Chapter 611: Star Essence

It was then that Shang Xia realized why Kou Chongxue never left the platform back in the Beyond Heavens Pavilion.

A Martial Dipper Realm Ancestor might be powerful, but if Kou Chongxue and Ji Wenlong wanted to drag the 1000 mile wide Tongyou Island back with their own abilities, they would be dreaming. Even if the impossible happened and they gained the ability to do so, they would consume an extraordinary amount of energy.

They had to draw on the power of the grand formation on the island in order to pull it back and they also had to make use of the world origin of the Azure Origin World that would resonate with the formation they laid down in the Beyond Heavens Pavilion.

The platform where Kou Chongxue had been stationed on was the core of the formation used to pull the Tongyou Island back!

Because of the existence of the formation, Kou Chongxue would be able to catch the location of the Tongyou Island in the vast sea of stars and start forming the spatial tunnel once the formations resonated with each other.

When Shang Xia and the rest saw the change happening around them, they pretty much understood that the Tongyou Island had already entered the spatial tunnel. They were finally returning to the Azure Origin World.

They were right as Chu Jia’s somewhat hoarse voice rang in the ears of everyone on the Tongyou Island. “We have begun moving through the spatial tunnel. Please do not move around randomly.”

Back when Kou Chongxue sent Shang Xia to the Manyu Continent using a similar spatial tunnel, all he could see were flashes of gray. Now that he was stronger, he planned to observe what was going on around him a little more.

Because of the twisted space around them, Shang Xia could only carefully extend his divine perception outwards. He wanted to feel the changes in the space around the island.

Those streaks of light that appeared because of the presence of various stars in the distance eventually got so numerous they formed a giant star river as the Tongyou Island accelerated through the tunnel.

It was something Shang Xia never felt before when he was transferred over. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that they were part of a giant island that was 1000 miles long.

While carefully extending his divine perception outwards, he could vaguely feel that there was something familiar outside.

Deciding to try something, Shang Xia brought out an intricately crafted jade case from his sleeves.

When he opened it, he could see several dozen specks that resembled fine sand filling its bottom. Those specks emitted a soft mesmerizing glow.

As soon as he opened the case, those specks started to flash as though they were resonating with something. Shang Xia quickly made the connection and learned that they seemed to be responding to whatever he felt outside the Tongyou Island at the moment.

The thin layer of sand continued to flash as though they were starting to gain sentience. He felt as though they were about to flow out of the case.

“Star Essence!”

That was exactly what was contained in the case. It was Star Essence that Kou Chongxue had personally gathered back then, and it was the key item in repairing his Abyssal Blade.

Alas, Kou Chongxue’s attempt at gathering Star Essence was pitiful. He only gave whatever he obtained to Shang Xia so that he would be able to recognize it in the future.

One had to know that a cultivator would need to travel through the sea of stars with their physical body in order to gather Star Essence. They would have to be in the Martial Dipper Realm at the very least.

Martial Extermination Realm experts like himself and those who fought outside the confines of their islands back then might seem impressive, but none of them would be able to remain in the vast sea of stars for a long time. The little time they had wouldn’t be enough for them to even gather a single speck of Star Essence.

Back then, Shang Xia didn’t hold much hope that he would be able to gather a huge amount of Star Essence. He planned to enter the Martial Dipper Realm before thinking about how he should get enough to repair his Abyssal Blade.

With his casual probe while the Tongyou Island was returning to the Azure Origin World, he discovered a massive opportunity. It might be the best time for him to gather as much Star Essence as he could.

In order for the Tongyou Island to travel through the spatial tunnel, it had to be able to condense starlight into a single point. The distance between the Beyond Heavens Pavilion and the Manyu Continent was no less than 10 million miles and in order to shrink the space to create the spatial tunnel, the starlight in the region would naturally also have to be condensed.

When Shang Xia extended his divine perception out and felt the trace of Star Essence, he discovered that it was quickly swept up and destroyed. His simple probe caused a small portion of his divine perception to be eliminated, and the range it could extend to shrank by 3 whole miles.

With a chill running down his heart, Shang Xia hastily retracted his divine perception. He hastily circulated every technique he knew and when he discovered he would be able to gradually restore the range of his divine perception with his Man and Heaven Synergy Chapter, he heaved a sigh of relief.

After realizing he would be able to recover his divine perception, the worry in Shang Xia’s heart was replaced with reluctance. He couldn’t think of another plan now that his divine perception was unable to come into contact with the Star Essence for a long time.

Watching how the Star Essence outside was essentially left behind as they traveled through the spatial tunnel, Chu Jia’s voice boomed in his mind. “Hey! Your Origin Dipper isn’t behaving well here. It’s sucking something from the void outside our island!”

He could even hear a trace of disdain in her voice when she spoke about it. As she was fully focused on the connection between the Tongyou Island and the Beyond Heavens Pavilion, she was unable to split off any part of her consciousness to deal with the Imperial Star Fate Dipper that Shang Xia had also placed in the Nine Blossom Jade Formation Disc some time ago.

Shang Xia’s heart trembled slightly when he thought back to the name of the Origin Dipper. He seemed to make some connections.

The Tongyou Island might be protected by the grand formation as they traveled through the spatial tunnel, but that only applied to everything within the protection barrier. Leaving the confines of the barrier would definitely pose some sort of risk.

However, Shang Xia couldn’t be bothered with that at the moment as he quickly ran over to the core region where the formation disc was situated.

Other than Chu Jia who was in charge of controlling the grand formation, Yun Jing and Yan Su’er were the only ones present. They had the highest cultivation level among the other experts on the island and they were in charge of protecting Chu Jia from any danger that might arise.

Well… They had the highest cultivation level excluding Shang Xia. He stationed himself on a secluded formation node that wasn’t too close to the core region back then and after he used the power of the Crimson Soul Tablet to draw more world origin for the Tongyou Island, he had a rough gauge of how much they actually gathered. All of it was stored in the Nine Blossom Jade Formation Disc, and now that he was back in the core region, he noticed that slightly more than a third of it had been used up.

Shang Bo used a majority of the world origin during his breakthrough, and the rest remained trapped in the formation disc.

Noticing Shang Xia’s arrival, Yun Jing was the first to speak. “Is the Imperial Star Fate Dipper resonating with the starlight around the spatial tunnel? It’s interfering with Little Chu’s control of the grand formation…”

As soon as she spoke, she retrieved the jade case that contained the Imperial Star Fate Dipper and tossed it at Shang Xia.

As soon as he grabbed it, Shang Xia could sense that the Imperial Star Fate Dipper had indeed formed some sort of formless connection with the twisted space outside.

The resonance wasn’t affected by the Tongyou Island’s grand formation, but it was actually able to disturb its operation. At the very least, it became a lot more taxing to operate the formation.

Shang Xia nodded his head and replied, “I’ll bring it further away from the grand formation in order not to let it affect you. However, the Imperial Star Fate Dipper might have some connections with Star Essence in the spatial tunnel we’re traveling through. I’m planning to use it to gather some Star Essence.”

“Don’t mess around!” Yun Jing’s warning came the instant he finished his explanation.

“This is a rare opportunity…” Shang XIa shot Chu Jia an apologetic glance before asking, “We can use the world origin contained in the formation disc now, right?”

Back when he noticed the contents of the formation disc, he also checked on the condition of the fate dipper essence he placed in back then.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The world origin in the Nine Blossom Jade Formation Disc might have decreased from its original state, but after feeling Shang Bo’s aura, Shang Xia understood that he already crossed the initial phase of his breakthrough. He wouldn’t need any more world origin.

That would mean that Chu Jia could freely use the world origin contained in the Nine Blossom Jade Formation Disc and not care about the consumption of the grand formation any longer.

A cold snort left Chu Jia’s lips. “It wasn’t easy for us to obtain these world origin. How can we use it freely?! It’s easy for you to ask…”

Shang Xia interrupted her before she could finish. “As long as we’re still here, what’s a little world origin? We can always find more.”

Chu Jia wanted to retort, but she suddenly recalled that half the world origin they obtained was due to Shang Xia’s efforts. His contributions were actually extraordinary and his qualifications to speak on the matter of world origin exceeded hers. As such, she chose to remain silent after snorting again.

Shang Xia raised an eyebrow and stared at her strangely. He never expected her to give in so easily in a war of words. After all, she had never allowed him to win her in a bicker in the past.

His thoughts also quickly drifted away and he turned to Yun Jing to ask, “Deputy Patriarch Yun, do you know when my grandfather will leave seclusion?”

Yun Jing’s expression turned serious and she shook her head in response. “He probably just took his advancement medicine. He has to refine it completely and refine his Origin Dipper. No one knows how long it will take. He can only rely on himself during this period of time.”

Raising the jade case in his hand, Shang Xia muttered, “I’ll return this after we return to the Beyond Heavens Pavilion.”

Yun Jing waved her hands casually in response. Shang Xia didn’t know if she was chasing him away or telling him to keep the Origin Dipper, but it didn’t matter at the moment.

After he left, Yun Jing turned to Chu Jia. “Little Chu, use the world origin as you please. There’s no need to be stingy with it.”

Chu Jia hesitated slightly. She had been controlling the grand formation the whole time and a small portion of her attention was used to calculate the consumption of world origin they would have to use. If she could use as much as she wanted, she could naturally save a great deal of effort. However, she knew how rare world origin was and how hard it was to come by. She felt that it would be a waste to use it wantonly.

“Just do it!” Yun Jing spoke resolutely but quickly added an explanation. “We’re about to return to the Azure Origin World soon. How much world origin can you waste even if you use it freely?”

Pausing for a second, Chu Jia eventually nodded in response.

On the other hand, Shang Xia quickly ran off to a formation node that was around 400 miles from the core region that contained the Nine Blossom Jade Formation Disc. He was close to the edge of the inner sector of the island and he quickly removed the restrictions on the jade case. The moment he opened it again, a ray of resplendent light emerged and tried to escape from within.