Two colossal beasts of the starry sky clashed, their battle generating shockwaves that could stir smaller planets.
Zheng Dong was interested in all divine-grade resources.
However, he had no desire to provoke the two celestial behemoths.
He instructed Xiao Zi to use her treasure-hunting skill to locate valuable divine-grade resources.
Before long, a tree trunk was discovered.
The trunk was scorched black, its energy fluctuations subtle.
The surrounding celestial beasts showed no interest in it.
Aside from its burnt appearance, the trunk was unremarkable, and most celestial beasts lacked wood affinity.
Zheng Dong had Xiao Zi use her Infinite Devour skill to swallow it, planning to examine it later.
Subsequently, Xiao Zi found several more divine-grade resources, all equally inconspicuous.
At this moment, a slightly damaged bronze bell drifted from the vicinity of the luminous orb.
This immediately drew the attention of all the celestial beasts.
It was a divine artifact.
Though damaged, it could still be repaired.
Even Xiao Zi excitedly informed Zheng Dong that this item held immense value.
Zheng Dong observed the bronze bell. If he were to contend for it, he would likely need to deploy multiple divine-grade undead, and it might also incur the displeasure of the surrounding celestial beasts.
After all, he was the only beast tamer present.
If all these celestial beasts were to attack him, he would have to mobilize all his divine-grade undead.
He decided to wait and see.
He would let the celestial beasts fight amongst themselves for a while, and if he saw an opportunity, he would then make his move.
His objective in the Sea of Stars was the inheritance of the Starry Sky Supreme, not a few divine-grade resources or artifacts.
Therefore, he needed to remain low-key and conserve his strength.
Thus, Zheng Dong instructed Xiao Zi to continue collecting divine-grade resources and to refrain from participating in the contest for the bronze bell for the time being.
Xiao Zi cast a covetous glance at the bronze bell before forcibly averting her gaze.
The Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast and the Starry Sky Thunder God Beast, who had been vying for a dragon bone, ceased their struggle and turned their attention to the approaching bronze bell.
The ancient bronze bell bore several cracks and a finger-sized hole, appearing as if it had been struck by a palm.
It tumbled and floated, without a fixed trajectory. Initially heading towards the Starry Sky Flame Beast, it gradually veered off course and drifted towards the Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast.
The Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast roared with excitement and flew towards the bronze bell with all its might. It seemed the bronze bell was within its grasp.
Suddenly, the bronze bell bizarrely evaded it and drifted towards the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast in the distance.
The Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast's eyes gleamed, its body surging with intense energy fluctuations.
It unleashed its ultimate skill, Powerful Magnetic Field.
The Powerful Magnetic Field, like an invisible net, forcefully altered the trajectory of the bronze bell.
Upon seeing this, the Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast understood it had been outmaneuvered.
Enraged, it unleashed its divine skill, Infinite Squeeze.
Countless rocks emerged, colliding with the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast from all directions.
They resembled innumerable walls, pressing in on the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast.
These rocks did not merely collide; they could fuse together, forming larger rocks, much like water droplets merging.
Gradually, they formed rock walls that continuously squeezed the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast.
However, the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast was unfazed.
It transformed into an invisible magnetic field, completely unaffected by the rock pressure.
Following this, it unleashed its divine skill, All Things Magnetized.
Any rocks that came near it were magnetized and, in turn, controlled by it, being shot back like bullets.
Many of these rocks were hurled back towards the Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast.
The Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast was not harmed by the rocks it had released.
It was furious, but it had no better way to deal with the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast.
The Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast was notoriously difficult to handle.
Fortunately, the other celestial beasts would not stand idly by and watch the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast claim the bronze bell.
The Starry Sky Flame Beast also unleashed its divine skill, Extreme High Temperature.
Innumerable flames emanated from the Starry Sky Flame Beast, forming a sea of fire that engulfed the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast.
As the temperature of the flames continued to rise, their color also changed.
Extreme High Temperature could incinerate everything; even an invisible magnetic field would be affected.
The Starry Sky Thunder God Beast also unleashed its Devastating Thunder Sea.
Streaks of lightning rumbled down, capable of destroying even a planet.
The chaotic battle continued. Zheng Dong instructed Xiao Zi to steer clear of the vortex of combat and circle around to a distant location to continue collecting divine-grade resources.
Without the competition from these celestial beasts, Xiao Zi found it easier to collect resources.
She swallowed anything that appeared even remotely useful, regardless of whether it was a divine-grade resource.
She managed to collect quite a few treasures, such as the divine-grade resources Nine-Light Divine Stone, Starlight Divine Crystal, Void Nether Divine Soil, and Nine Nether Marrow.
As more divine-grade resources floated out from the massive luminous orb at the core of the Sea of Stars, Zheng Dong also noticed that the interior of the orb was becoming clearer.
Beneath a colossal tree lay countless corpses.
The tree was withered and appeared on the verge of collapse.
The corpses on the ground had not decayed but were continuously exuding various powers.
Zheng Dong sensed it was a battlefield.
Those who had fallen were powerful divine-grade transcendent beings.
Perhaps these resources originated from there.
The battle must have been fierce; the original structures were completely destroyed, reduced to ruins beneath the many corpses.
Only a few remnants of broken walls were visible.
Zheng Dong frowned.
Could the inheritance of the Starry Sky Supreme be within that battlefield?
Not a single celestial beast ventured there, suggesting the battlefield within the luminous orb was extremely dangerous.
Zheng Dong hesitated, then instructed Xiao Zi to create a clone and use Starry Sky Leap to investigate the situation.
To this end, Xiao Zi condensed a relatively strong clone, capable of withstanding attacks from divine-grade transcendent beings for a period.
The clone minimized its body and used Starry Sky Leap, gradually approaching the luminous orb.
The closer it got, the larger the luminous orb appeared.
It felt like the sensation of seeing a mountain from afar and running towards it, only to find it still distant.
Even with the clone using Starry Sky Leap, it leaped six or seven times.
Upon reaching the exterior of the luminous orb, it felt immense pressure, and the interior seemed to harbor terrifying energy fluctuations.
These fluctuations could easily obliterate Xiao Zi's clone.
Within the luminous orb lay a divine kingdom continent, its area comparable to that of the entire Blue Star.
At the center of the continent stood a sky-piercing giant tree, which seemed to be the core of the entire Star God Realm.
Xiao Zi's clone, treading on the void, walked directly into the luminous orb.
Passing through a layer of light membrane, it entered the continent. Before it could survey its surroundings, it was engulfed by an energy storm.
Xiao Zi only sensed that before the clone could resist, its entire body was annihilated and destroyed by the energy storm.
It was likely that even a divine body would not be able to last long within the luminous orb.
No wonder no celestial beasts dared to enter.
Even if Xiao Zi grew to the intermediate god level, she would not have absolute confidence in dealing with the energy storm inside the luminous orb.
Then how could the inheritance of the Starry Sky Supreme be obtained?
Zheng Dong knitted his brows.
Not only Zheng Dong, but also Tyler Peter, Caesar, the Abyssal Sea Demon Emperor, the Ancient Whale Emperor, and the Ghost Shark Emperor who had entered from the outside, harbored similar thoughts.
Their situations were even more dire than Zheng Dong's.
They were still struggling in the outer regions, not yet having reached the depths of the Sea of Stars, facing various dangers and also enduring attacks from surrounding celestial beasts.
On the other side, the contest for the bronze bell had entered a fever pitch.
Although the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast was powerful, it was gradually succumbing to the attacks of numerous celestial beasts.
Its injuries worsened, and although it wished to leave, it was constantly blocked by the other celestial beasts around it.
The Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast seized the opportunity and swiped at the bronze bell with its claw.
The Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast attempted to snatch the bronze bell away, but the Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast held it firmly.
Seeing this, the Starry Sky Thunder God Beast, the Starry Sky Flame Beast, and others also stepped forward to contend for it.
The already damaged bronze bell suffered increasing destruction amidst the struggle of the numerous celestial beasts.
Eventually, it actually shattered into several pieces.
A larger piece fell into the hands of the Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast.
The most crucial bell hammer landed in the possession of the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast.
The other pieces were snatched away by the Starry Sky Flame Beast, the Starry Sky Thunder God Beast, and other celestial beasts.
Although the Starry Sky Magnetic Burst Beast was unwilling, it was helpless.
Under the onslaught of so many celestial beasts, it was fortunate just to survive.
In the following period, more divine-grade resources and damaged divine artifacts drifted by, sparking further contests.
Many celestial beasts reaped bountiful harvests.
Just then, an anomaly occurred. The starlight emanating from the distant luminous orb suddenly dimmed.
The entire Sea of Stars seemed to plunge into darkness.
After a duration of about ten minutes, countless starlights reappeared.
A colossal star gate appeared outside the luminous orb.
The Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast looked excitedly at the star gate and, without hesitation, flew towards it first.
It had entered a star gate before, participating in the Starry Sky Supreme's trial.
Unfortunately, it had failed.
This time, its strength had increased tenfold, and it hoped to pass the Starry Sky Supreme's trial and obtain its inheritance.
Several other celestial beasts, like the Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast, understood the significance of the star gate's appearance and rushed towards it at the fastest pace.
Most celestial beasts, encountering the star gate for the first time and not understanding the situation, hesitated but followed suit.
Zheng Dong also looked at the suddenly appearing star gate.
Xiao Zi informed him that a certain power within the star gate seemed to be summoning it, much like before entering the Starry Sky Maze.
Seeing the Starry Sky Dragon Rock Beast and other celestial beasts entering the star gate one after another, Zheng Dong also instructed Xiao Zi to follow.
Passing through the star gate, they arrived inside the divine kingdom continent within the luminous orb.
They appeared beneath the sky-piercing giant tree.
This tree was immense, its coverage comparable to the landmass of several totem kingdoms.
Zheng Dong believed it to be the Tree of Stars.
It was bare, with almost all its leaves fallen.
It resembled a withered old tree.
However, it was not entirely dead.
It emitted a faint starlight, resisting the external energy storm and protecting Zheng Dong, as well as all the transcendent beings who had passed through the star gate, from harm.
Following this, a projection of the Starry Sky Supreme appeared.
"I, the Starry Sky Supreme, the Supreme God of the Stars, your ability to pass through the star gate and arrive here signifies that you are qualified to undergo my further trials and obtain my inheritance."
Entering the star gate seemed easy, but celestial beasts that did not meet the criteria were unable to reach this place.
Even if they passed through the star gate, there was no reaction; it was as if they had passed through a normal hoop, remaining outside the hoop.
This caused Zheng Dong some confusion.
Logically, Xiao Zi should have been able to enter.
He, however, should have been blocked outside.
Yet, he had also passed through the star gate while riding on Xiao Zi's back.
Did this mean he was also qualified to obtain the Starry Sky Supreme's inheritance?
Unfortunately, the projection of the Starry Sky Supreme did not resolve Zheng Dong's doubts.
It glanced at Zheng Dong, its gaze pausing only briefly before moving on.
Zheng Dong's ability to enter was, of course, related to it.
Its inheritance trials had been opened nine times in total, but no one had yet obtained it.
Zheng Dong was the strongest beast tamer it had ever encountered.
What surprised it even more was that Zheng Dong had managed to condense a divine body and master numerous bloodline powers.
Perhaps he could bring unexpected surprises.
It then looked at the other celestial beasts.
"Unable to resist death."
The celestial beasts within the Star God Realm were declining with each generation, and the celestial beasts from the outside were even worse.
It was likely that this time, it would be disappointed again.
Could it be that no one could inherit its legacy?
Despite its disappointment, the trials had to continue.
Countless starlights surged forth, enveloping Zheng Dong, Xiao Zi, and all the participating celestial beasts and divine-grade transcendent beings.
Immediately after, Zheng Dong lost consciousness.
Upon waking again, he found himself back in his high school days.
"Xiao Dong, wake up, it's time for school!"
A familiar voice sounded. Zheng Dong opened his eyes, looked at his familiar room, and opened the door in his pajamas.
He saw that his mother had already prepared breakfast: a bowl of porridge, two small steamed buns, a fried egg, and two sausages.
"What are you standing around for, you child? Hurry up and wash up, eat, and go to school!" his mother urged.
Zheng Dong was dumbfounded.
What was going on?
He realized that not only had he returned to his high school days, but his beast-taming talent had not yet awakened.
Xiao Zi was still that adorable treasure-hunting mouse, lazily perched in her nest, glancing at Zheng Dong with half-open eyes before continuing to sleep soundly.
All of this was perhaps due to the Starry Sky Supreme's trial!
Zheng Dong thought so.
He quickly accepted it all.
He enjoyed his current life; his parents were present, and he didn't have to worry too much. Every day, he would just go to school and hang out with Ning Wei, Bei Wen, and others.
These were the most cherished memories of his life.
He actually wished for things to continue developing this way.
Unfortunately, it wasn't long before it was time to awaken his beast-taming talent.
This time, his parents did not go missing, and Xiao Zi did not give him the Origin Fruit.
Although he awakened his beast-taming talent through his own efforts, it was unfortunately only an ordinary fire-elemental enhancement talent.
With the help of his parents, he contracted a Fire Spirit Xuan Bird, with the potential to evolve into a Fire Phoenix.
His parents hoped that with this Fire Spirit Xuan Bird, he would perform well in the Rongcheng Rookie King Competition and gain admission to a good university.
However, Zheng Dong's performance in the competition was not good, and he ultimately only entered an ordinary beast-taming university in Rongcheng.
Zheng Dong himself did not care about these things.
He felt that Rongcheng was actually quite good; he could go home on weekends.
In truth, deep down, he missed his parents dearly.
Even when he learned that both his parents had passed away, he did not cry not because he was not sad, but because he refused to believe it was true, believing that his parents were still alive.
For this reason, he never mentioned anything about his parents to anyone else.
This was perhaps the feeling of wanting to cry but being unable to.
Therefore, he had such a performance in the Starry Sky Supreme's trial.
Even if he became an ordinary person, he wished to stay by his parents' side forever.
But, as otherworlders descended, the living environment in Rongcheng deteriorated.