Upon the pitch-ck curtain above, endless starlight twinkled, part of which shone brightly like pearls, glittering and gleaming, while some flickered like the weakened me in the breeze, hazy and uncertain.


    A streak of light shot across the starry sky, gone in a fleeting moment.


    The vast universe, which to Chu Zheng was once unfamiliar, no longer felt strange, yet every time he ventured into space, he was still drawn by the celestial bodies that contained limitless mystery.


    To once again traverse the stars and wander the Alien Realm was for Chu Zheng a well-trodden path.


    In an instant, he saw the expanse of the starry sky shrouded by the power of the Incense Fire Willpower.


    Compared to his first time, Chu Zheng now had a bit of spare strength, allowing him to linger a while longer among the stars.


    Whenpared to the Tianyao Federation, this time in the cosmos, he could clearly feel the presence of Heavenly Fate, and this section of the Star Domain seemed to possess aparatively moreplete Heavenly Dao.


    After a moment of contemtion, Chu Zheng chose one of therger stars.


    Breaching the star''s barrier in an instant, he was greeted by a rich surge of Spiritual Energy that surpassed the Cangyun Realm from before the great transformation of heaven and earth.


    The world was filled with an extremely dense Incense Fire Willpower. With a casual nce, Chu Zheng saw numerous Shrine Temples beyond count.


    Every person worshiped Deities, every home revered the holy.


    In the vacuum of space, various Divine Speech resonated, tales about myriad Deities circted endlessly in the streets and alleys.


    Powerful fluctuations of Divine Sense echoed between heaven and earth; some Divine Sense detected Chu Zheng''s presence, giving it no more than a cursory sweep before moving on, unconcerned.


    Chu Zheng began searching for a suitable vessel. This time, he wished to find an appropriate body, preferably that of a child.


    The body of a child, with its unscattered Innate Qi, would allow him to bypass many hardships in the Refining Essence into Qi process.


    During hisst tribtion, most of his consciousness resided in his main body, but even then, his Cultivation grew at an exceedingly rapid rate, indicating the benefits of a child''s body.


    Upon this star, even though Deities loomed every three feet above one''s head, warfare among the various Tribes was still amon urrence, with no shortage of freshly perished corpses—a shame that so few were suitable options for Chu Zheng.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Passing through mountains and seas, traversing ancient Tribes, anding upon a river, Chu Zheng halted his steps.


    Thisnd belonged to a small Tribe with just over ten thousand people, who relied on the water for sustenance. The Deity they worshiped within the Tribe was a River God.


    At this moment, this Tribe was conducting a ritual sacrifice.


    A statue of the River God, a stone''s throw high, with a human body and a fish tail, sturdy-built, carrying a trident, with a stern visage, stood by the river.


    On the altar before the Divine Statue, an array of offerings wasid out, including cattle, sheep, fruits, and vegetables, and... a pair of sleeping boy and girl.


    The bodies of children contained Innate Qi, and being male and female, they represented Yin and Yang, which are of great benefit not only to Yin Gods and spirits but also to the living fairies and beasts.


    The High Priest, d in a long robe, was prostrate before the Divine Statue, chanting ''Divine Speech.''


    After a while, the High Priest slowly rose, with the congregation retreating behind him, his murky eyes revealing a hint of a sigh.


    Chu Zheng listened for a while and learned some information.


    This portion of the Star Domain was governed by the Divine Court, which had authority over all Deities. There were 36,500 Divine Positions, corresponding to the number of stars in the Zhou Tian Stars, withyers of Incense Fire Willpower consecrated upward.


    The top-tier God Emperor, who held sway over the Divine Court, bore the title ''Supreme Divine Emperor of Celestial Frost and Dark Heaven,'' basking in the worship of the entire Star Domain.


    The Great Emperor''s title was above the Heavenly Venerate, the force of this Divine Emperor was feared to be beyond exploration, mightier than any giant above the Immortal Path''s Immortal King.


    Such rituals, in this small Tribe, were held annually, but typically, the offerings did not include boys or girls.


    When both a boy and a girl were included, it marked a once-in-a-decade grand ceremony which, for such a small Tribe, was a rare and momentous asion.


    The children selected as offerings were prepared two years in advance.


    Healthy adults were chosen from within the Tribe to pair up and conceive, the sex of the offspring was identified while still in the womb, and the children were then delivered on the most Yang day of the year and the most Yin moment, respectively.


    After birth, the chosen children were taken away and raised by the High Priest immediately, to prevent parental attachment from affecting the conduct of the grand ceremony.


    The separation of flesh and blood was one of the deepest sorrows in the human world, and this also helped to lessen the parents'' grief somewhat.


    Chu Zheng was drawn by the pure Yang Qi inside the little boy, a child just over a year old, born on the utmost Yang day, making it most suitable as his vessel.


    However, Chu Zheng was not nning to intervene in the grand ceremony. This was the Tribe''s way of survival, and his interference would tangle him in the karma of thousands of people.


    If he did so, it might lead to even more deaths.


    Besides, he was but a vestige of a soul at the moment, longing to intervene but powerless to do so.


    At this time, Chu Zheng only wanted to know the final oue of the boy and girl and to see for himself the strength and realm of this Deity who was receiving the offerings.


    Soon, the sky darkened, and the heavens were dotted with numerous stars.


    As night fell, the river gradually began to rise. Not far away, the High Priest led the people of the Tribe, still watching from the sidelines.


    Before long, the river swelled to the level of the altar. The Divine Statue seemed toe to life, a flicker of divine light in its eyes, and with a soft inhtion, it drew out strands of pure Life Origin from the two children.


    Flesh and blood were useless to a Yin God; only this Life Yuan Qi was a substantial tonic.


    [River Towning Spirit Lord (Third Order): A Spirit Lord Realm Incense Fire Deity with over seven hundred thousand followers; formerly of the Merman Tribe, whose spirit lingered after death, dwelling within a y effigy, worshipped and awakened by people''s offerings, bringing annual prosperity and abundant incense to the domain.]