Chapter 782: Clone Still a Clone
Once again, Shang Xia understood that his fellow cultivators were also amazing.
When they discovered traces of the expert from the Spirit Abundance World in the asteroid belt, Shen Baisong was able to determine how long ago the restrictions were active. He also had the ability to discover the presence of life through those restrictions.
Pang Jingyun also seemed to possess some sort of method to break restrictions. He also had a deep understanding of the art of formations. If he wasn’t afraid of alerting the expert from the Spirit Abundance World, he would have already destroyed the restrictions.
Yi Jingzi had some special way to position herself in space. Shang Xia discovered that if he didn’t use his Five Element Ring and Teleportation Taisman, she would possess the best movement methods among the 5.
If all of them ignored movement arts and ability to shift space, Gong Xinlan would be able to fly the fastest among them. She possessed some sort of special technique that was closely related to ‘Fire Escape’ and she would leave behind a rainbow when she flew at her quickest speed.
She was allocated the largest area when they went to look for traces of the foreign expert because of that. It was a shame she was unlucky and the region she was responsible for had no traces of the foreign expert.
Shang Xia wasn’t exactly useless among the team either. His divine will could expand the furthest, and it was the most sensitive among them.
The restrictions placed at the entrance to their secret hiding spot were exquisitely crafted. The entry point was also located in a blind spot. Unless one crawled deeper and deeper into an ever-narrowing hole, they would never find it!
Too bad for them, they couldn’t hide the entryway of their secret hideout under Shang Xia’s powerful divine will.
“Are you sure the person who used this hideout is the same as the person who used the hideout we found before?” Yi Jingzi asked.
After inspecting the restrictions, Pang Jingyun replied with absolute certainty. “The methods they used are exactly the same. It is true that there might be some difference between individual restrictions, but everyone has their own style of laying it down.”
Gong Xinlan continued, “Are you able to determine which direction he left from the traces here?”
“The person who did this is extremely careful. I can’t find any traces of him in the surrounding area.” Yi Jingzi shook her head and mumbled.
Shen Baisong seemed to have thought of something and he asked, “The reason why we discovered the first hideout was because of the destroyed markings. That would mean that the previous hideout was created after the last squad examined the area and before we came. Where would the foreign expert have gone? Could he have several hideouts in the region?”
“Has it been less than a month since this person left?”
Pang Jingyun’s expression sank slightly. “Does that mean that he left this place coincidentally? Or did he know when to leave after discovering that we were looking for him? If things are really coincidental, would that mean that he would be back soon? Or would he head to another hideout to play safe? If he’s going to be back soon, what’s the reason behind leaving in the first place? Where could he have gone? Are there other experts working with him? Should we stay behind here and ambush them when they come?”
Frowns appeared on the faces of everyone present after Pang Jingyun bombarded them with questions they were also troubled by. If the foreign expert managed to escape with his life during the war 4 years ago and remain hidden the whole time, it would mean that they possessed some special skills.
Shang Xia thought about it for a second before he continued, “Whatever it is, we will need some time to search thousands of miles around this region. Why don’t we leave someone behind to ambush the expert in case he comes back? The person in charge of that will be responsible for holding him down as long as possible for the others to return. The moment we all regroup, the foreign expert will be trapped like a turtle in a jar.”
Gong Xinlan muttered, “If the foreign expert is working with someone else and all of them come at once?”
Shang Xia smiled as he wondered out loud, “Young Lady Gong, do you mean...”
“Fate Dipper clones! We can leave our Fate Dipper Clones to maintain surveillance on this place while our true bodies continue the search. Wouldn’t that be better?” Gong Xinlan raised her chin slightly and declared.
Yi Jingzi was surprised and she gasped, “Sister Xinlan, are you also able to create a Fate Dipper Clone?”
Yi Jingzi might not be a woman of many words, but throughout the time they spent on their duties, the ladies seemed to have formed a better relationship.
Gong Xinlan pressed her lips together and pouted, “Would you not compare me to the others? It’s really depressing, you know... It takes away from my achievement!”
Pang Jingyun didn’t seem to care about the conversation going on as he turned to Shang Xia to ask, “I recall Brother Shang mentioning something about creating a second battle formation if we manage to create Fate Dipper Clones...”
Shang Xia rubbed his teeth together and thought for some time before replying, “We would need to see what type of fate dippers all of you possess. It’s possible it your fate dippers are of the appropriate alignment.”
Pang Jingyun couldn’t help but ask, “Would that mean that you can also create Fate Dipper Clones?”
“No, but I have another idea... Brother Pang, you will know when the time comes.” Shang Xia chuckled bitterly in response.
Pang Jingyun didn’t stop there as he continued to ask, “What if our Fate Dipper Clones don’t possess the quality you need?”
Shang Xia wasn’t opposed to Pang Jingyun’s questioning at all. After all, they were facing a common enemy at the moment. Even if they didn’t ask him about it, he would still have to mention some of the things he was about to say.
None of them could be careless when going up against an enemy of the Spirit Abundance World. They needed absolute trust in each other to bring out the best of their battle formation anyway.
Shang Xia replied patiently, “If they aren’t suitable, we can still deploy a basic battle formation. The only downside is that I might not be able to last for long.”
Just like that, the matter was concluded. The 5 of them decided to carry out their plan and they decided that Shang Xia, along with their fate dipper clones, would be in charge of keeping an eye on the secret entrance.
The reason was simple. After Shang Xia displayed his ability to conceal himself, even Shen Baisong had to admit that it was better than what he could achieve.
The others decided to examine the area 3000 miles away from the hidden entrance. They were looking for possible traces of the foreign expert while preparing to head back to assist Shang Xia and their Fate Dipper Clones.
Close to 100 miles away from the hidden entrance, a five colored light emerged from Shang Xia’s body before filling the area around him. When it finally dissipated, Shang Xia and the 4 Fate Dipper Clones were completely concealed.
Waiting was a boring game anyway. It was especially so when the others who were patrolling the region were intentionally keeping their contact to a minimum in order not to be discovered. Half a month eventually passed as they stood in place.
When everyone was gradually losing their patience and was wondering if there was a need to continue waiting, a gray robed figure appeared within Shang Xia’s divine will. None of the other 4 managed to detect anything else.
“It’s finally here!” Shen Baisong’s Fate Dipper Clone muttered. His clone was pretty similar in looks to his true body while having pretty pale skin.
The yin aura around him was pretty strong and along with his strange skin tone, he looked like a zombie who had been frozen for some time. Unlike Shen Baisong who seemed cultured and cool-headed, his clone looked a lot more impulsive. That might be because of the difference in personalities between his clone and his true body.
Shen Baisong wasn’t the only one. The other clones seemed to have the same problem. Perhaps, Pang Jingyun’s condition was better than the rest. It wasn’t hard to tell that he was the first of the 4 who managed to create Fate Dipper Clones...
Their weak control over their clones was also one of the reasons Shang Xia chose to remain behind. After using his Five Element Dipper Qi, he not only managed to hide their tracks completely, but he could also prevent the aura they emitted from leaking as they had poor control over it.
“What are we waiting for? That person doesn’t look to be in the best condition anyway! He’s pale and it’s clear he suffered serious injuries. Wouldn’t it be a piece of cake for us to deal with him?” The person who spoke this time was Yi Jingzi’s clone. She seemed to be in a hurry, and the personality of her clone was far from her true body.
Shang Xia became slightly curious. He wondered why Shen Baisong and Yi Jingzi’s clones were so different from their main bodies.
He came into many clones during his time, and it was especially so for Kou Chongxue who produced more than 1 clone. Unlike those standing before him, Kou Chongxue’s clone seemed to be a lot more in line with the true body.
Shang Xia couldn’t help but wonder to himself if it was because their control over their fate dippers wasn’t exactly great. Perhaps after some time, their clones would eventually be affected by their true bodies and become like them.
Even though those thoughts were filling Shang Xia’s mind, they didn’t affect what he was doing.
He reached out and stopped them from doing anything while growling softly, “Wait! There might be something wrong with him.”
“What’s the matter?” Pang Jingyun’s clone asked.
Shang Xia glanced at the figure that was approaching the hideout and muttered, “That’s a fake. It’s probably a clone created by a rank four Clone Talisman used to confuse other people.”
Gong Xinlan’s clone whispered softly, “How can you tell that it’s a clone?”
Shen Baisong’s clone chuckled at the side in response, “Oh, I believe him. Lady Xinlan, do you not know that Brother Shang is a Talisman Grandmaster? He’s not just any regular Talisman Grandmaster... He’s one of the few rank five Talisman Grandmasters in our Azure Ascension World! If he can tell that it’s a clone created from a talisman, it has to be the case!”
Yi Jingzi’s clone was also greatly taken aback. She gasped, “As it turns out, Brother Shang is a rank five Talisman Grandmaster! I always thought that you were a rank four Talisman Grandmaster... My apologies!”
Shang Xia waved his hands to dismiss them while indicating for them to relax.
It didn’t take long for the clone to arrive at the entrance of the hideout.
Yi Jingzi’s clone couldn’t help but speak up again. “Brother Shang, is the clone actually able to replace the foreign expert? Wouldn’t that mean that they wouldn’t have to show their face?”
“Nope.” Shang Xia didn’t turn his head as he replied as his attention was placed on the clone. He turned serious as he examined its every move.
The next moment, the clone arrived at the entrance to the hideout and Shang Xia heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they didn’t try to break the restrictions forcefully when they arrived. Neither did they try to leave any warning mechanisms behind. Otherwise, the cultivator who arrived would probably discover something and make his escape.
Now that the clone had arrived before the entrance, the real deal should be appearing. After all, the clone made from a Clone Talisman wouldn’t be able to undo the restrictions.
Just as the thought appeared in Shang Xia’s mind, a spatial fluctuation appeared in the opposite direction where the clone first appeared. A similarly gray robed man appeared within the asteroid belt.
“We should make our move now, right? He can’t possibly have another Clone Talisman...” Shen Baisong rubbed his fists together and from the looks of it, he was itching to make his move.
Fortunately, none of them moved recklessly. They knew that they had to ask Shang Xia before they did anything despite all of them being eager to attack.
The frown on Shang Xia’s face deepened as a five colored light filled his eyes.
“Brother Shang...” Pang Jingyun’s clone was the most careful and he could see the doubt Shang Xia had.
“No... That shouldn’t be the cultivator from the Spirit Abundance World.” Shang Xia spoke suddenly. “Huh? No... It should be a mere Fate Dipper Clone. The true body hasn’t shown itself.”
Gong Xinlan gasped softly in shock, “You can even tell something like that?”
“Oh no!” Shang Xia’s expression sank all of a sudden.
The cones around him raised their heads in shock as they wanted to see what would happen next.
4 powerful auras appeared from different directions a thousand or so miles away. They rushed towards the gray robed man instantly.
The void trembled as their dipper qi was released completely.
As they rushed over, they blocked off all routes of retreat.
The only problem was that they were targeting a Fate Dipper Clone when the true body was nowhere to be seen!
They fell for it!
When Shang Xia was plotting against the other party, the expert of the Spirit Abundance World was also thinking of how to avoid being caught.
With things progressing up to that point, Shang Xia also discovered a serious problem.
A strange gaze could be seen in Pang Jingyun’s eyes as he muttered, “Brother Shang, your dipper qi might be able to conceal our presence, but it also blocked off the connection we have to our true bodies... Did you not know that?”
Visit freewe𝑏nov(e)l.𝗰𝐨𝐦 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience