The East-Star Prefecture Master’s words made everything clear: the Starry Void Sigil in Evan Chu’s hands was secretly given to him by Star-Treasure Pavilion. That’s why such a priceless treasure as the Starry Void Sigil ended up at auction in the first place. Its true power...
The temptation to truly control it would be irresistible—even for a peak Holy Emperor. And Star-Treasure Pavilion, with all its years standing tall in the Star-River Dominion, is never short of powerful guardians. So why would they give away such an ultimate treasure instead of keeping it for themselves? Why hand it directly to Evan Chu?
Of course, without the Star-Seal Throne, the Starry Void Sigil wasn’t a complete supreme artifact. Maybe others didn’t know the whereabouts of the Star-Seal Throne, but Star-Treasure Pavilion absolutely did—they had the power to claim it!
Yet Star-Treasure Pavilion didn’t do that. They used all sorts of means to get the Starry Void Sigil into Evan Chu’s hands, then maneuvered the Mansfield Family to bind themselves to him, and Flowing-Light Dynasty soon stood behind him as well.
On the surface, it all seemed unrelated. But if you really thought it through, wasn’t there something—or someone—pulling the strings behind the scenes...?
"Thank you."
Evan Chu thought for a long time, but could only squeeze out those two words.
"Haha! Seems you’re getting the hang of it. The Starry Void Sigil now—surely it’s no longer what it used to be, right? You must’ve gained a lot this time. I’d love to dig into those secrets myself, but I know I’m nowhere near qualified."
"Alright, that’s enough talk for today. I’ll have someone else reach out to you later. Until you stand at the very pinnacle of the Star-River Dominion, we won’t meet again. Farewell."
The East-Star Prefecture Master made a grand entrance, but his departure was even swifter—almost impossibly fast.
Evan Chu felt a wave of dizziness crash through his mind. In the blink of an eye, he found himself back in his original spot. The black-clad army and the mighty experts of Star-Treasure Pavilion’s East-Star Prefecture, who had hovered over the Flowing-Light Star-Region just moments ago, were now utterly gone—vanished without a trace.
So this... is the power of a Sacred Emperor?
For Evan Chu, that realm was as distant as the stars—completely out of reach for now. He knew nothing about such powers. But he refused to feel discouraged. One day, he would reach that height. And when he did, he’d soar far beyond it!
Looks like Star-Treasure Pavilion knows all about the changes that happened after the Starry Void Sigil fused with the Star-Seal Throne. But... do they understand the connection to the Big Dipper, or the final evolution into the Seven-Star Golden Tower?
Evan Chu frowned. That was his greatest trump card—his last secret. He absolutely could not let it slip!
But just as Evan Chu and the East-Star Prefecture Master finished their talk in the Flowing-Light Star-Region, a world-shaking event erupted in the Frostbane Dynasty’s base star-region.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, half the Frostbane Imperial Palace was blown apart! Every guard in the forbidden depths was wiped out, not a single survivor. Even a secret underground passage, hidden until now, was exposed for all to see.
Then, a Star Gate materialized, rippling with energy—along with portals to other spaces. A towering figure bathed in golden light strode through.
“Hahaha! I did it! This Emperor has finally succeeded! The curse of the Five Sacred Lands? Heh, what of it? I am favored by the heavens—the so-called curse is nothing but a joke!”
That crazed figure was none other than the supreme ruler of the Frostbane Dynasty, the one hailed as the greatest Frostbane Holy Emperor in tens of thousands of years—Holden Hong.
Right now, Holden Hong’s aura exploded outwards. Fierce winds howled around him, rending the air. Cracks appeared in space itself, and the power of the stars surged in waves—every glance from his eyes carried lethal force.
The instant he appeared, the already-ruined palace was reduced to dust. You had to understand—these palaces were protected by countless defensive arrays, yet with just a few casual gestures, Holden Hong obliterated formations that even Holy Emperors would struggle to break.
What was Holden Hong doing—digging his own grave? No! He wasn’t that foolish. This might be his main base, but now it was too weak for him to care. He had broken through to a new realm, just one step from ascending to the heavens. Give him a little more time, and he’d become the supreme overlord. One day, he could even restore Frostbane’s name to the Sacred Lands!
Late Holy Emperor peak... just a little more! Looks like it’s finally time to deal with Evan Chu.
A vicious fire flashed in Holden Hong’s eyes. Lately, he’d heard more and more about Evan Chu—first breaking free of his control, then rallying allies and threatening to split from the Frostbane Dynasty.
And the ones Dragon-Chen Hall was drawing in were precisely the defeated factions from the recent war of dynastic supremacy.
These people had absolute conflicts of interest with the Frostbane Dynasty—some were even mortal enemies. Dragon-Chen Hall’s moves, once word reached Frostbane’s base, sparked widespread outrage and even hatred.
Even Lord Jun Yang and Mad-Blade Li felt a headache when they heard about it.
But Evan Chu had his limits. When it came to absolute enemies like the Rivengrace Dynasty and Heavenwing Dynasty, he kept his distance. Instead, he reached out to smaller, truly neutral sects and clans.
The problem was, these guys were all so indecisive—it was giving Desmond Mansfield a real headache.
“If you want to truly stand at the peak, to dominate the southeastern Star-River Dominion and silence the Five Sacred Lands, just killing Evan Chu won’t be enough. You need a proper reason—at least one that won’t tip the Five Sacred Lands off to your true intentions. Otherwise, even if you break through to Sacred Emperor and build an empire, you’ll still be vulnerable before them.”
Another powerful aura appeared—also late Holy Emperor peak. But this person looked exactly like Holden Hong.
“I split my soul in two so we could share the same cultivation and, in a way, escape the curse’s grip—not so you could take charge! I know exactly what I’m doing. Just do your part. Evan Chu must die. I need his power. He may only be at peak Saint Venerable, but he’s a survivor of the Trial World.
As for how I’ll dominate the southeastern Star-River Dominion without giving the Five Sacred Lands an excuse to strike, I made plans for that ten thousand years ago! Did you think I just spent all these years in seclusion? I’ve been working in the central world of the Star-River Dominion all this time.
You might have a soul source like mine, but you’re just my Holy Emperor Avatar. Don’t even think about overturning the master—it’s useless.”
Holden Hong’s cold, ruthless gaze made his avatar’s face change. The avatar lowered his head and fell silent.