Chapter 245: Deep Within the Star Sea, Shadows of the Old Order

Starlight exploded.

Sun Wukong grabbed Yao's hand and rushed into that boundless Star Sea in an instant.

What he felt was not emptiness.

But a vastness that covered the heavens and the earth.

Countless stars burst into light all around.

Each one emitted a different glow.

Red, blue, golden, violet.

They floated in the deep darkness.

Like grains of sand casually scattered by someone.

"Hou Ge…"

Yao's voice carried an unstoppable shock.

Her Illusory Dream Dao spun wildly.

She "saw" the essence of those light specks.

Those were not ordinary stars.

Each light speck.

Was an independent world!

Some were nurturing the first thread of life.

Some had already evolved mountains, rivers, and seas.

Some even had civilization.

There was war.

There were myths belonging to them.

"This damn…"

Sun Wukong muttered under his breath.

His Fiery Golden Eyes swept across all directions.

Those world bubbles floated like dust.

There was no end.

There were no boundaries.

They were ten thousand times more expansive than the new Chaos Realm he had forged with his own hands.

"Master said 'the true Chaos Realm'."

Sun Wukong murmured.

"So it's here."

He released Yao's hand.

He took a step forward.

His feet stepped on void, yet a tangible sensation came.

It felt like treading on some ancient lattice.

This Star Sea had its own rules.

It had its own mode of operation.

And these rules were extremely primitive.

Primitive to the point that even the concept of Heavenly Dao did not exist.

"This place is beyond Heavenly Dao's jurisdiction."

Yao's voice was filled with excitement.

"All the worlds here are wild!"

"No one governs."

"No one sets rules."

"Grow however you wish!"

Sun Wukong grinned.

That's how it should be.

This is truly a place of Freedom.

He reached out and casually touched a world bubble drifting past him.

Warmth tingled at his fingertips.

In that world, a colossal beast was chasing the sun and moon.

It had been running for tens of thousands of years.

It enjoyed it endlessly.

"Interesting."

Sun Wukong withdrew his hand.

He was about to continue exploring deeper.

His steps suddenly halted.

The smile on his face vanished inch by inch.

Yao sensed something amiss and asked, "What's wrong?"

Sun Wukong gave no reply.

He tilted his head.

In his Fiery Golden Eyes, Jīnguāng bàozhàng.

He "saw" it.

Between those world bubbles where freedom grew.

The light of several stars was extremely orderly.

Too orderly.

Orderly to the point of abnormality.

Their orbital trajectories were precise to the minutest degree, without any deviation.

Their internal laws seemed as if drawn with a straightedge.

Square and proper.

Dead air heavy and stagnant.

"This smell."

Sun Wukong's voice sank.

He was too familiar.

This kind of compressing everything into a "Fixed Number".

The means of strangling all possibilities in the cradle.

He had seen this in the Three Realms.

He had seen this in Hongjun's Heavenly Dao.

He had seen this in the Lost Dao Graveyard.

"Order."

Sun Wukong spat out two words.

Yao's complexion also changed.

She closed her eyes.

The threads of the Illusory Dream Grand Dao swiftly extended outward.

Upon touching those orderly stars.

She shuddered all over.

"Something's off."

Yao opened her eyes, her voice urgent.

"The living beings in these worlds."

"They all knelt."

"They knelt?"

"Yes. They knelt facing the same direction."

"As if they were worshipping something."

Sun Wukong's gaze turned completely cold.

He looked in the direction aligned with those world bubbles.

Deep in the Star Sea.

A thin line composed of dark-gold light.

It pierced through dozens of worlds.

Stringing them together.

Like stringing candied hawthorn.

The aura emanating from that thin line.

Icy cold.

Rigid.

Carrying an aloof arrogance.

Sun Wukong recognized it.

That was the aura of the Heavenly Dao Order.

Not his "Equal Heaven" Heavenly Dao.

It was Hongjun's way!

His fist clenched.

"This old thing..."

His voice squeezed out from between his teeth.

His claws stretched far enough.

Houge, look over there.

Yao pointed toward the far end of the dark-gold thin line.

There was a cluster of light there.

Not big.

Yet it made Sun Wukong's pupils contract sharply.

The shape of that cluster of light.

Like a palace shrunk to a trillionth of its size.

Purple.

"Zi Xiao Gong?!"

Sun Wukong blurted out.

Impossible.

Zi Xiao Gong is in the new Chaos Realm he opened.

Hongjun was suppressed there by him.

As the Heavenly Dao's "guardian".

How could there also be one in the depths of this Star Sea?

"Not the original."

Yao shook their head.

Her Illusory Dream Path is analyzing at full strength.

"This is a projection."

"One…… an anchor point."

"Looks like someone deliberately placed a signal beacon here."

Sun Wukong remained silent for three seconds.

He suddenly understood.

That old fellow Hongjun.

On the surface he gave in.

Became the guardian.

Behind the scenes.

He had already set a hidden move in this vaster Star Sea!

"Good."

Sun Wukong snorted coldly.

"I, Old Sun, just left him a chance to live."

"He couldn't wait to pull a trick."

He raised the Golden Cudgel.

The staff hummed.

"Let's go."

"Go see what this old thing is up to."

The two turned into streams of light.

They flew toward that cluster of purple light.

The closer they got.

The icy order aura grew stronger.

The world bubbles they passed along the way.

Each one more lifeless than the last.

In some worlds, even the wind doesn't blow.

Every grain of sand's position is fixed.

In some worlds, the living beings have expressionless faces.

They walk along fixed trajectories.

Like puppets on strings.

Yao frowned: "This is too disgusting."

Sun Wukong didn't speak.

His eyes held only killing intent.

When they were less than ten thousand li from that purple light.

The void ahead suddenly twisted.

A barrier appeared out of nowhere.

Dark gold.

Its surface was etched with countless law runes.

Each rune exuded an ancient and stern aura.

Sun Wukong smashed it with a staff strike.

Boom!

The barrier didn't budge.

He raised an eyebrow.

It's a bit hard.

He infused the Golden Cudgel with the Equal Heaven Path.

Second strike.

Boom—!

The barrier cracked a thin slit.

From the slit.

A voice transmitted out.

It wasn't Hongjun's.

That voice was hoarse and aged.

Hoarse.

Carrying an indescribable fatigue.

Stop hitting.

You smashed this barrier.

Inside are the living beings of thirty-seven worlds.

Everything must shatter together.

Sun Wukong's staff halted in midair.

He narrowed his eyes.

Who are you?

Behind the barrier, it fell silent for a moment.

That voice sounded again.

The tone carried a hint of bitterness.

I am old... also a gatekeeper.

Just like the Hongjun in your Chaos Realm.

Chosen to be a gatekeeper.

Sun Wukong froze for a moment.

Yao also froze.

Another 'Hongjun'?

Sun Wukong's expression turned amused.

He put away the Golden Cudgel and tapped the barrier.

Come out and talk.

Don't hide inside.

I, Old Sun, don't strike guard dogs.

The barrier remained silent for a long time.

So long that Yao thought there would be no reply.

That hoarse voice then sounded again.

This time.

The voice carried a tremor hard to conceal.

Your aura...

Is that... emptiness?

No... not just emptiness.

You also have...

The voice abruptly cut off.

It was as if something had seized its throat.

The entire barrier began to tremble violently.

Those dark-golden runes flashed wildly.

It was as if sounding an alarm.

Sun Wukong's hand pressed onto the Golden Cudgel.

Deep within the barrier.

That shrunken purple palace suddenly lit up.

A will, ice-cold and devoid of any emotion.

Ejected from the palace.

In an instant, it engulfed this star region.

That will was not Hongjun's.

But it was exactly the same as Hongjun's.

It was as if cast from the same mold.

Before that hoarse figure vanished, it strained to utter its last words.

Hurry up and go!

This star sea...

Not just one Hongjun!