The Once Brightest Star, the Unseen Tide Within the Chessboard

After the white-robed woman named Chen Lingxiu exhaled her final breath, her lingering obsession slowly dissipated, and her Dao body transformed into scattered starlight, dancing in the air. In the end, only a radiant cluster of spacetime law essence remained, drifting faintly toward Chen Yi and hovering before him.

Gazing at the spacetime essence now within his grasp, Chen Yi felt no excitement—only an overwhelming heaviness in his heart.

Because... the name Chen Lingxiu was not unfamiliar to him.

Flipping through the voluminous annals of the Purple Star Continent’s history, one would find an era truly dazzling with stars. Though the tribulations for immortality in those days were far less rigorous, and the ranks of ascendant cultivators were a mixed bag, the bountiful environment bestowed by the Purple Star’s Heavenly Dao nurtured peerless geniuses who dominated their age!

And Chen Lingxiu was one of the brightest among those stars!

True to her name, she was a woman blessed by heaven and earth—a prodigy of unparalleled brilliance. Born into the third-rate sect, the Carefree Sect, she relied on her extraordinary talent to push the Dao of Speed to its zenith, ultimately touching the threshold of the Time Dao!

Her speed was so terrifyingly fast that even Chen Yi felt inferior in comparison.

While Chen Yi had taken a century to rise from obscurity to the Ascendant Realm, she had done it in just thirty years!

Moreover, her Dao foundation was unshakably solid—so solid it was frightening!

In that era teeming with heroes, during the Purple Star Continent’s golden age, geniuses were as numerous as fish in a river. Battles across realms were commonplace—Golden Cores daring to fight Nascent Souls, Divine Transformations challenging Unity cultivators, and beating up old bullies was just daily life. The true stage for these talents was the grand battles among the continent’s prodigies!

A shaky Dao foundation, prioritizing speed over substance, would never even pass the preliminaries!

And Chen Lingxiu? That year, she became the youngest-ever second place in the world, narrowly defeated by the slightly older champion.

It was the best of times—a golden age where peerless geniuses roamed freely. No matter how fast one ran, there was always someone to match their pace, to exchange insights with, to reach the pinnacle together—what boundless joy!

Yet it was also the worst of times, for afterward, the Purple Star Continent began its decline, squandering its once-rich heritage and falling from its former glory, never to recover.

To this day, the Purple Star Heavenly Dao still fondly reminisces about those children who ventured out into the world. In idle moments, it would often recount their deeds to Chen Yi with pride.

That was why Chen Yi knew Chen Lingxiu’s life so well.

But who could have imagined that such a prodigious woman would perish so quietly?

What had she encountered in the Immortal Realm?

And why had her remnant law essence been exploited by the Chat Group?

If the Purple Star Heavenly Dao learned that its proudest child was gone, how heartbroken would it be?

For a moment, the spacetime law essence floating before Chen Yi felt scorching to the touch.

This was the last trace of Chen Lingxiu’s existence. If he refined it, erasing the fragments of her will imprinted within, she would truly vanish without a trace.

But if he didn’t refine it, how could he execute his "encircle the cities from the countryside" plan? How could he seize control of the Chat Group?

After a brief hesitation, Chen Yi began refining without delay!

The departed were gone. Since she hailed from the Purple Star, her legacy rightfully belonged to it. By both sentiment and logic, it should be inherited by him—a half-son of the Purple Star—rather than left for the Chat Group to exploit!

Yet, to Chen Yi’s surprise, the will fragments within the spacetime law essence were not firmly anchored. The moment they sensed the aura of their homeland from him, they detached on their own, leaving behind only the purest spacetime essence, unmarked by any imprint—as if clearing all obstacles for those who came after...

"Ah, no wonder the Purple Star Heavenly Dao speaks of you so fondly. This kindness, engraved deep into your soul, is truly one and the same!"

"Very well, let me see if I can bring you back to this world!"

With a sweep of his hand, Chen Yi gathered the dissipating fragments of her will!

At the same time, he sliced off a portion of the spacetime law essence and instantly refined it into a divine statue to serve as a vessel for the scattered will fragments!

"Though your soul has completely dispersed, your legacy remains in the annals of the Purple Star Continent’s history. Some may have forgotten, but the Carefree Sect never will. Let us see if the memories of the living can summon you back!"

With that, Chen Yi wasted no more time. He seized the spacetime law essence and refined it in an instant!

Buzz—

The entire Retrospection Secret Realm trembled, as if heralding the imminent change of ownership.

Such a massive disturbance could hardly escape the Detection System’s notice.

But so what?

The Backend Information Processing Center would handle it—no need to worry!

[Anomaly Report: Exorcism Dungeon No. 21 suspected of third-party interference. Requesting Detection System intervention.]

[Received. Scanning in progress...]

[Anomaly Report: Demon-Slaying Trial Ground No. 6 suspected of third-party interference. Requesting Detection System intervention.]

[Received. Entering queue. Scanning imminent...]

[Anomaly Report: Retrospection Secret Realm No. 19 experiencing tremors. A trial-taker exploited the Life-Severing passive to self-detonate and clear the stage. Requesting Detection System intervention.]

[System busy. Please try again later...]

[...]

By prioritizing minor issues and creating multiple distractions, the Detection System was stretched thin!

For the Third-in-Command to stir up some chaos was child’s play.

A few strategic leaks in the secret realms, some erroneous data—and the Detection System would be running in circles!

With the rear secured, Chen Yi turned to cleaning up the scene.

Now, Retrospection Secret Realm No. 19 was entirely under his control. Coupled with the Third-in-Command’s backend support, deceiving the Detection System was no challenge!

But Chen Yi was no longer content with merely fooling the Detection System. Chen Lingxiu’s appearance had instilled in him an inexplicable sense of urgency.

He didn’t know what upheavals had occurred in the Immortal Realm, nor what schemes the mysterious powerhouse behind the Chat Group was plotting.

Fear stemmed from the unknown. He was like a chess piece on the board—capable of stirring trouble, yet blind to the greater game. He couldn’t tell whether his next move would lead to boundless glory or an abyss!

Thus, he could no longer afford to take it slow. He had to break free from the chessboard and become a player himself!

And the first step to escaping the board? Infiltrate the Detection System—the Chat Group’s Second-in-Command!

After all, the Detection System was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head!

For now, his minor disruptions still fell within the Detection System’s capacity to handle. The Primordial Chaos Creation Disk’s main body would merely archive the records, awaiting the mysterious Immortal Realm powerhouse’s review upon awakening.

But attempting to seize all eleven Demon-Slaying Trial Grounds and thirty-three Exorcism Dungeons? That was no small matter.

The Detection System patrolled daily. He could deceive it for a time, but not forever!

Once it realized the situation exceeded its control, it would inevitably report to the Primordial Chaos Creation Disk’s main body—or worse, awaken that mysterious powerhouse!

Without its master’s guidance, the Primordial Chaos Creation Disk allowed Chen Yi free rein. But under its master’s command? It might very well turn the tables on him.

So!

Rather than nervously plucking melons from others’ fields, fearing discovery with every move and never daring to act boldly...

Why not tame the watchdog first? Then he could "borrow" to his heart’s content—no, "claim" openly and without fear!

By then, seize all the Demon-Slaying Trial Grounds and Evil-Purging Dungeons, then use them as a foundation to weave a vast net, drawing every member who enters these trials under his command!

When that time comes, who would truly be the master of the Transmigrators' Mutual Aid Group across the Myriad Realms?

Even Chen Yi himself wasn’t certain.