region.

Before the clean-up could begin, however, the multitude of decisions had to be established by the Sages.

“The Essence Jing World no longer serves any purpose,” Shang Xia said as he watched the remaining origin qi of the Illusory Sea of Stars surge from its core and disperse outward. “But it cannot be completely divided either. At the very least, the ruins of the passage remain. We’ll need part of the Essence Jing World to construct a sealing formation that can suppress the void there.”

Everyone present could sense the lingering energy of foreign Star Fields permeating the Chaotic Sea of Stars. They all knew that the merging of different origin qi had already begun, and though they could not stop it, they had to at least slow its spread.

Gu Yi frowned and said reluctantly, “The Essence Jing World has 29 continents. To contain and stabilize a formation over the rift’s ruins, and to secure enough land and reallocate the remaining world origin, we’ll have to clear nearly 10 continents around the core, and those are the richest and most vital territories!”

“That can’t be helped,” Hong Jing coughed. Her injuries from fighting a high-level Sage of the Illusory Sea of Stars were still visible. “We should discuss what to do with the remaining 19 continents, as well as the three attached Spirit Worlds and several smaller Barbaric Worlds and Earth Stars.”

“Don’t forget the Essence Mu World’s share,” Shang Xia reminded them. “Sage Ya didn’t join the battle directly, but her surveillance of the Void Mirage was vital.”

No one dared object.

Once the Essence Mu World received fragments of the Essence Jing World, its growth and restoration would accelerate significantly.

As for the eventual distribution of spoils, Shang Xia did not bother to involve himself further, he knew the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field would naturally receive the largest share.

His focus instead returned to the final moment when the Essence Jing World’s Will was extinguished.

By then, Shang Xia had witnessed the fall of several Essence Worlds. Each time, it left him with new insights and realizations.

But that battle, for him personally, had yielded the greatest gain yet. Through repeated use of his Seven Laceration Sword in actual combat, he had finally grasped a fleeting moment of enlightenment, perfecting the technique to match his current level of strength.

With that, all seven martial intents reached the level of perfection.

And as a result, the Crimson Soul Tablet itself began to accelerate its deduction process of his rank eight advancement formula.