Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Mystery of the Stars

"That's right! It is precisely the power of the stars!" Nan Luo gazed at the mysterious and beautiful stellar dome above, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile, the expression of someone who held all things firmly in his grasp.

The golden eyes of the gods reflected the myriad stars in the stellar dome, while within their minds, a storm of divine thought raged. If the external force Nan Luo spoke of was truly the power of the stars, then indeed, it would be sufficient to create the City of the Gods.

The power of the stars was the boundless spiritual energy radiated from the multitude of heavenly bodies—domineering and overwhelming, pure and immense. However, in the primordial era, those capable of wielding the power of the stars were exceedingly rare!

During the ancient times, especially the era in which Nan Luo lived, although the stars existed in the heavens, their light could not directly pierce the vast land. It was as if an invisible barrier had stripped away the majority of their power, leaving only faint pinpricks of starlight to illuminate the night.

It wasn’t that no beings wished to use this dazzling and tyrannical force; it was simply that, aside from the Star Lord of the Eastern Sea, none could harness or command it.

"I wonder, Your Majesty, how does one command this endless power of the stars?" The God Lord of White Glory looked at Nan Luo with undisguised curiosity.

At this question, all the gods pricked up their ears and spread their divine senses, ready to record every word Nan Luo would utter next.

At this moment, their interest in the City of the Gods had waned, replaced by an intense fascination with the riddle of the stars!

Though it was known that only the Star Lord could currently wield the power of the stars, its might was not to be underestimated. By virtue of this power, the Star Lord stood as the second greatest force in the Eastern Sea, imposing his will across the Eastern Wastes.

To the gods, any force that could enhance their own strength was well worth their attention.

"The reason the power of the stars cannot be used," Nan Luo began calmly, "is simply that the starlight cast upon the land is too sparse! To utilize this power, one must possess a medium capable of breaking through the barrier of spiritual energy, allowing the boundless power of the stars to descend."

He revealed the legendary riddle of the stars with a serene expression.

"A barrier of spiritual energy?!" The God Lord Tianjun, master of the laws of order, was most sensitive to the relationship between spiritual energy and star force. He exclaimed, "Your Majesty, do you mean that the vast spiritual energy actually obstructs the descent of star power?!"

The gods were all astounded. None had imagined that the immense spiritual energy of the world could hinder the projection of star force.

"Exactly. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth has grown so dense that it impedes the descent of star power. This is why the beings of this ancient land cannot make use of the infinite force of the stars," Nan Luo nodded, speaking with a tranquil air.

Indeed, this was also why the star gods, led by the Demon Emperor Dijun and the Eastern Emperor Taiyi, only emerged in the later ages rather than during the primordial era. In those ancient times, the spiritual energy was too vast—even impeding the projection of star power—making it unsuitable for the birth of star gods reliant upon that force.

It was only in the subsequent era, as spiritual energy waned and the stars shone upon all realms, that beings like Dijun and Taiyi could fully display their might.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, what medium must we possess to wield the power of the stars?" The God Lord of Darkness suddenly asked, unable to contain his eagerness.

His question abruptly snapped the other gods out of their reverie. One by one, their gazes grew fervent as they turned to Nan Luo, the longing clear upon their faces.

The intricacies of the relationship between spiritual energy and star force did not concern them—only whether they could harness that pure, vast, and domineering power to make themselves stronger.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Nan Luo caused a golden light to flash, and three hundred and sixty-five Stellar Banners appeared before their eyes.

"These are the three hundred and sixty-five Stellar Banners, each corresponding to a star. With these, you can borrow the power of the stars, and even arrange the Great Stellar Array," Nan Luo explained, pointing at the banners.

Each of them was ten zhang tall, with golden poles and glorious flags, embroidered with the image of a star and radiating boundless golden light.

To the delight of the gods, each banner pulsed with powerful stellar energy. The Solar Banner bore the likeness of a golden sun emitting infinite heat and light; the Lunar Banner, a silver moon radiating endless cold.

Gazing at the three hundred and sixty-five Stellar Banners, the gods were beside themselves with joy—delighted to be gods, delighted by Nan Luo's generosity... and intrigued by the Great Stellar Array, which sounded formidable indeed.

"Your Majesty, how are these banners to be used? And what marvels does the Great Stellar Array possess?" The God Lord Miaoyan gave voice to the unspoken question of all.

"Each of you may choose a Stellar Banner and refine it. In time, you will naturally comprehend the unmatched mysteries of the Great Stellar Array," Nan Luo replied coolly.

At first, the gods felt a pang of disappointment—they had hoped to each receive a share of all three hundred and sixty-five banners. But they quickly set aside such feelings, becoming spirited as they selected the banner best suited to their own laws and cultivation.

Since each god practiced different laws, there was no ugly scramble for a single banner.

Soon, a dozen of the strongest banners had been selected and were being refined by their new masters.

As Nan Luo watched the gods refining the flags, he could not help but recall how he had come by the Great Stellar Array.

After gaining possession of the Hall of the Gods, he had devoted himself to studying its mysteries. Over a long period, he finally discovered the secrets of the stellar dome within.

To his astonishment, the stars within the dome were not illusory, but true projections of the stellar origins.

This meant that, by mastering these projections, one could trace them to their source and thereby gain direct access to the power of the stars themselves.

It should be known that the ancient stars possessed immense power—especially the three hundred and sixty-five principal stars, whose might rivaled that of the God Emperor, and the sun and moon, which surpassed even that.

Were Nan Luo to master the origins of these stars and refine them, he would become the strongest being in the entire world, bar none.

Unfortunately, the notion was little more than fantasy for now. The projections in the stellar dome were just that—projections. They permitted Nan Luo to borrow the power of the stars, but not to truly refine their origins.

To do that, he would have to ascend to the stars themselves, seek out their wellspring, and refine it in person.

Yet, in this age where only a God Emperor could set foot upon the stars, even if Nan Luo could find the origin and withstand the backlash, how long would it take to refine just one? A hundred thousand years? A million? Ten million?

With his current cultivation, refining an ordinary star would take at least a million years; a principal star, at least ten million. As for the sun and moon, it was simply impossible—attempting it would mean instant death, crushed by the force of their origins.

Thus, in his frustration, Nan Luo began to deduce the mysteries of the stellar dome, hoping to find the legendary Great Stellar Array of later ages.

To his surprise, he truly did discover it! Or rather, the array had always been hidden within the dome, and he had merely stumbled upon it.

After all, as a mere God Emperor, how could he hope to create such an array himself?

Likewise, those two golden crows had only obtained the array—they had not devised it.

How they came to possess it involves the tangled karma between the Divine Ancestor Nan Luo, the Demon Emperor Dijun, and the Eastern Emperor Taiyi, as well as the gods and demons. That, however, is a tale for another time.

After obtaining the Great Stellar Array, Nan Luo immediately secluded himself and forged two complete sets of Stellar Banners.

Yes—two sets! One large, one small; a mother-and-child ensemble.

The banners now being refined by the gods were the subsidiary set, while the master set remained with Nan Luo.

Thus, he could distribute the banners freely, winning the loyalty of the gods, without fear that they might one day use them against him.

Having received the banners, the gods were grateful to Nan Luo, yet secretly wondered just how many hidden cards he still held, and their awe only deepened.

Indeed, Nan Luo was a man of unfathomable depth and cunning.