79: Chapter 79 Heavenly Secrets Report, the Big Dipper Will Be in Chaos

The fifth day of Luck enhancement, early morning.

Third basement level of the Heavenly Court Stronghold, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion headquarters.

This place was completely different from the clamor of the training grounds; it was so quiet that only the light clinking of Jade Slips and the rustling of Talisman paper being flipped could be heard. Dozens of Heavenly Secret Pavilion members sat in their respective cubicles, either closing their eyes to receive transmissions, leaning over desks to analyze intelligence, or manipulating complex water mirror Formations to monitor dynamics across various regions.

Qin Ruoxue stood before the "Heavenly Secret Star Chart" in the center, her expression solemn.

The Star Chart was a massive scroll covering an entire wall, with the map of the Eastern Wasteland as its base, marked with thousands of light points—each representing a location monitored by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. The color of the light points indicated their status: green for normal, yellow for alert, red for danger, and black for... unknown.

At this moment, seven red light points and three black light points appeared on the Star Chart.

More eerily, these abnormal light points were moving, like drops of ink dripping into clear water, slowly but firmly spreading ominous shadows.

"Pavilion Master." A member of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion walked over quickly and handed over a freshly processed Jade Slip, "An emergency transmission from 'Storm City' in the Northern Plains has been decoded."

Qin Ruoxue took the Jade Slip and pressed it to her forehead. A large amount of information flooded into her mind:

【Source of Intelligence: Storm City Heavenly Secret Pavilion Sub-station (ID: North-07)】

【Time: Yesterday from the Hour of Xu to today's Hour of Yin】

【Event Overview: A large-scale Secret Realm riot occurred in the 'Frozen Canyon', three hundred li north of Storm City】

【Detailed Situation:

① At the third quarter of the Hour of Xu, abnormal rumbling came from deep within the Frozen Canyon, the ground cracked, and cold Qi gushed out, forming dozens of frost vortexes with diameters exceeding ten zhang.

② A large number of mutated Yao Beasts surged out of the vortexes, including 'Frostfang Wolves' (Rank 33-36, originally 28-30), 'Ice Crystal Pythons' (Rank 35-38, originally 30-33), and three unrecorded new species (temporarily named 'Frost Puppets', 'Ice Soul Ghosts', and 'Polar Worms', all with Ranks between 38-42).

③ The Yao Beast swarms rushed out of the canyon, attacking three villages and towns on the outskirts of Storm City. The garrison fought back hastily, suffering heavy casualties. By the Hour of Yin, two villages and towns had fallen, with over eight hundred civilian deaths and forty-seven confirmed player deaths.

④ The City Lord of Storm City has issued an emergency mobilization order, offering rewards for the extermination of the Yao Beasts. But strangely, in the bounty missions issued by the System, the rewards are three times higher than normal, and a special note was added: "Due to Secret Realm energy leakage, Yao Beasts have undergone unpredictable mutations; adventurers are advised to proceed with caution."

⑤ The Heavenly Secret Pavilion agent 'Cold Crow' risked entering the edge of the canyon and discovered the outlines of what appeared to be ancient architectural ruins deep within the vortex, as well as... faint human cries for help (non-players, suspected NPCs).】

Qin Ruoxue put down the Jade Slip and took a deep breath.

Secret Realm riots, Yao Beast mutations, abnormal System missions, the appearance of ancient ruins, NPC cries for help... this was no longer a simple sudden event, but a series of chain anomalies.

"Next," she said in a low voice.

Another member handed over a Jade Slip.

【Source of Intelligence: Southern Sea 'Bibo City' Heavenly Secret Pavilion Sub-station (ID: South-12)】

【Time: From yesterday's Hour of Hai until now】

【Event: Spatial rifts appeared in the 'Mist Islands' of the Southern Sea】

【Detailed Situation:

① Around the Hour of Hai, the sky in the central area of the Mist Islands tore open, and three black rifts about a hundred zhang long appeared.

② Dense 'chaos spiritual qi' gushed out of the rifts (preliminary analysis shows it differs from regular Spiritual Qi components, containing chaotic, disorderly, and erosive properties).

③ The diffusion of chaos spiritual qi led to ecological mutations in the islands: ordinary fish grew bone spurs and venom glands, seabirds tripled in size and became extremely aggressive, and plants began to actively prey on living creatures.

④ Three exploration teams from Bibo City accidentally entered the islands and were completely wiped out. The last images sent back by survivors showed signs of giant creatures Awakening deep within the islands.

⑤ System Prompt: This area has been marked as a 'Chaos Erosion Zone', those who enter will continuously take Chaos damage (losing 1% of maximum HP per second) and cannot use regular teleportation Talismans to leave.】

The third Jade Slip.

【Source of Intelligence: Western Desert 'Jinsha City' Heavenly Secret Pavilion Sub-station (ID: West-09)】

【Event: Ancient Formation in the Western Desert's 'Death Sand Sea' abnormally activated】

【Detailed Situation: ...】

The fourth.

【Source of Intelligence: Eastern Wasteland 'Qingyun City'...】

【Event: ...】

The fifth, sixth, seventh...

Qin Ruoxue received twelve emergency intelligence reports in a row, coming from all over the Eastern Wasteland and even other regions.

All intelligence pointed to the same fact: The game world of "covering the heavens era" was undergoing large-scale, systemic anomalies!

Secret Realm riots, Yao Beast mutations, spatial rifts, the appearance of ancient ruins, changes in the nature of Spiritual Qi, abnormal System missions, NPC behavior spiraling out of control...

"Pavilion Master, there's also this." A pale-faced Heavenly Secret Pavilion member tremblingly handed over the final Jade Slip, "This is... the monitoring report for the Big Dipper Star Field."

The Big Dipper Star Field!

Qin Ruoxue's heart skipped a beat. big dipper is the core region of the Eastern Wasteland, where the big dipper Star, one of the seven ancient life planets, is located. Many top-tier forces like the Yaoguang Holy Land are situated in big dipper. If anomalies appeared there as well...

She quickly read the contents of the Jade Slip.

【Source of Intelligence: Big Dipper Star Field 'Tianshu City' Heavenly Secret Pavilion Main Station (ID: big dipper-01)】

【Time: Summary of seven consecutive days of monitoring】

【Event: 'Stellar Trajectory Chaos' phenomenon appearing in multiple locations across the Big Dipper Star Field】

【Detailed Situation:

① Records from the Tianshu City Star Gazing Platform show that the brightness of 'Tianquan Star' (Wenqu Star) among the big dipper has decreased by 23% over the past seven days, while the brightness of 'Yaoguang Star' (Po Jun Star) has increased by 37%. This abnormal fluctuation has never appeared in historical records.

② Multiple auxiliary stars in the 'Ziwei Enclosure' (Imperial Star Zone) have shifted positions, with the maximum offset angle reaching 7 degrees. Astrologers interpret this as a sign that 'the Imperial Star is unstable, and the stars are competing for brilliance.'

③ The Spiritual Qi concentrations of the seven ancient life planets of big dipper (Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, Yaoguang) have all shown violent fluctuations, with amplitudes between ±15%, causing many cultivators to fail their Breakthroughs or suffer Qi Deviation.

④ Multiple ancient Secret Realms (including the 'Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land', 'Primal Ancient Mine', 'Spirit Valley', etc.) have loosened Seals, with signs of activity from unknown creatures.

⑤ Most bizarrely: At the Hour of Zi yesterday, all online players in big dipper simultaneously received a blurred System prompt—"The trajectories of the stars are beginning to blur, and the threads of fate are intertwining. Be prepared, a great change is coming." The prompt did not specify a source, and the record could not be queried.】

Qin Ruoxue put down the Jade Slip, her hands trembling slightly.

Stellar trajectory Chaos... this was a more terrifying omen than a Secret Realm riot! In the worldview of "covering the heavens era," stars did not just represent celestial bodies; they symbolized the Laws of the Great Dao and the Luck of fate. Chaos in stellar trajectories meant that the Laws of Heaven and Earth were changing!

"Pavilion Master, what... what should we do?" a Heavenly Secret Pavilion member asked in a trembling voice.

Qin Ruoxue forced herself to calm down. She was the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion and the core of the intelligence network; she could not panic.

"Organize all intelligence into an encrypted report; I will personally report to Leader Lin," she ordered. "At the same time, initiate the second phase of the 'Heavenly Eye Project' and raise all monitoring levels to the maximum. Notify all sub-stations that self-preservation is the first priority, and they may abandon strongholds and retreat if necessary."

"Yes!"

Qin Ruoxue left the Heavenly Secret Pavilion headquarters in a hurry with the compiled report.

When she arrived outside the quiet room where Lin Ye was in seclusion, she found Su Qingyue, Chen Hao, Shi Potian, and Zhao Wuji already waiting there. The faces of the four were not good, clearly having received news from their respective channels.

"Is Lin Ye still in seclusion?" Qin Ruoxue asked.

"Just finished." Su Qingyue pointed to the door of the quiet room, "He told us to wait here, saying he sensed something major was happening."

Just as she finished speaking, the door to the quiet room slid open silently.

Lin Ye walked out. He had changed into a clean set of grey cloth clothes, his hair was tied back, and his expression was calm, but his eyes held an unprecedented solemnity. After four days of seclusion, his aura was even more restrained and profound, clearly having made further progress in his cultivation. But at this moment, no one's attention was on his cultivation level.

"Come in and talk." Lin Ye turned and walked back into the quiet room.

The space inside the quiet room was not large, with only a prayer mat, a low table, and several cushions. The six of them sat in a circle, the atmosphere heavy.

"I'll go first." Qin Ruoxue placed the encrypted report on the low table, "In the past twenty-four hours, large-scale abnormal events have erupted simultaneously across the Eastern Wasteland and even other regions."

She briefly reported the twelve anomalies, focusing on the stellar trajectory Chaos in the Big Dipper Star Field.

With every location she mentioned, everyone's expression grew grimmer.

When she mentioned the System prompt "The trajectories of the stars are beginning to blur, and the threads of fate are intertwining," even Shi Potian, the most composed, gasped.

"Brother Lin," Zhao Wuji's voice was dry, "What... what exactly is going on? Is the game bugged? Or..."

"It's not a bug." Lin Ye interrupted him, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "The rules of the world are changing."

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

He pointed to several keywords in Qin Ruoxue's report: 'Secret Realm riots, Yao Beast mutations, spatial rifts, stellar Chaos... All of these point to the same fact: the 'covering the heavens era' game world is transitioning from a 'game' to 'reality'.'

"Reality?" Chen Hao asked, confused. "Isn't a game just a game? How can it become real?"

"If I said," Lin Ye said slowly, "that in one year, everything in this game—Cultivation Techniques, equipment, cultivation levels, and even death—will manifest in the real world, would you believe me?"

Dead silence.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, looking at Lin Ye in disbelief.

"Lin Ye, you..." Su Qingyue hesitated. She knew Lin Ye had the ability to "predict the future," but this matter was too shocking.

"I know it's hard to believe," Lin Ye said, "but think carefully about all the anomalies that have occurred recently: NPC Awakening, Secret Realm riots, Yao Beast mutations, stellar Chaos... These are all signs that the world is 'coming alive'."

He picked up the report and pointed to the section on "chaos spiritual qi": "What is chaos spiritual qi? In the game's setting, it is the primordial energy that existed only when heaven and earth were first created. And now, it is leaking out from the spatial rifts. What does this mean? It means this world is 'reverting,' returning to a more primitive, more chaotic state."

"And after the reversion?" Lin Ye looked at everyone. "Is it rebirth? Or... destruction?"

No one could answer this question.

"Brother Lin," Qin Ruoxue said with difficulty, "if it is truly as you say, and the game manifests into reality in a year, then what... should we do?"

"Become stronger." Lin Ye said decisively. "Become stronger at any cost. Only by being strong enough can we survive the upheaval and protect the people we want to protect."

He stood up, walked to the window of the quiet room, and looked at the distant sky.

"These anomalous events seem like disasters, but they are also opportunities. Secret Realm riots mean more ancient ruins appearing, Yao Beast mutations mean more precious Materials, and changes in Spiritual Qi mean the cultivation environment is changing... Crisis and opportunity coexist."

"But the premise is," Shi Potian said coldly, "that we can live until that time."

"Correct." Lin Ye turned around. "Therefore, our top priority is to deal with the immediate crisis. The Nightfall hunting squad will arrive in two days, and more widespread anomalous events are spreading across the entire Eastern Wasteland."

He sat back down and began to deploy the plan.

"Pavilion Master Qin, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's task is to fully monitor the development of anomalous events, especially the movements in the Big Dipper Star Field. The chaotic stellar trajectories are likely related to the Yaoguang Holy Land—that is one of the seven great Holy Lands of the big dipper, and also the top faction we are most familiar with at the moment."

"Su Qingyue, you take the Vermilion Bird Hall and Azure Dragon Hall to continue hunting in the Chenxing Mountain Range, but shrink the scope and do not go deep into dangerous areas. Focus on collecting Five Elements token fragments, and at the same time, keep an eye out for any anomalies in the mountain range."

"Chen Hao, Shi Potian, you are responsible for upgrading the defenses of the Heavenly Court Stronghold. From today on, the stronghold will enter a wartime state; no members are allowed to go out without permission. Activate all defensive Formations, stockpile supplies, and prepare for long-term defense."

"Zhao Wuji, you are responsible for logistics and resource allocation. Convert all available Spirit Stones, Materials, and Medicinal Pills into immediate combat power. In addition, use the Chamber of Commerce channels to acquire as many life-saving items and teleportation Talismans as possible—with the appearance of spatial rifts, conventional teleportation may fail, and we need backup plans."

Everyone accepted the orders, but Su Qingyue raised a question: "Lin Ye, you just said that the chaotic stellar trajectories might be related to the Yaoguang Holy Land, so should we... notify Lu Ming and the others?"

Lu Ming is a former Yaoguang Disciple and is very familiar with the Holy Land. If something really goes wrong with the Holy Land, his intelligence would be very valuable.

Lin Ye pondered for a moment and shook his head: "Not for now. Although Lu Ming is reliable, we don't fully understand the people he brought with him. The fewer people who know about the NPC Awakening, the better."

He paused: "However, you can have him compile a dossier on the Yaoguang Holy Land's 'Star Formation'. If the chaotic stellar trajectories really affect the Holy Land, the Star Formation might be the first line of defense, and also the first place to have problems."

"Understood."

The deployment was completed, and everyone left to execute their tasks. Only Lin Ye and Su Qingyue remained in the quiet room.

"Lin Ye," Su Qingyue said softly, "what you said just now... about the game manifesting into reality, is it true?"

Lin Ye looked at her and did not answer directly, but asked instead: "Qingyue, do you remember what that flower-selling old woman said? 'The moon has returned, and the stars will return too'."

Su Qingyue nodded.

"I am thinking," Lin Ye said slowly, "the moon might refer to your Vast Cold Spirit Body, and the stars... might refer to my Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body. Or rather, it refers to people like us who possess special Physiques."

He walked to the low table, picked up Qin Ruoxue's report, and turned to the section on the Big Dipper Star Field.

"The stellar trajectories are chaotic, and the big dipper is abnormal. And the Big Dipper True Scripture is one of the core Legacies of the Yaoguang Holy Land. I Cultivate the Big Dipper True Scripture and have condensed the big dipper star seals, which has a natural connection with the big dipper."

"You mean..." Su Qingyue seemed to understand something, "the stellar Chaos might be related to us?"

"It's not that we caused the Chaos," Lin Ye shook his head, "but in the midst of the Chaos, people like us will be drawn into the center."

He looked out the window at the azure sky, but in his eyes, he seemed to see countless chaotic stellar orbits and the coming storm.

"Qingyue, the path ahead will be harder to walk than we imagined. But no matter what, I will be by your side."

Su Qingyue held his hand: "Me too."

The two looked at each other in silence, which was better than a thousand words.

Meanwhile, far away in the Big Dipper Star Field, at the Yaoguang Holy Land.

Deep within the Holy Land, at the top of a thousand-foot-tall Star Gazing Platform, the Yaoguang Holy Master stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the starry sky.

He wore a starry Daoist robe and a seven-star crown, his face shrouded in hazy starlight, making it impossible to see clearly. But his eyes seemed to contain the entire Universe, so deep that it was suffocating.

Behind him stood seven Holy Land Elders, each with an aura as deep as the sea.

"Holy Master," an Elder with a white beard said in a deep voice, "the Tianquan Star is dim, the Yaoguang Star is bright, the Ziwei auxiliary star is offset... the celestial phenomena are in great Chaos, I fear there is an omen of misfortune."

The Yaoguang Holy Master did not turn back, his voice as calm as an ancient well: "It is not misfortune, it is a variable."

"A variable?"

"The chaotic stellar trajectories mean that the old order is disintegrating, and a new order is being conceived," the Yaoguang Holy Master said slowly, "and those 'visitors from beyond the heavens' are the core of the variable."

He raised his hand and pointed to a direction in the starry sky. There, the stellar trajectories were twisted into an eerie vortex.

"Look there, the position of the 'Seven Killings Star' is moving toward the 'Army Breaker Star'. The Seven Killings Star governs slaughter, and the Army Breaker Star governs reform. The day the two stars converge will be the moment when slaughter and reform descend."

The Elders' expressions were grave.

"Holy Master, how should we respond?"

The Yaoguang Holy Master was silent for a moment, then said: "Open the 'Star Fall Secret Realm' and let all True Disciples enter for training. Also... notify the Saints and Saintesses who are training outside; they must return to the Holy Land within three days."

"The Star Fall Secret Realm?" an Elder exclaimed, "That is the Trial Grounds left by a Saint. It only opens once every hundred years, and it has only been thirty years since it was last opened..."

"We cannot wait." The Yaoguang Holy Master turned around, the starlight dispersing, revealing a majestic and weathered face. "A great change is coming; the Holy Land needs pillars that can stand firm in the storm. Flowers in a greenhouse cannot withstand the wind and rain."

He paused and added: "Also, send people to investigate whether any 'visitors from beyond the heavens' with special sensitivity to the stars have appeared recently. Especially... those who Cultivate the Big Dipper True Scripture."

"The Big Dipper True Scripture?" The Elders looked at each other in dismay, "That is the Holy Land's secret, how could a visitor from beyond the heavens..."

"Anything is possible." The Yaoguang Holy Master looked into the distance, his gaze seemingly piercing through endless space and landing in the direction of the Divine City. "The stars have already given their revelation; the wheel of fate has begun to turn. The only thing we can do is to jump on the carriage and take control of the direction before we are crushed."

He turned and walked down the Star Gazing Platform.

Behind him, the starry sky remained the same, but the trajectories of those stars were more chaotic and more unpredictable than ever before.

And in the Divine City, at the Heavenly Court Stronghold.

Lin Ye suddenly felt something in his heart and looked up toward the north.

That is the direction of the Big Dipper Star Field.

In that instant, the three and a half big dipper star seals within his body vibrated violently at the same time!

An indescribable palpitation surged in his heart, as if something in the distant starry sky was resonating with him.

Or rather... calling to him.

"big dipper..." Lin Ye muttered to himself.

A chaotic era is about to arrive.

And he and the Heavenly Court have already been drawn into the center of this storm.