Chapter 938: Ancient Star Heaven

As dawn approached, the two finally returned to Heng Yue Zong.

Heng Yue Zong was as peaceful and serene as ever, like a hidden paradise.

The sky was still dim, but the diligent disciples were already up and practicing, especially those of the Xuan generation, who were preparing for the Three Sects Grand Competition in three days.

"Heng Yue Zong has a teleportation array that leads to the Hao Tian Shi Jia. You should go home," Ye Chen said casually, glancing at Hao Tian Shi Yue.

"Dust Night, are you trying to send me away?" Hao Tian Shi Yue looked at Ye Chen, her beautiful eyes welling up with tears, like a wronged little sister gazing at her brother.

"I—"

"I'll just wander around a bit. You go ahead and get busy." Hao Tian Shi Yue chuckled mischievously, then turned and dashed away. She didn't look like someone about to cry at all—instead, she vanished like a puff of smoke, as if afraid Ye Chen might call her back to send her off. Though she was the older sister, she came across as a playful little sibling.

"Was I just tricked?" Ye Chen stood there, staring in the direction Hao Tian Shi Yue had run, his expression turning oddly strange.

"Brat, come to the grand hall. I have a treasure to show you." Soon, the ethereal voice of Tai Xu Gu Long echoed in his ears.

"A treasure?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, then used a step to shrink the distance in an instant, arriving at the grand hall of Heng Yue Zong.

As soon as he entered, he saw a vast expanse of starry sky, though it wasn't the real thing—it was an imitation created with profound secret techniques. Yet it felt incredibly authentic, with stars of various colors shimmering and radiating brilliant light.

What a marvelous secret technique!

Ye Chen marvelled inwardly, feeling as if he were truly in the midst of the stars, with them almost within reach.

"What is this?" Ye Chen asked in astonishment, turning to Tai Xu Gu Long beside him.

"The Taigu Xing Tian Tu," Tai Xu Gu Long replied with a proud smile. "It's a secret diagram created by a supreme being from my clan in ancient times. As you can see, it's not the actual starry sky but a simulation using advanced secret techniques. It can automatically capture the rhythms of heaven and earth. Of course, its greatest function is for surveillance and observation."

"Surveillance and observation?"

"Come, look here." Tai Xu Gu Long pointed to a section of the starry sky. "That's the Nan Chu Qian Qiu Ancient City. In that area, each star represents a person. Yellow stars indicate Zhen Yang Jing, purple ones indicate Ling Xu Jing, red ones indicate Kong Ming Jing, and gold ones indicate Zhun Tian Jing."

"You can even tell that from this?" Ye Chen was truly shocked.

"That's Dong Yue, that's Xi Shu, that's Nan Jiang, that's Bei Chuan." Tai Xu Gu Long continued pointing at the stars. "Stars of different colors represent cultivators of different realms. When they move, it means those people are moving, and you can see exactly where they're going."

"What about Bei Chu?" Ye Chen asked Tai Xu Gu Long. "Is it also under the surveillance and observation of this star map?"

"This Xing Tian Tu isn't complete yet," Tai Xu Gu Long said with a laugh. "The areas it can observe in Bei Chu are quite limited."

"That's incredibly powerful!" Ye Chen exclaimed in admiration. "If Bei Chu were also under surveillance, we'd know immediately if they mobilized their cultivator armies. Knowing your enemy and yourself ensures victory in every battle."

"Of course it's powerful." Tai Xu Gu Long straightened his clothes. "Did you think I wasted these past three years?"

"Can this Taigu Xing Tian be relocated?"

"You're thinking of moving it to the Tian Ting headquarters?" Tai Xu Gu Long looked at Ye Chen with interest.

"I won't deny it," Ye Chen said with a smile. "After all, Tian Ting has many secrets at its headquarters, and Ren Huang is there too. Giving this star map to Ren Huang would maximize its effectiveness."

"Don't worry, I've already started handling that."

"That's even better." Ye Chen took a deep breath.

"Have you met the Shen Chao Sheng Zi?" Tai Xu Gu Long found a comfortable spot and spoke with a meaningful tone.

"It seems nothing escapes your eyes." Ye Chen sat down as well, his face looking rather grim. "The Ji Mie Shen Ti is outrageously strong. People from the Chu Huang era aren't to be underestimated, every one of them."

"And then?" Tai Xu Gu Long smiled faintly.

"From his movement techniques, I sensed a hint related to the time-space domain." Ye Chen pondered aloud. Even now, thinking about the Shen Chao Sheng Zi's killing strike gave him lingering fear—it was beyond the comprehension of ordinary cultivators.

"That's the Fei Lei Shen Jue, the innate divine ability of the Ji Mie Shen Ti."

"This is the second time you've mentioned the Fei Lei Shen Jue." Ye Chen turned to Tai Xu Gu Long. "What's the origin of this technique?"

"It's a heaven-defying divine art." Tai Xu Gu Long spoke leisurely. "As you said, it touches the time-space domain. Once it locks onto a target, it can shift through time and space to instantly behead the enemy. It's far superior to your Xu Kong Huan Mie— one is a space secret technique, the other a time-space secret technique, clearly not on the same level."

"I've already experienced its terror." Ye Chen's gaze flickered uncertainly.

"Speaking of which, the Fei Lei Shen Jue shares some similarities with your Xian Lun Tian Zhao." Tai Xu Gu Long's voice remained ethereal. "Both are heaven-defying divine abilities involving time and space. Your Xian Lun Tian Zhao weaves space force and time force into a mysterious power that's between full time-space force and half time-space force, manifesting as fire that dissolves the enemy's body into time and space. Meanwhile, Fei Lei Shen Jue also draws on space force and time force to create a similar mysterious power, causing space and time to misalign."

"Does this technique have any flaws?" Ye Chen humbly sought advice from Tai Xu Gu Long.

"Flaws? I've heard of them, but it does have one drawback." Tai Xu Gu Long stroked his chin. "Like your Tian Zhao, the Fei Lei Shen Jue has a distance limit. To guarantee a kill, three hundred zhang is the extreme range—beyond that, it loses its full power."

"As long as there's a flaw, that's good." Ye Chen took a deep breath.

"I'm using the Shen Chao Sheng Zi as an example, but not everyone's distance limit is three hundred zhang." Tai Xu Gu Long added, "If the one using Fei Lei Shen Jue is at the Da Sheng or Zhun Di level, the range would be incomparable. Facing someone like that, you wouldn't even know how your head was severed. The Ji Mie Shen Ti is one of the most troublesome bloodlines in the Zhu Tian Wan Yu—stealthy and elusive. With Fei Lei Shen Jue, it's even more of a headache. Typically, the major powers across Zhu Tian Wan Yu deal with such bloodlines by eliminating them in their infancy."

"Three hundred zhang—that's about the same as the range of my Tian Zhao. I just don't know if his Fei Lei Shen Jue is faster or my Tian Zhao is."

"That's hard to say. Both divine arts touch the time-space domain, so either could instantly kill the other."

"What a formidable adversary." Ye Chen's eyes flashed with uncertainty, making him even more wary of the Shen Chao Sheng Zi.

"Did he declare war on you?" Tai Xu Gu Long glanced at Ye Chen.

"On the day of the Nine Yang, at the Dong Ling Ancient Abyss."

"Take your Six Paths Xian Lun Eye with you." Tai Xu Gu Long took a leisurely sip of wine. "Fei Lei Shen Jue is extremely dominant, so to counter it, you need an equal secret technique—like your Tian Zhao."

"I understand." Ye Chen nodded lightly.

"After you left, I studied your Xing Chen Dao Shen again." Tai Xu Gu Long continued, "I can confirm that his consciousness has indeed been pulled into a strange realm and is likely lost in it. The chances of him waking up on his own are almost zero."

"Is there a way to save him?" Ye Chen asked hurriedly.

"Yes." Tai Xu Gu Long was firm. "You need to connect your true self with his dao shen's consciousness and enter that strange realm to bring him out. But it's dangerous—if you get lost in it too, you'll fall into the same slumber."

"Then let's try it."

"In three days, it'll be the Three Sects Grand Competition. After that, I'll send you into his consciousness realm. Whether you can bring him out of that strange realm will depend on your respective fates."