Wandering Gods of Day and Night

But the sheer quantity of Stardust was overwhelming. The tens of thousands of starlight fragments he transformed into, even if only a few thousand grains were attacking the Copper Tripod at a time, were enough to wreak significant devastation.

Within merely a few moments, the Copper Tripod was gnawed riddled with holes by the Stardust. If the countless stars were left unchecked to continue biting into it, it would likely be utterly destroyed within a blink of an eye.

Yet everyone was utterly powerless against the stars...

"Not entirely powerless."

The Music Master decided to continue playing the Ancient Zither. He gripped the zither's frame tightly with both hands, then, as if making a determined decision, gave a fierce pull, breaking all of his own ribs in the process.

"Dang!"

A resounding metallic note thundered through the room, like a gentleman drawing his sword to fight a desperate battle against the stars.

Under the majestic tones, the Music Master's body suddenly exploded, with countless blood and flesh turning into manifested musical notes. The fragmented flesh scattered outward in splashes and spots, in a variety of forms.

The Painter instantly saw through the Music Master's intent—he intended to shatter his own body, turning himself into a vast mist of blood to combat the stars' ten thousand grains of Stardust.

This method appeared crude but was profoundly effective. The countless shards of flesh wrapped around the countless grains of Stardust, robbing them of their freedom.

It was a strategy of countless against countless—a dangerous gamble from the Music Master. However, he was not one of the stars and lacked their specialized Star Transforming Skill. Should he fail to settle the fight quickly, the Protective Divine Spell from Bone Elder Association's Suffering Faction might struggle to reassemble his scattered flesh.

"Music Master, I didn't expect you'd be so tenacious."

The Stardust of the countless stars raged within the room, but its fury seemed impotent. The broken tripod was right in front of it, yet it couldn't break it into pieces.

The stars were enraged.

And in that moment, it decided to unleash its ninth-tier technique.

Since entering the God Traveling Department, it had carefully concealed its true strength, fearing two individuals—the Incense Fire Taoist and the Nuo God.

If it revealed the power of the Nine Incense Sticks, both the Incense Fire Taoist and the Nuo God would sense it,

Whether the Nuo God would awaken was uncertain, but the Incense Fire Taoist would undoubtedly intervene.

But now, the countless stars had no choice but to use the Nine Incense Sticks technique. If not, it might not even destroy the Copper Tripod, let alone leave the God Traveling Department alive.

"Fate Command Heavenly Star."

The stars' consciousness began to meditate, and within its Secret Realm a massive celestial body abruptly appeared.

The star within the Secret Realm glimmered intensely, while in the real night's sky, a similarly brilliant star shone brighter than the Bright Moon itself.

This star was the lifebound star of the countless stars.

It was connected to this celestial body, and in this moment, he became the star, and the star became him.

In an instant, starlight erupted inside the room, igniting the scattered flesh of the Music Master with its radiance. It wouldn't take long before the Music Master would be reduced to a scorched heap.

Moreover, he could no longer escape; earlier, he had entangled the stars, but now it was the stars who had ensnared him.

"No one can stop me from destroying this Copper Tripod!"

"Is that so?"

A hoarse, aged voice echoed into the room.

"The past cannot be pursued, it is destiny; the future can yet be changed, it is impermanence."

The prophetic words of the Incense Fire Taoist filled the countless stars with immeasurable dread.

A figure resembling an old Taoist riding a donkey first appeared translucent, before his body gradually solidified, his face smiling as he materialized within the God Traveling Department.

He gently shook the horsetail whisk in his hand, saying, "You are the Nine Incense Sticks of the Star Sect, then you must be the countless stars? You're Star Covering's brother, and Star Covering hasn't died yet. So it seems my old eyes were mistaken—two hundred years ago, I was actually deceived by you."

As he spoke, the Incense Fire Taoist shook his horsetail whisk once more. The Music Master was freed from the stars' control, and his form reassembled into human shape. Though the battle had left him drained, his pale face betrayed his exhaustion.

As for the countless stars, he too understood there would be no escape today. Thus, he also condensed into human form, transforming into a creature with the head of a lion and the torso of a man.

"Ah… Now I see how you evaded me all those years ago. I understand now."

Upon seeing the appearance of the countless stars, the Incense Fire Taoist seemed to suddenly comprehend, declaring, "You swapped out your own head for that of a spirit monster, concealing your Star Country aura entirely."

"Your sharp nose caught my scent as soon as I summoned my lifebound star. That's why you rushed here from the Time-Space World."

The countless stars seethed with frustration. He had initially planned to annihilate the gathered You Shen in mere seconds, destroy the Copper Tripod, and escape swiftly. But the Incense Fire Taoist had arrived far too quickly.

"If I had such a sharp nose, would you and your sister have eluded me for all these years?"

The Incense Fire Taoist chuckled, saying, "It's Brother Zhou who informed me. If not for him, I'd still be in the dark about your schemes."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Xuan rode his Big Black Donkey, exiting the Time-Space World and returning to reality.

After the battle on East Market Street, Zhou Xuan had already deduced… Even a minor figure like Nanny Yuan possessed the power of Seven Incense Sticks. As the main force behind the attack on Mingjiang Prefecture, wasn't Star Covering bound to be involved?

Zhou Xuan had long suspected Star Covering to be the Nine Incense Sticks, and naturally knew that Mingjiang You Body was no match for Star Covering.

Fortunately, Star Covering was a "fugitive" from Jing Country who should have died two hundred years ago. Now that he had emerged, the Incense Fire Taoist would surely intervene.

Thus, Zhou Xuan rode his Big Black Donkey, traveling through time-space, back to five years ago to persuade the Incense Fire Taoist to step forward.

"You again, Zhou Xuan?" The countless stars, upon seeing Zhou Xuan, ground his teeth with hatred.

Zhou Xuan waved at the countless stars casually, greeting him with ease, "You recognize me?"

"Hmph, somewhat familiar, yet uncertain."

The countless stars naturally knew Zhou Xuan, a cunning man with unparalleled methods. Yet he had never imagined Zhou Xuan could actually locate the Incense Fire Taoist.