Song Changsheng was bathed in a vast, brilliant starlight. The omnipresent light drilled through his pores and into his skin, seeping into his flesh and bones. It was a pleasant sensation the likes of which Song Changsheng had never felt before.
’Starlight entering the body... It really is an Acquired Star Body! It really is an Acquired Star Body!’
Not far away, watching Song Changsheng drift through the starlight, Zhu Yiqun felt like he was grinding his teeth to dust. ’This is the Spirit Body I’ve always dreamed of!’
Unlike him, Song Xianming’s eyes were filled with deep satisfaction. He previously had his doubts about giving the Celestial Star Essence to Song Changsheng, but now, it seemed to have been the absolute right decision.
’The Song Clan will surely be led to prosperity and glory in Song Changsheng’s hands!’
Though they stood in the same place, their Mental Realms were worlds apart.
However, Song Changsheng was in no mood to pay any mind to their mental states. He felt as if he had entered a wondrous and profound realm.
He wandered through the open field, feeling as if he were immersed in a vast, brilliant galaxy. Stars swirled around him, showering him with their unrestrained light—warm light, scorching light, cold light...
In short, he was completely enveloped by countless rays of light, both familiar and strange.
Suddenly, a feeling washed over Song Changsheng, and he stopped in his tracks. He looked up at the star-filled canopy of night, where a brilliant river of stars, like a soft ribbon, divided the firmament in two.
A sense of awe washed over him.
Song Changsheng lowered his head and murmured a few unintelligible words. He then sat down cross-legged, his breathing falling into its own natural rhythm.
’Is he... having an epiphany?’
Zhu Yiqun’s eyes went as wide as Copper Bells. He clutched his chest, feeling a sharp, stabbing pain in his heart. ’How could Song Changsheng have stumbled upon such a rare opportunity again?’
’I never should have come today,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, my Dao Heart wouldn’t have been battered so repeatedly. We’re both human, so why is the gap between us so vast?’
"Master Zhu, thank you for your trouble today. Please, go and get some rest. I will watch over Sheng’Er," Song Xianming said warmly. Then, with a flicker, he appeared on the eaves of the roof, clasping his hands behind his back as he quietly watched over Song Changsheng.
The night passed quickly. As the morning dew lay thick on the ground, Song Changsheng slowly stirred and awoke. He gave a long stretch, and his joints let out a series of cracks and pops.
This single night of cultivation had benefited him immensely, its effects rivaling his previous six years of secluded training. It was his first epiphany, and the results were absolutely first-rate.
It was a shame that while the Star Body provided a significant boost to his cultivation speed, its primary function was to strengthen his physical body. Otherwise, he might have broken through directly to the Mid-stage Purple Mansion in a single night.
’The first three realms of Body Refining are Refining Tendons, Bone Refining, and Skin Refining,’ Song Changsheng thought, clenching his fists as his eyes glinted sharply. ’I’ve now reached Great Success in Skin Refining. My body is as tough as a Magical Treasure. If I were to fight that Three-Headed Great Demon again, I wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable state.’
After last night’s epiphany and training, his Body Refining Realm had advanced by leaps and bounds, and his power had skyrocketed. If he had little confidence in defending Five Elements Peak before, he was now ninety percent certain he could succeed.
Just then, Song Qingshi hurried over, his face beaming. "Clan Leader! Good news! Absolutely wonderful news!"
"What is it?" Song Changsheng asked, looking at him in surprise. Song Qingshi was known for his composure—otherwise, Song Changsheng wouldn’t have appointed him as his deputy in the Wind Language Hall—but today he seemed uncharacteristically flustered.
"Clan Leader, the Beast Tide has retreated! The Beast Tide has retreated!"
It wasn’t that Song Qingshi lacked composure; the news was simply too exciting. With the Beast Tide’s retreat, the crisis facing Five Elements Peak would be resolved instantly. How many lives would be spared?
"The Beast Tide retreated?" Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. He felt no joy, only profound confusion. They had just managed to kill the Back-Armored Barbarian Bear yesterday. Logically, the Beast Tide should have been even more frenzied today.
But the Beast Tide had retreated. This defied all logic.
As the saying goes, something is always amiss when events defy reason.
He refused to believe the Beast Tide had retreated out of fear.
"For the Beast Tide to retreat now... there must be some ulterior motive," Song Changsheng said grimly, getting to his feet. "To be safe, I have to go take a look myself."
"I’ll go with you." Song Xianming had appeared at Song Changsheng’s side without him noticing.
The two of them set out together, following the trail left by the Beast Tide. After a long pursuit, they discovered that the horde truly had retreated. It wasn’t a feint or a ruse.
"How is this possible? Why would the Beast Tide suddenly retreat?" Song Changsheng couldn’t make any sense of it. Although this was his first time facing a Beast Tide, he had read extensively about them in ancient records. A Beast Tide would never retreat without a command from its Demon King, not even if it meant total annihilation.
’The Demon King... That’s right! Something must have happened with the Six-winged Dragon Snake.’ The crucial point of the matter suddenly dawned on him.
After returning to Five Elements Peak, he immediately sent a transmission to Zhan Tianxia to inquire about the situation.
Zhan Tianxia’s response was just as he’d expected. There was indeed a problem with the Six-winged Dragon Snake.
It turned out that in the days Song Changsheng and his people had been dealing with the Beast Tide, the situation in Tuo Province had been completely upended.
Under the command of the Six-winged Dragon Snake, the Beast Tide had split into dozens of columns, spreading out from key points in an attempt to overwhelm all of Tuo Province.
At first, the Luoxia Disciples from Dingyuan City, led by Zhan Tianxia, had acted as a fire brigade, rushing from one crisis to the next. They eventually managed to stabilize the situation and began a systematic purge of the Demon Beasts that had poured into Tuo Province.