Chapter 1241: Chapter 1239: The Extraterrestrial Crossing the Boundary
A peak shrouded in white mist, uninhabited by man.
Shi Xiaole opened his eyes and found his physical condition had deteriorated significantly, his vital energy severely depleted, and even his thoughts seemed sluggish.
Of course, this was only in comparison to the past Shi Xiaole; he was still well ahead of others.
"What exactly did that woman do to me?"
Shi Xiaole couldn’t accept such a loss, but what was most important now was to figure out the mysterious woman’s purpose.
After sitting on the peak for a few more days, Shi Xiaole was pleasantly surprised to discover that his physical condition was actually recovering, and his cognition had returned to its previous level.
"The Blood Yang Medium?"
Shi Xiaole could sense the depletion of his original vital essence. For others, no amount of heavenly treasures would compensate, but the Blood Yang Medium was different, especially since he had a Pure Yang Body. As they complemented each other, his vital essence was slowly being replenished.
After several more days, his body and mental power had completely recovered to their peak condition. Shi Xiaole left the peak and entered Xi Xianglei’s small courtyard.
"Grand estate owner."
Unexpectedly, Qu Wuyan emerged from the room, a flash of unusual color crossing her cold face.
Before Shi Xiaole could speak, Qu Wuyan said, "Miss Xi wanted to leave Nine Heavens Mountain, but I stopped her. She’s unwell, and it’s really not convenient for her."
Shi Xiaole’s face flushed red as he remembered that Qu Wuyan used to be the chief steward of the valley of joy; she knew all too well about matters between men and women, and Xi Xianglei couldn’t possibly have fooled her.
Fortunately, Qu Wuyan did not intend to mock him. She bowed her head and walked out of the courtyard, unaware that her expression was more peculiar than ever before.
Collecting his emotions, Shi Xiaole pushed the door open and entered.
Xi Xianglei was sitting dazedly at the bedside. Hearing the footsteps, she thought Qu Wuyan had returned, but when she looked up and saw Shi Xiaole, her face flushed with color.
Speechless, the air was filled with an awkward scent.
"Who is she?"
After a long silence, Shi Xiaole was the first to break it.
Xi Xianglei’s lips moved several times, and through gritted teeth she said, "She, she is the Witch Queen, the current master of the Witch God Palace of Miaojiang. Young Master Shi, it wasn’t me that day, it was her, she was the one causing trouble."
Xi Xianglei, who was originally proud and aloof like a plum blossom, now found herself terribly flustered in front of this man, feeling as though she had lost all face.
"What exactly is going on, can you explain it to me in detail?"
Shi Xiaole retreated behind a screen, his voice softer than ever before.
This considerate gesture made Xi Xianglei feel much more comfortable, and she lifted her head from between her legs. She deeply resented the Witch Queen’s presumption and didn’t hold back: "A few years ago, I started having other thoughts in my head..."
The more Shi Xiaole heard, the more alarmed he became. He didn’t know if Xi Xianglei was telling the truth, but it was unlikely she was deceiving him.
According to Xi Xianglei, after the first great battle between heaven and earth, the original Witch Queen was gravely injured and did not survive, but she was not willing to die like this. Before her body disintegrated, she used the supreme skill of the Witch God Palace, the untested "Soul Division and Netherworld Passage Technique."
This secret technique, once successful, would allow the separated soul to reassemble over countless years and gradually recover its previous memories, achieving another kind of resurrection!
Unfortunately for Xi Xianglei, her soul was one half of the original Witch Queen’s dissected soul, while the current Witch Queen of the Witch God Palace was the other half.
"She is condensing the Supreme Witch Soul, so her spirit is stronger than mine and can take control of my body. I can’t stop her," Xi Xianglei said feebly.
"The Supreme Witch Soul?"
"That is a legend of the Witch God Palace. The original Witch Queen failed to condense it, but if one could reach that step, the soul is said to become indestructible, truly shatter the void, and transcend the constraints of the universe. The reason she acted against you... was to take away your primal yang essence in order to condense the Supreme Witch Soul."
Shi Xiaole fell silent.
His mind was in turmoil, realizing that he had become a mere tool for the other party’s cultivation—should he be grateful that she had not killed him to cover her tracks?
Suddenly remembering something, a black short arrow appeared in Shi Xiaole’s hand. This was the Witch God Order he had obtained from the Witch Queen’s temple, and he flicked it in front of Xi Xianglei.
"The Witch God Order, how do you have it?"
Xi Xianglei was somewhat surprised.
In her memory, tens of thousands of years ago, the Witch God Palace’s influence was widespread, but pure Witch God Orders were rare, and only high-ranking Great Witch Servants could obtain them.
Thinking of his connection with the Daxia royal family, Xi Xianglei guessed something and felt relieved.
However, Shi Xiaole’s doubts deepened.
He couldn’t confirm if the so-called first Witch Queen was the same as the one in the Witch Queen’s temple of the Daxia royal family, but from certain details, it seemed possible.
Thus, he said, "You rest well," and turned to leave. As he reached the door, Shi Xiaole suddenly stopped again, "We’ll find a solution to our problem. Don’t worry."
Xi Xianglei buried her head in her arms without responding.
A Divine Eagle soared into the clouds, and several days later, Shi Xiaole arrived at the imperial city of Daxia. With his current power, it was too easy to enter the Witch Queen’s temple.
Easily subduing several Great Witch Servants, Shi Xiaole gleaned more information from their memories.
It turned out that the Witch Queen they spoke of was not the same person who left the "Wizard Scroll" behind the stone gate. This also explained why the Witch Queen’s temple of the Daxia royal family had only a few thousand years of history.
The Witch Queen they worshipped was probably just a high-ranking official dispatched by the Witch God Palace. Over the past thousands of years, in order to increase its influence, the Witch God Palace spared no effort in constructing Witch Queen temples everywhere.
"That high official, who assisted the Daxia Emperor in ascending to the throne, might have detected an anomaly here, which is why she established a Witch Queen’s temple," Shi Xiaole guessed.
The mental illusion array behind the stone gate was on the level of the Forbidden Martial Emperor, but according to the timeline of the first great battle between heaven and earth, it was tens of thousands of years ago.
To maintain a forbidden level after tens of thousands of years was proof of the array master’s brilliance, undoubtedly the original Witch Queen.
After annihilating several witch servants with a wave of his hand, Shi Xiaole was seated upon the Gold Thunder and departed.
He could not delve deep into Miaojiang for the time being and was unable to meet the Witch Queen. Besides, he was currently most troubled by how to deal with his relationships with Xi Xianglei and Xia Yunxi.
...
Just as Shi Xiaole was agonizing over this, a momentous event that could change the world took place in the distant Overlapping Land.
Deep within the Nine Heavens Palace.
An odd Array System shaped like an eight-pointed star burst forth with an unprecedented dark light, a darkness so bright it seemed brighter than the sun and capable of illuminating everything.
"Such dense spiritual energy, it is almost catching up to the Outer Heaven, this soon-to-be fertile land that has long been destitute, hahaha, I have been looking forward to this," said a voice from within the eight-pointed star Array System that made one’s soul shudder.
"Greetings, father."
The master of the Nine Heavens Palace, the Nine Heavens Wanderer, was overly excited.
Behind him, the three vice-masters, including Murong Wuguo, Ge Dingbang, and Dongguo Wangqing, all paid their respects with utmost reverence, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
"Father, are you able to traverse between realms now? Does this mean that the grand undertaking of invading the Outer Heaven is about to begin?" the Nine Heavens Wanderer asked, eyes fixated on the increasingly clear figure within the Array System. The void trembled like water, and a man-made passage seemed faintly visible.
To their surprise, the figure inside spoke, "No, the spiritual energy of the East Victory world has not yet reached its peak. For now, only my soul can reside here."
Disappointment flashed across their faces upon hearing this, but they quickly considered that the Nine Heavens Master was a genuine Sky Origin Realm expert. Even in soul form, he was a force to be reckoned with, far beyond the level of any influential figure.
One should know that Fake Sky Origin Realm experts could only wield mental power, while true Sky Origin Realm experts had touched upon the level of soul power.
Moreover, if it was the soul that had arrived, could the arrival of the true body be far behind?
"I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not that simple. Do you really think all the people of East Victory died in the battle tens of thousands of years ago? Not necessarily," the Nine Heavens Ancestor said with a light smile, seeing their expressions. "Of course, you don’t need to worry. The experts from Outer Heaven far surpass those from East Victory. What do a few surviving mice matter?"
"I am merely the first to descend here. The goal is to stir up chaos in East Victory in preparation for the second comprehensive invasion!"
Their spirits lifted upon hearing the Nine Heavens Ancestor’s plan, and the Nine Heavens Wanderer clasped his fists and said, "Father, what are your orders?"
"It’s simple. My soul, being an outsider after all, cannot be revealed in this world yet, so a host must be found first. You may now utilize some agents you’ve planted in this world. That’s the first step," the figure explained.
"For the second step, after consulting with a few others, we decided to start with opening East Victory Village. That place holds many treasures, and we shall cut off the advancement channels for the natives of East Victory at the source."
"Most importantly, this action is bound to draw out the hidden Supreme Lords of East Victory. When the unsuspecting fall prey to the calculating, we might be able to eliminate a few opponents in advance..."
After listening to the Nine Heavens Ancestor’s plan, everyone present burst into laughter, sincerely admiring the scheme.
Without delay, the Nine Heavens Wanderer brought out a secret jade container, a specialty of Outer Heaven designed to hold the soul power of a human body, maximizing the isolation from the will of the world.
Of course, there was a time limit. If exceeded, it would still be greatly damaged by the will of the world.
Apart from the Nine Heavens Palace, the other top powers of the Overlapping Land also received their respective leaders’ soul bodies, which were placed into the jade containers.
That very afternoon, several peerless experts left the Overlapping Land. In a few days, they each handed over their jade containers to their contacts.
...
In the South Sea, the Zhao Family.
Compared to the other families among the top ten, the Zhao Family seemed somewhat modest, with only one Forbidden Martial Emperor within their clan.
"Tang, what urgent matter do you have to see me for?" the ancestor of the Zhao Family inquired, within the underground training room, gazing at his prized disciple.
"Nothing much, just bringing a great gift to my master," Zhang Yuetang replied, producing a jade container. A mist gushed out, and before the Zhao Family ancestor could react, his sea of consciousness was invaded by an overwhelmingly powerful soul force.
"No... Zhang Yuetang, who, who are you?" the Zhao Family ancestor cried out in horror.
"Hehe, since you’re about to die, I’ll tell you—I am the Outer Heaven Demon you all speak of," the voice from the mist revealed.
"No, impossible, the South Sea has the Great Array of Bright..." the ancestor protested weakly.
"Among those six who lead the Array System, one of them is also from Outer Heaven. Moreover, since we of Outer Heaven have created a cross-realm passage, the rules between the two lands have been slowly merging. Your so-called Great Array of Bright simply cannot detect all those with bloodlines from Outer Heaven."
In a mix of unwillingness and fear, the soul power of the Zhao Family ancestor was crushed. The body remained the same, but the eyes had completely changed. Zhang Yuetang knelt down and bowed deeply: "Greetings, my lord!"
...
In East Victory Continent, the headquarters of the Holy Heaven Sect.
The vice-sect leader of the Holy Heaven Sect, the Holy Heaven Elder, positioned his hands behind him, and with a single teleport, left the Holy Heaven Sect. The strength he displayed was not just superior to that of the Holy Heaven Scholar—it seemed he was no less formidable than the top brass themselves.
Similarly, in East Victory Continent, the vice-pavilion master of the Supreme Pavilion, the brother of the reigning Flying Horse Emperor, Mu Runhua, emerged from the Book Collection Building. This location is the most crucial spot within the Supreme Pavilion, with even Che Renzhong not qualifying for entry.
After all, despite Che Renzhong’s prowess in martial arts, in the eyes of the Mu royal family, he is still an outsider.
In the Western Region, within the hidden base of the Six Lotus Sect.
The sect leader of Six Lotus Sect chuckled darkly as he sped away like a bolt of lightning. A few days later, he arrived at the base of a large mountain where the Zhao Family ancestor, the Holy Heaven Elder, and Mu Runhua were already waiting to meet him.
