Chapter Sixty-Five: The Void Star Realm

Zhou Tian returned to the Prince Qin’s manor, stretched lazily, and thought to himself that with the elite tournament concluded, there seemed to be no major events in the near future. At last, he could lie in bed and enjoy a well-deserved break.

“Isn’t that my eldest and second brother’s mounts?” Zhou Tian stepped down from his carriage and saw the Crimson Flame Dragon Horse and the Jade-Eyed Golden Lion parked nearby, majestic and noble. These belonged to his two brothers.

Those two were truly elusive—since returning home, Zhou Tian had rarely seen them.

“Where are my eldest and second brothers?” Zhou Tian asked a servant dressed in purple who stood nearby. It had been quite some time since he last saw Zhou Yu and Zhou Ying. After all, they were family, and Zhou Tian thought it might be nice to go chat with his brothers.

The servant was feeding the exotic beasts green, shimmering immortal herbs. Hearing Zhou Tian’s question, he answered respectfully, “Young master, the eldest and second masters should be in the drawing room at this moment.”

“The drawing room?” Zhou Tian nodded. That was convenient—no need to visit them separately; he’d save a few steps, a definite gain.

Entering the drawing room, Zhou Yu and Zhou Ying were deep in discussion. Upon seeing Zhou Tian, they paused.

“Isn’t this the renowned heir of Prince Qin?” Zhou Yu, clad in white robes and possessing an elegant bearing, laughed heartily. Though they were busy with invasion strategies, they still kept up with news concerning Zhou Tian.

“Now when people mention the heir of Prince Qin, only you come to mind. We two are just faded protagonists, hardly remembered!” Zhou Ying chimed in, his smile warm and gentle.

“I’m just a fox basking in the glory of you tigers…” Zhou Tian replied self-deprecatingly, hearing their teasing.

“What brings you to seek us, the old men? Aren’t you off spending time with your fiancée?” Zhou Ying asked curiously. They had been occupied with war matters and were unaware that Tian Ling had recently left.

“Tian Ling has returned to her sect…” Zhou Tian sighed.

“The Haotian Sect?” Zhou Yu frowned, clearly unimpressed with a sect that harbored ill intentions toward Tian Qin.

“Yes…” Zhou Tian nodded, noticing Zhou Yu’s displeasure. There was nothing to be done about it—the sect leader was a fool, and no one could have fond feelings for such a traitor.

“Brother, what have you two been busy with lately?” Zhou Tian shifted the topic, not wishing to dwell on the Haotian Sect.

“We…” Zhou Yu and Zhou Ying exchanged a glance, communicating silently, then Zhou Yu spoke, “It’s nothing major. Recently, a new world was discovered in the Void Star Realm. We’ve been making plans for it. The world is quite powerful, and new information flows in daily, so our plans must constantly adapt…”

“A new world?” Zhou Tian’s interest was piqued. He recalled Zhou Yu mentioning their campaigns in the void, but he’d never had a chance to learn more. Now was the perfect time to inquire.

“Can you tell me about this new world?” Zhou Tian asked.

Zhou Ying glanced at Zhou Yu, who paused briefly before speaking, “There’s no harm in telling you… You’ll have to learn about it eventually.”

“The Void Star Realm is a boundless space; at least, its limits have never been reached. It contains many worlds, but they’re difficult to find by ordinary means, as the distance between worlds is not just spatial—it sometimes involves temporal separation as well.”

“This time, we tracked a new world through a tremendous world fluctuation. Such fluctuations only occur when an event alters a world’s developmental trajectory.”

“This world is extremely powerful, not inferior to any of the ancient Nine Provinces. However, it’s currently experiencing a Cataclysm—a rare opportunity. The calamity weakens the world’s will, diminishing their home advantage to its lowest, making it an opportune moment.”

Zhou Yu paused, then continued, “There are deeper layers to this, but without direct experience, it’s difficult to comprehend. After the Grand Tournament of Eight Provinces, your generation will start to encounter these things. There are only a few days left before it begins, so don’t rush.”

“A few days?” Zhou Tian listened intently, but was startled by this—wasn’t there still several months? How had it turned into just days?

“You didn’t know?” Zhou Yu looked at Zhou Tian, puzzled, then remembered, “Ah… Right… The Fool only received word yesterday. His Majesty probably hasn’t announced it yet…”

Seeing Zhou Tian’s confusion, Zhou Yu explained further, “The emergence of ‘Heaven’s Secret’ was suddenly moved ahead, and it has become unstable, fluctuating within these two years. So your schedule is also advanced… The exact amount is unclear. At worst, it’ll be a month; at best, within a week it will begin!”

“Really?” Zhou Tian’s heart leapt with joy. At last, heaven favored him, the protagonist—soon he could rack up death counts in the outside world. The capital had been suffocating; he couldn’t even die if he wanted to.

“The news is true, but you must be careful. The Grand Tournament of Eight Provinces is not child’s play, and the Ninth Province is nothing like the capital—full of all kinds of dangers!” Zhou Yu cautioned, seeing Zhou Tian’s excitement.

“I understand.” Zhou Tian replied. Danger? The more dangerous, the better—otherwise, what was the point?

“I still don’t understand your powers. Your body clearly can’t bear spiritual energy, otherwise I’d arm you with some protective artifacts.” Zhou Ying sighed, speaking with implied meaning. It was a mystery to many; Zhou Tian’s body was blocked from all meridians, unable to carry spiritual energy, yet he could wield those incredible abilities.

“Heh heh…” Zhou Tian gave a polite chuckle, choosing not to elaborate.

“That’s enough, stop lingering here. The Ninth Province is in a special location, so there’s no direct transmission—you’ll need several days of travel. Not much leisure left for you.” Zhou Ying said, seeing Zhou Tian’s secretiveness and feigning annoyance.

“Heh heh… Then I’ll take my leave…” Zhou Tian scratched his head and smiled.

“Go on, then…” Zhou Ying waved him off, and Zhou Yu nodded. Zhou Tian turned and left.

He prepared to carefully review the information on the Ninth Province, to see which areas were most dangerous—so he could venture into them when the time came.