Chapter 2185: Restoring the Dipper Star Formation

"At present, all the Heavenly Fields of the Chaotic Sea of Stars have reached a basic consensus regarding the invasion from foreign Star Fields, namely, that since the integration of our Chaotic Sea of Stars has already become inevitable, everyone must now focus on securing the greatest possible advantage within the new, unified world that will soon emerge!"

When Kou Chongxue returned from the Starsea Market, it was the first piece of news he shared with Shang Xia. It was something entirely expected, yet still worth confirming.

Shang Xia nodded slightly and replied, "Indeed. In responding to this situation, however, the Heavenly Fields across the Star Regions are far from equal. Some have prepared well in advance, while others act in haste. But by this stage, no one is foolish enough to think they can still repel the invasion altogether."

His tone carried a faint note of irony, even self-mockery.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

After all, the one who had spent years trying to delay the incursion was none other than himself.

Barely half a year earlier, he had personally destroyed the spatial passage linking the Illusory Sea of Stars to the Heaven Observation Star Region, at least, the portion that connected to the Chaotic Sea of Stars’s side.

Fortunately, the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field had never grown complacent in its own accumulation of strength. Though they had far less time to prepare than the ancient Heavenly Fields that already knew the hidden truths of the invasion, they had nonetheless managed to keep pace in actual progress.

Of course, neither Kou Chongxue nor any of the senior cultivators of Essence Luxuriant knew that Shang Xia had been subtly manipulating the Essence Luxuriant World’s Will all along, and through it, influencing the entire Heavenly Field system without pause.

At first, even Shang Xia himself had been unaware of what he had been doing. Only when his understanding of the Crimson Soul Tablet’s ability to absorb origin qi deepened, when he grasped that it was, in essence, an Eternal Artifact, and perhaps even something beyond that, did he realize just how profoundly it had affected the Essence Luxuriant World’s Will.

Otherwise, how could the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field have grown from a mere Azure World into a vast Heavenly Field within barely 100 years? Did the World’s Will truly devour the essence of other worlds so perfectly, without ever suffering backlash?

Of course not. The truth was that every time Shang Xia used the Crimson Soul Tablet to absorb world origin from other places, the process performed an initial filtration, refining that energy so it could directly nourish the Essence Luxuriant World’s Will.

Even the origin qi not absorbed through the tablet, once introduced into his world, were stabilized by the original true spirit he had anchored in the World Origin Source of the You Continent before he retrieved it. Its suppressive power prevented violent rejection between incompatible energies.

That continued until they finally became the Essence Luxuriant World, and Shang Xia withdrew his soul and severed his bond. By then, the World’s Will had already grown strong enough to maintain balance on its own.

From that point onward, even when new fragments of other worlds were absorbed, the Essence Luxuriant World’s Will could suppress any backlash independently.

Still, as the world expanded too quickly, Kou Chongxue’s cultivation had briefly lagged behind, forcing him to halt the growth of new continents and redirect resources toward strengthening the auxiliary Spirit Worlds and creating more Azure Worlds or Barbaric Worlds instead.

Fortunately, that did not slow the overall progression of the Heavenly Field. And now that Kou Chongxue was standing at the very edge of becoming a high-level Sage, the problem was essentially resolved.

Because of all those factors, when the Chaotic Sea of Stars’ origin qi became increasingly mixed, its composition ever more saturated with energies from foreign Star Fields, the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, though seemingly slower to adapt, was actually able to surpass many others. Their deliberate division into the inner and outer rings allowed them to accelerate adaptation to the chaotic influx of origin qi far ahead of schedule.

"Of course..." Shang Xia explained, "The purpose of dividing the Heavenly Field into inner and outer rings isn’t only to hasten adaptation to the changing origin qi. A more important reason is that the transformation is still ongoing and will continue for quite some time. Establishing the separation early ensures that, should anything go wrong, the inner core of our Heavenly Field won’t suffer irreversible damage."

Kou Chongxue listened quietly, nodding in acknowledgment but asking no further about the arrangements. Instead, he asked, "You’re preparing to return to the Star River so urgently... Have you already found the opportunity to advance? And do you know when you’ll return?"

Shang Xia hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "This time, I can’t say I’m certain. I only wish to make more thorough preparations. The true chance to advance will likely come only when all the foreign Star Fields have fully merged with our Chaotic Sea of Stars."

Kou Chongxue nodded calmly, clearly not surprised by the revelation. "That’s probably what all those old monsters who’ve managed to survive for over 1,000 years are thinking as well." After speaking, he chucked with faint amusement.

Indeed, Kou Chongxue had returned from the Starsea Market bearing news of countless ancient beings, relics from centuries or even millennia past, who had begun to resurface across the major Star Regions. Even mighty spiritual beast emperors were returning from the edges of the Chaotic Sea of Stars.

The world of today was no longer the same as the old, when the Heavenly Fields alone ruled the cosmos.

After a pause, Shang Xia said thoughtfully, "Although it’s long been proven that advancing to the Eighth Order through a Heavenly Field is impossible, perhaps once the foreign Star Fields completely merge and a new Super Star Field is formed, that path of martial ascension may once again become viable."

Kou Chongxue showed no surprise, he had clearly considered the same possibility. Smiling, he said, "Then rest assured. No matter what happens, this old man won’t abandon the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field. Besides, with your External Avatar here, and the Giant Ape Emperor aiding in defense, even two or three high-level Sages wouldn’t dare set foot here uninvited."

Shang Xia nodded. "I’m not worried about the Heavenly Field itself, but rather about the Star Origin Lord. His next move is unpredictable. I suspect the Six Essence Heavenly Field isn’t his final limit. To overcome his last obstacle, he’ll likely need to absorb another Essence World to form the Seven Essence Heavenly Field.”

"The only problem is... No one knows where that final world will come from."

Kou Chongxue chuckled, "You’re afraid his eyes are on the Essence Mu World, aren’t you?"

Shang Xia nodded without hesitation. "Though it hasn’t fully recovered yet, the Essence Mu World has absorbed the remnants of the Essence Jing Heavenly Field. It won’t be long before it regains its strength. I fear the Star Origin Lord has already set his sights on it."

Kou Chongxue laughed again. "If you can think of it, the other Sages of the Heaven Observation Star Region surely can as well. Whether they are willing or not, the Essence Mu World has likely already become bait, set to lure the Star Origin Lord into making the greatest mistake of his life."