The sudden descent of the cauldron sent a shockwave through the lunar vacuum. Xi He and Chang Xi reacted instinctively, their combined auras swelling to swallow the heavens, stirring the very river of stars that cradled the Taiyin Star.
"Buzz! BOOM!"
The collision echoed with a bone-jarring thrum. The cauldron was buffeted back, bobbing and weaving through the chaotic energy like a leaf in a storm before falling steadily into the hand of a newcomer.
"Who are you?" Xi He demanded, her voice cutting through the ringing silence. Her eyes narrowed, masking a sudden, sharp vigilance.
The man who stood before them was a vision of celestial majesty. Raven-black hair spilled to his waist, crowned by the Grandmist Heaven and Earth Crown. His robes, woven with the patterns of the sun, moon, and stars, seemed to pulse with the heartbeat of the cosmos. His eyes held the cold, distant spark of ancient stars.
"Third Brother!" Dijun's voice broke, thick with blood and anxiety. "Why are you here? Leave! Quickly! These two are in the Late Stage—we are no match!"
Tai Yi struggled to his feet, his hand trembling on the Chaos Bell. "Go, Ling Xiao! Don't get dragged into this!"
Ling Xiao didn't move. He looked at the battered state of his kin, and the temperature around him seemed to plummet, despite the solar fire in his veins. His gaze drifted to the two women in the distance.
"If I haven't guessed wrong," Ling Xiao said, his voice like grinding ice, "you must be Xi He and Chang Xi."
The sisters' eyes widened. Xi He stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over him with an intensity that sought to peel back his skin. "You are their brother? I didn't expect the Sun Star to hide a third Star God."
She was unsettled. Her intuition—honed by eons of lunar meditation—screamed that this man was an anomaly. She couldn't see the boundaries of his power; he was a void wrapped in starlight.
"Hey!" the petite Chang Xi chimed in, her curiosity momentarily overriding her anger. "How do you know our names? We have never set foot off this star."
"The secrets of heaven can be measured," Ling Xiao replied flatly.
"Measured?" Xi He's face turned to stone. "Arrogance. I will see what 'measure' you have when your stars are extinguished!"
She raised a pale, jade-like hand and struck. The sheer volume of her magic power didn't just flicker; it snuffed out the surrounding constellations, plunging the battlefield into a terrifying, singular darkness.
"Third Brother! Watch out!"
Ling Xiao moved before the warning finished. He didn't retreat; he surged forward. With the Hongmeng Cauldron hovering as his shield and the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler appearing in his palm, he met the lunar tide head-on.
He was only in the Middle Stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, yet as the ruler swung, space itself seemed to bow.
"BOOM!"
The shockwave pulverized tens of thousands of nearby asteroids, turning them into a glittering, lethal mist. The Measuring Ruler radiated a divine, milky light—a literal galaxy held in his hand. As the number one Acquired Offensive Supreme Treasure, its power was absolute.
Ling Xiao fought like a demon of the void. He took on both sisters at once, his movements a blur of effortless violence. Despite the gap in their cultivation realms, he didn't just hold the line—he pushed it.
Below, Dijun and Tai Yi watched, their mouths agape.
"The treasure in his hand..." Tai Yi stammered, his pride in the Chaos Bell momentarily shaken. "Is that another Companion Treasure?"
"It shares the same source as his cauldron," Dijun noted, his voice tinged with a complex mix of relief and envy. "Our brother... has been hiding a dragon in his sleeves."
CRACK!
The rhythm of the battle broke. Ling Xiao found an opening in Chang Xi's frantic defense. The Hongmeng Measuring Ruler lashed out, catching her squarely.
The petite goddess was sent skimming across the lunar surface like a skipped stone, crashing into a mountain of moon-dust with a sickening thud.
"Sister!" Xihe screamed. She abandoned the fight, vanishing in a blur of silver light to reappear at Chang Xi's side.
Changxi coughed, gold-flecked blood staining the corners of her mouth. The strike had nearly shattered her foundation; the pain was a searing brand against her soul. She looked up at Ling Xiao, and for the first time, her cunning eyes were clouded with genuine terror.
Xihe stood, her aura erupting in a final, desperate frenzy. She looked ready to ignite her very soul to kill him.
"Don't look at me like that," Ling Xiao said, standing tall, his hair whipping wildly in the lunar wind. "If I hadn't shown mercy, she wouldn't be breathing."
"If she dies, I will activate the Taiyin Killing Array!" Chang Xi rasped, clutching her sister's arm. "I'll bury you all in this star!"
Ling Xiao let out a short, mocking laugh. "Stop the theatrics. I saw through you the moment I arrived. You can't control the Taiyin Killing Array. You're barely even tethered to it."
Chang Xi stiffened, her face drained of color. "How... how could you possibly know that?"
"I told you," Ling Xiao said, a cold smile touching his eyes. "The secrets of heaven are mine to read. Did you think you could hide your incompetence from the Sun?"
He was bluffing, drawing on his knowledge of their future "canon" struggles, but the sisters didn't know that. To them, he was an omniscient monster.
"Don't be too proud," Xi He spat, though her posture had shifted from predatory to defensive. "This is our territory. Even without the array, we are not easily slain."
"Have you forgotten?" Ling Xiao gestured casually behind him. "I have brothers."
As if on cue, Dijun and Tai Yi landed beside him, their expressions grim and resolute. Three Golden Crows, side by side, their collective heat beginning to warp the lunar frost.
Xi He bit her lip. She was cornered. "What exactly do you want?"
"Simple," Ling Xiao said. "My brothers wish to comprehend the Taiyin Great Array. Let them study the lunar laws."
"Impossible!" Xi He snapped. "You would use our own laws to destroy us."
"Destroy you?" Ling Xiao's voice boomed with sudden authority. "On this entire star, only the killing array is worth my notice. You? You are barely worth the effort of this conversation."
Xi He's face flushed with a mix of fury and humiliation. "You—!"
"If you feel the trade is unfair," Ling Xiao continued, his tone softening just enough to offer a bridge, "we will let you comprehend the Sun Great Array in exchange. A balance of Yin and Yang. A fair trade for Star Gods."
Xi He went silent, her mind racing. She looked at her injured sister, then at the three brothers standing like pillars of fire.
"This exchange is still skewed," Xi He finally said, her voice trembling slightly. "I will agree... but only on one condition."