A clamor burst through the crowd.
Long before, when Ji Cang, Qu Yi, Chu Yuan, and the other peak experts had discussed who would be the next to break through into the late God domain, one name had been mentioned repeatedly: Jiang Yuanchi.
To these luminaries and imperial lords of the human world, Jiang Yuanchi had been the one who had the best chance at advancing to the late God domain.
Many were also convinced that he was the strongest expert below the peak.
Only after Mo Heng had broken through into the middle God domain, defeated Grand Monarch Bloodlust, and survived his duel against Grand Monarch Primal Demon had people started to compare him to Jiang Yuanchi.
Even so, the majority still reckoned that Jiang Yuanchi was stronger.
Now, the man who people referred to as the strongest expert below the peak was calling aloud outside the Realm of Fragmentary Star, challenging Chu Rui to a duel?
In the Fragmentary Star Palace, Wang Meijia was so indignant that she itched to charge out by herself to accuse Jiang Yuanchi of being despicable and shameless. “Jiang Yuanchi! He knows perfectly well that Vice Sectmaster Chu has sustained multiple injuries after being trapped in the Domain of Frigid Depths by Grand Monarch Ice Bones for a long time and fighting that battle against Grand Monarch Bloodlust!”
Wei Lai, Yan Zhan, and the others were taken aback by Jiang Yuanchi’s words.
Dou Tianchen sighed in frustration. “After the disappearance of Vice Sectmaster Luo, Vice Sectmaster Chu has become the sole pillar that’s propping up our sect. I thought that Jiang Yuanchi would attack our Nine Star Heavens directly. I was convinced that as powerful as he and his divine tool might be, he wouldn’t be able to shatter the Nine Star Heavens within a short time.
“By the time he’d consumed a significant amount of his strength, Nie Tian and Elder Zu Guangyao might arrive.
“Who would have thought that he’d challenge Vice Sectmaster Chu to a duel as soon as he got here?”
Fang Yuan chimed in. “This is a miscalculation on our part, and impudicity on Jiang Yuanchi’s!”
Even if Chu Rui hadn’t been injured, he wouldn’t be able to match Jiang Yuanchi in battle.
Not to mention he wasn’t at his peak state now.
Outside the realm barrier of the Realm of Fragmentary Star, Chu Rui, in his dharma idol form, looked deeply at the dark figure that was looming in a cluster of charcoal gray aura. “Jiang Yuanchi, Senior Jiang. You… want to challenge me to a duel?”
Chu Rui found the idea ridiculous.
“We’re both at the middle God domain, and you’re a vice sectmaster of the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace,” Jiang Yuanchi said confidently and eloquently. “Both your cultivation base and status make you a good match for me. What? I came here already, and issued the challenge. You’re not too scared to accept it, are you?
“Don’t you worry. No one has to die in this duel. We’ll only fight until a winner emerges.”
With a dark, cunning smile, Shangguan Zhi from the Shadow Society said, “Of course, if Vice Sectmaster Chu wins, we’ll turn around and leave right away. And we’ll promise to not set foot in the Realm of Fragmentary Star for ten thousand years.”
You Qimiao laughed coldly. “Where’s your heroic bravery, Chu Rui?! I still remember what you were like in the Domain of Heaven Python!”
“Chu Rui!” Duan Hongwen joined the taunting. “Don’t tell us you’re too scared to accept the duel!”
One after another, they tried to either lure or provoke Chu Rui into accepting the duel.
Chu Rui was the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace’s last bulwark. If he were defeated or injured so badly that he couldn’t fight anymore, their following moves against the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace would meet much fewer obstacles.
With a wan smile, Chu Rui asked, “What if I lost?”
“If you lose, you lose. We won’t demand anything from you.” Jiang Yuanchi said with a soft chuckle. “This duel can be considered an opportunity for us to exchange and learn.”
Face grim, Chu Rui pondered in silence for a long while before nodding and saying, “Alright! I accept the duel!”
“Wait!” Sikong Cuo’s loud cry suddenly echoed out.
In the next moment, he flew out of the Realm of Fragmentary Star, enveloped in his newly-forged domain, which looked like a glorious nebula filled with dazzling stars.
Inside of his domain, the Immortal grade divine tool Heavenly Stellar Stream morphed into numerous mysterious shooting stars.
Each and every one of them seemed to carry enough might to inflict heavy injuries on any Saint domain expert.
His star domain looked like a miniature starry river, where wisps of his soul awareness seemed to have merged with his star souls to form countless diamond-like stars.
Every single star was a condensation of star power, with might beyond measure.
Upon charging out, he shouted, “I, Sikong Cuo, challenge the Shadow Society, the Remote Beginning Heavenly Sect, and the Jade Heaven Sect! If any Saint domain member of your sects can best me in a duel, I’ll surrender all of my subordinate domains!”
He bet all of his subordinate domains!
“Sikong Cuo, the sixth Son of the Stars!”
“It’s been a long time since we heard anything about him. Who would have thought that he’d entered the Saint domain?!”
“He’s a Son of the Stars, and he’s refined the Immortal grade Heavenly Stellar Stream into his domain. He does have what it takes to fight cultivators with higher cultivation bases. It seems to me that no normal disciple of the Shadow Society, the Remote Beginning Heavenly Sect or the Jade Heaven Sect will be able to defeat him in battle, even if they’re at the late Saint domain.”
“The Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace is an ancient great sect after all. Their reserve power is still there. This Sikong Cuo can’t be treated lightly!”
“But it’s a pity he was born in the same era as Nie Tian. Nie Tian is simply too bright a star. Being called a Star of Calamities and Godmaker, how many Saint domain experts did he kill in the Domain of Spirit Sea and the Domain of Dark Marsh? He even injured Song Chequan and destroyed the Realm of Jade Billows.”
“Indeed. Compared to Nie Tian, Sikong Cuo does seem much less impressive.”
“They’re not even at the same level. Nie Tian helped Mo Qianfan AND Zu Guangyao enter the God domain. He has powerful patriarchs like Yu Suying and Yin Xingtian at his back. Many late Saint domain experts are doing everything they can to please him. Can Sikong Cuo do such things?”
A heated discussion broke out among the observers in a distant location. None of them took Sikong Cuo’s feelings into consideration.
Sikong Cuo had charged out of the Realm of Fragmentary Star in high spirits. After saying those heroic words, he had felt proud and elated. However, those clamorous remarks now put him in a bad mood.
“Sikong Cuo…”
You Qimiao from the Remote Beginning Heavenly Sect measured him with narrowed eyes. Then, he let out a cold harrumph and said impatiently, “You don’t deserve it. Even your Immortal grade divine tool was won from the Demons by Nie Tian. You took the battle trophy of another and refined it into yourself. Only by doing that were you able to enter the Saint domain. You don’t deserve to challenge us.”
Shangguan Zhi chimed in. “That’s right. You’re not Nie Tian, not the future Lord of the Stars. You don’t deserve to challenge us.”
Sikong Cuo’s expression froze.
Duan Hongwen laughed wildly. “I can’t believe a person who stole another’s battle trophy has the nerve to challenge us. How laughable!”
Song Chequan piled on. “To tell you the truth, you’re not even remotely as strong as Nie Tian.”
These God domain experts from the three allied sects mocked Sikong Cuo in every possible way. However, Sikong Cuo didn’t know how to refute their scathing remarks.
After all, what they said was the truth.
He had indeed relied on the Immortal grade divine tool Heavenly Stellar Stream to break through into the Saint domain within such a short time.
It was also true that the Heavenly Stellar Stream had been a battle trophy Nie Tian had won by defeating Ophelia in the Dead Star Sea.
“I, I…” Sikong Cuo was at a loss for words. He wanted to defend himself, but didn’t know what to say.
“Get out of here.”
As You Qimiao flung his sleeve, the Yin Yang Chaos Mirror flew out of his cuff. Two currents of opposite attributes then swirled out like two fish, which morphed into a cluster of murky aura that enveloped Sikong Cuo.
The dazzling stars within his domain instantly lost their brilliance, like pearls that were covered in dust.
Even the shooting stars that had transformed from his Immortal grade divine tool Heavenly Stellar Stream couldn’t dash about smoothly anymore, as if they were mired down.
WHOOSH!
Immediately afterwards, Sikong Cuo’s domain, along with his Heavenly Stellar Stream, were tossed towards the Realm of Fragmentary Star, enveloped in the murky aura.
The Nine Star Heavens didn’t resist Sikong Cuo, who was a Son of the Stars, and let him fall through like a plummeting meteor.
However, the murky aura You Qimiao had created with his Yin Yang Chaos Mirror was stopped by the First Heaven.
Wisps of power that had been vested with the profound truths of star power by generations of Lords of the Stars even took the opportunity to launch a counterattack against You Qimiao. You Qimiao’s expression flickered as he hastily cast the Remote Beginning Heavenly Chaos Incarnation to cleanse himself with the power of his divine tool.
“The Nine Star Heavens sure is unfathomably powerful,” he marveled inwardly.
“Ah?! Sikong Cuo was denied just like that? And he was sent back to the Realm of Fragmentary Star by You Qimiao with a simple flick of his sleeve?”
“What else do you expect? You Qimiao is at the middle God domain, and his Yin Yang Chaos Mirror is a sub-level higher than the Heavenly Stellar Stream. What does Sikong Cuo have that allows him to stand up to him?”
“Perhaps in You Qimiao’s eyes, Nie Tian is the only Son of the Stars that’s qualified to talk to him.”
