Chapter 664: Star God Alliance

(A bit of exposition.)

The Star God Alliance was an immense organization, comprising over a hundred squads. Each squad was led by a Third Realm Cultivator, and several squads would form a combat brigade, managed by a Fourth Realm Star God.

The Star God Alliance was the one to confront the extraterrestrial beings because once its members became Star Gods, their physical bodies—with the aid of a few simple Magical Artifacts—could travel directly into outer space. This was possible because their bodies and consciousness had completely fused with a Star God Core.

A Star God Core was, in essence, a byproduct of the extraterrestrial beings; certain species would carry them. However, the abilities gained from fusing with one depended entirely on a Cultivator’s luck.

Most of these Star God Cores were controlled by the Star God Alliance, but they were available for purchase by outsiders. Prices ranged from one million to twenty million taels of silver, determined by the core’s integrity—the more complete the core, the higher the success rate of fusion.

Furthermore, there were two front lines in outer space. Compared to the true front, the defensive line on the moon could only be considered the rearguard.

After becoming Star Gods, most members of the Star God Alliance would be dispatched to the outermost front to serve for sixty years. They would then be allowed to rest for thirty years before serving another ten. This cycle would repeat until the last century of their lives, at which point they would be permitted to return to civilized worlds.

Of course, not all Star Gods had to endure this endless fighting. Those who cultivated by purchasing a core on their own were still registered by the Star God Alliance, but they were not dispatched to the front lines. Wu Fu, for instance, was one such case. He was originally the scion of a great family.

But his story was a tragic one. When he fused with the Star God Core, his mind was tainted, and he personally slaughtered his entire family. This was during the great war with the Demon Race. After being captured by the True Yang Sect, he was thrown into the midst of a vast demon army. Against all odds, he not only survived but also regained his sanity.

Afterward, he served the True Yang Sect until gaining his freedom during the sect’s most turbulent period several hundred years ago.

This was a secret Wang Ping had only recently learned.

Normally, Tianshan Daoist requesting leave from him would have been bizarre, as there was surely a Fourth Realm Star God in his chain of command. However, that authority was limited to the front lines. Administrative authority on the moon belonged to the Second Seats of the Daoist Palace, and Wang Ping was specifically in charge of the Southern Cultivation Realm.

That was why Chengxi had previously said the mature Heart-devouring Grass would be transported to him for distribution.

Of course, Wang Ping only managed these powers by proxy; their true masters were the True Monarchs. Furthermore, if the Star God Alliance on the front lines issued a temporary deployment order, Wang Ping was required to offer his full cooperation.

Additionally, no Fourth Realm Star Gods were stationed on the moon, which meant that in an emergency, all the Second Seats of the Daoist Palace were expected to step up and handle it.

As Wang Ping read through these documents in the Projection Space, he couldn’t help but recall what Xiao Shan Lord’s residual consciousness had told him. That consciousness had warned Wang Ping that the moon was extremely dangerous and to stay away unless absolutely necessary.

Xiao Shan Lord had also told him that vast numbers of extraterrestrial beings, sealed by the True Monarchs, were on the moon, making it even more dangerous than the Mist Sea Region. Yet, all the information he now had indicated that the moon was merely an ordinary transit station and a defensive line against those same beings.

From this perspective, Xiao Shan Lord’s warning seemed contradictory. The Lord should have known that if Wang Ping advanced to the Fourth Realm, he would most likely have to inherit control over the Southern Cultivation Realm, which would necessitate a trip to the moon.

Wang Ping’s current plan was to wait for the next routine meeting of the Second Seats to conclude, then follow them to the moon to investigate the truth for himself.

As for Tianshan Daoist’s leave request, Wang Ping approved it without much thought. He had already checked the Star God Alliance’s deployment status on the moon and confirmed there were enough leave slots available for the Daoist.

However, just Half an Hour after Wang Ping approved Tianshan Daoist’s leave, the Star God Alliance liaison station in Zhonghui City submitted three more leave requests. All of them were from Third Realm Star Gods of the Southern Cultivation Realm.

Wang Ping’s response was to pretend he hadn’t seen them.

For the rest of the day, Wang Ping met with Third Seats of the Daoist Palace who had come specifically to pay their respects. These visits were purely ceremonial; they had nothing to report.

「Afternoon of the sixteenth.」

A travel-worn Shen Xiaozhu returned to Qianmu Temple with her disciple, Mu Yun, and came straight to Qianmu Mountain to pay her respects.

Shen Xiaozhu was as poised as ever, but the listless aura about her had vanished, replaced by an indomitable sharpness.

The problem, however, was that Shen Xiaozhu’s cultivation was not going well. Her Spirit Veins showed clear signs of poison from the Sacred Heart Pill, yet she had failed to complete her fusion with the Locust Tree Divine Soul.

With his current cultivation, Wang Ping could only help her reduce the fifty years required to cleanse the pill poison down to thirty. The issue was that repeating this process would make her divine soul exceedingly fragile. This would be disastrous for her astral projection practice, and the Taiyan Talisman manual stipulated a strict ten-year window for that stage of cultivation.

Sensing Wang Ping’s concern, Yu Lian spoke from within his Spirit Sea, “Don’t underestimate Xiaozhu. She’s always been a late bloomer in her cultivation. With her current state of mind, she is certain to succeed in fusing with the Locust Tree Divine Soul on her next attempt.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping couldn’t help but size Xiaozhu up again. “What did you experience on your journey?” he asked, motioning for Xiaozhu to sit across from him.

Shen Xiaozhu sat down respectfully. Her disciple, Mu Yun, came forward and knelt properly beside the tea table to prepare tea. As the fragrance filled the air, Xiaozhu spoke in a steady voice, “Master, I spent most of my journey in the East Continent Region. I witnessed the despair and confusion of mortals as they struggle beneath the Celestial Dao.”

“Oh?”

Wang Ping’s interest was piqued. “Can you tell me about it in detail?”

Shen Xiaozhu nodded. “I was a bit lost after my breakthrough,” she said. “I knew that with my aptitude, reaching the Second Realm was likely my limit. Senior Ruan Chunzi suggested I go out into the world and see its people…”

“And I did. Just as Senior Ruan Chunzi said, compared to those mortals, I have already come so far. I shouldn’t be so preoccupied with my own successes and failures. Those people live in despair every day from birth until death, never even knowing what the world beyond them is like.”

“Compared to them, I am incredibly fortunate!”

Wang Ping nodded at her words.

‘Ruan Chunzi’s life was the stuff of legends,’ Wang Ping reflected. ‘Starting as a Cultivator with poor aptitude from a minor True Yang Sect Daoist Temple, he managed to cultivate all the way to Third Realm Perfection and even briefly held the position of Vice Sect Leader. Only he could truly know the hardships he had endured.’

‘It was precisely such experiences that forged an indelible obsession in the hearts of Cultivators like him—an obsession much like that of Dan Chen and Yunshan. That very obsession was both their making and their undoing.’