Chapter 1021: Chapter 552: Chaos Star Domain, Selection_2
Though he spent most of his time cultivating within the Eternal Tower, he would occasionally emerge, and Yu Tianming would report to him everything that happened during that time.
Just yesterday, as he had just emerged and was about to return to the Jiuyu Commerce Alliance’s base, he caught a glimpse of a familiar black robe secretly watching him from the corner of his eye.
The black-robed figure made no attempt to hide their presence and, upon sensing Jiang Shu’s gaze, led him once again to the trading building where they first met.
"Your aura is becoming more powerful."
The voice of the black-robed figure carried a hint of amusement, though it was hoarse and unpleasant.
"Your Apocalypse Sect is truly mysterious. What do you want from me this time?"
The black-robed figure raised their head, revealing a pale face, unidentifiable as male or female, and smirked, saying: "Are you planning to head to the Chaos Star Domain?"
Jiang Shu’s voice was calm; interacting with the Apocalypse Sect was also a way to understand the Star Ruins Realm.
Having reached his current realm, he indeed needed to interact more with other forces to better understand this world.
"Exactly."
"Last time we met was too rushed. Coincidentally, I have some questions for you."
"Was Bei Ye’s incident the doing of your Apocalypse Sect?"
The black-robed figure anticipated that Jiang Shu would ask about this matter and shook their head decisively, saying: "I initially did have such plans, but someone got there first."
"What that person did was too crude. If you hadn’t cared and insisted on going to war with the Piaomiao Star Alliance, it would be justifiable. They didn’t expect your strength to be so formidable; Bei Jue being no match for you made their schemes collapse."
"Had it been our Apocalypse Sect’s doing, we would have acted directly in the Deep Space Sea, which is both safe and swift. Isn’t that much better than resorting to framing?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu’s eyebrow raised, yet he nodded in agreement.
The Apocalypse Sect itself was an enormous power and, to some extent, might even be more formidable than the Piaomiao Star Alliance and War Alliance.
If not for its exceedingly strange methods, it wouldn’t have been surrounded and attacked by numerous forces.
"This time, there really are great opportunities within the Deep Space Sea. If you wish to advance further, you can’t afford to miss out. Simply cultivating within the Eternal Tower is hardly enough to reach the true Manifested Saint Realm."
Though the black-robed figure’s strength was merely at the Tenth Realm, being from the Apocalypse Sect meant having an extraordinary perspective.
"What are the opportunities in the Deep Space Sea?"
Not one to dilly-dally, Jiang Shu asked directly.
"The opportunities are fake."
The black-robed figure’s tone was flat, yet their message was nothing short of a bombshell.
The news that there were great opportunities in the Deep Space Sea had spread throughout the entire Star Ruins Realm. It was a flourishing age of cultivation, with ancient prodigies continually emerging, and any opportunity deemed as such could directly propel one to the Twelfth Realm.
This was a deadly attraction to them.
But now the black-robed figure claimed it was fake?
"I heard that even Manifested Saint experts acted to verify the authenticity of this news, indeed detecting certain things."
Upon hearing this, the black-robed figure scoffed coldly: "That’s all fabricated by our Apocalypse Sect for them to see."
"Our Apocalypse Sect’s foundation runs deeper than you imagine. So, are you interested in joining our Apocalypse Sect? I hear you recently took up a position at the War Alliance. It seems your loyalty doesn’t squarely lie with the Jiuyu Commerce Alliance."
The black-robed figure’s voice was filled with temptation.
However, owing to their previous failure to entice him, they didn’t actually employ the Soul Law this time.
They merely conveyed: "The great opportunity is false; however, upon the opening of the Deep Space Sea, there indeed exist previously unavailable opportunities. Most people will focus on the fake great opportunity, allowing you to seize the other opportunities."
"If you join our Apocalypse Sect, the other opportunities can directly elevate you to the Forget Realm."
"This is a small gift for you."
Saying that, without waiting for Jiang Shu’s reply, the black-robed figure casually tossed down a bamboo slip and transformed into a wisp of smoke.
Jiang Shu watched the ruptured space, furrowing his brow.
The black-robed figure’s words seemed both true and false.
Jiang Shu knew too little about the Deep Space Sea to make any concrete judgment.
He could only shake his head, pick up the bamboo slip, and upon opening it, found it contained some map sections of the Deep Space Sea, with some locations marked in red ink, presumably referring to the so-called opportunities mentioned by the black-robed figure.
But Jiang Shu did not trust them.
He wasn’t even sure if there was a single truthful word spoken by them.
Wind Cloud Pride was the sequence seed of the War Alliance, the topmost power in the Star Ruins Realm, and also the Vice Alliance Hierarch’s child. Surely they knew many things, so Jiang Shu, under the guise of a spar to truly test his strength, also intended to subtly ask if they knew any secrets of this matter.
"Your source is accurate, almost rivaling that of the War Alliance."
Jiang Shu didn’t reveal all the information he had, merely sparse details, enough to elicit surprise from Wind Cloud Pride.
The Jiuyu Commerce Alliance had many formidable experts, but their main base was on the fringes, and building an intelligence network wasn’t something accomplishable overnight. That Jiang Shu could easily relay such information was profoundly astonishing.
Connecting this with Jiang Shu’s formidable battling prowess.
The brother and sister exchanged a glance, sharing a mutual thought.
It seemed that behind Jiang Shu, there might be a greater power than merely the Jiuyu Commerce Alliance.
Indeed, if no Great Power guided him, no matter how talented, Jiang Shu couldn’t possibly reach his current level.
"Just fortunate, perhaps."
Seeing their expressions, Jiang Shu knew the intelligence the black-robed figure gave him was largely reliable.
This instilled in him a new level of apprehension towards the Apocalypse Sect.
Just a bit of information tossed out already surprised this sibling pair, showcasing their exceptional intelligence gathering capabilities. No wonder every emergence of their sect stirred massive upheavals.
Jiang Shu abstained from mentioning that the great opportunity within the Deep Space Sea was likely fake.
The relationship among the trio had not yet reached such depths and, as the black-robed figure had pointed out, even if he spoke out, they wouldn’t believe him.
After some casual discussions about the Deep Space Sea, Jiang Shu took his leave.
"Brother Jiang, I look forward to meeting you in the arena one day; judging by then, it won’t just be a spar."
As he departed, Zhan Feng laughed heartily, clearly confident of victory.
Entering the Jiuyu Commerce Alliance region, Jiang Shu saw the alliance members enthusiastically discussing the matter of the Deep Space Sea selection. Upon seeing him return, they all stood up to greet him.
"Lord Jiang."
"His Highness has returned."
"Is it that His Highness has just experienced another fierce battle? I have some nourishing divine materials here, which might help your injuries."
Many geniuses sensed Jiang Shu’s aura and came forward to inquire.
Jiang Shu had become the face of the Jiuyu Commerce Alliance; their ability to establish themselves in the inner circle of the Star Ruins Realm largely depended on him. As a sequence seed, he was likely their future leader, making this the right moment to decide their allegiance.
Obviously, most geniuses who accompanied Jiang Shu had voluntarily stood by his side.
Jiang Shu did not refuse their goodwill.
Forging through the outside world, being alone is never the best course.
"I just exited seclusion and went to spar a bit with Wind Cloud Pride; it consumed some energy, but it’s no issue. A short rest, and I’ll be fine."
Hearing this, everyone relaxed.
Yu Tianming, who had been keeping an eye on Jiang Shu, stepped forward and quietly said:
"Your Highness, Bei Ye has awoken, but he’s severely injured and cannot participate in the upcoming selection; he has already returned to his clan to recuperate. He asked me to convey that for such a great favor, he will certainly offer a generous reward in the future."
