The Void Palace Sect, which had formerly been based in the Realm of Split Void, used to be the most powerful Qi warrior sect throughout the Domain of the Falling Stars. It had ridden over the Heaven Palace Sect up until it had vanished.
Back in the day, the Void Palace Sect had discovered a spatial rift that led to a brand-new dimension filled with incomparably rich spiritual Qi in the Void Illusion Mountain Range.
Eager to explore that dimension, the Void Palace Sect had sent out all of their powerful experts. However, not a single one of them ever returned.
Afterwards, that spatial rift had mysteriously disappeared, and no one had ever seen it again.
Soon after that incident, all sorts of Qi that was harmful to human cultivators had started to disperse through some of the spatial rifts in the Void Illusion Mountain Range, contaminating the entire Realm of Split Void. Eventually, the Realm of Split Void was removed from the Domain of the Falling Stars.
That was when the Heaven Palace Sect had risen to become the most powerful sect in the Domain of the Falling Stars.
Nie Tian was taken aback after hearing that what was happening in the Void Illusion Mountain Range might have something to do with the vanished Void Palace Sect.
Meanwhile, after mentioning the Void Palace Sect, Pei Qiqi, who had originally been sipping her alcohol, seemed to suddenly grow upset, and started chugging her drinks.
She didn’t talk anymore, and her picturesque brows seemed to become clouded by deep sorrow.
Nie Tian recalled that she had behaved exactly the same the last time she had mentioned the Void Palace Sect.
“Can it be that she has some sort of connection with the Void Palace Sect, which used to be the overlord of the Domain of the Falling Stars?” Nie Tian thought to himself. Then, he turned to Li Ye and asked, “Who has noticed those spatial rifts in the Void Illusion Mountain Range?”
Li Ye looked rather drunk as he said, “For now, just the Tool Sect, some forces from the Realm of a Hundred Battles, and my master. My master said that many members of the Void Palace Sect were experts of spatial magics. They even had a Spirit Channeling grade spatial energy spiritual tool.
“My master wants to find out what happened to the Void Palace Sect, where they are, and how they’re doing.
“The Tool Sect wants to see if they can find that spatial energy spiritual tool, so that they can use it to fight Zhao Shanling.”
After a short pause, Li Ye gulped down another mouthful of alcohol and said, “It’s also said that there might be precious treasures which don’t exist in the Domain of the Falling Stars on the other side of those spatial rifts. And those precious treasures will be very helpful for Soul realm experts to advance to the Void domain.
“I don’t know if that’s true or not. However, once word of it spreads, powerful experts from all over the Domain of the Falling Stars will soon learn of it.
“It won’t be long before the Void Illusion Mountain Range comes to the center of the stage and attracts powerful experts from everywhere.
“The reason why the Dark Moon, the Wild Fire, and the Blood Skull have sent all of their powerful experts to the Void Illusion Mountain Range is that they all wish to gain control of those spatial rifts so that they’ll be able to negotiate terms with foreign experts in the future.”
Nie Tian gasped with astonishment.
He still remembered that the Heaven Palace Sect had even degenerated to the point where they had proposed a deal with the Demons just to secure the precious materials their late Soul realm experts needed to break through into the Void domain.
If it was true that precious treasures that would help Soul realm experts advance to the Void domain did exist on the other side of those spatial rifts, all the major sects in the Domain of the Falling Stars would rush into action as soon as they learned of them.
If that happened, the Void Illusion Mountain Range would surely turn into a slaughterhouse where cultivators from different powers spilled each others’ blood.
While he processed the overwhelming information, in the Dong Clan’s property in Desolate City, Dong Mingxuan rushed over from the Realm of a Hundred Battles to see Dong Li,.
In the stone pavilion, Dong Li was surprised by the sight of Dong Mingxuan, Dong Baijie, and many seniors of her clan. “How come so many of you are here?”
From behind the crowd walked a magnificent old man.
With a bushy beard and no shoes, the old man was only of regular height. However, his hands and feet were exceptionally large, and his back and shoulders were broad like a mountain.
After seeing the old man making his way to the front of the crowd, Dong Li was even more confused and surprised. “You’re here too, grandpa?!”
The old man’s name was Dong Tuodi, a late Profound realm expert who practiced earth power. He was martial brothers with the patriarch of the Dong Clan who practiced secluded cultivation year-round.
Dong Tuodi laughed broadly. “Kiddo, I heard that you helped them find Zhao Shanling. Well done!”
Upon hearing his praise, Dong Li’s face was full of smiles as she said humbly, “Yeah, with a bit of luck.”
“Still, luck should be considered a part of one’s strength.” With these words, Dong Tuodi narrowed his eyes and said, “I can take advantage of this opportunity to talk to the Tool Sect about forging spiritual tools for our clan. Also, I can purchase a few Rainbow Lightnings from them. One of them will be yours.”
Dong Li hastily bowed to express her grat.i.tude.
“All that said, you should know that I’ve come to Desolate City because there’s something I need to tell you too,” Dong Tuodi said.
“What is it?” Dong Li asked with a confused expression.
With a solemn expression, Dong Tuodi said, “You used to take the name Song Li and make your living in the Realm of Split Void for a few years. You must know the Void Illusion Mountain Range very well. You haven’t returned to our clan lately, so you probably don’t know what has happened in the Void Illusion Mountain Range.”
“What happened exactly?”
“A few spatial rifts appeared in the Void Illusion Mountain Range.” Dong Tuodi said. “Now, they’ve stabilized. People have gone into them and returned alive. Some say that the sudden appearance of those spatial rifts might have something to do with the few Phantasms that popped up out of nowhere earlier.”
Upon hearing him mention Phantasms, Dong Li’s expression flickered slightly, worrying that he would ask her about the Spirit Pearl.
However, he didn’t. Instead, he said, “Many who made it back from the other side of those spatial rifts returned with great fortune. Word came from your subordinate Han Mu and other informants that there might be precious treasures that could help Soul realm experts advance to the Void domain in the dimensions behind those spatial rifts. Also, they might have something to do with the vanished Void Palace Sect.”
Dong Li’s watery eyes lit up.
“As soon as I’m finished here, I’ll head off to the Realm of Split Void, where I’ll make arrangements and wait for the arrival of our powerful experts. They’re regrouping, and soon will descend upon the Void Illusion Mountain Range.” Dong Tuodi’s expression grew stately. “No matter whether it’s regarding the vanished Void Palace Sect or precious materials, our clan needs to get to the bottom of it! Most importantly, we need to act before word of it spreads!”
“I’ll go with you this time, little sister,” Dong Baijie said, smiling.
Dong Li nodded gently and said, “I see.”
…
In the gloomy starry river out of the Domain of the Falling Stars berthed a Phantasms’ ancient stars.h.i.+p.
In the mysterious inter-realm s.p.a.ce, devastating storms and explosions would take place here and there. Streaks of blinding light that could annihilate realms along with all lives on them would dash by from time to time.
Dialo and a few other Phantasms had been waiting in their ancient stars.h.i.+p for quite some time now.
The Spirit Pearl should have long since returned, yet it hadn’t. Not only that, but the connection between it and this ancient stars.h.i.+p had been terminated.
As the heart of this ancient stars.h.i.+p, not only did the Spirit Pearl contain a star map within it, but it was also the key to steering the ancient stars.h.i.+p on inter-realm travels.
Without the Spirit Pearl, Dialo could only wait. With his fifth grade bloodline power, he couldn’t travel across the starry sky without external help yet.
As time pa.s.sed, the ancient stars.h.i.+p continued to undertake the strikes of occasional unknown storms.
A layer of faint, cyan light that exuded a mysterious aura seemed to be protecting this ancient stars.h.i.+p from the repeated strikes of inter-realm danger.
An unknown period of time pa.s.sed.
In the ancient stars.h.i.+p, a cl.u.s.ter of soul shadow suddenly started to flicker within a piece of cyan crystal that was used to hold the Spirit Pearl.
Standing beside the cyan crystal, Dialo’s body shuddered. “One of our powerful experts have detected our soul crystal!”
A blurry soul shadow continued to flicker and morph within the cyan crystal which Dialo referred to as a ‘soul crystal’. Soon, a weak soul message came from within, “Dialo! Why has your ancient stars.h.i.+p still not reached the predetermined location?”
Off to the side, a Phantasm screamed upon hearing the vague message, “It’s Lord Basto!”
Under Dialo’s leaders.h.i.+p, all of the Phantasms bowed respectfully toward the soul crystal, their eyes filled with reverence.
Dialo went on and explained in detail their encounter with the Qi warriors from the Realm of a Hundred Battles, the vanis.h.i.+ng of the Spirit Pearl, and them steering the ancient stars.h.i.+p out of the Realm of Dark Underworld. Afterwards, he pleaded, “We’re incompetent and failed to bring the Spirit Pearl back to you. Please forgive us, Lord Basto.”
Basto’s soul shadow flickered unceasingly within the soul crystal as he said, “We’re separated by an endless starry river that’s full of danger. Even I won’t be able to cross it and come to your location. From the look of it, we can only turn to plan B now: wait for our people to descend upon the Domain of the Falling Stars to find the Spirit Pearl for you.
“Dialo, did you at least finish the other mission I gave you?
“Rest a.s.sured, my lord,” Dialo answered. “I found the spatial rifts you told me about in the Void Illusion Mountain Range. And I revealed them with the things you bestowed upon me.”
Basto’s wild laughter came from within the soul crystal. “Good! Once the humans in the Domain of the Falling Stars discover what they can find inside of those spatial rifts, they’ll surely swarm into them. By that time, our people, as well as a few Demon and Fiend clans, will cast spells and enter the spatial tunnel together.
“It won’t be very long before we can contend against the humans in the Domain of the Falling Stars in the inter-realm spatial tunnel.
“The few spatial rifts we secretly deployed years ago are finally being put to use. Thanks to them, we won’t have to go through the spatial rifts sealed by the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace anymore. Instead, we can directly descend upon the Domain of the Falling Stars via the Void Illusion Mountain Range.
“Once we’re in the Domain of the Falling Stars, we’ll surely get the Spirit Pearl back and free you from your difficult situation!”