On the Sun Star, the solar tides did not merely rise—they revolted. Billions of miles of golden torrents surged like dragons of pure law, twisting into shapes of impossible complexity. Flowers of Law, each the size of a celestial body, blossomed and dissolved in a heartbeat, scattering stardust across the void.
Then, as if a king had entered the room, the fires went still. The violent, draconic flames bowed, orienting themselves toward a single point of absolute stillness.
In the heart of the inferno, Ling Xiao sat. The three flowers above his head were no longer mere manifestations of power; they were wreathed in Primordial Chaos Qi, and within them, a silhouette flickered—a projection of his perfected Self.
He raised a palm. A miniature Golden Sun materialized there, rotating slowly. With a single thought, his Divine Sense erupted. It didn't just spread; it claimed. The three hundred and sixty-five Main Stars and the fourteen thousand eight hundred Sub Stars of the Zhou Tian were suddenly mapped within his mind, every pulse of their stellar cores visible to him.
"It is done."
Ling Xiao opened his eyes. The gold within his pupils was so intense it seemed to burn the very concept of 'distance' away. By breaking the shackles of the Law of Fire and reaching the Hun Yuan Golden Immortal level, he had undergone a qualitative evolution. He was no longer a resident of the world; he was becoming its master.
"The sermon must be drawing to a close," Ling Xiao mused. He knew he was the strongest being in the Great Desolation outside of Hongjun himself. But he also knew the "Era of Saints" was approaching. The birth of the Human Race was the pivot point. He wouldn't stop Nuwa—to fight the General Trend of the Heavenly Dao was a fool's errand—but he would be ready.
He was about to return to his meditation when an obscure, noble aura caught his attention. It was a purple light, flickering like a beacon in the boundless void.
"The Ziwei Star?"
He stepped into the Void, crossing the distance between stars in a single stride. When he arrived, he found a world of purple mist and imperial dignity. This was the Emperor Star, the head of the celestial host.
"Worthy of the name," Ling Xiao admitted.
On the surface of the star, beneath a shroud of purple Grandmist-like Qi, he found a sight that made even his refined heart skip a beat. A tree, ink-black and massive, reached for the heavens. Its three hundred and sixty-five branches held three hundred and sixty-five buds, each glowing with the light of a primary star.
The Zhou Tian Star Tree.
"Who are you? This domain is forbidden!"
A youth appeared beneath the boughs. He looked barely fourteen, dressed in regal purple robes, his face handsome and etched with an innate, sweeping nobility. His cultivation was impressive—an Early Stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal—but his eyes held the arrogance of someone who had never known a rival.
"Just a passerby," Ling Xiao said with a light smile. "Are you the Master of Ziwei?"
"I am the Zi Wei Emperor Lord," the youth declared, puffing out his chest. "This star is my throne, and this tree is my scepter. You are trespassing on imperial ground."
Ling Xiao suppressed a laugh. The boy was "green"—newly manifested and full of the self-importance that came with being born on the Emperor Star.
"My name is Ling Xiao."
The youth's guard dropped slightly. He was lonely; the Ziwei Star was a vast, silent palace. "Ling Xiao... a pleasure. Since you have the strength to bypass my formations, why don't we discuss the Dao? I have found no one to verify my path."
"Very well."
They sat beneath the black boughs of the Star Tree. The youth spoke first, his voice ringing with the authority of his station. Above him, the Azure Clouds emerged, and as he spoke, the stars of the Zhou Tian seemed to pulse in time with his words.
"The Ziwei Emperor Star is the pivot of the universe," the youth preached. "My Dao is to govern the host. All stars, from the smallest mote to the Sun and Moon, must rotate around my center. When Ziwei suppresses the Sun and Moon, the Order of Heaven is complete."
He looked at Ling Xiao, his eyes bright with the thrill of his own "profound" insight. "What say you, Fellow Daoist? Is my Dao not supreme?"
Ling Xiao looked at the boy, then at the ink-black Star Tree, and shook his head slowly.
"A pity..." Ling Xiao whispered. "Your Dao is a beautiful dream... but you have forgotten that before the Emperor can rule the night, he must first survive the Day."