Power of the Zhou Tian Star Dou
The Chaos Halo from the Floating Island was like a flowing veil, carrying the gentle warmth of the rain after a storm. Before it had fully dissipated, it intertwined with the dawn's light, casting patches of Light Spots of varying shades on the bluestone slabs. These Light Spots resembled spilled moonlight, flowing between the patterns of the stone slabs, or perhaps the nascent, unformed Spiritual Qi of the Beginning of Heaven and Earth, each inch brimming with a hazy vitality.
The edges of the Light Spots shimmered with a faint iridescence, with red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple hues gradually blending together, like the shimmering garments of the heavens and earth at dawn, not yet Beginning of Chaos. Each wisp of color held the lingering charm of the primordial chaos. As the iridescence shifted, one could almost see the mist of the ancient wilderness and hear the soft sounds of World Creation, the most primordial breath of the universe, rising and falling gently in the interplay of dawn light and Primordial Chaos.
The instant Ren Xiaoyao's fingertips lightly touched the edge of the Tai Chi Star Chart, the flowing gray-white suddenly shimmered with tiny Silver Light —initially just pinpoint-sized specks of light, trembling slightly in his palm, like newly born stars tentatively breathing, before instantly transforming into countless shimmering ripples as if falling into a calm lake. The moment his fingertips touched the Star Map, an ancient and boundless power spread along his fingertips, as if connecting him to the veins of heaven and earth, causing the blood and qi in his entire body to pulsate in rhythm with the starlight.
Every ripple holds the stirrings of a newly born star. If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the soft hum of Star Core turning, a sound subtle yet resolute, like the first cry of the universe's heartbeat. As the ripples spread, fine patterns of light appear in the void, like ripples on a lake solidifying into an eternal mark, silently infusing every inch of the Floating Island with the joy and power of a newly born star.
The Star Orbit Patterns on the Star Map were extending at a visible speed. The veins, originally confined to the bluestone slabs, were now climbing up into the void, transforming into silver lines that stretched across the heavens and earth. Fine stardust condensed where the silver lines intersected, falling softly like crushed moonlight, stringing the drifting clouds Floating Island into the shape of stars. Those silver lines were like the strings of a harp, plucked by an invisible wind, producing melodies that only the stars could understand, while the falling stardust was the gentlest note in the melody, softly brushing against the shoulders of all things.
Even the path left by the wind is tinged with the pale glow of starlight, carrying the gentle murmur of the flowing Star River as it brushes past your ears, a murmur that holds the ancient songs of the Twenty-Eight Mansions. The wind sweeps across the vegetation of the Floating Island, and the dewdrops on the leaves refract starlight, making a crisp sound as they fall, harmonizing with the murmur of the Star River, as if heaven and earth are singing a low chorus, telling the story of the stars over billions of years.
At that moment, his sea of consciousness suddenly expanded like the universe, with countless Star Phantoms flickering within it: the handle of the Big Dipper shifted with his thoughts, when it pointed east, a spring-like vitality overflowed, and wherever it passed, tiny green sprouts emerged in the void, their tips topped with glistening dewdrops, reflecting the joy of new life; when it pointed west, an autumn-like chill swept in, and wherever it passed, stardust condensed into tiny Ice Crystals, within which were frozen the lingering shadows of fallen withered Ice Crystals, carrying a serene final chapter. Within his sea of consciousness, the movement of the stars was perfectly synchronized with the rhythm of heaven and earth, as if his consciousness had become the center of the universe, and every move he made could elicit a response from the stars.
The Ziwei Emperor Star Imperial Star, always hangs in the center, surrounded by Auxiliary Stars like courtiers paying homage. The flickering light of these stars carries the majesty of a ruler of the Star River. As the starlight shifts, it seems to echo with the solemn reverence of officials paying their respects, a reverence for order. The Imperial Star's light is gentle yet firm, like a benevolent monarch overlooking the flow of the Star River, protecting the order of heaven and earth, ensuring that every star can move peacefully on its own trajectory.
The outlines of the Twenty-Eight Mansions Star Officials are clearly discernible. The scales of the Jiao Mu Jiao Inhale and Exhale with a bluish light, their opening and closing breathing in the life force of the East, each breath causing ripples of green across the void. Fireflies twinkle at the tip of the Xin Yue Hu's tail, their flickering flames reflecting the heat of the South—a heat that is not scorching, but rather a warmth that nurtures life. Starlight gleams on the claws of the Kui Mu Lang, its claws drawing out the sharp, Metal Qi of the West as they slice through the void—an aura that is sharp yet not violent, like a blade slicing through Primordial Chaos. The water vapor Inhale and Exhale the Bi Shui Yu transforms into tributaries of the Heavenly River, its vapor concealing the Profound Cold of the North, a coldness that envelops a tranquility that nurtures life. Each Star Officials exudes a unique aura, together forming the balance of the Zhou Tian Star Dou, harmonizing the forces of the four directions, ensuring perpetual renewal.
This was not simply stargazing; it was synchronizing with the pulse of the heavens and the stars. The brightness and darkness of each star became a force he could manipulate, as if the entire Zhou Tian Star Dou were a chessboard in his hand, where a single move could cause the Star River to reverse, and a mere gesture could reveal the rise and fall of billions of stars. He could even clearly hear the whispers of the stars—the murmurs of Star Core Burning, the whispers of rubbing Star Orbit, the most authentic murmurs of the universe. He could feel the joy and sorrow of each star, know their birth and Annihilation. This feeling of coexisting with the stars elevated his very soul.
"Sizzle--"
The sound was like a crack being torn open in the universe, sharp and piercing, shattering the tranquility of the Floating Island and causing the flowing starlight to tremble, as if some terrifying being was about to descend from Void.
Suddenly, a Purple-Black Crack was torn open in the void. Twisted air currents surged around the edges of the rift, like a wound repeatedly cut by a blunt knife, with flesh turned inside out and viscous purplish-black fluid constantly oozing out. The fluid corroded and made sizzling holes as it hit the ground. Inside the rift was a bottomless darkness, which seemed to devour all light, even distorting and swallowing starlight as it approached.
The aura emanating from Great Demon of Tianyan, carrying an arrogant disdain for all living beings, as if even the movement of the stars should grovel at its feet. The air itself became heavy because of this aura, making one's chest feel suffocated, and each breath felt like swallowing lead. This aura contained a hatred for life and a contempt for order, as if it wanted to drag the entire world into eternal silence.
A figure slowly emerged from the crack: an inverted Star Map embroidered on Mysterious Black Emperor Robe, each star a deathly gray, like a corpse drained of all light and heat. A purplish-black mist seeped from the stitches, corroding tiny holes upon landing, from which even finer purple threads, wriggling like maggots, emerged. This inverted Star Map was a desecration of the Zhou Tian Star Dou, a rebellion against the Heaven and Earth Order; each deathly gray star represented the soul of a devoured star.
The twelve tassels on the Emperor Crown hung down, and a string of jade beads covered half of his face. Twisted Runes, which shimmered with a deathly luster, a luster that concealed a hatred for life. As the jade beads swayed, they made a dull sound, like the wailing of a dead soul, sending chills down one's spine.
His exposed jawline was as hard as a knife, and there seemed to be a soft sound of Stardust Shattering from the gap between his pursed lips. Every opening and closing of his lips carried a fierce aura that seemed to crush stars, as if even speaking was a desecration of the stars. That fierce aura was like a tangible blade, cutting through the air and dimming the surrounding starlight.
A Purple-Black Jade Slip was held between his fingertips. The runes on the slip were moving at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. Wherever they passed, the trajectories of the Zhou Tian Star Dou were slightly distorted, and even the newly stabilized Star Orbit of the Floating Island trembled, like a string of a musical instrument being forcibly bent by an invisible hand, emitting a piercing buzzing sound. The buzzing sound contained the lament of collapsing order. The jade slip exuded a dense Annihilation Power, as if it were forged from the withered bones of billions of stars. Every rune clamored for destruction and subversion.
"Ren Xiaoyao, do you think Primordial Chaos is the end?" The voice of the Tianyan Evil Emperor seemed to come from the depths of ancient Star Remains, each word carrying the weight of Principle, crashing into the void and stirring up ripples. Within these ripples emerged the tragic scenes of countless collapsing stars—the splendor of Supernova Explosion was twisted into a destructive frenzy, the silence of Black Hole swallowing light and heat was magnified into an eternal deathly stillness. His voice was devoid of any warmth, containing only resentment towards the stars and greed for power.
"Only when heaven and earth are in order can all things be created, and I am the emperor who will redefine this order." He raised his hand, and the Purple-Black Jade Slip drew a strange arc in the air. Wherever the arc passed, the void rippled with purplish-black waves, reflecting the Inverted Star River. In his eyes, the so-called order was to make all the stars submit to his will and to plunge the universe into eternal silence, thus demonstrating his supreme authority.
The Star River Floating Island suddenly trembled violently— the Big Dipper Handle reversed its direction, transforming from a pointer into a sharp cone piercing the earth, its tip gleaming with a cold, purplish-black light, as if to pierce the earth and stain the magma at its core with deathly stillness; the Ziwei Emperor Star imperial star, was shrouded in a thick layer of gray, like a throne buried in dust, and the surrounding Auxiliary Stars went out one after another, like a court where all the officials had died, leaving only the imperial star breathing alone in the darkness; even more terrifying was that those stars that were originally rising in the east... The setting stars suddenly turned, trailing purplish-black flames as they plummeted towards the earth. Their starlight transformed into scorching meteorites as they fell, each carrying an aura of death. They crashed into the void with a dull thud, as if to reduce the entire Floating Island to dust. Even the air was distorted by the heat of the meteorites, carrying a Scorching Soul- burning stench; inhaling even a single breath felt like one's very soul was being torn apart. The order of heaven and earth was forcibly distorted at this moment, the movement of the stars descended into chaos, as if the End of the World was imminent.
Ren Xiaoyao placed his toes on the center of the Tai Chi Star Chart, and the Star Map suddenly rose into the air, echoing the Zhou Tian Star Dou. The patterns on the stone slab connected with the Star Orbit in the sky, forming a pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth. The pillar of light emitted a soft yet firm glow, like a barrier that blocked the spread of the Annihilation Power, and like a bond that tightly connected the earth and the starry sky.
The beam of light was filled with the illusory images of stars, like a bridge connecting heaven and earth, through which countless spirits of stars shuttled back and forth. Some of these spirits were ancient Star Spirits, while others were newly born star souls. They ran and leaped on the bridge, conveying the power and hope of the stars, making the beam of light shine even brighter.
As he traced a line through the void with his fingertips, the Star Phantoms in his sea of Big Dipper simultaneously lit up. The light of the Big Dipper suddenly intensified, and Ancient Runes of the Stars Move stars appeared within the starlight. As the runes flowed, it seemed as if the murmurs of ancient people observing the stars could be heard, "The Stars Move!" These four words contain ancient wisdom and power. They are the summaries of the laws governing the Star Circulation by our ancestors, and also the key to mobilizing Star Power.
In the sky, the Big Dipper suddenly reversed its direction, its handle, like a jade ladle scooping water, plunging into the Heavenly River, stirring up countless waves of starlight. Where the waves splashed, the void rippled with fine patterns of light. The water of the Heavenly River was pure Star Power, each drop containing the power to nurture stars. As the handle of the Big Dipper sank into it, it seemed to be absorbing the essence of the Heavenly River.
When it was lifted up again, it had scooped up a silver waterfall formed from billions of starlight. The silver waterfall stretched across the sky and earth, more than a thousand feet wide. Countless tiny stars floated in the water, like a flowing Star River, rushing towards the falling meteorite. The light of the silver waterfall was warm and pure, carrying the power to purify everything. Wherever it passed, the purplish-black Annihilation Aura dissipated.
Starlight swirled in the silver waterfall, like a gentle hand caressing a dusty jade stone—the purplish-black surface of the meteorite quickly faded, revealing a crystalline Star Core beneath. The Star Core trembled slightly in the starlight, like Sleeping Stars being awakened, emitting a soothing hum. Those distorted Star Core, nourished by the starlight, gradually returned to their original shape, regaining their luster as stars should.
The deathly stillness that had been lingering was washed away by the Star Power, shattering into tiny specks of light that flowed back into the sky along the silver waterfall. Even the retrograde Star Orbit were forcibly straightened, emitting a soft, clear sound like gears returning to their places—a sound as crisp as the heavens and earth stretching their limbs. Even the ley lines of the Floating Island hummed comfortably, and the vegetation on the island stretched its leaves, paying homage to the starlight. The order of heaven and earth began to be restored at this moment; the stars returned to their orbits, and everything was moving in a positive direction.
A fierce glint flashed in Tianyan Evil Emperor's eyes. His fingers, gripping the jade slip, tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning white, and the veins bulging like twisted snakes. The runes on the jade slip suddenly surged, transforming into countless purplish-black chains. He hadn't expected Ren Xiaoyao to be able to neutralize his attack, and the anger and killing intent in his heart burned even more fiercely.
The chains were covered in barbs, their tips burning with twisted sparks—not warm orange-red, but a deathly purplish-black, as if capable of incinerating the very essence of stars. As the chains slashed through the void, they left trails of scorching heat, from which flowed purplish-black venom. These chains were formed from the Annihilation Power, containing the force to destroy the Star Origin; once entangled, a star would utterly lose its life.
"I have devoured the essence of billions of stars," he said with a cruel laugh, a laugh that concealed his hatred for the stars, as if their light was mocking him. "Their desolation is my power!" He lived by Devouring Stars, transforming their desolation into his own power, a power filled with darkness and destruction.
The chains shot out like venomous snakes, their purplish-black tongues flicking, coiling towards the Zhou Tian Star Dou. The first to be ensnared was the Ziwei Emperor Star —its light instantly dimmed, as if all life had been drained from it. Even the surrounding Auxiliary Stars extinguished, plunging the entire Star Realms into deathly silence, like an abandoned graveyard. Only the writhing shadows of the purplish-black chains remained in the starry sky, like venomous snakes in a graveyard, flicking their tongues and licking the corpses of the stars. The Ziwei Emperor Star was the core of the Zhou Tian Star Dou; once controlled, the entire constellation's operation would be severely affected.
Ren Xiaoyao's cinnabar mark between his eyebrows suddenly lit up, like a miniature star, resonating with the Ziwei Emperor Star in his sea of consciousness. The ripples of the resonance spread outwards, causing even the air on the Floating Island to tremble, and the morning dew on the island to ripple in unison. That cinnabar mark was the medium through which he communicated with the stars, and its lighting up now signified that his connection with the Ziwei Emperor Star had reached its peak.
His voice carried an undeniable power, as if he were proclaiming the Principle of heaven and earth. "Stars may wither and flourish, but they are never eternally silent." This sentence was his understanding of the essence of stars, and also his belief in fighting against the Tianyan Evil Emperor. The withering and flourishing of stars is a natural cycle, not eternal silence. There will always be new life being nurtured in the silence.
He formed a hand seal, his thumb and forefinger interlocked, his ring and little fingers intertwined, and his middle fingers touching, creating the ancient hand seal of the Four Symbols Guard. In his sea of consciousness, the illusory images of the Twenty-Eight Mansions Star Officials appeared simultaneously: the Azure Dragon of the East raised its head and exhaled, its azure Dragon Breath transforming into spring rain, nourishing the parched Star Realms. Where the rain fell, extinguished stars shone anew, like new shoots breaking through the earth in springtime; the Vermilion Bird of the South spread its wings, its crimson flames not burning, but igniting the very essence of the stars. Where the flames swept past, the Star Core were revitalized. Life, like the hope that ignites when withered trees sprout new leaves in spring; the White Tiger of the West, splitting rocks with earth-shattering force, its white claws tearing through the deathly gloom to reveal the starlight hidden beneath. Where its claws passed, the purplish-black energy dissipated, melting away like ice and snow under the blazing sun; the Black Tortoise Mystic Turtle Inhale and Exhale the North, breathing in the Black Tortoise, its black shell revealing mysterious patterns that gather the scattered Star Power back together. Where the patterns flow, the Star Power condenses into a river, surging endlessly, as magnificent as a hundred rivers flowing into the sea. The Four Symbols Star Officials Divine Ability, mobilizing the power of the four directions to jointly combat the Annihilation Aura.
The Power of the Four Symbols flowed along the Star Orbit, like four rushing rivers flowing into the Ziwei Emperor Star. The dim Emperor suddenly burst forth with a light brighter than ever before, a light that was warm and intense, like a newborn sun. The purplish-black chains shattered inch by inch in the intense light. The sparks that flew from the broken points no longer twisted, but instead transformed into tiny stars, re-integrating into the Star Orbit, like a child who had left home finally returning, emitting a joyful chirp, a chirp filled with longing for its mother star. Nourished by the Power of the Four Symbols, the Ziwei Emperor Star regained its vitality, bursting forth with powerful light, completely destroying the purplish-black chains.
"Impossible!" The Tianyan Evil Emperor crushed the jade slip. The sound of the jade slip shattering was like the roar of a collapsing star. Where the fragments flew, spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the void. He could not accept that his power had been neutralized again. The resentment and anger in his heart reached the extreme. Crushing the jade slip was to release an even more powerful force.
A surge of purplish-black energy erupted from his body, transforming into a gigantic Evil Emperor Phantom that covered the entire sky. The phantom was enormous and terrifying, emanating a suffocating Annihilation Aura, as if it were about to shroud the entire sky in darkness.
The phantom wore Emperor Crown, its jade beads transformed into ashen stars, each etched with a wailing human face. Its hand pressed against an inverted Star Map, the stars rotating in reverse, emitting a grating, grinding sound. Its eyes held the withered bones of billions of stars, even its pupils reflecting the afterimages of collapsing galaxies, a sight that sent shivers down the spine, as if dragging one's very consciousness into that deathly silence. This phantom was the ultimate manifestation of the Tianyan Evil Emperor's power, containing the resentment and Power of Destruction of his devouring of billions of stars.
"I offered myself as a sacrifice, merging with the Deadly Star Core, transcending birth and death!" He raised his hand, and countless deathly Star Core fell from the void. The surface of the Star Core was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and the aura seeping from the cracks was as viscous as glue, capable of freezing the flow of time—even the movement of the Zhou Tian Star Dou slowed down, the movement of starlight became visible to the naked eye, as if the entire universe was about to be dragged into an eternal standstill, with No Life, even the wind stopped in mid-air. Everything on the Floating Island seemed to be slowed down, and the trajectory of falling petals was clear enough to make one's heart tremble. In pursuit of power, he did not hesitate to merge himself with the Deadly Star Core, attempting to transcend life and death and control the stagnation and destruction of the universe.
Ren Xiaoyao roared to the sky, his voice piercing through the clouds and resonating with the thunder in the starry sky. The thunder carried the roar of the stars, and the roar contained a rebellion against the deathly silence. His roar was full of longing for life and reverence for the stars, and it was also a silent declaration of war against the Tianyan Evil Emperor.
His consciousness merged completely with the entire Zhou Tian Star Dou, his figure gradually overlapping with the Star Map, transforming into a pillar of light piercing through heaven and earth. Within this pillar flowed rivers of starlight, countless stars flickering within, as if his flesh and blood had become part of the stars. Even his breath was synchronized with the pulse of the Star River, each Inhale and Exhale resonating with billions of stars. At this moment, he was no longer a solitary individual, but had become one with the Zhou Tian Star Dou, the Incarnation of the Will of Stars.
"The Zhou Tian Star Dou are one; when they gather, they form a powerful force; when they disperse, they become energy!" This statement reflects his profound understanding of the essence of the Zhou Tian Star Dou. The stars are interconnected; when they gather together, they can form a powerful force, and when they disperse, they can transform into invisible stellar energy, Nourishing All Things.
Within the pillar of light, billions of stars lit up simultaneously, forming a massive Star Formation. The Star Formation seemed like a natural barrier nurtured by heaven and earth, or a magnificent net woven by the universe, encompassing the entire Floating Island and even the surrounding Star River. Each star was an array eye, and each Star Orbit was an array pattern, all interconnected and perfectly formed.
At the heart of the formation, the Ziwei Emperor Star, like the axis of a compass, exudes an aura of supreme authority, its swirling starlight reminiscent of Emperor's Court's grand audience, commanding the submission of all surrounding stars. The Big Dipper acts as a guide, directing the flow of Star Power; as its handle turns, this Star Power surges forth like a tide, dissolving stillness and Vitality Flourishes wherever it passes. The Twenty-Eight Mansions, like a turning wheel, drive the entire Star Formation; as the Star Constellations moves, the Star Formation's power multiplies, growing ever stronger, as if an Invisible Power is propelling the cosmic cycle. The Heavenly River, like a silver ribbon, connects all the stars into a unified whole; as the ribbon flutters, the connections between stars become even stronger, their power coalescing into an unstoppable torrent. Every movement of the Star Formation aligns with the Supreme Principles of Heaven and Earth, as if the universe itself is displaying its immense power.
As the Star Formation rotated, it emitted a deafening roar that crushed everything. This roar was not chaotic noise, but the collective heartbeat of billions of stars, rhythmic and powerful, causing the void to tremble slightly and even the earth's deep veins to resonate. The dormant Spiritual Qi within the earth's veins was awakened by this power, flowing slowly along the Star Formation's veins, interacting with the Star Power in the sky, forming a spectacular harmony between Heaven, Earth, and Man Trinity.