The Starry Sky Realm welcomed us with breathtaking violence and beauty.
We stood on a drifting star island the size of a small continent, its surface covered in glowing crystal forests and floating spirit lakes. Massive nebulae swirled overhead like living paintings, and distant star beasts roared in the cosmic winds. The air was thick with pure star qi — far richer than anything on the Qinghan Continent.
Li Qing held little Qinglan close while Xingchen ran ahead, laughing as he tried to catch floating light orbs with his tiny wooden sword. My wife's phoenix eyes sparkled with wonder.
"It's beautiful… and dangerous," she said softly. "I can already feel experts watching us."
I nodded, keeping one arm around her waist. The God Rock pulsed steadily in my Spatial Storage Ring, feeding me faint strands of Star Dao from the environment. My cultivation had broken through to early Core Formation during the void crossing — the God Rock compressing what should have taken years into days.
Word of our arrival spread faster than I expected.
Within hours, cultivators began approaching our temporary camp. At first they were cautious scouts from minor star sects. Then the real seekers arrived.
A group of Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators knelt before me, eyes filled with desperate hope.
"Lord Ye Tianhen! We heard the rumors from the lower continent — you crafted protective bracelets that allowed even Qi Condensation cultivators to survive the void crossing with their families! Please, we beg you! Make one for us. Our sect is fleeing a beast tide on the next star island. Without your trinkets, half of us will die in the void!"
Another elder from a mid-tier star clan stepped forward, offering a storage ring heavy with high-grade star crystals.
"Your craftsmanship is already legendary across the border islands. Name your price. We need ten bracelets for our core disciples."
I looked at Li Qing. She gave me a small nod — she understood. Power came not only from strength but from influence.
I raised my hand. "I will help those who prove worthy. Bring me rare void ores, time crystals, or unique star techniques. In exchange, I will craft protective void bracelets that can stabilize space and anchor time for anyone below Nascent Soul."
News exploded like a supernova.
Within two days, our camp was surrounded by hundreds of cultivators. Some offered spirit herbs, others ancient manuals, a few even brought beautiful star maidens as tribute (which I politely refused — my heart belonged only to Li Qing). I worked openly, letting the God Rock absorb every new technique I saw while crafting.
Each bracelet took me mere minutes. I fused Space Dao, Time Dao, and the new Star Dao strands into delicate silver bands engraved with glowing runes. They became highly sought after — people called them "Tianhen Void Anchors." Demand grew so fast that bids for a single bracelet reached thousands of high-grade star crystals.
Li Qing watched me with pride and heat in her eyes. At night, after the children slept, she would pull me into our tent, her body eager and passionate.
"You're building an empire already," she whispered as she rode me slowly, her walls clenching around me. "My sovereign… so powerful, yet still so gentle with us."
I gripped her hips, thrusting up to meet her, drawing out her soft moans until we both shattered together.
But not everything was peaceful.
On the third night, as I finished crafting a particularly strong bracelet for a desperate star clan, a powerful divine sense swept over the island — cold, ancient, and suffocating.
I froze.
The God Rock screamed in warning.
A figure materialized in the sky above our camp — a tall man in flowing black robes embroidered with swirling void patterns. His face was handsome yet cruel, eyes like twin black holes. His aura pressed down like an entire collapsing star.
Mid-stage Void Shattering Realm.
Far beyond anything in the Great Han Dynasty.
He floated there, staring directly at me… or rather, at the God Rock hidden in my storage ring.
"So the rumors are true," his voice echoed like distant thunder. "A mere Core Formation ant possesses the God Rock — the legendary treasure that devours all Daos and compresses time itself. I am Void Sovereign Hei Ming, seeker of the 3000 Grand Daos. That stone belongs in the hands of someone who can truly use it."
His gaze shifted to Li Qing and the children, a cruel smile forming.
"Hand it over willingly, boy, and I may spare your pretty wife and little brats. Resist… and I will peel the rock from your soul while they watch."
The entire island went deathly silent. Cultivators who had come for bracelets scattered in terror.
I stepped forward, gently pushing Li Qing and the children behind me. My spirit sword appeared in my hand, lightning and spatial ripples dancing along the blade.
"You want the God Rock?" I said calmly, though my blood burned with killing intent. "Come and take it."
Hei Ming laughed, a sound that made the stars tremble.
"Foolish. But entertaining. Very well — let us see how long the new 'Sovereign' lasts."
He raised one hand. A black vortex of pure void energy formed, capable of swallowing entire islands.
I gripped the God Rock tighter.
The battle for the God Rock had begun.
And in the coming days, many more powerful eyes would turn toward me — some seeking alliance, others seeking to steal the greatest treasure in the universe.
But I would never surrender it.
Not while my family breathed.
Not while I still had Daos left to conquer.