The Sun Star's Gathering

The shattered ancient divine city deep within the strata began to reassemble, but its walls rapidly shrank, condensing into a miniature city that wrapped around the outer layer, forming a double city.

Xiao Chen moved with extreme caution, trying to gather the twin cities from the ground using the divine diagram, fearful of damaging their foundations—the consequences of which would be unimaginable.

The tiny, childish beast inside seemed dissatisfied, muttering to itself and glaring at Xiao Chen with wide eyes. He Zu quickly transmitted a message, patiently explaining until the beast quieted, transforming into a wisp of white mist that vanished into the city.

Light flashed, and the double city was smoothly placed within the divine diagram. Then Xiao Chen walked toward a prepared teleportation formation, set up in advance by He Zu.

“With the Pan Gu Stone Token in hand, nothing unforeseen will occur. It can sufficiently blind the heavenly secrets, and even the giants of the Heavenly Realm will find it difficult to trace you,” He Zu said, staying behind to clean up and erase all traces here completely. He was also about to leave the Heavenly Realm, planning to return to the lower world through the Waste Land passage, with his divine consciousness fully reconnecting, ready to truly take the final step.

Of course, whether he would succeed was uncertain. Even after preparing for countless ages, he had only a one-in-ten chance.

One in ten—Xiao Chen was deeply shocked.

He brought up the stone man from Yan Jie who had nearly taken the final step. He Zu shook his head, criticizing bluntly: “Even if he was merely a hair's breadth away, the moment he truly steps forward, he will surely be annihilated into nothingness. I know who that person is—a powerhouse from the era of the Celestial Race. His preparations were far from sufficient! His path to destruction was inevitable. At the same time, it proves that the Stone Man Sovereigns of the Otherworld are still asleep and cannot yet emerge; otherwise, these events would have been prevented.”

“But I saw a terrifying scene in the Waste Land. When the Sovereigns' wars of yore broke out, the divine diagram was not yet fully mature, and it shattered together with the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps. But in the final image, I vaguely saw a demonic shadow moving at the end of the highest step, then it took everything and vanished into the distance.”

“This—” He Zu sucked in a cold breath and remained silent for a long time, not saying a word. The matter was clearly very serious. After a long moment, he muttered to himself, “At the end of the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps, there is actually a mysterious demonic shadow…”

Xiao Chen stepped into the teleportation formation, and light flashed as he disappeared completely.

The moment the Pan Gu Stone Token vanished along with Xiao Chen, all aura here could no longer be concealed, and the heavenly secrets could no longer be obscured. But He Zu had already erased everything.

At the same time, he soared into the sky, speeding toward the chaos passage that connected to the Waste Land.

“Kill!”

A group of experts from the Otherworld had been watching from afar. The moment they sensed the strange fluctuation, all their divine techniques lashed out at He Zu. But no matter how brilliant the radiance or how overwhelming the power, none could match He Zu's speed. He vanished without a trace.

“Our estimates were wrong. It was not resentment—a member of a truly heretical family was actually here!” The Otherworld Supreme Ancestral God, through the images transmitted back, revealed a grave expression. He sensed something was off but could not deduce what.

At the same time, a sky-blotting corpse aura swept down toward the original site of the divine city. The mysterious ancient ground shattered instantly. Black corpse mist lingered there for a long time before transforming into a beam of dark light tens of thousands of li long and vanishing.

“It is the Stone Corpse.”

The Otherworld experts were deeply alarmed. They had not expected to attract the attention of a Heavenly Realm giant, which made this matter extremely unusual.

“The Stone Corpse had been in seclusion for countless ages, silent and still. Why has his divine sense suddenly probed out repeatedly? What abnormal event did he sense?” After receiving the report, the Otherworld Supreme Ancestral God revealed an even heavier expression and a trace of hidden worry. He muttered to himself, “When will our race's Stone Man awaken?”

While the Otherworld powers were perplexed and the Heavenly Realm deities were shocked by the Stone Corpse's repeated divine sense probes, Xiao Chen had already been safely teleported to a pure land ninety thousand li away.

Passing through a stretch of beautiful rivers and mountains, the land ahead gradually opened up into a magnificent divine garden. It was a scene of peace and harmony: strange rocks scattered, verdant trees lush, and divine springs gurgling—a tranquil and idyllic setting.

Xiao Chen went straight into Pan Gu's old grounds, unimpeded by the sealing formations outside. Everything here was serene and natural, like a paradise beyond the mundane world.

In that radiant garden, a giant stone axe stood before him, as imposing as a majestic stone mountain. The vast blade was partially sunk into the ground of the divine garden. From a distance, the sight was both shocking and mysterious.

It was the weapon of King Pan Gu! Left here, likely few could wield it.

Xiao Chen paid his respects with deep reverence, bowing low, then walked forward. The stone axe stood hundreds of zhang tall. Xiao Chen attempted to lift it but it did not budge in the slightest. He did not press further—if the stone axe was left here, there must be a reason.

Carefully, he placed the double city before the stone axe. No place was safer than here. With the axe's presence, external forces would find it very difficult to break through.

With a final bow, Xiao Chen turned and left—not only paying tribute to this progenitor, but also to the Nine Provinces' Ancestral Gods who had nearly all fallen in the Heavenly Realm.

At that moment, he felt the chill of autumn wind. The Nine Provinces' powerhouses had been nearly wiped out in the Heavenly Realm. He had come with hope but was leaving with disappointment.

The Heavenly Realm was not what he had imagined. It was cruel, merciless, and everything depended on one's own relentless effort. The only path to survival was to forge ahead by oneself, to open a great road to life.

When he walked out of the divine garden and reached the edge of Pan Gu's old grounds, a mysterious force blocked his way, preventing him from leaving. Xiao Chen had to take out the Pan Gu Stone Token. The palm-sized stone token emitted faint light, and the sealing power around him receded like water, allowing him to pass.

Once outside, Xiao Chen was quite surprised to see a strange sight: some cultivators and spirit creatures were waiting in the distance, prostrating themselves in worship, advancing step by step toward Pan Gu's old grounds. This was a pilgrimage! King Pan Gu's influence was clearly immense—even after disappearing for so many years, people still offered him reverence.

Using the half stone skull to conceal his traces, Xiao Chen walked away. In the process, he was astonished to find two Ancestral God-level powerhouses among the pilgrims, kowtowing devoutly toward Pan Gu's old grounds.

Not lingering, Xiao Chen took to the sky. Only after flying thirty thousand li away did he slow down, seeking the accurate direction of the chaos passage connecting to the Waste Land.

The magnificent lands of the Heavenly Realm rapidly receded beneath his feet—ten-thousand-zhang towering peaks, hundred-thousand-li long rivers flashing by.

Just then, ripples spread from ahead. Xiao Chen saw three jade rhinos pulling a divine chariot, racing toward the high heavens' sun star. At the same time, with keen eyesight, he noticed many figures in the distance heading toward the sun star, some of them powerhouses riding divine beasts.

“So many people, all converging on the sun star. Could it be related to the fabled rebellious heavenly war treasure?” Xiao Chen looked up at the blazing sun with a puzzled expression.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided to take a look. Having been disappointed by the Heavenly Realm, he felt he could try his luck before leaving.

He soared into the sky. The upper reaches of the Heavenly Realm were lashed by fierce astral winds, incredibly violent—far beyond ordinary imagination. When he rushed toward the extreme heights, destructive forces trembled all around. Except for Ancestral God-level experts, even Half-Ancestors could not reach this altitude. Such was the uniqueness of the Heavenly Realm: a vast, boundlessly immense world, its inner power unfathomable, providing a solid stage even for Ancestral God-level powerhouses.

When he neared the sun star, immortal phoenix birds circled and cried, their calls crisp and distant, leaving trails of divine flames. Vermilion birds also danced through the air. This was the nest of the immortal fire birds, where they built their homes. Legend held that the Phoenix Ancestor dwelt here, making it a forbidden zone of the Heavenly Realm. Ordinary Ancestral Gods could come but dared not act arrogantly.

Ahead, more than a dozen divine chariots pulled by savage beasts had all stopped. Their riders dismounted, not daring to be disrespectful, and then walked toward the sun star, letting the blazing flames burn around them.

Others had already entered, traveling simply without divine beasts—just riding colorful clouds.

Several dozen experts seemed insignificant compared to the vast Heavenly Realm, but each carried weight. Few who dared come here were below the Third Heaven of the Ancestral God realm; even War Ancestors were rare.

When Xiao Chen flew up into the sun star, the circling phoenixes and vermilion birds merely glanced at him and offered no obstruction.

He was not worried about being recognized. He Zu had taught him how to conceal his true form, and now he had the half stone skull and the Pan Gu Stone Token to blind the heavenly secrets.

Inside the fiery sun star, the temperature was scorching—unbearable even for Half-Ancestors, and the blazing light made it nearly impossible to open one's eyes. But Xiao Chen was surprised to find many plants growing here. Flaming lawns moved like fire spirits, exceptionally brilliant. Strange blossoms bloomed in a sea of red, condensed from the essence of fire spirits and saturated with divine power. Towering trees stood like gold, their leaves metallic, rustling with a crisp sound.

It was a strange world. The sun star was filled with life, not the barren, lifeless place one might imagine. It was a paradise for fire-spirit beings.

He finally neared the central region, where a sky-piercing golden divine tree rose over ten thousand zhang, its crown as massive as a mountain. Many phoenix nests nestled in its branches. All the cultivators who had come stopped, not daring to be presumptuous, for legend held that the Phoenix Ancestor dwelled within this golden tree. Though he had been in seclusion for countless ages, he was still a legendary figure of antiquity—even the great giants of the Heavenly Realm had to show him some respect.

“The five elements spirit treasures have all gathered. It is said that the rebellious heavenly war treasure may appear in the sun star…”

“Where exactly? Why has there been no sign since we arrived?”

The gathered cultivators discussed among themselves, all on guard against one another.

“Legend says that there is a divine palace in the sun star, but even the Phoenix clan, who have lived here for ages, have never discovered it. Could the rebellious heavenly war treasure be in that legendary sun star palace?”

“I hear that a Stone Man Sovereign once lived here, long before the Phoenix Ancestor, and later fell. Could the rebellious heavenly war treasure be what he left behind?”

Listening to the discussions, Xiao Chen felt astonished. How powerful would a rebellious heavenly war treasure of the Heavenly Realm be? If he could find it and bring it back to the Nine Provinces, it might turn the tide.

Just then, a cloud of black mist surged up from the Heavenly Realm's lands and shot into the sun star.

“The Stone Corpse has extended his divine sense again…” someone said nervously.

“That is… a lotus flower.” Another saw a stone lotus blooming beneath the golden divine tree. Many immediately thought of the legendary giant of the Heavenly Realm—the Lotus King.

Two great giants had either extended their divine sense or manifested a trace of their mark. Clearly, this matter was extraordinary. They were both paying attention. This rebellious heavenly war treasure was even more important than imagined.