Volume 1, Chapter 40: Mourning, Through the Heavens

In recent days, Chihu Baolong had been in a particularly good mood. Shen Gongbao had been sent back to the new military camp to suffer, Huang Yi was causing mischief at Tongtian Dojo, and Xingtian Dafeng and his brothers were busy organizing their troops and preparing for the expedition. With nothing pressing on his agenda, Chihu Baolong finally had some leisure time to retreat to a secret room and practice the top-tier sorcery technique he had obtained out of the blue, the "Sun Shooting Technique."

Especially important was the realization of a key issue, which was the main reason for his lightened and invigorated spirit.

His primary reason for coming to Anyi was not merely Xingtian Dafeng's invitation in the forest, although that event had made him aware of Anyi's existence. He had come to Anyi to seek greater power and find a way back to his homeland. As a sorcerer-warrior with great potential, even though Xingtian Dafeng and his brothers had used various methods and offered generous rewards to recruit him, Chihu Baolong always saw himself as a passerby, approaching the situation with a playful mindset. He never intended to pledge his life to the Xingtian family. In his previous life, he had been an elite special agent, loyal only to his country and not to any sorcery family.

Fighting for Xingtian Dafeng and winning battle after battle, demonstrating his value to them, and securing better treatment was just a strategy to obtain the advanced sorcery techniques they possessed. Chihu Baolong understood that for these influential families to willingly share their high-level techniques with a barbarian from the southern wilderness, he had to prove his worth and utility to them.

But after acquiring the Sun Shooting Technique, Chihu Baolong's thoughts shifted. He no longer wanted to stay in Anyi. With a top-tier technique in hand, following its instructions was enough to gain immense power. Why should he remain in Anyi? To become a loyal enforcer for the Xingtian family, handling tasks they couldn't do themselves, like beating up other families' allies in the training grounds? Chihu Baolong didn't think he had fallen so low as to willingly become a lackey.

Thus, Chihu Baolong wanted to leave Anyi. However, he found it hard to ignore the camaraderie he had developed with Xingtian Dafeng and his brothers. He could sense that their attitude towards him wasn't just from the perspective of a guest warrior. Perhaps they truly saw him as a friend. Simply leaving without a word was something Chihu Baolong, who valued friendship, couldn't bring himself to do.

All his doubts dissipated after he met Huang Yi. The little yellow dragon that had slowly swum out from the lake and sprayed Chihu Baolong with saliva made his decision to stay in Anyi clear. Just for that little yellow dragon, Chihu Baolong decided to stay in Anyi, participate in the Xia army's campaign against the Atlanteans, and continue his training and fighting.

Chihu Baolong vividly remembered how his muscles and bones had involuntarily trembled when he saw the little yellow dragon, nearly causing him to collapse. Without any logical reason or careful thought, he decided to stay. Whether it was for training, fighting, or brawling, he decided to stay in Anyi.

With his confusion entirely dispelled, Chihu Baolong felt a refreshing clarity of mind. Suddenly, he experienced a sense of sanctity, no longer just a passerby or an observer. It felt as if he were actively participating in the course of history. He was now certain that he found himself in the historically lost era of Great Xia. The Nine Cauldrons of the Nine Provinces, unearthed in his previous life's China, couldn't possibly have transported him to another place or time. Although he couldn't understand why there was no moon in the sky, and an extra star seemed to be present, these were minor issues.

Being part of history, even if personal power cannot resist the tide of history, participating in it as an active participant must be one of life's greatest joys.

Great Xia. The twilight of Great Xia.

The end of Chinese mythology and the beginning of history. This was a chaotic era where mythology and history intertwined, the final grand feast and dance of ancient gods, celestial beings, and demons. Since he was already here, why not indulge in the fine wine and join in the revelry? The twisted logic of his former life's friend, White Tiger, came to mind: "If a man cannot achieve fame and glory in his own country, then going abroad to kill and burn, leaving a notorious legacy, isn't too bad either!"

With a clear mind and a stable spirit, the fire of the golden core within him blazed, continuously refining his true essence. Following the ingenious methods taught by Master Wuguang, he compressed and purified his true essence without elevating his level, rapidly increasing his reserves at a perceptible rate. With a body thousands of times stronger than that of a mere Qi cultivator, Chihu Baolong exerted all his effort, using the golden core's fire to directly refine his meridians and qi sea, expanding their capacity.

And externally?

There was no denying that the "Sun Shooting Technique" was a masterpiece of ancient gods, an incredibly powerful sorcery. When Chihu Baolong first began practicing it, he nearly suffered a backlash that could have caused his body to explode!

The training method of the "Sun Shooting Technique" shared the same principles as other sorcery techniques: using as much pure five-elemental force compatible with one's body to refine spiritual power and convert it into sorcery power. This sorcery power would then stimulate the sea of consciousness, continuously excavating and extracting the inherited potential within the sorcery bloodline, thereby strengthening both spiritual and sorcery power.

However, the "Sun Shooting Technique" was exceptionally intense. While other high-level sorcery techniques might absorb five-elemental force like a gentle stream or a mighty river, the "Sun Shooting Technique" was like an asteroid impact—sudden, overwhelming, and nearly unbearable each time.

First, spiritual power in the sea of consciousness was formed into a small arrow using a specific sorcery chant and hand seals. Then, 1,480 hand symbols were engraved into this spiritual arrow using pure willpower. Finally, external hand seals were used to drive the invisible arrow from the center of the forehead, shooting it into the highest possible reaches of the sky under precise mental control.

As the connection between the mental command and the small arrow weakened with distance, and finally broke, the 1,480 hand symbols activated simultaneously. To the mental perception, the small arrow, barely an inch long and as thin as a hair, suddenly expanded into a sphere dozens of feet in diameter. Earth-elemental force, driven by the strange symbols, rushed in like a herd of sheep, filling the sphere completely.

Then, the 1,480 symbols fused into a single brand, and a thin strand of spiritual command descended from the void, shooting back into Chihu Baolong's sea of consciousness, reconnecting with his spiritual power. Immediately, the massive sphere filled with earth-elemental force plummeted from the sky like a meteor.

The first time Chihu Baolong practiced the "Sun Shooting Technique," due to unfamiliarity with the method and unaccustomed control of his mental command, he "only" created three small arrows of spiritual power and shot them out. These three large balloons came crashing down, exploding into his head. The immense earth-elemental force, compressed to the extreme, erupted suddenly, causing his skin to split into fragments, spraying blood several feet away and turning the secret room into ruins.

Fortunately, his body contained true essence, which had remarkable restorative properties. The true essence barely protected his body from exploding and stimulated his sea of consciousness, releasing powerful spiritual energy that continuously absorbed and integrated the vast amounts of nearly crystallized earth-elemental force. Simultaneously, his golden core spun rapidly, desperately consuming the earth-elemental force and releasing earth-elemental true essence to relieve the pressure within his body.

After his first practice of the "Sun Shooting Technique," Chihu Baolong lay unconscious in the secret room for an hour before finally waking up.

The first practice increased his true essence by fifty percent and doubled his sorcery power. The cost was that all his bones were shattered, and his muscles were turned to mush. He lay on the ground for two hours, slowly using his true essence to repair his battered body.

"I have to admit, those ancient gods were a bunch of perverts," Chihu Baolong said after his first practice of the "Sun Shooting Technique."

In the following days, he cautiously shot out only one small arrow of spiritual power at a time, absorbing only one sphere of earth-elemental force each session. The results in these few days surpassed his combined achievements of nearly ten years. He could only marvel at the power of the "Sun Shooting Technique" and lament the uselessness of the sorcery techniques taught by the village sorcerer.

In just a few days, Chihu Baolong had grown an inch taller, but his muscle mass had shrunk by thirty percent, making him appear leaner. The increase in height indicated that his physique had begun a complete transformation, evolving from a lower-middle-tier sorcerer to a top-tier sorcerer. The decrease in muscle mass meant his true essence and sorcery power had become extremely condensed, far surpassing their previous quality.

Finally, Chihu Baolong realized the vast gap between himself and top-tier sorcerers like Xingtian Dafeng. Now, he could draw the incredibly powerful "Sun Shooting Bow" to its full capacity, his physical strength increased tenfold. However, he worried that his weapons might need to be reforged, as they felt too light in his hands. This transformation was thanks to the true essence continuously nourishing and remodeling his body, making his muscle strength nearly comparable to top-tier sorcerers.

Engrossed in his training, Chihu Baolong lost track of time. Soon, the thirteenth day of the tenth month of the Great Xia calendar arrived.

On the thirteenth day of the tenth month of the Great Xia calendar, it seemed like an ordinary day. But much later, when those who had lived through the events of that day gathered and pieced everything together, they were stunned to realize that this day was almost a turning point in history. Everything changed after that day.

As night fell, Chihu Baolong was in his secret chamber behind his residence, undergoing his rigorous self-imposed training. Thick yellow orbs of light bombarded him at a rate of two per quarter-hour. His muscles twitched, veins bulged, and a circle of earth-colored light the size of a bowl flickered in his eyes, making him look more like a monster than a man. Inside him, his golden core burned fiercely, channeling any unrefined earth-elemental force into the core, regardless of whether it could absorb it all. Powerful earth-elemental true essence continuously emanated from the core.

While training, Chihu Baolong had the leisure to silently recite the various incantations and hand seals from the "Sun Shooting Technique." Currently, he needed to engrave over a thousand symbols on each spiritual arrow. According to the technique, at its highest level, he would need to engrave over nine billion symbols on each arrow and continuously shoot out thirty-six thousand arrows, creating a self-sustaining system resembling a swirling galaxy. The thought made Chihu Baolong both anxious and excited. If he could reach the highest level, wouldn't he be akin to the legendary Hou Yi reborn?

Just the thought of it was daunting. If over a thousand symbols could absorb such an immense amount of earth-elemental force, what would happen with nine billion symbols on a single arrow? Especially with thirty-six thousand arrows shooting out in rapid succession. The thought alone was terrifying.

The pitch-black "Sun Shooting Bow" floated three feet in front of Chihu Baolong's chest. Any earth-elemental force he couldn't absorb was channeled into the bow using the control incantations from the "Sun Shooting Technique." According to the technique's records, this would allow the bow to resonate with his spirit, adding tenfold to its spiritual nature and making it even more formidable.

As Chihu Baolong felt he was getting the hang of it, despite the pitch-black chamber, a brilliant light suddenly filled his vision. The heavy iron door of the chamber was violently kicked open. Xingtian Dafeng, dressed in luxurious silk robes, rushed in, shouting, "Chihu, stop training! Come with me quickly, something big has happened. Let's see if we can get some benefits!"

One advantage of sorcerer training is that it can be interrupted at any time without causing harm. Their bodies are extremely robust, and even if sorcery power misfires, it usually doesn't result in serious injury. So, even though Xingtian Dafeng knew Chihu Baolong was training, he barged in without hesitation. However, Chihu Baolong's golden core was still active. Startled, a stream of true essence veered off course, nearly causing Chihu Baolong to spew blood.

Quickly, Chihu Baolong calmed his internal energy, withdrew the true essence to his qi sea, and returned his sorcery power to his spiritual sea. He made three peculiar hand seals to suppress the spiritual entities disturbed by his training. Then, composed, he stood up and saw Xingtian Dafeng, whose face was a mix of anxiety and excitement. Puzzled, Chihu Baolong asked, "What happened? Did someone die?" He couldn't fathom what else would make Xingtian Dafeng so anxious.

Xingtian Dafeng grinned, "Not dead yet, but close. It's not related to our family. We might even benefit from it. Let's go see the excitement."

Chihu Baolong was stunned as he saw several maidservants walk in, unceremoniously stripping him and dressing him in an elaborate and luxurious black silk robe. The robe was front-fastened, with wide sleeves that nearly touched the ground. Various jade accessories were placed on him, including a jade high crown adorned with three translucent green jade hairpins that looked like they had liquid inside them.

With jade rings, jade wrist guards, jade waist ornaments, a jade belt, and even a two-foot-long red jade ceremonial sword hanging from the belt, Chihu Baolong was finally fully dressed. He was adorned with nearly thirty pieces of the finest jade, transforming him from a hulking, ape-like figure into a dignified nobleman.

Xingtian Dafeng was surprised to see Chihu Baolong walking gracefully and steadily in the chamber. He nodded repeatedly, "Good, you actually look the part. No more dilly-dallying, let's go. We have a bit of a journey ahead."

At the Xingtian family's main gate, a long procession of ceremonial guards was assembled. Xingtian E and his two elderly friends were already seated in the foremost carriage, their eyes closed, fingers tapping their knees. In the following carriages were the prominent members of the Xingtian family in Anyi. Aside from the first-generation head, Xingtian E, and the second-generation elder, Xingtian Thirteen, Chihu Baolong saw many key figures of the Xingtian family for the first time.

The guards for this procession weren't the Great Xia army but the Xingtian family's private guards. Clad in black armor with fully enclosed helmets, five thousand of these Xingtian guards, mounted on massive black dragon-horned beasts, exuded a palpable aura of killing intent that cut like blades from a distance. This formidable force was new to Chihu Baolong, a powerful arm of the Xingtian family.

Xingtian Dafeng hurriedly brought Chihu Baolong, and without a word, they jumped into the last carriage. They barely had time to greet Xingtian Xuanniu and the others inside before Xingtian E gave the command, and the procession surged forward. Behind them, the sound of hooves echoed as the Shen Gong family and other major sorcerer families from the street formed a grand procession, heading towards the east gate in single file.

Chihu Baolong had no idea what was happening, but seeing the solemn faces inside the carriage, he dared not speak. Instead, he lifted the curtain and peered outside.

He saw that once the noble families' procession exited the city gate, they reformed from a single-file line into a phalanx formation. Leading were the four major sorcerer families, side by side. Behind them, other sorcerer families followed in an orderly formation based on their power and influence. This phalanx stretched five miles wide and over ten miles long. Major families like the Xingtian family deployed thousands, while smaller ones had just a few carriages, totaling nearly one hundred thousand people.

The procession moved rapidly eastward for over an hour. Fortunately, the plains surrounding Anyi were vast and flat, allowing the massive procession to proceed unimpeded until they reached their destination.

Ahead was a sparse forest shrouded in a faint black mist, covering an area of nearly a hundred square miles. At the forefront stood two impossibly large ancient trees, each hundreds of feet tall. Even in the dark, their immense size was evident. The trees, about a hundred feet apart, had their branches intertwined high above, resembling a dark cloud over the land. These trees formed what looked like a gateway to another world, standing tall in the night.

Chihu Baolong swore he hadn't seen these trees when he arrived in Anyi. Such towering trees would have been visible from miles away, yet he had seen no sign of them. This had to be some advanced sorcery at work.

The procession passed between the two trees. Chihu Baolong instinctively sensed a change in Xingtian Dafeng and the others; they suddenly exuded a reverent aura, as if they had entered a holy place. They became extraordinarily solemn and restrained, their breathing even slowed. Even White, lying on the carriage floor, stiffened, staring intently ahead as if sensing something significant.

The day was a turning point in history, marking a profound change for all involved.

Chihu Baolong couldn't hold back any longer. He lifted the carriage curtain to look ahead and was astonished to see a vast expanse of mountains. Indeed, it was a mountainous area, dotted with countless lights resembling a medium-sized city. Ensuring no one noticed, Chihu Baolong cast a spell on himself to enhance his vision. What he saw on the mountain slopes were towering, majestic palaces, pitch black and looming like beasts on the delicate hills.

The sound beneath the wheels had changed from the rustling of wheels on dirt to a crisp 'clack.' The ground was now paved with bluestone slabs, forming a hundred-yard-wide stone road leading straight into the heart of the mountains.

Gradually, countless sorcerers cloaked in black emerged from the temples along the roadside. They formed a stream of people, marching in unison, producing a faint yet grand sound of footsteps that sent chills down one's spine as they hurriedly ran forward.

Xingtian E suddenly called out, "All major sorcerer family convoys, stop. Each family head leads their people to the Celestial Sorcerer Hall."

The Celestial Sorcerer, Earth Sorcerer, Spirit Sorcerer, Dark Sorcerer, Dawn Sorcerer, Command Sorcerer, Illusion Sorcerer, Strength Sorcerer, and Transformation Sorcerer represent the nine major sorcerers of the Great Xia sorcerer order. They also symbolize nine immensely powerful forces. Those stationed at the central Anyi Sorcerer Hall are known as Great Sorcerers; those at the provincial halls are known as Regional Sorcerers. The nine Great Sorcerers, holding titles like Celestial Sorcerer, Earth Sorcerer, and so on, are the highest leaders of the Great Xia sorcerer order. Apart from the special succession path of the Great Xia king, they are the nine most powerful individuals in the nine provinces!

The Celestial Sorcerer Hall is where the Celestial Sorcerer, one of the nine Great Sorcerers, resides. The revered Celestial Sorcerer is also the head of the Great Xia sorcerer order and a member of the Great Xia royal family.

Xingtian E's call reminded Chihu Baolong. He turned back, astonished, and asked Xingtian Dafeng, "Is it possible? Is the Celestial Sorcerer dying?"

The Celestial Sorcerer, the current one being the king's uncle, possesses enough sorcerer power to destroy the heavens and the earth. As the head of the Great Xia sorcerer order, he oversees the nine major sorcerer halls, and all sorcerers in the nine provinces are under his command. In every city and village within the nine provinces, there are sorcerer halls and sorcerers. Even in Chihu Baolong's tribe and his village, the tribal sorcerer was a disciple of a sorcerer hall.

Such a significant figure, almost god-like in status, is about to die?

Strangely, Chihu Baolong couldn't understand why Xingtian Dafeng seemed somewhat happy when he rushed into his chamber earlier, despite this crucial person's impending death.

A faint voice reached Chihu Baolong's ears, "When a Great Sorcerer dies, they must transfer their vast sorcerer power using supreme sorcery. The inheritor cannot absorb all the power that could devastate the land, and more than sixty percent of the power, along with some of the Great Sorcerer's memories and experiences, will disperse into the void. We, the fortunate ones, might acquire a portion of this power. Perhaps most sorcerer warriors present could gain the strength of a whole cauldron."

Chihu Baolong glanced at Xingtian Dafeng, who had transmitted the message, in shock. He suddenly thought of the terrifying scenes from primitive tribes in his previous life, where tribesmen devoured their deceased elders. What Xingtian Dafeng described felt similarly macabre.

Led by Xingtian E, Xiangliu Hou, Fangfeng Mu, and Shengong Li, the significant figures from the major sorcerer families in Anyi, along with one or two close friends, ascended the steep stone steps towards the Celestial Sorcerer Hall. As they climbed, the cloaked sorcerers stood far below, forming a vast sea of people that surrounded the entire mountain where the Celestial Sorcerer Hall stood.

Gradually, sorcerers in black cloaks emerged from the roadside halls, joining the procession in silent, orderly steps. Their synchronized footfalls created a chilling rhythm that filled Chihu Baolong with dread, the scene before him like a nightmare.

Finally, they arrived at the Celestial Sorcerer Hall.

Part of the grand hall was on the mountaintop, but the entrance was halfway up the mountain. The main structure was carved directly out of the mountain. A four-hundred-yard-high, two-hundred-yard-wide cliff had been smoothed to perfection and adorned with celestial patterns that emitted a faint glow. Among the designs, Chihu Baolong noticed one that resembled Halley's Comet.

The entrance to the Celestial Sorcerer Hall was at the center of these patterns, a narrow rectangular gap nearly a hundred yards tall.

Holding tightly to Bai's paw, Chihu Baolong nervously followed the group into the entrance. Inside was a seemingly endless tunnel, with white-robed sorcerers standing every three yards along the walls, each with a glowing pearl above their heads, providing just enough light to see. Even the floor was covered in intricate star maps.

The tunnel stretched about ten miles into the mountain. The deeper they went, the stronger the sorcerer power radiated from the sorcerers, making Chihu Baolong, Bai, the Xingtian brothers, and even their elders tremble uncontrollably. Only the highest-ranking elders could remain composed under the immense pressure.

At the end of the tunnel was an enormous chamber. Chihu Baolong was too overwhelmed to appreciate the scale of the dome or the square walls. Under the influence of sorcery, with enough sorcerer power, these great sorcerers could fill the room with dozens of mountains if they wished.

Xingtian E and the other family members stopped in the center of the chamber, aligning themselves according to their status, rank, generation, and the power and reputation of their families. Under the direction of a dozen great sorcerers, they formed orderly ranks, with Chihu Baolong's group naturally at the back.

About a mile ahead, Chihu Baolong saw a square doorway in the wall, connected by a steep thousand-step stone staircase. This pyramid-like staircase was filled with sorcerers in various colored robes. Chihu Baolong's keen eyesight noticed that the lowest-ranked sorcerers on the staircase bore the emblem of seven cauldrons. At the top stood nearly a hundred sorcerers wrapped in cloaks, each adorned with the nine cauldrons emblem.

Nearly a hundred Nine-Cauldron Great Sorcerers.

Chihu Baolong had no clear concept of the power of a Nine-Cauldron Great Sorcerer, but he knew that with his current strength, he couldn't match even a One-Cauldron top-tier sorcerer like Xingtian Dafeng, let alone a Nine-Cauldron Great Sorcerer. Standing amidst the ranks, he marveled at the grandeur of the Great Xia sorcerer order.

Beside him, Xingtian Dafeng whispered through barely moving lips, "Forty percent of the elders from the nine major sorcerer halls are present. The eight indistinct figures at the top of the steps, from left to right, are the Earth Sorcerer, Spirit Sorcerer, Dark Sorcerer, Dawn Sorcerer, Command Sorcerer, Illusion Sorcerer, Strength Sorcerer, and Transformation Sorcerer."

Chihu Baolong nodded lightly, unable to speak without moving his lips. Were there really this many high-level great sorcerers, and only forty percent were present?

Xingtian Xuanzhi, with a cold gaze fixed on the stone steps, whispered from his chest, "The rumors about the Dawn Sorcerer are quite intriguing."

Just as Chihu Baolong was about to ask about the rumors, he saw the right hand of the fourth great sorcerer from the left twitch slightly. A faint 'slap' sound seemed to come from Xingtian Xuanzhi's face, as if he'd been slapped. Xingtian Dafeng and Xingtian Xuanzhi quickly lowered their heads, not daring to make another sound.

A hush fell over the hall. Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind filled the air. Looking up, everyone saw a swirling white mist that gradually opened into a portal. The Great Xia King, followed by several men in ceremonial robes, stepped out of the void. As their figures solidified, the white mist dissipated, and with a slight movement, the king and his retinue were already at the top of the stairs.

"What is the condition of the Celestial Sorcerer? Why the sudden alarm? Wasn't it said that he still had three years to live?" The king demanded anxiously as soon as he arrived.

Reaching a certain level of cultivation, these sorcerers had a clear understanding of their lifespan and could accurately predict their death. If the Celestial Sorcerer had declared he had three years left, he should have lived those three years, not suddenly summoned everyone to Anyi, making them rush over in the dead of night.

From the square portal on the stone steps, a dim silver light suddenly shot out, enveloping the entire space in its mystical glow. The surroundings transformed into a boundless expanse, with everyone floating in a vacuum. Countless stars, large and small, shimmered brilliantly, moving along ancient, fixed paths with a tremendous roaring sound.

The Great Xia King immediately ceased his inquiries and respectfully bowed towards the portal, saying, "Celestial Sorcerer."

An elderly man clad in a smooth silver robe slowly emerged from the portal. His silver hair floated like flames around his head, despite the absence of wind. His face was smooth as jade, with eyes that shone like two suns, radiating endless light and heat, making it impossible for anyone to gaze directly at his face. This elder nodded slightly at the Great Xia King and spoke in a deep voice, "Three years of life isn't much. Rather than waste three years doing nothing, it's better to abandon them for greater benefits."

Before the Great Xia King could respond, the elder, the Celestial Sorcerer of the Great Xia Sorcerer Order, the king's uncle and head of the Celestial Sorcerer Hall, continued, "After my death, my thirty-sixth brother Wu Yi will take over the position of Celestial Sorcerer. Wu Yi reached the lower nine cauldron level three years ago. With my legacy, he will attain the power of the upper nine cauldrons, enough to stabilize the sorcerer order. Do any of the great sorcerers have objections?"

The eight great sorcerers below the Celestial Sorcerer simultaneously replied, "None." Their voices, imbued with immense sorcery power, thundered like the sky's lightning, making their individual tones indistinguishable.

The Celestial Sorcerer chuckled softly, then looked up into the void and asked, "Does the Lord of the Hidden Sect have any objections?"

A low, powerful voice emanated from a slowly rotating star pattern in the sky, "Seventh brother, if you're dying, stop wasting time and just die already. I just got back to the Hidden Hall, and you summoned me back to Anyi. Is this amusing to you?"

The Celestial Sorcerer laughed again, bowing towards the void, "Very well. I'll die first, then wait for you to join me."

The voice in the void snorted in annoyance, but no figure appeared.

The Celestial Sorcerer then asked the Great Xia King, "Your Majesty, do you object to your thirty-sixth uncle taking over the sorcerer order?"

The Great Xia King shook his head.

The Celestial Sorcerer then asked the elders of the major sorcerer halls, who all agreed. He also inquired with the leaders of the various clans and families represented by Xingtian E, all of whom consented. Chihu Baolong noticed Shang Tang standing in a corner, curiously watching the Celestial Sorcerer settle his affairs. Yi Yin, like a shadow, stood behind Shang Tang, seemingly uninterested in the transfer of sorcery power, his eyes only roaming over the faces of the female sorcerers.

The Celestial Sorcerer's legacy ceremony was simple. Since he had decided to forfeit three years of life and die early, not even the Great Xia King or the enigmatic Lord of the Hidden Sect could oppose it. Without much to say, the Celestial Sorcerer summoned Wu Yi, a significantly younger nine cauldron great sorcerer, and handed him a foot-long, pitch-black stone staff, thus completing the transfer of the Celestial Sorcerer title and all associated powers.

Next came the ritual for transferring sorcery power.

Seated on a massive stone chair suspended in the void, the Celestial Sorcerer faced the cross-legged Wu Yi and announced, "Upon my death, I will disperse all my sorcery power and wisdom. Some will go to Wu Yi, while others present may inherit parts of it. The heads of the major sorcerer families know the rules—no envy or harm towards those who gain benefits. Understand?"

Everyone acknowledged in unison.

The Celestial Sorcerer added, "In my final moments, I exchanged three years of life for the ability to glimpse the future. Three years for just a few words' worth of insight. Your Majesty, remember them well."

The Great Xia King frowned, displeased, and said, "The Great Xia is at its peak. Why make this unnecessary sacrifice?" Wu Yi, seated before the Celestial Sorcerer, nodded in agreement.

The Celestial Sorcerer smiled at the Great Xia King, "I recently observed the stars and felt an ominous premonition. I have lived over seven hundred years, leading the Celestial Sorcerer Hall for a century. What are three years if they can resolve my concerns?"

Xingtian Dafeng, ever the talkative one, quietly transmitted his voice, saying, "This generation's Celestial Sorcerer is an unprecedented genius in astrological arts, often seeing what other great sorcerers cannot. If he has a foreboding, it must signify a great change. Only he could use this life-sacrificing technique to gain foresight. Even Wu Yi, who will succeed him, would need a century of hard cultivation to reach such a level."

Chihu Baolong nodded in agreement. Indeed, if everyone had such a clear foresight of the future, chaos would surely ensue.

Hearing the Celestial Sorcerer's words, the Great Xia King had no further arguments and stepped aside.

The efficiency of the sorcerers was remarkable, without any unnecessary rituals. The Celestial Sorcerer placed a hand on Wu Yi's forehead, closed his eyes, and spoke in a deep voice, "All sorcerers, restrain your sorcery power and focus on your incantations. Young sorcerers, if unusual phenomena occur, do not panic; just maintain your practices. My seven centuries of sorcery power should not be wasted."

With a muffled sound, the Celestial Sorcerer's silver hair suddenly broke off, exploding into a shower of silver light. His hand on Wu Yi's forehead glowed brightly, resembling pure silver rather than flesh. Wu Yi's face contorted in pain, his body swelling as if inflated, as the Celestial Sorcerer's immense power flooded into his consciousness, causing excruciating pain.

As the Celestial Sorcerer transferred his power, he began chanting in an ancient, incomprehensible language. With each word, his appearance aged rapidly, burning through his remaining lifespan to exchange it for glimpses of the future.

All sorcerers suppressed their auras, focusing solely on their incantations, maintaining their composure. The only noticeable energy fluctuation came from the Celestial Sorcerer, growing increasingly unstable. Silver streams of light began shooting from his forehead, scattering in all directions. Unable to absorb all the power, Wu Yi's body started to overflow, causing the Celestial Sorcerer's power to leak uncontrollably.

The leaking power carried countless incantations and symbols, representing the Celestial Sorcerer's lifetime of accumulated knowledge. Chihu Baolong marveled at how the sorcerer clan squeezed every bit of value from an individual, even in their final moments.

The Celestial Sorcerer's energy grew more intense and unstable. Suddenly, he had exhausted his lifespan entirely. At the peak of his incantation, he opened the door to fate's secrets.

The Celestial Sorcerer's eyes snapped open, emitting beams of silver light thousands of meters long. Initially, his face displayed fear and panic, but it soon turned to joy, as if seeing a hopeful turn. Shaking with excitement, he shouted, "Your Majesty, it is the Ninth Prince... he..."

At that moment, an unexpected interruption occurred. Outside the mountain, numerous sorcerers saw a brilliant red light shooting from the east into the sky. The stars flickered rapidly, indicating an immense force descending onto someone on the ground. The red light, however, was so powerful it dimmed the stars. A large silver star fell from the sky like a meteor heading west.

The sorcerers outside the Celestial Sorcerer Hall lamented, "The Celestial Sorcerer has fallen!"

Inside, just as the Celestial Sorcerer was about to reveal the crucial secret of the future, a mysterious, powerful force severed his connection to the stars, extinguishing his life force instantly.

A peculiar red light flashed on the Celestial Sorcerer. With a serene smile towards the Great Xia King, his body dissolved into countless silver lights.

In the void, the Hidden Sect Master roared in fury, "Who dares to break the Celestial Sorcerer's spell? Who possesses such power? Who is it?"

The great sorcerers opened their eyes in shock, abandoning their attempts to absorb the Celestial Sorcerer's power.

Chihu Baolong, detached from the situation, calmly followed the Celestial Sorcerer's instructions, continuing to practice his sorcery, hoping to absorb the released power and wisdom.

He practiced the Shooting Sun Spell, a technique that expands outward and is highly aggressive. Three spirit arrows shot out, netting a vast amount of power.

Chihu Baolong opened his eyes in shock, muttering, "My luck can't be this bad, can it?"

Like his first attempt with the Shooting Sun Spell, he was overwhelmed by three massive energy spheres crashing into his consciousness, causing his body to explode, destroying his luxurious attire and precious ornaments. His body, now a bloody mess, flew back hundreds of meters, collapsing among the unlucky sorcerers he had hit.

Another person, Shang Tang, also inherited a portion of the Celestial Sorcerer's immense power. Being a peak sorcerer, he only bled from his orifices but avoided the catastrophic scene caused by Chihu Baolong.

Dozens of sorcerers in black robes, hiding their identities, emerged. With badges indicating eight or nine cauldrons, each had a small black star embroidered on them. The leading sorcerer roared, "Search everywhere! Find the one who disrupted the Celestial Sorcerer's spell and annihilate his entire tribe!"

The furious sorcerers scattered to obey.

The Hidden Sect Master, cloaked in black mist, glared at the bloodied Chihu Baolong, laughing softly, "I never thought someone would be foolish enough to practice the Shooting Sun Spell during the Celestial Sorcerer's ritual. This kid is interesting!"

Hearing his muttering, Wu Yi and the other sorcerer leaders looked at him in surprise. The Hidden Sect Master coughed and instructed Li Mu, "Young girl, heal that barbarian. Your wood-element power will expedite his recovery. We can't let such an interesting fellow die. And if you're in the mood, help that unfortunate Shang clansman too."

Li Mu bowed slightly and swiftly moved to Chihu Baolong, covering him in a green light to heal him.

Far to the east of Anyi City, on a distant seaside, a young man in a fiery red robe laughed as he watched the stars dim. "I, Tongtian Daoren, despise those who defy fate! What's so scary about a nine cauldron great sorcerer's death? As long as their spirit endures, they can reincarnate and cultivate again to achieve immortality. I just can't stand their theatrics!"

With a cold snort, Tongtian Daoren, his black hair billowing, turned to his followers, "Children, let's head to Anyi for some fun! How could I not enjoy myself, entrusted with the grand task of establishing our school while my master and senior brothers are in seclusion? I've only cultivated for ten thousand years; it's the prime of my youth! I won't be confined to Jin'ao Island by those old geezers."

His followers, reluctant to speak, watched as he soared westward, surrounded by four sword lights. They hurriedly called after him, "Master, you don't know the way to the school! Wait for us!"

Riding on clouds, they sped off like shooting stars.