Luck is the brick, achievement is the building, and the extraterrestrial demons are the foundation.
" Tie Lie, what are you doing?!" Tie Ao had just arrived at the dungeon when he saw a scene that made his eyes widen in fury.
Tie Lie's face was ferocious and terrifying, his hands like iron clamps, tightly gripping Long Daozhi's neck. Long Daozhi remained motionless, his eyes bulging out, dying with unseeing eyes.
"Cousin!" Tie Lie said softly, then shuddered and withdrew his hands as if he had been electrocuted. His face was full of fear and anxiety.
"The Way!" Tie Ao shouted, leaping forward. After examining the area, he felt a chill run through him, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Dead!
Long Daozhi is dead.
The trouble started from within; he didn't die at the hands of the enemy, but rather at the hands of his own people.
puff!
Tie Ao was already physically and mentally injured, and this sudden blow caused him to cough up a mouthful of blood.
Looking back, when I first met Long Daozhi, we hit it off immediately and admired each other as heroes.
"This is a chaotic world! How wonderful! Heroes emerge in great numbers, and outstanding individuals surge forth. This is the supreme stage for true men to display themselves! Daozhi, come and help me. Let us join hands, meet all the heroes of the world, trample their corpses, and establish a glorious kingdom," Tie Ao said to Long Daozhi.
"A chaotic world... Hehehe, it's truly exhilarating! Let Daozhi follow the young master, riding across the land, his banners billowing over rivers and seas..."
The conversation from that time still echoed in my ears. Yet now, Long Daozhi's cold corpse and helpless, bulging eyes presented such a cruel scene.
"A talent fit for a king, a talent fit for a king... Dao Zhi!!!" Tie Ao cried out, tears streaming down his face, "Tonight I have lost Dao Zhi, as if I have lost one of my arms. I am heartbroken, Dao Zhi! I grieve for Dao Zhi! I regret for Dao Zhi!"
No one understood Long Daozhi's talent better than him. He was the talent Tie Ao had in mind, the right-hand man who would one day achieve hegemony.
However, he died before he could truly demonstrate even half of his talent!
"Heaven is unjust! Heaven does not protect me!" Tie Ao roared to the sky, crying out in anger.
"Cousin, I was wrong!" Tie Lie was covered in cold sweat and knelt on the ground with a thud. He had never imagined that Long Daozhi held such a high position in Tie Ao's heart. At this moment, he trembled all over, filled with terror.
"You!" Tie Ao turned his head, glaring angrily. His eyelids were wide open to the extreme of rage, tearing at the corners of his eyes and drawing blood. Mixed with his tears, it became blood tears!
"You're petty and full of jealousy and hatred. What use are you? Guards, drag you out and execute you on the spot!" Tie Ao shouted, waving his hand.
"Cousin, cousin, spare me! Spare me!!" Shi You, the guard, was like a wolf or a tiger, dragging Tie Lie away. Tie Lie screamed and struggled all the way.
Suddenly, a soft "crack" was heard. The screams stopped abruptly.
Before long, Tie Lie's head was respectfully presented by the guards.
Upon seeing the severed head, Tie Ao was overcome with grief once more. He brushed the head to the ground, turned it around, and rushed towards Long Daozhi, weeping bitterly before finally fainting.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, and a fierce storm raged.
Amidst raging waves and thunderous lightning, an Nameless island stood steadfastly amidst the sudden storm. On the island, a simple courtyard glowed warmly with lamplight.
A small table by the window, a chessboard.
"Hahaha! My old friend, I've won!" The Sleeping Elder Yao Xian laughed heartily and placed his piece.
This move was brilliant, instantly creating a situation on the Go board where black dragons rose up everywhere, cutting off the large white dragon in the center, a sudden and unexpected victory.
Although the White Dragon occupies a corner of the Central Plains and the West, it is enormous in size, has a grand scale, and a promising future. However, the Black Dragon is in grave danger, narrowly missing the White Dragon and disrupting its ascension. If the White Dragon ascends, it will become a true dragon of the Nine Heavens, unstoppable.
Now, however, they were relentlessly attacked and killed by the black dragon, a scene of horrific carnage that was shocking to behold.
The Divination Immortal shook his head slightly, somewhat unwilling. "Your move was extremely risky, relentlessly advancing with no way back. Non-Self n't been momentarily distracted and failed to see through it, my white dragon would have ascended to heaven and become a dragon, and you two black dragons would have forced yourselves to your deaths without even needing to attack."
The Sleeping Elder, unperturbed, continued collecting the chess pieces, saying in a resolute tone, "Chess is like life; one should strive. All things grow, the strong prey on the weak; one should fight with all one's might, even to the point of bloodshed, to carve out one's own place in the world."
"Heh, you're still the same as always." The Divination Immortal smiled helplessly, turned his head, looked out the window at the raging waves, and couldn't help but sigh, "The wind and waves rage, the land is stained with blood, the tides rise and fall, burying countless heroes and eliminating countless valiant men."
"Why be so pitiful? Look, even the wind and waves are vying for supremacy. The glory at the crest of the wave belongs only to the strongest. Those heroes who are eliminated and submerged are just losers." The Sleeping Elder won the game and spoke with a hint of pride.
"My old friend's words are merely my own opinion. Over the years, I have traveled far and wide, gaining much insight and understanding of the profound principles of heaven and earth, which lie in the balance of yin and yang, the twin existence of heaven and earth." The Divination Immortal pondered, "If the air becomes too moist, it will form clouds and bring rain. When beasts overpopulate, food is consumed rapidly, which in turn will cause the Demon Beast to starve. In the past, Tang Brocade Kingdom was the strongest nation in the Star Continent, yet it only lasted for five hundred years. Prosperity inevitably leads to decline, and strength cannot last forever. This is the way of balance."
"Are you referring to the path of destiny?"
"Indeed." The Divination Immortal nodded. "Luck can be strong or weak, but it follows the principle of balance. For example, the ruler of the Tang Brocade Kingdom only had the luck of a king, but he didn't know how to restrain himself. In building the strongest country, he treated his luck as the fate of the nation. He couldn't sustain his own cultivation and only lasted for five hundred years. After his death, his country was destroyed. Another example is Xiang Yu, the Chu Overlord. He also had the luck of a king, but he spent it all on his cultivation. After becoming a prince-level expert, the remaining luck could no longer support his restoration of the country. Therefore, he devoted his life to restoring the country, but he never succeeded."
"Luck is like bricks and stones. Personal strength and group power are like two towers of achievement. Bricks and stones are limited. If you build a tall tower of personal strength, you will have fewer bricks and stones to build a tower of group power. Similarly, if you consume more bricks and stones to build a tower of group power, you will have fewer bricks and stones to build a tower of personal strength. Therefore, you should acquire more lucky monsters to enhance your luck and strive for potential space for survival and development," the Sleeping Elder said.
The Divination Immortal shook his head slightly, neither confirming nor denying. "The bricks and stones on this Star Continent are always limited. Some people have more, and some have less. When the Tower of Achievement is built to its highest point, it becomes the Tower of Babel. Heaven and earth need to maintain balance, so Demon Tribulation are sent down to reduce the height of the tower and balance the bricks and stones. Demon Tribulation, Great Demon tribulations, and Spirit Demon Tribulation —the power of the Demon Tribulation increases with each stage, and fewer people survive them. When the Tribulation Demon stage arrives, heaven and earth cannot tolerate it and will send down tribulations at any time, attempting to destroy the tower."
"In fact, besides the Demon Tribulation, Star Continent has an ultimate method." The Divination Immortal's words were startling, revealing a secret of Star Province: "For every tall building that is built, a star demon Demon Beast will be generated in the heavens beyond, called the Outer Star Demon. The taller the building, the stronger the Outer Star Demon becomes. In the end, the Star Demon will descend upon the world, unstoppable, destroying the tall building and restoring balance to the world."
"Such a thing is true?" the Sleeping Elder exclaimed in surprise. "Over the years, you've traveled the world and indeed reaped many rewards. Is there any way to stop this Star Demon?"
"The best way to contain the Star Demon is to join forces and eliminate it this morning while our strength is still weak. Otherwise, the longer we wait, the stronger the Star Demon will become, and the harder it will be to kill it. Why did our ancestors build the Sky City? It was to ascend to the outer heavens, kill their own Star Demon, and eliminate the greatest threat. Unfortunately, that battle was lost. The Star Demon grew stronger, and the entire army was wiped out. The Sky City was also lost in the sky, among the stars," the Divination Immortal sighed.
"Even a mighty city like Sky City couldn't be defeated? This Outer Star Demon is incredibly powerful! Are there any examples of successfully killing a demon?" the Sleeping Elder asked again.
"Throughout history, there has only been one such example. It is the legendary Star Saint from ancient legends. He wielded the Star-Hunting Bow and shot down the Star Demon. Once the Star Demon died, its corpse fell and became the land of the Star Continent as it is today," the Divination Immortal said slowly.
"Just how enormous must this Star Demon be? So the ancient legends are actually true?" The Sleeping Elder blinked, his heart still reeling. He exclaimed, "Truly, the power of a sage is beyond comprehension. To actually be able to slay a Star Demon, the ultimate means to contend with the heavens and earth!"
"That's because, once one reaches the first level of Sainthood, the tower becomes a Tower of Heaven, capable of living as long as Heaven and Earth, shining as brightly as the sun and moon. It is an existence equal to Heaven and Earth. However, Saints use too many bricks and stones, and there are not enough left to construct another Tower of Heaven. Therefore, after the Star Saint, no more Saints can emerge."
As he spoke, the downpour subsided. The clouds dispersed, the sky was high and clear, and the stars twinkled. The Divination Immortal sighed softly, "Sages are also great thieves, stealing the very essence of destiny to pave their way to heaven. As long as sages are not eliminated, great thieves will not cease. Look at the starry sky again."
The Divination Immortal pointed to the starry sky. "Each star is a star demon, reflecting the various powerful figures in Yanzhou. The stars connect to form star fields, corresponding to different forces. Look at this circle, that's the national destiny star field of the Mongyuan Kingdom. And look at this area, that's the national destiny star field of the Jianghan Kingdom."
The Sleeping Elder sighed, "There are so many powerful figures in the Star Continent! They are as numerous as carp crossing a river. The Vine List only shows a small portion. Who knows how many masters are hidden in the wilderness? Where is our star field in the All-Star Archipelago?"
The immortal then pointed it out to him.
This is the most chaotic star field in the sky, with many stars twinkling, but it is fragmented and far less orderly than other star fields.
"Huh?" Suddenly, the Divination Immortal exclaimed in surprise, looking up at the night sky in astonishment.
"What's wrong?" The Sleeping Elder, puzzled, and looked up.
In the night sky, within the star field representing the All-Star Archipelago, two groups of stars suddenly burst into light, vying for brilliance. However, a few breaths later, many stars in one group silently vanished. The other group, however, shone even brighter and more dazzlingly.
"What's going on? So many generals have fallen all at once! A major event, a major event!" the Divination Immortal exclaimed. Then, focusing his gaze, his expression suddenly froze, his pupils contracted, "Oh no! My disciple is dead!" (PS: This chapter was written rather slowly, mainly because it involved setting details, which took a lot of thought. I considered many things before finally deciding to reveal this part of the setting.)
Hope you like it, please give me your encouragement...