Li Mu retracted his gaze, looking at Ji Yu, the ripples in his eyes had settled, leaving only a deep silence.
"Just a minor disturbance!" Li Mu replied, his voice calm and devoid of emotion.
Ji Yu stared intently at Li Mu, the light in the depths of his starry eyes flickering erratically, surprised by his overly calm reaction, a calmness that suggested he had long anticipated it.
"Disturbance?" Ji Yu's voice was low, with a hint of inquiry, as he asked with concern, "To cause such a violent tremor in the Heaven and Earth's Will is certainly not ordinary. Does Fellow Daoist know the reason?"
Inside the pagoda, it was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Cao Cong, Ge Xuan, and Wei Jun held their breath.
Li Mu lightly tapped the jade table with his fingertip, causing subtle ripples in the immortal wine in his cup, quietly resonating with the flowing Star Power patterns beneath his feet.
"Its source is profound!" Li Mu looked up, his gaze clear and cold, indicating, "It is not nearby, nor is it something you or I can reach at this time. There's no need to discuss it!"
His words seemed to answer and yet not answer, adding to the mystery.
Ji Yu's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Not nearby? Then why was this sense of dread so clear? What did Li Mu's words, "can reach," imply?
Ge Xuan's eyes were slightly closed, his withered fingers rapidly calculating within his sleeve, trying to capture the lingering trajectory of the Heaven and Earth's Will, yet he found nothing.
Ji Yu was silent for a moment, then a faint smile reappeared on his face. He raised his cup and toasted, "Fellow Daoist's insight is profound. It seems we were worrying needlessly. Cheers!"
Li Mu also raised his cup. The jade liquid went down his throat, still clear and crisp, as if the violent tremor of Heaven and Earth that had caused Ji Yu's expression to change was truly just a gentle breeze across the water's surface.
The wine was slightly cool, and cups lightly clinked. After three rounds of drinks, the tense atmosphere at the table seemed to dissipate somewhat with the wine, and Ji Yu's exchanges with Li Mu became a bit more familiar.
Ji Yu put down his jade cup, his gaze falling on Li Mu, and cut to the chase, asking curiously, "Dao Friend Li's cultivation is profound, and his knowledge is vast, truly a model for our generation. I wonder... does Fellow Daoist have any intention of showcasing his talents in our Tianxing Pavilion and doing some practical work?"
Li Mu looked up, quietly awaiting his next words.
"Our Pavilion still has an empty 'Scholar' position," Ji Yu continued, explaining, "Its responsibility is to instruct the elite Disciples of the Pavilion, and also to exchange and verify with Fellow Daoists within the Pavilion, spreading what has been learned. If Fellow Daoist would condescend to accept, it would truly be a blessing for the Pavilion's Disciples, and indeed for our Da Qian Immortal Dynasty."
Silence fell within the pagoda.
Cao Cong's face was filled with expectant smiles, his gaze burning.
Li Mu was speechless, looking at Ji Yu, and asked with a half-smile, "Scholar? I, Li, have just arrived in your Imperial Dynasty, and Fellow Daoist Ji does not yet understand my background. Are you not afraid that I, Li, might mislead young Disciples? Or that what I impart is not the Dao, disturbing the Celestial Court's tranquility?"
Li Mu asked directly, even with a hint of sharpness.
Upon hearing this, there was no ripple in the depths of Ji Yu's starry eyes. Instead, he let out a hearty laugh that echoed through the spacious pagoda, carrying an undeniable confidence: "Fellow Daoist worries too much. The foundation of our Da Qian Immortal Dynasty's existence lies in the four words, 'Tolerance is Greatness.' The immortal Dao is vast, and all Laws return to their source."
"As long as it does not go against the righteous principles of Heaven and Earth, nor defy human ethics, all Daos can be used by me, and all can lead to longevity! Whatever Fellow Daoist has learned, no matter its origin, is a treasure that our Celestial Court is willing to hear, willing to accept, and willing to inherit. How can there be talk of 'heterodox Dao'? And even less so, the worry of 'misleading' others. Fellow Daoist can act with confidence." Ji Yu's words were resonant and his demeanor grand, fully displaying the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty's broadmindedness and confidence.
Li Mu's gaze swept over Ji Yu's confident face, then over the expectant or scrutinizing expressions of Cao Cong, Ge Xuan, and Wei Jun. The starlight in his eyes flickered erratically.
A moment later, the faint smile on Li Mu's lips deepened slightly, and he nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist Ji's breadth of mind is as vast as the sea, and the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty's spirit is extraordinary. Since that is the case, I, Li... shall accept."
"Good!" A gleam flashed in Ji Yu's eyes, and he clapped his hands, laughing, "To receive Fellow Daoist's consent is truly a grand event for the Tianxing Pavilion! Cao Cong!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Cao Cong quickly stood up, his face unable to hide his joy.
"Immediately proceed with arrangements, prepare all necessary items for Senior Li as a Scholar, with the highest tribute protocol." Ji Yu gave his instructions, then once again raised his cup to Li Mu: "Dao Friend Li, please!"
The jade cups clinked one last time, the clear aftertaste lingering. Ji Yu's smile remained, but a hint of urgency flashed in his eyes.
"Fellow Daoist, please return to the valley to rest for now. All matters will be properly arranged by Cao Cong." Ji Yu stood up to see him off, his words courteous, "There are still some mundane affairs in the Pavilion that need immediate attention, so I apologize for not seeing you further."
Li Mu nodded slightly, saying nothing more, and turned to leave with Xue'er.
Once Li Mu's figure disappeared into the swirling halo of the pagoda gate, the polite smile on Ji Yu's face instantly vanished, returning to a deep, still pool. He turned, his black robe unfurling, and transformed into a dark purple streak of light, shooting directly towards the higher levels of the pagoda's Peak.
Ge Xuan and Wei Jun exchanged glances, both seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes, and quickly followed suit.
At the core of the pagoda's Peak, a secret chamber entirely constructed from flowing stellar runes.
In the center, a spherical star instrument, crafted from a single piece of "Star Core Sinking Gold," floated. Innumerable intricate star tracks revolved upon it, reflecting the myriad stars of the heavens.
Ji Yu stood before the star instrument, forming hand seals, his ten fingers flying like phantoms. Low incantations echoed within the secret chamber, causing the surrounding stellar runes to suddenly glow brightly, and immense Star Power was frantically drawn in, converging at his fingertips.
"Hmph!"
With a soft cry, a condensed, extremely deep purple beam of light shot from Ji Yu's fingertips, fiercely piercing the core of the star instrument!
Buzz—
The star instrument vibrated violently, its surface star tracks instantly blurring, reassembling, and accelerating a billion times over! Innumerable stellar projections wildly flickered, brightened, dimmed, and stretched into billions of streaks of light within the secret chamber. The entire room seemed to transform into a boiling vortex of stars.
Ji Yu's eyes were tightly closed, a vertical fissure opening at his glabella. The star vortex within rotated to its extreme, his entire mind sinking into the star instrument, following the faint ripple of dread left by the Heaven and Earth's Will earlier, fully tracing its source…
...
The star map changed rapidly, coordinates jumping wildly, crossing endless Star Domains, penetrating layers upon layers of space-time barriers... Suddenly!
The star instrument violently trembled. In the vast Star Domain illusion projected from its core, a giant light spot representing a specific realm was intensely flickering and expanding. The spatial Law Context around it showed terrifying signs of extreme distortion and tearing, and countless bizarre white cracks, representing destruction, spread and burst around that light spot!
Ji Yu's eyes snapped open, the vertical fissure closing. The star vortex deep within his pupils was almost static. He stared intently at the projection of the realm that was "collapsing" on the star instrument, the color draining from his face.
"How can this be? The other world beyond the realm barrier..."
"Pavilion Master, what on earth is happening?" Ge Xuan rushed to his side, asking with utter bewilderment. With his level of cultivation, he couldn't see that far.
"A realm beyond our own has suffered a catastrophe of Heaven's collapse!" Ji Yu gritted his teeth, pointing at the frantically flickering, near-collapsing projection at the core of the star instrument, indicating, "That world is being invaded by an external force. That fluctuation... is the dying wail of that external world's Heavenly Dao Will!"
Upon hearing this, Ge Xuan's cloudy old eyes widened instantly, and his withered hand fiercely clutched his sleeve. Although his cultivation was insufficient to peer far, the words "realm collapse" and "Heavenly Dao's wail" were enough to send shivers down his spine.
Ji Yu stared intently at the star instrument, his knuckles turning white from clenching, but the star vortex in his eyes spun violently, rapidly analyzing the chaotic information stream transmitted by the star map: "The extent of the impact is still difficult to determine, but the turbulent waves of realm collapse... are extremely fast! The fluctuations from its Heavenly Dao's dying counterattack have already permeated this realm!"
Ji Yu suddenly turned, his body already moving to a corner of the secret chamber where ancient Jade Slips were piled like a mountain.
Ji Yu's fingers moved like lightning, rapidly searching and retrieving through the piles of Jade Slips that exuded the dust of Years. His fingertips swept over each jade piece, some lustrous, some dim, his Divine Sense like a tide sweeping over the massive amount of information recorded within—stellar trajectories, the rise and fall of ancient realms, anomalies of the Heavenly Dao, legends of outer domains...
Time flowed silently within the secret chamber, with only the faint sounds of Jade Slips being rapidly flipped and the low hum of the star instrument.
Ji Yu's brow furrowed tighter and tighter, the movement of his fingertips shifting from swift to heavy. He had scoured the oldest, most obscure, and most bizarre ancient texts, his Divine Sense repeatedly searching through them, trying to grasp any clue related to the terrifying scene before him.
However, he found nothing.
The catastrophes described in those ancient texts, whether realm annihilation or Heavenly Dao collapse, their omens, their processes, and the speed of their impact, all failed to match what was shown by the star instrument and the way the eerie white cracks were eroding the subsidiary realms! The source seemed to be lost in the deepest mist.
Ji Yu's fingertip pressed on a cold Jade Slip, no longer flipping. He raised his head, looking towards the entrance of the secret chamber, his vast True Essence surging incessantly. The heaviness of not finding an answer made him inexplicably anxious.
The night was thick, and starlight flowed.
In the quiet room of Li Mu's spiritual courtyard, starlight, like water, silently permeated the jade bricks.
Without warning, the space in the center of the quiet room suddenly collapsed inward, tearing apart! A dark purple figure, enveloped in chaotic star dust and spatial fragments, stepped out with a forceful stride.
It was Ji Yu. His black robe fluttered, his True Essence not yet fully settled, and the star vortex in his eyes spun rapidly, no longer the calm demeanor he displayed in the pagoda during the day, leaving only solemnity and a hint of uncontainable urgency.
Almost at the same instant the space tore, on the other side of the quiet room, starlight like water silently converged, forming Li Mu's figure.
Li Mu's expression was calm, as if Ji Yu's sudden arrival through the Void Realm was no surprise, even carrying a hint of indifference that suggested he had expected it.
Their eyes met, and the starlight in the room seemed to solidify.
Ji Yu offered no polite greetings. He took a step forward, his gaze piercing directly into Li Mu's eyes like nails, and asked straight to the point: "Dao Friend Li, no more evasions! What exactly is that terrifying existence?!"
Ji Yu stared intently at Li Mu, not allowing him to avoid the question, and sternly challenged him: "The Heaven and Earth's Will trembled violently, realms collapsed, and the Heavenly Dao wailed! Such anomalies are absolutely not the 'minor disturbance' you spoke of! Tell me, what is it?"
"The Shepherd Realm Clan, also known as the Deva Race," Li Mu replied gravely, stating solemnly, "They use Strange Trees to shepherd all realms, Guei Power to pollute the living beings of a realm, and to devour the Laws of a realm!"
The words "shepherd all realms" and "devour Laws" were like invisible heavy hammers, striking fiercely at Ji Yu's mind!
The star vortex in the depths of Ji Yu's pupils suddenly froze, the color instantly draining from his face. A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, even the vast True Essence surging within him paused!
Shepherd all realms?
Pollute the living beings of a realm!
These few short sentences completely subverted all of Ji Yu's understanding of "external invasion." This was absolutely not an ordinary realm war or resource plunder; this was... a terrifying existence that fed on entire realms and the Heavenly Dao of a realm!
"Deva Race... Shepherd Realm..." Ji Yu's throat worked, and he stared at Li Mu, asking in disbelief, "Dao Friend Li, is this... true?!"
Ji Yu stared intently at Li Mu, trying to find a flaw in his calm, unruffled face.
Li Mu did not answer. He merely looked up, his gaze once again cast towards the profound Void Realm, as if penetrating layers of realm barriers, seeing the tragic scene of the foreign realm being entangled by Strange Trees, permeated by Guei Power, and its Laws being frantically extracted and devoured.
The heavy aura emanating from Li Mu, his silent gaze, was more convincing than any words.
Ji Yu followed Li Mu's gaze, and felt as if the familiar starry sky now concealed a giant maw that chose people to devour.
Ji Yu suddenly clenched his fists, his knuckles popping under the strain. There was no longer any trace of hope in his heart. His figure flickered, transforming into streaks of starlight, and instantly vanished.
"Cao Cong!"
The next moment, Ji Yu reappeared, coalescing from starlight within the Tian Xing Pagoda, his voice like a clap of thunder.
Space rippled like water, and Cao Cong's figure appeared almost scrambling at the entrance of the quiet room, his face still bearing un-faded astonishment: "Pavilion Master!"
"Transmit my Star Edict!" Ji Yu's words were extremely fast, urging, "Immediately notify the Sect Masters of all Sects in the Celestial Court, the Chief Elder of the Imperial Dynasty's Tribute Hall, the Marshals of the Three Armies,... —A great catastrophe of Heaven's collapse is upon us! The Deva Race has appeared, shepherding realms and devouring them whole, a foreign realm has already collapsed! Order all highest combat powers to gather at the 'Heaven-Gazing Hall' within three breaths! No delay!"
"Guei... Deva Race? Shepherd Realm devouring?" Cao Cong's entire body trembled violently, his face ashen, almost believing he had misheard.
But the absolute determination in Ji Yu's eyes, which almost seemed to burst forth, made him instantly realize that this was no jest!
"Yes... Yes, sir!" Cao Cong dared not delay in the slightest. He stomped his foot fiercely, and his figure transformed into a dazzling streak of starlight, soaring into the sky.
The starlight shot directly to the "Star Hub" at the very top of the Tianxing Pavilion. Instantly, an unprecedented, destructive deep purple starfire, like a raging wildfire, exploded with a roar, illuminating the entire night sky of the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty!
Starfire blazed across the sky, the Highest Star Edict!
At this moment, countless ancient existences in slumber were awakened. Streaks of powerful, ancient, or domineering auras, like dormant Dragons, erupted from various parts of the Celestial Court, tearing through the sky with surprise and solemnity, all converging towards the Tianxing Pavilion!
The afterglow of the deep purple starfire had not yet dissipated, when inside the Tianxing Pavilion's core "Heaven-Gazing Hall," space was already like boiling water!
Silently, figures tore through the spatial barrier, arriving with imposing presence!
Some were enveloped in Imperial Dragon Qi, their pressure like an abyss; some had Sword Qi soaring to the heavens, cleaving starlight; some sat withered on lotus pedestals, their Buddhist light illuminating all; some had blood-red Qi soaring to the sky, their Battle Intent tearing through space... Old Ancestors of Immortal Sects, Chief Elders of the Imperial Dynasty, Marshals of the Three Armies, the terrifying existences at the Peak of the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty, almost at the same time, gathered here!
The space within the hall was expanded to a vast extent by an invisible mighty force. Beneath their feet was a base cast from a single piece of "Star Core Sinking Gold," flowing with materialized starlight, reflecting the projections of the myriad stars of the heavens.
The air was as heavy as solidified mercury. Gaze after gaze, each containing enough power to crush mountains, were now focused on two people in the hall—Ji Yu, whose expression was unprecedentedly solemn, and the plain-robed man beside him, Li Mu, who remained calm. (End of Chapter)
