Stepping out of the Emerald Sea meant stepping onto an even vaster and more dangerous stage of the sea of stars.

There, King-ranks were as numerous as the stars, and Emperors were not unique; meanwhile, the Emerald Sea was merely a newborn star track that had just completed its recasting. In the eyes of those ancient factions, it perhaps still appeared naive.

"Are you afraid?" Bai Cheng suddenly asked.

There was a moment of silence.

"I am," Qingniao grinned, thunderous light leaping in his eyes, "but I'm more afraid of being trapped here until I die, watching Miss carry everything on her own."

Zi Yuan stroked the scabbard of her long blade, the intent of the Tide Breaker humming silently. "My blade has long wanted to try itself against enemies from beyond the sea of stars."

Lu Duo's emerald brilliance flowed gently. "The sparks of the stars need to be spread; this is the path I have chosen."

The pure heart vine in Yu Nian's arms swayed gently, silver-white buds blooming silently yet resolutely.

The data streams in Leng Ningxue's icy eyes settled. "The astrological database accumulated over three thousand years on Star Chart Island needs more real parameters from the sea of stars to be verified and perfected."

Bai Cheng smiled.

That smile no longer held the exhaustion of being under heavy pressure, but was the composed smile truly belonging to an Emperor looking down upon the sea of stars.

"Then, let's set out."

She turned and walked out of the hall.

dawn was already hovering above Tianxuan Reef, its silver-white hull flowing with a cold luster under the starlight.

Thirty-six accompanying members—five first-generation Guardians, eighteen Flame Seed Inheritors, and thirteen support personnel from various fields—had already lined up to board the ship.

On islands all across the Emerald Sea, countless living beings looked up.

They might not understand the full significance of the journey into the sea of stars, but they knew that the Emperor who recast the star track and brought new life was about to head toward the distant darkness for the sake of the Emerald Sea's future.

"We respectfully see off the Emperor—"

On Star Chart Island, Elder Mo Yan, who had recently awakened, led all the Astrologers in a deep bow toward the direction of Tianxuan Reef.

The ancient armillary sphere in his hand pointed, for the first time, toward the deep space beyond the Emerald Sea.

The fishing fires of Broken Shell Island, the forest of steles at Sighing Cliff, the migrating shadows of light in the Forgotten Corridor, the watchful glimmer at the Edge of the Fallen Void, the morning sun of Cuiluo Bay...

All the lit-up belief nodes resonated simultaneously at this moment.

The star track network of the entire Emerald Sea trembled slightly, releasing a circle of warm and majestic ripples of belief, like a mother seeing off a child traveling far away.

Bai Cheng stood at the bow of dawn, her silver hair flying in the wind of the sea of stars.

She took one last look back at this sea for which she had fought bloody battles and recast; the emperors imprint on her forehead resonated in harmony with the Emerald Sea's star track network for an instant.

"With this departure—"

Her voice spread to every corner of the Emerald Sea through the belief network:

"The sparks of the stars shall not be extinguished, and the Emerald Sea shall endure forever."

"When I return, the starry sky shall witness—"

"How the prairie fire burns across the heavens."

The engines roared.

dawn transformed into a silver-white stream of light ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) that tore through the void, leaping beyond the atmospheric boundaries of the Emerald Sea and plunging into the vast, boundless depths of the sea of stars.

Inside the ship, Bai Cheng stood before the observation window of the main control cabin, watching the stars receding rapidly outside.

Among those stars, some emitted friendly resonances, some flickered with wary scrutiny, and even more were deep, unknown darkness.

"The first jump coordinates have been set," Leng Ningxue's voice came.

"Three point seven light-years from the Emerald Sea, the Dark Dust Star Belt. Ancient records from Star Chart Island state

that it was once a battlefield of the ancient war of the sea of stars, with a large amount of law fragments remaining. It is also... the intersection area of several known lost star tracks."

"Are there traces of activity from the Enforcement Officers and the Star Track Battle Group there?" Bai Cheng asked.

"Yes," Leng Ningxue pulled up the detection data. "In the past three hundred years, at least seventeen high-energy reactions have been detected,

with characteristics matching the Enforcement Officer's World-Purifying Fleet and the Star Track Battle Group's Star Guard squads.

The most recent occurred forty-two days ago, with an energy level... suspected to be a brief clash between Emperor-level existences."

An Emperor-level clash.

Bai Cheng's silver eyes narrowed slightly.

The stage of the sea of stars was indeed broader and more dangerous than the Emerald Sea.

"The entire ship is to enter a state of combat readiness," she ordered. "After the jump is completed, maintain stealth navigation mode. The first thing we need to do is observe."

"Understood," Zi Yuan, Qingniao, and the others responded in unison.

dawn carved an elegant arc in the sea of stars, and the void ahead began to distort and fold.

The jump engine emitted a low hum.

Bai Cheng took one last look in the direction of the Emerald Sea.

That blue planet, wrapped in the silver-white star track network, was rapidly shrinking in her field of vision, turning into a faint yet incredibly resilient point of starlight against the background of the sea of stars.

She turned around, facing the deep and boundless sea of stars.

Rivers of stars flowed in her eyes, reflecting the countless darknesses waiting to be lit.

The next chapter of the path of the emperor—

Was officially turned at this moment.

...

dawn sailed steadily through the sea of stars, with the ship's internal time set to the standard day-night cycle of the Emerald Sea.

After the exhaustion of successive fierce battles and the recasting of the star track, the three of them had a rare interval for rest and reorganization on the way to the Dark Dust Star Belt.

Inside the purification pod of the ship's living quarters, water vapor swirled.

Yu Nian gently untied her silver-white robe stained with star dust. The pure heart vine slid from her shoulder and curled up in the corner of the pod, their leaves stretching slightly and emitting a soothing fragrance.

Warm water fell softly from the walls of the pod, washing away the fatigue and dust left by the battles.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the water flow over her collarbone, silently chanting Soul-Soothing Astral Script to slowly relax her tense spirit.

A slight sound came from the adjacent compartment; it was Leng Ningxue.

She was accustomed to quick showers, the sound of the water being regular and controlled.

Her icy eyes were slightly hazy in the mist, but she still habitually scanned the miniature monitoring interface floating in the air, confirming that all systems of dawn were running smoothly

before turning off the water, using a dry energy field to brush away the water droplets around her body, changing into plain gray casual clothes, and tying her long hair simply with an ice crystal hairpin.

Bai Cheng's cabin was the quietest.

She did not use a conventional water source; instead, a faint layer of dark-gold starlight swirled around her body. The starlight swept over her skin like flowing sand, taking away stains and fatigue while nurturing the emperors imprint deep within her soul.

A moment later, the starlight withdrew. She took out a loose silver satin robe and put it on, lightly tying the belt, her silver hair unbound and scattered casually behind her shoulders.

The imprint on her forehead shimmered faintly in the dim light, signaling her difference from ordinary resters.

Before long, the three gathered in Bai Cheng's cabin.

This place also served as a temporary strategic analysis room.

Leng Ningxue lowered the brightness of the monitoring light screen, leaving only the star chart navigation interface flickering faintly;

Yu Nian held a cup of spirit-soothing tea brewed from the dew of pure heart vine, sipping it in small mouthfuls.

"The fluctuations of the belief network in the Emerald Sea have completely stabilized," Leng Ningxue broke the silence, her voice still cold but less tense than usual. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"The recovery speed of each island has exceeded expectations, and the training progress of the Flame Seed Inheritors is good."

Bai Cheng leaned against the porthole, looking at the flowing nebulae outside. "It's the result of everyone's hard work." She looked at Yu Nian,

"especially your pure heart vine. The purification power when the seeds germinated saved many souls on the brink of collapse."