novelraw Chapter 142 : The Primal Starry Sky Trembles
Chapter 142 : The Primal Starry Sky Trembles
Chapter 142: The Primal Starry Sky Trembles
The sea of fire boiled, drawing in more mutated Stellar Spirits.
They plunged into the flames like moths to a flame, fanning the inferno.
Even death could not halt their advance.
In that moment, radiance blazed forth, illuminating the entire starfield!
Boom!
A colossal hand belonging to a mysterious Heavenly Official descended—it paid no mind to Jiang Yan’s small movements.
Just as a person stepping on an ant would not care how it struggled.
Except this ant was particularly delicious—it wanted to end things quickly.
Only now did Jiang Yan realize...
Those so-called strands of hair were actually blood-flesh from the mutated starry sky, from which giant trees interwoven with dense metallic thorns had grown.
Each tree stretched several hundred meters tall, towering and majestic.
There were simply too many of them, packed densely together, looking like strands of hair.
As the giant hand fell, a vast and boundless pressure enveloped all life within hundreds of miles. The aura locked on, inescapable.
Before such absolute power, all resistance was meaningless.
Before a Heavenly Official, all were mere ants!
Just as Jiang Yan and countless Stellar Spirits were about to be reduced to dust, a sudden change erupted.
Bang!
Massive light-screen tentacles swept forth, entangling the giant hand.
“It’s here!”
Joy surged in Jiang Yan’s heart.
The one taking action was the squid-bodied, monkey-headed Heavenly Official he had seen at the very beginning.
Rumble!
It now stirred the tides of the star sea, engaging the mysterious Heavenly Official in battle.
A strange, star-colored liquid secreted from the surface of its light-screen tentacles, corroding the giant hand upon contact.
Crack! Crack!
In an instant, flesh and blood dissolved, revealing stark white bones—one finger bone even broke into several pieces, scattering across the starfield, exuding a peculiar fragrance. Where the blood flowed, clusters of starry sky thorns sprouted, shining with metallic luster.
It was as if a unique starry sky ore vein had just formed.
“Roar!”
The furious roar of the mysterious Stellar Spirit echoed through the starfield. Countless weaker Stellar Spirits hadn’t even reacted before they were vaporized into dust.
“Pluck my wool, and you’ll pay the price!”
Jiang Yan, standing amid the starry fire sea, watched this scene and sneered inwardly.
Did they really think he had no temper?
Killing him once was one thing, but they were raising him like a pig—again and again.
In that case, let them feel what the Fourth Calamity really meant!
Jiang Yan, using countless Stellar Spirits and the power of the Primal Stellar Divine Lamp, refined himself into a “delicacy,” and by moving swiftly, neared the hunting zones of other Heavenly Officials.
Heavenly Officials and Stellar Spirits typically maintained a tacit understanding and wouldn’t approach one another.
This move wouldn’t work against the cunning Heavenly Officials from the Historical Long River—they never left a chance for prey to resist once the net was cast.
But the Primal Stellar Realm was different. The higher the level of the Stellar Spirits here, the stronger the mutation and corruption.
They had some intellect, but not much.
Beastly instincts reigned over rationality.
True survival of the fittest, brutal and savage.
This particular Heavenly Official was fairly intelligent—it knew to fatten up Jiang Yan—but couldn’t handle brutes who launched attacks at the drop of a hat.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two Heavenly Officials clashed, and the shockwaves shook the starfield. Countless meteors and weaker Stellar Spirits were reduced to dust.
Even some small flesh planets shattered instantly into powder.
Like giant star-eating beasts from a sci-fi movie—except these wielded arcane arts.
If not for the two trying to preserve the “delicacy” that was Jiang Yan, and keeping their powers from spilling into the sea of fire...
He would have long since perished.
Yet this also let Jiang Yan feel overwhelming pressure—had it not been for the protection of the Stellar Divine Lamp, his sanity would’ve already collapsed.
Moreover—
Jiang Yan realized he had still underestimated the allure of the Primal Stellar Divine Lamp.
Outside the starfield, terrifying shadows loomed—massive Life Lamps took shape, burning with flames, each resembling twisted beasts.
Other Heavenly Officials had also been drawn by this flame and approached.
A gourmet battle royale was about to erupt.
The once-quiet Primal Stellar Realm suddenly turned lively.
Jiang Yan quickly deduced the cause.
The Primal Starry Sky was mutating!
These creatures harbored vast amounts of starry sky mutation within their bodies, and the Stellar Divine Lamp could burn it away—making it the only form of treatment.
To the terminally ill, this was a chance to live.
Naturally, it drove them insane!
If the chaos continued, it might even draw in a Stellar God.
“Such fun—how could I miss out?” Jiang Yan chuckled lightly. Light-touched tendrils swayed from his form, shuddering the void as his figure flashed.
Since the Heavenly Officials weren’t making a move in order to preserve the "food"…
He had no need to be polite.
He charged straight for the severed finger’s flesh fragments.
Boom!
Even approaching it, he could hear a mysterious rhythm.
As if the world trembled, iron clashing with iron.
In an instant, terrifying pressure surged like a tsunami, scouring his mind.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
His Star Demon Incarnation began to crack, fissures spreading across its surface as masses of stellar thorns grew from within, draining its essence like parasitic bloodsucking insects.
This was… the Law of the Heavenly Official!
The resonance of their comprehension of the Great Dao, forming a unique [Law of the Heavenly Official], which invaded the world and altered the order of heaven and earth.
Replacing Heaven’s will with one’s own!
Leaving only one sound in the world!
Ba Lie was like a monster NPC, occasionally bursting out with transcendent knowledge.
He had mentioned once to Jiang Yan that Heavenly Officials followed a system of Five Tones and Twelve Laws, corresponding to the Twelve Earthly Branches, and deriving the Sixty Jiazi Laws, matched to the Heavenly Stems.
But beyond that, he wouldn’t elaborate.
Pressed by Jiang Yan, Old Ba helplessly said...
He wasn’t even an Ancient Talisman level cultivator—what use was transcendent Heavenly Official knowledge to him?
“This guy, though mutated by the starry sky, still clearly walks a path aligned with ‘Metal’—whether it’s the Law of Wushe or Yize, I’m not sure. Depending on one’s Dao Foundation and heritage, different elements give rise to different effects. Just like fire—some see it as scorching, others see vitality...”
Jiang Yan mused to himself. His body was now on the brink of collapse—even a sliver of this Heavenly Official’s severed flesh far exceeded what the Star Demon Incarnation could endure.
If he tried to swallow it, he’d likely explode.
The Heavenly Officials noticed his movements but didn’t care—focused only on the fight over the delicacy.
Normally, Jiang Yan wouldn’t be able to do anything except maybe light a fire.
But—
“I have a Demon-God Embryo!”
Jiang Yan whispered to himself, as black tendrils extended from the Sea of Chaos.
As long as transcendent materials were unclaimed and unresisting, they could be incubated.
In theory, even Immortal or Divine materials could be digested—if they were ownerless.
Even now, the pressure from a fragment of Heavenly Official flesh was nearly killing him.
But theory—was made to be broken in his hands!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Just as the Star Demon Incarnation was about to collapse, Jiang Yan forcefully burned the lamp oil within the Stellar Divine Lamp to repair himself.
The dim flame extended his life, bringing him near the Heavenly Official’s flesh.
The mysterious Heavenly Official was still entangled—unable to stop him!
Jiang Yan seized the chance and wrapped it in dark tendrils, swiftly converting it into material.
In an instant, the flesh vanished, and the overwhelming pressure dissipated.
‘Success!’
Jiang Yan let out a breath. His Star Demon Incarnation was now riddled with cracks, overgrown with stellar thorns, like a shattered porcelain doll ready to break apart.
But he was delighted—the harvest this time was massive!
At that moment, the battling Heavenly Officials turned their gazes toward him—pressure like Mount Tai descending.
Their chaotic minds seemed shocked by the devouring ability of this bizarre “Stellar Spirit.”
He was… even more delicious now!
“Roar!”
The mysterious Heavenly Official roared in fury, striking to suppress the Star Demon Incarnation, only to be blocked by the other Stellar Spirits.
Jiang Yan looked up, meeting the enormous shadows looming over the starfield and the sky-covering broken hand—he could see death approaching.
He smiled faintly and said, “I will return from death… and witness your demise.”
With that, Jiang Yan chose to self-destruct,
Instantly turning to ash.
The Heavenly Officials, watching their meal slip away, were stunned—then enraged.
They suspected one another of hiding the “delicacy,” and for the sake of the remaining fire sea, began a chaotic brawl.
Flames lit up the starfield—chaos spread rapidly.
Only after several hours of battle did they divide up the burned lifeforms and retreat.
…
…
In the present world—
Mountain and River Dragon Veins Cultivation Chamber.
"Death is not the end, for I have revival tokens."
Jiang Yan opened his eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His face was a little pale from repeated losses of the divine soul.
He thought to himself, this Stellar Realm really was a damned place—no wonder the Bureau of Historical Revision had designated it as a forbidden zone.
Heavenly Officials roamed to prey at will, even more terrifying than the Historical Long River.
At least in the Historical Long River, the strong would sink into deep history, unable to resurface easily.
And the weak wouldn’t be deprived of the chance to ascend.
Even the act of feeding there was gentler.
"Wait a minute, when did I start comparing which hell is worse..."
Jiang Yan muttered inwardly. He felt as though his moral baseline was steadily declining, soon to fall into the negatives.
"But this Primal Stellar Realm gives me the sense of a Gu breeding ground. If Heavenly Officials ascend, wouldn’t they also be preyed upon by Saints in a cycle, with the Stellar Gods at the top of the food chain?"
Had it not been for his multiple lives, he would truly have been buried without a trace in the Stellar Realm.
Even the Coffin Spirit wouldn’t get a chance to collect his corpse.
"But since they can ascend, it means there must be ways to avoid being preyed upon."
With that thought, Jiang Yan began examining the descendant he had just obtained for any clues.
After reading, his brows furrowed even deeper.
【Star-Hunting Cluster】
【Skill-Type Descendant】
【Description: After Lou Jin-Gou encountered a Primal Stellar Mutation, its own mutation worsened severely. From its body split off shadows of Stellar Spirits, which now roam the nascent Stellar Spirit region of the Western White Tiger Sector, preying on lower Stellar Spirits to fill its own voids and alleviate the pain of mutation.
A fragment of its finger contains the power to hunt life across the stars, granting the derivative skill "Star-Hunting Cluster."
It enables vision through the myriad stars, and under starlight illumination, it can track enemies within a hundred-li radius. Concealment or divination below the Heavenly Official level is ineffective against it.
Its range halves during daylight.
The effect strengthens with increased power.
You may also choose to feed it Stellar Spirit Incarnations to assist its growth.
If more parts of Lou Jin-Gou’s body can be gathered, it will grant Fortune-Converging and Auspice-Gathering powers, as well as mastery of the "Star Domain in the Palm"—able to reverse the starry sky with a turn of the hand.】
"Lou Jin-Gou... isn’t that one of the legendary Seven Mansions of the White Tiger?"
Jiang Yan’s expression turned to surprise—he hadn’t expected it to be that creature.
But thinking carefully, the number of Heavenly Official-level Stellar Spirits he had encountered was limited, yet most bore features of animals like pheasants or monkeys.
Some were too heavily mutated, or shrouded in starlight, making their original forms unrecognizable—hence he hadn’t immediately associated them with the constellation Heavenly Officials.
Which meant—
There were a total of seven Heavenly Official Stellar Spirits in this stellar sector.
The remaining six included Kui Wood Wolf, Stomach Earth Pheasant, Mao Sun Chicken, Bi Moon Crow, Zi Fire Monkey, and the giant squid monkey he had previously encountered—probably best referred to as Shen Water Ape.
The infection of the Primal Starry Sky had twisted them beyond recognition—even their own mothers wouldn’t know them!
The Heavenly Official level held a place among the celestial ranks in myth.
Even Stellar Spirits born from their corpses possessed terrifying might.
With a single thought, the heavens could collapse, the earth sink.
"If the twenty-eight mansions' Star Officials have all mutated, what about the higher Star Lords and Star Sovereigns?"
Just imagining those possibilities caused Jiang Yan’s brows to knit together. Things were getting increasingly troublesome.
The twenty-eight mansions were merely appetizers. Above them were the Four Symbols' Star Lords—if something had gone wrong with the Big Dipper, the Moon, or Purple Star... then that would truly be hell mode.
He even suspected—
Could the Stellar Gods themselves be the result of their mutations?
It was entirely possible that star deities from other civilizations had also mutated.
That Star-Mother Sovereign really had left a deep pit for him to fall into!
Moreover, Jiang Yan had discovered a critical piece of intelligence from analyzing the Demon-God Embryo:
This place was... a beginner zone.
Despite the strange and varied Stellar Realm creatures, he had yet to encounter a being above the Heavenly Official level.
"But what difference does it make?"
Jiang Yan was speechless. Whether it was a big fish or a whale, he was getting eaten either way.
Without the revival function of the Primal Stellar Divine Lamp, he wouldn’t have dared enter the Stellar Realm unless he reached Saint-level.
As for now...
It was naturally the Fourth Calamity playstyle—flip the table when you're mad.
It was a pity that the earlier situation was too dangerous. At first, he only wanted revenge on Lou Jin-Gou, but unexpectedly, Shen Water Ape was especially powerful—smashing its body to pieces.
Since death was certain either way, it was worth sacrificing one incarnation for Heavenly Official-level materials.
A trade with no loss.
"Too bad it can only be done once—or I’d repeat it in another stellar sector. Doing it too often risks getting crushed."
Jiang Yan mused. Facing these apex lifeforms on the food chain, his incarnations could only choose self-detonation.
Otherwise, if he brought back Heavenly Official flesh to purge the contamination, he could help Little Celestial Ghost gestate a large number of【Mirror of the Heaven-Stealing Ghost】.
Indeed, Jiang Yan hadn’t forgotten his original goal—
To find materials for Little Celestial Ghost to craft the Mirror of the Heaven-Stealing Ghost, as well as Law Qi, treasures, and other resources to help his spirit pet ascend.
Plans couldn’t keep up with changes, though—the Primal Stellar Realm had some mutt watching him.
If he didn’t stir up chaos, he’d just end up being harvested repeatedly by Lou Jin-Gou.
Jiang Yan consulted the Primal Stellar Divine Lamp and found that【Star-Hunting Cluster】could be passed on to his Star Demon Incarnation.
Essentially like enabling a cheat mod—giving the character a passive trait from birth.
"At this rate, if I die enough times, could I eventually build up to a Stellar God larva?"
Jiang Yan rubbed his chin, realizing that as long as his divine soul held out, his Star Demon Incarnation’s growth speed would far exceed expectations.
Thus, he breathed in spiritual energy, using the Stellar Divine Lamp to slowly restore his soul, continuing his cultivation.
The Bureau of Historical Revision resumed its operations, but as a Commander, no one would bother him unless it was urgent.
After about a day, Jiang Yan felt the time was right, and once again ignited the oil of the Primal Stellar Divine Lamp—its flame burning bright.
The remaining oil was just enough for one more revival.
Fortune was to be sought amid danger,
And chaos... was a ladder!
Jiang Yan chose this moment to reenter the Stellar Realm, continuing to hatch and devour shells—while inheriting the legacy left behind.
Nine tendrils floated gently. Now infused with the【Star-Hunting Cluster】skill, they exhibited potent tracking capabilities. Their surface could extend special barbs—once the target was entangled, the barbs would pierce them, inflicting a "Bleed" effect similar to games.
Even Stellar Realm creatures would bleed, though their blood was star-colored.
Excessive blood loss would cause a weakened state.
More abilities remained to be explored.
The newly-born Star Demon Incarnation had not been shattered by the aftershock. Upon seeing the shattered starlight all around, it knew the battle among the Heavenly Officials had already ended.
After all, they were reckless, not stupid.
They retained intelligence—just corrupted by the Primal Starry Sky’s mutation, occasionally going berserk, then disappearing somewhere to digest their meals.
Jiang Yan took advantage of this gap to continue exploring the Stellar Realm’s secrets.
But now, more than anything, he really wanted to eat fish.
Compared to before, he kept a much lower profile—occupying patches of star sand, using the faintest glimmer of lamplight to attract and hunt Stellar Spirit fish schools, halting once he reached the peak of the Mid-Stage Law Seed.
Heavenly Official Stellar Spirits only hunted fast-rising entities—as long as he advanced slowly, he wouldn't get targeted.
Next, he roamed the Stellar Realm. Although not ideal for leveling up, it could still be used to accumulate lamp oil and replenish revival tokens.
The Primal Stellar Realm was vast—no matter how far he roamed, he couldn’t see its borders. He hadn’t even left a corner of the White Tiger Sector’s beginner zone.
But he had gained something—
Without interference from Heavenly Official Stellar Spirits, he found that many of the floating flesh-orb masses in the Stellar Realm contained an immense number of Life Lamps and Tribulation Qi within.
Densely packed, in great quantity.
Which meant...
"These things house civilizations—or at least clans?"
Jiang Yan pondered. He hadn’t expected the Stellar Realm to house civilized species.
He had thought it was entirely composed of creatures born from stellar mutations.
Were they native lifeforms? Or was it that some Sick Domains of the Historical Long River had undergone abnormal changes within the Stellar Realm?
Upon closer inspection, Jiang Yan found that these massive flesh planets hadn’t been devoured by Stellar Realm creatures simply because a unique magnetic field surrounded them.
The fields varied in strength—some powerful enough to form flesh rings, attracting smaller flesh planets to orbit them. Their might rivaled even the Heavenly Official-level Stellar creatures.
Weaker ones still repelled Stellar creatures instinctively, triggering aversion and distance.
To test the theory, Jiang Yan sent in his Star Demon Incarnation.
It was like—
Encountering a cesspit. The natural instinct was to avoid it at all costs.
Dogs excluded.
As for the internal situation of the flesh planets, it couldn’t be observed from outside.
"Wait a minute, don’t antidotes often form next to venomous snakes? I could use this unique shielding to allow my Star Demon Incarnation to ascend into the Ancient Talisman level inside."
A flash of insight struck Jiang Yan—he became increasingly convinced it would work.
He got straight to work, screening suitable flesh planets.
First, he excluded those too powerful—
There might be Heavenly Official-level beings inside. Stirring trouble could get him crushed.
And in a place like the Stellar Realm, they probably had similar ascension systems.
Too weak was no good either.
If his ascension caused the planet to explode, he’d be dead too.
And Lou Jin-Gou... what if it had a taste for filth and blew up the cesspit on a whim?
It had to be a mid-sized flesh planet—not exceeding the Ancient Talisman level. That way, even if something went wrong, he could escape instantly.
Eventually, after careful filtering, Jiang Yan picked out three candidate flesh planets.
One was a massive dark planet covered in starry flesh serpent patterns and various beast markings, exuding a thick bloody aura.
The second’s surface combined flesh and machinery, coated in white porcelain and black ointment-like grease, resembling a precision-made living mechanical planet that radiated immense energy levels.
The final flesh planet was wreathed in feathers that resembled the radiance of the Heavenly Realm, with a predominant glow of pure white flesh that exuded an eerily sacred aura.
Jiang Yan was no stranger to this.
The Heavenly Realm!
"The material of the Primal Stellar Realm can be influenced by the Heavenly Realm?"
Jiang Yan frowned. Logically speaking, since he had the Heavenly Treasure Tree, he was most suited to enter the third world.
But remembering the bizarre Twilight Angel mutation and the mysterious entity behind it, he couldn’t shake the feeling…
It was all too coincidental.
After all, even great Immortals and Deities who didn’t tread the path of causality could wield immense power and forcibly stir the threads of fate.
Yet deliberately avoiding something might also be stepping into a trap.
You predicted my prediction.
Anyway, it was just a Star Demon Incarnation—he still had revival tokens. No need to flinch.
So...
Jiang Yan chose to activate the【Eye of the Cataclysm】and would go wherever there were the most treasures from the Diseased Domain.
That was the fairest!
These treasures carried Catastrophe Qi, and it slightly differed from regular Catastrophe Qi.
"This is…"
At a glance, he saw that the flesh-mechanical planet in the middle held the most immense Catastrophe Qi—more than the total of the other two flesh planets combined.
Buzz!
Within the Primal Cataclysmic Sea, the Golden Tree Law swayed gently, transmitting an emotion of yearning.
It sensed a strand of supreme Law Qi of the Metal Path being nurtured inside, but it was obstructed by something, making it impossible to determine whether it was Geng Metal or Xin Metal.
"Then it's decided—it's you!"
Now that things had reached this point, Jiang Yan no longer hesitated. He actively approached the flesh-mechanical planet, only to feel a suffocating rejection, compelling him to instinctively back away.
His Heart Monkey arms intertwined, sending himself the mental cue: “This is not crap, this is not crap…”—blocking out the nausea.
Ding!
Jiang Yan, through the Demon-God Embryo, channeled the power of the Little Celestial Ghost. His tendrils drifted lightly, golden patterns spreading across their surface as they gently made contact.
Ding!
Brilliant golden light covered the surface of the flesh planet, condensing into a treasured mirror that began analysis and portal creation.
If this had happened before, a Heavenly Official-level Stellar Spirit would’ve already come to cause trouble. Especially Lou Jin-Gou—it definitely would’ve slapped him down.
Now, though, things were much quieter.
The silence felt strange without a single bark.
The first minute of missing Lou Jin-Gou.
Jiang Yan chanted silently in his heart. He had prepared for a long analysis of the portal, but after only three hours, the Little Celestial Ghost’s voice arrived:
“Master, it’s done.”
What appeared was a palm-sized miniature version of the Little Celestial Ghost—her【Karmic Celestial Ghost】incarnation.
She had descended through the Demon-God Embryo.
Even though she would eventually be absorbed if she stayed too long, the Little Celestial Ghost was delighted.
Because that meant she could become one with her master.
She flickered through the void to the planet’s outer shell, stretched out her tiny hand, and lightly patted it—opening a portal!
Jiang Yan was shocked: “That fast?”
Mini Little Celestial Ghost shook her head, indicating someone on the inside had already constructed a passage and sent out a signal. She intercepted it and built a shortcut.
However, it would only last briefly and would be cut off once the time elapsed.
This move was something she developed after learning the【Sovereign of Compassion】path—she could now appropriate others’ karmic connections for her own use.
Jiang Yan was amazed. This Little Celestial Ghost’s learning ability was terrifying—not only had she mastered the Sovereign of Compassion path so quickly, she was already using it fluently and even developing new powers.
"You really are my little lucky star!" Jiang Yan happily kissed the side of Little Celestial Ghost’s face.
“Little Lucky Star Navigation initiated—let’s go, go, go!”
The Little Celestial Ghost giggled, standing cheerfully on the Star Demon Incarnation’s shoulder, full of vitality—she had also picked up quite a bit of modern knowledge.
And this was their precious alone time—she wouldn’t let it go to waste.
As for the message inside, she had roughly translated it. The gist was...
【Sublime and great Quasi-Stellar King, descend upon this place!】
...
...