Chapter Forty-Nine: The Young Man

“Did the Saintslayer really say that?”
The colossal beast of darkness trembled in terror as it recalled those dreadful supreme beings whose murderous aura shook the cosmos, their faces once cold as ice, having stirred the winds of chaos in the Grand Realm of Han Tian, while countless corpses fell like rain.
In an instant, the beast’s fur bristled with cold dread; its entire body tensed, and the arrogance it displayed just moments before vanished without a trace.
“Why would I bother lying to you?”
The old man regarded him coldly. “The Saintslayer is deeply wary of challenging Nine Stars. As for the reason, once you earn the title of Seven-Star Godslayer and enter the inner circle, you’ll learn soon enough.”
At these words, the beast of darkness clenched its jaws. The old man before him was a Seven-Star Godslayer, while he himself was only at Six Stars! A single star’s difference determined whether one could enter the true core or not.
“Damn it! Just one star away, and he lords it over me at every turn. Even the forbidden arts are reserved for Seven Stars and above, and only by accumulating enough merit can I obtain them. I—descended from the Black Erosion Beasts, with cosmic blood in my veins—am forced to bow and scrape before this old man?” The beast roared inwardly, venting its indignation.
Of course, though furious, the Black Erosion Beast dared not show its anger.
Within the alliance, the rules were absolute: lower-star slayers must not show the least disrespect to those above them. Any who dared resist would be harshly punished.
They belonged to a fearsome, infamous organization.
Its leader was known as the Elder of the Ten Directions. No one knew his origins or how long he had lived.
All the beast knew was that even those exalted figures—Saintslayers standing at the pinnacle of the spiritual cosmos—must obey the Elder of the Ten Directions. It was said that once, in a fit of rage, a single glance from him utterly annihilated a supreme Divine Lord, body and soul.
That incident left all who witnessed it shaken to their core, never daring to question his power again.
“Inform Lord Yu that the Nine-Star has left the Sea of Flowers. That legendary Divine Blossom, born of the universe’s spiritual fortune, should be on the verge of blooming.”
The old man instructed coolly.
Though the Black Erosion Beast was unwilling, it dared not defy the order. It opened its jaws and spat out a slender, snow-white feather. Spiritual energy swirled around it, glowing softly, exuding an unmistakable aura of divinity.
Swish, swish, swish…
A surge of mental power traced lines of script across the feather. Then, the snowy plume burst into flames from the base, a silver-white fire consuming it up to the tip.
As the feather vanished, a message was sent.
“It’s done. What next?”
“We wait,” the old man replied flatly.
“Wait?”
“Yes. Wait three years. Guard the Sea of Flowers and monitor all movements here. When the Divine Blossom emerges, Lord Yu himself will descend to claim its ultimate Dao fruit.”

“We’re to wait here for three years?”
The Black Erosion Beast’s gaze grew more sinister, staring hungrily at the beautiful sea of flowers in the distance. Saliva dripped from its jaws. “There are billions of spiritual creatures in that sea, all deliciously tempting. Why not go on a rampage in there? Three years is a long time.”
“Idiot!”
The old man glared fiercely, scolding him harshly. “Glutton! If you alert the local Divine Lords and ruin this mission, you and I will both pay with our lives!”
“You—! I was just speaking my mind.”
A flash of fury crossed the beast’s eyes. It had only spoken casually, yet this old man dared to humiliate it so?
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
Were it not for those cursed rules, it would have devoured him on the spot.
The Black Erosion Beast seethed with rage.
“Don’t you dare ruin this!” the old man admonished.
Endure. The Black Erosion Beast endured.
Swallowing his wrath with difficulty, a cold glint flickered in his eyes, trembling with suppressed hatred. Clearly, he had marked this grievance.
…
“So this is Nine-Star City?”
A young man led a white horse by the reins. Clad in plain white, with hair tied neatly atop his head and a face as fair as polished silver, he looked to be about twenty—appearing every bit the refined scholar.
The white horse snorted lazily, glancing askance at the youth.
Catching the look, the young man smiled. “My good horse, you’ve traveled long and hard with me. Once we’re inside the city, I’ll find you a fine inn and see you well cared for.”
Only then did the horse seem satisfied, nuzzling the young man’s head affectionately.
With a flick of its hoof—ah!—a crystal-clear cosmic gem appeared, radiant with energy, the currency of the spiritual universe.
The young man was taken aback. “Horse, how do you still have cosmic gems?”
The horse shot him a look of utter exasperation, an expression only the young man could decipher. The meaning was clear: You’re so generous, scattering your wealth everywhere we go. If I didn’t squirrel some away, we’d both be left starving in the wilderness!
The young man sighed. “You really understand me. It must be hard, following someone like me.”
He stroked the horse’s neck gently, a touch of apology in his gesture.
The white horse held its head high—not for his comfort, but out of anticipation for the city before them. It gazed at Nine-Star City, its eyes shining with excitement.

In the distance, nine celestial bodies revolved in orbit, shining with dazzling silver light. The city walls soared as high as the stars, magnificent and imposing, surrounded by immortal palaces and divine gardens of exquisite beauty.
Such grandeur, such splendor!
This was where it truly belonged!
From the day it was born, the youth had led it through the harshest, most impoverished corners of the spiritual cosmos, suffering countless hardships. Worse still, the young man was ever generous, constantly giving until he was penniless—a veritable scholar who scattered his wealth to the winds. The horse’s days had been nothing but misery.
But at last, fortune had turned.
Not long ago, the youth had met an old man in blue robes. Who knew what deal they struck? Whatever the arrangement, the old man became the one to inherit the youth’s role as benefactor, and the young man set out for this grandest of cities.
The white horse was overjoyed!
At last, no more hardship.
Since it had followed this eccentric youth, it had never tasted a single blessing, only danger and brushes with death. If not for its own luck and resilience, man and horse would have perished countless times over.
The white horse neighed with excitement.
“Rare to see you so happy.”
The young man smiled, then suddenly remembered something. From his robes, he took out a star token—smooth and sky-blue, priceless, carved with strange patterns that faintly resembled nine round stars.
“My friend, Senior Nine-Mad once told me: as long as we reach the foot of Nine-Star City, this token will take us to the city walls, and we’re to wait there.”
The horse gave him a look of utter disbelief, as if to say: You actually believe that? That old man in blue—just look at his clothes, he’s an ordinary astral cultivator at best.
Let’s just walk through the gates and enjoy ourselves!
With luck, maybe I’ll find a beautiful mare and settle my life’s greatest concern.
A sly smile crept across the white horse’s face. Rearing with a long neigh, it urged the young man to hurry inside.
Just then—
Hummm…
The star token trembled and suddenly soared into the air, radiating brilliant light.
Azure brilliance surged out, blazing and resplendent, bursting from the token in a shower of light, drawing the attention of many cultivators converging from all directions upon Nine-Star City.