“Mercy! White Robe Supreme!” The pleas of the three men echoed, desperate and futile.
Lu Xuan merely snorted, a sound colder than the void itself, and casually brought his hand down. With a sickening splat, their bodies exploded into crimson mist, utterly annihilated in an Instant Kill.
Just then, the Ghost Scythe Supreme and his companions emerged, their expressions a mix of awe and trepidation. They bowed deeply to Lu Xuan. “White Robe Supreme,” the Ghost Scythe Supreme began, “we allowed them to lie in wait because these three hadn't yet made their move.”
“Had they dared to act, I would have Instant Killed them myself!”
Lu Xuan waved a dismissive hand. “It’s fine. Go tell everyone on the Supreme Path: from this moment forward, anyone below the Two-rotation Quasi-Dao realm is free to challenge Ye Chen.”
Ye Chen’s jaw dropped. “Huh? The difficulty’s been cranked up again?”
The Ghost Scythe Supreme bowed low. “As you command!”
Lu Xuan gave a curt nod, then activated the Supreme Spatial Array Patterns, a shimmering veil of light encompassing his three disciples. “Let’s go.” With a thunderous boom, they vanished from the spot.
Watching Lu Xuan’s figure vanish, the Ghost Scythe Supreme turned to the Quasi-Dao Supremes behind him, a look of profound envy etched on his face.
“If only we could be disciples of the White Robe Supreme,” he sighed, a wistful note in his voice. “Alas, he likely wouldn’t even spare us a glance.”
A white-haired elder behind him chimed in, “This is our moment, an opportunity countless cultivators in the Southern Wilds would kill for. As long as we stick close to Ye Chen—’ he paused, ‘—and embrace his thigh, the White Robe Supreme won’t forget us!”
The Ghost Scythe Supreme nodded, his eyes gleaming. “Indeed.”
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan and his three disciples materialized in the vast expanse of the Starry Sky. Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen froze, utterly dumbfounded.
The resplendent Starry Sky, with its profound and mystical power, stretched out before them, utterly transcending anything they had ever known.
The Primordial Star, their home, lay beneath their feet, a vibrant blue marble. They could even discern the sprawling mountains and winding rivers of the Southern Wilds.
Ye Chen, trembling with excitement, pointed to a tiny black speck. “Big Senior Sister, that’s the Grand Dao Sect!”
Ji Fuyao nodded slowly, a profound sense of awe washing over her. “Indeed.” It was truly a feeling of “standing at the peak, gazing down at a miniature Tai Chu Realm!”
Invisible spatial gales, like icy, colossal hands, relentlessly buffeted Ye Chen and Ji Fuyao, a chilling pressure gripping their very souls.
The Green-skirted Girl’s large eyes sparkled. With a casual flick of her small hand, an invisible force enveloped them, effortlessly deflecting the Starry Sky gales.
The suffocating chill vanished instantly, replaced by a comforting warmth.
Ji Fuyao, ever pragmatic, immediately conjured her massive cauldron and began to Warm the Cauldron, readying herself to cook.
Ye Chen gazed at Lu Xuan, a profound curiosity in his eyes. “Master, this Starry Sky is truly boundless. No wonder they say the Supreme Realm is merely the threshold to this cosmic ocean. There are countless stars, and the Tai Chu Realm is just one of them. Out here, I feel… insignificant.”
Lu Xuan’s voice was calm, almost detached. “Supreme Realm, Star Venerate Realm, Myriad Phase Realm, Ancient Ancestor Realm—each of these grand realms possesses nine stages. You haven’t even stepped through the true threshold yet. Keep striving.”
Ye Chen clenched his fists, a fierce ambition burning in his eyes. “Master, one day, my name, Ye Chen, will truly tread upon the Starry Sky!”
“I have no doubt,” Lu Xuan replied, a rare hint of approval in his tone.
Just then, Ji Fuyao pointed a finger towards an invisible black thread, almost imperceptible against the cosmic backdrop. “Master, what is that?”
Everyone’s gaze followed her finger. They all froze, a collective gasp catching in their throats.
“That,” Lu Xuan stated, his voice devoid of emotion, “is Eerie Power. And in the Starry Sky, it’s far more potent than what you’ve encountered in the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone or the Eastern Wilds. Within it, a terrifying Rule Power surges.”
Lu Xuan activated his Insight Eye. With a casual flick of his sleeve, the cosmic phenomena he perceived materialized before them, a holographic projection of profound truths.
Before their astonished eyes, a colossal river of Eerie Power, black and ominous, shot forth from an unimaginable distance, tearing across the Starry Sky. In its wake, countless stars were tainted, pierced through as if by a cosmic arrow.
This dark river of Eerie Power was, in essence, a black arrow, fired from the deepest reaches of the cosmos! It had directly pierced through the Eastern Wilds of the Primordial Star, and a portion had even grazed the Southern Wilds!
Lu Xuan frowned, a rare expression of mild concern. “This, then, is the reason why the Eastern Wilds is saturated with Eerie Power, and why the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone exists in the Southern Wilds.” A collective gasp of understanding swept through his disciples.
Lu Xuan’s voice was low, almost a whisper. “This was an arrow, shot by a truly powerful expert! A single arrow, imbued with Eerie Power, and countless stars were tainted, their very essence corrupted!”
Ji Fuyao and the others were utterly dumbfounded. Terrifying! What kind of peerless expert could wield such power? The Starry Sky, while brimming with endless opportunities, also harbored unimaginable horrors!
The Green-skirted Girl piped up, “In the Starry Sky, there are those who cultivate using Eerie Power. On the outskirts of the Fallen Star Sea, there’s even a faction known as the Eerie Sect.”
The Eerie Sect! In that instant, a sliver of the arrogance Ji Fuyao and her junior siblings had cultivated was utterly crushed.
They had believed themselves on the verge of standing at the apex of the Tai Chu Realm. Yet, they now realized this was merely the starting line. The path ahead stretched endlessly.
Their Dao Hearts, once firm, now hardened into unyielding steel. Just as their Master always said: “The Dao is long and arduous, yet I shall seek it from all directions.”
Before long, Ji Fuyao presented the prepared feast. Tonight’s menu: stir-fried spirit shrimp, Boiled Kun Fish, and a steaming Golden Crow soup…
With a casual wave, Lu Xuan conjured a phantom stone table and several chairs from the void. They all gathered around, ready to eat.
Ye Chen suddenly spoke up. “Master, I have a question. When I was a child, a mere wisp of Eerie Power nearly claimed my life. Yet, in the Eastern Wilds, Eerie Power is rampant, and people seem to be fine. Why the difference?”
The Green-skirted Girl took a bite of her food, then casually replied, “I intervened.” Ye Chen nodded, a look of dawning comprehension on his face. “Ah, so that’s what happened.”
Suddenly, a blinding, heaven-reaching light erupted in the distant Starry Sky, forming colossal rings of incandescent energy that blazed with terrifying intensity as they began to contract inwards.
One after another, four such rings appeared, each more dazzling than the last, illuminating the entire Starry Sky. From these Star Rings, terrifying “Dao” and “Rhyme” emanated, a power that transcended the Tai Chu Realm by an immeasurable margin.
Like a cosmic tide, the Star Rings continued to contract, and in their wake, countless distant stars visibly dimmed.
Ji Fuyao, Xuanji Holy Lord, and the others all stared into the far reaches of space. The cosmic phenomenon unfolding before them once again shook them to their very core.
These Star Rings possessed an unstoppable “momentum,” imbued with an indescribable Dao Rhyme. Though they couldn’t yet grasp its true nature, a profound, innate recognition stirred within their Dao Hearts.
Ji Fuyao’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she turned to Lu Xuan. “Master, what are those?”
Lu Xuan’s face twitched imperceptibly. He glanced at where Chen Changsheng was seated. “Third Junior Brother, why don’t you enlighten them? You’ve ventured into the Starry Sky quite a few times.”
Chen Changsheng, ever serious, replied, “Those are Star Rings, also known as the Rings of Destiny.”
Ye Chen’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Rings of Destiny?”
Chen Changsheng’s voice grew somber. “In the Fallen Star Sea, supreme experts have carved up the Starry Sky, segmenting it into four distinct tiers.”
“Above these tiers, all beings are considered equal. But beneath them, the rules are absolute and unforgiving!”
“The Fallen Star Sea is divided by these four Star Rings, which encompass countless stars. They delineate the realms of Ancient Ancestor, Myriad Phase, Star Venerate, and High-star Supreme.”
“To the true powerhouses of the Starry Sky, there are only four kinds of forces: First-tier, Second-tier, Third-tier, and Fourth-tier.”
Ye Chen, his curiosity piqued, asked, “Third Junior Brother, where does our Primordial Star fit into all this?”
Chen Changsheng’s face twitched, a wry smile playing on his lips. “Outside of the Fourth-tier. Unranked.”
Ye Chen’s eyes went wide, then he let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Wait, what? I haven’t even started to show my true strength, and we’re already considered bottom-tier?”
Chen Changsheng chuckled. “And among those unranked forces, we’re pretty much at the very bottom.” He added, with a hint of dry humor, “Even among the unranked, there’s still a pecking order, you know.”