Chapter 642: Finding Clues
Lu Yuanxi went on and briefly explained what had happened after he had been possessed by the Heavenly Demonsbane to Hua Mu.
After he was finished, Hua Mu let out a deep sigh and said, “Even though the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace left this heaven and earth thousands of years ago, it was still thanks to their arrangements that we survived this outsider invasion.”
“Exactly,” Lu Yuanxi said bitterly.
After pondering for a few seconds, Hua Mu said, “Brother Lu, I think it’s time that we opened the secret inter-realm teleportation portal we set up in the Realm of Mystic Heaven. The Heaven Palace Sect’s headquarters is in ruins. All of their inter-realm teleportation portals are gone. Since Zhao Shanling has sealed the spatial rift that connects the Realm of Mystic Heaven with the Realm of Split Void, the surviving outsiders are going to flee to remote corners of the Realm of Mystic Heaven.
“We should let those who left earlier return and reap the spoils from our victory.”
“Alright.” Lu Yuanxi nodded and left.
“We’ll talk after this whole thing is over.” Hua Mu smiled at Nie Tian and then shot into the distance, where he went after the surviving seventh grade outsiders with the other Soul realm experts.
Standing on the Bone Blood Demon’s shoulder, Nie Tian glanced down. Fleeing outsiders could be seen in every direction.
He knew that the operation to kill off the remaining outsiders would last some time.
Therefore, with a thought, he commanded the Bone Blood Demon to drain the seventh grade Demon’s corpse of its blood.
Afterwards, more corpses of fifth and sixth grade outsiders that had been killed by falling debris from the ancient starship were drained of their blood by the Bone Blood Demon.
Three days later, the hunt was still going on.
After learning that the humans’ victory in the Realm of Mystic Heaven was certain, and that the Spirit Condor’s secret inter-realm teleportation portal had opened, the Worldly realm and Profound realm cultivators who had returned to their own realms came back to hunt down the fleeing outsiders in every corner of the Realm of Mystic Heaven.
WHOOSH!
Zhao Shanling suddenly flashed to Nie Tian’s side.
“Your timing is perfect, Senior Zhao,” Nie Tian said, smiling. “Would you please send me to the Realm of Split Void?”
“Are you done in the Realm of Mystic Heaven?” Zhao Shanling asked curiously.
Nie Tian nodded. “The result of this battle is already determined, but the cleansing operation might still last months. I don’t intend to take part in it. I’d like to visit the Realm of Split Void and take a look at the situation over there.”
Eyes narrowed, Zhao Shanling said, “I’ve already visited there.”
A surprised expression spread across Nie Tian’s face.
“The outsiders that were garrisoned in the Void Illusion Mountain Range are long gone.” Zhao Shanling told him the truth. “They must have learned of Basto’s death and the fact that the spatial rift that links the Realm of Mystic Heaven and the Realm of Split Void has been sealed. With the numbers they had, they could only return to their own realms. What choice did they have?”
“As far as I see it, those outsiders have suffered great losses from this failed invasion.
“They must not be from powerful outsider clans. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have mobilized so many resources to take a place like the Domain of the Falling Stars. I’m afraid they’ll have to spend centuries to regain their vital energy.
“During this time, you won’t have to worry that more outsiders will set foot on this land that has been painted red by outsider blood.”
Apparently, Zhao Shanling assumed that Nie Tian was going to the Realm of Split Void because he was worried that more powerful outsiders would swarm into it through those six spatial rifts.
Nie Tian shook his head. “You’ve misunderstood, Senior Zhao. I’m not going to the Realm of Split Void because I’m worried that more outsiders will come. I’m going because I want to find out who intentionally revealed the spatial rift that allowed the outsiders to swarm into the Realm of Flame Heaven first.”
Suddenly enlightened, Zhao Shanling laughed and asked, “Oh, so you’re planning to have your revenge now that the crisis is over?”
“That’s right,” Nie Tian said coldly.
“Considering your current fame and power, you do have what it takes to settle that account.” Zhao Shanling pondered briefly and added, “Actually, you should have a feeling about who did it. Only a few sects have plotted against the Realm of Flame Heaven over the years.
“Anyways, I’ll take you to the Realm of Split Void.”
With these words, Zhao Shanling created a spatial rift out of thin air and took Nie Tian to the secret teleportation portal he had set up in the Realm of Mystic Heaven. From there, they teleported directly to the forbidden region in the Realm of Split Void.
After walking out of a portal hidden in a meteor, Nie Tian didn’t rush to action right away. Instead, he closed his eyes and sent a wisp of his awareness towards the depths of the earth.
Moments later, he opened his eyes and sighed in frustration. “I still can’t.”
His awareness once again reached an immense ward of star power in the depths of the earth.
If it wasn’t him, the successor chosen by the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace, who pried into the earth, even Soul realm experts wouldn’t be able to detect that profound ward.
Even though he could detect that immense ward, his awareness still couldn’t go through it yet.
Perhaps only when his psychic power completely transformed into soul power would he be able to pass through that ward and learn what the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace had hidden underneath it. He pondered, frowning.
“You still can’t do what?” Zhao Shanling asked, looking curious.
“Nothing.” Nie Tian then gazed off in the direction of the Void Illusion Mountain Range. “Let’s go there.”
“Okay,” Zhao Shanling said, curling his lips as he split open a spatial rift and pulled Nie Tian into it.
Standing in the depths of the Void Illusion Mountain Range, Nie Tian unleashed his nine Heaven Eyes to scan his surroundings.
Not a single life could be found within the detection range of his Heaven Eyes, outsider, human, or mutant spirit beast.
He knew that after the invasion of the outsiders, the humans had been forced to withdraw from this area. Even the mutant spirit beasts had been cleared from this area.
A number of outsiders had been deployed in this place before the tune of the battle in the Realm of Mystic Heaven had been set. However, as Basto had died, the outsiders here had sensed their unfavorable situation, and thus retreated to their own realms.
This was why this area was bereft of any aura of life.
Zhao Shanling pointed in a direction and said, “This is the spatial rift that leads to the Realm of Flame Heaven.”
He was pointing at a small mountain valley, where a large number of active spatial rifts were floating in the air.
As Zhao Shanling pointed, one of the spatial rifts suddenly started to glow outstandingly brightly.
“This place is fairly close to the location where people from the Poison Sect, the Heaven Expanse Sect, and the Spirit God Sect were garrisoned.” With these words, Zhao Shanling pointed in another direction. “Over there is one of the spatial rifts through which the outsiders poured into the Realm of Split Void. The Poison Sect, the Spirit God Sect, and the Heaven Expanse Sect were responsible for guarding it. But it’s not gonna be easy if you want to find the person who did it by relying on such little information.”
“It seems that it must have been someone from those three sects then,” Nie Tian said with a cold snort.
Back when he had left Shatter City and the few rogue cultivators had gone after him, he had heard them curse Hou Qingsen before they had been killed by the Bone Blood Demon.
Even though he didn’t have proof, he was convinced that Hou Qingsen and Ji Qingyun had been behind that incident.
This time, the spatial rift that led to the Realm of Flame Heaven had been intentionally revealed to the outsiders, when people from the Heaven Expanse Sect, the Poison Sect, and the Spirit God Sect had happened to be garrisoned in the vicinity.
Even though he still hadn’t found any proof, his gut told him that it was those three sects that had directed the outsiders into the Realm of Flame Heaven.
While he pondered with furrowed eyebrows, a spatial rift suddenly appeared before him.
Zhen Huilan and Pei Qiqi walked out of it.
“What are you doing here, junior martial sister?” Zhao Shanling asked, smiling cunningly.
Nie Tian bowed hastily. “Senior Zhen, Senior Martial Sister Pei.”
Zhen Huilan took a glance at Nie Tian. A warm smile appeared at the corner of her mouth as she said, “You’ve done a good job, kid.”
“That was all thanks to the legacies the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace left behind,” Nie Tian said modestly. “I was merely the intermediary.”
Pei Qiqi glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes but didn’t say anything.
Zhen Huilan then laid her eyes on Zhao Shanling and said, “I came back from the Realm of a Thousand Devastations three days ago.”
“I came back to inform the members of the Wild Fire, the Blood Skull, and the Dark Moon, who have fled to the most remote and desolate corners, that the crisis is over, and they can come out now.
“I only came here because I sensed your presence in the Void Illusion Mountain Range.”
Zhao Shanling frowned slightly. “What do you want to see me for?”
“Are you really going to have eldest martial brother kneel before you and apologize to you in front of everyone?” Zhen Huilan asked with a bitter expression. “Eldest martial brother already gave in to you for the greater good. Do you really need more?”
Zhao Shanling gave a cold snort. “Is this all that you want to talk to me about?”
“And also, do you really not know how to seal those six spatial rifts?” Zhen Huilan asked with a helpless tone. “As long as those spatial rifts exist, there’ll always be a threat. Who knows if the outsiders are going to invade us in a few decades or centuries? If you know how to seal them, I implore you to seal them to save us from future trouble.”
“Truth be told, I indeed didn’t have what it took to seal them. But now that I’ve entered the middle Soul realm, perhaps I can take a shot.” With an arrogant smile, he added, “But even if I can, I’ll have to pay a big price to seal those six spatial rifts. Why would I do that for someone else? What can I get in return?”