Just when Ye Futian and the others were planning on visiting the Hidden Land Realm, the cultivators from the Xiao clan and the Yuanyang Clan brought more news to the Heavenly Mandate Academy.
Other forces in the Central Emperor Realm encountered the same things as the Academy did.
It took people in the Heavenly Mandate Academy by surprise. It seemed like they were wrong the whole time. Could it be that the hidden enemy was not solely targeting the Academy?
For that reason, Ye Futian and the others waited for a while instead of setting out right away.
Word trickled in that many cultivators of powerful forces in the Central Nine Realms either died or disappeared mysteriously.
It put the Nine Realms in a state of fear and tumult.
Losing disciples was not a trivial matter for any top force. No powerful group would tolerate such assault. It was even more outrageous since several forces were attacked at the same time.
The mysterious group that vanished before the Great Emperor unified the Divine Prefecture. Was it coming back?
The leaders of the top forces in the Nine Realms knew more about the Hell than ordinary disciples. They even brought in people from outside of the 3,000 Realms of the Great Path to help.
On the day, a team of cultivators from the Heavenly Mandate Academy hit the road. Different from their original plan, they sent a large number of powerful cultivators directly to the Hidden Land Realm.
The Heavenly Mandate Academy was not the only one. It was said that many forces in the Nine Realms were heading to the Hidden Land Realm.
The “Hell” once existed in the Hidden Land Realm and now reappeared in the Nine Realms. Cultivators of all sides were eager to go to the Hidden Land Realm to investigate.
…
Ye Futian and the others immediately felt upon their arrival that the vast field of the Hidden Land Realm was bleak and gloomy. The mountains were barren, and the plains were desolate. Everything was enveloped in darkness.
Each of the Nine Realms was different. For instance, the Solar Realm was extremely hot, while the Shadow Realm was bitterly cold.
Ghost Capital City was one of the main cities in the Hidden Land Realm. Magnificent and imposing, many ancient, dark-colored buildings towered up inside of the city. It was distinctly different from any other place Ye Futian had been.
The Clan of the God of Ghost was headquartered in the Ghost Capital City and controlled the large area around the capital.
A succession of cultivators from other realms arrived at the Ghost Capital City in recent days. Cultivators in the Ghost Capital City naturally learned about the reason as the news spreading around.
The mysterious group “Hell” from the Hidden Land Realm many years ago reappeared and caused plenty of troubles in the Nine Realms. The cultivators from the top forces obviously came to inquire into the matter.
The Clan of the God of Ghost was the most influential group in the Hidden Land Realm. The Ghost Capital City, as its capital, might have more information circulating around.
Therefore, it was the most desirable destination for many forces.
The cultivators from the Heavenly Mandate Academy also came to Ghost Capital City and found a place to settle down temporarily. Their arrival soon attracted people’s attention. The Heavenly Mandate Academy was prominent in the Nine Realms. Even though they didn’t have the same level of influence in the Hidden Land Realm as they did in the Heavenly Mandate Realm, the cultivators in the Hidden Land Realm still knew about their attack on the Shen clan four years ago.
The Heavenly Mandate Academy was even more renowned than the top forces from the Central Emperor Realm, such as the Shen clan.
Ye Futian was also a legendary name well known in the Nine Realms. Cultivators in the Hidden Land Realm heard about him as well.
Many people were guessing if Ye Futian was truly as strong and unrivaled as the rumors claimed so.
The night was pitch black. Ye Futian was cultivating in the room when he sensed something. He opened his eyes and saw an indistinct figure in the distance.
“Which friend is it?” Ye Futian asked and immediately saw a pale shadow gracefully landed on the roof in front of him.
The shadow was faint and indistinct as though it was not a real person but a ghost in the moonlight. Wearing a thin, white dress, she had long, black hair, an elegant figure, and a gorgeous face.
She looked like a ghost in the darkness.
“Is this not her real body?” Ye Futian was intrigued. He stepped forward and unleashed invisible energy on her.
“I have long heard about your name and how you defeated Shen Hao from the Shen clan and built the perfect Divine Wheel. I came here particularly to catch a glimpse of your regal bearing,” the woman said with a smile, “You are indeed a man of elegance and talent. This is quite surprising as I thought you would be a brawny and domineering guy.”
“Did you come from the Clan of the God of Ghost?” Ye Futian asked.
She couldn’t move so quietly if it were her real body. She probably used a technique unique to the Clan of the God of Ghost to project a blurry shadow of her.
“I’m Lian Qingyi from the Clan of the God of Ghost,” said the woman.
“Lian Qingyi,” Ye Futian murmured. There was an outstanding cultivator from the Clan of the God of Ghost in the God’s relic whose name was Lian Jiuyou. Maybe she was related to him.
“You already knew the intention of the Heavenly Mandate Academy, didn’t you?” Ye Futian asked her.
“Yes, I do.” Lian Qingyi nodded.
“Can you tell me?” said Ye Futian.
“I will tell you everything I know when you come to the Clan of the God of Ghost tomorrow,” said Lian Qingyi. Then, her shadow glided away and disappeared silently.
Hua Jiangshan came to Ye Futian after Lian Qingyi was gone, said, “Lian Qingyi is the Goddess of the Clan of the God of Ghost. She is an extraordinary cultivator in the middle-level Renhuang Plane, one of the best in the younger generation of the Clan of the God of Ghost.”
Ye Futian nodded. He was curious why Lian Qingyi came to him. Was it really possible that she simply wanted to meet him?
“I will go to the Clan of the God of Ghost tomorrow to see if I can gather any useful information,” said Ye Futian.
“OK.” Hua Jiangshan nodded.
The next day, Ye Futian led a group of people to the God of Ghost Palace where the Clan of the God of Ghost was located.
Standing outside of the God of Ghost Palace, Ye Futian gazed into the distance. The magnificent castle far away with black and forbidding walls could almost reach the sky.
Some other people moved closer to them at the moment. Ye Futian sensed something and turned around. A strange look flashed across his face when he saw the people coming.
Those people’s penetrating eyes darted toward Ye Futian like sharp blades with a golden gleam.
They were cultivators from the Golden Divine Nation.
They also came to Ghost Capital City.
The Golden Divine Nation also lost some disciples who were traveling or cultivating outside.
It was obvious that the Heavenly Mandate Academy was not the only group the Clan of the God of Ghost invited.
The tension in the room was incredibly palpable due to the enmity between the Academy and the Golden Divine Nation.
One of the leaders of the delegation of the Golden Divine Nation was especially forceful and frightening. He was a divine general in the Golden Divine Nation and had met Ye Futian in the battle of the Heavenly Mandate Dynasty.
A dashing young man in his 30s stood next to the divine general. He seemed shrewd and assertive.
Gai Qixing, the seventh son of the sovereign of the Golden Divine Nation, stared at Ye Futian with a menacing look. Ye Futian could sense that Gai Qixing was in the middle-level Renhuang Plane with a fourth-order Divine Wheel. He was not threatened by Gai Qixing at all.
Gai Cang, the sovereign of the Golden Divine Nation, personally visited the Heavenly Mandate Academy when it was established. But they later realized that there was nothing they could do to Ye Futian and had been keeping a low profile ever since the battle with the Shen clan.
Nowadays, neither side would launch an attack recklessly despite mutual hostility.
“Let’s go.” Ye Futian glanced at them, turned back, and walked toward the guide sent by the Clan of the God of Ghost. The cultivators from the Golden Divine Nation also stepped forward.
The Clan of the God of Ghost already prepared a banquet in front of a palace. Ye Futian found out that the cultivators from the Sky Reaching School, Shangxiao Divine Palace, Celestial Worthy Temple, Heavenly Sword Hall, and other groups were all present.
Some people showed an interesting look when the cultivators from the Heavenly Mandate Academy and the Golden Divine Nation walked in. Many people here knew about their grudges.
Ye Futian looked at the seat of the host. It was someone he met the night before—Lian Qingyi. Several cultivators from the Clan of the God of Ghost sat behind her.
Nevertheless, it was the real Lian Qingyi today instead of her shadow.
“Please.” A cultivator from the Clan of the God of Ghost showed Ye Futian and the others to their seats. Lian Qingyi shot a glance at Ye Futian yet didn’t say anything. A person asked, “Is everyone here?”
The cultivators of the top forces in the Nine Realms who came to Ghost Capital City were all here.
“Yes,” Lian Qingyi nodded and said, “I invited you here because I know why you came to the Hidden Land Realm. Based on the information gathered by the Clan of the God of Ghost, the rumors about the once-powerful group in the Hidden Land Realm are very likely to be true. Your speculations are correct.”
People’s eyes narrowed in concentration. Was it really the mysterious force from years ago?
“A group that had disappeared for hundreds of years suddenly resurged? If so, what do they want to achieve by assassinating the cultivators of all forces in the Nine Realms?” a person from the Sky Reaching School asked Lian Qingyi. It was a question that puzzled everyone.
“They want to make you come to the Hidden Land Realm,” said Lian Qingyi. Her answer astounded the crowd. The “Hell” intentionally lured them to the Hidden Land Realm?
“Why?” Several people asked simultaneously.
If the “Hell” truly resurrected, shouldn’t they develop and expand in secret? Why would they provoke the cultivators in the Nine Realms and cause quite a stir?
“In fact, there has been a deep undercurrent in the Hidden Land Realm. A rumor has been spreading for the past few years.” Lian Qingyi looked at the crowd and said, “The Gate of the Hell might have emerged.”
“Gate of the Hell!”
The cultivators’ faces grew stern. People of the older generation had heard about the Gate of the Hell many years ago.
“If that’s true, the Hell might make a comeback and fall upon the Nine Realms again?” Someone asked. Lian Qingyi nodded and replied, “To be honest, they’re already back.”
…
