Chapter 401 – Great Dao Bestows Blessings, Nine Stars Nine Luminaries

The environment of the Jupiter Star Region defied Lu Chen’s expectations.

“What, did you think my Star Domain should be an undeveloped primeval forest?”

Noticing Lu Chen’s surprise, Hua Ling, who had just stored away the Celestial Ark she was piloting, chuckled as she spoke.

They had landed atop a towering “heaven-reaching tree” that pierced through the clouds.

The term “heaven-reaching” was no mere description for this tree—it was a literal fact.

Its canopy stretched like the sky itself, covering more than half of the Jupiter Star Region.

Scattered across this canopy were several large cities visible in the distance.

Among them, the Wood Radiance Celestial Capital, where Lu Chen and the others had just landed, was the largest and situated at the very center of the canopy.

If it were just this World Tree-like entity, Lu Chen wouldn’t have been too astonished.

After all, the existence of a World Tree aligned perfectly with his stereotypical image of the Jupiter Star Region.

What truly surprised Lu Chen were the cities built upon the canopy.

Skyscrapers, neon lights—if he focused solely on these structures and ignored the World Tree beyond, he might even have mistaken this for a “cyberpunk” world.

Not the Jupiter Star Region, which emphasized “nature,” “harmony,” and “balance.”

Perhaps sensing Lu Chen’s confusion, Xiao spoke up before Hua Ling could explain, detailing the origin of this marvel.

“As I mentioned before, currently, only my Sun Radiance Domain and Aunt Hua’s Jupiter Star Region frequently interact with the Immortal Alliance within the Heavenly Capital.”

“During this process, the ever-advancing technological creations of the Immortal Alliance naturally made their way to the Jupiter Star Region.”

“Nature isn’t about forcibly suppressing change. Pursuing a better life and creating suitable environments based on one’s abilities is inherently part of nature.”

“After all, humans are part of nature themselves. Why can’t what they create be considered natural?”

“Just step beyond the limited thinking of Mortals and view things from a higher perspective. You’ll realize that the ‘nature’ of the Jupiter Star Region has never sought ‘primitiveness’—it’s always been about ‘balance.'”

“This is Aunt Hua’s Dao, and it’s the Dao of the Jupiter Star Region.”

Watching Xiao speak so knowledgeably and fluently about the Jupiter Star Region, Lu Chen wanted to say something but ultimately held back.

Her proud and boastful demeanor—if one didn’t know better, they’d think she was the Star Lord of the Jupiter Star Region, not the Sun Radiance Domain.

Unexpectedly, Hua Ling quietly sent a voice transmission to Lu Chen at that moment.

“Xiao grew up in our Jupiter Star Region. She only moved her Cave Residence to the Sun Radiance Domain after achieving Deity Transformation. That’s why she’s so familiar with this place.”

No wonder…

In truth, Lu Chen had already suspected as much when he heard Xiao’s earlier remarks.

He had long pondered a question: in such an exclusive Heavenly Capital, the Star Lords selected internally were almost certainly chosen from those born within the Heavenly Capital.

If that were the case, these Star Lords could hail from any Star Domain.

Moreover, Lu Chen had observed another phenomenon.It seems the position of Star Lord in the Nine Luminaries Celestial Capital never remains vacant.

Because Xiao once mentioned that before becoming the Sun Star Lord, she was merely a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.

Though Xiao never elaborated on how she achieved her Deity Transformation breakthrough or ascended to become the Sun Star Lord.

Lu Chen speculated this might be related to the Legacy within the Heavenly Capital.

If this were true, Lu Chen could roughly deduce the reason for the Heavenly Capital’s exclusivity.

It likely stemmed from their unwillingness to let the Legacy fall into the hands of those with unclear origins.

After the events of this day, Lu Chen grew increasingly convinced of this theory.

Because he felt Hua Ling seemed excessively fixated on the concept of “balance.”

So much so that in pursuing this so-called balance, there were moments where it felt like she was extinguishing human nature to preserve heavenly desire.

This was evident from their first meeting, when Hua Ling attempted to impose her own will upon Lu Chen to maintain the Heavenly Capital’s balance.

Such behavior clearly contradicted her current approachable demeanor and Heart-Nature.

Perhaps the reason lay within the mysterious Legacy of the Heavenly Capital.

But these were the Heavenly Capital’s own secrets.

As someone who only half-belonged to the Heavenly Capital, it would be impolite to inquire recklessly.

Besides, even if he didn’t ask, someone would soon enlighten him about certain matters.

Under Hua Ling’s guidance, the three quickly arrived at the deepest part of the colossal tree.

Which was also its core… the Wood Radiance Star Nucleus.

The so-called Star Nucleus was essentially an oversized, special sphere of light.

Even with Lu Chen’s Azure Lotus Eyes, he couldn’t penetrate the essence of this luminous sphere.

Moreover, upon seeing it, Lu Chen felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

As if he had encountered something similar somewhere before.

Yet Lu Chen was certain this was not only his first time visiting the Nine Luminaries Celestial Capital, but also his first time seeing such a sphere of light.

So he couldn’t pinpoint the source of this familiarity.

But there were too many things in this world he didn’t understand.

One more mystery wouldn’t make a difference.

After leading Lu Chen and Xiao here, Hua Ling proactively approached the Wood Radiance Star Nucleus.

As she walked, she explained: “Entering the Sanctuary has never been an easy task, even for those invited by it.”

“The most crucial requirement is possessing a ‘key.'”

“Due to certain special reasons, we Star Lords can enter the Sanctuary directly upon receiving its summons.”

“But you’re different. You’re neither a Star Lord nor a local of the Heavenly Capital. Therefore, if you wish to enter the Sanctuary, you must first obtain your own ‘key.'”

“And this key represents one of our Heavenly Capital’s most core secrets.”

While speaking, Hua Ling placed her hand on the luminous sphere.

The next moment, the previously calm sphere began emitting a soft green radiance.

The surrounding trees visibly flourished at an accelerated rate.

Bathed in the green light, Lu Chen felt no discomfort but rather an indescribable tranquility.

After a moment, the gentle green glow faded.

Lu Chen looked down at the back of his hand.

There, clearly visible, now appeared a Nine-Star Chart.

However, only one star in the chart was illuminated, while the remaining eight remained dim.At the same time, a special piece of information appeared in Lu Chen’s mind.

【You have received the Great Dao’s blessing… Nine Stars and Nine Luminaries (1/9)】

【Divine Ability: Nine Stars and Nine Luminaries (1/9)】

【Realm: Fourth Realm】

【Effect 1. Wood Radiance: Greatly enhances perception of the Wood Great Dao】

The description of Nine Stars and Nine Luminaries was simple.

Yet its effect was immediately apparent to Lu Chen in his current state.

After all, at Lu Chen’s present Realm,

ordinary spells and Divine Abilities could hardly catch his interest.

In terms of offense, the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation and Samadhi True Fire surpassed ninety percent of the world’s spells and Divine Abilities.

In terms of versatility, the Creation Pill Art’s ability to refine and purify even the Great Dao was nothing short of miraculous, often surprising Lu Chen in unexpected ways.

For instance, when dealing with Wing Venerable’s Divine Soul,

it would be unrealistic for an ordinary Cultivator to attempt soul-searching on a Deity Transformation Stage expert.

After all, every Deity Transformation Stage Cultivator was a master specialized in Divine Soul arts.

They would undoubtedly have prepared countermeasures against soul-searching in advance.

But the existence of Creation Pill Art allowed Lu Chen to directly touch their Great Dao in the most primitive way, without knowing what methods they might have employed.

Then, through meticulous unraveling, he could obtain what he desired.

Thus, for a long time, Lu Chen hadn’t been particularly interested in spells or Divine Abilities beyond the Sword Path.

Simply because they offered little help to his current self.

They weren’t worth spending precious experience points on.

But Nine Stars and Nine Luminaries was different.

Though it couldn’t directly provide Lu Chen with powerful Divine Abilities,

it could enhance his comprehension of the Dao.

In a way, this amounted to an all-round improvement in Lu Chen’s strength and talent.

After all, for Cultivators, easier perception of the Great Dao meant better self-enhancement

and accelerated comprehension of the ‘Dao’,

ultimately reflected in their practical spells and Divine Abilities.

Lu Chen never expected that a mere trip to the Wood Radiance Star Capital would yield such great rewards.

And since it was Nine Stars and Nine Luminaries, it stood to reason that this blessing shouldn’t be exclusive to the Jupiter Star Region.

Other Star Domains likely had similar blessings.

Or perhaps these blessings were part of why the Heavenly Capital was so powerful.

“It seems you’ve understood the nature of this key and gained considerable benefits from it.”

Hua Ling, who had prepared a tea table nearby, smiled as she watched Lu Chen awaken.

Only then did Lu Chen notice the changes around him.

The once lush green surroundings had returned to being the bare tree hollow,

while the Wood Radiance Star Nucleus at the center had visibly dimmed.

Everything indicated that this blessing might not have been as simple as he thought.

Noticing that Xiao had disappeared, Lu Chen seemed to realize something and asked, “How long has it been?”

Hua Ling gave him a meaningful look and replied, “I thought it would take you longer to notice. I didn’t expect you to figure it out so quickly.”

“Nine Heavens. It’s been nine days since you began receiving the blessing.”Hua Ling leisurely spoke while warming the flower tea before her: “You might not understand what these Nine Heavens signify. Just know that ordinary blessings are typically completed in an instant—the more powerful the blessing, the longer the time required and the greater the consumption of Xiantian Spiritual Power.”

“To my knowledge, before you, I was already one of the few in Heavenly Capital’s history who received the longest-lasting blessing.”

“But do you know how many days my blessing took?”

Lu Chen didn’t answer, merely sitting cross-legged opposite Hua Ling. After all, he had little interest in guessing games.

Hua Ling didn’t mind, smiling as she said: “Five days. When I received my blessing, I only lasted five days.”

“Yet you persisted for a full nine days. The magnitude of this difference needs no elaboration.”

“I even suspect that nine days wasn’t your limit, but rather the Star Core’s limit.”

“During the time you were receiving your blessing, I quietly mobilized my connections outside the Immortal Alliance to thoroughly investigate you… and discovered something quite fascinating.”

“Care to guess what it is?”

Lu Chen wasn’t surprised by Hua Ling’s investigation. He even speculated that she had investigated him once before his arrival in Heavenly Capital—back when Xiao first notified them of his coming.

This second investigation was clearly more thorough than the first. Lu Chen suspected Hua Ling hadn’t just investigated him, but everyone connected to him.

Without doubt, as the publicly acknowledged Jupiter Star Lord—one of only two Star Domains maintaining contact with the Immortal Alliance from Heavenly Capital—Hua Ling possessed exactly such capability.

But as with the initial question, Lu Chen disliked verbal puzzles. He lowered his head to pick up the teacup before him, drinking slowly while gazing calmly at Hua Ling.

Seeing his reaction, Hua Ling rarely showed a bored expression. This slightly playful demeanor contrasted sharply with her previously mature elder-sister aura.

“How dull. I thought this might make you reveal some cracks, yet even at this stage you remain so composed.”

“Fine, I’ll stop testing you. What I discovered is simple: I found that the first eighteen years of your cultivation showed nothing particularly extraordinary.”

“All your changes began during your final year of high school.”

“Although the Immortal Alliance’s records about you detail how you accidentally became involved in a Black Lotus Sect sacrificial ritual as a child and mistakenly consumed their Dao Fruit…”

“This raises a question: If you consumed the Dao Fruit in childhood, why did you continue behaving like an ordinary person for years afterward?”

“Furthermore, I know some Black Lotus Sect secrets even unknown to the Immortal Alliance’s upper echelons. For instance… the Great Dao mastered by that Buddha Mother explicitly contains no Sword Path.”

“Given this, how could the Buddha Mother bestow upon her followers something she herself doesn’t possess?”

“Eliminating all impossibilities, only one possibility remains: your transformation likely has little to do with that Dao Fruit.”

While saying all this, Hua Ling continuously observed Lu Chen from the corner of her eye, seemingly hoping to detect something from him.To her regret, Lu Chen remained expressionless even after hearing all this.

It was as if he were merely listening to some ordinary tale.

And contrary to Hua Ling’s expectations,

Lu Chen posed a question she had never anticipated.

“The Black Lotus Sect’s Deputy Leader, former Supreme Purity Dao Palace prodigy, Uncle Tian’s Senior Brother, the Great Divine Power Sword Cultivator Luo Changming—this was your arrangement, wasn’t it?”

“……”

Hua Ling fell silent for a long while before seeming to comprehend something and letting out a resigned smile. “Yes, that child pleaded with me. I took pity on him and showed him a clear path.”

“You being able to deduce this must be related to that Azure Immortal Successor. After all, there are few Nine Yin Physiques in the entire Immortal Alliance, and that one just happens to be in Luocheng. I noticed in your records that you’ve had several interactions with him and maintain a good relationship.”

“Since you’ve already figured this much out, you should understand that whether it’s the Black Lotus Sect or Thousand Feather Mountain, they’re merely insignificant pawns.”

“Our true enemy has never been them, has it?”

“If you want to catch fish, you must bait the hook.”

“Choice and sacrifice… are also part of balance. After all, one must lose before one can gain.”

(End of Chapter)