"System, I choose Option Two."
Ling Xiao made the call without a second thought. To the denizens of the Honghuang, Primordial Violet Qi was the ultimate prize—the key to the lock of Saintship. But Ling Xiao knew the "lock" was often a trap. For now, he needed tangible, immediate power that didn't come with a target on his back.
[Selection confirmed. Rewards distributed: Hongmeng Measuring Ruler.]
The weight of the new treasure settled into his consciousness, but he didn't have time to inspect it.
"Third Brother? What did you see?"
Dijun's voice broke the silence, heavy with anticipation. He and Taiyi had been waiting for the result of Ling Xiao's "divination."
Ling Xiao exhaled slowly, his eyes clearing as he looked at his brothers. "Eldest Brother, Second Brother... now is not the time to descend. My vision showed me a world teeming with ancient powers whose depths we cannot yet fathom. We took form late; the low-hanging fruit of the Great Earth has already been plucked by those who came before."
He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in. "If we go now, we are the latecomers at a feast of wolves. Better to refine our strength here, in the cradle of our birth, and descend only when we can command the respect we deserve."
Dijun and Taiyi exchanged a glance. The logic was sound. Though the fire of ambition burned in their blood, the Golden Crow was a creature of pride—and there was no pride in being outmatched by those they considered beneath them.
"Third Brother is right," Taiyi conceded, nodding. "Strength is the only currency in the Desolation."
"Don't be discouraged," Ling Xiao added, a small smile playing on his lips. "The Sun Star was formed from Pangu's left eye. It is vast, largely unexplored, and holds secrets even we haven't touched. To rule the world, one must first be master of his own house."
He spoke of the Fusang Tree—the legendary Innate Spiritual Root. In the scrolls of his memory, he knew it was more than a home; it was the structural heart of their future power.
"Spoken like a true king," Dijun laughed, his heroic spirit undamped. "Then let us see what our Sun Star hides from us!"
The three moved as one, descending into the solar depths.
To any other being, this was a hellscape. Billions of fiery dragons—surging plumes of solar prominence—lashed out with enough heat to incinerate a Golden Immortal. But for the three brothers, it was like walking through a warm summer rain.
They hadn't searched for long before the atmosphere shifted. The air grew heavy with the weight of an Innate Formation—a natural labyrinth of killing intent so fierce it could grind a Grand Unity Golden Immortal into dust.
"This... this is profound!" Dijun breathed, pulling out the River Chart and Luo Scroll. The treasures hummed, their surfaces shimmering with star-maps as they began to calculate the formation's pulse. "Once refined, this will be our sanctuary. No one—not even the most ancient gods—will set foot on our star without our leave."
As Dijun immersed himself in the refinement process, Ling Xiao turned to Taiyi. "Brother, while we wait, do not neglect your Chaos Bell. I have found that our companion treasures hold secrets deeper than simple combat. Meditate on its chime; look for the patterns within."
He was planting the seeds for the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array, the celestial formation that would one day define their era. Taiyi, intrigued, sat cross-legged and began to multitask, his spirit drifting into the bronze depths of the bell.
Ling Xiao sat as well, the Hongmeng Cauldron hovering above him. He intended to inspect the Jade Disc fragment, but as his divine thought swept inward, he froze.
Deep within his spirit, tucked away in a corner that had been silent until now, sat a single, unassuming bead. It was grey, ancient, and possessed a void-like quality that swallowed the surrounding light.
Ling Xiao's heart hammered against his ribs. Could it be?
He pushed his divine thought into the bead. Instantly, the Sun Star vanished. He was standing in the center of an infinite, formless Chaos—the exact scene he had witnessed upon his first awakening.
The Chaos Pearl.
The legendary artifact that contained a world of its own. It was the ultimate cheat, a realm where time and law functioned differently. He tried to exert his will over it, to bend it to his command, but the pearl remained as cold and immovable as a mountain.
"Stubborn, are you?" Ling Xiao gritted his teeth.
He poured his energy into it, beginning the grueling, eon-long process of refinement.
Time in the Honghuang was a river without banks. Years bled into decades, and decades into a century.
One day, the Sun Star groaned. A majestic, overbearing aura erupted from the center of the formation. Ling Xiao and Taiyi snapped their eyes open, appearing instantly at Dijun's side.
"Eldest Brother?"
Dijun stood tall, his eyes flashing with the brilliance of a thousand suns. He threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing across the solar plains.
"It is done! The formation is ours. I have named it the Sun Great Array. With this, our home is an impenetrable fortress!"
"A wise name for a wise king," Taiyi congratulated him.
"Now that the path is clear," Ling Xiao said, "let us finish what we started."
For the next hundred years, they scoured the star. They found Sun Essence Stones that glowed with concentrated heat, Origin Fire that could burn through space, and fire-attribute spiritual roots of immense value. They shared the spoils equally, their bond strengthening with every treasure found.
But as they gathered to divide the last of the harvest, Dijun's gaze drifted away from the sun, toward the silver, cooling orb that hung on the opposite side of the firmament.
"Second Brother, Third Brother," Dijun said, his voice dropping an octave. "While I was refining the Sun Great Array, I felt a resonance. A twin pulse. There is a matching formation on the Taiyin Star."
He turned to them, his expression a mix of curiosity and destiny. "I want to see what lies on the Moon. What do you think?"