However, at the instant the stone wall closed, an exceedingly covert ripple arose from a spot some dozen zhang away from the platform. The ripple swiftly vanished into the void.
The ripple crossed through space, and when it appeared again, it was beside a gigantic star wreathed in towering waves of fire.
The giant star was immense and scorching hot, radiating intense golden light. Countless streams of Vast Righteous Qi flowed around it, issuing faint rumbles. The sound was like pines roaring in the wind, like running water—soft, yet vast and mighty. Not far from the giant star, layer upon layer of clouds and rosy mists blanketed the sky. Dyed entirely by the golden radiance, they appeared exceptionally brilliant. Near the center of the clouds, floating clouds were driven and torn apart by the Vast Righteous Qi, ripped from the rosy mists like tassels and drawn into the currents, vanishing in moments.
At that moment, the clouds suddenly churned, and a figure burst out from within. It was Kong Hongwu, his face dark and grim. He was no longer dressed as a scholar, but wore an oddly styled suit of star armor. The armor consisted of plates large and small, linked together by fine chains. There seemed to be gaps between the plates, yet those gaps were filled with inscriptions. The inscriptions emerged from the plates, tangled together within the seams, then rushed into other plates. Beyond the faint inscriptions, every plate bore specks of starlight and indistinct patterns of stars.
The instant Kong Hongwu emerged from the clouds, he stood motionless in midair. Dense clouds formed beneath his feet as clear light flickered in his eyes while he gazed at the radiant giant star, saying nothing for a long while. The golden rays not only dyed the armor around