Outside the temporary residence Shang Xia had established in the void, he raised an eyebrow when he sensed the powerful sword qi that pierced through his domain. This sword qi had no form, no substance, no sound, no presence, yet it pierced the void, cut through anything in its path, and sliced through domains. One strike could penetrate all defenses. Even though Shang Xia was prepared, he was nearly caught off guard by Kou Chongxue’s sudden strike. "What a sharp and domineering sword art! This is a single move the patriarch developed... If he reached the large completion stage and comprehended his martial intent sword art, what kind of terrifying power can he wield?” Astonishment and admiration stirred in Shang Xia’s heart. He immediately summoned the power of his Big Dipper Star Origin, unleashing Guided Dipper to divert the formless sword qi off course. He followed up with Dipper Vortex to grind the sword qi away completely. "He shouldn’t have any rivals beneath a high-level Sage!” Shang Xia cupped his fists toward the person who had just appeared in front of him. "Congratulations on your advancement. Patriarch Kou, you’re not far from the fifth star, are you?” Naturally, the person who appeared before him was none other than Kou Chongxue, who had just exited seclusion and stood earlier at the entrance of the Tongyou Dao Field. "After advancing to the fourth star, the integration of the Wanyun Continent into our world coincided with my breakthrough. Since you were guarding our Heavenly Field, I figured there wouldn’t be trouble, so I borrowed the momentum of by breakthrough and extended my seclusion a bit longer." Kou Chongxue smiled. He then sighed with slight regret. "It's a pity I couldn’t assist in the matter of the Essence Xing World. Otherwise, with the integration of the Wanyun Continent and the Wanyun Association, perhaps I might’ve pushed my cultivation to the peak of the fourth star." Shang Xia smiled and explained, "Yuan Ling launched a sudden attack, and the situation in the Essence Xing World changed too abruptly. You were breaking through to the fourth star and it wasn’t appropriate for me to disturb you." "That’s just my lack of fortune, what does it have to do with you?” Kou Chongxue waved his hand and then suddenly asked, "With the inclusion of Wanyun Continent, wouldn’t that mean we have 32 continents? We’re not far from the Essence Xing World anymore!" Nodding slightly in satisfaction, Kou Chongxue continued, "At its peak, the Essence Xing World had only 34 continents. Though we’re still short by two, our world doesn't bear the burden of two additional Dao Fields, nor does it host three or four Sages..." "In terms of heritage, the Essence Xing World is still stronger, but in terms of potential, our world far exceeds it." Shang Xia replied earnestly. Grunting once, Kou Chongxue agreed. "You're right! They were still stronger than us. Ignoring everything else, just comparing the size of the continents in our worlds, the size of their continents far surpasses us. In our world, our continents have barely crossed the 10,000 mile mark.” Shang Xia suddenly smiled. "Perhaps there will soon be an opportunity to further enhance our world’s heritage." Kou Chongxue raised his brows curiously. "Oh? Have you set your sights on something again?" If it had been before, Kou Chongxue would have acted more cautiously. However... Having reached the fourth star and having Shang Xia, a high-level Sage by his side, once they work together, there would barely be any other Sage who could rival them! With the confidence he held, Kou Chongxue asked about their next target. Shang Xia cleared his throat, and a crafty smile emerged on his face. "What do you think of the Essence Du Heavenly Field?" With Kou Chongxue’s eyes widening, Shang Xia explained to Kou Chongxue in detail about why the Chen Dynasty Emperor had asked him to intercept Yuan Ling at the key moment. "The Essence Du Heavenly Field is planning to join the Four Essence Heavenly Field controlled by the Star Origin Lord?!” Kou Chongxue was stunned at first, then asked in a low voice, "Is this information reliable? Have our agents in their heavenly field reported anything?" Shang Xia shook his head. "That was my initial concern. But for a matter this important, Yan Yu would certainly keep it under tight secrecy. Likely only three to five people in the Essence Du Heavenly Field would know. It’s normal that Senior Youshang couldn’t uncover such a secret." Seeing Kou Chongxue nod, Shang Xia added, "After returning to our Heavenly Field, I immediately dispatched my External Avatar to track the Essence Du Heavenly Field’s movements. I’ve also confirmed Senior Youshang’s safety through the secret transmission talisman." Kou Chongxue heaved a sigh of relief. "That’s good! But if we are to plan against the Essence Du Heavenly Field, we’ll need to strategize carefully." Shang Xia agreed. "This time, we need to send out an Essence Ark.” ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelꞁire.net "If we manage to harvest the continents of the Essence Du World, our first priority should be expanding the size of our current continents. As for worrying about establishing 36 continents, we can worry about that later." Kou Chongxue analyzed. Shang Xia was puzzled and asked, "Why’s that?" Kou Chongxue explained, "During my breakthrough, my soul that had been branded in the World Origin Source connected to the Jiao Continent resonated more deeply with our World’s Will. Faintly, I sensed that mindlessly increasing the number of continents to completion might cause an imbalance in our Heavenly Field, possibly bringing catastrophic consequences." "There’s such a thing?!" Shang Xia was shocked, but soon formed a new plan. "If that’s the case, why don’t we just drag the Spirit Light World over as well?” Kou Chongxue thought for a moment and didn’t reject the idea. Instead, he suggested, "Let’s play it by ear. But no matter the outcome, Youshang won’t be able to stay in the Essence Du Heavenly Field after this." Shang Xia nodded and added, "Many factions will likely want to get involved. A lot of variables might appear." Kou Chongxue wasn’t surprised. "That’s to be expected. The carving up of the Essence Xing World has surely caused many Heavenly Fields to expand rapidly. The delay in the matter dealing with the Essence Du Heavenly Field probably stems from them still digesting their gains." Shang Xia frowned. "Gu Yi might have already broken through to become a high-level Sage. Shi Guan might also be reaching the fifth star, and that’s just the advancement within our Heaven Observation Star Region." Kou Chongxue laughed, "Maybe this time we’ll finally reveal the Star Origin Lord’s true strength. He’s been hiding it too well. Even though it looked like we were constantly pressing him, his plans always moved forward steadily. They were never truly disrupted." The two continued their conversation outside Shang Xia’s temporary residence. After discussing the matter of targeting the Essence Du Heavenly Field, they spent the rest of the time sharing their insights on cultivation. Once their exchange of cultivation insights came to an end, Shang Xia suddenly mentioned his intention to leave the Heavenly Field for some time. Kou Chongxue asked curiously, "You want to go somewhere now? Don’t tell me you're tired of staying here already? These days... I’ve been camping in our world!” Shang Xia quickly explained, "It’s regarding the suns in the Big Dipper Formation. Earlier, due to the incident in the Essence Chong Heavenly Field, I had to rearrange them. There are still loose ends to tie up. If I handle them well, I might be able to grow stronger again...”