This chapter was originally released in the form of a live reading by Deathblade and Etvolare, available below. Many thanks to CoreInflux for recording it, and also to Guanzhong for helping me prepare it to include in this chapter!

ISSTH-1505.mp3

Meng Hao could see as clear as day that ten years before he pa.s.sed through this area, this land ma.s.s didn’t even exist within the starry sky!

It was completely empty!!

What he saw left Meng Hao reeling. Then he watched as that spot in the starry sky suddenly began to ripple and distort. A moment later, the land ma.s.s... just appeared.

It was almost as if a huge hand had dragged it out nowhere.

His eyes flickered as Song Daozi’s words echoed in his mind. Without the slightest hesitation, he began to back up. However, it was at this point that a light sigh echoed out.

“Fellow Daoist Meng, we meet again.”

At the same time, the sealing mark Meng Hao had created around himself cracked and shattered into fragments. A will entered the area, crus.h.i.+ng everything in its path.

Then he saw a woman strolling toward him. She wore violet garments, including a skirt decorated with countless glowing stars and planets. She was beautiful, and her eyes seemed to flicker like the Vast Expanse itself.

Meng Hao’s eyes glittered as he said, “Han Bei!”

This woman was none other than Han Bei. However, this version of her seemed completely different than the person he had encountered recently on Planet Vast Expanse.

That version of Han Bei was enigmatic in certain ways, but was about as weak as an egg compared to him. Unfortunately, her soul was fused with Chu Yuyan’s, ensuring that if she died, Chu Yuyan would also die, otherwise Meng Hao would have long since done something about her.

But this Han Bei standing in front of him seemed, not like a cultivator, but like the entire Vast Expanse. Although it was Han Bei standing there, it was as if she were radiating the will of the entire starry sky of Allheaven, as if she were its avatar.

The Emissary of Allheaven, Song Daozi, had given him a similar feeling, although the will of Allheaven upon him had been a far cry from this. As of this moment, Han Bei seemed like the embodiment of the will of Allheaven.

It made Meng Hao feel as if, within the starry sky of Allheaven, all living beings would have no choice but to bow their heads to her. Everything would tremble in her presence, from land ma.s.ses, to planets, to the countless vortexes which existed. Innumerable worlds and Realms, countless living beings, would all have the same reaction. They would all acknowledge allegiance to this embodiment of the will of Allheaven.

Everything trembled as the qi flow of the entire starry sky transformed into something like a funnel, with Han Bei resting at its very center.

The sight of it caused Meng Hao’s pupils to constrict. Furthermore, he got the feeling that Han Bei hadn’t only just appeared. She had most likely been there from the moment he began Soulsearching Song Daozi.

Meng Hao’s eyes shone with bright light as he looked at her. She returned his gaze, a slight smile on her face, a smile that seemed to be at harmony with the Vast Expanse, a smile that contained profound secrets.

“Enough with the mind games,” Meng Hao said, waving his hand and sending cultivation base power surging. The power of the copper mirror burst out and became shocking Battle Armor. Almost simultaneously, Meng Hao’s energy surged as he slashed out with the Battle Weapon.

The force of the attack ripped open the starry sky, causing rumbling sounds to echo out as the blow descended upon Han Bei. However, Han Bei did nothing to avoid the blow, and in fact continued to smile.

“The fact that you realized something strange is going on here doesn’t matter. I wasn’t counting on being able to keep things secret for much longer anyway.” She chuckled, allowing the Battle Weapon to slash into her. However, it was almost as if she didn't even exist; the power of the Battle Weapon pa.s.sed right through her, sending boundless ripples out into the starry sky behind her.

“That won’t do you any good,” she said, shaking her head. “This isn’t my true form, just a projection. Furthermore, what has sent me here isn’t the power of my cultivation base, but rather, the almighty will of the starry sky of Allheaven.”

Meng Hao’s eyes widened, and he backed up, unleas.h.i.+ng all the power he could muster to put distance between him and her.

Han Bei shook her head again. Smiling, she said, “You can't escape. This is a special place which has been prepared by the almighty will of Allheaven… to harvest you.”

With that, she extended her right hand and pointed at Meng Hao.

His mind was instantly sent reeling. Unexpectedly, the starry sky around him began to spin, and no matter how he tried to flee, he ended up going to the same place!

Smiling, Han Bei said, “The reason you found this land ma.s.s to begin with was because the will of Allheaven wished it to be so. Therefore, he teleported it to a place he knew you would pa.s.s by.

“And that’s because this is one of the few weak spots in the starry sky of Allheaven. The land ma.s.s might be gone now, but the weak spot is still here, a part of the starry sky itself.

“It is only by means of this weak spot that you, someone who has yet to Transcend, can step outside of the Vast Expanse.

“Meng Hao, didn't you want to see what it's really like out there? All you have to do is go out from this spot, and you’ll know.” She slowly reached out and then waved her hand. The s.p.a.ce behind her then began to distort. Then, it was as if every part of the starry sky of Allheaven, as if the will of Allheaven which existed in countless places and locations... opened an eye!

Directly behind Han Bei, the starry sky converged into a single vertical line, which then slowly opened in shocking fas.h.i.+on to reveal an eye, pupil and all!

It was the eye of the starry sky, an eye formed from the will of Allheaven!

As the eye opened, rumbling sounds echoed out, and everything began to tremble. Then an indescribable power exploded out from Han Bei.

That power caused everything in the area to collapse, revealing an enormous black hole.

Apparently, that black hole had been ripped open by someone countless years ago. Now that it had revealed itself, the gravitational force it could exert was astonis.h.i.+ng.

Meng Hao trembled as that force grabbed onto him. He almost couldn’t control his own body as he was dragged inexorably down toward the black hole. At the same time, a powerful force of expulsion rose up from the starry sky of Allheaven, which shoved him toward the black hole. He trembled as he began falling faster and faster.

He gritted his teeth and unleashed all the power of his cultivation base. He slashed back and forth with the Battle Weapon to try to slow down. But it did no good. He glared up at Han Bei, his eyes flickering with killing intent.

As of this point, he understood that what he was looking at was not really Han Bei, it was... the will of the starry sky of Allheaven.

“It was you!” he said, his words bursting with murder and insane hatred. “The will of Allheaven! You manipulated the Immortal G.o.d Continent and the Devil Realm Continent into destroying the Mountain and Sea Realm. All to control me and my life!” His eyes were completely bloodshot, and even the red color of his pupils grew more intense!

A tremor ran through Han Bei. Apparently, it was difficult for her to remain under the sustained control of the will of Allheaven, and yet she forced herself to endure. Looking at Meng Hao, she smiled.

“Let me ask you,” she said, “how do you think the will of Allheaven is connected to you?”

Meng Hao’s mind spun. He had come to realize long ago that the word ‘Allheaven’ had also existed in the Mountain and Sea Realm. After all, the term ‘Allheaven Clan,’ contained those same characters.

He had long since come to speculate that the two were connected, but to hear the words coming out of Han Bei’s mouth right now caused his eyes to widen.

“I am the Daughter of Allheaven, and you... you are the Son of Allheaven.

“Resistance is futile. In fact, you don’t even qualify to resist. The will of Allheaven has bolstered my consciousness, a state that I will not be able to endure again for the next hundred years. But that doesn’t matter.

“I look forward... to your return. When you appear again, you will have accepted your status as the Son of Allheaven. You will have forgotten your past. Forgotten everything. Your world will no longer be that of the Mountain and Sea Realm. There will only be... Allheaven.

“And you will become the new... Emissary of Allheaven. Perhaps you will even become... the most powerful Emissary to ever exist.

“Perhaps you will become like me, a Dao Protector to the grand will of Allheaven!” Han Bei’s smile was as flirtatious as ever, but her body was clearly weakening.

Rumbling sounds filled the starry sky as Meng Hao continued to try to use the Battle Weapon to slow himself down. However, with the power of expulsion pus.h.i.+ng him, and the gravitational force pulling at him relentlessly, he began to spin, trembling, into the depths of the black hole.

In the blink of an eye, he was swallowed up!

The black hole transformed into a spinning vortex, which gradually began to fade away. Eventually, the starry sky returned to normal. At the same time, the power of expulsion from the Vast Expanse disappeared as if it had never existed.

Light began to s.h.i.+ne out from Han Bei, gradually turning her into glittering motes of fading splendor.

She looked at the spot where Meng Hao had been sucked away, and continued to smile just like before. Her eyes even gleamed with antic.i.p.ation.

“Meng Hao.... Son of Allheaven,” she said softly. “You grew too quickly, so quickly that even the almighty will of Allheaven was on guard. Therefore, even though the seed was not mature, it was still time for the harvest.” With that, she completely transformed into light that vanished into the darkness.

Soon, the starry sky was completely quiet and dark.

Meanwhile, back on Planet Vast Expanse, in the First Sect, Han Bei’s true form was sitting cross-legged in meditation. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and blood sprayed out of her mouth. She aged visibly, and her face turned completely ashen.

“For the next hundred years,” she murmured. “I must not call the will of Allheaven upon me.” With that, she looked up into the starry sky. “I truly look forward to your return. Then you and I can create a new seed here on Planet Vast Expanse.”