"War, huh?" Young Master Shang scratched his right cheek, taking a sip from his wine flagon shortly after. The gentle-looking elderly man beside him quietly observed, his vibrant dark-grey eyes flashed intermittently with a soulful light.
"The ordinary,they passionately war for wealth.I war for the heart."
Young Master Shang took another sip as his poetic words resonated ever so faintly with the world's mana.
"It seems there's a few schemes hiding in the undercurrents," the elderly man remarked slowly and clearly. Young Master Shang nodded, responding with: "As is expected of invasions. Have you found him?"
"I haven't," the elderly man said with a slight frown. He'd already scoured the entirety of the eighteen stellar regions comprising the Ancient Sealed Region, but he couldn't detect the slightest trace of 'that' aura.
"Could the Supreme Heavenhold have been wrong?" Young Master Shang said doubtfully, fully trusting the elderly man's abilities.
"Young Master!" The elderly man softly exclaimed. His voice sounded urgent yet lacked any true strength of a reprimand. It felt more like a small warning.
"I know. I know," Young Master Shang casually waved his hand. "Yes, yes. The Golden Eye sees all, knows all, and never gives out information that isn't one hundred percent accurate. No need to worry. They'll just treat it as me being young and ignorant." The young man took another sip, his eyes refreshed and at ease.
"..." The elderly man remained silent. Then, he swept his flickering soulful gaze across the surrounding space. "Interesting."
"Something happened?" Young Master Shang's ears perked. The elderly man rarely considered anything as interesting with that tone. Given his cultivation base, advanced age, and vast experience, this wasn't too unexpected.
"The Ancient Sealed Region has been sealed off from the casualty of space and time. Unless you speak out their true names, the casual reference of their Dao titles won't alert those with souls who've resonated with the heavens." The elderly man assessed curiously. The Supreme Heavenly Treasure that engulfed the Ancient Sealed Region was quite thorough with its duties and effectively sealed this region.
"Oh? So they can't hear any of my insults?" Young Master Shang was unusually excited.
"So you know they're insults," the elderly man couldn't help but release a doting, humorous smile, further exhibiting his demeanor as a harmless elder of great age. "I can't find an inkling of that aura, Young Master."
"So you're growing skeptical as well? Could it be some type of karmic plot to lure us away from our home?" Young Master Shang kept his flagon of wine by his waist, hanging it from his belt, and he openly suspected.
"That's extremely unlikely," the elderly man assessed.
"Can we escape from here if need be?"
The elderly man nodded firmly with extreme certainty in his eyes. "This place has certain restrictions, but tools of the Void Dao can directly bypass these restrictions. It's strong in a single area, but these weaknesses highlight its inherent low-quality and thoughtless creation. I believe the causality of space and time might be due to the True Ether Jiao's energy used to forge a spatial treasure. In a way, we're in a location no different than an unprotected Internal World of the True Ether Jiao."
"Then it's not a trap of any sort either. How peculiar." Young Master Shang commented while rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"I'll continue looking," the elderly man said. The soulful light within his eyes intensified in the frequency of flickering and vibrancy.
"What about this war?" Young Master Shang didn't bother the elderly man as he moved to the edge of the ship, sat with dangling legs, and leaned backward using his hands to support his upper frame. Zhen Yang's sword light shone in his gaze.
"Nine Worldly Saints?" He acutely sensed the seven Worldly Saints of the Endless Voyage Realm, Tian Taizong, and the Overseer of the Myriad Everland, the location of the Evercrown Ceremony possessing a myriad of environments. They were all near the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region or within it. "That Solar Star with a Transcendent Radiant Belt is quite the treasure."
The elderly man chimed in, "I recommend that you don't have any ideas, Young Master. That star has been soul-bonded already. Moreover, it was done with the faint traces of a few Sages. Whenever that person attempts to reach the peak of the Mortal Realms, the star will vanish, merging with them most intimately. Given my current state, I can't remove the bond."
"Soul-bonded? It has a Star Soul?" Young Master Shang was surprised to learn about the Star's status. To be soul-bonded was no different than being designated as a World-Bound Star Domain, linked intricately with the Mind's Eye, otherwise referred to as the gateway to the soul.
"It does," the elderly man answered, his eyes briefly glancing at the Aeternal Sky Star. A light of temptation flashed swiftly through his gaze before dissipating as if it never existed. Star Souls were extremely rare for Solar Stars; they could be described as Nascent Souls of the Mortal Dao's Astral Path. Similar to Nascent Souls, these things were created randomly through sporadic conditions unless an extraordinary external force were to try their hands at creating them, such as a supremely powerful Alchemist or a Forger.
When a Solar Star has a Star Soul, it heavily resembles Astral Souls, often having a level of rudimentary awareness and ability to act instinctively to defend itself, like a plant. Some Star Souls were considerably more advanced. An example of this was Little Defiant! The protective Instincts and actions of Little Defiant in the Samsara of the Stars toward Wei Wuyin by endlessly slaughtering and devouring all dangers for countless years was such an example! It was a level of sentience that exceeded the standard! Far, far exceeded the standard!
"Whoever has bonded with that star is quite fortunate," Young Master Shang didn't show much regret. To those that were destined to be his, it would always be. While things that were destined to never be his, he wouldn't shed a single tear for. Similarly, things he designated as his could never be taken away by others. While things he didn't want, he would never give a second glance to in his lifetime.
"Young Master, I've found the location of the Battlefield's Transit Formation."
"Alright! Let's go then," Young Master Shang sat upright, patted his legs, and held onto the railing. It seemed he didn't intend to leave the edge of the ship. The elderly man gently smiled and then waved his hand. The pristinely white and clean ship transformed into a comet of prismatic light with an outer layer glowed brilliantly white.
After they left, an illusory figure that was semi-transparent came into being. If one recalled its Current position carefully, it would have been directly behind the elderly man.
This was Wei Wuyin's Void Image! Through this image, Wei Wuyin's senses were intricately linked. Moreover, it had an aura no different than the surrounding space, time, astrological forces, and void!
Since its usage against Cai Liuyang in the Battlefield, it's undergone significant improvements! This was especially so given his bloodline had reached the Mystic-tier long ago.
"People truly have some colorful conversations when they think that no one's around," the Void Image of Wei Wuyin soundlessly 'mouthed'. He couldn't help recalling his recent conversation with Xue Yifei, and discovered that he was guilty of doing similar things. "I'll need to strengthen my means of detection."
Despite his thoughts, Wei Wuyin was fully aware that the Gaze of the Celestial was one of the strongest means of detection. It was capable of seeing unseen divinities! Not even his own Void Image would have been able to avoid its perception. The only way to increase its prowess of detection was by elevating his cultivation base and Spiritual Strength!
"They're going to the Ninestar Starfield, huh?" Wei Wuyin's image quietly began to dissipate. The Void Image simply merged seamlessly with the surrounding world's space and time, disappearing entirely without the faintest trace.
After traversing tens of thousands of miles, the elderly man suddenly frowned. He didn't tell his Young Master that they were being spied on! When he said 'interesting' earlier, it was not in reference to the Ancient Sealed Region's abnormal causality of space and time! He'd long since known of that restriction!
It was the feeling of being observed by the void itself. He couldn't determine by who or by what given his heavily restricted cultivation base and soul, but he could instinctively determine that there was something! That feeling had just disappeared, and only then did he allow himself to show any sort of reaction.
Zhen Yang exuded the graceful dominance of a Sword Divinity, golden sword in one hand and a slender neck in the other! Held aloft by the neck, the Imperial Advisor struggled as tens of thousands of Mystic Runes smashed toward Zhen Yang.
Her greatsword was split cleanly in two, floating in the Dark Void without the faintest fluctuation of energy. It was ruined. The colossal Sky Destroyer she piloted was in shambles, with loose debris and pieces of corpses belonging to her crew all around her. Only she and Zhen Yang were alive in a range of a hundred thousand miles.
The flurry of Mystic Runes that constituted her Mystic Aura was unable to reach more than three inches from Zhen Yang before being split into innumerable pieces and melting away by an invisible sword aura.
Zhen Yang's fingers dug into her neck. A gasping sound of pain and agony desperately escaped her lips into a soundless world. From her throat, a gush of blood rushed out and floated in front of her. Her cultivation was being systematically sealed, from the meridians to the dantian to her Mystic Core to her Mystic Soul by Zhen Yang's Yang Sword Power. She was rendered powerless immediately.
Her eyes were closed yet blood leaked profusely from the edges. Zhen Yang's first move was to truly blind her, slicing apart her eyes with a single swing. She lost thousands of years of effort with the motion of a single sword swing. If not for her heart pounding intensely out of fear, she would be deeply depressed.
All the colossal Sky Destroyers were gone.
The extraordinary force of forty-plus Earthly Saints hidden by the Imperial Clan was slaughtered. The voices of pride and resistance faded. The Imperial Clan was defeated by a single man! If not for their Divine Emperor not yet showing up, all hope would have been lost in their hearts.
"Take it all!" Zhen Yang said as he fully sealed the Imperial Advisor. He casually strode toward Peng Yue while tightly holding onto the Imperial Advisor's throat. The Ascended beings from the World Beyond weren't too shaken by this result. They expected it. This was Zhan Yang, a genuine Worldly Saint sent to the Endless Voyage Realm! None of the cultivators sent to the Endless Voyage Realm was ordinary!
They saw that Zhen Yang was giving them an opportunity to fight for their resources, and so they did! The invaders from the Endless Voyage Realm resumed their tyrannical plundering! They moved in groups as well, working together to extract Secret Realms and World Realms, pulling them out of fixed space and placing them in their Internal Worlds or unique spatial treasures.
Some that had neither simply dragged it away, bringing it toward the Twin Beacon Stellar Region!
Those on the planets, lunar satellites, and various realms were hopeless. If they had sufficient cultivation to be aware of their movement through the Dark Void or forced relocation, they were all terrified. A few tried to resist, but they were turned into bloody fogs of mist by a single glance or wave. They simply didn't have the power to resist! They didn't have the right!
Yang Chaoyue stood beside Tian Lingyu and Tian Muyang. The latter hurriedly raced to Tian Lingyu with the remnants of his forces, using her plague-like avoidance to safely seek shelter. It wasn't just Tian Muyang, nearby, Tian Weilong and the young female Sky Monarch brought their remaining crew away, and spatially shifted to the duo almost immediately.
They abandoned their Sky Destroyer.
"Why don't you ask him...to help?" Tian Weilong's eyes were bloodshot as he turned to Tian Lingyu. The Aeternal Sky Starfield was being ruthlessly plundered! How could he not feel like his soul was imploding?!
"..." Tian Lingyu didn't respond. She clenched her fists tightly.
But Yang Chaoyue sneered, "You're truly an idiot. You think she doesn't want to? You think I don't? We both know that if we do, he'll come immediately. No question about it. But I wouldn't dare put him up against two Worldly Saints! Neither will she. This is our trouble to deal with. If the Imperial Clan falls today, it's our fault for lacking strength and preparation."
The female Sky Monarch frowned, "Everyone will die except you two at this rate. They clearly don't want to offend the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint, so can we leverage that to get them to cease this?"
Yang Chaoyue looked at the female Sky Monarch with disbelief. "Are you an idiot? Or are you being deliberately stupid?" She scoffed contemptuously, folding her arms across her chest and frowning with a dark expression, continuing: "Despite knowing that Tian Lingyu, a direct lineage member, is Wei Wuyin's lover, what was their reaction? Did they stop and run with their tails between their legs?"
"..." They all went silent.
Tian Muyang sighed. It was clear that they don't exactly fear Wei Wuyin to the point of obedience. It was a type of respectful vigilance. Moreover, they seemed intent on conducting this invasion. Perhaps there was something else behind it. If Wei Wuyin got involved, the situation might not improve for the Imperial Clan and that might only implicate Wei Wuyin. How could his two lovers selfishly involve him?
The female Sky Monarch stared out into the Dark Void, finding a peaceful Neo-Dawn Starfield. She couldn't help but sigh as well.
Yang Chaoyue had asked for them to stop earlier and they ignored her. Perhaps only Xue Yifei, his only officially recognized lover, had sufficient status to act as a proper proxy. A faint light of jealousy and envy flashed through her eyes.
The difference between a lover and a wife was tremendous, especially in the eyes of powerful cultivators.
"Is the Imperial Clan of this era...over?" The female Sky Monarch muttered dazedly. Where was the Divine Emperor?
Tian Taizong clenched the armrests of his throne with great, world-crushing strength. His hazel-gold eyes emulating the brilliance of the starry sky narrowed to thin slits. Suddenly, his legs exerted strength as he began to rise up!
