Spirit Realm

One moment Qin Lie was on the broad back of the Silver Armored Giant Alligator, the next he had disappeared.

Zhan Tianyi and Xie Zhizhang were still arguing and had yet to realize that the person they were fighting over had already escaped right under their noses.

"Qin Lie has disappeared!" Song Siyuan shouted.

It was only then that both of them reacted as their expressions shifted. Zhan Tianyi slapped the Green Hunting Bat. This Rank Four flying beast instantly beat its wings to gain elevation so it could search for traces of Qin Lie from higher up.

Xie Zhizhang also looked around with urgency plastered all over his face.

"There’s no point. He used some special spatial spirit artifact and passed through space to leave." Song Siyuan had clearly witnessed it.

When the icy-blue circles of light had covered Qin Lie's body, he had only thought that Qin Lie was channeling his spirit art to recover, paying it no mind.

Yet, the moment Qin Lie disappeared into space, Song Siyuan immediately noticed the strong fluctuations of spatial distortion.

It was a pity that by the time he realized that something was not right, Qin Lie was already long gone.

"Spatial spirit artifact?”

Xie Zhizhang was shocked. Profound Heaven Alliance and Eight Extreme Temple were both Copper forces that had dominated Scarlet Tide Continent for many years. They even had relations with neighboring continents. However, they had only ever heard about spirit artifacts that could travel through space, and never seen one before.

Amongst spirit artifacts, spatial ones were the rarest and the most valuable!

There were many artificers in the world, but the ones that were able to forge spatial spirit artifacts were the rarest kind. Technically, spatial rings were not even spatial spirit artifacts.

It was most likely impossible to find even a single artificer in Scarlet Tide Continent that had the ability to do so. Even Mo Hai... did not have that ability.

When Zhan Tianyi heard Song Siyuan's words, he stopped his futile search and returned. "Spacial spirit artifacts are extremely valuable, no one in Armament Sect can forge them. This sect should not possess such a rare spirit artifact. If what Qin Lie has really is a spatial spirit artifact, his origins most likely are not simple. Or maybe it was the senior from before that gave it to him..."

Xie Zhizhang and Song Siyuan's expressions deepened.

"That's not right! There’s still another! Li Mu! Li Mu from Li's Shop!" Xie Zhizhang's expression shifted as that realization suddenly dawned on him. "According to Jingxuan, that Li Mu is an accomplished artificer! She had Ying Xingran and Mo Hai certify the Spirit Gathering Boards she bought from Li's Shop. Armament Sect is in consensus that the spirit diagrams inside the Spirit Gathering Boards are ancient ones. Li Mu should be the person who made that spatial spirit artifact!”

"Where is this person called Li Mu?" Song Siyuan's expression changed.

Xie Zhizhang grimaced. He shook his head and answered, "Dark Asura Hall has searched for a long time, but there’s no information whatsoever. Jingxuan investigated using the ears and eyes of the Xie Family, but no trace of him could be found.”

"Already able to manipulate the spirit pattern pillars, receiving the protection of that senior named Xue Li, and possessing that destructive explosive... Now he even has a spatial spirit artifact..." Song Siyuan organized his thoughts. He processed everything for a while and then said to Zhan Tianyi, "This boy is not simple. Eight Extreme Temple should not make any rash moves. Right now, the continent is facing an invasion from the Nether Realm, you have to consider everything meticulously before taking action of any kind.”

"My Eight Extreme Temple does not need your Profound Heaven Alliance to teach us what to do." Zhan Tianyi snorted and then left on his Green Hunting Bat.

"First we need to learn Qin Lie's birth and history. We need to learn all we can about him so we do not make any more mistakes!" Song Siyuan shouted.

Xie Zhizhang nodded.

……

"Tower lord!”

"Tower lord!”

A group of Dark Shadow Tower martial practitioners that were wearing gray robes and had cold eyes unexpectedly ran into Di Shijiu when they were fleeing to Dark Shadow Tower.

Di Shijiu had changed into clean long robes and was riding a thin, normal horse as he rushed towards Armament Sect.

Gao Yu's expression was cold as he unwillingly held the reins of the horse. He was preparing to throw the reins away when he heard the group of people yelling out "tower lord." His expression immediately shifted.

"Tower lord? The tower lord of Dark Shadow Tower!" Gao Yu finally learned Di Shijiu's identity.

"Why have you all retreated from Armament Sect? What happened in my absence?" Di Shijiu questioned in a stern voice.

"Tower lord, Liang Yangzu is dead, Blood Shadow is dead, we..." Unable to finish, one person walked forward and prostrated himself on the ground. With a bowed head, he narrated the events that had recently transpired.

"Armament Sect counterattacked and heavily damaged the five forces? An old demon appeared? He caused Profound Heaven Alliance and Eight Extreme Temple's people to grow wary? The evil nether passageway has been opened, and the evil races of the Nether Realm are about to invade?" Di Shijiu's expression continued to change.

At his side, Gao Yu's body shook as he listened to this. Strange light flashed through his cold eyes. He couldn't help but ask, "The present sect master of Armament Sect is called Qin Lie? The same Qin Lie from Icestone City?”

"Yes, that Qin Lie!" the person replied.

Gao Yu was silent, but a smile that caused a shiver to run down the onlooker’s spine made its way onto Gao Yu’s face. "Good going! Only one year and you already attained such heights and made such waves!" he thought silently.

"So even the three Fulfillment Realm martial practitioners needed to retreat?" Di Shijiu inquired.

"Everyone had to retreat. The people from the five forces are returning back to their sects. The people from Armament Sect are going to the rear of Flame Volcano to the training grounds of Blood Spear. They are fleeing in the direction of poisonous bog." The person's expression wavered as he continued, "Tower lord, if the evil races from the Nether Realm really invade us, what will happen? Why are even Profound Heaven Alliance and Eight Extreme Temple so frightened?”

"Our Dark Shadow Tower is responsible for hunting down and killing people, so none of us have been sent to the Nether Battlefield. Obviously you would not know of the harshness there." Di Shijiu's brow was deeply creased as he inwardly sighed.

Gao Yu stood nearby without making a sound. His hand which had shrank inside his sleeve rubbed one of the Ogre-faced Rings. A storm was brewing inside him.

The soul fragments of the Demon God's shadow were unorganized inside. He needed to use up a lot of time and effort to achieve anything.

Right now, when he tried to feel it out, he found that the disorganized soul fragments inside the Ogre-faced Rings seemed to have been activated by a certain evil power and were coming together...

He reflexively looked in the direction of Armament Sect!

The vibrations inside the Ogre-faced Rings increased in intensity. A comforting aura was coming from Armament Sect—from the evil nether passageway!

Gao Yu was both shocked and scared.

From when he first obtained the Ogre-faced Rings and started to cultivate Nine Hell Wandering Soul Record, he knew that the Ogre-faced Rings were evil artifacts and that Nine Hell Wandering Soul Record was not just some average spirit art.

He had hesitated, but in the end, he had chosen this path and continued cultivating it.

He could no longer turn back from the path he had chosen. His body, flesh, blood, spirit sea, and even his soul were deeply imprinted with this evil spirit art.

"Approaching the evil nether passageway will be very beneficial for me and can quickly increase my strength!" quickly concluded Gao Yu.

With that, he had come to a decision.

……

"You dare return to Dark Fiend Valley?" On the large road to Seven Fiends Valley, a dignified matron stared at Ling Yushi and her sister with a cruel and stern expression.

At the side, many martial practitioners from Seven Fiends Valley and even many people from Dark Fiend Valley were staring coldly at Ling Yushi and Ling Xuanxuan.

The two sisters had timid expressions on their faces. Standing within the crowd, they knew that they were being isolated.

"Old Granny was killed by Qin Lie and Qin Lie had once been a member of your Ling Family. Not only that, but he was once engaged to you, Ling Yushi!" The matron's expression grew even colder. "You somehow have the face to return to Seven Fiends Valley?”

The two sisters had silently bowed their heads, their expressions pitiful.

"Aunt An, what does this have to do with them?" Lu Li said in a cold voice.

As Flame Volcano crumbed, the restrictions on Fire Prison Cliff had been broken. Lu Li and Pang Feng who had been imprisoned inside had escaped.

Lu Li had met with the retreating group from Seven Fiends Valley.

"How is it not related to them? If it weren’t for these two girls, would Qin Lie have been so angry with Granny? If it weren’t for them, Granny would not have disliked Qin Lie so much!" The matron called Aunt An coldly exclaimed, "If we take a step back, Qin Lie's explosive bomb inflicted our Seven Fiends Valley with heavy casualties! Furthermore, Qin Lie had lived before in Ling Town and could even be considered a member of the Ling Family! In any case, I do not want to see anyone from the Ling Family in the valley! Not a single one!”

"Me too!”

"I do not want to see any member of the Ling Family!”

"Get them to leave!”

"If it weren’t for the order from Profound Heaven Alliance, we should kill them and take revenge on behalf of the people from the valley who died from Qin Lie's bomb!”

"That’s right!”

A great number of martial practitioners from Seven Fiends Valley had looked at Ling Yushi and her sister on the way with vicious expressions.

Shi Jingyun, who had one of his fingers cut off, was among the crowd. In the past, he would have come out and mediated this.

But right now, he only observed coldly.

Because it had been Qin Lie who had etched the painful episode of his finger being cut off into his memories... He was unable to persuade himself.

"Heh, you do not have the skill to take revenge on Qin Lie, so all you can do is bully these two little girls? Your Seven Fiends Valley sure is strong!" Tu Shixiong, along with Tu Mo, Tu Ze, and his subordinates, were also travelling along the road. They were going in the same general direction as Dark Asura Hall and Seven Fiends Valley were in the same direction at the beginning of this journey.

He grinned and disregarded the fury on the faces of the people from Seven Fiends Valley. He said, "Girls from the Ling Family, do not return to Seven Fiends Valley, just follow me back to Dark Asura Hall. Also, get your Ling Clan to come over. I can see that if you return to Seven Fiends Valley, your future won’t be bright.”

"Leave! Go join Dark Asura Hall!" the people from Seven Fiends Valley shouted.

"We need to return to the valley to mourn Master." Ling Yushi looked at Tu Shixiong, her eyes glittering with tears. "We accept Senior Tu's good intentions. However, we will not go to Dark Asura Hall.”

Tu Shixiong looked at her and sighed lightly. He said, "Sihh, you are quite pitiful... alright, since you have the heart, go to Seven Fiends Valley to mourn Granny Jiu. If things become difficult and you can’t keep going on in Seven Fiends Valley, take your people and come to Dark Asura Hall. I, Old Tu, will accept you.”

"Thank you, Senior Tu." Ling Yushi and Ling Xuanxuan voiced their thanks. Then, they ignored the hate-filled expressions from the members of Seven Fiends Valley and walked with the crowd towards Seven Fiends Valley.

"Thanks, Father," Tu Ze said.

Tu Shixiong waved his hand. He said, "You were brothers with Qin Lie, I am glad you have such intentions. We are not enemies with Qin Lie right now. Even if we were, we should still help resolve little matters such as these for the women of our brothers.”

Tu Mo, Tu Ze, and Zhuo Qian, along with his subordinates felt respect welling up when Tu Shixiong said this.

"Do not worry. At most, Ling Family will receive cold words from Seven Fiends Valley. They will not dare to act." Tu Shixiong comforted them. He then patted Tu Ze's shoulder and grinned, saying, "This brother of yours called Qin Lie, he isn't bad. In fact, he's very skilled! In the future, you and Zhuo Qian should remain close to him. The people from Profound Heaven Alliance also hope that you are on good terms with him.”

When Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian heard this, their expressions turned to ones of joy, and they nodded with smiles on their faces.