1379-1390

Chapter 1379  Meeting an Old... Friend? Pupil? Senior...?

Deciding on spending the next few days wandering around the Blue Sea Empire as he waited for the overconfident ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire to at least get into the Frozen Wasteland by the time he made his way back to the sect, Xuan Hao ended up making his way back to the location where the special location contain the Sea of Mist, Ephemeral Forest and the Valley of Illusory Beasts, was located. 

Not so much because he planned on entering the place following what had happened the last time around, but more so because he was feeling curious about what had happened since he had left. 

Did all the illusory beasts get killed off by the Blue Sea Empire or had some of them survived? 

What about the Valley of Illusory Beasts? Was it completely closed off following the desperate and successful escape attempt from the illusory beasts? 

It was with these thoughts in mind that he decided to enter the special location for a quick peek, just to see how the gate leading to the Valley of Illusory Beasts was doing, as he could now see through the gate properly after his Dao of Illusions broke through to the Large Success Realm. 

"Hm? Nothing much changed even after the destruction of the area around the gate back then?" 

However, what he witnessed on the other side of the gate was the same as when he had first entered the Valley of Illusory Beasts. Nothing had changed and he could even see a few illusory beasts moving around, he even spotted someone being hunted down by a large group of- 

Wait a second… Isn't that Chu Li? Wasn't he supposed to get picked up by that East Sea General back then or did he come back on his own later after the illusory beasts outside were driven away or killed? 

Recognizing the figure being chased by three illusory beast all comparable to the Peak of the Soul Ascension Realm, as none other than the former senior he had encountered back when he had first ventured into the Valley of Illusory Beasts, Xuan Hao could not help tilting his head in confusion. 

Not understanding why, he was inside the Valley of Illusory Beasts again. After all, he should know how dangerous that place was after the escape of the illusory beasts. 

Guess I should take the opportunity to ask and see if he is in any trouble… 

Shaking his head as he thought this to himself, Xuan Hao took a step forward and instantly moved through the gateway leading into the Valley of Illusory Beasts before finding himself above the chase that was taking place between the group of illusory beasts and Chu Li. 

At the very least, considering that he was holding his own against three Peak Soul Ascension Realm illusory beasts, Chu Li's strength had improved a lot compared to the last time he had seen him. 

Not just that, but he had seemed to follow his advice and started to comprehend the Dao of Space and was in the process of trying to merge it together with his Dao of Illusions to further his understanding of the Dao of Illusions through the assistance of the Dao of Space. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Although this couldn't really be considered him entering the Dao Domain Lord Realm, as he was already at the Soul Ascension Realm and hadn't really established a new domain. Still a bit away from comprehending the Dao of Space to the Elementary Realm. 

Not to mention, he was using the Dao of Space to supplement his Dao of Illusions and from what he could tell, Chu Li was on the cusp of a breakthrough at this point in time. All he needed to do was take a single step forward and he should be able to break through to the Dao Seed Realm or Earth Immortal Realm. 

With that in mind, Xuan Hao decided to not interfere in his battle, as it might very well be the battle that would allow him to break through his limits and take that step forward and- 

Bang! Bang! Bang 

Never mind, he had run out of strength and was now in the process of being pummeled by the three illusory beasts and could barely stand up straight at this point in time… 

Swish-! 

Knowing that it would be best for him to step in before his old friend and former senior when it came to strength ended up dead, Xuan Hao decided to use the Dao of Illusions, as three giant ghostly hands appeared above the three illusory beasts before rushing down and soundlessly crushing their souls without giving them any time to fight back. 

"Wha-!?" 

The result being three Peak Soul Ascension Realm illusory beasts disappearing and one very confused Chu Li, who had no idea about what had just happened- 

"Senior!" 

That was until he saw the familiar figure of Xuan Hao descending from the sky before landing in front of him, causing him to rush over with a happy expression plastered all over his face, as he had honestly not expected to run into this senior again since they had last parted ways a few years earlier. 

Although… he did feel quite embarrassed about the situation that they met in, though, these thoughts of embarrassment were instantly erased the moment he remembered just how effortlessly his senior killed off three Peak Soul Ascension Realm illusory beast. 

Even if he understood that his senior was powerful, it was a little different when he witnessed it firsthand. Especially when it also happened to be three illusory beasts he had been struggling against for the past few hours. 

Different from other illusory beasts, he understood very well that every single one of these illusory beasts were no weaker than him. Meaning that outside of the illusory beasts, his senior could also easily kill him in a similar fashion. 

However, instead of fear, Chu Li was filled with awe at this awesome display of power and felt even more thankful for the fact that this powerful senior had been gracious enough to teach him in the past. Even more so now that he had cultivated according to his recommendations for the past few years and felt himself progressing after having been stuck in the past.

Chapter 1380: Helping a... Half Disciple?

"What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you have left after what happened last time around?" 

As he killed off the three Peak Soul Ascension Realm illusory beasts, Xuan Hao descended from the sky and landed in front of the shocked and amazed Chu Li before asking him directly about why he was still running into the Valley of Illusory Beasts. 

"This…" Hearing what Xuan Hao said, the happy expression on the face of Chu Li quickly became somewhat distraught as he seemed to have difficulty speaking. 

However, even without him saying anything, it was rather obvious that something had happened to him since they had last seen each other and considering what little he knew about his background and the fact that he should be part of the Blue Sea Empire's East Sea Army, he guessed that it had something to with the East Sea Army. 

Though… Considering that he had already personally encountered the general of the East Sea Army in the past and that he should be comparable to someone in the Middle Stage of the Dao Seed Realm, Xuan Hao really couldn't imagine what couldn't imagine what could have happened to someone like that. 

After all, someone that strong was of importance to the overall strength of the Blue Sea Empire and wouldn't be allowed to die easily. 

With that in mind, Xuan Hao could only guess that it might not have something to do with the general in question, but instead the East Sea Army itself. 

Perhaps Chu Li got thrown out of the army? No… A bit unrealistic considering that there was no way the Blue Sea Empire would give up on someone like Chu Li who was incredibly close to breaking through to the Dao Seed Realm at a relatively young age… 

"Senior, the reason I'm here is because there is nowhere else that will help me break through to the Earth Immortal Realm faster!" Having hesitated on what to say for a few short seconds while Xuan Hao tried to figure out what had happened on his own, Chu Li ultimately showed a confident expression as he said this. 

"Break through the Earth Immortal Realm the fastest? Are you in a rush to reach the Earth Immortal Realm?" Picking up the important bits about what Chu Li said, Xuan Hao could not help asking as he felt rather curious about what this little fellow who could in a sense be considered a half disciple of his was up to. 

"This… Senior should know that I'm from the East Sea Army. The reason I want to break through to the Earth Immortal Realm is because the grand commander sent out an order that the weakest of the four armies be dispatched to assist in suppressing demonic cultivators at the border of the Frozen Wasteland. 

Considering how dangerous the situation is and the fact the Demon King Realm demonic cultivators have shown up, it will essentially be a death sentence for anyone who ends up being dispatched first. Even worse, with the cultivation environment of that place, it will also be hard for those dispatched to cultivate." 

"And your East Sea Army is the weakest of the four?" 

"Yes… Although the general is powerful, there are not as many Earth Immortals as in the other armies. However, if I break through to the Earth Immortal Realm, we might have a chance at no longer being the weakest and avoid being sent to the frontlines against the demonic cultivators!" 

Seeing the almost desperate expression on the face of Chu Li as he said this, Xuan Hao could somewhat understand him, as the cultivation environment outside the core region was nowhere near the same as that of a kingdom located at the border of the Frozen Wasteland. 

Not to mention, the danger involved in being dispatched to the front lines was also obvious, as Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestors and Demon King Realm demonic cultivators had already clashed there not long ago. 

For any cultivator below the Celestial Immortal Realm, it would be a death sentence for them to encounter a demonic cultivator in the Demon King Realm. 

But… Considering the little clash that will take place between the demonic cultivators and the Blue Sea Empire over a certain space node stone mine in the near future, Xuan Hao doubted that the Blue Sea Empire would dispatch any of their people to the borders of the Frozen Wasteland to fight back demonic cultivators. 

Instead of that, it was far more likely that they would dedicate all of their strength towards keeping their own territory safe, as a large portion of their strongest cultivators would go to fight for the space node stone mine. 

With all of that in mind, there wasn't really anything for Chu Li to worry about, as he would almost certainly be staying inside the Blue Sea Empire even if his army ended up being the weakest of the four, as sending them out to face off demonic cultivators would just be sending them to their death at that point in time. 

No matter what kind of internal struggle the Blue Sea Empire might be going through at the moment, Xuan Hao didn't think it would be possible for them to continue that kind of internal infighting when their continued existence was on the line. 

If not, there would have been no way for the Blue Sea Empire to have continued existing for as long as it had. Instead, it would have long since become a part of history. 

"You don't have to worry too much about the situation and try to hasten a breakthrough to the Earth Immortal Realm. After all, a hastened breakthrough might result in you making mistakes and perishing to the final tribulation. 

The fact that you still haven't decided to go through it is admirable, but I fear that if you continue like this, you might end up trying to pass the tribulation before you are ready for it. Not to mention, your current state of mind is far from calm enough to face the last tribulation." 

With all of that in mind, Xuan Hao decided to advise Chu Li to the best of hist ability, so he didn't end up doing something dumb. 

After all, even though Chu Li could be considered strong for someone in the Soul Ascension Realm, he wasn't the strongest he had encountered in the Soul Ascension Realm, and he could tell that he would not be able to pass through the final tribulation before his Dao of Illusions broke through the final barrier. 

"This… I understand senior…" Showing a look of understanding as he heard what Xuan Hao said, Chu Li soon showed a somewhat defeated expression on his face. 

He understood what Xuan Hao said was true and that forcing a breakthrough to the Earth Immortal Realm would only harm himself and could very well cost him his life. 

But… He didn't want the East Sea Army to get dispatched to the frontlines, as that would mean that most of his friends might end up dead, while their enemies in the other three armies would gleefully watch from afar as the East Sea Army crumpled in the face of a constant onslaught of demonic cultivators. 

Even if it might take a few dozens or even a hundred years, the East Sea Army wouldn't be able to continue existing forever if they had to keep fending off the demonic cultivators without any rest. Especially considering that from past large-scale war with demonic cultivators, the conflicts dragged on for extended periods of time without anything major happening. 

During that last war, there had first been over a thousand years where the weaker cultivators below the Celestial Immortal Realm on both sides had clashed with each other. 

Of course, this time around, Demon King Realm demonic cultivators and Celestial Immortals were active from the start, but it was doubtful if it would escalate into a full-blown war at this point or quiet down and turn into a battle between weaker cultivators that would then continue for the next hundreds of years without anything major happening. 

No matter what, Chu Li didn't want to stand at the front lines no matter which of the two outcomes it was, one being a slow death, while the later would be a quick death at the hands of Demon King Realm demonic cultivator. 

"You don't have to worry so much about it. If I'm not wrong, the Blue Sea Empire won't be sending out any of its armies in the near future." 

Seeing the obvious fear, Xuan Hao decided to hint a bit at the trouble that would follow and likely prevent the four armies from leaving the territory of the Blue Sea Empire before he turned around and left. Feeling like he had helped Chu Li enough, what he ended up doing next would be up to himself 

"What do you- Huh? Senior?!" 

In the end, Chu Li was left stunned, as Xuan Hao left before he had a chance to say anything in response.

Chapter 1381: Elder Competition

Leaving behind Chu Li on his own after giving him some useful advice that might end up helping him not rush into the final tribulation and killing himself in the process, Xuan Hao left the Valley of Illusory Beasts that had seemingly returned to the same state as when he had first been there before moving towards the border of the Blue Sea Empire. 

Considering that it had now been some time since the overconfident Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire had left to investigate the situation of the space node stone mine, he was planning to take his leave before anything happened. Intending to use the long-distance teleportation technique to return to the Star Shattering Sect and prepare in case the demonic cultivators ended up launching an offensive against the kingdoms bordering the Blue Sea Empire. 

At the same time, he also made sure to contact Xuan Gui and asked her to inform him of the moment something happened. Giving him time to react in case the demonic cultivators really decided to make a move on the kingdoms and smaller empires between them and the blue Sea Empire. 

Of course, this did confuse Xuan Gui, but she decided not to ask about it and just guessed that it might be because the Blue Sea Empire was preparing to launch an attack towards the demonic cultivators in the Frozen Wasteland and he wanted to safeguard his sect in case the demonic cultivators responded. 

Not something unexpected, considering that quite a few of the major powers from the core region of the continent had begun to launch offensive campaigns against the demonic cultivators who had dared to attack them after they had recovered from the initial shock of the first attack. 

Never would she have guessed that this had nothing to do with an offensive campaign from the Blue Sea Empire but was instead because one of the Blue Sea Empire's Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestors would end up being stuck on the other side of the Frozen Wasteland without any way back to the blue Sea Empire. 

If she really knew about this. Given her hatred towards the Blue Sea Empire, she wouldn't have hesitated to inform her higher ups about the situation and possibly even join them in trying to kill this Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire before he could get any help. 

Even if this was a bit unrealistic considering how much weaker she was compared to a Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestor, she would at least be able to provide some support to the Demon King Realm demonic cultivators with her Peak Demon Lord Realm cultivation base. Especially if joined together in a formation with other Demon Lord Realm demonic cultivators… 

Unfortunately, none of this would end up happening, as Xuan Gui was instead more focused on the possible attack from the Blue Sea Empire that might end up taking place at any moment, as she decided to play things safe and retreat deeper into the Frozen Wasteland to avoid death in case a Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestor was leading the attack she suspected would take place after hearing what Xuan Hao said. 

Xuan Hao on the other hand… Smoothly moved to the border of the Blue Sea Empire after a few days of casual travel through the relatively peaceful Blue Sea Empire before using his long-distance teleportation technique to return to the sect without alerting anyone about the fact that he had even left in the first place. 

Of course, considering the large number of resources he had managed to secure this time around, Xuan Hao directly went to Elder Song before handing over close to a hundred top grade spirit stones along with dozens of Transcendent Grade Spiritual Herbs and Spiritual Metals. 

The most important space node stones that he had managed to steal from the demonic cultivators was something he kept for himself as there wasn't really anyone outside of him inside of the sect that could use it… And knowing the importance of teleportation formations for the future growth of the sect and easy movement between different important locations inside the sect's territory, Xuan Hao returned to Eighth Star Peak where the former home of the Half Spirit Race was located. 

Not to reminisce about the past, but instead to unravel the ancient teleportation formation that he had sealed off and hidden away inside of the former home of the Half Spirit Race before they became a part of the Star Shattering Sect. 

Planning to use it to try and learn how to make a teleportation formation himself. 

Of course, this kind of method was far slower than if he had something to guide him like a book on formations, but the Star Shattering Sect didn't have a book on teleportation formations and the only one he could think about that might have those kinds of formations inside of it, the one he was gifted by the old man from the Fallen Immortal archipelago, was still far too hard for him to read. 

Even after he entered the Dao of Formations and reached the Small Success Realm in the Dao of Formations, he couldn't read it. 

However, there was a bit of progress, giving him hope that he would be able to start reading some of the formations inside of it after his Dao of Formations managed to break through to the Large Success Realm. 

But… This was for the future and wouldn't be of any help to him at the moment, thus resulting in his current situation where he was carefully examining the ancient teleportation formation inside the former home of the Half Spirit Race, while at the same time keeping an eye on his communication talisman for any news from Xuan Gui in case the demonic cultivators decided on attacking. 

… 

Unaware of the possible danger that the sect might soon find itself in, Elder Song was quietly looking over the large number of precious spiritual herbs and metals that Xuan Hao had brought to him for use in strengthening the sect. 

"So many precious spiritual herbs and metals… I'm sure both alchemists and blacksmiths alike will be overjoyed when they learn about this, though… I do wonder where Xuan Hao managed to get his hands on all of these precious resources… Perhaps they were obtained during his last trip out of the sect?" 

Even if he understood Xuan Hao was powerful, he still found it surprising that he had managed to bring back so many things for the sect. Seemingly always coming back with a large number of things that would be useful in the development of the sect. 

"Oh well, if Xuan Hao is doing so much to help the sect grow stronger, its only right for me to work hard and ensure that the resources that he brings back are properly utilized! For these spiritual herbs and spiritual metals… It might be good to hold a competition for the elders for once instead of only the disciples. 

Maybe this will also encourage some of the elders in the Blacksmith Hall and the Alchemy Hall to work hard… Yes, it definitely will encourage them if I give them a few months to prepare- No! Not just a few months, I could split up the competition into several rounds split up over a year or two and have them continue working hard with the promise of Transcendent Grade Spiritual Herb or Spiritual Metal as a final reward! 

But… Preparation is needed for such a large competition and other rewards will also be needed. Haaa… Looks like I will have to work hard for the next few weeks if I want to ensure that the competition ends up being successful." 

As he slowly planned out a massive tournament that would involve all the elders of the Blacksmithing Hall and the Alchemy Hall, Elder Song soon felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him as he realized how much work he would have to do to make something like that work. 

After all, the blacksmithing hall and the alchemy hall were by far the largest profession-based halls in the entire Star Shattering Sect. 

Even if it only involved the elders, it would still be over a hundred people. 

But more importantly than that, it would serve as a way to inspire the younger generation, as Elder Song already planned for the competition to be watched by the younger disciples of the sect. Giving them a chance to learn from their seniors or to help spark an interest in them for joining the Blacksmithing Hall or the Alchemy Hall in the future. 

In a sense, the main goal of the competition in Elder Song's eyes slowly turned towards inspiring the younger generation of the sect to strive for improving themselves with the help of the elders who would do their best to both win the competition and show of their strength to the younger generation of the sect, something that any elder would want to do, as they wanted to be looked up to by the younger generation…

Chapter 1382: Confirming the Presence of the Space Node Stone Mine in person

At the same time Xuan Hao had returned to the Star Shattering Sect and handed over a large number of resources to Elder Song, the overconfident ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire who had given him all of those resources to begin with had successfully crossed through the Frozen Wasteland without encountering any problems along the way and was now hovering in the air a short distance away from the small kingdom that the space node stone mine was located inside of. 

"The space node stone mine mentioned by that explorer union member should be somewhere around here…" Muttering this to himself as he realized this, the overconfident elder adapted a slightly more cautious expression, as he began to slowly approach the small kingdom with the space node stone mine. 

Even though he had been confident in the face of Xuan Hao and talked about the demonic cultivators like they didn't even matter, he was clearly still cautious when potentially facing off against a Demon King Realm demonic cultivator. Especially so because he understood that it would be bad for him to get caught up in a battle with a Demon King Realm demonic cultivator so far away from the Blue Sea Empire. 

Not to mention being far away from the Blue Sea Empire, there was also the fact that his path of escape would take him straight through the Frozen Wasteland where more Demon King Realm demonic cultivators might be ready to jump on him the moment he appeared. 

Of course, given that he had decided to make the journey anyway, it was obvious that he was still confident in his ability to escape in such a situation. The main reason for his confidence being his comprehension of the Dao of Space that made it difficult for anyone of similar strength to catch him if he really wanted to escape. 

"Hm? A formation? And one capable of defending against Earth Immortal Realm cultivators… Looks like that person from the explorer union was correct in there being demonic cultivators around here… And for them to set up such a powerful formation, they are undoubtedly in possession of a space node stone mine!" 

Spotting the now stronger formation that had been erected following Xuan Hao destroyed the last formation, the overconfident ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire showed an overjoyed expression on his face. 

Not because he was happy to see the demonic cultivators or their formation, but instead because he understood that this signified that the information on the space node stone mine being there was most likely accurate. 

After all, if not for a space node stone mine, why would the demonic cultivators bother to set up such a powerful formation to guard a small kingdom on the outer edges of the continent where no resources could be found under normal circumstances? 

Swish~ 

With that in mind, the overconfident ancestor didn't bother wasting any time, as he directly appeared above the formation before casual pressing down towards the formation- 

RUUUUMBLE-! 

As a result, a giant palm made from spiritual qi manifest below him before descending towards the formation at a terrifying speed- 

BOOOM-! 

And before any of the demonic cultivators hidden away inside of the formation had any time to react, the formation effortlessly crumbled under the terrifying might of the palm. Revealing the space node stone mine that was still operating normally without showing any signs of having been stopped by Xuan Hao's earlier visit. 

"W-w-what is that!?" 

"Demon… A demon god is descending!" 

"Not again!" 

However, because of the formation suddenly being shattered, the people toiling away around the surface of the space node stone mine all turned to look up filled with both shock and fear. All of them clearly remembered a similar scene that had taken place a few weeks earlier. 

"WHO DARES!?" 

Rumble-! 

Not a second later, these weak mortals who were at most in the Qi Condensation Realm looked on with horror as the familiar figures of the two demon gods who had appeared back then reappeared above the space node stone mine filled with killing intent. 

Even though the killing intent was not directly directed towards them, it still caused a large number of the miners to faint on the spot, while a few unlucky ones were directly reduced to a bloody mist after being faced with a bit more of the killing intent than their weak mortal bodies could handle. 

As a result, the remaining survivors all began rushing back towards the mine with all the strength they could muster. Understanding from what had taken place a few weeks ago, that anyone who remained above ground would end up dead when the demon gods above began to rampage. 

Boom! 

Boom! 

However, before any of the mortals had a chance to escape underground for safety, they watched in both shock and terror, as the bodies of the two terrifying demon gods suddenly exploded midair before their blood suddenly froze and reformed into two terrified looking human figures. 

"S-senior, please spare us! We are subordinates of the great river demon k- AH!" 

BOOOM-! 

Without even giving these two reformed demon gods a chance to talk, they once again exploded into a bloody mist. However, this time, they didn't reform again and instead seemed to have died for real. 

Not just that, but as these mortals looked around themselves, they also discovered that the demons who had been watching over them and had been forcing them to work over the past few years, were dead. 

The only thing left behind in their place being an eerie pool of blood where they had been standing. 

"We… We are free…?" 

Not knowing how to react to suddenly regaining their freedom after having spent a large portion of their lives inside the mines under the orders of those demons, the mortals all looked up towards the sky filled with disbelief before quickly falling to their knees and praising the gods above for sending retribution down and killing those demons who had been tormenting them for the past few years. 

"Let's get out of here before those demons return!" 

"Yes! Now is our chance! I don't want to get caught by them again and forced to spend my life mining those strange stones for them!" 

In such a situation, it didn't take long before the first among them spoke up. Following which the rest all similar spoke of their desire to leave… And within the span of a few seconds, a few entered the mines to inform the rest about the situation, while most of them began rushing back home to pack what little belongings they had and fleeing the kingdom. 

All of them understood that they couldn't waste too much time, or they might end up getting caught and forced to the mines again. 

… 

"Looks like those mortals aren't too dumb… Oh well, I managed to confirm the presence of the space node stone mine. Now… How to take control of it…" Muttering this to himself as he gazed down at the mortal trying their best to flee the moment, they realized all the demons had been killed, the ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire soon focused his attention back on the important matter at hand. How to take control of the space node stone mine. 

Even though he had managed to kill off the demonic cultivators guarding the mine with relative ease, he understood that it wouldn't be a simple matter to take control of the mine. 

After all, even though it wasn't inside the Frozen Wasteland, it was not too far away from the Frozen Wasteland and would be difficult to take control of given that the Blue Sea Empire was separated from the mine by the Frozen Wasteland itself… And considering the current aggressive state of the Frozen Wasteland and other demonic cultivators around the continent, it would be even harder to take control of the space node stone mine, as this was a rare moment where demonic cultivators worked together. 

Even then, he didn't intend to give up on the space node stone mine. Instead, he began planning on how to prevent the demonic cultivators from mining. Intending to drag out the matter until the war with the demonic cultivators came to an end. 

Although it would take a few hundreds and possibly even a thousand years, it wasn't that long considering the age of a Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestor like himself… And if they could secure a space node stone mine later when the demonic cultivators were less unified, that would be a major benefit to the Blue Sea Empire. 

So, with that in mind, the ancestor turned around about to leave- 

"Hehe, do you think it will be that simple to run away after destroying my formation?" 

However, before he had the opportunity to leave, a massive figure appeared in front of him. Blocking his escape path, while at the same time using some kind of special artifact to restrict the space around him. Preventing him from using his Dao of Space. 

"Demon King… And a spatial restriction artifact…!"

Chapter 1383: Planned Ambush? (1)

Realizing the danger of the situation he found himself in upon seeing the spatial restriction artifact being activated, the ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire didn't panic, as he quickly took out a small jade and crushed it before engaging in battle with the Demon King Realm demonic cultivator. Instantly causing a brilliant wave of light to wash over him, as his aura seemed to jump to a new height. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

The battle that would normally have been one between equals soon enough ended up becoming a one-sided beating, as the strength of the Blue Sea Empire Ancestor was now stronger than his opponent by an entire minor realm. 

Before the Soul Ascension Realm, a single minor realm might not have mattered that much unless it was the difference between someone at the Peak of the Realm, but after one entered the Soul Ascension Realm. Even a single minor realm of difference would mean that it would be a one-sided battle in most circumstances. 

This was even more so the case when it came to the Celestial Immortal Realm, where, although not close to the Profound Immortal in terms of difference between minor realm, still allowed the Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire to easily dominate his opponent without the other party having the ability to fight back. 

This was no longer a battle between equals but had instead become one between a junior and a senior… 

"You- You forcibly suppressed your cultivation realm to keep it hidden!? You're not in the Early Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm, but instead the Middle Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm!?" 

As he suddenly found himself being one-sidedly beaten up, the Demon King Realm demonic cultivator could not help exclaiming in a somewhat shocked voice. Not having expected for the Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator that he had determined to be someone similar to himself in strength was actually someone at the Middle Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm. 

Normally, such a misunderstanding would have been impossible considering that it was relatively simple for him to sense whether or not the other party was in the Early or Middle Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm before he even attacked. 

The main problem and reason why he had failed to determine the strength of his opponent this time around was not because he had failed to examine his opponent before engaging him, but instead because the other party had used some kind special jade that masked his true cultivation realm. 

Even if this demonic cultivator wasn't the smartest amongst the demonic cultivators, he still understood the significance of something like this. 

From being the hunter, he had suddenly turned into the target, as he understood his opponent's intentions was not just to escape but had instead become to try and kill him before other Demon King Realm demonic cultivators could show up and lend him a hand! 

Damnit! I spend so much effort preparing for that cultivator who appeared last time around to show up again. Even exchanging for a spatial restriction artifact to prevent him from escaping by using the Dao of Space, but now…. Now it looks like I was the one who walked into a trap! This guy definitely planned all of this from the beginning! From his appearance and fast escape using the dao of space! 

Cursing silently to himself as he tried his best to fend off the Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestor of the Blue Sea Empire, the Demon King Realm demonic cultivator wholeheartedly believed that it was the person in front of him who had broken through his formation the last time around and that it was all a ruse to get him to confidently leave the Frozen Wasteland. 

If he had known about this person's strength beforehand, he would have never dared to leave the Frozen Wasteland on his own and would have instead sought help from more and from stronger demonic cultivators than himself. 

After all, the importance of killing a Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator at the Middle Stage of the Realm far exceed the importance of killing a normal Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator. The main reason for this being that only those who managed to reach the Middle Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm were qualified to be part of the battle between the strongest. 

Those who had only just managed to reach the Celestial Immortal Realm and hadn't made any progress after breaking through the realm simply weren't qualified to participate in the battle where the strongest on both sides would inevitably fight it out! 

As he thought about this, the demonic cultivator also realized that the only reason such a powerful figure had decided to appear in front on him was to both secure the space node stone mine and prevent the demonic cultivators from taking advantage of it, but also to kill him! 

I have to escape! 

Knowing that he stood no chance against the other party at this point in time, the Demon King Realm demonic cultivator didn't bother thinking about the space node stone mine any longer, as he directly turned to run while also informing the few demonic cultivators in the Demon King Realm that he was familiar with. 

Making sure to inform them not only about his location and the Middle Stage Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator currently trying to kill him, but also made sure to mention the existence of the space node stone mine. Understanding that there would be no way for him to continue monopolizing it with his own strength like he had been doing so far. 

At the same time also knowing that there would be no way to move those friends of his into action without mentioning the existence of the space node stone mine, as someone at the Middle Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm was not someone easy to face for those friends of his, as they would struggle in the same way he had without them working together to try and suppress this Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator.

Chapter 1384: Planned Ambush! (2)

Hm… Looks like he already contacted his friends about his current predicament. Although… Given the distance from the Frozen Wasteland, it will at least take them another hour or so to rush here. More than enough time to finish off this little one and take my leave. 

Seeing how the demon king took out his communication talisman and contacted his friends for help, the ancestor of the Blue Sea Empire wasn't the slightest bit worried, as he understood he had more than enough time to kill off the demonic cultivator who had now turned his full attention towards trying to escape from him after discovering his true strength. 

Rumble~! 

Unfortunately for this demonic cultivator, even if he might have an hour or so left before any new demonic cultivator appeared to assist, the ancestor of the Blue Sea Empire didn't intend on dragging things out, as he understood that there was still a very real chance that his presence would alert those stronger demonic cultivators inside the Frozen Wasteland. 

Even if he was confident in facing those weaker demon kings still at the early stage of the realm, which was also the reason he had dared to wander through the Frozen Wasteland and into the outer regions of the continent in such a dangerous period in time, he understood that he would not be able to escape if those stronger demonic cultivators appeared. 

Instead of him escaping, there was a very real chance of him being trapped and the following situation turning out like Xuan Hao had wanted it to turn out with the Celestial Immortal Ancestors of the Blue Sea Empire rushing over to assist and the battle between the top figures among demonic cultivators and the Blue Sea Empire escalating beyond the point of no return. 

A situation that would almost certainly result in the Blue Sea Empire losing some of their Celestial Immortals due to the simple fact that they had to pass through the Frozen Wasteland to leave and the number of Demon King Realm demonic cultivators inside the Frozen Wasteland far exceeded that of the Celestial Immortals inside the Blue Sea Empire. At least on the surface from what both sides had shown so far. 

These two ancient forces that had existed for tens of thousands of years- Even a hundred thousand years had deep foundations that far surpassed the little power they showed on the surface. 

For example, the Middle Stage Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator currently in the process of beating the Demon King Realm demonic cultivator trying to escape senseless was one such hidden power of the Blue Sea Empire, though, not completely hidden, as he was still well known. The hidden thing being that his strength was at the Middel Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm. Not the early stage of the realm… 

I'm… I'm going to die…? 

As the battle raged on for another five minutes and the surrounding kingdoms or other unfortunate powers had long since been reduced to dust by the terrifying shockwaves produced when the two clashed with each other, the demonic cultivator finally felt a sense of fear wash over him, as he realized that he might actually end up dying today. 

Considering that he was someone in the Demon King Realm and had already lived for over ten thousand years and expected to live far longer than that in the future, the sudden threat of death cutting his dreams short was unimaginably terrifying. 

Even with the war between the normal cultivator and demonic cultivators starting and different demon kings being dispatched to fight the celestial immortals on the other side, he had never really felt a real sense of fear before, as most of those battles hadn't ever been against someone, he thought strong enough to kill him. 

"AAAaaaah!" 

As his mentality faltered for a split second while fending off the Ancestor of the Blue Sea Empire, the demonic cultivator found himself suddenly plummeting towards the ground rapidly while painful clutching his head as a black smoke suddenly began oozing out from his falling body. Leaving behind a trail of black smoke. 

"Complete Demonic Possession…" 

Seeing what happened to the demonic cultivator as he was engulfed in a ball of pitch-black smoke, the Ancestor of the Blue Sea Empire paused for a second as a somewhat fearful expression appeared on his face before ultimately rushing down after the demonic cultivator to finish him off. 

The reason for this being that he understood that if delayed for too long, the demonic cultivator would be able to complete what he had ended up starting- 

Swish-! 

Using all of his strength to forcibly increase his speed at this moment the ancestor of the Blue Sea Empire reached the demonic cultivator just when his now closed eyes began quivering ever so slightly, like they would open at any moment- 

Ptsh-! 

And without any hesitation he used all of his strength to cut through and destroy the body of the demonic cultivator before he managed to finish what he was doing. Killing him with what seemed to be a simple move, but in reality, the Ancestor had used everything he had for that simple attack. Not wanting the demonic cultivator to finish his little transformation as he understood what that would mean for him and his chances of escaping his current situation alive. 

"To think he actually ended up trying a complete demonic possession… Doesn't he know that doing so is far worse than dying?" Muttering to himself as he looked down at the dead body of the demonic cultivator who had been a powerful Demon King not long ago, the Ancestor of the Blue Sea Empire glanced back in the direction of the space node stone mine before leaving the place together with the interspatial ring of the demonic cultivator and the spatial restriction artifact. 

Just in terms of what he had managed to gain from killing this demonic cultivator in the Demon King Realm, he had more than made up for the resources that had been used to buy the information on the space node stone mine. 

Unfortunately, the Blue Sea Empire wouldn't be able to take control of the space node stone mine at the moment due to the situation with the demonic cultivators all across the continent and the fact that they had to remain on high alert at all times and couldn't spare dispatching enough forces to defend this space node stone mine. 

But… Even if mining it at the moment was impossible, it wasn't that hard for them to prevent the demonic cultivators from making use of the space node stone mine…

Chapter 1385: Confused

As the situation with the space node stone was pretty much resolved for now, the ancestor of the Blue Sea Empire didn't continue lingering around the outer regions, as he immediately made his way back towards the Blue Sea Empire without wasting a second. Understanding that continuing to stay in the outer regions of the continent would only end up endangering him, as killed a single demonic cultivator in the Demon King Realm should have already ended up alerting some of the stronger demonic cultivators to his presence. 

Luckily for him, now that he was no longer restricted by the spatial artifact that the now dead demonic cultivator had used on him, he could make full use of his comprehension of the Dao of Space to rapidly leave the area before anyone arrived to stop him. 

All of this was not at all what Xuan Hao had expected to happen when he sold the information to the blue Sea Empire, as he had never expected that the person who went to check out the potential space node stone mine to actually be someone in the Middle Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm proficient in the Dao of Space. 

Not just that, but this person had even managed to kill the demonic cultivator in the Demon King Realm that he had been worried about. Completely changing things up, as the Blue Sea Empire not only didn't lose anything from this exchange, but instead only managed to gain something. 

After all, even if a space node stone mine by itself was already something precious, it couldn't be utilized at the moment. 

Killing a demonic cultivator at the Demon King Realm on the other hand was something that not only showed off the Blue Sea Empire's strength, but also weakened the demonic cultivators of the Frozen Wasteland significantly. After all, a demonic cultivator at the Demon King Realm was a significant figure inside the Frozen Wasteland. 

In the end, everything concluded without the Blue Sea Empire losing anything and only the demonic cultivators of the Frozen Wasteland being the ones who ended up taking a significant loss from the entire ordeal. 

None of this was what Xuan Hao wanted to see happen, but he was none the wiser, as he was currently in the process of trying to understand the ancient teleportation formation on the Eighth Star Peak, while also waiting for any news regarding the Blue Sea Empire and their ancestors moving out to rescue a struggling ancestor. 

At the same time, the Star Shattering Sect had also begun to prepare for a potential massive demonic cultivator attack that was not going to come any time soon. 

Of course, it wasn't entirely wasted effort, as the demonic cultivators would still remain a constant threat, and the Star Shattering Sect did have to make at least some preparations in case a major attack did end up taking place. 

Not to mention, even if the demonic cultivators didn't end up posing any threat to the Star Shattering Sect in the future, they would still have to be prepared to guard against other major powers like the Blue Sea Empire in case they ended up targeting the Star Shattering Sect, thus further justifying the sect strengthening its borders and dispatching more of their elders to guard the area. 

Also giving these elders of the sect, a good chance to familiarize themselves with the new borders of the sect in the process. 

… 

"Nothing is happening… Did the ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire perhaps sense the danger and managed to escape before getting blocked from escaping by the demonic cultivators?" 

As a little over a week passed since he had returned back to the sect and started researching the ancient teleportation formation in an attempt to figure out how to make a teleportation formation of his own, Xuan Hao found himself standing up with a somewhat confused expression on his face. Not understanding why, he didn't get any news about something major happening in the Blue Sea Empire nor any news from the Xuan Gui about something major happening among the demonic cultivators. 

On the surface, it seemed like nothing had happened in the past week. However, he understood that at this point in time, the ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire that had gone to investigate the authenticity of the space node mine should have clashed with the suspected Demon King Realm demonic cultivator that he suspected to have been in control of the space node stone mine. 

"Unless… The space node stone mine wasn't under the control of a Demon King Realm demonic cultivator, but instead a group of Demon Lord Realm demonic cultivators. Although unlikely, it is possible…" Muttering this to himself as he came up with another reason why the nothing might have happened, Xuan Hao could not help feeling a bit regretful about selling the information on the space node stone to the Blue Sea Empire. 

After all, if it was really controlled by a group of Demon Lord Realm demonic cultivators instead of a Demon King Realm demonic cultivator, he might have stood a chance trying to take control of the mine with his current strength. 

But then again… It would still be really risky, as he didn't really know much about the rest of the Demon Lord Realm demonic cultivators who might be part of the group potentially in control of the space node stone mine. 

"Haaa… Even if I wanted to take control of it, it looks like it wouldn't be that easy to accomplish. Selling the information to the Blue Sea Empire at least guarantees that I can get something out of it. Not to mention, the mine is on the other side of the Frozen Wasteland and will be difficult to make use of before the war with the demonic cultivators is over. 

By the time that the war ends, I should have become stronger and might even stand a chance of taking control of that mine!" Narrowing both his eyes as he said this to himself, Xuan Hao soon shook his head before turning his attention back towards the ancient teleportation formation in front of him.

Chapter 1386: Excitement Building

During the week or so he had spent trying to understand the ancient teleportation formation, he did have some success due to his already high understanding of the Dao of space and Dao of Formations. Even if his comprehension of the Dao of Formations was not the same level as the one who had set up the ancient teleportation formation, it at least allowed him to get a general understanding of how the formation worked. Allowing him to create an experimental teleportation formation that could move him a few dozen meters with the help of the space node stones acting as core for the experimental teleportation formation. 

Although far from being capable of helping the Star Shattering Sect move between the Shattered Star Peaks and the borders of the sect's territory, it at the very least showed that he was capable of creating a teleportation formation. Making Xuan Hao feel even more invigorated to continue researching how to improve his newly created teleportation formation and make it capable of moving longer distances. 

The only unfortunate thing when it came to the experimental teleportation formation was the fact that he realized that it would be impossible to move it without destroying the space node stone he had used for its construction. 

In a sense, it made sense as the teleportation formation itself was fixed in the location it was built. Fully stabilizing the space around it using the space node stone as an anchor. Moving it was possible to some extent, but the anchor, the space node stone, would be destroyed as a result. 

Considering that he didn't have an unlimited supply of space node stones on him, he didn't intend on using too many of them trying to experiment by constructing new teleportation formations. Even if it was useful in speeding up his understanding of teleportation formations, it wouldn't really matter that much if he didn't have any space node stones left by the time he finished understanding how to construct a teleportation formation that could connect to locations farther apart than the few dozen or so meters the one he had already constructed could. 

"Haaa… Still have a long way to go before that will happen…" Muttering this to himself as he looked down at his experimental teleportation formation, Xuan Hao activated it once again and walked through it, as he began to deepen his understanding of the spatial semi-permanent spatial passage that had been created to connect the two experimental teleportation formation. 

... 

At the same time that Xuan Hao decided to focus his attention back on the understanding how to construct teleportation formation that could help the disciples and elders of the sect move more than a few dozen meters, Elder Song began to officially announce the competition to the elders of the sect. Almost instantly causing the excitement of the elders to soar, as they all did their best to lend Elder Song a hand, while those from the Alchemy Hall and Blacksmithing Hall all began preparing for the competition. 

No matter which of these elders it was, none of them wanted to look bad in front of the younger generation of the sect, as they all wanted to show off in front of these younger disciples and make a name for them. Especially so because they had also learnt about the rich rewards for winning the competition. 

To make things even more exciting, Pei Yang decided to join in and personally help guide the Alchemy Elders of the sect. Making the elders work even harder at improving themselves before the competition began. 

Unfortunately for the blacksmithing elders, the Blacksmithing Hall of the sect didn't have anyone as skilled as Pei Yang, but that didn't discourage them, but instead motivated them even more, some of them even feeling shameless enough to go and beg Bai Ning for help, as he was the most skilled in the Dao of Blacksmithing in the Star Shattering Sect if not counting Xuan Hao and Yi Min. 

Even if some of them did feel confident enough to go and ask Xuan Hao and Yi Min for help, they couldn't find either of them even if they wanted to. 

Xuan Hao being busy with understanding the teleportation formations and not accepting any request for help unless it pertained his disciples or something important happening to the sect, while Yi Min was absorbed in her own cultivation. Fearing that she would end up falling behind after seeing the rapid progress of the Star Shattering Sect's elders. 

In turn, she had also discovered the reason for this rapid increase in strength, the Dao Enlightenment Monument inside the sect's library and the high-quality spiritual qi inside the sect itself. 

Because of this, Yi Min, who would normally spend all of her time inside her own kingdom, had secretly come to the Star Shattering Sect to cultivate and improve her strength with the help of the Dao Enlightenment Monument. 

After all, even though the Dao Enlightenment Monument was mainly for those trying to reach and already in the Domain Lord Realm, it was still useful to those in the Soul Ascension Realm and the Dao Seed Realm. 

Of course, the help was limited compared to those trying to or already in the Domain Lord Realm, but it was nonetheless still extremely useful to them and their cultivation. 

As for guarding the area around the Iron Sky Kingdom that stood as an important barrier between the Star Shattering Sect and the chaotic region of the former Sky Empire… The rabbit demon beast had been promoted to guard the area together with his human subordinate. 

Not something that the rabbit demon beast had anything against, as it was given a monthly supply of spirit stones, while at the same time getting to rule an entire kingdom. Earning the respect and fear of all the people from the Iron Sky Kingdom who saw it. Making its arrogance reach a new heigh as it saw itself as the new ruler of the Iron Sky Kingdom. Unwilling to give up any of its power, something Yi Min would have to deal with personally when she returned to her kingdom in the future and attempted to take back control… 

released through mobile as pc site is down, might be some space mistakes between paragraphs, will be fixed later when inkstone wants to work on PC again...

Chapter 1387: Someone Not Suspicious

"A competition for Blacksmithing and Alchemy? How interesting…" 

Sitting down inside a small pavilion, an older woman who had just recently arrived inside the Falling Star City swallowed her cup of tea in a single gulp as she muttered this to herself while looking towards a group of elders from the Star Shattering Sect sitting a short distance away from her enjoying themselves while also chatting with each other about the upcoming competition for the sect's alchemist and blacksmithing elders. 

The old woman didn't intend on listening in on their conversation and had just happened to overhear what they were talking about due to her rather impressive cultivation base that had reached the later stages of the Domain Lord Realm. 

Even if she didn't intend on listening to this group of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, there wasn't really any way for her to avoid what they were saying, as the group wasn't really trying to hide what they were saying in the first place. 

Of course, the fact that the subject of their conversation was something that interested her only made her far more interested, as she began listening in on more details regarding this competition… 

"Transcendent Grade Spiritual Herbs or Metals? Guidance of a Grandmaster Realm Alchemist? Wha-what in the world!?" 

And in the end, her mild interest in the Star Shattering Sect's competition soon turned into shock as she continued listening to the group of elders talking about the different prizes that had been announced for the competition. 

However, out of everything, the most shocking thing she heard about was not the Transcendent Grade rewards, but instead the fact that there seemed to be a Grandmaster Realm Alchemist in the Star Shattering Sect. 

Not just that, but this Grandmaster Alchemist seemed to be personally helping out the alchemist elders of the sect in preparing for the competition. 

Considering that she had only recently found herself in the territory of the Star Shattering Sect and was considered a wandering cultivator who had spent her entire life travelling around the continent and understood a lot of things normal Domain Lord Realm cultivator wouldn't, she also understood just how terrifying a Grandmaster Realm Alchemist was. 

Even in the major empires controlling the core region of the continent, such an existence would often hold power comparable to those powerful existences in the Earth Immortal Realm. 

To encounter someone like that in an area that she herself had considered rather remote was a shocking thing. Especially because it seemed like this Grandmaster Realm Alchemist wasn't the peak figure of this Star Shattering Sect from what she could tell when listening to the group of elders of the Star Shattering Sect talking about him. 

A Grandmaster Realm Alchemist is not the sect head in such a remote region… Just what kind of sect is this Star Shattering Sect…? 

Filled with both curiosity and fear when faced with the unknown, the old wandering cultivator could not stop herself as she began asking around about the Star Shattering Sect to learn more of this mysterious sect and satisfy her curiosity. 

Luckily, the people in the Falling Star City were more than happy to talk about the Star Shattering Sect. 

Unfortunately, the information that was given didn't help her that much and only made her more curious about the Star Shattering Sect that seemed to be completely different from any of the other kingdoms, empires or sects in the region. 

In the end, it didn't take long before she found herself in front of the path leading up the Ninth Star Peak and into the Star Shattering Sect. 

However, she didn't dare to try and enter the Star Shattering Sect, as she spotted two people at the Peak of the Nascent soul Realm guarding the path chatting with someone who seemed to be at the earlier stages of the Domain Lord Realm. 

Even if she did manage to sneak past these people, she doubted that a powerful sect like the Star Shattering Sect didn't have some kind of guardian formation in place to protect the sect. Especially considering that the rumored strongest experts in the Star Shattering Sect had reached the Soul Ascension Realm. 

No matter how brave she might be, there was no way she felt confident in facing off against someone in the Soul Ascension Ream. 

She knew full well from having seen Soul Ascension Realm cultivators fighting in the past, that she was nowhere near them in terms of strength. 

On the other hand, her presence so close to the main entrance of the Star Shattering Sect might have already drawn the attention of the Soul Ascension Ream cultivator or cultivators inside the Star Shattering Sect. 

Sneaking into the sect was not an option, so, if she wanted to learn more about the Star Shattering Sect, there was only one option left- 

"Hello, I'm a wandering cultivator and I was wondering if it would be fine for me to get a chance to look around- Ah! Of course, I'm not suspicious or anything! I just wanted to see your sect because it's by far the strongest one I encountered so far considering that most of the powerful forces on the continent are kingdoms or empires. Finding a powerful sect like the Star Shattering Sect is near impossible!" 

And that was to go right up to the two Nascent Soul Realm elders and the single Domain Lord Realm elder guarding the path into the sect and asking if she could take a look around, while doing her absolute best to not sound like someone suspicious. 

"""…""" 

Unfortunately for her, she didn't really succeed in not sounding suspicious, as all three of them looked over at her filled with suspicion. 

"This… I mean, I just wanted to see what your sect looks like, its fine if I can't!" Feeling the suspicious gazes of the three elders of the Star Shattering Sect, the old wandering cultivator quickly did her best to defend herself. Feeling like she might get attacked if she didn't do so…

Chapter 1388: Someone Definitely Not Suspicious

Feeling like the three elders now looked at her with even more suspension than before, the old wandering cultivator could not help cursing at herself for her bright idea of going up and asking to look around the Star Shattering Sect. 

Although this was pretty harmless on the surface, she just now remembered that the Star Shattering Sect was a bit different from the other sects that she had encountered so far. 

Even if they were easy to contact and becoming a member of one of their branch sects would be simple, the main sect of the Star Shattering Sect located at the Shattered Star Peaks was shrouded in a veil of mystery and little information about it ever leaked outside. 

The only real thing she knew about the Shattered Star Peaks was from information about the place before the Star Shattering Sect had taken over the place, a time when the Shattered Star Peaks was hard to live in and the only really useful locations were the Ninth Star Peak where spiritual herbs grew and the Third Star Peak where people went to undergo a death cultivation to try and reach the Nascent Soul Realm. 

The Third Star Peak didn't change a lot, and people still went there to undergo death cultivation when their lifespan as Core Formation Realm cultivators were about to run out. However, different from the past, the Third Star Peak now seemed better than in the past. 

Not only had the Star Shattering Sect upgraded the place and made it easier for those going there, but those breaking through the Nascent Soul Realm would also have a chance to officially enter the Star Shattering Sect. 

Of course, the status of those entering the Star Shattering Sect in this manner changed along with the growth of the Star Shattering Sect. 

She had originally intended to check out the Third Star Peak first, but ended up deciding against it, as she learnt that the entire Third Star Peak was blocked off by some kind of barrier that prevented those on the Third Star Peak from looking into the interior of the Shattered Star Peak, while also stopping anyone from wandering into the Shattered Star Peaks through the Third Star Peak. 

In the end, this was what caused her to end up in her current situation where she was being looked at rather suspiciously by the three Star Shattering Sect elders. 

"Ehm… Might I ask if you know anyone in the Star Shattering Sect or just want to take a look around?" 

In the end, as the silence lasted for a little over ten seconds with nobody saying anything, the Domain Lord Realm Elder spoke up to break the silence, causing her to breath a sigh of relief. Not just because the silence was broken, but also because she could sense that the elder from the Star Shattering Sect wasn't hostile towards her. 

Not just that, but from his words, she saw that she might actually have an opportunity to look around the Star Shattering Sect, something she had not expected to get given that the Star Shattering Sect didn't seem to easily allow others inside their sect outside of those belonging to different powers that submitted to the Star Shattering sect and even then, only those more powerful among them. 

Forgetting the fact that she herself was rather powerful as someone in the Later Stages of the Domain Lord Realm. Even inside the Star Shattering Sect, she could be considered among the strongest people in the sect. 

"I don't know anyone in the Star Shattering Sect and just want to look around!" 

So, without remembering how strong she was, the wandering cultivator excitedly responded to the Domain Lord Realm Elder, causing him to frown slightly before taking out a communication talisman to contact someone. 

Seeing this happen, the older wandering cultivator showed an excited expression on her face. Understanding that the elder should be contacting a senior in the sect about the situation. 

Doing something like that at the very least meant that the three elders of the Star Shattering Sect didn't view her as an enemy, something positive, as it meant she wouldn't end up attacked by the Star Shattering Sect, something she had experienced in the past when asking a similar question. 

The only difference being that the place she was asking to enter back then was some kind of imperial palace she had grown curious about after hearing about the place through rumors about how magical and mysterious it was- 

"Do you want to visit the Star Shattering Sect because you want to become a member of the Star Shattering or is considering becoming a member of the sect?" 

Interrupting her thoughts at this moment, the Domain Lord Realm Elder suddenly stepped forward and asked her this with a somewhat serious expression on his face for the first time since she had seen him. 

"Huh? Joining the Star Shattering Sect? Mabe… I guess?" Hearing what the elder said, she showed a somewhat confused expression as she said this. 

Joining the Star Shattering Sect was not something she intended to do, but if it was as good as she heard, she wouldn't really mind joining the Star Shattering Sect, as she had been looking for a place to settle down now that she was starting to become old. 

Not to mention, with the recent surge in demonic cultivators, it would be far safer for her to join a strong power and hide with them, as heading to the core region wasn't really something she wanted to do. Having done so in the past and faced no small number of life and death situation in the short time she was there. 

"I see… you can enter the Star Shattering Sect and look around, but it will be under the guidance of an elder. Wait a bit and someone will come to act as the guide." 

Nodding his head in response to the old wandering cultivator and what she said, the Domain Lord Realm Elder took out his communication talisman and contacted someone before putting it away. 

Leaving the old wandering cultivator overjoyed that she had actually managed to succeed in being able to enter the mysterious main sect of the Star Shattering Sect.

Chapter 1389: Exploring the Star Shattering Sect (1)

Feeling overjoyed that she would actually get a chance to enter this mysterious sect instead of ending up being chased away like she had experienced so many times in the past whenever she attempted to get into some of the interesting locations she encountered during her travels, the older wandering cultivator smiled from ear to ear to herself before finding a place to sit down not too far away from the three elders who continued their conversation after having finished talking with her. 

Although they did glance in her direction from time to time, she didn't mind this and just focused on the path leading up the Ninth Star Peak where the one who would be guiding her was going to come from. 

She did try and see if she could see the Ninth Star Peak with her divine sense during all of this, but quickly realized that whenever she tried to look past where the three elders of the Star Shattering Sect were standing and chatting with each other, the path would quickly get covered in a mist that made it impossible for her divine sense to advance more than a few meters up the mountain. 

Looking up the mountain without using her divine sense, she could see further, as only the area around the peak of the mountain seemed to be covered in a thin mist. 

An illusion formation of some kind and a quite advanced one… Perhaps this is part of the Star Shattering Sect's guardian formation? How awesome! 

Narrowing both of her eyes with interest as she thought about this, she only felt more interested in the Star Shattering Sect upon being faced with the terrifying might of the chaotic qi formation that seemed to have completely blurred her vision and made it impossible for her to see anything inside the Star Shattering Sect with her powerful divine sense. 

Even if the Star Shattering Sect did have someone at the Soul Ascension Realm, she also clearly understood that this didn't mean that they would automatically have someone skilled in the Dao of Formations. Understanding that someone like that was incredibly rare. Especially someone capable of laying down a formation that surpassed the Domain Lord Realm. 

"Hello! Are you the one who wants to have a look around before considering joining the sect?" 

Just as she was lost in her own thoughts thinking about the powerful guardian formation that surrounded the Shattered Star Peaks, a cheerful voice woke her up, as she turned to look at a petite woman standing beside the three elders looking at her with a happy smile on her face. 

However, that was not important. Instead, it was the fact that she could clearly tell that this woman shouldn't be over the age of hundred but was actually at the Second Stage of the Domain Lord Realm! 

Even if placed in the core region of the continent, such talent would warrant the utmost care from those major powers. For someone like that to appear in the Star Shattering Sect that should just have been a smaller power far away from the core region… 

Is the Star Shattering Sect perhaps one of those hidden sects I heard about in the past? But if that's the case, it's likely that they are far stronger than even some of the major powers in the core region of the continent! 

Knowing far more about the world compared to a certain someone from an independent sect, the older wandering cultivator could not help feeling a shiver run down her spine as she realized that she might be about to enter a legendary hidden sect. 

Even though she did know some bits a pieces about hidden sect from her many years travelling the continent, one thing was certain… And that was the fact that even the major powers at the core of the continent feared them to some extent. 

She had no idea about the reason for this but guessed that it should be because these hidden sects possessed strength comparable and possibly stronger than those major powers at the core of the continent. 

Although normally something that others might find hard to believe given the dominance of those major powers, she understood that there were a lot of things unknown and hidden throughout the continent and she had encountered no small number of weird things that couldn't normally be explained during her time wandering the continent. 

For one, before she found herself in the territory of the Star Shattering Sect after having wandered into some kind of ancient teleportation formation by accident, she had travelled through some kind of weird cultish kingdom that revered some kind of stone construct as a god. 

Even weirder, she had personally witnessed that strange stone construct fighting and killing someone in the Earth Immortal Realm. Turning it into one of the rare moments where she had witnessed the power of someone in the Earth Immortal Realm. 

Even if it was a bit lack luster considering that the stone construct directly slapped the Earth Immortal to death in a single move. 

Hopefully, I won't have to go back to that weird kingdom ever again… AH! I FORGOT ABOUT THE ELDER! 

Shaking her head as she reminiscence about what had happened a bit before she found herself in the Star Shattering Sect's territory, she suddenly realized that the elder from the Star Shattering Sect had asked her a question a short and now rather long time ago… 

"…" 

And turning to look over, she noticed the petite elder looking over at her with a somewhat worried expression on her face. Clearly thinking that something might have happened to her. 

Not again… 

"I-I'm sorry for my lack of answer earlier elder, I was just a bit lost in my own thoughts, but I do hope to enter the Star Shattering Sect for a look around." Doing her best to apologize, she made sure to also say that she reaaaally wanted to enter the Star Shattering Sect for a look around the sect. 

"This… Don't worry about it, you can follow me, and we can take a look around the sect together. By the way, my name is Shen Xuefeng, you can just call me Xuefeng if you want." 

"Thank you! My Name is Shu Yin, or Shushu, a lot of people call me Shushu, so you can call me that as well if you want to, or just Yin? No… That sounds a bit weird… Yin'er? No not my parents… Ehm, ah… Sorry…" Realizing that she was going a bit off into her own world as she responded to what Shen Xuefeng said, Shu Yin quickly apologized again before quietly moving over to follow behind Shen Xuefeng. 

"…" 

Who didn't really know how to answer this rather eccentric older cultivator. Especially considering that she was someone at the Later Stages of the Domain Lord Realm and should be well into her years but acted like someone even younger than her. 

In the end, she didn't really mind, as it would be a good thing in the end if the Star Shattering Sect could recruit such a powerful Domain Lord Realm cultivator, as the sect was still lacking in terms of Domain Lord Realm cultivators, something that was unfortunate but couldn't be helped with the recent expansion of the sect. 

A Domain Lord Realm cultivator in the later stages of the Realm would be incredibly useful to the current Star Shattering Sect. Not just because they would be good at teaching the younger disciples of the sect, but also because they would have far more experience in the Domain Lord Realm and would be able to help the elders of the sect who just recently broke through to the Domain Lord Realm. 

Even if Xuan Hao and Pei Yang could help these elders with getting familiar with their new strength and teach them about the Domain Lord Realm, their time was ultimately limited, and they couldn't help out all of the Domain Lord Realm cultivators of the sect. Especially considering that the number of Domain Lord Realm cultivators had been growing with each passing month. 

More senior Domain Lord Realm Experts were needed, and this eccentric wandering cultivator just so happened to fit in with what the Star Shattering Sect was currently lacking. 

Even more so because it was a wandering cultivator who didn't have any previous loyalties. 

Of course, there was a chance that this person was lying to get into the Star Shattering Sect, but Shen Xuefeng highly doubted this considering the way she was acting. 

If she really was trying to enter the Star Shattering Sect, she would have acted in a far more normal manner than what she had been doing so far. Especially considering that Shen Xuefeng wondered if this eccentric behavior might be enough to get Elder Song to refuse her joining the sect… 

At least… It seemed like she wasn't a spy in any way from what Shen Xuefeng could tell of her brief interaction with her so far…

Chapter 1390: Exploring the Star Shattering Sect (2)

Wow… So, this is the Ninth Star Peak that I heard about earlier?! I never imagined there to be so many spiritual herbs in a single location and all of them are high quality as well! 

Arriving at the Ninth Star Peak following behind Shen Xuefeng, the older wandering cultivator, Shu Yin, let out an amazed sound as she couldn't stop looking at the different spiritual herb fields that covered the Ninth Star Peak. 

Even as someone at the Later Stages of the Domain Lord Realm, she felt tempted by the large number of spiritual herbs present, but of course, she understood that these spiritual herbs were grown by the Star Shattering Sect and was thus theirs. 

If she really took a few of those spiritual herbs she would end up stealing from the Star Shattering Sect. Not something she wanted to do. 

So, even if her instincts as a wandering cultivator who rarely encountered so many spiritual herbs called out for her to take away as many as possible before running away, she managed to restrain herself and obediently follow behind Shen Xuefeng as they made their way through the spiritual herb field. 

In the process, Shu Yin also managed to encounter a few of the sect's elders and disciples who were currently in the process of building the few buildings on top of the Ninth Star Peak that would hold the elders and disciples taking care of and harvesting the sect's spiritual herbs. 

Because of this, she also got her first glimpse of how strong the Star Shattering Sect was outside of just those few people she had encountered at the entrance to the sect… And she was a bit taken aback, as the strength of the disciples far surpassed what she had expected. 

Even the elders were different compared to what she had thought, as most of the ones she encountered seemed to be on the younger side when it came to being in the Domain Lord Realm, while those at the Nascent Soul Realm seemed to all have the potential of reaching the Domain Lord Realm in the future. 

Although she did not end up encountering anyone stronger than the earlier stages of the Domain Lord Realm, she didn't find this odd, as she believed that it was normal for the stronger and more senior elders of the sect to be in seclusion and not wander around the sect like those she had encountered so far. 

If she wanted to encounter any of the Soul Ascension Realm or stronger elders that she believed the Star Shattering Sect to have, she would definitely have to go to the core area of the sect, something that she hoped to be able to visit, but at the same time also feared visiting, as she understood that she might end up accidentally pissing off one of these powerful elders. 

Outside of that, she had also heard some of the elders of the sect chatting about a title above that of elders called ancestors, though it was normal considering that any power would have ancestors that were considered the pinnacle power to some extent. Compromising of all the senior experts that had retired to focus entirely on cultivating. 

The thing she focused on when it came to those ancestors was the fact that the elders talked about the minimum requirements to becoming an ancestor was to reach the Dao Seed Realm. 

Although she thought of herself as knowledgeable, having spent a majority of her life travelling around the continent, she had never heard about the Dao Seed Realm that the elders of the Star Shattering Sect casually mentioned while talking amongst each other. 

Dao Seed Realm… I know about the Earth Immortal Realm, the Celestial Immortal Realm and even the legendary Profound Immortal Realm, but I have never heard anything about this Dao Seed Realm. Don't tell me... Is it perhaps the realm above the Profound Immortal Realm!? 

How terrifying… If the Star Shattering Sect has ancestors above the Profound Immortal Realm and Celestial Immortal Realm, it's no wonder why major empires like the Blue Sea Empire would be so terrified of them! Indeed, a hidden sect is far scarier than I imagined. The strength of the disciples and younger elders I have seen so far should only be the younger generation of the sect, I still haven't seen anyone from the senior generation! 

As she began drawing her own conclusions about the Dao Seed Realm that the different elders of the Star Shattering Sect were talking about, Shu Yin could not help feeling a shiver run down her spine. Realizing that any mistake she made while walking around the Star Shattering Sect might end up costing her, her life… 

At the same time, Shen Xuefeng walking in front of Shu Yin could not help glancing over at the weird wandering cultivating that she was walking through the sect. 

From the start, this fellow had acted weird… 

Just a few seconds ago, she had been eyeing the spiritual herbs of the sect greedily like she was about to jump forward and try to steal them, while the next second, she was following closely behind her with a fearful expression plastered all over her face as she kept looking around herself and at the different elders and disciples passing by them. 

At this point in time, the different elders and disciples walking past them had even begun to look weirdly at them. Clearly thinking that something might be wrong with Shu Yin with how she was looking all over the place. 

Is it really alright to have someone like this join the sect? 

Thinking this to herself as she let the older wandering cultivator down the Ninth Star Peak after passing through the spiritual herb fields, Shen Xuefeng was just about to say something to try and calm this wandering cultivator, when she suddenly noticed that she seemed to have completely calmed herself at some point in time. Returning to her normal surprised and amazed expression. 

Weird, this woman is weird… 

Shaking her head as she thought about this, Shen Xuefeng decided to not think about it anymore, as she just decided to continue moving through the sect with Shu Yin following behind her. 

Even if that woman was somewhat of an oddball when compared to any of the other wandering cultivators who wanted to join the Star Shattering Sect since it had grown rapidly over the past few years, it was true that her strength was at the Later Stages of the Domain Lord Relam and would be extremely useful to the Star Shattering Sect. 

Even if she was a bit on the weirder side, it could be ignored as long as she would prove useful to the growth of the Star Shattering Sect. At least that was the case when it came to the way Elder Song would look at her. 

All Elder Song would care about was whether or not she would help the growth of the Star Shattering Sect or harm it by joining, as long as she helped the sect and didn't harm it. Anything would be fine in the eyes of Elder Song. 

Of course, she would still have to pass through a few examinations and background checks, but that shouldn't be that much of a problem for a wandering cultivator who shouldn't have any prior loyalties to other sects, kingdoms or empires. 

As for how the Star Shattering Sect would check the identity of a wandering cultivator like Shu Yin… It was rather simple, as they would do this through the Explorer Union. 

Although wandering cultivators tended to keep to themselves and not interact a lot with other forces, that was not the case for the Explorer Union, as that was their main way to earn spirit stones and get their hands on artifacts and other useful things for cultivation. 

In the end, wandering cultivators were almost always registered at the Explorer Union so they had somewhere to sell the spiritual herbs, metals or other treasures they found along their journey. 

Of course, the reason why they chose to trust the Explorer Union was also because the Explorer Union had a good reputation for being fair to all and never divulging information of what someone bought or sold through them. 

In turn, this also resulted in the Explorer Union having a rather extensive information profile on most wandering cultivator that had been around for an extended period of time. 

As long as they got approval from the wandering cultivator in question, the Explorer Union would be more than happy to share this information with them for a price. Making it extremely simple to check the past of stronger wandering cultivators. 

Of course, there were those who didn't even interact with the Explorer Union and were harder to get information on, but they were ultimately in the minority and hard to come by. 

Luckily for Shen Xuefeng, she was not one of those people, as she had interacted with the explorer union a lot during her many years travelling across the continent.