At the same time, the two dominant powers of the Emerald Sea...

The higher-ups behind the Enforcement Officers and the Constellation Leader simultaneously sensed a subtle tremor in the laws of heaven and earth.

Deep within the endless void, upon a dark throne surrounded by the phantoms of the Twelve Zodiacs.

Closed eyes snapped open; this time, they held not indifferent scrutiny, but shock and monstrous rage.

"Stardust Embers... can actually give rise to an Emperor?!"

The low voice was no longer calm, and the entire throne space vibrated with fury. "A group of lingering thoughts that should have been annihilated long ago dares to interfere in this chess game?!"

His gaze pierced through the void, locking onto the area in the northeast corner of the Emerald Sea where a silver brilliance had just erupted.

The dim but real Emperor Brand on Bai Cheng's forehead was like a sacrilegious stain in His eyes.

"The Fire Thief... has become a Throne-stealer." The voice was cold as an eternal frozen abyss. "How can the position of Sovereign be coveted by an ant? This is the greatest defilement of the World-Purifying Rite!"

On the armrests of the throne, the two Constellation runes representing Scorpio and Leo simultaneously lit up with a dark glow, only to be forcibly suppressed.

"However... an embryo is just an embryo after all." The anger slowly receded, turning into extreme contempt and disdain.

"A rootless piece of duckweed dares to call itself a Sovereign? Collecting faith? In this sea already shrouded in war, every wisp of faith will be her death warrant."

"Pass down the order: Suspend the general offensive against the Constellation defense line. All roaming Mind-Eroding Demon Generals and higher units are to prioritize searching for and marking all islands where a convergence of belief occurs."

"Let her collect... let her ignite."

"When she gathers the scattered lights into a torch, that will be the day the World-Purifying Tide cleanses her along with those ignorant beliefs."

"The quota for Sovereign... has always belonged only to the Lord of the Emerald Sea who is about to achieve Unity. One more embryo is nothing more than... one more sacrificial offering."

The eyes closed again, but the killing intent echoing in the void was already as biting as a blade.

In the northern Emerald Sea, at the core of the Constellation forces, within a magnificent palace constructed from star fragments.

The figure seated high upon the starlight throne moved slightly, and the hazy starlight enveloping their body fluctuated violently, revealing deep internal shock and anger.

"The Stardust Remnants... actually gifted their final origin to an outsider?!" The majestic and ancient will boomed.

"That group of cowardly watchers would rather place their hope in a suddenly appearing scion of the gate than return to the Star Rail Orthodoxy?!"

He could clearly perceive that within the laws of heaven and earth belonging to the Sovereign, a faint competitor had abruptly appeared.

Although it was far from His own deep accumulation, the aura of that brand-new Star Rail Gate caused Him to feel instinctive unease and repulsion.

"An embryo that touched the threshold by luck and gifts... is worthy of standing alongside me?" Deep disdain was mixed within the anger.

"The path of a Sovereign requires the star track as a foundation and the ten thousand stars as witness, tempered through a thousand ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) tribulations. Such an opportunistic person is no different from building a tower on sand."

The phantoms of several Constellations standing in the palace, such as Taurus and Virgo, lowered their heads one after another, sensing the Leader's fury.

"However..." the Constellation Leader's will gradually grew cold, "those ants of the Enforcement Officers have likely noticed as well. One more Sovereign embryo means one more variable."

"If this child is captured or corrupted by the Enforcement Officers, her embryonic brand might be exploited, in turn polluting the purity of my star track."

"Issue the decree: All Constellation battle groups patrolling outside are to detach an elite force to search for this woman's traces in the name of purging heresy and maintaining the Star Rail Orthodoxy."

"If encountered, monitor first; do not engage for now. Wait until the Enforcement Officers and I have decided the victor, then... I will personally erase this trace of transgression that should not exist."

"The position of Sovereign belongs only to the capable. And the capable never include opportunists."

The figure on the starlight throne returned to silence, but the starlight enveloping the entire palace was colder and more oppressive than ever before.

Inside the Star Slumber Garden, Bai Cheng withdrew the silver glow from around her body, and the mark on her forehead faded away.

She looked toward the south, where there were countless islands still struggling in the flames of war, where statues of faith she had once established stood, and where there was the fuel of belief waiting to be collected.

"The storm has arrived, and we have become part of the eye of the storm." Her voice was calm, yet contained an unshakeable determination.

"Since the path has opened, there is only moving forward. Before they truly move to encircle and suppress us... we need more light."

The train quietly turned, sailing toward the corners of the deeper Emerald Sea where beliefs flickered.

And on the horizon, two pairs of eyes from different directions, filled with killing intent and disdain, had silently locked onto this sea area where a faint light had just begun to bloom.

The true hunt, though it had not descended immediately, had already entered its countdown.

The silver train slowed down in a relatively calm sea area to the southeast of the Emerald Sea.

Outside the portholes, the sea surface was still shrouded in the lingering echoes of war. From time to time, crimson or icy blue light explosions streaked across the distant sky—the aftershocks of the ongoing clashes between the Enforcement Officers and the Constellation battle groups.

But at this moment, the sea area where they were located was covered by an extremely thin, almost imperceptible pale silver halo.

That was the star track ripple instinctively emitted by Bai Cheng after her initial fusion with the gift of the Stardust Remnants; it could obscure her own presence to a certain extent and slightly smooth out the surrounding turbulence of laws.

Inside the main control cabin, Leng Ningxue's icy eyes stared intently at the real-time images sent back by the tide charts and scouting runes.

"Eighty nautical miles ahead, Broken Shell Island. The island is medium-sized with about two thousand residents, who make a living by gathering deep-sea fluorescent shells and growing salt-tolerant grains."

She quickly pulled up the data.

"According to the summary of scattered information from islands along the way, Broken Shell Island was harassed by a small group of Mind-Eroding Demons three days ago."

"But the islanders relied on the naturally formed coral labyrinth on the island and an ancient purification ritual passed down by an old priest to barely repel the erosion, preserving their village and the statue of faith."

"Currently, no large-scale enemy forces or high-energy reactions have been detected around the island, but the belief fluctuations of the islanders... show a state of exhausted perseverance."

Bai Cheng stood before the main control console, her silver eyes serene.

At the center of her forehead, although the Emperor Brand had faded, she could clearly sense that brand-new Star Rail Gate deep within her soul resonating faintly.

It possessed an instinctive attraction and hunger for pure and resilient belief.

The experience of the Broken Shell islanders relying on their own strength and heritage to repel erosion in a desperate situation, and the belief they maintained, might be one of the most suitable fuels to ignite and stabilize her nascent laws.

"Go ashore," Bai Cheng ordered softly. "But there is no need to disturb the islanders."

"Ning Xue, scan the law meridians and belief convergence points of the entire island."

"Qingniao, Zi Yuan, follow me and land on the island in concealment to sense it up close; Lu Duo, Yu Nian, stay behind on the train to provide support."

"Be careful, Young Mistress." Zi Yuan gripped the hilt of her blade and reminded her, "Since those two sides have already noticed you, even if it is just an embryo, they will never allow you to collect faith freely."

"Under the calm surface, traps may be hidden."