A figure suddenly appeared on the top floor balcony where Nie Tian stood. With a shocked expression, he exclaimed, “That’s an eighth grade ice phoenix!”
It was a tall old man with silver hair, his face covered in the furrows of time.
“Grandpa Meng,” Jing Rou said softly.
With a warm smile, the old man nodded and introduced himself to Nie Tian, “Meng Li is my name. I’m an elder of the Divine Seal Sect. Welcome.”
Clearly, he knew who Nie Tian was, because only if he did would he speak to him with such politeness and respect.
Nie Tian hastily returned a bow.
The tall old man, who referred to himself as Meng Li, was dressed in a long robe decorated with numerous magical symbols, and had an impressive bearing.
Gazing into the depths of the clouds at the transformed ice phoenix that was wreathed in bits of sparkling ice, Meng Li said with a grim expression, “As a branch of Ancientspirits, Ancientbeasts rarely come to the Realm of Maelstrom, but the few times they showed up here, they plunged the Realm of Maelstrom into great turbulences. We have to raise our vigilance.”
His lofty cultivation base allowed him to tell that the ice phoenix was at the peak of the eighth grade, only one step away from entering the ninth grade.
Most of the time, Saint domain experts wouldn’t come to oversee things in the Realm of Maelstrom. Void domain experts already represented their highest battle prowess here.
As the Divine Seal Sect’s representative in the Realm of Maelstrom, Meng Li was responsible for keeping things in order in the Realm of Maelstrom.
However, the ice phoenix with an unknown origin was at the peak of the eighth grade, while he was only at the middle Void domain. He weighed their strength against hers inwardly, and wondered whether he would be able to overtake her in battle with the help of the other two overseers from the Thousandsword Mountain Sect and the Golden Vast Sect.
Soon, his eyebrows furrowed.
Without paying any attention to the changes on his face, Duan Shihu went on to talk to Nie Tian, “Junior martial brother, the sand of time is a legendary item that contains the most mysterious time power. It can be refined into spiritual tools, vesting spiritual tools with the ability to reverse time.
“Such mighty spiritual tools will allow their owners to reverse time in battle over a short period of time.
“Imagine this: two men with the same cultivation bases and battle prowess get into a fight. If one of them possesses a spiritual tool that allows him to reverse time, he’ll be able to minimize his opponent’s full-force strikes by turning time back just a few seconds.
“Such mighty spiritual tools will give their owners a great advantage in battle.”
Nie Tian’s expression flickered after he spent a moment pondering these words. “If that sand of time can indeed turn back time, then such a change in spiritual tools will achieve significant results.”
Duan Shihu grew increasingly excited as he added, “And this is only for normal people. If our master gets ahold of some sand of time, he’ll be able to fully display its terrifying might. I’ll try my best to get it for master! I happen to have a few Soul Convergence Pills in my possession. Hopefully, I’ll be able to trade them for that bottle of sand of time!”
Jing Rou smiled bitterly. “I’m afraid that’s not very likely.”
Meng Li also shook his head slightly. “Soul Convergence Pills don’t rank very high among human medicinal pills. The Thousandsword Mountain Sect and the Golden Vast Sect must have lots of them too. Such medicinal pills can help human cultivators transform their psychic power into soul power, and form their true souls after entering the Worldly realm.
“But I’m afraid they won’t be very helpful to that high grade ice phoenix.
“I can feel that the ice phoenix’s soul has suffered serious injuries. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to the Realm of Maelstrom to trade in her sand of time.
“She would only have her eyes on and trade her sand of time for precious medicinal pills that can help her soul recover within a short time.”
While Meng Li spoke, Jing Rou took out her curious prism with four facets.
Images appeared in it, allowing Nie Tian to gain a clear view of what was happening in the sky.
Duan Shihu and Meng Li also stepped over and looked into the prism with rapt attention, through which the four of them saw the ice phoenix, who had come a long way to the Realm of Maelstrom, floating still in the air.
A large amount of sparkling, icy light wreathed her perfectly-shaped body, blocking her face from view.
One of her soft, jade-like arms stuck out of the sparkling light, holding a transparent crystal bottle, which held grains of silver-white sand.
The crystal bottle exuded a frigid aura, as if to mask the wonders of the grains of silver-white sand inside.
Even so, everyone knew those grains of silver-white sand were sand of time.
At this moment, many powerful experts had gathered to the ice phoenix’s location, including humans, Phantasms, and people of other races.
Clearly, all of them had a strong interest in the sand of time.
Xing Bo from the Thousandsword Mountain Sect was among them. He and Gao Han came on an air-transportation spiritual tool.
“Hmm?!” Nie Tian’s pupils shrank as he saw a familiar figure: Yuna, the Phantasm expert.
Back when he had defeated the Demons and Phantasms’ joint fleet, which had wandered around the continent the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace had left for him, with the help of that incredibly powerful palace, his soul awareness had been magnified hundreds of times over.
Thanks to his greatly enhanced perception, he had secretly examined Yuna.
This charming, noble Phantasm woman had left an extremely deep impression on him, and so had her eighth grade bloodline power and unfathomable strength.
He had snuck a peek at Yuna, but since Yuna hadn’t entered that continent, she hadn’t seen him.
Nie Tian was very surprised to see Yuna in the Realm of Maelstrom.
Standing beside Xing Bo on their air-transportation spiritual tool, Gao Han shouted towards the transformed ice phoenix, who couldn’t be seen clearly, “The Thousandsword Mountain Sect is willing to give fifty Soul Convergence Pills for that bottle of sand of time!”
The ice phoenix let out a disdainful laugh and said, “Soul Convergence Pills? You want to trade your Soul Convergence Pills for my sand of time? What a joke! To get this bottle of sand of time, I almost got killed in the Shatter Battlefield. Now, you’re telling me that you want to trade it for Soul Convergence Pills? Do you think high-tier Ancientbeasts like me are as foolish as low-tier spirit beasts?”
A shocked expression spread across Nie Tian’s face. “Shatter Battlefield?!”
He instantly remembered the long talk he had had with the Flame Dragon Armor.
The Flame Dragon Armor had told him that Pang Chicheng, its second master, had been surrounded in none other than the Shatter Battlefield. Only after stimulating the Flame Dragon Armor’s full power had he managed to escape. To this day, it was unknown whether he was still alive.
Surprised, Duan Shihu asked, “Have you heard of the Shatter Battlefield before?”
“I have, but don’t know much about it,” Nie Tian said honestly.
Duan Shihu nodded and said, “Every a few years, spatial rifts that lead to the Shatter Battlefield will appear in the swirling screen of flowing water in the Realm of Maelstrom.”
With a bitter smile, he continued, “But that place… Not everyone can go there. Even though I know that new spatial rifts will soon open, leading to that place, I’ve never considered going there myself.”
Jing Rou shot him a nasty look. “You’ll stay here in the Domain of Heaven Python! You haven’t even entered the Soul realm yet. Don’t indulge in foolish fancies!”
Duan Shihu let out a sigh and didn’t say anything else.
Inside the prism, Gao Han from the Thousandsword Mountain Sect fell silent after being mocked by the ice phoenix.
At this moment, Yuna, the Phantasm expert, said with a charming smile, “I’m willing to give three hundred discarnate souls for that bottle of sand of time. These discarnate souls are powerful and of a variety of races. They’ll be very helpful to you if you can refine them.”
“Not interested,” The ice phoenix responded coldly.
She knew that those discarnate souls must still carry soul imprints from when they had been alive, and must have all sorts of negative emotions. Her soul had already suffered serious injuries. There was no way that she would be able to refine all those discarnate souls.
An old woman from the Golden Vast Sect, who was floating in midair without the help of an air-transportation spiritual tool, called out, “The Golden Vast Sect is willing to give ten Soul Restoration Pills in exchange for that bottle of sand of time.”
Jing Rou’s expression flickered in a subtle fashion. “Soul Restoration Pills?! Soul Restoration Pills are very precious medicinal pills that are specifically used to heal soul injuries, but they won’t achieve the same results on Ancientbeasts as they do on humans. But even so, they’ll be helpful for her soul injuries. It seems that the Golden Vast Sect will most likely get that bottle of sand of time.”
After hearing the offer of ten Soul Restoration Pills, the hazy ice phoenix finally fell silent.
Obviously, she was weighing the offer inwardly.
After hesitating for a while, she asked in a loud voice, “Is there anyone else?”
“Dammit!” Duan Shihu said, gritting his teeth. “Medicinal pills that can nourish souls are hard to find, and Soul Convergence Pills are all I have. I’m afraid I won’t be able to get that bottle of sand of time for our master!”
“How about soul crystals, senior martial brother?” Nie Tian asked. “Will she be interested in soul crystals?”
A shudder ran through Jing Rou. “Soul crystals!? Do you have soul crystals?!”
Nie Tian nodded. “Yeah, I have quite a few.”
Numerous divine seals shone in the depths of Duan Shihu’s eyes. “She definitely will! Soul crystals have the same effect on people of all races! Compared to Soul Restoration Pills, soul crystals will definitely be more appealing to her!”
“Are you sure you want to give her soul crystals for her sand of time?” Meng Li asked.
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Alright.”
Meng Li then cleared his throat and said in a voice that shook the heavens, “The Divine Seal Sect is willing to give soul crystals in exchange for your sand of time. If you’re interested, please come over so we can discuss the number of soul crystals.”
Upon hearing these words, the ice phoenix instantly morphed into a streak of icy light that flew down from midair, ignoring everyone else.
