Chapter 742: Enlightenment

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

Two-thirds of that time was already gone.

Outside the Ten Thousand Stars Hall,

a rather disheveled figure appeared.

Upon closer inspection,

it was none other than the Star Emperor, Nangong Xiongtian.

“You’re injured?”

A soft voice spoke. It was the woman in green gauze.

The Star Emperor nodded, his gaze urgent as he looked toward the Ten Thousand Stars Hall.

“Rest assured. The boy’s talent is exceptional. Over the past two months, he has already comprehended the Great Star Dominating Body you created to its absolute limit. I imagine if his cultivation were on par with yours, he wouldn’t be much inferior to you at all.”

The woman in green gauze said with a faint smile.

For the boy to have come this far in just two months was completely beyond her expectations.

Originally,

she had thought that while Yang Xiao’s talent was good, it couldn’t compare to his mother, Nangong Xingyue’s. So, when she first saw him,

the woman in green gauze had been somewhat disappointed.

She only opened the Ten Thousand Stars Hall for Yang Xiao because of their prior agreement.

She had given him this precious opportunity.

But she never expected…

that in just two months,

she would be so pleasantly surprised.

It completely changed her mind.

In a mere two months, that boy had cultivated the Great Star Dominating Body—a technique that fellow Nangong Xiontian had spent more than half his life developing—to its very limit.

Even though he was following a path paved by his predecessor, such talent was certainly no weaker than Nangong Xingyue’s. In fact, he was more than a cut above Nangong Xiontian.

After all, back then, before entering the Ten Thousand Stars Hall, the Star Emperor, Nangong Xiontian, had already thoroughly mastered the Ultimate Skills of their Dark Star Clan.

Only then was he able to comprehend the Great Star Technique within the Ten Thousand Stars Hall.

This allowed him to glimpse the path to proving his Dao and becoming a Great Emperor.

Afterwards, it still took him a full one hundred thousand years to finally succeed.

He became a hero of his generation for the Human Race.

But now, this mighty lord of the Human Race, this hero of his generation, was clearly no match for his own grandson.

In fact,

from the moment Nangong Xingyue was born, she was recognized by the Dark Star Clan as their new hope.

That was why they had agreed to open the Ten Thousand Stars Hall for her one time.

But looking at it now, her son was clearly even more outstanding.

“Really? The boy actually… he actually… Haha! I knew it! How could Yue’Er’s bloodline produce someone mediocre? This is wonderful, truly wonderful!”

Upon hearing this,

the Star Emperor was also greatly astonished.

At the same time, he was overjoyed.

This time,

he had fought a life-and-death battle with the Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch. In the end, although he’d managed a bitter victory, he still failed to finish off that beast and let him escape.

He felt a little dejected.

He had also been worried that Yang Xiao wouldn’t be treated with the respect he deserved among the Dark Star Clan.

But now it seemed…

he could put his worries to rest.

“Your injuries are not light. You should rest and recuperate. As for the boy, let him cultivate in peace. A month from now, I hope he will have gained even more enlightenment.”

Seeing his reaction, the woman in green gauze showed a rare moment of gentleness.

A faint trace of warmth could be seen in her eyes.

This caused the Star Emperor’s heart to stir.

In the end, however, he simply nodded.

“Yes, I’ll recuperate here outside the Ten Thousand Stars Hall and wait for the boy to come out.”

After speaking,

the Star Emperor sat down cross-legged.

He closed his eyes and began to recuperate.

The woman in green gauze glanced at him, and her figure slowly dissipated.

Sensing that her aura had vanished,

the Star Emperor, who had appeared to be recuperating seriously,

let out a soft sigh in his heart.

He opened his eyes.

A trace of guilt flickered across his face.

After a long while,

he closed his eyes again and resumed his recovery.

Clearly, his mind was not at peace.

「Inside the Ten Thousand Stars Hall.」

The sky was filled with countless stars.

They moved endlessly,

yet their movements followed a certain pattern.

And Yang Xiao, sitting cross-legged amidst them,

suddenly opened his eyes.

He watched the streams of stars flying all around him.

The initial excitement he felt upon entering was gone from his expression.

‘It’s been two months. I’ve completely comprehended all the insights on the Star Dao contained within the Great Star Dominating Body. But looking at this Array of Ten Thousand Stars before me, I still feel that the Star Dao is infinitely profound. What I’ve gained is merely scratching the surface. I really wonder how deep my understanding of the Star Dao would be if I could fully grasp it all. It’s a pity, though. Two months have already passed, and I don’t have much time left.’

It wasn’t just that time was short.

Yang Xiao also felt his progress in comprehending the Star Dao slowing to a crawl.

He knew why.

His previous comprehension had followed the path laid out by the Star Emperor. With a clear path to follow, his progress was naturally swift.

But now,

he had already thoroughly understood the Ultimate Skill, the Great Star Dominating Body. The only thing lacking was his own cultivation level.

It was just like the Flame Emperor Divine Fist.

He had also comprehended it thoroughly, but he was still a long, long way from being able to unleash the power it had in his first life.

After all, no matter how powerful an Ultimate Skill or Divine Technique was, it still required cultivation as its foundation.

Without sufficient cultivation, it was nearly impossible to unleash the Great Star Dominating Body with the same might as the Star Emperor.

But regardless,

Yang Xiao had achieved his goal.

In the future, when he used the Great Star Dominating Body, it would be no weaker than his Flame Emperor Divine Fist.

And if he combined it with the Star-Picking Hand,

it would obviously be even more powerful.

However,

this opportunity before him was rare. Yang Xiao didn’t plan to spend his last month on the Star-Picking Hand, which focused more on offensive measures.

What he wanted to do…

was to take the Great Star Dominating Body a step further.

Or perhaps,

to comprehend a version of the Star Dao that was different from the Star Emperor’s.

Only by doing so…

could he walk further down the path of the Star Dao.

Even further than the Star Emperor himself.

‘The Great Star Dominating Body is similar to the Starburst Skill. Both involve opening one’s acupoints, cultivating the self, and using Star Power for tempering. They also use the acupoints to house stars, creating a Divine Technique similar to an Array that greatly enhances one’s power and fortifies the physical body. But these stars before me… they look like an array, but they don’t quite feel like one.’

Yang Xiao carefully tried to perceive it.

He had completely comprehended the Great Star Dominating Body.

Naturally, he had also thoroughly understood the Star Emperor’s Star Dao.

Now,

if he wanted to gain more, he had to find the flaws or omissions in the Star Dao passed down by the Star Emperor.

As the saying goes,

one must break things down to build anew.

Without destruction, there can be no creation.

If he couldn’t break free from the influence of the Great Star Dominating Body, Yang Xiao feared he would never be able to see the deeper aspects of the Star Dao.

It was like how…

everyone in the world knew that fire was scorching hot.

A volatile Primordial Power that could destroy, burn, and annihilate everything.

But,

Yang Xiao knew,

fire could also be cold.

It could be still and silent.

Just like the Cold Flame that Yang Xiao could manifest.

Or those Divine Fires with a Yin Attribute.

Of course,

the fundamental nature of fire still remained unchanged.

If it did change,

then it would no longer be fire.

It would be something else entirely.

Like ice.

Or water.

In any case, it could no longer be called fire.

What Yang Xiao wanted now…

was to grasp the fundamental nature of a star.

‘What…

is a star?’

But even for him, it was extremely difficult to see through to the fundamental nature of a substance in an instant.

Just like with fire.

If not for the fact that in his first life he was an Innate Fire God born from the most noble Heaven and Earth Origin Fire, had reached the level of a Supreme Divine King, and possessed the terrifying combat power of a Tier Seventeen God King,

he too would not have known the fundamental nature of fire.

And now,

it was the same situation.

He did not know the fundamental nature of a star.

Time…

trickled away, bit by bit.

Yang Xiao gained nothing.

This situation made the woman in green gauze and the Star Emperor outside grow worried.

Especially the Star Emperor.

He didn’t understand why Yang Xiao wasn’t taking this opportunity to comprehend the Star-Picking Hand. Although the Star-Picking Hand was very powerful, the Star Dao it contained wasn’t complex.

With just one month,

he believed Yang Xiao could master this Slaughter Divine Technique.

But now, his precious grandson seemed to be wasting time, squandering this opportunity.

This made the Star Emperor somewhat agitated.

So much so that he couldn’t even focus on his recovery.

As for the woman in green gauze,

she said nothing.

Nor did she intervene.

However, anyone who saw her would know that she was even more concerned about Yang Xiao’s progress than the Star Emperor was.

But for some reason,

she didn’t remind Yang Xiao as the Star Emperor expected her to.

Instead, she seemed to be anticipating something.

But most of the time,

she was extremely tense.

This left the Star Emperor very puzzled.

But there was nothing he could do.

Meanwhile, Yang Xiao inside the Ten Thousand Stars Hall…

also seemed to have changed somehow.

He didn’t grow agitated from his lack of progress. On the contrary, as time slipped by, he became increasingly calm.

When there were only three days left,

he did something no one had expected.

He closed his eyes.

He stopped watching.

He stopped thinking.

Or perhaps, he was always watching.

Always thinking.

Soon,

another day passed.

Two days passed.

On the third day,

which was also the final day,

Yang Xiao’s eyes…

suddenly snapped open.

At that moment,

within his eyes,

endless starlight seemed to flicker.

He spared only a single glance for the countless stars before him.

And lost all interest.

With a flash, his figure…

actually left the Ten Thousand Stars Hall.

He raised his head and looked at the sky.

There,

were the real stars.

Immensely vast, incomparably brilliant.

Though less clear than the ones in the Ten Thousand Stars Hall,

these stars were undeniably real.