Chapter 676 - 671: Other Starfields
The Grand Cyclic Stellar Region was originally a grand cosmic territory that contained hundreds of thousands of starfields, its territory divided and vast, filled with a variety of life and mysteries. However, as cultivators developed in strength, numbers, and technologies, the number of starfields were reduced.
Some of the Solar Stars met their ends at the hands of Ascended-level Wars. Others were taken to serve as a foundation for secret realms, world realms, or additional suppliers of essence for cultivators. A few were taken away and forcefully merged with other solar stars, creating super-sized solar stars that could even engulf multiple starfields.
The Aeternal Sky Starfield was one such example. Their supermassive Solar Star was orbited by a Mystic Radiance Belt and served to provide the entire starfield, which was the result of hundreds of starfields merging, high-leveled essence.
Eventually, throughout the long, complicated history of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region only twenty-three starfields remained. The wars settled. The borders were marked. The experts were established. An ensuing surface-level peace had been erected by those established forces and their inhabitants.
With the increased strength of expert's cultivation bases, so did the annihilating damage that could be caused. This led these peak cultivators to forcefully halt their aggressive actions of territorial claim lest they devastated everything left. They were bombs that were too afraid of causing damage to themselves. The weak were already culled, leaving only the strong.
Out of the twenty-three remaining starfields that existed, none of them were weak by any means of the word. But there were those that were weaker and those that were stronger, their environment was richer, their talents more numerous, their experts and legacies refined throughout the years.
The strongest of these starfields was the Aeternal Sky Starfield who possessed the only supermassive Solar Star with a matching Mystic Radiance Belt—a product of a gargantuan-sized venture that cost the lives of numerous Ascended and countless mortal-tier experts over centuries of effort. However, they weren't the only starfield with Mystic Radiance Belts elevating the potential of their Solar Stars.
There were three others.
They were merely the only ones with a supermassive one. The others weren't as brave or ambitious as the former Imperial Clan that were willing to pay the price to establish a high-level mystic environment for themselves and their descendants. Very few Ascended would consciously give up their long, hard-fought lives for mortals that would live a tenth of their total lifespan at least.
To them, as long as they lived, they could pursue a higher stage of cultivation granting them longer lifespans, stronger power, and validation of their talents. It was practical. Thus, those like the Trihex Starfield, Hexaflame Starfield, and Ninestar Starfield had taken routes of using smaller-sized naturally-born Solar Stars to establish smaller, safer Mystic Radiance Belts.
They kept their losses to a reasonable limit.
While their environment paled heavily in comparison to the Aeternal Sky Starfield, their history wasn't as divided and diverse as the Aeternal Sky Starfields. While the Aeternal Sky Starfield was heralded as the number one starfield in the stellar region, this was strongly attributed to the strength of their united forces. A feat that would only occur during times of war, an external threat.
The Imperial Clan held massive power within the starfield, this was without a doubt, regarded as the strongest force present, but that was only to those who were unable to see the abnormal entities such as the Everlore Association or the mysterious Void Voyage Sect that kept a low profile.
The agreements and oaths made by the Tian Clan after the civil war kept internal competition between forces at an all-time low. A prime example of this was the True Element Sect. Due to agreements and oaths, the World Sect was divided by various internal forces and the strongest external forces couldn't capitalize on this weakness. Unable to seize a healthy bite of that delectable snack.
As for the other three starfields with Mystic Radiance Belts, they were ruled by a singular power. Those forces that wished to strike out as independent entities in their territory were booted out of the starfield at best, thoroughly eliminated at worst. The latter of which was mostly to prevent rebellions and chaos over territory. Very few had the luxury as the sixteen mystic-tier forces had in the Aeternal Sky Starfield.
Almost every force of the sixteen forces were established by clans or forces that had stayed neutral or allied with the Tian Clan for certain benefits. Some collapsed due to their own civil disputes or weakness, others breached their oaths and were viciously absorbed or destroyed, while most merged together and eventually became World Sects.
With the complicated history of the Aeternal Sky Starfield, the division of their ample resources, and the passivity of the current Imperial Clan, they weren't feared as when divided, only when united.
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In the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, there was a starfield with nine titan-sized Solar Stars of uniformed size, all being of the same type, emitting a yellow-colored radiance. Solar Stars were classified in sizes by five types, from smallest to largest: Dwarf, Titan, Colossus, Supermassive, and Absolute.
While the ranges were varied, with some dwarfs being three times as large and bright as others, there was a general rule in terms of size. All dwarfs had a minimum official size, and this minimum size, when multiplied by ten, becomes a titan-sized. The next stage, Colossus, is ten times a titan-sized minimum. Supermassive is one hundred times the minimum of a colossus, and Absolute is one thousand times the minimum of a supermassive Solar Star.
The vast majority of Solar Stars were dwarfs, including the three Solar Stars of the formerly known Tri-Vision Starfield, publicly named Everlore Starfield.
The nine titan-sized stars were at the bare minimum, and they all had white rings around them. They were all Solar Stars with Mystic Radiance Belts! They orbited each other in a strange, perfect rhythm that was harmonious. Despite there being nine stars present, night still came periodically to all the planets, lunar satellites and continental flat earths.
One could tell that the orbit was intricately designed with a specific purpose, orchestrated with excellent direction and perfected distance. As they coursed through their orbit, few planets lacked the proper essence exposure, even those at the edge of the starfield weren't starved or neglected.
The nine stars weren't all at the center of the starfield, resembling more like lunar satellites orbiting its center like a planet. The Solar Stars weren't in motion, however. The planets just orbited faster, moving along an accelerated path thanks to the gravitational forces emitted by each individual solar star.
This was the Ninestar Starfield, renowned by the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region as the second strongest entity behind the Aeternal Sky Starfield, ruled by the Ninestar Sainthall and home to the highly prestigious Ennea-Hall Alchemic Saint!
And at this exact moment, a man and beast arrived at its borders through a Void Portal… They were unaware of the chaotic and high-octane events that they would soon experience.