Moments later, a profound look appeared in Nie Tian’s eyes. “A Phantasm grand patriarch.”
Through communication with the five evil gods and the Spirit Pearl’s soul, he learned that a Phantasm grand patriarch was on his way here.
The Spirit Pearl’s soul also informed Nie Tian that that Phantasm grand patriarch had a Spirit Pearl as well.
“Do we go to the Frigid Depths, Nie Tian?” Yin Xingtian asked.
“That has to wait.” Nie Tian looked into the frosty mist in the direction the Spirit Pearl’s soul showed him. “There’s a small problem.”
What the Spirit Pearl’s soul was sensing originated from its connection to that other Spirit Pearl. Neither Mo Qianfan nor Yin Xingtian had sensed anything.
Mo Qianfan snorted disdainfully. “What problem? Unless Grand Monarch Ice Bones comes for us himself, I doubt that anyone that’s currently in the Domain of Frigid Depths can pose a threat!”
“A Phantasm grand patriarch whose bloodline is a step away from entering the tenth grade,” Nie Tian said.
“A Phantasm grand patriarch whose bloodline is a step away from entering the tenth grade…” Yin Xingtian searched in his memory. Then, his eyes suddenly lit up. “Kleist! Kleist is the only Phantasm who has a chance to enter the tenth grade right now!”
“Grand Patriarch Evil Phantom, Kleist!” Mo Qianfan also exclaimed softly.
Nie Tian was taken aback. “Are you sure that the Phantasm grand patriarch coming here is Kleist?”
Both Yin Xingtian and Mo Qianfan knew that Nie Tian’s Spirit Pearl was originally a powerful magical treasure of the Phantasms, and that he had the ability to communicate with its soul. They nodded simultaneously.
“If what you said is correct, the only Phantasm grand patriarch who’s currently on the verge of advancing to the tenth grade is Grand Patriarch Evil Phantom, Kleist.” Yin Xingtian assured him.
“How strong is this grand patriarch?” Nie Tian asked.
Yin Xingtian narrowed his eyes, his aura gradually building up. “His power is widely revered. However, I reckon he and I will be well-matched in battle if there’s going to be one.”
Surprised, Nie Tian asked, “He’s as strong as you are?”
Yin Xingtian nodded slightly. “Yeah. After all, he has the best chance to become the next Phantasm to enter the tenth grade.”
“Is he here because of you?” Mo Qianfan asked.
“I suppose so,” Nie Tian answered.
WHOOSH!
As they spoke, a streak of misty cyan light shuttled through the frosty white mist, covering thousands of kilometers with every passing second.
“He’s here!” Now that he was closer to them, Mo Qianfan and Yin Xingtian sensed a flesh aura that was unique to the Phantasms.
After them, Master Pure Metal, Lord Green Wood, and the other Saint domain experts also sensed Kleist’s flesh aura successively.
Nie Tian braced himself with a serious expression.
Finally, the streak of misty cyan light flew to the area where Nie Tian and the others were.
After the misty cyan light cleared, a well-dressed, handsome Phantasm emerged. Floating in front of his chest was another Spirit Pearl.
Reflections of Nie Tian, Yin Xingtian, Mo Qianfan, and everyone else appeared in the prismatic crystal between his eyebrows.
“Nie Tian, a Son of the Stars, Mo Qianfan, the sectmaster of the Heavenly Thunder Sect, Yin Xingtian, the sectmaster of the Streamcloud Sword Sect.” With these words, he laid his eyes on Master Pure Metal and Lord Green Wood. “I’m not familiar with who you are. Even though you’re also at the Saint domain, you apparently haven’t made your names in the human world.”
He didn’t know who Master Pure Metal and the others were, and thus assumed that they were nobodies.
However, Master Pure Metal and Lord Green Wood recognized him. Eyes filled with apprehension, they whispered.
“Grand Patriarch Evil Phantom!”
“It’s him indeed!”
Kleist was at the peak of the ninth grade, which matched the humans’ late Saint domain. However, Master Pure Metal and Lord Green Wood were well-aware that even the two of them together wouldn’t be able to defeat Kleist in battle.
If Mo Qianfan and Yin Xingtian hadn’t been here, they wouldn’t have had the courage to stay and face him.
“You’re here because of me, right?” Nie Tian asked. “Given the grade of your bloodline, you should have been able to sense the strength of those around me before you came close. As a Phantasm, aren’t you afraid of appearing in a human domain by yourself for whatever reason?”
A disdainful smile appeared at the corner of Kleist’s mouth. “Afraid of whom? Them? You think just the few of them will scare me?”
Upon hearing this, Mo Qianfan activated his dharma idol, giving rise to a loud rumble.
As tall as a mountain peak, his dharma idol had lightning bolts wrapped around it. Like a god of lightning from some ancient myth, it looked down at Kleist with countless lightning wisps slithering through its fingers, as if it could annihilate any living being at any time.
Those who practiced lightning power were the Phantasms’ natural bane. That was well-known.
“You, hahaha, you lot…” Grand Patriarch Evil Phantom, Kleist, shook his head unceasingly, his cyan pupils filled with a bizarre light, as if he was waiting for something.
All of a sudden, an unusual phenomenon appeared in an area over everyone.
The thick, white mist suddenly became dotted with stars. Blinding starlight seemed to even clear the mist.
Then, an incomparably large figure that was surrounded by stars and standing on a river of stars seemed to travel through domains and suddenly appear over everyone.
An aura that suppressed the heavens, causing even the realms to tremble, burst forth from within it.
Behind it hung a magnificent banner that was thousands of meters long.
On the banner was recorded the transition of stars, the rotation of the sun and the moon, and scenes of realms dying and becoming silent, along with other profound mysteries and laws.
At this moment, the three fragmentary star marks inside of Nie Tian were stirred simultaneously.
With a confused expression, Nie Tian looked at the figure, which he found both familiar and unfamiliar. “Is… is that Vice Sectmaster Luo Wanxiang?”
Astonishment filled Yin Xingtian’s face as he said, “The All Manifestations Star Banner, an Immortal grade divine tool! It’s Luo Wanxiang indeed! However, his All Manifestations Star Banner was a level one Immortal grade divine tool. How come it’s reached level three all of a sudden? Level three Immortal grade… That’s even a level higher than my Heavenbreaker!”
Immortal grade divine tools were also sub-categorized into seven levels.
The Frigid Ice Divine Kingdom was at level one. The Heavenbreaker was at level two. The All Manifestations Star Banner had originally been at level one, but now it appeared as a level three Immortal grade divine tool.
In the hands of Luo Wanxiang, who was at the middle God domain and had recently made a breakthrough in his mastery of incantations, its might would be off the charts.
Looking at the All Manifestations Star Banner, Master Pure Metal cheered excitedly, “Now that vice sectmaster is here, the turmoil in the Domain of Frigid Depths should be easily ended!”
Lord Green Wood and Teng Yue also called out in high spirits, “It seems that we’ve misunderstood Vice Sectmaster Luo. We thought…”
They looked up, beaming.
FZZZ!
A streak of dazzling stars was suddenly channeled by Luo Wanxiang’s dharma idol and flew out from within the All Manifestations Star Banner.
It looked like a river of actual, sparkling stars!
In the next moment, it poured down into Master Pure Metal’s metal domain with an immense, terrifying aura that could annihilate lives and vaporize realms.
Flooded by the river of starlight, the shining golden domain was instantly melted, like gold being turned into liquid.
“NO!!” Master Pure Metal let out an agonized shriek. Without even knowing what was happening, he was engulfed in dazzling starlight and reduced to golden flames and sparks.
Mo Qianfan’s face turned pale with shock. “He perished, body and soul…”
He and Yin Xingtian hastily flew to Nie Tian’s side to protect him with their power.
Having watched Master Pure Metal die, Lord Green Wood, Teng Yue, and the other subordinates of Chu Rui yelled madly, “Vice Sectmaster! What, what are you doing?!”
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Three more streaks of starlight were channeled from Luo Wanxiang’s Immortal grade divine tool, each of which as magnificent as a river of stars.
Lord Green Wood, Teng Yue, and that other early Saint domain expert, who practiced water power, were instantly engulfed in the dazzling starlight.
AHHH! AHHH! AHHH! AHHH! AHHH!
Under Nie Tian’s gaze, the three Saint domain experts didn’t even have a chance to escape before their Saint domains were crushed by the starlight streams and they died. Even their souls were reduced to ashes that scattered into the void.
“Four of Chu Rui’s Saint domain subordinates killed in the blink of an eye!” This was the first time Nie Tian had found Vice Sectmaster Luo Wanxiang to be full of mysteries.
Looking up at the man, who was suppressing the void around him with the All Manifestations Star Banner, causing even the crystalline realms to tremble in fear, Nie Tian had a strange feeling of unfamiliarity, as if this wasn’t the Luo Wanxiang he knew at all.
What confused him even more was that after he examined him with rapt attention, he was convinced that it was Luo Wanxiang, yet he still gave him a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Yin Xingtian and Mo Qianfan sucked in a breath of cold air and exchanged a glance with each other. Both of them saw deep apprehension in each other’s eyes.
They had faced Luo Wanxiang on many occasions before, yet not once had they felt so insecure and uneasy.
Perhaps that was because Luo Wanxiang’s aura felt different and unfamiliar this time.
