“This time, Wuwu set out from the Eastern Lands, heading to Ling Mountain Temple to seek true scriptures. If he succeeds, he can break through to Supreme!”
Lu Xuan nodded.
Wuwu wasn't his disciple. Why should he care?
Chen Changsheng continued, “However, with the Heaven and Earth Change now active, Ling Mountain Temple can communicate with the Outer World. It will be much harder for Wuwu to pass their trials.”
Lu Xuan asked, “Which faction did those Buddhist cultivators from Ling Mountain Temple eventually join in the Starry Sky?”
Chen Changsheng replied, “Bodhi Temple. It’s also beyond the Fourth Star Ring.”
Lu Xuan nodded. “Before you go, I’ll upgrade your cultivation technique.”
Chen Changsheng took out his Scripture of Non-Action.
Lu Xuan directly crushed a Cultivation Technique Enhancement Jade Slip. “Crack!”
A mysterious power surged forth, and around Lu Xuan, countless Ancient Characters swirled, shimmering with dazzling light, imbued with profound Dao and Rhyme.
Xiao Mo felt dizzy just from a single glance.
The Silver-haired Woman gasped in astonishment, “You’re upgrading a cultivation technique’s tier like this?”
It was simply inconceivable! Upgrading a technique with bare hands! She had never heard of such a thing!
Lu Xuan’s hands danced like a spring breeze, re-infusing the Scripture of Non-Action with brand new profound meanings. Each Ancient Character pulsed with mysterious power, conveying an indescribable essence.
Before long, the boundless, brilliant golden light finally subsided.
Lu Xuan handed the jade slip to Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng took it, his divine sense flowing in, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face. “Nine-star Supreme tier!”
Master had so casually upgraded his technique to such a tier! It was simply defying heaven!
Chen Changsheng cleared his throat. “Master, could you help me upgrade it again, to Nine-rotation Star Venerate tier!”
Lu Xuan immediately kicked Chen Changsheng. “I’m tired.”
Bang! Chen Changsheng was sent flying. He forced a smile and, taking the Silver-haired Woman and Xiao Mo with him, said, “Master, I’m off to find Wuwu.”
“Go,” Lu Xuan replied.
A moment later, Lu Xuan, holding the Green-skirted Girl, returned to the Fuyao Imperial Capital with Ji Fuyao.
Within the Imperial Capital, Ji Fuyao, clad in a flowing fiery-red dress, circulated the power of spirit fire and immediately activated the Heaven-Burning Art!
Boom! A boundless Sea of Spirit Fire surged around her, manifesting a dramatic phenomenon in the void. She began to cultivate intensely!
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan lay leisurely in his room, engrossed in a storybook. “Who says destiny is predetermined by heaven? My fate is mine to control, not heaven’s… Ye Tianming had a small pagoda and a sheathed sword, named ‘Path-Walker,’ hanging on either side of his waist…”
Lu Xuan let out a hearty, almost pig-like laugh. “Hahahaha… still that classic flavor!”
***
In the Starry Sky, a Cloud Ship was hurtling towards the Tai Chu Realm.
The Cloud Ship was inscribed with mysterious Dao Patterns, tearing through the Starry Sky Gale. Wherever it passed, Icy Cold Power surged, leaving a trail of frost in its wake. The arrivals were several elders from the Ice Soul Realm, led by Elder Gu Bingfeng, who stood at the forefront of the Cloud Ship, his gray robes billowing.
They had been dispatched by Cloud City Lord Wang Qi to investigate the deaths of several Ice Soul Realm elders in the Tai Chu Realm. However, after their departure, they had been unable to contact Cloud City Lord Wang Qi! How utterly strange!
Elder Gu Bingfeng’s gaze was profound as he looked towards the Tai Chu Realm. Not far from it lay the Dark Void, vast and deep, like an abyss staring back at this stretch of the Starry Sky. He felt a tremor of fear.
It was said in the Fallen Star Sea: “When you gaze into the Dark Void, the Dark Void also gazes into you.”
Elder Gu Bingfeng felt an inexplicable pull, drawing him towards the Dark Void. He quickly circulated his Icy Cold Power, pulling himself out of that mysterious state, and sighed with emotion, “This Dark Void truly is terrifying!”
Beside him, a black-robed elder said, “Indeed! This is something even Ancient Ancestors fear, let alone us. I wonder why this Dark Void is located beyond our Fourth Star Ring!”
Elder Gu Bingfeng said, “I heard that all realms beyond the Fourth Star Ring are actually being pulled by the Dark Void’s power, constantly drawing closer to it.”
The black-robed elder nodded. “There is such a saying. Do you know why Cloudrise Holy Land constantly plunders these stars, even resorting to bloody purges, refining them into Star Cores?”
Elder Gu Bingfeng pondered. “Is it because of ‘Stance’?”
The black-robed elder nodded. “Precisely. Stance! We Supremes can generate a ‘Stance,’ but similarly, Heaven and Earth can generate a ‘Stance,’ and the Starry Sky can generate a ‘Stance.’ The ‘Falling Momentum’ generated by the Dark Void is too terrifying; it drags countless stars into a perpetual descent!”
“Cloudrise Holy Land continuously grinds down stars, refining them into Star Cores, precisely to alleviate the ‘Stance’ outside the Fourth Star Ring. Otherwise, we would all be submerged!”
Elder Gu Bingfeng nodded. “That makes sense.”
Nearby, several other elders chuckled. “Why worry so much? When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. This part of the Starry Sky is still a long way from true annihilation!”
“True,” Elder Gu Bingfeng conceded.
The black-robed elder looked towards the Tai Chu Realm. “I remember those Star Slaves, Bing Qianluo and her group, said they couldn’t detect the Tai Chu Realm before. Why has it suddenly appeared now?”
An elder replied, “Perhaps it’s due to the fluctuating power of the Dark Void!”
Elder Gu Bingfeng said, “This Tai Chu Realm is the origin of Senior Liu Ruyan, which is quite remarkable. We shouldn’t provoke other places on this trip, but in the Northern Plains, where Bing Qianluo was, we can brand all Sentient Beings with Slave Marks.”
“Agreed,” the others said.
***
Cloudrise Holy Land.
Cloud City.
Boom! Crack! The void tore open, and space twisted!
Several ancient Cloud Ships pierced through the sky, their dazzling Spirit Runes surging across the firmament like numerous stars hovering above Cloud City. Their Stance was overwhelming, and countless Dao Patterns were etched upon the ships, flowing like a converging river of stars.
From these Cloud Ships, a terrifying aura poured down upon the world!
The aura of a Nine-star Supreme!
Everyone felt utterly suffocated! This was the power of a Nine-star Supreme! Too terrifying!
Cloud City was now a ruin. Many had fled, taking numerous treasures with them. The streets and buildings were in chaos, and even the Beast Arena was utterly shattered, with many great demons having seized the opportunity to escape!
Only Cloudrise Holy Land personnel remained in Cloud City. They knelt in utmost reverence.
Thump! Thump! Like a tide, everyone respectfully bowed. “We respectfully welcome Elder Sima Xuance!”
The newcomer was precisely Sima Xuance, an Elder with Real Power from Cloudrise Holy Land!
Sima Xuance swept his gaze across Cloud City, his rage intensifying with every passing moment, his murderous intent soaring. “Damn those Fox Clan demons!”