Chapter 2198: The Sullen Illusory Sea of Stars

Shang Xia did not remain long outside the 6th Starsea Market. After learning the general situation of the Chaotic Sea of Stars from Song Zhen, he once again resumed his journey toward the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field.

This time, the trip actually took even less time than his usual journey from the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field to the Starsea Market. That could only mean one thing. Although the Chaotic Sea of Stars was expanding as a whole, certain regions of the void were being compressed.

Before long, the Heaven Observation Star Region came into view.

But right at that moment, Shang Xia suddenly stopped. A familiar figure stood in the void ahead, apparently waiting for him for quite some time.

"News travels really quickly. I stayed outside the 6th Starsea Market for barely a moment, and you already tracked me down." Shang Xia smiled faintly at the Star Origin Lord’s clone.

The clone’s gaze, however, was fixed on the damaged Eternal Golden Boat beneath Shang Xia’s feet. He said calmly, "An Eternal Golden Boat whose frame remains mostly intact can still be restored. With some repair work, it will regain its abilities. If you intend to travel freely through the Star River, I can provide you with high-grade materials, and even grant you a complete inheritance for building an Eternal Golden Boat."

Shang Xia’s expression remained neutral, and he muttered, "Just how deep was your Heaven Observation Sect’s foundation back then? Since you already know how to construct Eternal Golden Boats, why did you not enter the Star River yourself? Why gamble with your lifespan by staying in the Chaotic Sea of Stars?"

The clone chuckled hoarsely, "I have my own reasons. And after more than 1,000 years, everything is finally proving the correctness of my plan. At this final moment, I will allow no accidents... nor any unforeseen uncertainties."

He never said the word, yet the killing intent within his tone was undeniable. And... It was directed straight at Shang Xia.

Facing the Star Origin Lord’s veiled threat, Shang Xia appeared calm.

"Do you believe I will become that accident or that uncertainty in your plan?"

The clone merely gave a cold laugh. The next second, his figure started to fade from the void.

Shang Xia stared in the direction he disappeared while appearing thoughtful. A moment later, his figure also vanished.

...

The void of the Heaven Observation Star Region showed clear signs of compression.

Once inside the Star Region, Shang Xia immediately sensed that the spatial distance between Heavenly Fields had shortened dramatically.

By the time he reached the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, Kou Chongxue had already heard of his return and was waiting outside the Essence Luxuriant World, around his residence.

"You must have run into quite a few changes on your way back?"

They exchanged almost no pleasantries. Kou Chongxue asked his question the second Shang Xia appeared.

As they walked into his residence, Shang Xia smiled. "There have been many changes indeed. I gathered information along the way and formed some guesses, but I still have many questions."

After they sat down, Kou Chongxue did not ask about Shang Xia’s doubts. Instead, he first spoke of events that had happened since Shang Xia’s departure. "... Once the foreign Star Fields started their fusion into the Chaotic Sea of Stars, the void did expand greatly. But at the same time, the space of the eight major Star Regions is being compressed. Except for those Heavenly Fields closely aligned with foreign Star Fields, the spatial positions of the regions are shifting rapidly. Based on current observations, the eight Star Regions appear to be converging, and this convergence is only growing stronger. As for what the end result will be, we cannot yet be sure."

"The eight Star Regions are converging into one place?"

Shang Xia muttered softly, "Is that Yuan Qiuyuan’s conclusion?"

Kou Chongxue nodded. "At this point, the changes in the Chaotic Sea of Stars are so immense that even without Stargazers, anyone can see it."

He continued, "According to Little Yuan, although the Chaotic Sea of Stars is expanding, its internal structure remains mostly the same, only enlarged severalfold. The eight foreign Star Fields will simply replace the original positions of the eight Star Regions. Meanwhile, the original locations within the Chaotic Sea of Stars are being pushed inward, converging at the center, taking over the positions once occupied by the Starsea Markets and Star Pirate factions."

Shang Xia thought it over before speaking again. "So after the foreign Star Fields fuse with us, the result is essentially an enlarged Chaotic Sea of Stars. The original eight Star Regions are replaced by the Star Fields, while we converge to form a new ninth Star Region?"

Kou Chongxue paused, then said slowly, "Nine Star Regions... Is that one Star Field per region? It isn’t an impossible hypothesis."

But Shang Xia shook his head slightly. "It’s only a conjecture. The specifics will depend on the progress of the fusion process, and any discoveries the Stargazers make. After all, we know nothing of the internal structures of the foreign Star Fields. They might have their own regions or Heavenly Fields that will fill the void."

Kou Chongxue nodded, then shifted topics. "Speculation aside, the situation in the Illusory Sea of Stars is our immediate threat."

Shang Xia’s gaze sharpened. "I was about to ask the same. Not just Illusory Sea of Stars, what of the Star Origin Lord and his Six Essence Heavenly Field?"

He then recounted how the Star Origin Lord’s clone stopped him on the way back and repeated their entire conversation.

Kou Chongxue did not respond immediately. He pondered for a moment before speaking. "Six months ago, I received the latest message from Shangyou inside the Six Essence Heavenly Field. He reported two matters. First, part of the Illusory Sea of Stars’ forces are within the Six Essence Heavenly Field, including several high-level Sages. Second, the Six Essence Heavenly Field is about to acquire a new Essence World. When that happens, it will become the Seven Essence Heavenly Field."

Shang Xia’s eyebrows rose slightly. "The first part isn’t surprising, he hinted at this earlier. But the second... That is serious. Combined with his clone’s behavior just now, it seems that once the Seven Essence Heavenly Field is completed, the Star Origin Lord will begin the process of advancing into the Eighth Order. Hm..."

His expression shifted slightly as if something clicked.

Kou Chongxue asked, "What is it?"

Shang Xia, recalling fragments of the advancement formula derived from the Crimson Soul Tablet, replied, "Perhaps the Star Origin Lord’s advancement to the Eighth Order requires... a catalyst."

"A catalyst?" Kou Chongxue immediately followed the thought and asked, "You mean..."

Shang Xia nodded. "Yes, the moment when all eight Star Fields fully merge into the Chaotic Sea of Stars, a new Super Star Field will be formed."

Kou Chongxue immediately saw the issue. "But... The speed at which the fusion happens is different! Each of the eight Star Regions is connected to different Star Fields. Their integration speeds vary greatly. Such a catalyst is extremely hard to time."

Shang Xia smiled faintly. "We may not know the progress of all the other fusions, but the Illusory Sea of Stars will certainly be the last one to finish merging."

Kou Chongxue blinked, then suddenly made the connection. "I see! That explains why the Star Origin Lord never fully intervened when we moved against the Illusory Sea of Stars. It wasn’t because he couldn’t, but because he needed to control the exact timing of its fusion!"