You Qimiao turned around and left.
BOOM!
The land Nie Tian was standing on, which was the manifestation of his wood power, started crumbling like the Realm of Looming Shadow.
His face gradually turned pale.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The extremely cold ice shards You Qimiao had left behind flew to landmasses that were drifting away from the broken Realm of Looming Shadow, turning them into frigid lands that were covered in ice and frost.
Icy wind blew past as sparkling snowflakes fell.
Covered in snow, those lands seemed to be vested with the profound truths of cold power by You Qimiao’s residual power. Each and every gust of freezing wind seemed to whisper the wonders of cold power.
Many Saint domain Qi warriors from various domains engaged in heated discussions.
“I can’t believe You Qimiao’s strength has reached such a level after his breakthrough to the late God domain!”
“Even his residual cold power can manifest such wondrous changes... Perhaps his attainments in cold power have already come to the same level as Xuan Yu, the Ice Emperor!”
“It seems to me that You Qimiao, who has mixed his cultivation of ice and flame power and entered the late God domain, might posses battle prowess even higher than Chu Yuan’s!”
“Chu Yuan? The sectmaster of the Heaven Span Pavilion? I doubt that he can defeat You Qimiao in battle now!”
“Perhaps only after Fan Tianze enters the late God domain will the Heaven Span Pavilion be able to seek revenge for the destruction of the Realm of Heaven Span.”
Some who practiced ice power were overjoyed as they scattered and flew towards the bone-piercingly frigid lands, where they hoped to derive enlightenment of ice power from the ice shards left by You Qimiao.
Even Yin Yanan and her ninth grade Frost Blood Python flew to one of the snow-capped lands.
“Hmm?!” Her eyes lit up upon direct contact with the frigid aura You Qimiao had left behind, as if she were instantly inspired.
Ji Yuanquan sighed in admiration and said, “You Qimiao has outstanding talent indeed!”
Face grim, Chu Rui didn’t make any comments. However, now, after You Qimiao had left, he finally saw why Fan Tianze would want to do such a risky thing as to break through to the late God domain in this turbulent time, instead of waiting for Chu Yuan to return.
“Perhaps he knew that he was the only one from his sect who would have a chance at defeating You Qimiao,” Chu Rui said inwardly.
Only at this moment did Dong Li return, enveloped in thick darkness. “Nie Tian!”
BOOM!
A black pillar of immense flesh aura suddenly shot skywards.
A fearsome cry from the black tortoise shook the void, along with the hearts of the experts that were present.
Flicking its tongue, Yin Yanan’s Frost Blood Python was gathering the tiny ice shards bit by bit as it suddenly heard the black tortoise’s cry, and was scared motionless.
Yin Yanan’s expression flickered with astonishment. “Is that tortoise ready to advance to the tenth grade?”
Nie Tian looked rather exhausted as he slowly breathed, surrounded by hovering currents of different energies that were being channeled from the starry river.
His star, flame, and wood domains recovered at a slow pace. The Heavenly Stars Flower shone as brilliantly as ever, while the wondrous fire spell formation resumed its smooth operation.
On the exuberant land, the Godspirit Tree and the seventy-two tree branches helped him channel wood power from his surroundings.
He did everything he could to recover his strength.
All of a sudden, his heart jolted as he sensed the black tortoise’s unusual changes. “The tenth grade?”
Dong Li stepped out of the darkness and said, “I’m glad that you’re fine. I knew that even You Qimiao couldn’t threaten your life. Now, with Song Chequan dead, Shangguan Zhi is the only one left. Do whatever you want with him. That foolish tortoise of mine is ready to advance to the tenth grade now. I’ve got to take it to a place that’ll help with its upgrade.”
Nie Tian was taken aback. “A place that’ll help with its upgrade?”
With a slightly awkward expression, Dong Li nodded and said, “Yes, it picked a place itself...”
The black tortoise remained inside the thick darkness that looked like an enormous inky cloud, which continued to devour the light around it, as if it would never stop expanding.
“Where?” Nie Tian asked curiously.
Dong Li looked somewhat embarrassed as she shot Ye Wenhan a quick glance and said, “The Domain of Heaven Span.”
Ye Wenhan couldn’t help but exclaim, “What?”
Nie Tian felt confused as well.
“It seems that the Ripper Behemoth that destroyed the Realm of Heaven Span left a bit of its flesh aura there,” Dong Li explained.
Chu Rui’s expression flickered violently as he asked, “What does that mean? Did the Ripper Behemoth leave some of its flesh aura for it especially?”
“Sort of,” Dong Li said with a dry smile. “I don’t know all the details. I just know that it’s eager to make the upgrade, and its intelligence has risen to a level where it can communicate with me perfectly on a soul level.”
“Alright, go ahead,” Nie Tian said.
A spatial rift was then split open by Pei Qiqi using her Space Boundaries Crystal.
The endless darkness poured into it.
As the darkness gradually ebbed into the spatial rift, Dong Li and the black tortoise flew into it, and vanished from this part of the starry river.
Though having said nothing, Pei Qiqi seemed to understand that Nie Tian was no longer facing a threat now that You Qimiao had left. Therefore, she left with Dong Li.
The others were still somewhat bewildered from the information they had just heard.
The black tortoise was going to the destroyed Realm of Heaven Span to seek the power that would help it break through to the tenth grade?
The power it sought had been specially left there by the Ripper Behemoth?
Finally, Chu Rui couldn’t help but ask, “Nie Tian, what’s the relationship between that tortoise of Dong Li’s and that Ripper Behemoth? As far as we know, the Ripper Behemoth didn’t return to its senses after destroying the Realm of Heaven Span. It’s still running amuck in that area of the starry river, destroying realms and devouring their power.”
Nie Tian shook his head. “Don’t ask me. I don’t know either.”
Shangguan Zhi’s face was twisted with fury as he bellowed from afar, “Nie Tian! You destroyed the Realm of Looming Shadow. The foundation that my sect built up over hundreds of thousands of years has gone up in flames! You’re our sworn enemy now! I look forward to Sectmaster Jiang returning from the Void World. When he does, he’ll surely avenge us!”
Nie Tian curled his lips and said with a derisive smile, “Jiang Yuanchi? I remember you saying not so long ago that Jiang Yuanchi has long since been dissociated from your sect.”
Shangguan Zhi fixed him with a ferocious stare, but didn’t say a word.
“Also, so what if Jiang Yuanchi returns?” Nie Tian said with composure. “As long as he hasn’t entered the late God domain, he won’t be able to kill me even if he returns! As for you... forget it. Duan Hongwen and Song Chequan are dead, and your realm has been destroyed. Let’s say you’ve all paid for what you did.”
With these words, he waved his hand and said impatiently, “You can go now. Wait for Jiang Yuanchi’s return if you want.”
Mo Qianfan’s dharma idol that looked like a vast thunder pool rapidly shrank into his true form, before he said, “Watch yourself from now on, Shangguan Zhi!”
Shangguan Zhi turned to glance over Chu Rui, Ye Wenhan, and the other experts, and then suppressed his fury.
He suddenly realized that unlike You Qimiao, Jiang Yuanchi hadn’t entered the late God domain yet.
Furthermore, Gupi, which Jiang Yuanchi had relied on to do whatever he wanted, had been taken away by Wu Ji.
In such a condition, even if he returned from the Void World, would he be able to kill Nie Tian for them?
Shangguan Zhi fell into endless frustration and didn’t say another word. Finally, he cast one last wistful look at the Realm of Looming Shadow, and then flew away alone.
WHOOSH!
After he left, Nie Tian’s star, flame, and wood domains continued to channel power from this broken area of the starry river.
“Why don’t you go keep an eye on the situation in the Domain of Heaven Span?” He said to Mo Qianfan. “Be careful though. Don’t get too close to the Ripper Behemoth. Only Pei Qiqi can get out to safety whenever she wants with the help of her Space Boundaries Crystal.”
Mo Qianfan nodded. “Got it.”
Seeing that Nie Tian was no longer in danger, with You Qimiao gone, Chu Rui and many others showed their interest in what would happen in the Domain of the Heaven Span, Ye Wenhan especially.
He repeatedly encouraged the other experts to go and see how things would develop.
“Take care of yourself, Nie Tian.” With these words, Chu Rui asked Ji Yuanquan to split open a spatial rift, through which he and the other powerful experts that had come to support Nie Tian left for the Domain of Heaven Span.
Many other experts that had traveled great distances to this place were also curious about what would happen in the Domain of the Heaven Span. After observing Nie Tian for a while and realizing that he was only recuperating, they also left quietly.
All that remained were cultivators who practiced ice power, as they were still trying to derive the profound laws of ice power from the frigid lands in this area.
BOOM!
All of a sudden, Nie Tian activated his life bloodline and manifested himself in his enlarged form.
As soon as he did, the star, flame, and wood power in this area of the starry river started converging on him at a faster rate.
The ninth grade Frost Blood Python suddenly let out a terrified cry on one of the frozen lands.
With its sharp and rapid cries, it seemed to be urging Yin Yanan to take it away.
Sitting in the lotus position, Yin Yanan was awoken from her cultivation. “What’s wrong?”
Following the python’s gaze, she saw Nie Tian in his enlarged form. “Is it because of him? Is he making you uneasy?”
The Frost Blood Python nodded repeatedly in response.