"Huh..." Zi Donglai suddenly cried out in surprise, retrieving a token-like object from Xu Wei's ring.
The material of the token was quite strange—neither metal nor wood—and even with Zi Donglai's discerning eye, he could not identify what it was made of. The token was dark and lustrous, with a large character "Emperor" carved on its front face.
Flowing across the character was an extraordinarily profound intent. The moment Zi Donglai laid eyes on it, he felt his divine soul shudder under the impact of that intent, his expression turning pale with shock.
"Star Emperor Token!" Zi Long, who had been standing silently to the side, snatched the token from Zi Donglai's hand the instant he recognized it, his eyes blazing with fervent light as he released his spiritual sense to examine it.
This was unmistakably a Star Emperor Token!
The Star Emperor Token was something personally forged by the Great Emperor in ages past—a legendary existence throughout the entire Star Region. Few had ever laid eyes on one, but as the master of Purple Star and a member of that tiny handful of powerhouses standing at the absolute pinnacle of the Star Region, Zi Long was certainly no stranger to the secrets behind the Star Emperor Token.
Moreover, Purple Star itself possessed a Star Emperor Token, kept in the custody of a Supreme Elder at the third level of the Void King Realm. That Supreme Elder had been harnessing the Emperor's Might within the token to sustain his secluded cultivation, comprehending the supreme martial Dao in hopes of achieving a breakthrough.
"A Star Emperor Token that has already been unsealed..." After examining it for a moment, Zi Long discovered that the Great Emperor's divine ability, originally sealed within this token, had long since been used. A faint trace of disappointment crossed his face.
"This old servant obtained it during an adventure in his early years..." Xu Wei offered with an ingratiating smile from the side, his heart aching with bitterness. If this Star Emperor Token had not already been unsealed, how could he possibly have fallen to his current state?
Rumor had it that the Great Emperor had personally forged a total of nine Star Emperor Tokens, each containing one of his divine abilities, their power unfathomable.
No one could truly gauge the extent of the Great Emperor's strength, but using his divine ability to annihilate Zi Long and his son would have been entirely effortless.
Had the divine ability within this Star Emperor Token still been intact, Xu Wei would have used it long ago and would never have surrendered his soul imprint, placing himself under someone else's control.
"Father, I've heard people say that the Star Emperor Tokens conceal a world-shaking secret. Is that true?" Zi Donglai asked curiously, gazing at the token in Zi Long's hand. He was indeed the young master of Purple Star, but this was his first time seeing an actual Star Emperor Token—he had only ever read about them in various records and texts.
"Whether they truly conceal some world-shaking secret, I cannot say for certain," Zi Long replied calmly. "But the rumor does indeed exist. However, even if such a secret exists, it would not be something one or two tokens could reveal. Perhaps all nine must be gathered before any clue can be discerned."
"Gather all nine?" Zi Donglai was momentarily stunned, then laughed. "I doubt anyone in the world could accomplish such a thing. The Star Emperor Tokens have existed for so many millennia—they've long since been lost to every corner of the Star Region. I've only heard that the Heng Luo Commerce has one..."
"It's not just the Heng Luo Commerce—the Sword Union also possesses one!"
"The Sword Union has one too?" Zi Donglai was somewhat surprised.
"Don't underestimate the Sword Union. Although among the three great powers of the Star Region, the Sword Union is relatively the weakest, it still should not be taken lightly. During the era in which the Great Emperor lived, all three of our forces had dealings with him and rendered him certain small favors. The Great Emperor gifted each of our three forces a Star Emperor Token containing one of his divine abilities as a token of gratitude. Our Purple Star, the Heng Luo Commerce, and the Sword Union—that is how each of us came to possess our Star Emperor Tokens."
"Such a thing actually happened?" Zi Donglai was repeatedly shaken by the revelation, and even Xu Wei, listening from the side, was utterly dumbfounded.
Though he was an Elder of the Abandoned Nest, he had been completely ignorant of such closely guarded secrets.
"It has been too long," Zi Long sighed softly. "Over the span of tens of thousands of years, all three of our forces have long since used our Star Emperor Tokens in moments of crisis. Had it not been for those tokens, perhaps none of us three would have survived to this day. The rise and fall of powers is like the ebb and flow of tides—there is no eternal dynasty, no undying force in this world. Only individual strength is truly everlasting power. Remember this."
"Yes! Your son receives your teaching!" Zi Donglai nodded respectfully, secretly vowing that upon his return this time, he would enter strict closed-door cultivation and not emerge until he reached the Void King Realm! If one day he could cultivate to the level of the Great Emperor, he would become the Star Region's new legend, replacing the Great Emperor himself—what glory that would be!
As they spoke, Zi Long had already stored the Star Emperor Token in his spatial ring.
Though this Star Emperor Token had been unsealed, its value remained immense.
Zi Donglai then returned the spatial ring to Xu Wei, but everything of value inside had long since been stripped clean. Xu Wei released a wisp of spiritual sense to check, and his heart ached so badly it was as though several pounds of flesh had been carved from him. Curses churned in his mind without cease.
"Let's go. Be careful around those spatial rifts—that brat might actually be lurking inside them, waiting for a chance to ambush us!" Zi Long swept his gaze across the surrounding spatial rifts and took the lead.
Zi Donglai quickly followed, while Xu Wei, his face pale, reluctantly brought up the rear.
Inside the spatial rifts, Yang Kai drifted about at leisure.
After ambushing Xu Wei, he had returned to this supremely safe space within the spatial rifts, his mood cheerful as he resumed his search for Void Spirit Crystals.
The parting remark he had made was nothing more than a bluff to frighten his enemies—he had no intention of mindlessly tailing Zi Long and the others. Setting aside the fact that one ambush was enough and a second attempt would certainly be met with prepared defenses, doing so would be a colossal waste of time.
With so many treasures to be found here, why would Yang Kai waste his time on those few?
So after leaving them with that parting threat, he had departed in a carefree stride.
Even the target of his ambush had been carefully considered. Zi Long was, after all, a second-level Void King, and Yang Kai had no certainty of succeeding against him. He had chosen to target Xu Wei instead. Though he had failed to kill the man outright, having his arm swept by the Seven Luminary Treasure Light was at least some measure of recompense.