2481 The Disappearance of the Intelligence Network
“Mother!” Duan Si Ling cried out. She was able to clearly sense what was happening outside even though she was cultivating. She was not in closed-door cultivation after all. She was instantly alerted when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. She knew it was her mother.
Bang!
The sounds of Duan Si Ling opening and closing the door echoed in the valley. Soon after, a slim figure flashed into the valley.
“Father! Mother!” As soon as Duan Si Ling saw her parents, she immediately charged toward them with tears of joy filling her eyes. It was as though a dam that she had erected for so long finally broke.
“Si Ling!” Ke’er held Duan Si Ling tightly in her arms, seemingly unwilling to let go, as soon as she ran forward to meet Duan Si Ling halfway.
“Si Ling…” Duan Ling Tian’s usual calm and unflappable expression disappeared immediately as soon as he saw Ke’er hugging the young girl who had grown up. His eyes were filled with affection and a warm smile appeared on his face. ‘Only a few years have pa.s.sed, but you’ve grown so much, daughter’
Currently, Duan Si Ling was already sixteen years old. Even then, Duan Si Ling’s pretty face that she inherited from Duan Ling Tian and Ke’er still contained innocence.
Feng Tian Wu who was standing next to Duan Ling Tian stared at him as he watched on affectionately as Ke’er and Duan Si Ling hugged. A pang of jealousy appeared in her heart when she saw this. If it was possible… She really wished to have a child with Duan Ling Tian.
Han Xue Nai, Chen Yi Ru, and the others stood silently as they watched the mother and daughter hugging. No one made a sound as though they were afraid of disrupting the moment.
Zoom! Zoom!
At some point, the Old Prophet and Guardian Qing Huo formerly from the Fire Wors.h.i.+p Sect made their appearances as well. They were overjoyed to see Duan Ling Tian and the others returned unharmed. Although there was much they wanted to say, they remained silent as well as they watched the mother and daughter hugging.
Time seemed to have stood still at this moment.
After a few moments, Ke’er and Duan Si Ling finally realized the surroundings were abnormally silent and found everyone’s eyes trained on them. Both of them blushed as Ke’er led Duan Si Ling by hand and returned to Duan Ling Tian’s side.
Duan Ling Tian beamed as she looked at her father who seemed unchanged. She truly admired and respected her father. “Father.”
“I haven’t seen you in just a few years, and you’ve grown so much. You’re almost as tall as your mother now,” Duan Ling Tian said as he patted Duan Si Ling’s head. He looked at her affectionately. Duan Si Ling had grown up so much that she was almost as tall as her mother now. In about one or two years, his daughter would be as tall as her mother.
Feng Tian Wu who was standing next to Duan Ling Tian asked with a warm smile, “Si Ling, do you still remember me?”
“Aunt Tian Wu!” Duan Ling Tian moved next to Feng Tian Wu and held her hand. She said with a giggle, “How can I forget you, Aunty Tian Wu? You’re still as youthful and pretty compared to when I last saw you.”
Although Feng Tian Wu did not spend a lot of time with Duan Si Ling before entering the Beyond Heaven Secret Zone, she had showered Duan Si Ling with a lot of love during that time. This was also why Duan Si Ling had a good impression of her.
“You’re such a sweet talker, Si Ling.” Feng Tian Wu laughed when she heard Duan Si Ling’s words.
Han Xue Nai decided to join the fun and asked, “Si Ling, how about me? How about me? Do you still remember me?”
After greeting Han Xue Nai, Duan Si Ling went to Gan Ru Yan’s side and held her hand.
Meanwhile, Duan Ling Tian was deep in discussion with the Old Prophet and Guardian Qing Huo.
“Did you gain anything during your trip to the Sword Saint Secret Zone?” The Old Prophet asked eagerly as he stared at Duan Ling Tian with hopes s.h.i.+ning in his eyes.
“Junior Uncle Old Prophet, in fact, there’s no such thing as the Sword Saint Secret Zone.”
Duan Ling Tian had antic.i.p.ated such a question from the Old Prophet so he disabused the Old Prophet of that notion immediately.
“There’s no Sword Saint Secret Zone? What do you mean?” The Old Prophet was understandably shocked.
“The so-called Sword Saint Secret Zone that we entered is actually a Beyond Heaven Secret Zone…” Duan Ling Tian explained everything he knew to the Old Prophet. Naturally, he did not forget to tell the Old Prophet about how Feng Qing Yang had obtained the inheritance from a Great Overarching Golden Celestial the last time the Beyond Heaven Secret Zone opened.
“Beyond Heaven Secret Zone? It’s connected to five mundane realms. All of them are large mundane realms except for our Saint Province Realm?” This was a lot of the Old Prophet to process. “Powerhouses are everywhere in the large mundane realms… Although Nine Tribulation Bodiless Celestials are scarce in our realm, there are quite a few of them in the large mundane realms?” He continued muttering, “Ancestor Feng Qing Yang was able to kill an Eight Tribulation Bodiless Celestial and defeated a Nine Tribulation Bodiless Celestial despite being an Eminent Celestial because he obtained the inheritance from a Great Overarching Golden Celestial the last time the Beyond Heaven Secret Zone opened?”
Not only was the Old Prophet shocked, but Guardian Qing Huo was shocked as well.
Then, Duan Ling Tian continued to recount what happened to them in the Beyond Heaven Secret Zone.
“There are so many powerhouses in those mundane realms? Most top forces have Nine Tribulation Bodiless Celestials?”
The Old Prophet and Qing Huo’s mouths were agape the more they listened to Duan Ling Tian. They felt as though they were the toads living in a shallow well.
“Junior Uncle Old Prophet, how’s the situation in the Upper Province since the Devil Clans have invaded?”
A few years had pa.s.sed since the Devil Clans had invaded the Upper Province, Duan Ling Tian who had just returned to the Saint Province Realm was, naturally, in a hurry to find out about the state of the Upper Province. It was important to know one’s enemies to gain the upper hand.
“I lost contact with the outside world around a year ago… At that time, the connection of the Red Dust Progeny’s intelligence network with me was mysteriously broken.” The Old Prophet sighed when he heard Duan Ling Tian’s question. He forced a smile then continued to say, “Currently, I suspect that the Red Dust Progeny’s intelligence network is under someone else’s control or it has been destroyed. Otherwise, it’s impossible for them not to pa.s.s me any information.”
Since the death of Han Xue Nai’s master, the control of the intelligence network of Red Dust Progeny had been given to the Old Prophet. Initially, the Old Prophet planned to pa.s.s the intelligence network of the Red Dust Progeny to Han Xue Nai who was the current successor of the Red Dust Progeny after she came out of the Beyond Heaven Secret Zone. He did not expect the Red Dust Progeny’s intelligence network would suddenly disappear a year ago.
Duan Ling Tian asked with a frown, “So you don’t know what’s been going on outside?”
The Old Prophet shook his head and continued, “I intend to go and investigate the matter. However, I notice that since the Devil Clans have invaded the Upper Province, many devils have appeared in the usually peaceful northern region. It would be hard for me to make a move in this small area, let alone the entire northern region.”
The Old Prophet sounded helpless when he spoke. He had not even broken through to the Fourth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage. There was hardly anything he could do to the devils. If he was caught by the devils, he would definitely die.
The Old Prophet continued to say, “Initially, I was worried… After losing connection with the Red Dust Progeny’s intelligence network, I was afraid people and devils alike would discover this place in a year. Now that all of you have returned, I can finally feel relieved. Since this black hole leads to the Beyond Heaven Secret Zone, and the inheritance from a Great Overarching Golden Celestial has been obtained, it doesn’t matter if this place is exposed.”
“Junior Uncle Old Prophet, why do you think this place will be exposed in a year? What do you mean?” Duan Ling Tian asked in confusion.
The Old Prophet had already expected this question from Duan Ling Tian so he replied, “The intelligence network of the Red Dust Progeny is very complex and interconnected. Since I was receiving news from the Red Dust Progeny’s intelligence network, at the same time, this means they knew of my location as well. It would not be long before they trace it back to this place. If someone has truly taken over the Red Dust Progeny’s intelligence network, I estimate they would take a year to find me.”
“I see.” Duan Ling Tian understood the situation now. ‘It seems like I’ll have to personally find out about the state of the Upper Province.’