After the Guardians departed, turning into three glowing golden orbs, the Black and White Gods brought out their exclusive beasts and stayed at Xia Fei’s side, helping the young man block off the lightning strikes.
That conversation before had shocked Xia Fei immensely, but he was not in the mood to think about such things at the moment. First, he must deal with releasing the chaotic energies inside his seventh brain region before he thought of anything else.
“Do you believe them?” Hua Bai looked at the trails of light left by the Guardians and asked solemnly.
Hua Hei shook his head. “Of course not. Guarding the Cosmic Gate is their only way out, so these Guardians will surely do everything in their power to obfuscate the truth. There have been many strange phenomena in the universe recently, and it’s been highly unstable. The truth will come out one of these days, so let’s wait for the right moment.”
Hua Bai shrugged and did not comment further, the two brothers silent.
Several hours later.
*Bam*
As Xia Fei made his breakthrough to the seventh level as a Great Law Emperor, all the remaining discordant energies inside his body was released! At that instant, the air around him shone brightly in white light!
Very soon, the glow got reabsorbed by Xia Fei and began circulating inside his body once again. The instability had vanished. To be precise, Xia Fei had managed to purify and control it, such that it had returned to normal again.
It was very difficult for him to control the energies while they were fluctuating wildly inside him, but since not much remained of the energies he had gained from Wu Yuming at this point, it became easier for Xia Fei to rein them in and absorbed all as his own.
Exhaling, Xia Fei got up from the ground.
“Congratulations! To think that in the few days since we met on the Ancient Battlefield, you’ve already ascended to become a Great Law Emperor, and if I’m not mistaken, that energy discharge just now means that you’ve reached level 7,” Hua Hei congratulated him with a smile.
“Yes, I am now at level 7,” Xia Fei casually replied.
The Black and White Gods were evidently excited and surprised to learn this. To get promoted consecutively in such a short timespan, Xia Fei’s potential could truly bewilder plenty of veterans.
Lighting a cigarette, Xia Fei asked, “Were those people from before Guardians?”
Hua Hei was about to answer when Hua Bei suddenly made a gesture to get Xia Fei to shut off his spatial ring, essentially getting Xia Fei to sever the connection with Oro temporarily.
Xia Fei had no choice but to do as was instructed, though he was puzzled. “I’ve been wondering. If even you people discovered what’s inside my spatial ring, could this really just be the gap in levels?”
Hua Hei chuckled. “Nothing that exaggerated. In most cases, spatial rings are very safe from prying eyes, but yours is an exception. Because you want to speak with that person in your ring, you’ve built a secret communication line linked directly to your nervous system.
“So you’re basically having an active connection with the spatial ring. Given how very powerful that person in your ring is and that he’s a living body to boot, warriors with exceptional perceptivity can pick up on the signs and uncover your secret. Next time, you need to sever that connection immediately, and that will do.”
Xia Fei nodded, having been enlightened to this matter. It turned out that the communication line was how the old demon lord got discovered time and again. Still, Xia Fei was very impressed with this superb perception. Given his current cultivation, there was no way for him to take a peek at others’ spatial rings.
“So can you answer my question now?” Xia Fei asked with a smile.
Hua Hei solemnly said, “That’s right. Those people you saw are Guardians of the Cosmic Gate, a bunch of stubborn chaps. That goateed one’s armor has two stars carved on it, indicating he’s a two-star Guardian, making him the leader of that three-man team. Meanwhile, the other two are just normal warriors. Aside from the two stars, there are still three-, four-, and even five-star Guardians.
“What we had bumped into earlier was just a small team of Guardians, a very common group size in their faction. However, you can’t get careless with them just because they don’t have many stars. The Guardians solely consist of the elites from the two races, and that armor of theirs is Planet Gold! Trust me. With your current cultivation, there’s no way you can afford to be enemies with the Guardians.”
Xia Fei pursed his lips and grumbled, “It’s not as if I’m a fool. Why would I provoke those guys for no rhyme or reason? They’re very powerful; just their killing intent alone, I could tell that I was no match.”
Hua Bai quipped, “That may not be the case. I heard how you love getting into trouble.”
Xia Fei got speechless. This was indeed a problem. Even if Xia Fei did not go looking for trouble, trouble would always come and find him.
Take today as an example; this had originally been a battle between Xia Fei and Wu Yuming, but it ended up drawing the attention of the Black and White Gods, two fated individuals with Xia Fei, though there was no hostility between both parties. It would have been fine if that was that, but even the legendary Guardians came, too, so now that was truly an issue with his luck. It was as if, as long as Xia Fei existed, trouble would always sniff him out and come running over.
“Hahahaha~”
Hua Hei laughed as he patted Xia Fei on his shoulder. “There’s no need for you to worry so much. Meeting you here is actually quite a happy occasion. I heard that your clan’s battle with the Moonwards had resulted in an all-out victory. That’s worthy of celebration! The sharpness of the Demon-sealing Fiendish Blade seems as lethal as before. Not just anyone would dare underestimate you guys again, so who was the unlucky fellow today?”
“Today was just an extension of that battle. At present, we’re already nearing the end, so there are fewer and fewer moles.”
Hua Hei sighed. “I believe in the ability of you Skywings to pluck out these stubborn moles.”
At this point, Hua Hei noticed the questioning look Xia Fei was giving him, almost as if the latter was questioning his identity, so he began laughing as he continued speaking. “True. There are some things we don’t have to hide from you any longer. We are indeed part of the Rebel faction. This was true in the past, it’s still true now, and it will be true even in the future.”
Xia Fei was silent for a good moment before he asked, “Is the Cosmic Gate really so important that it can cause so many disparate forces to fight over it?”
Hua Hei mused. “Important? Let’s put it this way: Whether you or I exist isn’t important; in fact, the survival of the Law Realm isn’t important, either. If there’s one thing in this universe that’s important, then it’ll most definitely be the Cosmic Gate!”
Xia Fei was stunned. He never would have thought that the Black and White Gods valued some gate over their lives!
“Just what exactly does the Cosmic Gate represent, and what is hiding behind it?” Xia Fei asked earnestly.
Hua Hei and Hua Bai exchanged glances with each other before chuckling in unison.
“Do you really wish to know?”
“Yes.” Xia Fei nodded firmly.
“Then are you willing to leave the Skywings and join our faction?” Hua Hei sneakily asked.
‘Leave the Skywings and join the mysterious Rebels?!’ Xia Fei had never once entertained such a notion. In fact, even a fool knew the benefit of having a big backer to take shade under. Xia Fei had found such a solid backer after much effort, so how could he give it up so easily?
Besides, it was not hard to tell from the Black and White Gods’ current predicament that the Rebels was hardly the strongest faction in the Law Realm, or else they would not have been forced to flee as they were hunted down all over the Law Realm.
“You should know that it’s impossible for me to leave the Skywing Clan.” Xia Fei shrugged.
“Then you can’t blame us for not divulging the details to you.” Hua Bei quickly followed up.
Xia Fei was put in a slightly awkward spot. This felt more like a transaction: Join the Rebels in exchange for the secret behind the Cosmic Gate. This was hardly a transaction that Xia Fei found cost-effective. He would rather investigate and analyze things by himself.
*Pa!*
Hua Hei lightly punched Xia Fei on his chest as he laughed playfully. “Just kidding. If the old monster from your clan learned that we brothers had tried snatching away the future Godwing of the Skywing Clan, he’d surely find and kill us.
“Besides, you’re still ineligible to join in the fight for the Cosmic Gate. Mark my words: Nobody gets stronger from hiding. A real powerhouse will always choose to face their problems head on! The reason why we joined the Rebel faction is that we’ve had enough of the humiliation!”
Speaking on this subject, Hua Hei suddenly turned frigid. His entire person became very grave, while Hua Bei beside him also nodded, his eyes filling with determination!
“Worst-case scenario, we die!” Hua Hei said severely. “We brothers have been alive for so long; we’ve already seen everything the Law Realm has to offer! Dying in battle will be a blessing to us, for this way, we can die with a bit of dignity!”
Xia Fei was shocked. He suddenly realized that behind the smiling face of Hua Hei was a determined will to die! He had no idea what could be the reason that had made Hua Hei think of death when mentioning the Cosmic Gate, almost as if the two shared an intertwined relationship, an inextricable link with each other.
‘Could the Cosmic Gate be the gate of hell?’ Xia Fei was stunned to the core.
Hua Hei’s expression was energetic, as if the word ‘death’ made him extremely excited.
“You don’t have to hurry and make a decision at the moment. Find a way to get to the God Race first. Given your analytical skills, I doubt that you’ll have trouble seeing the crisis besetting the Law Realm. When the time comes, decide if you want to stay with the two races, become a Guardian of the Cosmic Gate, or join the Rebel camp.
“But!” Hua Hei’s two eyes shone as he placed greater emphasis on his words. “You must first see the real truth of the Law Realm!”
Xia Fei casually answered, “I may not choose a Faction. Perhaps I won’t be joining any side at all.”
Hua Hei and Hua Bai burst into raucous laughter at the same time, almost as if Xia Fei had just told them a great joke.
“If you don’t join any faction, you’ll become everybody’s enemy!” said Hua Hei as he continued laughing.
…
The unexpected encounter with the Black and White Gods, as well as the Guardians, did not remove Xia Fei’s doubts; instead, it heightened the mystery surrounding the Cosmic Gate to Xia Fei.
Since the Black and White Gods refused to reveal anything deep about the Cosmic Gate and wanted Xia Fei to judge it for himself, Xia Fei decided to bid the two brothers farewell. At the end of the day, the two were troublesome individuals, and Xia Fei had no wish to be dragged into some inexplicable conflict after having finally gotten a semblance of a peaceful life.
“There are three things that you must remember: Fig, Ark, and The Hall Of Valor.”
When Hua Hei said this, Hua Bai, who had been standing behind him, tugged his brother forcefully with knitted eyebrows, seemingly not wanting Hua Hei to say anything more. However, Hua Hei ignored his brother’s attempt to dissuade him and merely continued speaking. “We’re predestined, after all, so treat these parting words as my gift to you.”
Xia Fei was startled, but he secretly noted these three things in his mind.
After leaving that planet covered in electromagnetic storms, Xia Fei reestablished connection with the old demon lord.
“What did the Hua brothers speak to you about?” Oro curiously asked.
“Just a bunch of cryptic words,” Xia Fei answered. “I asked them about the secret regarding the Cosmic Gate, but they refused to tell me anything; they did leave me with three names before I departed.”
“What names?”
“Fig, Ark, and The Hall Of Valor,” replied Xia Fei.
The old demon lord pondered over those words aloud, “Fig ought to be referring to the top-tech company, Fig Corporation. The Hall Of Valor is a shrine in the God Race, a place of veneration for the heroes who were casualties of the past wars between the two peak races. As for Ark—wait! Ark?
“Could it be…” Oro’s expression had suddenly turned grim. “Xia Fei, I’m afraid that we need to make a trip to the Demon Race territory as soon as possible.”
