Yin Yanan’s air-transportation spiritual tool suddenly came to a stop.
Separated from each other by a few hundred meters, Nie Tian’s group and the young Phantasm stared at each other. With a mysterious smile on his face, the Phantasm youngster didn’t seem eager to launch any attacks.
The illusory skull, which was formed by countless discarnate souls, floated slowly about, collecting the agonizing souls of those who had recently died.
The top of the short mountain peak was almost smooth enough to be used as a mirror. Nie Tian examined it with rapt attention, and discovered that it wasn’t rocks that were revealed by the cut, but some kind of crystal.
The crystal seemed to have been hidden within the heart of the mountain peak before it had been cut in the middle.
Under the dazzling starlight, the crystal, whose size was unknown, suddenly unleashed misty light, as if to channel something to it.
Eyes narrowed, Nie Tian examined his surroundings with rapt attention, and discovered that the Phantasm Qi in the vicinity was being channeled and slowly infusing into the crystal.
Eyebrows furrowed, Yin Yanan said, “That’s a sixth grade Phantasm. I have a feeling that he’ll be very hard to handle, but what worries me the most is that skull made of discarnate souls. Even though I don’t know exactly what it is, my Frost Blood Python seems to be rather apprehensive about it.”
While she spoke, Nie Tian saw the tattoo-like Frost Blood Python pattern gradually grow distinct on her slender waist.
By the time the Frost Blood Python pattern fully revealed itself, Nie Tian instantly felt the intensity of her flesh aura start to skyrocket.
SSSS! SSSS!
In the next moment, the Frost Blood Python slithered out of her waist that was devoid of any fat, and morphed into its solid form. Then, it actually coiled around her waist.
A flesh aura that was unique to eighth grade spirit beasts instantly burst forth from within it, making even Nie Tian sense great pressure from it.
“The eighth grade, finally,” Nie Tian marveled weakly.
Even though it had just advanced to the eighth grade, it now possessed the battle prowess of a Void domain human expert.
Now that this Frost Blood Python had advanced to the eighth grade, Nie Tian’s Bone Blood Demon wouldn’t have any advantage facing it.
The Bone Blood Demon had been at the eighth grade when it had been alive, but now, after being turned into a blood puppet, it could only display the battle prowess of a seventh grade Bonebrute.
The smile soon faded from the Phantasm youngster’s face as he saw the Frost Blood Python slowly uncoil from Yin Yanan’s waist to slither on the floor.
As he gazed at the Frost Blood Python from afar, the prismatic crystal between his eyebrows suddenly lit up, and the skull made of discarnate souls stopped collecting souls, but instead floated over his head motionlessly.
Only then did he seem somewhat secure and relaxed.
Very vigilant, the youngster said in perfect human language, “This is a phantasm crystal that I’m standing on. It’s useless for you humans.” Then, pointing in a direction, he added, “You’d better go there. There are spiritual materials that suit you humans there. I know your spirit beast is at the eighth grade, but neither of us will benefit if we’re to engage in a fierce battle. I suggest we make peace.”
Yin Yanan closed her eyes and stroked the Frost Blood Python’s head gently to communicate with it in private.
From the Frost Blood Python, she learned that the skull made of countless discarnate souls was extremely strange and evil.
Even the eighth grade Frost Blood Python didn’t have complete confidence to beat it in battle.
“Did you kill all these people?” Nie Tian asked.
The Phantasm youngster nodded slightly.
Nie Tian’s eyes widened with shock. “Including the outsiders?”
Aside from humans, there were also Stonemen, Birdmen, Blackscales, and Demons among the corpses scattered in the vicinity.
He had had a few encounters with outsiders. Every time, the Phantasms had fought side by side with Demons, Fiends, and other outsiders, so he had thought they were allies.
Who would have thought this Phantasm youngster had actually killed other outsiders too?
The handsome youngster fixed Nie Tian with a puzzled look. “Yeah… Is this your first time in the Shatter Battlefield?”
“Yes, it is,” Yin Yanan answered.
An enlightened expression appeared on the youngster’s face as he said, “No wonder. There are no rules in the Shatter Battlefield. People kill even their own kind in here, not to mention that they weren’t my kind. I won’t hesitate to kill anyone who wants to take this phantasm crystal from me, even other Phantasms.
“Hey, speaking of which, you humans are actually more extreme than us.
“The fights you have among yourselves are even more fierce and regardless of any rules. So I advise you to be more careful when you run into your kind in here.”
With these words, he sat down and closed his eyes.
However, the enormous skull over his head fixed its dark, hollow eyes on Nie Tian and the girls.
The three of them would feel light-headed whenever they looked at that skull, as if they were going to lose control of their own souls.
Yin Yanan communicated briefly with her eighth grade Frost Blood Python before turning to Nie Tian and saying, “This Phantasm won’t be easy to handle, and that phantasm crystal is indeed of no use to us.”
Nie Tian pondered briefly and said, “Alright, do what you think is right.”
Then, without asking for Mu Biqiong’s opinion, Yin Yanan once again started her air-transportation spiritual tool.
The air-transportation spiritual tool turned and left in the direction the youngster had pointed out for them.
As they flew away, Yin Yanan said in a low voice, “Outsiders’ lifespans are much longer than ours. As young as that Phantasm looked, he might very well be more than a hundred years old. He might be very young among his kind, but he must be more seasoned than us three.”
Mu Biqiong frowned. “So even just the outermost ring of the Shatter Battlefield isn’t as safe as we thought.”
Nie Tian shared her view.
He had thought that they would be able to crush any opponent they might encounter in the outermost ring of the Shatter Battlefield with the help of his Bone Blood Demon and Yin Yanan’s Frost Blood Python.
Who would have thought the first opponent they encountered turned out to be so powerful?
With the help of that strange skull, that Phantasm youngster had single-handedly killed hundreds of opponents, and most of the humans he had killed had been at the Worldly and Profound realm.
This proved that his actual battle prowess had actually far exceeded the sixth grade.
Even the eighth grade Frost Blood Python had been rather apprehensive of that skull of his, which proved how formidable it was.
As their air-transportation spiritual tool flew farther and farther away, the Phantasm youngster reopened his eyes.
The skull moved out again to collect the discarnate souls that hadn’t dissipated into heaven and earth. As it did, its strength seemed to be building up.
Eyes narrowed, the youngster gazed in the direction Nie Tian and the girls had disappeared in, and chuckled weakly. “An eighth grade spirit beast, and it’s a hybrid… I can’t believe they actually went there. This is going to be interesting.”
With these words, he slowly closed his eyes again.
...
Soon, sharp cries echoed out from ahead, along with loud clashes.
Upon hearing them, Yin Yanan accelerated her air-transportation spiritual tool.
Moments later, four lofty, silver mountain peaks that were about three thousand meters high entered Nie Tian’s view.
Bathed in starlight, the four mountain peaks glittered with silver light.
Wreathing each of the mountain peaks seemed to be many silver rings, from which came ear-piercing humming sounds.
Nearly a hundred figures could be seen yelling and brandis.h.i.+ng their weapons within those silver rings, all of them enveloped in their own spiritual power wards.
Nie Tian looked over with rapt attention, and discovered that the silver rings that wreathed the four mountain peaks were in fact formed by countless silver bugs, and it was the light that bounced off their s.h.i.+ny exteriors that formed the ‘silver rings’.
Yin Yanan stopped her air-transportation spiritual tool when they were still a significant distance from the mountain peaks. Her expression grew grim as she exclaimed, “Silver Beetles!”
She also discovered that the four mountain peaks were actually riddled with bug holes, which made them look like four enormous beehives.
At this moment, more silver bugs were still flying out of those holes and joining the battle against the humans, who were clearly from the same sect.
“Is that Silver Beetle also a kind of insect from the Desolate Antiquity Era?” Nie Tian asked.
Yin Yanan nodded. “Like Bone-devouring Leeches and Metal-devouring Bugs, Silver Beetles are also from the Desolate Antiquity Era. Even though they’re not as powerful as Bone-devouring Leeches or Metal-devouring Bugs, they have the advantage of numbers. Back in the Desolate Antiquity Era, Ancientspirits used to fight outsider races in the Shatter Battlefield, so it’s not surprising that there are still Silver Beetles here.”
“That Phantasm youngster didn’t set us up by telling us to come here for spiritual materials that we would need, did he?” Mu Biqiong asked, growing alert.
Nie Tian frowned. “That’s actually quite likely.”
He unleashed his Heaven Eyes and observed the human Qi warriors from afar.
He discovered that those people dressed in the same garments were either fighting the Silver Beetles that filled the sky, gathering dead Silver Beetles, or capturing Silver Beetles alive with large nets.
Others were unleas.h.i.+ng dark brown smoke against Silver Beetles. As some Silver Beetles were engulfed in the smoke, they would sway in the air and fall to the ground.
All of them seemed to have their own job. Some were fighting, while others were collecting.
Meanwhile, about a dozen dead humans could be seen at the foot of the mountain peaks, who seemed to have been killed by the Silver Beetles, as all of their flesh had been gnawed away, leaving nothing but pale-white bones.
Yin Yanan from the Beast-controlling Sect observed for a while before saying in a low voice, “They’re from the Heavenly Witchcraft Sect in the Domain of Heavenly Witchcraft. Like the Divine Seal Sect, the Heavenly Witchcraft Sect also has Saint domain experts. The reason why their domain is named the Domain of Heavenly Witchcraft is because no sect throughout the entire domain can match the Heavenly Witchcraft Sect’s strength.
“I only know about them because the incantations they practice are similar to ours.
“They like to capture insects from the Desolate Antiquity Era and use them to improve their battle prowess. The Domain of Heavenly Witchcraft is extremely far from the Domain of Heaven’s Boundaries. I’ve never been there myself, but our sectmaster has.”
Mu Biqiong chimed in softly, “Those disciples of the Heavenly Witchcraft Sect must be collecting Silver Beetles so they’ll be able to enslave them and use them in battle.”
While they spoke, a young woman, who was standing on an air-transportation spiritual tool that was floating by the mountain peaks, seemed to sense something, as the tips of her eyebrows flickered.
Instead of taking part in the operation herself, she had been calling to those who had and giving commands.
At this moment, she seemed to notice Nie Tian and the girls’ arrival. She turned around and shot them a glance from afar.
WHOOs.h.!.+
In the next moment, she flew over by herself while calling, “We’re from the Domain of Heavenly Witchcraft. I’m Fang Yingying from the Heavenly Witchcraft Sect. Where are you from?”