Deep in the Northern Darkness Sea, demonic qi and yao qi clashed wildly, churning up towering waves. The deafening rumble spread across nearly half of the northern Primordial World, drawing countless Great Powers' startled attention.
Tongtian, the instigator, had already used the cover of that earth-shaking battle to slip away. Relying on the Chaos Bead's ability to distort the secrets of heaven and conceal his presence, he had quietly passed through the intricate currents of the Northern Darkness Sea Eye like a slippery fish, leaving that trouble behind.
Beyond the Sea Eye, the view opened up into a normal stretch of ocean. After a quick glance to determine his direction, Tongtian knew he had reached the East Sea.
Tongtian didn't pause for a moment. He didn't even have time to check on the Dragon Palace of the East Sea. Gathering Wudang, Sanxiao, and Kui Niu, he pushed his speed to the limit and fled toward the most remote, spiritually barren Overseas Desert Island he could remember.
The island was covered in jagged rocks and sparse vegetation, and its spiritual veins were nearly exhausted. Even the lowest-ranked sea yao refused to live there, making it an ideal place to hide for the time being.
Tongtian descended and immediately waved his hand, laying down layer upon layer of Chaos Restrictions to completely isolate the island from the outside world. Only then did he breathe a little easier. After successive battles, a desperate escape, and a journey through the void, even he felt a little tired, despite having advanced to Late Quasi-Saint.
"Master, are you all right?" Yun Xiao stepped forward with concern. The schemes and dangers that had unfolded in the Northern Darkness Sea in the blink of an eye still left her shaken.
"I'm fine. That old Kunpeng must be in a terrible fix right now." Tongtian's lips curled in a mocking smile. The One-Eyed Demon God was no weakling; he would keep Kunpeng occupied for quite some time, leaving him no chance to come after Tongtian again anytime soon.
His gaze swept over the four disciples and Kui Niu. They were still a little shaken, but none of them had been injured, which eased his mind. Their journey through the void had been dangerous, but the gains were immense. Not only had his cultivation advanced and the Sanxiao been rescued, he had also found clues to the Ancestral Dragon's remains and Pangu's broken axe. Most importantly, he had confirmed that the Otherworld Great Tribulation was drawing near, leaving him with a deeper sense of urgency.
"Recover your strength as soon as possible. The situation in the Primordial World may be about to change drastically. We must quickly understand the current state of affairs and plan our next steps," Tongtian instructed. He also sat cross-legged, restoring his strength as he cautiously extended his divine sense, sensing the movements in the East Sea and throughout the Primordial World.
The first thing he sensed was that many more hidden "eyes" seemed to have appeared among the stars turning across the heavens. Surveillance had become several times more rigorous than before! Divine senses of varying strengths swept across the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas of the Primordial World like a fine net. The eastern and western seas were under especially close watch.
"Looks like our 'little moves' have finally alarmed the Heavenly Court—and even the Saints behind it." Tongtian sneered inwardly. This Heavenly Net and Earthly Net was less a search than a show of force and a declaration.
Soon after, he sensed two familiar and powerful presences in the East Sea Region, both "diligently" carrying out their search.
One was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, stationed on the East Sea Coast and chanting sutras to deliver souls with ever-greater "fervor." His Buddha Light nearly covered half the East Sea, and his Swastika Buddha Seal probed everywhere without the slightest gap. Clearly, he had not given up. If anything, his previous failure had only made him more persistent.
The other was an "old acquaintance"—the East Sea Star Lord appointed by the Heavenly Court! He was the former Jiejiao Remnant True Spirit who had noticed something unusual about Golden Ao Island, only to be misled by the false clues Tongtian and Wudang had laid out, and ultimately chose not to report what he had seen.
At that moment, the East Sea Star Lord was leading a squad of heavenly soldiers on a routine patrol of the sea. But when his divine sense swept over the island where Tongtian and the others were hiding, it paused for the briefest instant, then moved on as if nothing had happened. He even quietly helped distort the heavenly secrets in a small area nearby, making it appear even more "desolate and lifeless."
Tongtian's heart stirred slightly. This fellow... had a conscience after all. It seemed the old ties from Golden Ao Island, along with the "cover-up" he had provided by not reporting what he knew, had ultimately left him loyal to the Interception Sect.
Perhaps he could use this as a way in?
As Tongtian considered it, an extremely faint divine-sense fluctuation, tinged with unmistakable urgency and concern, slipped through the layers of restrictions he had laid down and entered his Nascent Soul, like a signal beacon sent straight to him.
This divine-sense fluctuation... came from the East Sea Star Lord! Could he really pinpoint Tongtian's location so precisely? It seemed his position as a Heavenly Court deity gave him a far greater grasp of the laws governing the East Sea star region than Tongtian had imagined.
There were no specific words in the divine sense, only a powerful warning, along with a blurry fragment of an image. It seemed to show Zhao Gongming's True Spirit, bound by the Investiture of the Gods, enduring some immense agony. His presence was even weaker than during their previous communication and carried... a trace of ominous, ashen death qi!
Tongtian's eyes flew open, a cold light blazing in them!
Something had happened to Gongming! Was it because he had forcibly contacted the Investiture of the Gods earlier, alerting Haotian? Or had Venerable Lord of Primordial Beginning or the Western Teachings taken their anger over Kirin Cliff and Putuo Mountain out on the Jiejiao Disciples who were on the list?
Whatever the reason, it was unforgivable!
"Master?" Sensing Tongtian's sudden chill, Wudang and the Sanxiao all turned to look at him.
"Gongming is in danger," Tongtian said icily. "We must find out what's happening with the Investiture of the Gods at once!" Directly contacting the list was too risky; he had already alerted Haotian the last time. Now, his only chance to break through seemed to be the East Sea Star Lord, who appeared to favor the Interception Sect.
But how could he contact him without being noticed by the heavenly soldiers around him or the Heavenly Court's ever-present surveillance?
Tongtian's gaze swept over the System Mall's list, rapidly scanning the expensive exchange options. Suddenly, his eyes settled on one of them—
[Mind-Reading Mirror Talisman (Single Use)]: Establishes a one-way connection of the mind with a designated target for a very short time, projecting a small mental illusion for communication. Difficult for outsiders to detect. Exchange cost: 200 Contribution Points.
That was it! It was expensive, but worth it!
Without hesitation, Tongtian exchanged for the talisman, locked onto the East Sea Star Lord, who was "diligently" patrolling, and quietly activated it!
The next moment, a wisp of Tongtian's thought crossed space like an invisible ripple and entered the East Sea Star Lord's sea of consciousness with pinpoint accuracy, instantly forming an illusory vision of a rocky island.
The East Sea Star Lord—whose True Spirit's original form was a Jiejiao immortal with a leopard's tail and tiger's teeth—was patrolling on a cloud when his body suddenly stiffened. A fleeting trace of confusion crossed his eyes before they returned to normal, but his mind had already been drawn into the illusion.
In the illusion, Tongtian's indistinct figure stood with his hands behind his back.
"Are you an old friend of the Interception Sect?" Tongtian asked directly. His voice was calm, but it carried unquestionable authority.
Seeing Tongtian's figure, though indistinct, and hearing that familiar voice and sensing that familiar presence, the Star Lord's Nascent Soul trembled. He nearly lost control on the spot! Forcing down his excitement, he replied respectfully in his mind, "This disciple... Qiushou Xian... pays his respects to the Sect Master! Sect Master, you... you really..."
So it was Qiushou Xian, once one of the Seven Attendants! Tongtian sighed inwardly. After the Investiture of the Gods, he had been appointed East Sea Star Lord.
"Spare me the formalities," Tongtian interrupted. "Be brief. Why did Gongming send a warning? What happened with the Investiture of the Gods?"
Qiushou Xian didn't dare delay and hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the Sect Master! Something terrible has happened! Just a few days ago, His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor suddenly ordered that some... some 'disobedient' True Spirits of the deities on the list be sent to reinforce the Heavenly River's banks and resist the encroachment of Chaos Demonic Qi! Senior Brother Zhao Gongming, Luo Xuan, Lü Yue, and dozens of our other disciples are among them!"
"Reinforce the Heavenly River? Resist demonic qi?" Tongtian furrowed his brow. "Where did this come from?" He had just returned from the chaos beyond the heavens. What demonic qi could possibly require the Heavenly Court to make such a grand effort to fight it? Unless...
Qiushou Xian's voice was full of anger and helplessness. "This disciple doesn't know the details! I only heard that Taishang Laojun—Laozi's incarnation—predicted unusual movements beyond the heavens and ordered preparations to be made just in case. But the Chaos Flow rages deep in the Heavenly River, which also connects to a breach in the heavens. It's an extremely dangerous place! Sending True Spirits to reinforce it is no different from using their own soul power to fill the gaps. The energy drain is immense, and the pain unbearable! The slightest misstep could damage their True Spirits—or even make them vanish completely!"
Tongtian understood at once! What a fine precautionary measure! What a fine reinforcement of the Heavenly River! It was clearly a scheme to kill with a borrowed knife! Either Haotian was using the opportunity to torment and suppress the disobedient Jiejiao Disciples, or... those Saints were retaliating for his recent actions, taking out their anger on the disciples who had been placed on the list!
It might even be a trap aimed at him, meant to force him to show himself and rescue them!
"Before Senior Brother Gongming was taken away, he desperately split off a sliver of his divine sense to warn me. He said this reassignment was extremely dangerous and told the Sect Master to be very careful. He said, under no circumstances should you..." Qiushou Xian's voice choked.
"Shouldn't what?" Tongtian's voice was icy.
"Under no circumstances should you set foot in the Heavenly Court." Qiushou Xian struggled to get the words out.
Tongtian fell silent, but the aura around him was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, so oppressive that even the mental illusion trembled.
Using his disciples' True Spirits as expendable material? As bait?
Fine! Very well!
Haotian! Laozi! Yuanshi! Two Saints of the West!
You really had gone and done it!
"Qiushou Xian." Tongtian's voice returned to calm, but it was colder than ten thousand years of ice. "Stay where you are as Star Lord. Bury what happened today in your heart. I'll handle Gongming and the others."
"Master! The Heavenly Court is on high alert, and the Saints are watching..." Qiushou Xian cried out anxiously.
"I know what I'm doing." Tongtian cut him off. "Keep an eye on the list. If anything unusual happens, find an opportunity to tell me. Protect yourself."
Without waiting for Qiushou Xian to reply, he cut off the mental connection.
Inside the Desolate Island Cave Mansion, Tongtian slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was filled with a terrifying killing intent, as if he were staring out over a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
"Master..." Wudang and the Sanxiao felt the anger and chill, almost tangible in the air, and grew uneasy.
"Zhao Gongming, Luo Xuan, Lü Yue, and dozens of our other disciples have had their True Spirits taken by Haotian to shore up the Heavenly River," Tongtian said, his voice frighteningly calm.
"What?!" Wudang and the Sanxiao turned deathly pale, their eyes blazing with boundless fury and sorrow. Shore up the Heavenly River? Was that any different from being obliterated in body and spirit?!
"Master! Let's go save them!" Bixiao's eyes reddened, and she made to rush out.
"Stop!" Tongtian shouted. "If we go to the Heavenly Court now, we'll fall right into their trap!"
He took a deep breath, forcing down his roiling killing intent as his mind raced.
Storming the Heavenly Court to rescue Gongming? Impossible! The Heavenly Court would surely be a den of dragons and tigers now, waiting for him to walk right into their trap.
But he couldn't just watch his disciples' True Spirits wear away and disappear!
He had to find a way to ease their suffering, perhaps even strengthen their True Spirits so they could hold out longer, until he had enough power to rescue them!
How could he help the True Spirits on the list from afar, with the Investiture of the Gods between them?
Tongtian turned his gaze to the System Mall again, frantically sifting through the options. Suddenly, one special exchange caught his eye:
[Myriad Spirits Nourishing God Incense (Formula and Crafting Process)]: Made from materials such as a remnant leaf of the Chaos Green Lotus, Soul Nurturing Wood Essence, Taiyin Moon Essence dew, and Threads of Sentient Beings' Wishes. When burned, this incense produces smoke that is formless and intangible. It can follow karma to nourish True Spirits and slightly strengthen soul power, and may have remarkable effects on True Spirits bound by the Investiture of the Gods. Note: Its effectiveness depends on the quality of the materials and the degree of damage to the True Spirit. Exchange cost: 300 Contribution Points.
That was it!
A gleam flashed in Tongtian's eyes. This incense couldn't solve the problem at its root, but it might temporarily stabilize Gongming and the others! And though the materials needed to make it were precious, he happened to have a remnant leaf of the Chaos Green Lotus left over from rescuing the Sanxiao. The Dragon Palace's resources also included Soul Nurturing Wood and Taiyin Moon Essence dew. The only thing missing was the Threads of Sentient Beings' Wishes...
His gaze turned toward the vast human world.
He would gather wishes and make the spiritual incense! Before attacking the Heavenly Court, he first needed to keep his disciples alive! And all of it had to be done quietly, under the eyes of the Saints and the Heavenly Court.
A new contest had begun.
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