For Jiang Wang at this stage, the yellow-faced old monk truly represents an insurmountable obstacle.

He cannot fathom the depth of Ku Jue’s persistence, nor understand the fervor of his desire to take a disciple. Yet, whether he comprehends or not, it alters nothing about their predicament.

He cannot provoke, cannot defeat, and cannot outargue. Therefore, the only recourse is to flee.

In a single breath, Jiang Wang soared directly out of the Suspended Temple’s domain, turning northwest toward the realm of Zheng. Forward should already be awaiting him there.

This journey, from Xu to the Suspended Temple and back again, intentionally bypassed Xu due to the incident in Song Tao City, leading him across the Star Moon Plain instead.

The Star Moon Plain lies nestled between Xu to the east and the Elephant Kingdom further west, a narrow, elongated expanse. Though “narrow and elongated” describes its overall topography, the Star Moon Plain itself is vast, its territory comparable to that of either Xu or the Elephant Kingdom.

This land, flat and fertile, is an exceptionally fine plain. Yet, it belongs to neither of its neighboring realms. Instead, it lies horizontally in the middle, becoming an unclaimed territory, and thus, the natural boundary between the two.

The precise reasons for the Star Moon Plain’s lack of ownership are, by now, difficult to ascertain clearly. However, the most widely circulated tale suggests that its very excellence led both the Qi and Jing realms to covet it, resulting in a stalemate where neither could claim it. Thus, it remained in abeyance.

A place beyond the grasp of Qi and Jing is certainly beyond the reach of Xu and the Elephant Kingdom, hence the Star Moon Plain’s continued unclaimed status.

While various minor factions skirmish upon it, none have managed to establish a significant foothold. Indeed, any force truly capable of becoming a power player would not be allowed to enter the Star Moon Plain by Qi and Jing.

Night descended, and Jiang Wang halted his progress. Not for rest; his Vastness of Heaven and Earth Isolation Island was rarely matched, and having consolidated it and unleashed a flood of Dao Yuan after advancing into the Senhai Source Realm, his reserves of Dao Yuan were exceedingly plentiful.

Of course, the claim that his Heaven and Earth Isolation Island was rarely matched was in comparison to ordinary practitioners. Jiang Wang himself knew several who could rival him, such as Wang Yiwu. Since the Heaven and Earth Isolation Island is a feedback from opening the Heaven Gate, Wang Yiwu, having advanced further in the Tongtian Realm, would naturally possess an even more expansive Heaven and Earth Isolation Island.

Jiang Wang paused now, of course, for his routine evening practice. If the Inner Mansion Realm is the process of a child “searching for treasure” within their own home, and the Human Body Secret Repository is the practitioner’s quest for that treasure, then the daily exploration is the prerequisite for obtaining the Human Body Secret Repository. A child “searching for treasure” must first be intimately familiar with the home to find rarities in easily overlooked corners.

The Star Moon Plain abounds with uninhabited areas, and Jiang Wang casually found a patch of grassland to sit upon. No extra vigilance was needed; with his current strength, even in cultivation, he would not miss the slightest stir of wind or rustle of grass.

Between Heaven and Earth, a single person sat alone.

The vast, seemingly endless plain allowed his mind to wander freely.

Only at night did the meaning of the Star Moon Plain’s name become clear. This plain, though its elevation was not high, seemed to possess a sky where the clouds were exceptionally thin and the stars remarkably close. Looking up, stars and moon appeared near at hand, distinct and seemingly within reach, as if the celestial bodies had simply descended to rest here.

The beauty of nature stirred a sense of awe within him.

Thus, the so-called Star Moon Plain was truly a plain where stars and moon converged.

Naturally, the external world did not affect Jiang Wang’s practice. Regardless of the environment’s beauty or ugliness, its merit or fault, he followed the prescribed steps, completing each in turn.

He meticulously “cleansed” his Inner Mansion, completed the necessary exploration, then exited the Inner Mansion and recommenced cultivating the Fire Source Canon to accumulate Fire Totem power. His pace was not swift. If the Fire Totem were likened to a bowl of water, the Totem power within it barely covered the bottom. Yet, he was not anxious; this was a task requiring the patience of grinding water. Accumulation day by day, month by month, would eventually fill it. Once the Totem power was full, it would become a formidable trump card.

Tonight felt subtly different.

When he began cultivating according to the methods of the Fire Source Canon, the strongest sensation was not the Totem power, but the surging flow of Star Power, like a rushing current. Jiang Wang confirmed his feeling was accurate; in the Wuzhi Cavern of the Floating Land, he had absorbed Star Power countless times. In the Game of Life and Death, he had also relied on the blessing of Star Power to defeat Lei Zhanqian in one move.

However, prior to this, Jiang Wang had never directly sensed Star Power in the present world through his Fire Totem. Indeed, even in the Floating Land, he hadn’t; the Star Power at that time was obtained by slaying Star Beasts.

But now, he experienced such a sensation.

What this meant was abundantly clear to Jiang Wang—if he could sense it, he could also absorb it. This signified that he had the opportunity to replicate that one sword strike from within the Game of Life and Death in the present world!

Upon discovering this, Jiang Wang felt no elation. Instead, he became vigilant, retracing his experiences, reflecting upon himself, to determine exactly which step had changed, which step had gone awry.

An anomaly suggests a demon. Even if a pie truly fell from the sky, he wouldn’t simply open his mouth and eat.

The result of his self-examination revealed no issues; every step of his cultivation had not deviated from the records of the Fire Source Canon.

Why, then, was the Star Power so clear?

Was it because… of the Star Moon Plain?

Jiang Wang’s gaze swept across the landscape, a vague feeling suggesting that this Star Moon Plain likely concealed a great secret. The fact that both Qi and Jing coveted this place might not be mere rumor.

Star Power and Totem power are not the same. For example, Jiang Wang’s cultivation of the Fire Source Canon accumulated Fire attribute Totem power. Star Power, however, was very pure, without any attribute. The purer it was, the easier it was to utilize. If it were Fire attribute Totem power, Jiang Wang could only use it for Fire Dao techniques; Star Power had no such restrictions.

Jiang Wang was not in a hurry to absorb, but quietly felt the Star Power. Gradually, he discovered subtle differences within the Star Power itself. The Star Power currently surrounding him was not as pure as the Star Power he had initially absorbed in the Wuzhi Cavern of the Floating Land. The reason for this was likely that these Star Powers now possessed “belonging.”

For example, the most dense and closest portion of this Star Power, it should originate from…

Jiang Wang looked up at the night sky—Jade Balance!

“We meet again,” a gentle voice chimed in at just the right moment.

To be precise, the voice didn’t “chime”; no sound existed in the surroundings. But the meaning of this voice was conveyed through the Star Power. If Jiang Wang had been unable to perceive this subtle difference, to “recognize” the arrival of Jade Balance Star Power, this voice would not have been received by him.

Jiang Wang understood, this was Guan Yan’s voice.

“What is the matter?” Jiang Wang asked in his heart.

After a brief pause, Guan Yan’s voice continued to arrive through the Jade Balance Star Power: “If you wish to speak, speak aloud. The Star Power will convey it to me. In this situation, I may not be able to read minds.”

“How does Star Power convey voice?” Jiang Wang asked this sentence aloud.

“It simulates. You can understand it this way: your voice is disassembled and refined, the Star Power replicates every point, then follows your words to reconstitute, reappearing in my ear.”

It sounded even more complicated…

But Jiang Wang’s main concern wasn’t here. He hesitated before asking: “You returned to the present world? Through that monk’s robe I burned?”

“No. I am still in the Senhai Source Realm. That monk’s robe was simply a conclusion to my past, allowing me to be at ease. Thank you for helping me settle my heart’s affairs.”

“No, no need for politeness.”

Jiang Wang was uncharacteristically tongue-tied, truly because this scene was too fantastical. Guan Yan, still in the Senhai Source Realm, was communicating with him in the present world, across a distance that was immeasurable and utterly impossible to calculate?

This couldn’t be within the Suspended Temple. If the voice left before within the Suspended Temple was due to the karma between that monk’s robe and the Suspended Temple, or Guan Yan’s own connection to the Suspended Temple, a pre-arranged method before his physical body collapsed within the Senhai Source Realm, then what was the reason now?