The continent of Penglai held considerable renown within the Fifth Order Starfield, a fame stemming almost entirely from the Jade Treasure Sect!

The Jade Treasure Sect, foremost amongst the Fifth Order Starfield’s factions, boasted a multitude of cultivators and ancient, powerful eccentrics. Thus, the continent upon which they resided was known as Penglai, or the Penglai Celestial Realm.

Penglai’s scope dwarfed that of Moro, exceeding it manyfold. Indeed, to call Penglai a mere continent was a misnomer, for it was but half of a true cultivation star!

Within the Cloud Sea Star Territory, such cultivation stars were exceedingly rare, possessed only by sects of immense power. Even the Jade Treasure Sect could not claim a complete one, possessing but a fractured half. This fragment had been granted to their ancestors, two millennia past, for deeds of great valor performed in service to the Ninth Order Ghost Sect.

Thus, no aspiring ascendant dared cast covetous eyes upon this fragment, acknowledging the Jade Treasure Sect’s undeniable claim. Through the stellar mists, Penglai resembled a crescent moon, its outer layers shimmering with a gentle radiance, pushing back the surrounding nebulous veil and bathing the continent in a sphere of clarity.

Penglai’s fame, beyond the Jade Treasure Sect, stemmed also from its market fair and auction held every thirty years. At the fair’s commencement, cultivators gathered from across the starfield, even those from higher order domains, lured by its renown.

Spanning three months, this market offered an exhaustive array of magical artifacts, elixirs, alchemical formulas, and spirit beasts, providing a complete spectrum of resources for all cultivators. The exchange of Immortal Jade and Origin Crystals was commonplace, and even the trade of living vessels and physical bodies was whispered about in hushed tones.

There were also beast-fighting contests where cultivators wagered on their spirit companions. However, the most anticipated events were the “Penglai Chaos Duel” and the auction of rare treasures.

The Penglai Chaos Duel was an environment provided by the Jade Treasure Sect where cultivators could freely wager on life-or-death struggles. The victor would claim the possessions of the vanquished.

As the time for the market’s opening approached, streaks of light streaked across the void, converging on Penglai. Spurred by rumors of ancient alchemical formulas and jade scrolls, this year’s market was drawing many Sixth Order cultivators, and even whispers of those from the Seventh and Eighth Orders were on the wind.

Amongst the converging lights, two streaks sped through the void, carrying a man and a woman. The man, clad in white, possessed a serene countenance and eyes as cold as the mountain stone. He remained unmoved, seemingly impervious to the chaos about to unfold. This was Wang Lin.

Beside him, the woman was of surpassing beauty, also clad in snow-white garments. Her sapphire hair danced weightlessly, framing a delicate face that could stir the very heart. She exuded an aura of tranquil elegance, like a celestial being gracing the mortal realm. To meet her gaze was to know self-deprecation.

“Just a few more days journey, and we shall reach Penglai. I, Qianmei, visited this continent five centuries past with my sect. It was vibrant and lively; a memory I hold dear,” the woman spoke, her beautiful eyes lost in reminiscence.

Wang Lin remained silent, his expression unchanged. He had not intended to accompany Li Qianmei, nor did the market hold any allure for him. However, upon hearing her words earlier, a seed of thought had taken root.

The Cloud Sea Star Territory was choked by star mists, rendering navigation impossible without accurate star charts. This was particularly true in the higher order regions. To travel from a Fifth Order realm to the Eighth, one required an abundance of meticulously detailed charts.

Within the Cloud Sea, comprehensive star charts were extremely rare, mostly compiled and created by individuals, requiring a vast collection of fragments, verification, and integration.

The purpose for Wang Lin agreeing to visit the market was to search for a star chart. Within the Cloud Sea Star Territory, such charts were a precious commodity, seldom offered for trade, for the Cloud Sea’s unique nature turned them into closely guarded secrets for sects.

This secrecy was understandable. In the mist-shrouded domains of the Cloud Sea, few sects could claim possession of a complete chart of their home region. Vast areas remained unexplored.

Herein lay the value of a star chart, for it could reveal a desolate continent, untouched and ripe with fierce beasts, medicinal herbs, and untapped resources. Such knowledge would remain the sole possession of a knowing sect or individual.

Without a star chart, progress was crippled. Even a sect’s growth suffered, confined to searching in the more commonly known regions. Thus, every sect expended great effort to map the stars, but the mist offered no bearings, and dangerous beasts lurked in the shadows. The cost of mapping a single region could be immense. Star chart exchange was an obvious solution, but greed prevailed. Deceit and misdirection tainted the practice, gradually diminishing the rate of transactions.

Most sects preferred to map their own territory, reaping safe and reliable charts, rather than risking deceitful ones and paying the bloody price.

Li Qianmei, on the other hand, had utilized her sect’s unique teleportation arrays to descend upon branch sects in various order realms, eventually arriving at the Fifth Order Starfield. Such an approach was common amongst the Eighth Order and higher sects of the Cloud Sea, like casting seeds in lower realms. They either nurtured new sects or rebuilt crumbling ones, allowing them to flourish. These served primarily as fixed teleportation points for the main sect to traverse, bypassing the lack of star charts. The Gui Yuan Sect possessed such a network.

However, these arrays consumed massive quantities of Immortal Jade or Origin Crystals for each inter-realm jump. Without explicit authorization from the main sect, these arrays were rarely used.

Throughout their journey, Wang Lin remained lost in thought, responding to Li Qianmei with barely more than a grunt.

Li Qianmei grew frustrated. Her companion had remained silent, and she was left to prattle on as if speaking to the void. “The Ninth Order Starfield holds such mystery in the eyes of us humble cultivators,” Wang Lin spoke, breaking the silence. “How many sects reside within it?”

His question was innocent enough. In the Cloud Sea Star Territory, the star mists hindered travel and communication between cultivators. The Ninth Order Starfield was an especially unreachable place.

The Gui Yuan Sect’s records offered scant details about the Ninth Order Starfield, mentioning only a single Divine Sect. Even the existence of the Heaven Breaker Sect had remained unknown to Wang Lin until he acquired a jade scroll and the memories of a certain poisonous crone. What a Fifth Order Starfield sect could know naturally paled in comparison to that of a Sixth Order. Upon hearing Wang Lin speak, Li Qianmei considered, before answering him.

“There are four sects in the Ninth Order Starfield: the Divine Sect, the Ghost Sect, the Demon Sect, and my own Heaven Breaker Sect. Of these, the Heaven Breaker Sect is the weakest, and the Divine Sect is the strongest. The Ghost Sect is the most mysterious. As for the Demon Sect…” She hesitated.

“The Demon Sect dwells in the deepest reaches of the Ninth Order Starfield, in a place where it is extremely difficult for any cultivator to enter. All who reside there are powerful beasts. The Demon Sect rarely interferes with the affairs of the other three. My master once told me that within the Demon Sect, there are supposedly monstrous beasts that have attained a human form…” “However, with the Divine Sect present, the Demon Sect cannot cause any disruption.”

“Oh?” Wang Lin perked up. “Beasts that can take human form?”

Li Qianmei nodded. “Beasts can sense the rules of heaven and earth, and can thus cultivate into human form. Such beasts, however, are exceedingly rare.”

“There are things that you and many other cultivators do not know. Even my Heaven Breaker Sect, upon becoming a member of the Ninth Order Starfield, only then learned some hidden secrets.”

Li Qianmei grew grave, pondering for a moment before speaking: “Long ago, the Cloud Sea’s Ninth Order Starfield had only one sect: the Divine Sect!”

“After the Divine Sect had ruled for countless years, the first beast invasion broke out in the Ninth Order Starfield. During that invasion, three beasts that had attained human form appeared. It is said that they had come from another star domain.”

“Had it not been for the Divine Sect, this beast invasion would have spread throughout the Cloud Sea. The invasion was eventually stopped by the Divine Sect, but it remained largely unknown to outsiders. The battle was said to have been exceedingly brutal, with a portion of the Divine Sect’s disciples taking up residence in the depths of the Ninth Order Starfield to suppress the remaining beasts. There, they discovered a ruptured space leading to a mysterious domain. A multitude of powerful beasts continued to pour through this rupture. To prevent the beasts from wreaking havoc, a constant battle has been waged for tens of thousands of years. To this day, skirmishes are common.”

“This portion of the Divine Sect gave up their freedom, remaining in the depths of the Ninth Order Starfield to act as the final line of defense. However, as time passed, these former disciples of the Divine Sect began to assert their independence, calling themselves the Demon Sect, no longer taking orders from the Divine Sect. Yet, they continue to defend that broken domain, preventing the beasts from pouring out.”

Li Qianmei’s voice was pleasant, yet the content of her words was astonishing. Wang Lin’s gaze grew focused. He had not imagined that the Cloud Sea Starfield hid such a secret.

“The Divine Sect took precautions, wary of the Demon Sect and of the constantly invading beasts from that mysterious star domain. As such, they first elevated the Ghost Sect, practitioners of Soul Conjuration, into the Ninth Order, and then elevated my Heaven Breaker Sect into the Ninth. This was all preparation for a potential second beast invasion!” Li Qianmei said.

“This matter is of great importance. I hope that Brother Lü does not tell anyone.”

Wang Lin pondered for a moment, then nodded. He gazed into the distance, piercing the void, seeing the Ninth Order Starfield, seeing the space, guarded by the Demon Sect for thousands of years, breaking open, allowing one to glimpse that mysterious star domain…

“Nothing is without cause… If what Li Qianmei said is true, then where does this mysterious star domain lead?”