Chapter 2233: Intercept

Outside the Essence Mu World, Sage Mei Jingya hovered in the void, gazing calmly at the newly completed foundation of the Essence Mu Heavenly Field. Beneath her calm exterior, her eyes carried a trace of quiet joy.

With the assistance of the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field in recent years, the Essence Mu World had not only recovered its vitality but had also successfully completed the construction of its Heavenly Field before the Ninefold Star Field finished its transformation.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Through the blessing from her Heavenly Field, her cultivation had advanced further, reaching the fifth star of the Martial Emptiness Realm.

At that moment, she was standing at the edge of the Heaven Observation Star Region, intercepting three of the Star Origin Lord’s Starlight Clones.

Initially, she had thought this task would not be difficult. With her current cultivation at nearly the peak of the fifth star, she believed she could handle even a high-level Sage without much trouble.

However, at the very instant she clashed with the three clones, her confidence almost cost her dearly.

In her understanding, the Star Origin Lord’s clones should only have possessed strength equivalent to a first star Sage. Even if they wielded techniques derived from the Star Origin Lord himself, their combat power could not possibly bridge the vast gulf created by the disparity in cultivation.

Yet from the very first exchange, the three clones displayed power comparable to the second star of the Martial Emptiness Realm, shattering the long-standing assumptions about the Star Origin Lord’s Starlight Clones.

That alone might not have mattered, after all, the second star was still far from the fifth star.

But then, the three clones suddenly formed a battle formation, combining their strength across the void to draw upon the Worlds’ Will of their Seven Essence Heavenly Field!

And since the Seven Essence Heavenly Field’s will had already been completely assimilated by the Star Origin Lord, what they borrowed was not the mere blessing of their world, it was the Star Origin Lord’s strength!

Under such circumstances, she had suffered a setback at the very start.

Though she still held the upper hand overall, completely suppressing or defeating them was no longer something that could be achieved quickly.

The battle thus reached a stalemate, a contest of endurance rather than to kill each other.

Still, Sage Mei’s purpose had never been to annihilate them. She had acted to intercept any threat that might disrupt Shang Xia’s advancement. As long as she could restrain the three clones, she had already fulfilled her duty.

Yet as she stared at the three of them, their formation tight and unyielding, focused solely on containment rather than victory, a sudden realization struck her. "You’re trying to stall me too, aren’t you?"

...

"How many Starlight Clones does the Star Origin Lord have?" That was Sage Jin’s question to Zhuo Gudao.

The two of them were fighting side by side at that very moment, barely managing to fend off one of the Star Origin Lord’s high-level Sage Starlight Clone.

Zhuo Gudao replied with a bitter smile. "The Star Origin Lord has prepared for this breakthrough to the Eighth Order for over 1,000 years. No one knows how many trump cards he has stored away. As for the exact number of his Starlight Clones... No one can say for sure."

Sage Jin forced back the clone that the Star Origin Lord made from a high-level Sage of the Illusory Sea of Stars away before he yelled, "I don’t care about the number! I want to know, can his soul even handle controlling so many clones?"

Zhuo Gudao paused briefly before replying with another wry smile. "Don’t forget, he’s capable of replacing the World’s Will of an Essence World. That’s equivalent to seizing control of an entire world... Now, he didn’t just do it for one of them. He controls seven of them!"

Taking advantage of Zhuo Gudao blocking a heavy strike, Sage Jin quickly sent another sword light that forced the Starlight Clone back for a moment. "Enough talk! Let’s focus on surviving this! If the two of us can even hold this one off, we’re already doing well."

Both were mid-level Sages. Sage Jin had recovered his strength to the fifth star, while Zhuo Gudao had managed to break through to the fourth star shortly before the end of his lifespan, extending his life once more.

Yet even with their combined strength, they were still at a disadvantage against a single high-level Sage Starlight Clone from the Star Origin Lord.

Both of them couldn’t help but gasp in shock on the inside.

Their long years of battle experience made it obvious that the puppet that had become the Star Origin Lord’s Starlight Clone possessed a disturbingly high level of intelligence.

After the initial exchanges, it seemed to realize it could not defeat them quickly, so it shifted its tactics, focusing on suppression and delay instead.

That could only mean one thing. The Starlight Clone wasn’t in a hurry to reach Shang Xia. Which also meant the Star Origin Lord had other contingencies already in motion.

They both knew that the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field had set up two defensive barriers in advance, meant to intercept any interference with Shang Xia’s ascension, especially from the Star Origin Lord or the Seven Essence Heavenly Field.

"Do we have anyone ready to support us?" Supreme Jin suddenly asked.

Zhuo Gudao nodded slightly. "Sage Shang should have at least his External Avatar around to protect him... His External Avatar has the ability to release a martial intent, least one of Lord Shang’s External Avatars should still be guarding the site. That incarnation wields true martial divine powers, its combat strength rivals that of a peak Seventh-Tier Sovereign. Ordinary late-Seventh-Tier opponents wouldn’t stand a chance."

Supreme Jin’s expression darkened. "Even that might not be enough. If even you don’t know how many cards the Star Origin Lord has hidden, then send word to Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field. Have them find a way to awaken Kou Chongxue. If they don’t do it now, they’ll never have another chance. Should Sage Shang fail and the Star Origin Lord succeed in reaching the Eighth Order, there won’t even be an Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field left."

...

How many Starlight Clones had the Star Origin Lord truly amassed?

Perhaps no one but the Star Origin Lord himself knew.

What was certain, however, was that Shang Xia’s External Avatar was overwhelmed.

Aside from the two remaining Starlight Clones from the Seven Essence Heavenly Field, there was now also a high-level Sage clone joining the fray. The clone had lurked in hiding, waiting until the moment it drew Shang Xia’s External Avatar’s attention to the others, then struck suddenly from behind, nearly crippling him in one blow.

Both Starlight Clones, as always, had been created from cultivators who had ascended to the Martial Emptiness Realm within the Star Origin Lord’s Heavenly Field, their essence refined into clones of their respective worlds.

They had once been limited to the first star, restricted despite their considerable combat power.

But now, whether through the Star Origin Lord’s secret arts or due to the transformation of the Ninefold Star Field, their strength had surpassed those limits, their power climbing into the range of mid-level Sages.

Yet even that was not what troubled Shang Xia’s External Avatar most.

What demanded his full caution was the Starlight Clone behind him, its mastery of illusion and concealment so perfect that it had bypassed all of his perception, closing to within 10 miles before attacking, nearly landing a fatal strike.

The Starlight Clone clearly originated from the former Illusory Sea of Stars, and judging by its abilities, it must have been crafted from the very Sage who had once ruled the last Essence World absorbed into the Seven Essence Heavenly Field.

Throughout their battle, the clone repeatedly split into near-indistinguishable projections, deceiving even Shang Xia’s External Avatar’s divine soul. Again and again, Shang Xia’s External Avatar was thrown into increasingly dangerous situations as he was surrounded by multiple equally powerful foes.

At the rate things were going, Shang Xia’s External Avatar was in grave danger, if the fight continued, he would soon suffer a severe defeat.