After Dong Baijie left, Nie Tian stayed up all night.
He gulped down more of the hard alcohol Dong Baijie had left for him. However, the more he drank, the more clear-headed he felt, and all he could think of was what Dong Baijie had said to him.
He had never expected that Dong Baijie would go to such lengths to find the truth. He had even visited Black Cloud City in the Realm of Flame Heaven just to run a thorough investigation on his background.
According to Dong Baijie’s speculation, his father. who he had never met. was probably the reason why he was so special.
The fact that he possessed bloodline power, had been able to refine a fragmentary star mark, and the other incredible things about him all had something to do with his father.
It had been thousands of years since all connections between the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace and the Domain of the Falling Stars had been cut off. Not a single member of the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace had come to the Domain of the Falling Stars during this period of time.
Even though Heaven Gates had appeared twice, no one had been able to refine the legacies they had obtained from the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace.
He was the only one.
Then, where was his father from? And who was he?
Did he have some kind of connection with the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace?
Questions exploded in his head, making him anxious and unable to go back to his cultivation.
He sat out the whole night, but still failed to clear his thoughts. Rather, he ended up even more frustrated and perplexed.
Eventually, he came to the conclusion that only when his cultivation base rose to a certain stage, and he could travel outside of the Domain of the Falling Stars, would he be able to find the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace and solve the mysteries in his heart.
“Dong Baijie...” This unbridled and outstanding man from the Dong Clan was one of the few people who he believed possessed true wisdom.
He was able to gather and sort through the most insignificant details and information, and derive many critical conclusions from them.
Dong Baijie was only about ten years older than him, yet he was so mature and wise, which was very admirable.
Before, he had thought that the cunning and cruel Dong Li was the most hard-to-deal-with person in the Dong Clan.
But after having an extended conversation with him, Nie Tian now realized that Dong Li had nothing but tricks, while Dong Baijie was the truly wise one.
Caught up in his thoughts, Nie Tian lost track of time. Only when Han Mu came did he realize that it was already time to leave.
He followed Han Mu to the Dong Clan’s hidden, inter-realm teleportation portal, where Dong Li, her clan uncle Dong Mingxuan, and six other Greater Heaven stage Dong Clan members were already waiting.
The middle Worldly realm Dong Mingxuan took a deep look at Nie Tian, and nodded so briefly that it was almost imperceptible.
As Nie Tian came closer, he realized that he had met some of the Greater Heaven stage members standing beside Dong Li in the Realm of Split Void.
It was just that. because he had a.s.sumed a different appearance, they didn’t recognize him.
“His name is Wu Tian, a subordinate of mine.” Dong Li introduced him to everyone else. Those people muddled through greeting him. Indifference and slight disdain could be seen in their eyes.
Aside from Dong Mingxuan, all the other Dong Clan members were at the Greater Heaven stage.
Nie Tian was the only one at the late Heaven stage. They saw through that the moment he arrived.
Therefore, it was natural that these Greater Heaven stage Qi warriors, who had joined the exploration team to play up to Dong Li, made light of Nie Tian for his insignificant cultivation base.
Especially when they had been waiting for him for quite a while.
“Let’s go.” Dong Li didn’t say more than what was necessary. The moment she saw Nie Tian and Han Mu, she ordered everyone to step into the teleportation portal.
After everyone was in, intense spatial energy fluctuations filled the portal. In the blink of an eye, Nie Tian and the Dong Clan members vanished.
In the next moment, Nie Tian found himself standing under a gray, misty sky along with Dong Li and the others.
Everyone clamored as soon as they saw Dong Li. They either blamed her in playful ways, or were secretly discontent with her unpunctuality.
“Dong Li is here!”
“You drag your heels every time we go on a trip. You’re the last one to get here again this time.”
“Everyone has been waiting for you.”
“Greetings, Uncle Dong.”
Nie Tian looked around with rapt attention, and discovered that they were in a lush forest.
Under his feet was an inter-realm teleportation portal. While he was glancing around, Han Mu dragged him out of the portal before it sank into the ground and disappeared.
A huge stone plate appeared where the teleportation portal had been.
The stone was covered in gra.s.s and dirt, blending in perfectly with the environment and leaving no sign that a teleportation portal had ever existed there.
Amazed, Nie Tian unleashed his psychic awareness to examine that area, but failed to find any trace of the teleportation portal underground.
That was when he realized that this hidden, inter-realm teleportation portal must have been jointly established by the major forces of the Realm of a Hundred Battles.
Only core members of the Dong Clan, the Cao Clan, the Gu Clan, the Pill Pavilion Sect, and the Water Moon Chamber of Commerce would be able to use it.
Even the Flame G.o.d Sect and the Spirit G.o.d Sect, which were the two most powerful Qi warrior sects in this realm, probably didn’t know about it.
After snapping out of his amazement, Nie Tian’s gaze swept across those who had been waiting by the teleportation portal while Dong Li exchanged greetings with them.
He saw Qin Yan from the Water Moon Chamber of Commerce, who was now surrounded by a handful of Qi warriors from the Water Moon Chamber of Commerce.
Most of them seemed to be at the Greater Heaven stage, just like the Dong Clan members Dong Li had brought.
The only exception was an old woman, who seemed to be at the middle Worldly realm, the same as Dong Mingxuan.
A broad smile appeared on Dong Mingxuan’s dried-up face as he walked over to the old woman’s side. The two of them chatted casually, as if they were old friends.
As for the group from the Gu Clan, their leader was Gu Haofeng, an early Greater Heaven stage Qi warrior, and they also had an early Worldly realm guest elder in their group.
The leader of the group from the Pill Pavilion Sect was the middle Greater Heaven stage Qian Xin, who was the son of the Pill Pavilion Sect’s sectmaster. Dressed in a luxurious alchemist’s robe, he behaved gracefully and with good manners.
Even though their group was the smallest, the Qi warriors around him were the strongest.
To his left and right stood two Worldly realm experts, one at the middle Worldly realm, the other one at the early Worldly realm.
However, the initiator of this operation, Cao Qiushui, wasn’t there. It seemed that he and his team had set out before Dong Li’s arrival.
With a poised expression, Nie Tian watched Dong Li discuss the possibility of them encountering Phantasms with the people from the five major forces in the Realm of a Hundred Battles.
Holding up a fine and detailed map, Qin Yan called out to everyone, “Cai Qiushui showed me where they would be. I’ll lead the way, and we’ll meet him and his team first. Everyone stay together, lest we attract attention from the Flame G.o.d Sect and Spirit G.o.d Sect.”
The leaders nodded as they reminded their subordinates and clansmen in low voices that they shouldn’t act on their own.
After Qin Yan got ahold of her bearings, she and her men from the Water Moon Chamber of Commerce led the way in front as the five groups of people marched through the dense forest at a fast pace.
Nie Tian, who traveled with the other Dong Clan members, didn’t summon his Heaven Eyes to scan his surroundings.
After all, they had powerful Worldly realm experts like Dong Mingxuan on their team. Their psychic power had already transcended into soul power, and their perception of living beings and soul fluctuations in the vicinity wouldn’t be any less keen than his Heaven Eyes’. Therefore, he didn’t need to worry about that.
Furthermore, as soon as he unleashed his Heaven Eyes, those Worldly realm experts would notice them, and thus be suspicious about his ident.i.ty.
Over the next few days, Nie Tian marched on with the others and didn’t speak much.
He spent most of his resting time alone, practicing cultivation, and providing the green aura in his heart with flesh power by consuming spirit beast meat he had purchased in the Dong Clan.
Meanwhile, he observed and paid attention to the conversations between Dong Li and the other leaders, and soon found out their personalities, strengths, and relations.h.i.+ps with one another.
Eight days later, they found the members from the Cao Clan under Qin Yan’s leaders.h.i.+p.
However, they discovered that bodies of dead Qi warriors were scattered around those members from the Cao Clan, as if they had just gone through a fierce battle.
From the way those corpses were dressed, they could tell that they were disciples of the Flame G.o.d Sect.
“You’re finally here,” Cao Qiushui said with a smile.
Oddly, as a man, Cao Qiushui was slenderly built, and had the gentle qualities of a woman. “I’m so relieved that you guys are here. People from the Flame G.o.d Sect discovered us. Fortunately, it’s no longer a problem now.”