Gathered around the ancient teleportation portal, every survivor from the Realm of Flame Heaven looked up into the sky with fascinated expressions on their faces.
Before long, Nie Tian’s figure grew clear inside of a bubble of seven-colored light as it gradually descended.
While everyone was looking up at him, Nie Tian looked down at them, and a surprised look could be seen in his eyes.
He had expected Tang Yang from the Realm of Dark Underworld to be there after being dragged out of the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace.
However, after a careful examination, he didn’t find Tang Yang among the crowd, nor any other foreign Qi warriors.
Upon seeing Li Fan, Jiang Lingzhu, An Shiyi, and Zheng Bin, he felt secretly relieved and surprised.
Jiang Lingzhu and An Shiyi waved at Nie Tian from below as he approached the city, their faces filled with elation. “Nie Tian!”
“I can’t believe this guy is still alive!” Yu Tong muttered with a cold face, sighing over Nie Tian’s unbelievably good fortune.
The seven-colored light bubble carried Nie Tian right towards the teleportation portal where everyone was gathered around.
WHOOSH!
When he landed on the teleportation portal, the seven-colored light that had been enveloping him the entire time melted down and merged with the portal like water.
Originally, the dilapidated teleportation portal had looked dark and lifeless. Numerous fissures could be seen on the stones that formed the portal. Even the ancient pattern that had been engraved on it seemed incomplete.
However, everything changed the moment the seven-colored light merged with it.
The fissures on the stones were filled and healed by the bright light.
The gaps and missing parts on the pattern on the floor of the formation were also knitted back together and reconnected by the light.
The ancient teleportation portal suddenly became dazzling and glowed with a bright luster, as if it were now brimming with a mysterious power.
Everyone who had been gathered there had long since wished to leave the Heaven Gate trial via that ancient teleportation portal. Therefore, they were all thrilled by the spectacle. “Wow!”
Feng Luo’s expression flickered. “Nie Tian’s arrival fixed the ancient teleportation portal, infusing it with new power and thus reviving it!”
He subconsciously looked at Qiu Heng out of the corner of his eyes and with a cold snort, he said, “Didn’t you say that you’re an expert of inter-spacial power? We spared you all kinds of spiritual materials and let you have your ways with them over the past three months. Did the teleportation portal change even a bit?”
Embarrassment stretched across Qiu Heng’s face. He could only force a smile onto his face and say nothing.
Over the past months, they had searched every meteor in the region, but failed to find anything noteworthy. Thus, everyone was very eager to leave this place.
The only thing they deemed capable of getting them out of this place was the dilapidated teleportation portal in front of them.
Although Qiu Heng’s cultivation base wasn’t the highest among them, he had some knowledge regarding the profound inter-spacial powers.
That was the reason why everyone had been willing to give him their spiritual materials that could be used to cast inter-spacial teleportation spells.
They had hoped that Qiu Heng could restore the ancient teleportation portal to a usable state, so that they could use it to leave the Heaven Gate dimension now that they could no longer find anything of value.
However, Qiu Heng failed to make any progress with the teleportation portal after consuming numerous valuable spiritual materials.
It was still as dim and lifeless as it had always been, and not a single thing about it had changed.
However, the moment Nie Tian descended from the heavens, the seven-colored light that had enveloped him seemed to instantly activate the teleportation portal, causing everyone’s eyes to glitter with excitement.
Qiu Heng had badmouthed Nie Tian moments ago in a way as if he wished that Nie Tian had died in some distant universe.
If Nie Tian had actually died as he had expected, it would be very likely that they wouldn’t have been able to start the teleportation portal and leave the place.
“If you don’t know how to do it, you should have told us, so that we wouldn’t have thrown away so many spiritual materials!” Hong Can from the Hell sect said with an unpleasant expression on his face.
Others also shot unfriendly gazes towards Qiu Heng, thinking that he was nothing but a big talker.
An Shiyi, who was standing right next to Qiu Heng, had a hearty smile on her face as she said, “I told you that nothing would happen to him. See? Isn’t he safe and sound?”
“Sure.” Qiu Heng answered, but he cursed in his heart, Little bastard!
While the teleportation portal gradually regained its function, Li Fan from the Cloudsoaring sect stepped towards Nie Tian and asked, “Where did you go? How come you were gone for three months?”
“Three months?!” Nie Tian was taken aback.
He had spent most of his time fighting and recuperating in the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace.
When the fights were finally over, he had concentrated on absorbing the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth and using it to refine his spiritual sea.
In addition, whenever starlight poured out of the starry river, he had focused his mind on channeling it to his soul, where seven fragmentary stars eventually took shape.
Therefore, he had completely lost track of time, and didn’t expect himself to have spent months in the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace.
“Yes, three months and three days, to be exact.” With these words, Li Fan’s expression suddenly flickered. Eyes wide, he took another look at Nie Tian and asked, “Have you broken through into the middle Lesser Heaven stage?”
Nie Tian nodded softly and said, “Yes, you’re right. I made the breakthrough right before I was taken out of here.”
Li Fan was increasingly shocked as he asked, “So have you made more progress?”
Nie Tian grinned, “I think I’m only one step away from stepping into the late Lesser Heaven stage, and it’s possible that I might make the breakthrough any moment now.”
Li Fan was flabbergasted. “What good fortune did you get in the place you went to?”
With these words, he took note that the Heaven Sparks in the Heaven Gate pattern on the back of Nie Tian’s hand were gone and a hexagram had taken their place.
Although he didn’t know what the hexagram represented, he had a feeling that it had something to do with Nie Tian’s good fortune.
Just as Nie Tian was about to elaborate to Li Fan, he glanced around and saw that people from the other sects were looking closely at them and listening attentively.
Apparently, each and every one of them was very curious about what had happened to him.
Hence, Nie Tian chuckled and didn’t answer Li Fan’s question. Instead, he asked, “What about you?”
He cast his gaze towards Jiang Lingzhu. “Did you find anything of value?”
“Of course!” Jiang Lingzhu tilted her chin as she said proudly, “I found a incantation on one of the meteors, and I also looted a special tool from an outsider body.”
“Wow, good for you.” Nie Tian smiled and shifted his gaze to An Shiyi, who was standing quite close to him, and asked, “What about you, sister?”
An Shiyi pursed her lips into a charming smile and said, “I’ve also made some gains. If there were no mishaps, I believe I’ll be able to break through into the Greater Heaven stage soon after returning to the Realm of Flame Heaven.”
All the others realized that Nie Tian had intentionally avoided the topic, and thus didn’t say anything.
As a matter of fact, since they managed to survive till now, every one of them had made some gains, whether it be physically or mentally.
There were a large number of meteors in the region, and many of them carried secrets or valuable items, so they all gained something, although some more, some less.
It was just that none of them were willing to share their findings with others.
The powerful ones, who had approached the city when it was still emanating special energy, had absorbed numerous mysterious symbols into their Heaven Sparks.
Even though they had nothing to do with the Fragmentary Star Incantation, those symbols carried the profound truths of different types of power.
Moreover, all the symbols they had received matched perfectly with their cultivation attributes.
Therefore, the way they saw it, the magical symbols alone had made the Heaven Gate trial a worthy venture.
At that time, Hong Can from the Hell sect noticed that a gate of seven-colored light had gradually took shape in the center the portal. His expression flickered as he called out to the crowd, “If my speculations are correct, this ancient teleportation portal is probably linked to the Heaven Gate near my sect.
“The Heaven Gate trial is over! By stepping into the light gate, we’ll probably be able to travel back to the Realm of Flame Heaven.”
After a brief pause, he continued, “However, we don’t know what the Realm of Flame Heaven is like now. Great changes might have already taken place there.
“Prepare yourselves, everyone. I think the portal will be activated for some time. Let’s restore our strength to the fullest and enter at our peak state.
“I’m afraid that we’ll face even bigger challenges when we come out the other end.”
Upon hearing Hong Can’s words, everyone’s heart grew heavy, and their eyes were filled with uneasiness as they looked towards the light gate.
That included Nie Tian.
Before stepping into the Heaven Gate, he had already learned from the foreign Qi warriors that they had considered the Realm of Flame Heaven to be a piece of meat ready to be carved.
Aside from them, demon armies might also have swarmed into the Realm of Flame Heaven.
People from the Realm of Flame Heaven might have already been plunged into an abyss of misery, and fights could be taking place around every corner. As soon as they returned, they would very likely face the joint invasion of demons and foreign cultivators.
“Perhaps, we don’t need to go back so quickly.” Qiu Heng suddenly said in a soft voice.
