Chapter 151: Plucking the Stars with Bare Hands, Sovereign over the Myriad Realms!

Xinglingzi emanated a surge of primordial energy to shield Ye Jiuyao as they stepped out of the spatial tunnel. Before his eyes lay a lush and verdant realm.

A waterfall plummeted from the heavens, its waters resembling the Milky Way itself, as if the river of stars was cascading straight down from the sky.

The mountains, rivers, sun, and moon seemed different here, and even the flora and fauna appeared imbued with spiritual awareness. A rainbow bridge spanned the space beside the waterfall, accompanied by flying cranes circling gracefully in the vicinity.

Ye Jiuyao wore a look of utter shock, seemingly in awe of this masterpiece of nature's craftsmanship, and Xinglingzi was quite pleased with his reaction.

Little did he know, however, that Ye Jiuyao was actually marveling at what Cang Sangsang had told him.

"Young master, this place belongs to the Starry Clan, who were subordinates of the Lord of Sealing back in the day..."

It was entirely due to Cang Sangsang's words that Ye Jiuyao was so shocked. After all, everything within the Canglang Painting possessed an immortal aura far surpassing the dwelling place of the Starry Clan.

To such sights, Ye Jiuyao had long since grown numb; there was simply no reason for him to be astonished.

"Let's go. This is merely a trifle. Once you officially take me as your master, you will have plenty of time to appreciate it slowly," Xinglingzi said with a self-satisfied expression, squinting at the immortal-mist-shrouded realm before him.

After snapping back to his senses, Ye Jiuyao did not reply. Instead, he followed behind Xinglingzi, pondering Cang Sangsang's words.

"We have arrived. You may rest here for now. The others are still in deep meditation; the apprenticeship ceremony will be held tomorrow when they return."

"Mn."

"You can also take some time to familiarize yourself with the surroundings. Since you will be cultivating here for a long time to come, it is best to get acquainted with the place."

With those words, Xinglingzi hurried off in a rush, appearing to attach great importance to Ye Jiuyao's upcoming apprenticeship.

"Sangsang, how did you know that this Starry Clan used to be subordinates of the Lord of Sealing?"

"I don't know for sure, but within the Canglang Record—meaning deep inside my own mind—there are fragmented memories of it."

"Alright then."

Unable to find any flaws in Cang Sangsang's explanation, Ye Jiuyao had no choice but to suppress his curiosity.

"Fine, I might as well go and familiarize myself with the former living quarters of my subordinates."

Ye Jiuyao pushed open the chamber door, stepped outside, and began wandering around aimlessly.

***

Meanwhile, within the Starry Clan territory.

"Get all of these prepared."

Xinglingzi sat squarely in the central hall, wearing a majestic and imposing expression. Gone was any trace of his usual ruffian demeanor; at this moment, he was an absolute authority figure whose single word could determine life or death.

"Understood, Ancestor."

Watching the younger generation of the clan pick up the paper filled with writing, Xinglingzi swiftly formed hand seals with both hands, causing a deep, unfathomable tunnel to materialize before him.

"I'll go check on my old fellow and stir him up a bit."

Leaving behind those words, Xinglingzi stepped into the tunnel and vanished from sight.

After strolling around for a short while, Ye Jiuyao discovered the unique peculiarity of the Starry Clan's domain.

The illumination in the heavens above did not come from a sun or a moon, but rather from the myriad stars filling the firmament. Moreover, Ye Jiuyao felt as though those celestial bodies were within arm's reach.

"Stars, come!"

Struck by a sudden whim, Ye Jiuyao surged the primordial energy in his lower dantian and unleashed the [Star-Plucking Hand], grabbing toward the nearest small star!

"Boom!"

"What the... the hell! I actually plucked it down!"

At this moment, the giant hand formed from Ye Jiuyao's primordial energy held a trembling star, shocking him into blurting out a vulgarity.

"What brat is this?! How dare he pluck my cultivation star?!"

An angry reprimand rang out. Ye Jiuyao frowned and looked in the direction from which the voice came.

Astonishingly, the voice originated from the very star in his hand.

"There... there's someone inside?"

Feeling a sense of oddity, Ye Jiuyao let out a perplexed murmur.

"Brat, you have disrupted my cultivation! Such a crime deserves punishment!"

"Tresspassing into the territory of the Starry Clan is an even greater transgression, and you shall be severely punished!"

The furious voice rang out once more, followed by a second roar. Upon hearing this, Ye Jiuyao instantly grew displeased.

Who had he ever provoked? He was merely practicing a technique; who could have possibly known that someone was living inside the star?

Thus, he decided to drop all politeness.

"Plucking stars with bare hands, I am the master of the heavens!"

"It was wrong of me to disrupt your cultivation, but since you dared to roar at me, I'll let you witness the wrath of an honest man!"

Ye Jiuyao clenched his hand—the one grasping the star—into a tight fist. The celestial body instantly exploded, startling all the other surrounding stars.

"What happened?"

"What is going on?"

...

For a moment, the stars across the sky began to speak.

"Bastard, you're courting death!"

From within the star shattered by Ye Jiuyao, a figure scrambled out in a disheveled state, hair streaming in wild disarray across both shoulders.

Without a word of explanation, the person directly gathered primordial energy, channeled stellar power, and launched a fierce assault toward Ye Jiuyao.

However, Ye Jiuyao had been paying close attention all along, and with a mere flicker of his figure, he easily dodged the offensive.

"Acting without any regard for right or wrong—just how did that old geezer Xinglingzi teach you people?!"

Ye Jiuyao was thoroughly displeased at the moment, and the consequence of his displeasure was that the person before him was about to have a very bad day.

"Kneel down and call me Grandpa!"

Showing no courtesy whatsoever, Ye Jiuyao unleashed a terrifying wave of force in an instant, forming a four-sided encirclement as it bore down upon the individual.

"Mere insignificant trickery!"

The person sneered dismissively, letting Ye Jiuyao's attack approach unchecked.

Just as the condensed energy was about to strike, the opponent abruptly unleashed an even stronger force—the full power of the late Sage stage.

"Boom!"

The two forces collided instantly, generating a massive ripple of energy that swept outward in all directions.

Yet, it was far from over.

"Then try taking this move!"

"Stellar Descent!"

Gazing at the numerous stars surrounding him, Ye Jiuyao channeled the primordial energy from his dantian, gathering a terrifying amount of power. The stars across the firmament moved in accordance with his will, hurtling directly toward his opponent.

Amidst the decisive aura of slaughter, the phantom sounds of charging cavalry and clashing weapons echoed through the air as star after star roared forth under his guidance!

"You... you actually stole the secret martial arts of our Starry Clan!"

"For this crime, you must die!"

The person was utterly enraged, holding nothing back as they executed a [Stellar Descent] nearly identical to Ye Jiuyao's.

Instantly, the starlight illuminating the heavens and earth turned blindingly brilliant.

Terrifying power permeated the atmosphere, causing the Starry Clan members who resided within the stars to flee outward in panic.

"Teach him a good lesson! Subdue him and force him to confess why he knows our clan's secret arts!"

"That's right, capture him!"

"Go for it!"

...

Watching Ye Jiuyao, the members of the Starry Clan were truly furious. Initially, they had no idea what was happening in the outside world.

However, when they saw Ye Jiuyao actually wielding the martial arts of the Starry Clan, indignation flared up uncontrollably.

"Power of the stars, come forth!"

With a grand wave of his hand, the person summoned a surge of stellar energy far more majestic than Ye Jiuyao's from all directions, causing a special clan rune to flash brightly upon his forehead!

"A clan totem?!"

Ye Jiuyao stared at the mark on the opponent's forehead without the slightest trace of worry. After all, he possessed the Canglang Painting, and since these people were former subordinates of the Lord of Sealing, he had nothing to fear.

Furthermore, he had Xinglingzi backing him up. If he could beat the guy, great; if he couldn't, the fellow would still end up severely crippled—trapped and mutilated by Ye Jiuyao's scheme.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ye Jiuyao surged his primordial energy once more, and the two forces collided in an instant.

Accompanied by a deafening roar, clouds of dust billowed into the air. When the dust finally settled, everyone was left utterly dumbfounded.