Chapter 852: The Transformation of Limitlessness

“Sir of the Assassin’s Path, the Heaven-Reaching Star Seat is ready for you.”

A staff member stood calmly behind the assassin and spoke.

The assassin had not fallen in battle, and thus had no need for resurrection. He simply sat alone on a low peak at the edge of the old district, his body wrapped in bandages, silently gazing at the moonlight above.

“Sir?”

Seeing no reaction from the assassin, the staff member repeated himself.

The assassin finally snapped back to reality, pulling his gaze away from the moonlight. “I understand… Please wait for me for a moment; I need to use the restroom.”

“Uh… Alright, please be quick.”

The staff member scratched his head awkwardly before descending the peak.

A gentle breeze swept across the peak, rustling the sparse vegetation. The assassin stood alone under the bright moonlight, his eyes fixed solely on the luminous moon in the dark sky…

The ethereal moonlight spilled onto the ground before him, as if covering it with a layer of white frost.

A faint, almost imperceptible aura spread across the moonlight…

“…Just as I thought.”

The assassin seemed to sense something, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. “The moonlight, as an ‘anomaly,’ carries an aura remarkably similar to my ‘Maohua’… There’s no mistake; this is the legendary figure my father spoke of years ago…”

The assassin’s lips were slightly pursed. After a moment of hesitation, he knelt on one knee, respectfully cupping his fist towards the brilliant moon that overlooked the world:

“This junior, Cui Ran, greets the Assassin Leader.”

“Do you… have any guidance for me?”

“Please, Mr. Huaimang,” the staff member behind him said. “…This is what you deserve.”

The Young Sect Master slowly came to a halt before the Heaven-Reaching Star Seat.

He gazed at the throne enveloped in starlight. Behind him, myriad figures seemed to be cheering and applauding joyfully.

“Young Sect Master! You actually did it!”

“You’re incredible, Young Sect Master! You are the pride of our Esoteric Sect! Father will surely be delighted when we return this time.”

“From now on, you will be the cornerstone of our Suspended Jade Realm. When Lord Tianhuai returns, he will certainly be proud of you!”

“Young Sect Master, remember to eat more from now on. A man who shoulders the Suspended Jade Realm must grow even stronger…”

The wailing wind brushed past the Young Sect Master’s ears, and the voices gradually faded away.

In a daze, an imposing figure involuntarily appeared before the Young Sect Master’s eyes. That person stood ahead of him, even beyond the Heaven-Reaching Star Seat, and after glancing back, walked alone into the night… leaving behind only a blurry and distant silhouette.

“Brother… I’ll catch up to you soon.” The Young Sect Master silently clenched his fists, a look of resolve hardening his eyes,

“One day, I will rescue you from the Boundless Realm… and bring you home.”

The Young Sect Master ascended the Heaven-Reaching Star Seat step by step and settled onto the throne…

The next moment, starlight blazed forth!

The Heaven-Reaching Tower Master and several Realm Representatives in the distance turned to look, observing several Heaven-Reaching Star Seats already activated, their brilliant pillars of starlight shooting straight into the sky.

“Of the seven Heaven-Reaching Star Seats, five have already chosen their masters, and one was destroyed by the Twilight Society… What should we do about the last remaining slot?”

“I heard that some young prodigies from more distant realms haven’t arrived yet, and the Mortal Realm hasn’t sent anyone… How about this: we extend the contention period for the last Star Seat by another week.”

“Extend it by a week? Alright… But how will we screen candidates? Through arena combat?”

“Those screened through arena combat are typically experts in the combat-oriented Divine Paths. We already have five such Divine Paths chosen. For the last slot, let’s give other Divine Paths an opportunity. Some Divine Paths, while not skilled in direct combat, possess extremely powerful abilities, such as the Medical Divine Path, the Theatrical Divine Path, and so forth…”

“The last Star Seat slot will be allocated based on potential and functionality, with representatives from the five major realms conducting a unified screening.”

“Understood.”

As the realm representatives were discussing, a figure rushed over from a distance!

“What’s the matter? Why the rush?”

“There’s… there’s news from the Boundless Realm again!”

The representatives’ expressions hardened. They immediately grew serious and asked in a low voice, “What’s the situation?”

“Reportedly, the situation in the Boundless Realm is chaotic. A group of civilians have spontaneously crossed the edge of the Boundless Realm, apparently intending to trek through the Grey Realm to seek refuge in the Celestial Pivot Realm.”

“What?”

The representatives were startled, then immediately asked, “How many people?”

“When they set out, there seemed to be two or three hundred people… but now, it’s hard to say.”

“Two or three hundred people? Trekking through the Grey Realm together? Are they insane?” One representative frowned deeply. “Once humans are exposed to the Grey Realm, they continuously attract calamities and are themselves affected, leading to various mutations… They’re courting death!”

“Indeed, this is absurd. Although the Boundless Realm is perilous and chaotic, it should still be much safer than the Grey Realm.”

As the representatives puzzled over this, the messenger opened his mouth and finally spoke:

“Reportedly… they’re doing this because someone spread a prophecy…”

“What prophecy?”

“The Boundless Realm is about to sacrifice the grand district where they are located to refine the Philosopher’s Stone.”

All the representatives simultaneously froze.

“The Boundless Realm is going to start refining the Philosopher’s Stone again?” The Heaven-Reaching Tower Master narrowed his eyes. “Has the Boundless Sovereign revived?”

“I don’t know. All the intelligence is fragmented right now, making it impossible to accurately assess the situation within the Boundless Realm… But as soon as this news spread, the residents in those grand districts panicked. They all know the miserable state of the other grand districts; staying put would surely mean certain death.”

“So… they’re taking such a desperate risk, wanting to cross the Grey Realm.” The Heaven-Reaching Tower Master broadly understood the situation, but one thing remained unclear to him,

“How did so many of them manage to pass through the Boundless Realm undetected? Wasn’t it said that place was completely sealed off?”

“It was the scattered folk shamanistic divine paths within the Boundless Realm who acted. Besides the Witchcraft Association, there are many small and medium-sized shamanistic organizations in the Boundless Realm. After Brand’s previous purge, they have gone underground… Furthermore, it seems they have allied with the Judgment Delegation sent by our five major realms.”

“Folk shamanistic divine paths…”

“Since they are shamanistic organizations, they cannot possibly be unaware of how perilous the Grey Realm is,” a representative said gravely. “The fact that they dare to escort such a group of unarmed civilians, does this mean they are confident in crossing the Grey Realm?”

“Below Tier Seven, no one dares to claim confidence in crossing the Grey Realm. I don’t believe any Tier Seven shamanistic divine paths have survived in the current Boundless Realm.”

“Then why would they do this…”

“It’s like this,” the messenger paused,

“Reportedly, those folk shamanistic divine paths possess some means to temporarily resist Grey Realm contamination and mask human aura… It seems to be an item wrapped in bandages… Some also say it’s a human entirely covered in bandages.”