Chapter 567: Starlight
The pattering rain had stopped. Just as Ace was about to leave, he suddenly saw a dense crowd gathered in the square ahead.
“This is something new. Ever since all the wizards descended to the lower layers of the Astral Plane, it hasn’t been this lively for a long time.”
Laughing softly, Ace restrained his aura and casually walked into the square.
The handsome bald man, Ahmed, was shouting passionately: “…The headquarters of the Fire Stealers Alliance has been destroyed by invaders, and His Excellency Grand Speaker Nicholas is missing in action. Only we escaped to the City-State of Thoth and received the protection of the High Tower Wizards.
“Everyone, today we will only vote on one thing: whether to join the High Tower…”
Looking at the raised hands one after another, a trace of sorrow welled up in Ace’s heart. The Fire Stealers Alliance, Nicholas—they had inadvertently become history. He had already learned the situation through Eddie, the wizard specifically assigned to liaise with the Fire Stealers Alliance.
An emerald secret realm in the Reflection World suddenly rose and directly destroyed the mechanical base of the Fire Stealers Alliance. These elves loved that forest and abhorred the mechanics-using Fire Stealers, so they destroyed them.
“Abhorrence of mechanics, protection of nature… How interesting. It seems the Elf race guided by the Outer God and I really don’t see eye to eye.”
Ace chuckled hehe, cold glints flashing in his eyes. The wizards’ Path of Magic was inherently a path of research, and also a path of industrialization. As magical achievements are slowly transformed industrially and spread throughout society, mechanization and electrification are inevitable in the future. Calling it an alternative technological society would not be an overstatement.
A magical society led by wizards and an Elf race that reveres nature are indeed difficult to coexist.
“Nicholas… I hope you’re not dead.”
Memories suddenly flooded Ace’s mind like an opened floodgate. Finding Nicholas’s Diary in the library at age twelve led him through the door of the supernatural. Luckily formulating the Potion of Wisdom allowed him to achieve mental overdrive.
Ace still remembered the excitement when he directed various objects in the room to dance. That joy was beyond words.
At that time, he didn’t even know how to use spells. Just having one foot through the door of the supernatural already made him uncontrollably excited. By independently dissecting and imitating a Corrosion Jackal, he broke down the first Lesser Mana Rune, Lesser Acid Rune, and Lesser Projectile Rune, carving out the Path of Magic.
If not for Nicholas’s diary, Ace might have taken many detours. Perhaps he would have discovered the secret of mental overdrive, perhaps not. Or perhaps he would have only discovered the Path of Blood Energy and become a pioneer of the Path of Warriors.
But there are no “ifs.” Because of Nicholas’s existence, there was the diary; therefore, there was Ace’s mental overdrive, which in turn spawned the brilliant High Tower Wizard Civilization!
“In every sense, I really should thank you. I didn’t expect you to just disappear like this. I hope you are still alive.”
Ace’s mood was slightly sorrowful. With a flash, he left the City-State of Thoth and appeared in the boundless starry sky of the Inner World. Looking around and confirming his direction, he flashed directly to the vicinity of the Calamity Sword Constellation. These thirteen stars pulsated as usual, emitting light and heat, as well as ominousness and slaughter.
“My Path of Magic is precisely lacking the power of the stars. Now that the world is in chaos, it is the perfect time for me to devour the essence of these thirteen stars!”
Ace made no attempt to conceal himself. He manifested and released his nebula. Thirteen stars overlapped with the thirteen stars of the Calamity Sword Constellation. Earth-yellow dust flowed unbridled, occupying nearly a quarter of the entire nebula. Purple dust was like splashed ink, resembling dotted Udumbara flowers.
The thirteen stars flickered blurrily. This nebula was not materialized, and neither were the stars. Ace overlaid the phantoms onto the thirteen stars of the Calamity Sword Constellation. The pulsation of his stars gradually became similar to the pulsation of the thirteen stars of the Calamity Sword Constellation. That pure stellar First Flame essence was also drawn bit by bit into the Star Noble Phantasms by Ace.
He tried hard to control his aura—or more accurately, to suppress his power, stabilizing it at the Demigod state instead of breaking through.
His bottleneck had long loosened. With almost just a little effort, he could take another step forward to explore that unknown domain. But Ace didn’t want to enter that unknown domain yet, he didn’t want to experience the legendary immortality now; he hadn’t made absolutely foolproof preparations yet.
No one hindered Ace. In fact, inside the world where Demigods were the supreme combat power, no one could hinder Ace. His unconcealed actions also attracted the attention of many Demigods.
“This guy, is he going to become a Star God?”
“A non-native Star God like him… even if he achieves it, they probably won’t acknowledge Him.”
“I wonder what He’s thinking, making such a big show of it.”
“Whose descendant is He?”
…
The Demigods communicated with each other, but no one recognized Ace. Some even suspected He was a Star God born from the Calamity Sword Constellation. While they were discussing, Ace had already finished absorbing the First Flame. He forcibly resisted the temptation. It seemed to be a calling; the entire world was calling to Ace.
Hoping He would advance, hoping He would explore unknown domains, hoping He would brand his mark deep within the world.
Ace held back. He didn’t digest the essence of the First Flame, but kept it within the thirteen stars. The moment the entire nebula detached from the Calamity Sword Constellation, the thirteen stars of the Calamity Sword Constellation became dim and lusterless. Eighty percent of the First Flame essence had been absorbed by Ace, leaving only twenty percent. Perhaps after tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of years, it would slowly recover.
“This stellar starlight First Flame essence is enough to promote the quality of my Nebula Noble Phantasm to the domain of a pseudo-True God. This way, I have even more confidence in dealing with the Three Sons of Dream.”
He left a seed of fire for the thirteen stars, not going to extremes. He couldn’t destroy such natural stars; that action would be too cruel. Leaving a sliver of fire, perhaps in a hundred thousand years or so, a Calamity Sword Star God might truly be born.
With a flash, Ace arrived near the City of Byrne, the earthly kingdom of the Lady of the Night.
The youngest of the Three Sons of Dream, Alsop, resided here. He mastered the “Dreams of Human Form” and was Ace’s primary target to plunder. As for the other two, they both resided on the Outer World.
Looking at the dream mist, Ace fell into thought.
“Although this matter has the Lady of the Night’s approval, once I attack Alsop here, it will inevitably be discovered by the God of Sleep. It’s best to strike simultaneously!”
Starlight flickered on Ace’s body, and a figure walked out. He injected a star from the nebula into it, and the figure quickly solidified. It was a Demigod projection with Legendary-level strength. With the blessing of the Star Noble Phantasm, it was comparable to a Demigod.
“You lie in ambush here. We will maintain a True Spirit link and strike together.”
After saying that, Ace flashed and disappeared.
The projection quietly slipped into the City of Byrne. He was more adept at dreams than Alsop; being here was simply like a fish in water.
He walked casually through this large city, but was actually observing carefully, taking the opportunity to lay down magic arrays composed of various Level 4 runes. Once the battle began, it had to be a one-strike kill.
Right at this moment, the projection suddenly noticed some interesting people. They were the “seeds of fire” he had casually scattered back then—warriors practicing the Path of Blood Energy and Heart Fire.
Luna wore a beautiful lady’s dress, her attire and demeanor extremely proper. She was addressed by everyone as “Miss Harley.” If Ace hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he probably wouldn’t have believed that this elegant woman mingling in the upper-class cocktail parties of Byrne City was the same girl who had once been exiled from her village, drinking blood and eating raw meat in the wild like a beast.
She danced gracefully with the young nobles, but a trace of mockery hung at the corner of her mouth, and a sharp glint flashed across her eyes.
The ball didn’t end until evening. She boarded her carriage, waved goodbye to everyone, let out a long sigh, and finally dropped her disguise.
The power of Heart Fire surged. In a few years, Luna had already become a Level 2 Warrior. Her Blood Energy was extremely vigorous, and her Heart Fire burned even more fiercely.
“Luna, long time no see.”
The abrupt voice by her ear, the familiar yet unfamiliar name, made Luna’s hair stand on end. She almost erupted but looked around and found no one.
Just as she was alarmed and uncertain, the cup inside the carriage suddenly stood up. With a patter patter, it extended arms and legs, grew eyes and a mouth, bowed to her comically yet gentlemanly, and said: “Respected Miss Luna, I am the envoy of His Excellency Ace, the Firelinker. Greetings to you.”
Hearing this name, Luna’s whole body jolted. She blurted out: “It’s You?”
The cup grinned widely and laughed heartily. Sliding comically across the carriage table, it bounced over to Luna’s side and said:
“Not me, not me. I am an envoy; you can call me Mr. Cup. His Excellency the Firelinker invites you to head outside the city, to the place where you first met.”
…
“Ah!”
“What’s wrong, Miss?”
The carriage driver lifted the curtain and turned to ask. Luna was covered in sweat. With a pale face, she said: “It’s nothing. I just fell asleep and had a scary dream.”
She looked at the cup in her hand; there was nothing unusual about it. She was completely unable to tell whether she had just been in a dream or reality. She had indeed fallen asleep, and then woken up.
The driver didn’t say much more and continued on their way. Soon they arrived at Luna’s current residence. He stopped the carriage and called out: “Miss Harley, we’re home.”
Luna got out of the carriage in a daze, went back home, barely managed to wash up, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
In her dream, she was chased by a group of monsters, seemingly returning to the past. She was so thin and small, her clothes in tatters, without any strength.
Just as she was about to be killed by the monsters, she tripped and kicked a head sculpture, larger than two of her own heads put together, out of the dirt.
That head sculpture rolled gurgle gurgle in front of her, blinked at her, and suddenly floated into the air. Staring at the pursuing monsters with two cold glints, it turned all those monsters into stone.
Phew… Phew…
Luna woke up abruptly. The power of Blood Energy and Heart Fire was still there. She sat up, poured herself a glass of water, and gulped it down glug glug glug.
“Why do I keep having this dream? Maybe that Mr. Cup was right; I should take a trip to the Green Grassland. This dream might be an omen.”
Wearing white pajamas and stepping in wooden slippers, Luna walked creak creak to the window and opened it.
Closing her eyes, the gentle breeze blew past, and the moonlight spilled through the window, making her feel a bit chilly but clearing her head slightly.
Opening her eyes, Luna almost screamed. A pale-skinned person in a black robe and black top hat hung upside down in front of her, smiling at her. This person was very strange; he was clearly upside down, yet his clothes and hat were the same as when standing upright.
Luna gathered her Heart Fire in her right hand and swung a punch. Boom!
The Hanged Man disappeared. The villa opposite her was turned into ruins under the strike of this power. Covered in cold sweat, she whispered: “This is bad, I’m exposed.”
Right at this moment, she suddenly woke up with a start. It turned out to be a dream.
Getting up to drink water again, Luna suddenly felt a chill down her spine. Looking back abruptly, it was actually the Hanged Man from just now!
Luna was just about to fight when she suddenly found she couldn’t move. She was greatly shocked. She was a Level 2 Warrior, after all; how could she fall for the opponent’s trick without even realizing it?
The Hanged Man still stepped on the ceiling as if stepping on flat ground, his tone like a chant: “Luna, oh Luna, you must follow the call of the Firelinker. Go quickly, go quickly.”
Gradually, Luna felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, her consciousness increasingly blurry.
She opened her eyes abruptly and found herself lying on the bed. Moonlight spilled through the window. There was no one around, and the villa opposite was perfectly intact. But Luna felt her hair stand on end. Without hesitation, she changed her clothes and left Byrne City nimbly like a cat, arriving at the place where she met Ace—or more accurately, Ace’s head: the Green Grassland.
It was dead silent here. The grassland late at night was nothing special; there weren’t even any blind monsters around. Luna sat on the hillside she often sat on as a child, recalling the joy of playing with her companions.
“I really miss that time, but unfortunately, I can’t go back. From the moment I wanted to seek supernatural opportunities, I couldn’t go back.”
“You… regret it?”
A gentle voice suddenly drifted over. Luna looked up: black robe, tall top hat, slender figure, and handsome face—it was none other than the Firelinker, Ace.
She hurriedly said: “No, I don’t regret it. I’m very glad to see you again, Your Excellency the Firelinker.”
Ace walked closer slowly. “I left very hastily back then. I am very interested in your story since then. Are you willing to tell me?”
Luna respectfully said: “Of course I am willing. After you left…”
They talked for a long time, until the sun rose. Only then did Ace say to Luna that it was time to go back. Luna felt the sunlight was a bit glaring and couldn’t help closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself lying on her own bed. The sunlight outside the window was shining on her face; it was already morning.
“Was it a dream, or reality?”
Luna felt her muscles aching all over. She threw back the blanket and abruptly found a crystal-clear ruby lying there.
Ace walked on the street corner of Byrne City. After he left, Luna relied on drinking blood and eating raw meat to hunt monsters, obtaining a massive amount of Blood Energy. Later, she went to other cities and gradually met and became acquainted with other warriors. Her talent was good, and her strength was great. She gradually became a leader in these mutual-aid circles of warriors.
In multiple contests with the Divine Descendant, some of these small circles were destroyed, while the remaining ones gradually merged, ultimately forming the Warrior Guild. They jointly resisted the Divine Descendant, sharing cultivation experiences and combat skills.
And Luna, amidst cruel encirclements and suppressions time and time again, gradually grew, ultimately becoming part of the upper echelon of the Warrior Guild.
Having understood all this, Ace transformed the perfected Path of Blood Energy and Heart Fire, obtained from the World of Qi, into a ruby and bestowed it upon Luna. Since this world was already so chaotic, there was no harm in muddying the waters a little more.
(This chapter is finished)
Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com