Pluto.
Under the thick layers of ice, within the great city.
The Master is getting married!
It was a grand occasion.
Many guests travelled along the star roads to attend this wedding.
Some arrived in carriages that were towed by dragons.
Others came alone.
Some of the guests were even enemies, but they did not dare to create a ruckus at such an occasion.
They respected the Sage of the galaxy!
Some of them did not understand this title.
"This man with the surname Zhou, he hasn't even reached the Saint Realm, how can he be considered a Sage when there's so many other Saints out there?".
There were many who had this question in their minds.
But they all received the same answer.
"This isn't a question you should ask. He's not someone you can trifle with.".
"Why is that?" asked a girl in her early twenties.
Her name was Yu You, and she looked beautiful although she was very young.
She came from an ancient Clan in the galaxy.
There were only a few who knew of the existence of this clan, those who knew of them did not dare to go to their grounds.
They inhabited a distant galaxy.
She was the princess of this clan and received the adoration of many of the elders.
She was open about her thoughts, she did not understand why this man named Zhou Xu
was so highly regarded.
What was so good about this planet? She was freezing to death!
If not for the protection of her powers, she could never survive here.
A middle aged man in his forties was by her side, but in reality, he was an elder of this clan.
He had been a Saint for about 7000 years.
No one knew why he had chosen to come to this wedding with the princess.
"Old man, why are you so quiet?" pouted Yu You.
He smiled and sighed, "The heavens smile, the earth weeps, everything is a game of chess. Little girl, I may be a Saint, but I'm not even worthy of being a chess piece.".
Yu You was smart, but she could not understand what he was saying.
His name was Ming Hui, and he continued, "In this realm, there are some who are worthy of that. But even I can't tell! That is why I constantly go into seclusion.".
"Elder, what you mean is that Zhou Xu is worthy?" she asked with her eyes widened.
"Little girl, do you know about the Bastion of Stars?" asked Ming Hui.
He had not had this conversation in a long time.
She nodded her head and said, "Of course I do!".
She continued with a puzzled look, "The Bastion of Stars is so well known, who wouldn't know about it? It's the pathway into the Village of
of Dao that they are so desperately trying to defend!".
"You do know something," smiled Ming Hui.
"Of course! Who do you think I am?" Yu You smiled.
"It's a pity that all of that is fake," he said casually.
"What? Why is that fake?" she asked as her expression changed.
Ming Hui sighed, "Have you seen a picture of the Bastion of Stars?".
"Nope," she frowned.
She thought about it for a while and continued, "You're right, it's been so many years, there should have been some evidence of it, but I've never seen a picture of it before. That's not normal…".
Ming Hui smiled, "That's because the Bastion of Stars is not a reality, it can't be drawn out, and there's no way it can be captured in a photo either.".
"So that's the reason…" she frowned as she thought about it.
Ming Hui continued, "Also, why do they have to build such a giant structure so far away just to protect the Village of Dao? It's so small, and the distance to the Bastion is too far! Moreover, the thick shell should be more than enough to protect them from the Mirror Dimension. The only pathway is via a passage that can't be accessed by Saints.".
"Since that is the case, why do they need it? Why do they need the Bastion?".
Ming Hui looked at her as he continued, "Don't you think that something
that something is fishy?".
"Something definitely is," she replied as she looked at the elder she respected so much.
"You can't say that for sure either. It's an exit, it's a place where they fight for Qi and destiny. Countless talents are gathered there, their main purpose is to fight for that shred of Qi. As for the Village of Dao… There is a relation, but it isn't the main point.".
Ming Hui seemed emotive as he sighed, "Actually, their struggles…. have been for….. Immortality.".
"Immortality? What's so good about that? Among the ancient texts, there were only a few who could achieve that. There are too many conditions required, it's too depressing," said Yu You.
"You're right, what's the point? Why is it called Immortality? You escape from the clutches of life and death! They look just like humans, but they are two distinct entities," Ming Hui sighed.
"Two distinct entities? Aren't Immortals humans?" asked Yu You, surprised.
"After you become an Immortal, you lose your humanity," Ming Hui replied.
She looked at him and asked, "Two Entities? Immortals aren't humans?".
"Naturally so," he replied.
"Elder, why are you telling me all these? Is there something you're trying to tell me?" she asked.
Ming Hui smiled, "What is there to tell you? You're just overthinking."
"No, there definitely is something! I just asked you what's so good about Zhou Xu. I was wondering why you respect him
you respect him so much that you felt the need to come down personally to his wedding…".
"Respect? I guess that's about right. But I did not come just for this," he replied.
"What else is there?" Yu You asked curiously.
"I wanted to let you see the outside world," he smiled.
He ignored the rest of her questions, and she could only go about by herself to look for something fun to do.
After a short while, she ran back and said, "Old man, I've heard about it!".
Ming Hui looked at her.
You Yu smiled, "I've heard some rumours that this Zhou man's warriors have been killed by someone outside!".
The expression on Ming Hui's face did not change, he only nodded, "Ah.".
"What does that even mean? Elder? Don't you think that this is very interesting? He proclaims to be the Sage of the galaxy, and is even labelled the prince of darkness. Why would there be anyone ballsy enough to kill his men?" she asked curiously. This was one of the rare occasions where she could travel outside, she wanted to know everything.
A look flashed across Ming Hui's eyes as he nodded his head.
"Many brave ones have come and gone.".
Before she could reply, a voice from outside reported, "The auspicious time is here! We welcome all guests to the grand hall to attend the wedding!".