The five true disciples paled.
"Senior Brother Zhou… about Seventh Senior Brother's birthday gift, we—"
"We were delayed by… something…"
"What?" Zhou Hu's voice cracked like a whip. "You were delayed? Do you idiots not realize this is Seventh Senior Brother's centennial celebration—his most glorious moment? The entire Starry Sect will be offering tribute, and you—after being gone so long—return empty-handed? Are you seeking death?"
Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!
A hand formed from condensed starlight flew out like lightning, delivering five vicious slaps—one across each of their faces.
"You worthless wastes! All the effort I spent grooming you—completely wasted. Hm? Who's that outside?"
Out stepped a tall, slender middle-aged man in celestial robes and a star-crowned headdress. His hawk-sharp gaze glinted with hostility.
He was a Heaven–Human Realm expert—a cultivator at the Fifth Layer of Divine Ability. A true powerhouse, and clearly used to throwing his weight around. Fang Han instantly saw it: factional power struggles in the Starry Sect were even more intense than in the Feathered Immortal Sect. Hardly surprising. All great sects had such things.
"Zhou Hu, you're really annoying," Xingyun Baobao snapped. "These junior brothers were with me. And you dare hit them? I'll slap you to death!"
Before Fang Han could intervene, Xingyun Baobao shot forward, a streak of starlight whipping toward Zhou Hu's face.
Zhou Hu froze—the Young Sect Master? But he was a Heaven–Human Realm expert, a full "True Man." Why should he let a child slap him? More importantly, he belonged to Seventh Senior Brother's faction, not Xingyun Baobao's. Since he planned to support Seventh Senior Brother for the next Sect Master seat, why would he show deference?
"Young Sect Master, you should spend a few more years cultivating before trying to act tough. You're two or three realms beneath me—this is pointless." Zhou Hu laughed and released a starlight barrier to block the incoming strike.
But then his expression changed.
"What? Your astral pressure… this is impossible. You've reached Heaven–Human Realm, and—"
CRACK!
His barrier shattered like glass.
The starlight palm landed hard across his face, sending him sprawling down the stone steps.
The reality was simple: Xingyun Baobao had become a monster.
He had cultivated the Future Star Scripture, one of the most profound astral arts. He and Fang Han had jointly comprehended the Infinite Star Tome, devoured the Yin–Yang Longevity Pill, endured reforging from the Immortal Lightning Talisman, absorbed Nirvana Pills, fused Zhao Xuanyi's twenty-six Divine Abilities, and swallowed the Dragon God Pill.
His strength now rivaled ordinary Golden Core giants.
A mere Zhou Hu had no hope of matching him.
Zhou Hu coughed out blood and several broken teeth, glaring poisonously at Xingyun Baobao—but he didn't dare retaliate.
"That's enough," Xingyun Baobao said coldly. "Go tell Seventh Senior Brother he can cancel his birthday celebration. Even Golden Core experts don't make such a fuss about their centennials—sending disciples all over the world to beg for gifts. If other sects saw that, they'd die laughing."
He dusted off his hands and walked inside with Fang Han.
"Damn it…" Zhou Hu lay stunned for a moment. Only after Fang Han and the others disappeared inside did he climb up, trembling with rage.
Nearby outer disciples—who had witnessed everything—scurried away, whispering.
Zhou Hu's face twisted with hatred.
"Xingyun Baobao… just you wait. I can't touch you. But Seventh Senior Brother can."
Fang Han had already stepped through the stone gate.
Inside the primeval meteorite was… another world.
The air was fresh and peaceful. Waterfalls cascaded from jade cliffs. Spirit flowers bloomed in rainbow clusters. Birds and beasts shimmered with intelligence. Spiritual herbs grew wild and plentiful. It was a paradise untouched by mortal decay.
Countless peaks dotted the land, each topped with magnificent palaces. In the deep stretches of void, powerful auras marked where top experts had opened up pocket worlds.
And below—cities and towns.
Bustling… with ordinary mortals.
They lived without toil. No farming. No labor. Every day they went to massive temples to pray. Starry Sect disciples in ceremonial robes regularly provided food, clothing—even luxuries—to maintain their comfort.
The entire meteorite world was vast—rivaling mortal nations like the Grand Li Dynasty.
"Brother Fang Han," Xingyun Baobao explained, "our Starry Sect shelters tens of millions of mortals. They don't need to work. We provide everything. Their only task is to pray. The more devout their prayers, the stronger the power of this pocket world becomes."
Fang Han nodded. His divine sense confirmed it:
Millions of mortals' devout wishes condensed into a tide of spiritual power, constantly tempering the primeval meteorite.
"This is a method for refining top-tier treasures," Fang Han thought. "Even the Heavenly Dragon Manual describes something similar. To refine the Eight-Part Pagoda, one must gather billions of beings to worship it for thousands of years."
"Does the Feathered Immortal Sect raise mortals inside the Yuhua Heavenly Palace?" he wondered. "Do they pray day and night?"
Wish-power—was one of the most mysterious and boundless forces in existence.
Fang Han suddenly connected the dots.
Panwu's Divine Strength techniques also described drawing on the wishes of all beings to refine the body, the soul, and treasures.
"No wonder Hua Tiandu's power is so terrifying. Even Longevity-tier experts struggle to suppress him. Could it be that his ancient furnace contains mortals who worship him day and night? Feeding him endless wish-power?"
Yan's voice echoed from within the Yellow Springs Diagram.
"Indeed. All supreme treasures eventually require wish-power. The Yellow Springs Emperor once gathered billions of beings—humans and demons—and raised them inside the Yellow Springs Diagram for thousands of years, until it evolved into a peerless Dao artifact."
"But when he ascended, the power overflow killed them all."
Yan continued:
"The Three Sovereigns' treasures—the Heavenly Mirror, Earthly Tome, and Human Emperor Pen—were nourished by wish-power for countless generations. When you have time, gather mortals, shelter them inside the Yellow Springs Diagram, instruct them, cultivate their devotion. Their pure prayers will strengthen you. It's a profitable exchange—and the strongest method for cultivating both treasures and Divine Abilities."
"I'll think about it later," Fang Han said. "Managing mortals is like farming. Requires patience."
Ahead, Xingyun Baobao pointed to a palace shimmering in the void, constructed entirely from astral energy.
"That's the Starry Sect's central command—the Grand Taiji Star Palace. My parents cultivate inside. Let's go."
Before entering, Fang Han inhaled deeply and projected his voice:
"Fang Han of the Feathered Immortal Sect, bearing a personal decree from our Sect Master Feng Baiyu, comes to pay respects to your Sovereign!"
HUMMMMM—
The sound exploded like divine thunder. Flames erupted across the air like volcanoes. Storms burst outward for a thousand miles. His voice carried through the entire meteorite world.
His current strength was monstrous.
Long ago he possessed the power of a million galloping warhorses. After countless breakthroughs, reforgings, and his return-to-one cultivation, that force had increased nearly eightfold.
His true might approached eight million warhorses—and with a Void Pill manifestation, even ten million.
Power on that level equaled high-tier experts of the Tenth Layer: Fate-Defying Realm.
But Fang Han knew Hua Tiandu's power was far beyond that—able to tear mountains asunder. A terrifying anomaly approaching the Longevity Realm.
At that moment—
CLANG!
Deep within the meteorite, on a flower-covered mountain peak and inside a grand palace, Zhou Hu knelt before a golden throne, sobbing.
"Seventh Senior Brother… Xingyun Baobao reached the Heaven–Human Realm! And his strength is outrageous. He crushed my Divine Abilities without even using the Sun–Moon Five-Star Bracelet. I couldn't fight back at all!"
"Oh?"
The man seated on the throne was young—one of the Starry Sect's Golden Core giants: Seventh Senior Brother. A vast astral force swirled around him, gathering behind his head into drifting star clouds.
"What? Xingyun Baobao reached the Fifth Layer so quickly? Impossible. Wait…"
He stared at Zhou Hu's face.
His fingers twitched twice.
He reached out and plucked a faint trace of energy lingering on Zhou Hu's skin.
"This aura… the Great Sun Calamity Flame. A supreme Divine Ability of the Taiyi Sect. And not a basic version—the fully evolved, Golden Core-grade version."
Seventh Senior Brother's eyes narrowed.
"How could Xingyun Baobao possess this? Did he… acquire a Golden Core from a Taiyi elder? Or did a Taiyi master pass their cultivated Divine Ability to him? Impossible."