The blazing sun, the bright moon, and the myriad stars all converged above the luminous canopy, which acted like an immense mirror, reflecting every celestial body!
This bizarre spectacle sent a shiver down Shi Yan’s spine, suddenly making him realize that ancient sects like the Three Gods Cult indeed possessed aspects worthy of reverence.
He had spent time in the Yang family, and on that Undying Island, the divine mountains formed purely of crystal had once awed him similarly.
Compared to this marvel of the Three Gods Cult, those mountains piled from crystal were natural formations, the masterpieces of Mother Nature. Here, however, it was clearly man-made; he couldn't fathom who possessed the vast power required to create such a miracle.
Looking up, he saw that the sun, moon, and countless stars manifested upon the canopy began emitting strands of peculiar, subtle light. These rays intertwined, slowly condensing into droplets of milky-white liquid, which then began to fall from the overhead canopy in three directions toward the dilapidated palace below.
“Come up here with me.”
Tang Yuan'nan smiled nonchalantly, suddenly ascending into the air and landing precisely in the center of the three columns of descending milky-white light. There, he gestured for Shi Yan to follow.
Shi Yan froze, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. “I’ve only just reached the Nirvana Assembly realm, and with my true strength, I cannot yet suspend myself in the void.”
Tang Yuan'nan paused, finding it strange. He had instinctively assumed that with the power Shi Yan had displayed, soaring through the air should be effortless, which is why he hadn't reached out to pull Shi Yan up. Hearing Shi Yan’s explanation now, he immediately understood that the immense power Shi Yan possessed was not derived from his actual cultivation base.
“Let me bring you up,” Tang Yuan'nan chuckled, instantly appearing beside him and reaching for his shoulder.
Shi Yan instantly grew wary, subconsciously preparing to circulate the power within his body, ready to retaliate at any moment.
Tang Yuan'nan reacted immediately, hastily stopping his movement and holding up his hands with a wry smile, “I mean no harm, why so tense?”
“Caution never hurts,” Shi Yan’s expression remained unchanged. He casually pointed toward a follower of the Three Gods Cult. “Have him bring me up.”
It was a Heaven-Position realm martial artist from the Three Gods Cult, only at the first level of that realm—old and stooped. The look he’d just given Shi Yan was filled with fear; he appeared to be someone who treasured his life greatly.
Upon being singled out, the man’s face changed, and he looked distinctly unwilling, shaking his head quickly and forcing a dry laugh. “My cultivation is shallow; there are many here with greater skill. Please find someone else.”
His words only confirmed his cautious nature; such people feared death the most and were the type who would never act rashly without absolute certainty.
“It’s you,” Shi Yan insisted.
The man looked on the verge of tears, cursing inwardly but helpless. He cast a pleading look toward Tang Yuan'nan, seemingly hoping Tang Yuan'nan would intervene and dissuade Shi Yan.
“Take him up,” Tang Yuan'nan’s eyes hardened, his tone impatient. “Hurry up; don’t waste my time.”
The man wore a bitter smile, drooping his head, and cautiously approached Shi Yan, terrified that Shi Yan might suddenly make a move and instantly freeze him as well.
Shi Yan’s expression was aloof; he watched the man coldly. Only when the man was right in front of him did he speak softly, “As long as you behave, I will be very civil. If you don’t, hehe, then I will make things difficult for you too.”
The man’s face flickered, and he became even more cautious. As he reached out to grab Shi Yan, he kept his eyes fixed on Shi Yan’s, subtly monitoring the energy fluctuations inside him. Only after confirming that no violent power was about to erupt from Shi Yan did he deeply inhale and lift Shi Yan toward the sky.
The surrounding Three Gods Cult followers all wore strange expressions, their gazes toward Shi Yan quite complex.
Shi Yan’s caution exceeded their expectations, and his judgment was surprisingly accurate; he had chosen precisely this member famous within the sect for being afraid to die.
With this man leading him, the members of the Three Gods Cult were confident that even if Tang Yuan'nan harbored ill intentions, he likely couldn't achieve his goals through this fearful subordinate.
Led by the man, Shi Yan ascended slowly alongside him, finally drifting toward Tang Yuan'nan. When they were about thirty meters away from Tang Yuan'nan, Shi Yan suddenly gave a light cough.
The man’s face changed drastically, but he was perceptive enough to stop immediately, daring not to approach Tang Yuan'nan any closer.
Although this man feared death, his judgment was sound. He understood what Shi Yan was worried about. To prevent Shi Yan from causing trouble, he remained remarkably obedient and did nothing to displease Shi Yan.
Tang Yuan'nan found it both amusing and exasperating, lightly shaking his head. Then he pointed downward. “Below, in the center of the three divine temples, are the Sun, Moon, and Star Pools of the Cult—the very foundation of the Cult, the three Pools.”
Shi Yan looked down, his eyes filled with astonishment.
He saw three oval-shaped pools, each the size of a football field, situated in the center of the three dilapidated temples. The water in these pools was crystal clear, shimmering with an odd phosphorescence on the surface. Within each of the three pools were the reflections of the sun, moon, and stars. In the center of the Sun Pool, the reflection of a massive, blazing sun remained motionless, faintly outlining the halo of solar light.
The Moon Pool was similar; the bright moon, like a great silver disk, rested still in the water, allowing silvery moonlight to quietly spread outwards.
Only the Star Pool appeared somewhat unique.
In the Star Pool, the reflections of countless stars resembled fist-sized fireflies, constantly moving within. They seemed to follow some mysterious trajectory. As the star reflections shifted, the Star Pool glittered brilliantly, imparting a vibrant, lively sensation—truly peculiar.
From the luminous canopy above, the condensed droplets of light originating from the sun, moon, and stars dripped down, drip, drop, falling separately into the three Pools.
The droplets formed from the blazing sun’s light, upon entering the Sun Pool, drifted with an almost sentient quality toward the central sun reflection, becoming a part of it and making the solar halo brighter.
The same occurred with the droplets coalesced from the bright moon’s light. One by one, the milky-white drops fell into the Moon Pool and spiritually drifted toward the moon’s reflection at the center, becoming integrated, making the radiance of the moon glow brighter and softer.
The droplets from the myriad stars behaved somewhat differently. These drops fell with uncanny precision, landing directly upon the individual star reflections within the Star Pool. They were immediately absorbed and fused by the star reflections displayed in the water, making those reflections appear almost tangible.
Gazing at the Star Pool below, Shi Yan experienced a strange sensation of being deep within the cosmos. He felt the pool was like the Milky Way, its stars ethereal and brilliant, seemingly moving according to the laws of heaven and earth, giving Shi Yan a profound, mystical feeling—truly wondrous.
“This ruined palace is the sacred ground of our Three Gods Cult. It stands exactly at the triangle center of the Sun, Moon, and Star Islands,” Tang Yuan'nan looked up at the canopy and explained to Shi Yan with a smile. “Above us, beyond ten thousand feet of seawater, lie the Sun, Moon, and Star Islands. Our Cult’s three islands actually serve as the three formation cores that gather the power of the sun, moon, and stars from the three Pools. Those three islands have been operating for thousands of years, collecting the starlight, moonlight, and sunlight from the Nine Heavens, and purifying the accumulated energy of the sun, moon, and stars over millennia in a marvelous method even I cannot fully comprehend, turning it into these milky-white droplets that drip from the canopy above into the Sun, Moon, and Star Pools.”
Shi Yan was astounded.
He looked up at the strange canopy, contemplating Tang Yuan'nan’s words while observing the condensing milky-white droplets. A bizarre thought suddenly struck him.
The principle behind this grand, ancient formation of the Three Gods Cult was fundamentally similar to solar energy in his original world, only far more magical.
In his former world, there were many ways to utilize solar energy, employing special materials to absorb the sun’s power, transforming it into electrical energy or thermal energy for human use.
The Three Gods Cult did this far more thoroughly and miraculously. Utilizing the three islands and the canopy above this ruined palace, along with the three Pools, they could not only harvest energy from the sun but also gather the energies of the moon and the vast expanse of stars. They then refined this energy into these milky-white droplets, creating a miraculous energy source that martial artists could directly immerse themselves in to absorb.
Clearly, the ancient formation of the Three Gods Cult was far more mysterious and wondrous; it was incomparable to the solar energy of his old world.
“You should know that the Martial Souls of our Three Gods Cult originate from the Sun, Moon, and Star Pools. Newborn infants, if possessing exceptional talent, can be immersed in the Pools for a chance to obtain a Sun, Moon, or Star Martial Soul, granting them the strange ability to directly absorb the energies of the sun, moon, and stars,” Tang Yuan'nan said proudly. “Among the numerous factions in the Boundless Sea, most Martial Souls are innate, present from birth and unchangeable. Only our Three Gods Cult can use these three Pools to bestow a Martial Soul upon an infant lacking one, effectively allowing us to cultivate powerful martial soul experts postnatally!” Shi Yan nodded thoughtfully. “Indeed.”
“Our Cult’s foundation lies here. The three islands above are merely the three formation cores, part of the mechanism maintaining normal operation here. There are layers of restrictions on those three islands; even if Chi Yan possessed heaven-piercing power and could shatter the Great Sun Holy Light Canopy, it would still be difficult for him to obliterate the Sun, Moon, and Star Islands.”
Tang Yuan'nan smiled and said to Shi Yan, “In other words, our Cult’s foundation is nearly unshakable. As long as this place is not destroyed, our Three Gods Cult can continue to accumulate strength and cultivate successive masters by selecting newborns. It is precisely because this foundation remains that even after the Star God and Moon God perished a thousand years ago, we could rise again.”
Shi Yan nodded again.
“Your Martial Soul and mine, the Moon God’s Blazing Sun Martial Soul, the Star Martial Soul, and the Silver Moon Martial Soul, were the very first ones condensed when the Sun, Moon, and Star Pools formed initially, placing them above all subsequent Sun, Moon, and Star Martial Souls! These three are different from later generations; they can not only condense more sun, moon, and star power, but they can also evolve continuously and be inherited. This might be the most marvelous stroke by the creator of this divine hall. Precisely because of this, those carrying these three Martial Souls are unquestionably destined to become the Sun God, Moon God, and Star God of our Cult.”
Tang Yuan'nan’s eyes shone brightly as he concluded, “Whether you admit it or not, you possess this Martial Soul, and you are the Star God of our Three Gods Cult! Now, you can immerse yourself in the Star Pool, gather its power, and let the residual energy from that base dog unlock the imprint of the Star Martial Soul, allowing you to truly possess it.”
Shi Yan’s spirit lifted, and he smiled calmly, “Then I shall not refuse.”