Heavenly Sun Star Palace

"Devour the Moon!"

Chen Fusheng thought the name was truly domineering.

He raised his hand and gripped the hilt, suddenly realizing that Devour the Moon was alive!

It seemed to be breathing, pulsing, and harboring an unrivaled power deep within.

Yet Chen Fusheng swung it several times without ever finding the knack, making it even harder to fathom.

"To control Devour the Moon, you need to see the Star Skill engraving clearly."

Huang Tiancheng drew a bowl of medicinal broth refined from the treasure of a spirit fish at the fire vein. Seeing Chen Fusheng swinging the blade with his eyes closed, he spoke in his aged voice,

"Devour the Moon—remember, never display it lightly before others. I also hope you won't let it be buried in obscurity in the future."

Chen Fusheng came back to himself and nodded. It seemed that Devour the Moon was connected to Huang Tiancheng's history from years past.

He downed the fish-treasure broth in one gulp, then charged toward the rear mountain beneath the night sky as if his backside were on fire.

Under the reflection of the moonlight and Star Radiance, the Ink Jade Scimitar in his hand refracted a bright moon halo, scattering it across the mountain rocks and forming a Moon Disc Manifestation.

Tian Yuan Star Observation Manor, Inner Courtyard.

The Star Palace hung high in the Azure Expanse, magnificent and silver-white like a heavenly palace in the Milky Way. Guided by the laws governing the movement of the stars overhead, it slowly revolved.

At the Star Palace's core stood a huge Stone Platform. All kinds of strange ancient diagrams were carved upon it: the sun, moon, and stars; Primordial Exotic Beasts; flowers, birds, insects, and fish; divine weapons and sharp artifacts; and more.

This was the Star Observation Platform. Surrounded by nebulae, it resembled the backbone connecting to the Nine Heavens. Standing there allowed one to observe the sun, moon, and great stars more clearly, and it was also the Star Palace's central pillar.

An old man in a green Daoist robe sat cross-legged atop the platform, looking up and down at the crescent moon hanging in the starry sky.

"My lord!"

The ghostly woman sprang onto the Star Observation Platform and spoke hoarsely. "The tally of those suffering from Cold Ailments throughout the Tian Yuan Kingdom is complete. Do you need to make the trip personally?"

"Is he still alive?" The old man gazed at the moon and muttered to himself.

"In this subordinate's humble opinion, after searching everywhere in vain, we've found what we sought without any effort. This time, it will definitely work."

"You certainly know how to talk."

The old man could not help smiling. "That hidden treasure site is about to open. Are we really going to turn around and go home just like that? Go verify it as soon as possible. I'm a little tired after all these years."

The ghostly woman stood silently where she was and noticed that her lord's back had grown somewhat hunched. These ten years had drifted by like a thousand years, while the glory of the past seemed like a dream.

This made her heart ache somewhat. The Cold Abyss Poison was completely incurable!

Old Han had spent ten years traversing the ancient kingdoms of the Abyss Realm, mainly for the sake of Han Yu Rou's future achievements.

But that person had hidden himself for ten years. Was he truly still alive? It was said that the poison he had contracted was at the tenth level—there was no way he could have held out until now.

"This junior, Xu Changfeng, together with the people of the Star Palace, has come to pay his respects to Old Han."

A sonorous voice suddenly rang out, booming like thunder with heaven-shaking force.

The scene within the Star Palace changed drastically. A middle-aged man in a black robe billowing wildly led several hundred star officials, standing in the distance and offering their respects.

Xu Changfeng's black hair flowed like a waterfall, and his body was majestic. He was the lord of the Star Gazing Manor, a Four-Realm Star Master.

The other star officials, regardless of rank, all bent at the waist and lowered their knees. Like pilgrims making a pilgrimage, they followed Xu Changfeng's steady footsteps and advanced in mighty formation.

At the very back of the procession were some young talents. Ling Yao, who had lost an arm, was among them. Their faces were filled with excitement, and they yearned to earn Old Han's recognition.

They did not even know who Old Han was. They only knew that he had a major connection with the Heavenly Star Manor, stood on equal footing with a Star Lord, and possessed a divine might that shocked the world!

Such a terrifying figure had come discreetly. All sides were guessing at his purpose, secretly hoping that perhaps the Heavenly Star Manor was about to recruit disciples.

In truth, a Star Lord's position was too transcendent, like the incarnation of the starry sky itself, with power that reached the heavens. Even the ruler of the Tian Yuan Kingdom had to welcome one with the highest courtesy.

The reason was that the Heavenly Star Manor held absolute control over the starry sky.

"Xu Changfeng alone is enough. All of you, withdraw."

The cold words spread throughout the Star Palace. Like an unparalleled divine sword cleaving through the heavens, they shattered the aura the assembled star officials had built up, their chill piercing to the bone.

"What?"

Ling Yao and the others were all horrified. They saw a white-robed woman as graceful as a startled swan, like a sword immortal stepping on moonlight. With a word, she scattered the momentum they had brewed for so long as if the law itself obeyed her.

Everyone felt cold from head to toe. A Heavenly Star Master? Could she be a Successor Disciple of the Heavenly Star Manor?

"A Four-Realm Heavenly Star Master is actually this terrifying!"

Xu Changfeng was deeply shaken as well. He was a sixth-grade Four-Realm Star Master, and from the vast radiance of Han Yu Rou's sword dao, he sensed a sword edge capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Yet Han Yu Rou merely flashed past before her figure vanished. No cultivator had seen her true appearance.

"This junior, Xu Changfeng, pays his respects to Old Han!"

Xu Changfeng approached the Star Observation Platform with utmost respect and bowed deeply to the old man sitting cross-legged with his back turned to him.

"You know me?"

"Ten years ago, this junior reached the peak of the Three Realms and traveled in spirit. As an external member, I accompanied the senior disciples of the Heavenly Star Manor to excavate the Zhou Dynasty secret realm in the Cold Abyss. I was fortunate enough to behold Old Han's bearing, and I have never been able to forget it."

Xu Changfeng showered him with flattery. He did not know Old Han's true origins or name, only that he stood within the Heavenly Star Manor's decision-making echelon!

With such a position, he could decide any major matter within the Heavenly Star Manor. A single stomp of his foot could make the Tian Yuan Kingdom tremble three times.

In the eyes of mortals, Star Masters stood high above. In the eyes of Star Masters, the Heavenly Star Manor was supreme!

As for kingdoms, put plainly, their foremost duty was to protect their borders and keep their people safe, while supplying talent to the Star Gazing Manors. The Star Gazing Manors, in turn, served the Heavenly Star Manor.

As for the Tian Yuan Kingdom and the dozens or even hundreds of ancient kingdoms surrounding it, all had to obey the orders of the Heavenly Sun Star Observation Manor—abbreviated as the Heavenly Star Manor.

"The Ancient Zhou Dynasty ruins. You can be considered an old hand of the Heavenly Sun Star Palace."

Old Han sighed faintly. The Ancient Zhou Dynasty had once dominated the Abyss Realm, ruling over the entire land of the Abyss Realm. After its destruction, heroes divided the territory and ten thousand kingdoms contended for supremacy. After more than thirty thousand years of development, the current structure had gradually taken shape.

"Unfortunately, the glory of the past was buried in the river of history along with the Zhou Dynasty and the Sacred Star."

"At present, the various Heavenly Star Manors are revered throughout the Abyss Realm."

"Changfeng is duty-bound to devote himself utterly to the Heavenly Sun Star Palace. If I can follow your lead, my lord, I would have no regrets even in death!"

Xu Changfeng hurriedly declared his loyalty. The Heavenly Sun Star Palace was naturally their headquarters. Old Han had summoned him to answer questions—could it be that he intended to promote him?

"Bootlicker." In the distance, Han Yu Rou snorted inwardly.

"Changfeng, is it? I came here on private business. Don't mention me to anyone. Oh, right—the hidden treasure site in the Abyss Realm is about to open. Make preparations early."

"Changfeng will certainly keep it in mind!"

Xu Changfeng's face flushed red. Ten years ago, he had gained a fortuitous opportunity and, after returning for several years of further cultivation, had stabilized his embryo through Gathering Star Stabilizing Embryo and entered the Four Realms.

Naturally, he had remained obsessed with that secret realm all these years. He had never expected to hear such core intelligence the moment he met Old Han.

Moreover, Xu Changfeng had only wandered around the outer region back then. The depths were a battlefield where Four-Realm experts fought. If he made another trip, he might well advance another step.

"I have nothing to do at the moment. The owner of the Heavenly Water Star from yesterday can come here to see me." Old Han seemed to recall something.

"Thank you for your gracious concern, my lord. Changfeng will thank you on behalf of the disciple!"

Xu Changfeng's face was streaked with tears. What kind of dog luck had the Mu Family stumbled upon? At this very juncture, Mu Zhen had stepped into the Other Shore and awakened a sixth-grade Star.

He also understood why Old Han was paying so much attention to Mu Zhen. Why did "Heavenly Water Star" have the word "Heavenly" added to it?

Because the Heavenly Water Star was an affiliated star of a Seventh Grade Heavenly Star!

Every Seventh Grade Heavenly Star possessed affiliated stars. These stars all revolved around the Heavenly Star and could be understood as a cluster of celestial bodies!

In the future, if Mu Zhen displayed even more outstanding talent, she would have a slim hope of gaining the Heavenly Star's recognition and thus becoming a Heavenly Star Master.

"That's enough. You needn't be so formal." Old Han smiled.

"Changfeng shall take his leave. Oh, right—please accept these treasures from the Black River, Old Han."

Xu Changfeng hurriedly took more than a dozen jade boxes from his robes. They were all prized treasures he had collected over the years. He knew Old Han looked down on such things, but whether Old Han wanted them was one matter; whether he offered them was a matter of etiquette.

"If that old man of the Mu Family doesn't give me a spirit fruit tree, I won't bring her here!"

Xu Changfeng rushed toward the Mu Family. If Mu Zhen earned Old Han's recognition and became a disciple of the Heavenly Star Manor, then as the one in control of the Star Gazing Manor, he would have a line added to his record of merit.

That would be of tremendous significance to his future path of advancement.

Star officials from the first to the third rank, and Star Lords as well, all faced the same situation. The difficulty of every step of advancement was no less than breaking through a cultivation realm.

"Grandfather, are you planning to stay here for a while?" Han Yu Rou came over and asked. Why had he suddenly taken an interest in guiding a junior?

"Yu Rou, do you know about the battle that once took place in the Abyss Realm?"

"Wasn't that a great war that erupted in the distant past? They say the Abyss Sea shook, and seawater flooded backward into the Spirit Mountain Great Marsh. Over time, more than a dozen rivers formed, with the Black River being one of them."

"What you've read is only one side of the story. The battle of the Abyss Sea involved more than ancient grudges and a struggle over the Great Dao. It also involved a struggle over the supreme treasure, Five Elements Soil."

"Five Elements Soil—the Five Elements Soil said to be capable of nurturing the spirit seeds of all things? Who obtained it back then?" Han Yu Rou exclaimed.

"I'll ask the heavens when I get back."

Old Han shook his head. Why did she always ask about things he could not answer?

After that battle, he had once learned that Five Elements Soil had sunk into the Abyss Sea and vanished without a trace. After the passage of endless years, there had still been no result.

What was closely tied to Five Elements Soil was the Five Elements Series of Star Masters. The Heavenly Water Star happened to belong to water, so it had a chance of drawing close to Five Elements Soil.

He had recalled this piece of history just now, which was why he had taken an interest in giving Mu Zhen some guidance. He had never actually dared hope to find Five Elements Soil.

"The place where an Ancient Prodigy once sought the Dao—how could it not be worth visiting?"

Old Han sat quietly as he gazed at the Black River. His eyes seemed to look all the way toward the Abyss Sea, and he did not come back to himself for a long time.