Just as Shang Xia was crossing blows across the void with the Sages from various Heavenly Fields in the Heaven Observation Star Region, the Star Origin Lord had already set up a net of starlight in the void, once again blocking Shang Xia’s path of escape. At that moment, perhaps shocked that the Star Origin Lord could still wield such power even while being jointly targeted by so many Sages, or perhaps they were merely interested in spectating the battle between the Star Origin Lord and Shang Xia, all those who had previously taken action against Shang Xia fell silent. Shang Xia didn’t care too much. The Seven Star Mace in his hand drew a beautiful arc through the skies, gathering endless starlight. But unlike the Star Origin Lord’s control of the starlight in the general surroundings, the light gathered by Shang Xia seemed to originate from specific stars in the distance. Perhaps it came from one, or even a few of them. The next moment, a beam of concentrated brilliance broke through the void and focused like a pillar of light on his Seven Star Mace. It swept sideways as Shang Xia lashed out toward the starlight prison. That was the first form of his Seven Star Mace Technique, Shattered Starry Skies! With each sweep of the Seven Star Mace, the layers of starlight sealing the void were pierced through. Yet quickly, those same layers gathered again to seal the breach. Although Shang Xia’s whip strikes seemed super mighty, the starlight forming the Star Origin Lord’s prison seemed inexhaustible. It appeared that Shang Xia’s attack had bought him a great deal of space, but at the edge of his reach, faint starlight still blocked and shrouded his path. A voice came from the depths of the void, calm and without mockery. “If that’s all you’ve got, Young Friend Shang, then I’m afraid you won’t be able to do as you wish today!” Shang Xia gave a cold snort. He was keenly aware that as he channeled starlight into his Seven Star Mace, the Star Origin Lord’s gaze had been tracing that power back to its source. In a sense, Shang Xia was indeed drawing upon the power of the seven suns. However, the true source of his power was his Big Dipper Star Origin in his dantian all along! The Star Origin Lord had been looking in the wrong place from the very beginning! Thus, even though Shang Xia could feel the Star Origin Lord looking for his ‘Fate Star’, he didn’t hesitate. With a flip of his wrist, he unleashed the second form of his Seven Star Mace Technique, Falling Dipper! Under the Star Origin Lord’s gaze, not only did Shang Xia refrain from hiding his real strength. Instead, he drew on even greater amounts of energy from the seven suns. The increasingly immense Power of the Stars poured from the depths of the void. Falling Dipper may not have covered as wide an area as Shattered Starry Skies, but it struck seven times at the exact same spot. As it pierced layer after layer of the starlight prison, it also greatly delayed its regeneration. This time, Shang Xia directly forced his way through the temporary gap he created. The surrounding shattered space pressed and sliced at him, but his domain kept it all at bay, though at the cost of rapidly draining his inner qi. Seeing that he was about to break out of the prison for real, the Star Origin Lord was not willing to let him go. At last, the ever-consistent starlight prison transformed. Chains made of pure starlight shot from the void, wrapping around him. Shang Xia didn’t panic in the slightest. He didn’t even pause his escape through the fragmented void. Instead, he once more drew on the power of the seven suns, smashing his mace on both sides of the void around himself. Just like that, the power of the third form of the Seven Star Mace Technique, Guided Dipper, burst forth. The starlight chains veered off course, tangled with each other in pairs, stretched taut, and ultimately never touched Shang Xia at all. He seized the chance to rush forward again, pressing through the void turbulence. He was a moment away from breaking out of the starlight prison. At that moment, the Star Origin Lord prepared to strike again, but he was already too late. In the very next instant, Shang Xia broke through the turbulent void and appeared outside the starlight prison. Still, the Star Origin Lord struck anyway. “Shameless!” Kou Chongxue roared in fury, and his Hidden Frost Sword swept out in a storm of icy light toward a section of the void. Strangely enough, the Star Origin Lord’s strike was strange. His aura was still locked onto Shang Xia, but the starlight he controlled disappeared into the void, headed for some unknown region deep in the void. The Star Origin Lord’s move surprised the hidden Sages. But only Shang Xia understood the truth, the Star Origin Lord hadn’t directly targeted him, but rather the source of the power he used. He was striking at the depths of the void where the seven suns lay. In a sense, the Star Origin Lord had indeed found Shang Xia’s ‘Fate Star’, or at least the rough location of it... Or so the Star Origin Lord believed. “How about that, Young Friend Shang?” came the Star Origin Lord’s voice, calm as always, as if their fight were just a polite spar. Shang Xia was momentarily surprised, but only slightly. He turned to look back, as if seeing through the void to pinpoint the Star Origin Lord’s exact location. A smile slowly appeared on his face as he muttered, “Star Origin Lord, you surprised me with the effort you made. It’s a shame... What you found was only what I was willing to let you see.” With that, Shang Xia didn’t even glance at the location of the seven suns again. He turned around and prepared to leave. As for the void where the Star Origin Lord’s attack had landed, most of the stars gathered there had mysteriously gone dim. Perhaps sensing Shang Xia’s indifference, or more crucially, the complete lack of fluctuation coming from someone who had his ‘Fate Star’ destroyed, the Star Origin Lord remained silent, even as Shang Xia prepared to depart the void. The other Sages instantly understood. They weren’t sure how the Star Origin Lord planned to track Shang Xia’s so-called ‘Fate Star’, but clearly, he had failed. Yet just as Shang Xia was opening a spatial tunnel and prepared to leave, a change occurred. From the original location of the Star Origin Dao Field, the already dim void grew even darker. “It’s another mirage!” “It’s happening again...” “This time... What is that?” A scene like a mirage appeared in the void, breaking the silence that had followed Shang Xia and the Star Origin Lord’s battle. In the next moment, the dark mass began to form into a towering giant, as if a being were peering at them through the void. No, it wasn’t a mere shape. Something was really staring through the layers of void, observing this gathering of Sages from the various Heavenly Fields! In that instant, nearly every Sage felt their hair stand on end. A gaze was dissecting their very essence, Shang Xia included. Even the Star Origin Lord was unable to shake off the feeling. They felt like a blade had been pressed against their backs! Shang Xia halted at once, whipping his head around to meet that towering shadowy figure, one that clearly existed in a different dimension. But he was obviously unable to match the figure’s penetrating gaze, which remained overwhelming even across Star Fields. Still, Shang Xia refused to show weakness, even in the face of something he could not comprehend. After some time, the enormous figure began to dissipate. Under the collective gaze of the Sages, it vanished. The void once home to the Star Origin Dao Field also quieted once again. “What... What was that?” A dry voice broke the silence. “Whatever it was, one thing’s clear, we’ve been noticed.” Gu Yi’s voice echoed coldly in the void, then shifted to suspicion. “Can anyone believe the Star Origin Lord just happened to place the Star Origin Dao Field in this exact spot? What do you think his real purpose is?” Gu Yi sneered. “Star Origin Lord, don’t tell me you’re afraid?” Silence returned as everyone waited for the Star Origin Lord’s response. Even Shang Xia, who had been about to leave, stopped as if waiting for something. “Ah,” A sigh rang through the void, followed by the Star Origin Lord’s voice. “Our luck, it seems, is poor. The Star Fields in the vast sea of stars intersect once every millennium or so. Not only have we been discovered ahead of time, but the one who saw us... He is stronger than I am in both cultivation and might.” “Eighth... Eighth...” Yu Kun’s stammer eventually broke through the void. The Star Origin Lord chuckled faintly. “Of course not a true Eighth Order existence.” But before relief could set in, his voice returned. “However, it was certainly someone who had qualified to touch the Eighth Order. They’re watching our void in preparation for the coming hunt.” “Hunt?!” A cry came from Shi Guan of the Essence Jing Heavenly Field. “Yes.” The Star Origin Lord replied calmly, “They will hunt us Sages down, as well as our world, to gather the foundation and resources needed to attempt a breakthrough.” “To hunt us and our worlds... Will it help them breach the limit of the Martial Emptiness Realm?” This time, Kou Chongxue was the one who asked. The Star Origin Lord didn’t answer immediately. But after several more inquiries, he finally sighed, “The Chaotic Sea of Stars holds no path to the Eighth Order. But outside it, powerful Star Fields possess such legacies. How exactly, I do not know.” “We will not wait idly for death!” Hong Jing was the one who declared this time. Her voice might lack confidence, but it contained fierce determination. The Star Origin Lord sighed. “Over 1,000 years ago, the Heaven Observation Sect was the core resistance against such invaders. We even tried uniting the Heavenly Fields of the Chaotic Sea of Stars against them. You all know how that ended. Only I remain.” But he was cut off by a sneer. “You’re twisting the past. According to scraps of our ancient records, things weren’t so simple.” The Star Origin Lord snorted in return, too lazy to argue. It was then that Shang Xia muttered, “If they haven’t reached the Eighth Order yet, even if they are at the peak of the Martial Emptiness Realm, we still have a chance. We won’t sit and wait to die.” The Star Origin Lord responded swiftly. “That’s only because you don’t understand the gulf between us and those top-tier Sages from other Star Fields. Imagine the difference between a sect’s elite heir and a wandering cultivator of the same rank.” Shi Guan snorted suddenly. “As the Star Origin Lord, someone who once reached the peak of the Martial Emptiness Realm... Have you already given up?” The Star Origin Lord sighed. “I chose the wrong path, and you all ruined it further. If I had kept my peak strength, I might still stand a chance in the calamity to come.” A few soft laughs echoed across the void, but no one knew who it came from. “But...” The Star Origin Lord’s tone shifted. “The current path I’m on, aligned with the convergence of many Essence Worlds, gives me some hope. I’ve recovered better than I ever did by relying on the Essence Ping World alone. If I can integrate another Essence World and produce the Five Essence Heavenly Field, I’ll grow even stronger. Strong enough to protect our Heavenly Fields from being preyed upon.” Kou Chongxue scoffed. “So that’s the real reason for all the shit you came up with?!” The Star Origin Lord showed no embarrassment. “Patriarch Kou, I spoke only the truth. Does your Essence Luxuriant World truly not wish to join my Four Essence Heavenly Field and give it a shot?”