The coral reefs on the outskirts of Star Chart Island were like silent sentinels, emitting a faint pale blue glow in the dark seawater.

When the silver train quietly pierced through the island's outer protective barrier, the fluorescence of the corals suddenly brightened for a moment before returning to its original state.

It was as if the island itself possessed some form of consciousness, and after a brief recognition, it permitted the train's entry.

Bai Cheng stood before the main control console, her silver eyes looking toward the ancient island through the porthole.

Star Chart Island was even more peculiar than she had imagined.

The entire island was shaped like a regular hexagram, with its six points extending into the sea and stone observation towers of varying heights standing along every edge.

In the center of the island, a massive Observatory a hundred zhang tall rose like a giant sword pointing to the sky; its surface was covered in dense star track runes, which were currently flowing with a faint silver light.

"A complex field of astral laws has been detected," Ning Xue said, data streams scrolling rapidly through her icy eyes.

"The entire island is enveloped in a high-density astrological force field, and the internal spatial structure... exhibits clear signs of folding."

"Folding?" Qing Niao came closer to the light screen. "What does that mean?"

"Simply put, the internal space of this island is much larger than it appears from the outside," Leng Ningxue said as she pulled up a 3D scan.

"Preliminary estimates suggest the actual space could be more than ten times what is observed from the outside.

This kind of spatial folding technology... is a method that could only have been mastered by the Stardust Remnants at their peak in ancient times."

The train slowly landed in a hidden reef bay at the edge of the island.

Bai Cheng pushed open the carriage door and stepped onto the island. A warm, jade-like sensation came from beneath her feet; the ground was not soil or rock, but a type of specially treated astral sand, each grain shimmering in the night.

The air was filled with a scent of old parchment, ink, and stardust.

The pure heart vine in Yu Nian's arms suddenly trembled violently. Its silver-white bud turned toward the Observatory, and what seeped out was no longer teardrops, but a drop of dark golden liquid.

It was a signal of extreme alertness.

"There is danger," Yu Nian said softly.

Almost simultaneously, the six observation towers around the island lit up at once.

Six pillars of silver-white light shot into the sky, weaving into a massive star net in the night sky that completely enveloped the entire island.

The light of the star net was not dazzling, yet it carried a sense of absolute isolation.

The train's connection to the outside world was instantly severed, and even the Star Rail Gate deep within Bai Cheng's soul felt a slight sense of sluggishness.

"Welcome to Star Chart Island, scion of the gate."

An aged yet deep voice came from the top of the Observatory.

Bai Cheng looked up and saw the white-haired old man she had seen in the visions of the pure heart vine; he was now standing at the edge of the Observatory, leaning against the railing and looking down at them.

The old man wore a deep blue robe embroidered with star charts. His face was as aged as a stone carving weathered for a thousand years, yet his eyes remained as clear as mirrors, reflecting the stars across the sky.

"I am Mo Yan, the seventy-second generation Star Warden of Star Chart Island," the old man said with a slight nod.

"Since you were able to penetrate the barrier of the Star Ring Corals and make the astral sand light up to guide you... it seems you are indeed the bearers of the Stardust Imprint."

Bai Cheng stepped forward, her silver hair like flowing mercury in the light of the star net. "Senior Mo Yan, we come with no ill intent."

"Whether there is malice or not, the Observatory will judge for itself." Mo Yan raised his hand and tapped lightly, causing the star track runes at the top of the platform to suddenly accelerate their flow.

"Three years ago, Star Chart Island observed the phenomenon of the star rail weeping blood, predicting a great catastrophe was imminent.

Since then, this island has been sealed off, receiving no outside guests."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the faint emperors imprint on Bai Cheng's forehead. "But the aura on you... is very special.

You possess both the silver radiance of the Stardust Remnants and the prayers of the beings of the Emerald Sea, and you even carry the tranquility of the Return to Ruins. This reminds me of an entry in the ancient scrolls,"

"The path of the emperor begins with a glimmer, is forged by starlight, and ends with... the reforging of the star track."

Mo Yan slowly walked down the steps of the Observatory. With every step, ripples of starlight spread beneath his feet. "You are the one who is to walk that path."

"I, Bai Cheng, do indeed have this intention," Bai Cheng admitted frankly. "The Enforcement Officers view the Emerald Sea as their pasture, and the Constellations see all living beings as chess pieces. I want to make this sea truly free."

Mo Yan stopped three zhang away from Bai Cheng, his aged fingers stroking his beard. "Freedom comes at a price. Do you know why Star Chart Island was sealed?"

Bai Cheng shook her head.

"Because of that observation three years ago, we saw more than just the star rail weeping blood." Mo Yan's voice grew low.

"We saw the ending. The three thousand six hundred islands of the Emerald Sea will eventually be extinguished one by one within the Enforcement Officers' Net of Purification.

Although Star Chart Island can protect itself for a time with the help of an ancient astral array, eventually..."

He raised his hand and pointed to the center of the island, where the ground suddenly became transparent, revealing the scene below.

It was not soil, but a miniature of a vast sea of stars.

Countless points of light flickered, flowed, and were extinguished within it, like the birth and death of the universe.

But within this sea of stars, hundreds of dark red vortices had already appeared, like spots of corrosion, slowly but steadily eroding the realm of starlight.

"This is an astrological projection of the Emerald Sea's belief network," Mo Yan said heavily.

"Every point of light represents the glimmer of an island, and every star track represents the flow of belief.

And those dark red vortices... are the manifestations of the Enforcement Officers' corrupted nodes. Look at Cuiluo Bay in the northeast corner."

Bai Cheng looked intently and saw that the point of light representing Cuiluo Bay had dimmed until it was almost invisible, surrounded by dense dark red threads.

"The Enforcement Officers spent three years completing their infiltration of seventy percent of the Emerald Sea's belief network."

Mo Yan said, "Now they are only one step away—destroying all core nodes that remain independent—to completely constrict the beliefs of the entire sea and refine them into a 'seed of world purification'."

"seed of world purification?" Zi Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

"A fruit that can transform the entire sea region into pure energy to provide for the higher existences among the Enforcement Officers."

A look of sorrow flashed in Mo Yan's eyes. "All the living beings, all the history, and all the memories of the Emerald Sea will become fertilizer."

There was a dead silence inside the carriage.

Qing Niao smashed a fist against the cabin wall. "Those bastards!"

"So, do you understand the predicament of Star Chart Island now?" Mo Yan looked around at everyone.

"We possess ancient inherited astrological techniques and spatial folding secret methods, allowing us to protect ourselves temporarily.

But if the Emerald Sea as a whole falls, this island will be nothing more than a lonely boat in the vast ocean, eventually to be submerged."

He looked at Bai Cheng. "But your appearance has introduced a variable into the star track."

Mo Yan raised his hand, and the star track runes at the top of the Observatory changed once more.

This time, the star chart no longer showed the current state of the Emerald Sea, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} but projected countless branching possibilities for the future.

The vast majority of the branches led to the same conclusion—dark red swallowing everything.