Heavenly Stele Shatters

"It's you!"

Qu Ying was startled. She quickly withdrew and returned to Xiang Tian's side.

The appearance of the Guang Hao Immortal King made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. He had obviously come to break up the fight.

Guang Hao still carried the scent of alcohol, yet he was exceptionally clear-headed and high-spirited.

What he carried on his back was the Heavenly Stele from atop the Heavenly Gate. Only this thing could withstand the full-force attacks of two Immortal Kings.

"Bang!"

Guang Hao set down the Heavenly Stele. The instant it hit the ground, a muffled boom rang out, and the entire ground caved in, showing just how heavy the Heavenly Stele was.

After catching his breath, the Guang Hao Immortal King immediately began cursing, pointing at the two of them. "Are you two insane? You don't want the Nine Heavens anymore? Good thing I brought the Heavenly Stele over, or you two would've beaten me into a cripple!"

Changning and the other said nothing.

"Crack, crack..."

But at that moment, everyone heard a faint sound. Fragments fell from the Heavenly Stele, and before everyone's eyes, a crack split it straight down the middle. It broke into two halves on the spot.

Guang Hao, who had still been pointing at Changning and preparing to berate him, opened his mouth wide but made no further sound. Instead, his eyes bulged enormously.

"Ah! The Heavenly Stele is broken!"

That shriek was like a pig seeing the butcher's knife, echoing endlessly through the air. The Guang Hao Immortal King clutched his head, his expression wildly exaggerated.

What the Heavenly Stele represented was something many people outside the arena did not understand. Yet when they saw Qu Ying and the Changning Immortal King both change expression, they could more or less guess.

Qu Ying and Changning hurried forward, crouching down to inspect the Heavenly Stele, their faces full of disbelief.

Was this legendary Heavenly Stele simply too fragile, or had their earlier attacks been too heavy?

Thinking of Changning Immortal King's earlier strike, Qu Ying had already held grievances in her heart. Now, her fury flared even hotter as she turned and scolded Xiang Tian, "It's all because of you, brat! You've even caused the Heavenly Stele to shatter!"

Xiang Tian:?

Good grief, it wasn't me who told the Guang Hao Immortal King to use the Heavenly Stele as a shield. Why was I being blamed because this thing broke?

"Is there no way to repair it?"

The Changning Immortal King frowned and looked toward Guang Hao. As someone who had spent years guarding the Heavenly Gate while comprehending the Dao, he should know more.

"Go to the far west and retrieve the Hun Tian Tu."

Guang Hao was somewhat helpless. Only Hun Tian Tu could repair the Heavenly Stele.

Qu Ying and Changning both understood how important the Heavenly Stele was. It was equivalent to the key to the Heavenly Gate. Once it was damaged, the connection between the Nine Heavens, the Eightfold Heaven, and the realms above would be completely severed. Though at present, there was little interaction between the two Heavenly Realms.

The Changning Immortal King pondered. "The far west... you mean the Snowfield occupied by the Beast Race? Hun Tian Tu is exceedingly rare, and it is controlled by the Divine Beast Clan. We can go, but I fear our presence will arouse their suspicions. Once they discover that the Heavenly Stele has shattered, they will surely invade in force."

Guang Hao nodded, finding that reasonable as well. Then his gaze shifted to Xiang Tian, who was sitting off to the side.

The moment Xiang Tian saw the Guang Hao Immortal King looking at him, he understood his intentions. He hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, no, don't look at me. That place is cold enough to freeze a man to death. I'm not going."

The Guang Hao Immortal King walked over to Xiang Tian and patted his shoulder. "Don't say that. I carried this thing on my back for so long and indirectly saved you once. Saying that now is far too irresponsible of you. Oh, Qu Ying, let Xiang Tian go to the Snowfield. This kid is clever and capable—he's the most suitable candidate."

After saying that, he turned to look at the silent Queen Mother of the West.

Qu Ying's delicate brows were tightly furrowed as she weighed the pros and cons. Nothing could happen to the Heavenly Stele, but she was unwilling to let Xiang Tian go just like that!

The Guang Hao Immortal King naturally understood what she was thinking and continued, "I know you definitely don't want to agree, but as an Immortal King, you should also think carefully about what is best for the Nine Heavens. He's the most suitable candidate right now. Even Shi Mu wouldn't do. Anyone with a slightly stronger cultivation who goes to the Snowfield will surely arouse the Beast Race's suspicions. Besides, they have long been at odds with us, so there's no way they'll hand over the Hun Tian Tu. This kid has plenty of tricks. He'll definitely find a way to get the Hun Tian Tu out. As for your grievances, we can sit down and discuss them properly after the Hun Tian Tu has been retrieved."

After struggling inwardly for a long time, Qu Ying could only agree. There was no helping it—the Heavenly Stele was involved in far too much. As the Queen Mother of the West, she ought to consider the Nine Heavens more.

Seeing her nod, Xiang Tian snorted. "What, old hag, you're agreeing just like that? Are you really at ease letting me go? Why not send Ning Rong with me? She can come along and keep watch over me."

"Are you courting death?"

Qu Ying glared at him, wishing she could slap Xiang Tian to death immediately.

"That place is so dangerous. How could I possibly let Ning Rong go there? I'll place a restriction inside your body. Don't even think about escaping my grasp—I'll make you pay the price!"

"Fine. I hope when we meet again, you can still be this imposing. Be careful—what happened to the Ding Family and Black Abyss may be Jade Pool's fate as well!"

Xiang Tian was no pushover either. It was true that he was currently undergoing training, but that did not mean he would simply swallow this slap. The Heavenly Stele had shattered because of him today, so he would temporarily set aside the matter with Qu Ying. The Heavenly Stele involved too much; once it disappeared, the Heavenly Gate might be opened. There could not be the slightest delay. At this moment, for the greater tide of heaven and earth, Xiang Tian chose to compromise for now and repair the Heavenly Stele first.

Upon hearing Xiang Tian's words, Qu Ying was just about to fly into a rage when she saw the ill-faced Changning Immortal King behind her. In the end, she merely snorted coldly and waved a hand. A streak of golden light entered Xiang Tian's body. Then she turned to Changning and the others. "You'd better not remove this restriction by force. Otherwise, don't blame me for turning hostile!"

The Changning Immortal King had just been about to speak when Guang Hao beat him to it. "Rest assured, we know what to do. Time waits for no one. I'll send Xiang Tian to the Snowfield right away. The Hun Tian Tu is urgently needed; we cannot delay even for a moment."

With that, he handed half of the Heavenly Stele to the Changning Immortal King and picked up the other half himself. If this thing could be stored in a storage artifact, he would not have bothered wasting so much effort.

He grabbed Xiang Tian and the two vanished from the Jade Pool sanctuary.

Looking at the empty, ruined Jade Pool mountaintop, Qu Ying unleashed a divine ability. Roof tiles and shattered bricks began to reform, restoring everything to its former appearance.

Her face was now terrifyingly dark. Everyone remained silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to touch her sore spot.

Xiang Tian was tossed directly onto a vast snowy mountain range by the two of them. He was dumbfounded. Looking at the endless emptiness around him, he nearly started cursing his mother.

Those two had not even bothered to show themselves. At least give me a map or something! In this enormous Snowfield, where am I supposed to find Hun Tian Tu?

Within the Changning Immortal King's secret realm, Guang Hao let out a breath of relief.

Changning merely looked at him and smiled faintly. "Carrying a fake Heavenly Stele and acting so convincingly—it truly wasn't easy for you."

Guang Hao immediately felt awkward. Shaking his head, he sighed. "Sure enough, you still saw through it. It seems you truly have entered the demigod realm. I really envy you."

"But you coming out to help Xiang Tian truly caught me by surprise."

At that, Guang Hao spat and said indignantly, "Isn't it all because of that old immortal? I made a wager with him and lost, so I had to guard the Heavenly Gate. I honored my promise, but that old immortal still treats me like a servant!"

The Changning Immortal King knew who he meant—the guardian of the Heavenly Gate. He had never involved himself in worldly affairs, merely standing watch over the gate with quiet diligence. He was an exceedingly mysterious existence.

"Since the Heavenly Stele is fake, why did you still have Xiang Tian go retrieve Hun Tian Tu?"

Changning voiced the doubt in his heart.

Guang Hao curled his lip. "That old man ordered it. He said something had been off with Xiang Tian's state of mind lately, so he sent him to the Snowfield to steady himself first. I was just curious—why would that old man know this kid too?"

After hearing this, the Changning Immortal King fell silent. He truly had not noticed anything wrong with Xiang Tian's state of mind. Perhaps he really had suffered quite a setback in the Jade Pool.

Still, his benefactors had not shown themselves, so they must have had their reasons. Young men were impulsive by nature; given the previous circumstances, Xiang Tian might very well have made the Jade Pool vanish outright. Letting him go out and properly calm his emotions now would probably make him think through more things.

"Alas, the path of cultivation is not one where you can do as you please. I believe this little fellow will be able to work it out."