Chapter 1205: Guiding the Starry River

Chapter 1205: The Guiding Star River

All newly ascended cultivators, upon entering Tianwaitian and being assigned to their respective universes, were granted a year of respite.

This year was meant for them to grow accustomed to Tianwaitian, familiarize themselves with their designated universe, and assimilate the rewards they had received.

Only after this period of rest would they be summoned en masse by the Guiding Universe of Jiuan Tian.

Awaiting them thereafter would be assignments aligned with their future duties.

As these thoughts surfaced in Xu Qing’s mind, he had already returned to the Immortal Hall of Moyang Universe.

Standing at the center of the teleportation array within the hall, Xu Qing did not hesitate—he activated the transmission.

As for the Fox Beauty, she transformed into an insignia and affixed herself to Xu Qing’s arm.

Soon, as the Immortal Hall trembled, a terrifying ripple surged outward in all directions.

Amidst thunderous roars, the power of teleportation erupted in full force.

This journey proved far lengthier than any Xu Qing had previously experienced—the Guiding Universe lay exceedingly distant from Moyang.

Time blurred. To Xu Qing’s senses, it felt as though he drifted through a vivid, kaleidoscopic dream.

Within that dream, everything remained indistinct—countless hues weaving into distorted light.

Only when the radiance gradually faded did clarity return to his vision.

Before him stretched a vast golden river—a celestial expanse teeming with innumerable star domains and swirling nebulae, each brimming with countless stars.

Each star emitted its own unique golden glow.

Though the stars themselves remained motionless, the flowing starlight imparted the illusion that the entire golden river cascaded downward from above.

This was the first time Xu Qing had ever beheld such a golden star river.

And this place—this was the Guiding Universe!

One of the seventy-two Sovereign Seats of Governance within Jiuan Tian, second only to the Celestial Palace itself!

It served as a pivotal administrative hub within Jiuan Tian’s operational framework—and during its designated epoch, held authority over all related guiding systems throughout Tianwaitian.

Its responsibilities extended beyond merely receiving newly ascended cultivators; it also oversaw guidance for minor worlds beneath the Fifth Star Ring and managed arrangements concerning alien races across all universes within that ring.

In essence, it functioned both as a training camp for recruits and as a central personnel coordination bureau.

Naturally, numerous Lower Immortals presided here.

Gazing upon this grand spectacle and sensing the solemn majesty of the golden river, Xu Qing’s spirit stirred—when suddenly, a single thread of starlight detached itself from the magnificent river and shot straight toward him.

Compared to the entirety of the golden river, this beam was negligible—but due to proximity, it appeared just as immense and awe-inspiring in Xu Qing’s eyes.

It swiftly enveloped him, forming a tether.

The origin of this golden starlight guiding Xu Qing… lay within a specific star nestled inside one of the swirling nebulae of a distant star domain—located in the downstream region of this astonishing golden river!

And such guiding beams of starlight were ubiquitous throughout the Guiding Universe.

Every cultivator arriving here underwent the same process.

Depending on their purpose for coming, starlight from different regions would descend to meet them.

In the next instant, drawn by this luminous tether, Xu Qing’s body hurtled toward that particular star.

He moved so swiftly it felt as if he were violently yanked—like a meteor plummeting from the heavens.

In but a breath, he was pulled from outside the star river into its depths, landing directly upon the very star whose light had summoned him.

Everything before his eyes shifted abruptly.

Until, with a thunderous crash—

Xu Qing’s body plunged into the ocean covering that star.

It was a sea of utter blackness—thick and viscous, like gelatin.

The impact of his descent, amplified by the extreme pulling force, was tremendous.

Fortunately, Xu Qing’s cultivation was formidable enough to endure it.

Had it been a lesser cultivator, their soul might have been ripped free, and their flesh shattered upon impact.

Even so, despite his strength, Xu Qing sank instantly beneath the gelatinous black surface upon striking it, carving out a deep crater in the sea.

After a long moment, Xu Qing struggled upward from the crater he’d created and emerged into the air.

Looking around, he saw a sky bathed in gold—and below, an endless expanse of black, jelly-like ocean stretching to the horizon.

Above, golden beams of starlight continuously descended, each drawing another arriving cultivator.

Thus, booming crashes echoed repeatedly as more bodies slammed into the sea.

Now dozens of craters dotted the ocean’s surface.

Gradually, cultivators began emerging from these depressions—one after another—most appearing disheveled.

Some even bore blood trickling from the corners of their mouths, clearly shaken.

Among the crowd, Xu Qing spotted Zhou Zhengli, Xie Lingzi, Li Mengtu, Yuan Shan Su, and Qian Jun Biyi.

These were all fellow ascenders from his original world.

Now, every one of them had been summoned here.

Xing Huanzi was among them too.

Yet unlike the others’ bedraggled state, Xing Huanzi appeared notably composed. When Xu Qing’s gaze fell upon him, Xing Huanzi turned and met his eyes.

Their gazes locked briefly—then each silently looked away, expressionless.

Time passed. More cultivators arrived—some alone, some in groups—naturally clustering into factions based on past affiliations and interactions during the prior year.

Xie Lingzi, as always, stood apart, solitary.

Yuan Shan Su clearly preferred independence as well, though several female cultivators instinctively gravitated toward her nonetheless.

Qian Jun Biyi chose to stand beside Xing Huanzi, joined by dozens of others who made the same choice.

But the largest gathering, without question, formed around Xu Qing.

His title as First Place drew many who, upon seeing him, approached with warm smiles.

Zhou Zhengli and Li Mengtu were among them, quickly stepping to Xu Qing’s side—Zhou bowing deeply with his usual servile grin, while Li’s expression grew grave as he spoke in a low voice.

“Brother Xu, eleven are missing from our cohort!”

“I’ve counted—only eighty-nine have arrived!”

Xu Qing gave a slight nod.

Beside him, Zhou Zhengli chuckled softly.

“They’re dead.”

“Though this past year was called a ‘rest period,’ it was also a trial of adaptation. Our star ring has always been like a breeding ground for poison—cultivators devouring cultivators since ancient times.”

“So…” Zhou glanced meaningfully at Xu Qing. Over the past year, he’d gathered much intelligence about Tianwaitian—and thus harbored growing wariness about what lay ahead.

His resolve to cultivate a closer alliance with Xu Qing had only deepened.

He spoke again.

“Not only in the former Four Great Star Domains—here, beyond the heavens, it is even more brutal, even fiercer.”

“And for those in power, the ones they truly value must at least possess quasi-immortal cultivation. Like you, Young Master; like Xing Huanzi; like Yuan Shan Su—perhaps only the three of you in this cohort are deemed worthy of attention.

Dominators… the higher-ups pay them little mind.

So unless one has deeper connections, if you wish to advance further and secure greater resources, aligning yourselves with quasi-immortals is naturally the wisest course.”

Zhou Zhengli did not lower his voice for these final words, so every ascender gathered around Xu Qing heard them clearly.

Each of them stirred inwardly, thoughts awakening.

Xu Qing glanced at Zhou Zhengli.

Zhou offered a humble, deferential smile.

Xu Qing turned his gaze away, his mind drifting back to the words Zhou had spoken a year ago, just before departing:

“He suspects that this assignment will gather everyone together…”

Xu Qing fell into contemplation.

Time passed slowly as they waited.

Across the vast expanse of sea, no other cultivators appeared.

Nor did any summoners arrive.

These were no ordinary people—they would not grow impatient over such a brief wait. One by one, they settled into meditation.

Another hour slipped by.

Then, when the wind rose across heaven and earth, its mournful howl echoing through the air, both Xu Qing and Xing Huanzi sensed something simultaneously. They lifted their heads toward the sky, one after the other.

Yuan Shan Su was the third to look up.

The others, slower to perceive, soon followed suit, fixing their eyes upward.

There, in the firmament, ripples surged—and golden light erupted.

Seventy or eighty beams of summoning radiance descended, several figures leading the way, the rest trailing behind.

In the next instant, heaven and earth trembled.

Among those golden rays, only a few crashed into the sea with enough force to carve deep craters. The overwhelming majority alighted smoothly upon the water’s surface the moment they arrived, standing steady as if long accustomed to this place, having mastered the art of controlled descent.

Their attire was uniform.

Every one wore the same gray, hundred-pocketed robe Xu Qing had seen in the Dao Refining Universe—

the infamous garb unique to the reviled Provision Gatherers.

Among them stood seven or eight quasi-immortals, whom the others clearly followed as leaders.

Upon landing, Xu Qing remained composed—but many among this cohort of new ascenders grew visibly grave.

The newcomers’ gazes met theirs.

Eyes swept over Xu Qing and his companions—

predatory, indifferent, cold as ice, utterly devoid of regard for life.

Without a word, they turned and flew off into the distance, led by their foremost member.

“Young Master,” Zhou Zhengli murmured lowly, “they’re Provision Gatherers… It seems the star we’ve been summoned to is almost certainly tied to provisioning duties.”

Xu Qing gave a slight nod.

Yet the arrivals were not finished.

An incense stick’s time later, golden light once more shimmered in the sky.

Again, dozens descended, clad in the same hundred-pocketed robes. They touched down and immediately sped away without pause.

Thus, as time flowed onward, wave after wave of Provision Gatherers continued to arrive.

Most paid no heed whatsoever to Xu Qing and the other newcomers.

But the longer Xu Qing observed them, the more he sensed the chilling greed emanating from their auras—and the stronger they were, the heavier the stench of corpses and death clinging to them.

Bloodlust clung to them just as thickly.

It was as though they had spent lifetimes entangled with corpses and decay.

By the time night fell and the golden light in the heavens dimmed, another score of beams roared down, materializing into figures atop the sea.

Among them stood one whose aura was especially terrifying—

an old man resembling a vulture, his Immortal Embryo body nearly perfected,

just one step shy of true immortality.

As he prepared to depart, leading his group—

suddenly, one of the cultivators behind him halted mid-step.

Turning, his eyes swept over Xu Qing and the others, finally settling on… Xing Huanzi and the Thousand-Army Repeller standing behind him.

Then, the man smiled.

Xu Qing recognized him instantly—this was the very quasi-immortal who, back in the Dao Refining Universe, had sought to conscript the Thousand-Army Repeller!

Now, his focus rested squarely on Xing Huanzi. His pause caused his companions to stop as well.

Quickening his pace, he approached the fearsome elder and whispered something in his ear.

The elder frowned slightly—but nodded nonetheless.

Receiving permission, the middle-aged cultivator strode forward with a smile toward Xing Huanzi, his voice ringing out clearly:

“My squad has suffered several battle deaths and requires reinforcements. I hereby conscript the three of you—join my team!”