CG Chapter 127: Starry Sky and a New World
The void was endless.
In that endless void, a dark purple shuttle flickered like a dancing star, appearing and vanishing, twisting through space as if skipping time itself.
Wherever it went, it left behind silence. Not even the ancient wills that drifted through the Starry Sky noticed its presence.
It was as if the shuttle did not belong to this world.
It crossed great worlds.
It passed by slumbering beasts the size of continents.
It moved as if it were a shadow of a dream, unseen and undisturbed.
Among the inhabitants of the Starry Sky, countless races soared freely.
Some relied on magical treasures to keep their bodies from disintegrating under the weight of the void. Others had enough confidence in their flesh to use their pure physical might to roam the stars.
Yet, most didn't dare to approach certain regions that were like dead zones devoid of any life.
Within them, certain life forms curled into themselves like sleeping gods. Their snoring unintentionally caused the surrounding void to shake. These creatures were known as the Yumes, the Gentle Sleeping Giants.
Yumes were endowed from birth with many divine powers besides their enormous-sized bodies that were larger than many worlds, and a fluffy protective layer of white, smooth fur that covered their outer bodies.
These creatures would spend the majority of their lifespans asleep, wrapped in a blanket of a seven-colored cocoon of divine light as they floated, unmoving for countless years.
During their sleep, the Yume would dream, and from their dreams, worlds would be born.
Finally, when a Yume reached the end of its lifespan, the dream would come to an end with it, and the mountains, rivers, and seas from the dream would give birth to a new Yume, and, if fortunate enough, two would be born at a time.
However, none of that mattered to the man who was still resting inside the shuttle.
Aretius's mental powers were exhausted from his last fight, and the forceful connection to the myriad worlds only caused his exhaustion to grow even further.
So, on a rare occasion, he allowed himself to rest in his own personal cocoon until he reached the next world, where he would start to climb and fight once more.
…
In a faraway place lay the world of Yishu, a second rank world where martial might determined winners and losers.
But that wasn't what was unique about it. As with any world, the strong walked freely, and the weak could only bow.
The interesting part was the fact that the imperial powers of the mortal world and martial sects of the Jianghu coexisted alongside each other in a tense sense of harmony.
And above them all…
The Three Hundred Schools of Thought stood as they led the world into a new era of social order.
There was an interesting saying in the Jianghu that went as follows:
"The Buddhist monks crawl north to leave the world,
The Taoist walks west to transcend it,
The Confucian scholars ride east on horseback to govern it."
The teachings of the Great Three Schools had a great impact on the current state of the world. It was akin to them splitting the heavens into three paths.
That, however, didn't mean that other schools didn't have their respective place in the world.
If the Three Schools were like the seas of the ocean, then the others would be like the rivers that freely flowed into it.
At the border of the Great Han Dynasty, and beneath the silent gaze of the night sky, stood a lone mountain.
On that mountain, a zither played in the background.
Its soft notes drifted like the wind as it soothed the hearts and minds of the meditating disciples.
The mountain was quiet, and the clouds covered the stars.
The year was the tenth year of the Yongping reign, marking the 542nd year since the establishment of the Heavenly Han Dynasty.
The Star Gazing Sect stood apart from the conflicts and struggles of the Jianghu. Just like its name, it nestled itself like a lonely star in the night sky.
Despite the low number of disciples that resided on top of the mountain, the sect was one of the most revered sects, second only to the Three Great Schools.
Even emperors would journey personally to pay their respects and seek the enlightenment of the head Overseer.
This reverence stemmed from one simple truth: the head Overseer, who oversees the trajectory of the stars, could divine the fate of an empire and tell of its fall years before it happened.
And on that dark and unfortunate day, the mountain gates of the Star Gazing Sect welcomed the visit of an arrogant visitor who didn't understand the rules or cruelty of the world.
The young sixth prince of Han, and the favorite son to the Han Emperor, accompanied by a group of royal protectors, arrived at the sect.
Rumors said that the sixth prince was an arrogant brat who showed no respect to elders, nor care for the blight of the common people.
He had lived his entire life protected behind the walls of the imperial palace, and due to the spoiling of the Han Emperor, he developed an unruly personality resembling that of his father.
Today, Han Yi arrived on the orders of his father, the Emperor, to receive the guidance of the Grand Overseer.
Seeing that the Emperor had sent his son instead of coming personally, the disciples on the mountain began chatting amongst themselves.
If Han Yi was simply coming for the teachings of the sect, then they wouldn't have minded it, but for a mere brat who wasn't given the title of crown prince to barge so arrogantly through the gates wasn't something they were willing to accept.
Throughout their long history, no emperor dared to show disrespect to their sect. That was for many reasons.
Because of their abilities, not only emperors came to them, but even grand martial artists from all over the world came to gain enlightenment to break through, not to mention their close connection with the Great Schools, before whom even emperors would kneel.