Nie Tian had fought across the starry river all these years, and had almost never settled down.
After arranging for Nie Donghai, Nie Qian, and some other Nie Clan members to live in the Realm of Shattered Earth, he had felt that they were safe, and thus rarely visited.
For that reason, he hadn’t had a chance to tell his grandfather and aunt what he had learned from Wu Ji until now.
Now, as he saw the surprise and joy on their faces, he suddenly realized that he had spent too little time with his family. Guilt rapidly filled his heart.
Eyes brimming with tears of excitement, Nie Qian asked, “Is my little sister really alive? Who told you that? Do you believe that she’s really still alive? But how is that possible?!”
Nie Donghai’s face was also filled with disbelief.
“There are so many incredible wonders in this world that we don’t know of,” Nie Tian said with all seriousness, “I’m afraid my father, who I’ve never met, is one of the most preeminent humans in this starry river. He could have become the Lord of the Stars of this generation.”
Nie Donghai was taken aback. “What?! Your father had a chance to become the Lord of the Stars? Where did you get that information?”
“From the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace,” Nie Tian answered. “And he gave me my unique bloodline. I suppose he was also the reason why Heaven Gates appeared in the Domain of the Falling Stars. Perhaps even the fact that I was able to enter the Heaven Gate trial and win the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace’s legacy had something to do with him.”
“So are you saying that he… brought Little Jin back to life?” Nie Donghai asked with wide eyes.
“My master, Wu Ji, came to new, deeper understandings of time power, which allowed him to see into the past,” Nie Tian explained. “He said that when he journeyed back in time in the Realm of Flame Heaven, he saw that man reviving my mother. However, as profound as his means were, he couldn’t get a clear view of his face.
“He only knows that he and mother secretly visited me as a baby, and then left the Realm of Flame Heaven for good.”
Only after hearing these words did Nie Donghai and Nie Qian find Nie Tian’s words slightly believable.
In their eyes, Wu Ji was probably the most mysterious being in the Realm of Flame Heaven.
According to him, Nie Tian’s father had stood at the peak of the human world, and almost become the Lord of the Stars of his generation.
At this point, they had already learned that powerful experts with cultivation bases higher than the Void domain could be reincarnated.
Therefore, Nie Jin being brought back to life didn’t sound as unbelievable anymore.
“Aunt, you said that you’ve been dreaming a lot about my mother recently, and have a feeling that she’s still alive. What’s that about?” Nie Tian asked with a serious face.
Nie Qian jogged her memory and took her time to explain, “Well, sometimes I doze off when I practice cultivation. I can usually see her in my sleep. Even though she doesn’t look the same as I remembered, I can still recognize her at first sight. I have a feeling that she observes me in my dreams. She seems to want to tell me something, but can’t.”
Nie Tian turned to Nie Donghai and asked, “What about you, grandfather?”
Unlike Nie Qian, Nie Donghai didn’t always show his feelings. Even if his heart was filled with strong feelings, he normally wouldn’t give voice to them.
Therefore, Nie Tian wanted to see whether he had the same odd experience.
Nie Donghai hesitated for a moment and said in a soft voice, “I’ve been having similar dreams, but I didn’t think it was anything. I just thought that perhaps I’m getting old and missing her even more.”
After all these years in the Realm of Shattered Earth, Nie Donghai had already entered the early Profound realm with the help of various precious materials.
Nie Qian, however, was still at the late Heaven stage.
Given their mediocre cultivation talent, the fact that the two of them managed to rise their current cultivation bases was largely thanks to Dong Li, who brought them spiritual materials that suited their attributes every once in a while, and the unique features of the Realm of Shattered Earth.
Nie Donghai’s lifespan had extended to a great extent after he had entered the Profound realm.
It was a bit odd that he would attribute his frequent dreaming to old age.
As suspicious as Nie Tian was, he understood that, no matter how real, they were only dreams, and that it was implausible for him to get any useful information from them.
“Little Tian, can’t you find them, given your current status and influence?” Nie Qian asked anxiously.
Nie Tian shook his head. “I tried, but failed. And since that man is far too special, I can’t search for him in a big way…”
“But if they’re alive, why haven’t they come for you?” Nie Qian asked
“I’ve no idea,” Nie Tian answered, looking upset.
Nie Donghai gave Nie Qian a hard look and said, “It’s enough to know that Little Jin is still alive. She and that man might be busy with something, or have other difficulties that are preventing them from doing so. I bet they’ll show themselves when the right time comes.”
Looking frustrated, Nie Tian said, “Perhaps.”
In the following days, Nie Tian spent time with Nie Donghai and Nie Qian in the Realm of Shattered Earth.
Dong Li had provided them and the Nie Clan juniors with the cultivation materials they needed on a regular basis, along with a wide array of spiritual incantations and ancient records.
Therefore, all they did during this time was make small talk, with no mention of cultivation. Nie Tian told them all about the amazing things he had seen these years fighting in different domains.
After sharing all of his experiences with them, Nie Tian decided to resume the fourth stage of Heavenly Wood Heal.
The location he chose was the lush, vast forest in the Realm of Shattered Earth.
Upon arriving, he established the Wood Thriving Formation and commenced Flesh Tempering with his copious stock of outsider corpses.
The Realm of Shattered Earth was a unique place. It was divided into five regions, which were similar to the five sects of the Five Elements Sect. In these five regions, people could derive enlightenment and brand new incantations regarding metal, wood, water, fire, and earth power .
Furthermore, a grand palace stood in the middle of the realm, connecting to the Realm of Fragmentary Star.
The Realm of Shattered Earth was originally a realm in the Domain of Forbidden Heaven. Many years ago, the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace had marched into it and defeated its outsider occupants.
The fierceness of the battle had reduced almost all of the realms in the Domain of Forbidden Heaven to dead realms.
The Realm of Shattered Earth was the only one that had survived due to the existence of the Heaven-equal Vine.
Between cultivation sessions, Nie Tian couldn’t help but wonder, “Did the Five Elements Sect have something to do with this realm? Otherwise, why would it be divided into five regions of five elements, which coincide with the five realms of the Five Elements Sect?”
The trees and plants in the wood region weren’t as lush as those in Graydusk Forest.
However, as Nie Tian used the Wood Thriving Formation to channel wood power from his surroundings, he was surprised to discover that the wood power the spell formation was condensing was actually much richer than that in Graydusk Forest.
The level of condensation of the wood power within the spell formation was only slightly inferior to that in the Realm of Wood Spirit.
While he was channeling wood power in an attempt to resume Flesh Tempering, something suddenly stirred the Godspirit Tree sapling within him.
An immense awareness seemed to suddenly descend upon this region, carrying incomparably pure wood power with it.
WHOOSH!
The Godspirit Tree sapling within his wood power core took it upon itself to fly out of his dantian region.
Glowing and fabulous, it took root in the moist ground in front of him.
Then, wisps of pure wood power fell from the heavens, fusing into the Godspirit Tree sapling.
Nie Tian’s expression flickered. “It’s the Heaven-equal Vine!”
He instantly realized that the Heaven-equal Vine, which had an agreement with the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace, was granting the Godspirit Tree sapling a strand of its power.
Many years ago, Mu Biqiong’s coexisting flowers had received the same gift from the Heaven-equal Vine here.
Later, when Hua Mu had suffered heavy injuries, and the Heavenly Demonsbane inside of him had almost withered, he had also come to the Realm of Shattered Earth. Here, his Heavenly Demonsbane had also received help from the Heaven-equal Vine, allowing it to regain its life force.
This was the first time Nie Tian had come here with the Godspirit Tree sapling inside of him. He hadn’t expected that it would also win the Heaven-equal Vine’s favor, and be bestowed a strand of its power.
Under Nie Tian’s gaze, the Godspirit Tree sapling seemed to enter a growth spurt after receiving wood power from the Heaven-equal Vine, which was similar to what Hou Chulan’s Divine Bamboo had experienced.
At that moment, a mysterious awareness locked down onto him.
Nie Tian instantly realized who it belonged to. “The Heaven-equal Vine!”
In the next moment, he received a soul message.
“What?! You’re leaving the Realm of Shattered Earth because your agreement with my sect is going to expire soon?!” Nie Tian went blank for a moment before asking in confusion, “Where do you plan on going? Who made that agreement with you? And what does the agreement specify?”
