Deciphering the Star Map, Bound for the Fallen Star Sea

After Lin Qingxue left, silence returned to Chen Hall. Ye Chen did not immediately begin cultivating. Instead, he sank his consciousness into his sea of consciousness and carefully studied the incomplete Star Map that had manifested after the three fragments merged.

The Star Map was vast. Even incomplete, the breadth and depth it revealed far surpassed the bounds of the Primordial World. Countless stars lay scattered like grains of sand, tracing faint, mysterious paths toward unknown reaches. The region labeled "Fallen Star Sea" resembled a swirling vortex on the map, radiating a gravitational pull that could swallow everything, yet also resembling a gateway to some central core.

"Starfall Hall..." Ye Chen focused his divine sense on the Fallen Star Sea region, trying to decipher more information. The Star Map was not static. The flickering patterns of some stars seemed to conform to a hidden rhythm, like breathing.

With a slight shift of his will, he drew out a wisp of primordial chaos purple qi and infused it into the Star Map.

Buzzz—

The Star Map seemed to come alive, and the flickering trails of those stars suddenly grew much clearer! A relatively distinct dotted line, formed from countless tiny points of light, extended from the map's edge, winding and twisting until it vanished into the center of the Fallen Star Sea's vortex!

A route?! Ye Chen's heart stirred. The Star Map was truly profound—it could reveal hidden information based on its bearer's power! This dotted line was most likely a guide to "Starfall Hall," or at least a safe route deep into the Fallen Star Sea!

However, the dotted line was incomplete, with many gaps and blurred stretches, clearly caused by the missing portions of the Star Map. Even so, its value was immeasurable! It gave him a direction and allowed him to avoid countless unknown dangers.

Judging by the Star Map and the information Lin Qingxue brought, the "key" the Sacred Emperor Palace possesses is probably something similar, or... a specific token needed to open Starfall Hall, Ye Chen reasoned. For them to mobilize on such a scale, Starfall Hall must contain something they are determined to obtain. Perhaps... something directly related to Transcendence?

He recalled the whispers of that wisp of Dao traces inside the ice coffin—"Keepers," "greater despair." Could the Sacred Emperor Palace's desperate search for a breakthrough also stem from its awareness of some threat?

His thoughts tangled, yet Ye Chen's Dao heart grew ever clearer. Whatever hardships and perils lay ahead, strength alone was the foundation for shattering every veil of uncertainty.

He gathered his thoughts and began using the Star Map to explore his own Dao.

Primordial chaos purple qi was the source of all Daos, encompassing everything and capable of giving rise to everything. Although the stellar trajectories and spatial mysteries contained within the Star Map did not share precisely the same origin as his cultivation, the Great Dao was simplicity itself, and all methods returned to one. Studying the Star Map's movements would greatly aid his understanding of spatial laws, and even help him touch upon the higher-order laws of the universe.

Time slowly passed as he pursued his deductions.

Faint specks of starlight began to emerge around Ye Chen, subtly resonating with the Star Map in his sea of consciousness. His understanding of space deepened at an astonishing pace. Shrink Earth to an Inch, which he had previously forced into effect through sheer cultivation power, now seemed to possess a trace of profound Dao resonance, becoming smoother and more effortless.

He even sensed that if he could gather more fragments and complete the Star Map, he might be able to use it to perform a true Starry-Sky Crossing over immense distances, rather than remain confined within a single great world!

After an unknown length of time, he slowly opened his eyes. For an instant, they seemed to hold the birth and destruction of galaxies.

"It's time to leave."

He rose to his full height and walked out of Chen Hall.

Outside, dawn had arrived. The rising sun edged Black Wind Mountain in gold. In the valley, spirit plants bathed in the morning light, brimming with vitality. On the training grounds, the disciples' shouts rang out in unison as they practiced, full of youthful vigor.

Ye Yun immediately came forward. "Young Master."

"How are the alliance negotiations going?" Ye Chen asked.

"We've drawn up a preliminary agreement." Ye Yun offered him a jade slip. "The main terms cover intelligence sharing, resource trading, and providing assistance within our capabilities if either side comes under attack. Miss Lin has taken the draft back to the Heavenly Sword Pavilion for the Lingyun Sword Emperor's final decision."

Ye Chen glanced through it. The terms were reasonably fair, and he nodded. "Good. Make the preparations. We leave for the Fallen Star Sea in three days."

"Yes!" A sharp gleam flashed through Ye Yun's eyes, and he immediately departed to carry out the order.

Ye Chen strolled into the valley. Ye Ling was guiding several disciples as they set up a Spirit-Gathering Formation for some newly transplanted moonlight moss. On seeing him, she hurriedly bowed.

"Young Master, look. This moonlight moss is remarkably effective at purifying the turbid qi in the earth veins, though its growing conditions are rather demanding," Ye Ling explained, pointing to the patch of moss that radiated a soft, moon-white glow.

As Ye Chen looked at the oasis they had carved out of the Wasteland through sheer effort, and at the focused, hopeful expressions on Ye Ling's and the disciples' faces, he suddenly asked, "Ye Ling, what do you think is the meaning of everything we're doing here?"

Ye Ling paused, then broke into a pure, warm smile. "Young Master, I don't know any grand truths. But when I see this land change from lifeless desolation to something full of vitality, and see the light return to these disciples' eyes, I feel that we're doing something right. Perhaps... that's its meaning."

She paused before adding, "Just as you often say, Young Master, destruction and creation coexist. We possess the power to destroy, but wouldn't it be better if we could use it to protect and create something beautiful?"

Ye Chen fell silent. Ye Ling's words were simple, yet they struck straight at the heart. Power itself was neither good nor evil, but those who wielded it had their own choices to make. The Ye Clan sought Transcendence to break its own shackles; was sowing life here not also a form of resistance against the "shackles" binding this world?

He nodded and said nothing more, but a certain idea in his heart grew increasingly clear.

Three days later, all preparations were complete.

Before the Heavenly Star Pavilion's Mountain Gate, Ye Chen, Lin Qingxue, and Mo Yu, who would accompany them as a guard, stood ready to depart. Ye Yun, Shi Meng, Ye Ling, and the others had all come to see them off.

"Young Master, take care in everything you do!" Ye Yun saluted with clasped hands.

"Heh heh, Young Master, by the time you return, I'll have everything around here whipped into line!" Shi Meng declared, thumping his chest.

Ye Ling handed Mo Yu several storage bags filled with assorted spirit pills and Purification Talismans, carefully giving him instructions.

Lin Qingxue had also informed her sect. The Heavenly Sword Pavilion would closely monitor the Sacred Emperor Palace's movements in the Fallen Star Sea and promptly relay information through special channels.

"Let's go."

Without another word, Ye Chen swept his sleeve. An invisible force gathered up Lin Qingxue and Mo Yu, and with a single step, he appeared dozens of li away. A few more steps, and the three became black specks on the horizon.

He had chosen not to use an ordinary flying artifact, instead traveling directly through the mighty divine ability Shrink Earth to an Inch. After merging the Star Map, his understanding of space had reached a new height. His speed was far more than a few times greater than before!

Lin Qingxue felt the scenery race backward before her eyes, as though space itself were folding. Amid her shock, she gained a deeper understanding of Ye Chen's strength. Mo Yu remained as taciturn as ever, like the most loyal of shadows.

Their destination: the Fallen Star Sea!

Not long after the three departed, however, the Heavenly Star Pavilion received an unexpected visitor.

The void rippled faintly, and True Person Yunhe quietly appeared before the Mountain Gate. Gazing in the direction Ye Chen had taken, he stroked his beard and murmured:

"The Fallen Star Sea... troubled times indeed. Young friend Ye, may you find what you seek within that storm..."

He turned toward the Heavenly Star Pavilion, now utterly transformed, and a trace of complicated emotion passed through his eyes.

"Primordial chaos manifests, and the fragments reunite... will pieces finally begin to fall upon this chessboard that has lain silent for countless epochs?"

His figure slowly faded, as though he had never appeared.

Meanwhile, deep within the distant Sacred Emperor Palace, in a grand hall shrouded in endless starlight, a majestic voice slowly rang out:

"The piece has moved. The Hunting Ground... must be swept clean."

As the various powers converged, the curtain was about to rise on the gathering storm in the Fallen Star Sea. And Ye Chen's journey was destined to write a new chapter in this ancient land of fallen stars.