Chapter 2182: The State of the Chaotic Sea of Stars

The aftermath of the Battle of the Essence Jing Heavenly Field was destined to be a long and arduous process.

Shang Xia did not stay there for long. Once the division of the Essence Jing World’s remaining continents was mostly settled, he exchanged a few words with Kou Chongxue and returned to the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field. On his way back, he stopped briefly at the Void Mirage to inspect it. Although a considerable amount of origin qi from the Illusory Sea of Stars had seeped into the area, the seal itself remained completely intact.

After greeting Sage Ya, he departed.

Although news of Shang Xia’s return to the Heaven Observation Star Region had already spread, his arrival in the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field was kept quiet, known only to his External Avatar.

After sharing recent experiences with his External Avatar, Shang Xia instructed him to continue managing the Heavenly Field in his stead, while he retreated to his residence outside the Essence Luxuriant World to undergo seclusion.

It was only then that he realized that the current year was the 40th of the Essence Luxuriant Calendar. More than two years had passed since he had left the Heaven Observation Star Region for the Star River.

Outside his residence, the surrounding void was bustling. Star Ships were returning to the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, bringing back cargoes of resources and rescued from the void. At intervals, Arks descended directly into the Essence Luxuriant World or sailed toward their auxiliary Spirit Worlds. It was a bustling scene.

Every major Star Region was suffering from various degrees of invasion by foreign Star Fields and every single Heavenly Field had begun consolidating their forces. As a result, the Starsea Markets throughout the Chaotic Star Sea had grown desolate. The once-busy merchant fleets traveling between Star Regions and trading hubs had all but vanished.

The Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field was no exception. Figures such as Song Zhen and Zhu Nang remained stationed in the Starsea Markets, but much of their original strength had been requisitioned.

Even the main fleet of the Invincible Pirates had returned to the Heaven Observation Star Region and took part in the recent Battle of the Essence Jing Heavenly Field.

Thus, the rare sight of such bustling activity within the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field was merely a temporary phenomenon brought about by the redistribution of the Essence Jing World.

Although the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field had received the largest share in that division, the Essence Luxuriant World itself had only gained a small portion of the most vital regions. Most of the remaining fragments were used to expand the Spirit Frost World.

The Giant Ape Emperor had already established a Dao Field there, but the world itself still imposed certain restrictions upon it. The addition of the Essence Jing World fragments could not yet transform the Spirit Frost World entirely, but it would at least ease those constraints, offering the Giant Ape Emperor a chance to advance even further in cultivation.

Moreover, the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field’s fifth auxiliary Spirit World had finally completed its transformation. Together with the Essence Luxuriant World’s deepening foundation, all the external conditions for Kou Chongxue’s breakthrough to become a high-level Sage had been fulfilled. It was merely a matter of when he chose to take that final step.

Beyond those developments, the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field’s overall growth remained on an upward trajectory.

More and more people were stepping onto the path of martial cultivation. The number of mid to high-level cultivators continued to rise. What pleased Shang Xia most was that the ranks of elite cultivators were steadily expanding. The Heavenly Field boasted several hundred experts in the Martial Void Realm, finally rivaling the great Heavenly Fields with ancient legacies and deep foundations.

However, the number of high-level True Immortals was increasing more slowly.

At that stage, cultivators had nearly reached the limit of what external resources could provide. Further progress relied entirely on personal effort.

Even so, the Battle of the Essence Jing Heavenly Field had shown the Heaven Observation Star Region the true strength of the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field. In terms of high-level combat power, the number of elite cultivators, the quantity and qualities of their Star Ships, and even fleet battle formations. They had already surpassed nearly every other Heavenly Field.

It could be said that the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field had become the strongest Heavenly Field of the Heaven Observation Star Region, second only to the Six Essence Heavenly Field, and among the strongest in the Chaotic Sea of Stars.

In seclusion, Shang Xia immediately focused his mind on the Crimson Soul Tablet in his sea of consciousness.

Back then, while destroying the spatial rift, he had also managed to absorb a large amount of origin qi from the Illusory Sea of Stars. Though not as great as what he had gained from the Pagoda Forest of the Aligned Star Region, it was enough to replenish much of the depleted energy.

Now, only two faint cracks remained on the surface, one of which had already repaired itself by a third.

But that was not what interested him most. What truly drew his attention was the change in the inscription.

Advancement Medicine: Eight Trigrams Immortal Golden Pill

Prerequisite: Grand Completion Stage of the Seven Star Realm

Main Medicine: Eternity Artifact

Secondary Medicine: Star River

Auxiliary Medium: Starlight Curtain (9.9 x 3.3 feet)

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Required Medium: Origin qi from different Star Fields

Remarks: Martial Intent suitable for current cultivation realm, Soul at the grand completion stage.

Compatibility: -

Success Rate: -

Shang Xia’s divine sense fell upon the Secondary Medicine. Even though it was revealed to be the ‘Star River’, he sensed there was still more to be uncovered.

Glancing at the two tiny cracks still faintly visible on the surface, he thought to himself that it would not take much longer.

Even though his martial intents had advanced to the stage matching his realm, his satisfaction was somewhat dampened by the incomplete revelation of the Secondary Medicine.

His gaze lingered once again upon the words. Though the inscription was unfinished, those two words alone made him sigh to himself. He could already guess that it was definitely related to the Star River.

In other words, before long, he would have to venture into the Star River once again.

Even if the ingredient had nothing to do with the Star River, Shang Xia still had another reason to return. He had to reconstruct the Dipper Star Formation.

When the Star Origin Lord and others had relocated or destroyed those stars, his cultivation had not diminished much, but it had affected his endurance and sustained combat ability.

Since then, every battle had forced him to end fights quickly or rely on the energy stored in the tablet. But refining that energy took time, whereas the essence of the Dipper Star Formation, being of the same origin as his Big Dipper Star Origin, could be absorbed and used directly.

Moreover, restoring the Dipper Star Formation would expand the reach of his secret arts, allowing him to extend his influence across entire Star Regions.

Thus, even though he had only recently returned from the Star River, his next journey there was already inevitable.

Shang Xia remained in secluded cultivation for about half a year.

During that time, Kou Chongxue did not return even once to the Heavenly Field.

Though Star Ships still traveled back and forth between the Essence Jing Heavenly Field and the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, the affairs had long been settled, and the Sages of other Heavenly Fields had all returned to their worlds.

Kou Chongxue alone remained away, naturally because the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field still had Shang Xia personally overseeing it.

His presence was not merely about raw power, though his External Avatar could already unleash combat strength on par with a high-level Sage, and the Giant Ape Emperor alone was a force greater than that of most Heavenly Fields combined.

Rather, Shang Xia’s true importance lay in his ability to manage the Heavenly Field’s affairs as effectively as Kou Chongxue himself.

Even if he was in seclusion, his External Avatar could carry out his will.

But if he were to leave the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field altogether, then even if his External Avatar stayed behind, few would continue to trust his External Avatar’s authority in political and administrative matters.

Kou Chongxue had seized the rare chance to travel and broaden his experience, but his journey had been far from peaceful.

Reports from his travels across the star regions painted a grim picture. The overall situation in the Chaotic Sea of Stars was deteriorating rapidly.

Among the eight major Star Regions, only the Heaven Observation Star Region had successfully repelled an invasion and destroyed the connection. The others fared poorly.

Of those, the Towering Star Region was the strongest in overall capability and had made the most thorough preparations against invasion.

Yet even there, faced with a massive assault from the Gathered Star Sea, they had barely held the line, using an entire Essence World as a buffer zone. The forbidden region now lay under the enemy’s control, and judging from the Gathered Star Sea’s buildup of strength, a second great assault was imminent. When that happened, they would face an even greater danger.

If their situation was so dire, the conditions in other regions could only be worse.

In the Original Stars Corner, the spatial vortex had opened long ago, and experts from within had already infiltrated.

The region was enormous and their Heavenly Fields were scattered. Most of their Sages were comparatively weak. Fortunately, the vortex itself was dangerous to both sides, making entry or exit deadly. As such, only a few mid-level Sages had managed to slip through.

The Nebula Forbidden Region within the Distant Star Region faced a similar fate. The collapse of the Essence Wilderness Heavenly Field had left behind a dangerous wasteland that threatened both defenders and invaders alike. Still, because their Heavenly Fields were relatively close together, they had managed to deploy forces to contain it, though not completely.

Reports of foreign experts appearing in the region had become increasingly frequent, suggesting that the enemy had already found an alternate route.

By comparison, the Crowned Star Region seemed somewhat better off. Its battles with the Simple Sea of Stars were oddly restrained, with few large-scale casualties or destruction.

But Shang Xia knew the truth. Many Heavenly Fields in the Crowned Star Region had already chosen to cooperate with the Simple Sea of Stars, even attempting secret experiments within ruins to merge the origin qi of both sides.

By then, they had likely opened the passage entirely, welcoming the invaders as partners rather than enemies.