589: Chapter 589 Ye Zhou Blocks the Way

[You look at the four of them calmly and beckon with your hand.]

[The giant sword slowly dissipates, turning into a sky full of spiritual light, like shattered stars, vanishing bit by bit into the wind.]

[The wind picks up again, and the valley returns to tranquility.]

[You turn around, and the void-breaking boat manifests beneath your feet, carrying you slowly into the air.]

[Jingkong wipes the blood from the corner of his mouth and quickly approaches with cupped fists: "Amitabha... Thank you, Benefactor, for showing mercy. Heaven has the virtue of loving life; Benefactor will surely have a boundless future..."]

["Dead bald donkey, can you stop with the nonsense?" Gu Lingshuang leans over with a stern face.]

[Chu Yiyi also changes her expression, approaching with a beaming smile: "How should I address this Fellow Daoist? Your move just now was so strong."]

[Tang Zhan sheathes his sword and stands still, saying nothing, only cupping his fists toward you.]

[You scan the four of them and speak calmly: "I am Qin Tian. Are you not people of Ziyang Star?"]

["The four of us are from Tianlan Star. This bald donkey is from Hanshan Temple, Sister Gu here is from the Sky Blue Gu Family, and Young Master Tang is from the Sky Blue Tang Family." She points to each of them in turn, her tone light and brisk.]

["And you?" you ask.]

["I am from the Sky Blue Chu Family," Chu Yiyi smiles.]

["Heh..." Gu Lingshuang sneers. "Her? She has another identity: she is the Saintess of the Sky Blue Hehuan Sect."]

[Chu Yiyi glares at her, her voice rising a few notches: "What's wrong with the Hehuan Sect? Did I steal your man?"]

["Chu Green Tea, are you looking for a fight?" Gu Lingshuang says coldly.]

["Sister Gu, what are you saying?" Chu Yiyi immediately switches back to a smiling face, her voice softening again. "I am no match for you."]

[You frown as you look at the four of them, feeling speechless. You truly wonder how these four managed to Cultivate to the Soul Transformation stage.]

[However, the 'Tianlan Star' they mentioned has piqued your interest.]

["Tianlan Star? Where is it located?" you ask.]

["Tianlan Star..." Chu Yiyi brushes her hair, her tone casual. "It's in a remote corner near the Demon Domain and belongs to a secondary star continent. It's normal for Fellow Daoist not to know of it."]

["In the direction of the Demon Domain? Is it near the Xuanyuan Immortal Clan?" you continue to ask.]

["Exactly." Gu Lingshuang interjects. "Have you been there, Fellow Daoist?"]

["I haven't." You shake your head. "And what did you mean by 'secondary star continent'?"]

["Fellow Daoist doesn't even know that?" Tang Zhan asks, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.]

[You look at him: "Should I know?"]

[Jingkong puts his palms together with a look of realization: "Amitabha. Benefactor must have been in secluded cultivation for many years and rarely travels outside, right?"]

[You nod: "Correct, I have indeed been in secluded cultivation for many years and rarely go out."]

["Shattered Star Continent—Fellow Daoist knows of it, right?" Jingkong asks.]

["I know." You nod.]

[Jingkong puts his palms together, his tone becoming serious: "It is said that wealth, companions, methods, and land are the four pillars of cultivation; this 'land' determines one's upper limit."]

[He pauses and continues: "The Shattered Star Continent was once a complete continent that was broken apart. After countless years of self-repair, it slowly developed its world origin and life, as well as Spiritual Veins and Spiritual Qi."]

["Then what about a secondary star continent?" you ask.]

["A secondary star continent is one that has further evolved from a Shattered Star Continent and is close to being a complete Star Continent," Jingkong explains. "For instance, a Shattered Star Continent is limited by incomplete laws of heaven and earth, insufficient Spiritual Qi, and scarce resources. The cultivation limit is generally stuck at the Nascent Soul stage."]

["I see." You nod.]

["As for secondary star continents, their laws and resources are also limited. The limit is generally Soul Transformation, or at most Void Refining." Jingkong holds up two fingers. "Moving up from there, you have intermediate and advanced star continents. The limit in such places is Void Refining or Body Integration."]

[He pauses, his tone rising slightly: "Finally, there are the complete Star Continents... The world origin is intact, allowing for the birth of top-tier Heaven And Earth Treasures. However, these territories are all occupied by first-rate forces."]

["What about the territories of the five top-tier forces?" you ask casually.]

[Jingkong glances at you, his tone filled with yearning: "The territories of the five top-tier forces... those aren't even called Star Continents anymore. The Spiritual Qi, resources, and opportunities for cultivation there are beyond our imagination. This is why the strong get stronger and the weak get weaker."]

["Why?" Qin Han suddenly asks, tilting his head.]

["Because they were born occupying a good piece of land." Jingkong sighs. "Their starting point is higher than others, so the gap naturally grows wider and wider."]

[You frown slightly as a thought occurs to you—could it be that the world origin of this Ziyang Star beneath your feet is damaged?]

[Otherwise, why has no Mahayana Cultivator appeared here since the time of Venerable Ziyang?]

[You suddenly remember the Demon Seed of the Asura Demon Venerable—that thing directly corrodes the world origin of the Liu Clan Immortal Family's ancestral land.]

[Now you roughly understand why that Demon Seed thing is so destructive.]

[It’s like hitting a snake at its seven-inch mark—striking directly at the vital point.]

[However, for Cultivators of the Immortal Realm, destroying their own territory brings no benefit, so Mahayana Cultivators generally wouldn't do such a thing.]

[You pull back your thoughts and cup your fists: "Thank you for clearing my doubts. Farewell."]

["Wait..." Chu Yiyi suddenly speaks. "Fellow Daoist Qin, why don't we explore these ruins together?"]

[The other three look at each other and nod.]

[After some thought, you wave your hand and signal them to board the boat: "Please."]

[The four of them smile happily and board the void-breaking boat.]

[Afterward, you set up a banquet on the third deck and converse in detail with the four of them.]

[Jingkong talks the most, while Chu Yiyi interjects occasionally with a soft voice that always has a hidden sting. Tang Zhan speaks the least, only opening his mouth when you ask him something, his words as precious as gold.]

[Time passes unknowingly, and two days go by.]

[The void-breaking boat passes through a thick mist, and the view ahead suddenly opens up.]

[Two steep mountain peaks stand opposite each other like giant gates, sandwiching a narrow canyon entrance between them.]

[The mouth of the valley is barely a hundred feet wide, and the cliff walls on both sides are as smooth as if they were carved, looking like they were split open by a single sword strike. Mist billows out from the valley, and the wind whistles through the canyon with a low moan.]

["This is the entrance to the ruins." Chu Yiyi points ahead. "Inside is the center of the ruins."]

[Just as you are about to urge the void-breaking boat forward, four figures suddenly appear at the valley entrance.]

[The leader stands with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering without wind, his gaze cold and sharp as a blade—Liu Yezhou.]

[Three people stand behind him in a line, their Auras sharp and fierce, all at the Nascent Soul stage.]

[Liu Yezhou sweeps a cold eye over the five of you, his brow furrowing slightly.]

[He originally thought you would be alone; he didn't expect four more.]

[He points his finger at you and says to the other four: "I am here for him. If you are not with him, then leave."]

[Chu Yiyi takes a step forward, her voice turning cold: "Who are you? Why are you blocking our path?"]