On Everglory Sect's Outer Sect Planet, an Outer Sect deacon at Second Stage Stellar Palace was loudly reprimanding the crowd, maintaining order as disciples and apprentices registered. The competition was so fierce, and the environment so harsh, that no one felt any attachment to the place; even the outer disciples wished to leave as soon as possible, let alone the struggling apprentices—leaving would be a blessing.
As for what the future held, none of them cared.
How to survive, how to keep living—these were the only priorities that occupied their minds every moment.
Even the Outer Sect deacon could not help but feel a deep sense of sorrow.
He pitied them, yet was powerless to help—he had no authority to offer any aid. His melancholy muttering caught Andrew Han's attention.
"Speak."
Andrew Han distorted the light around him, quietly standing behind the Outer Sect deacon. He spread his fingers, and a faint crystalline vortex emerged in his palm, instantly pulling out a portion of the man's soul.
Soul Extraction!
Temporary Isolation!
None of the outer disciples or apprentices present, nor even ordinary Void Rift cultivators, could detect anything unusual. Andrew, a Heaven-King whose soul and mind-path were perfected, possessed extraordinary mastery over soul techniques.
Separating the soul and then interrogating it was a trivial matter for Andrew.
But for the Outer Sect deacon, this was an unimaginable experience. He felt a strange force, like a magnetic pull acting directly on his soul. Suddenly, his soul was drawn out, pulled beyond his body, and he watched helplessly as his own form froze in place, motionless.
It was as if he soared into the heavens, then plummeted into a bottomless abyss—the disorienting sensation nearly caused him to lose himself entirely.
"What is this...?"
He struggled to open his eyes, discovering that he had become formless and colorless, floating behind his own body. Yet the intense gazes of those around him still focused on his face, as if nothing was amiss.
His soul hovered independently behind his body!
The bizarre perspective was downright terrifying!
"Where did all those people go?" Andrew's voice was eerie, laced with soul-guidance technique. "Of the three top sects, ranked by strength: Highcrest, Everglory, Sealrise. Everglory's Outer Sect World is nearly deserted. All those disciples and apprentices from previous years have been sent to Sealrise Sect... After all, these are two completely different sects. Is Everglory planning to merge with Highcrest?"
"No."
The soul replied in confusion.
"It's for training."
The soul realm of this Stellar Palace Outer Sect deacon was far inferior to Andrew Han's, and under the influence of soul-guidance, he answered every question without reservation: "The official directive is called a 'friendly exchange' between the two sects, but none who leave ever return. The sect gives many excuses, but we deacons don't believe them. After much private discussion, we suspect it is some kind of extremely cruel and bloody trial."
Hearing this,
Andrew frowned and pressed further, "What kind of trial?"
"We don't know any more than that. The bloody trial is just the deacons' guess." He obediently replied, "In recent years, the sect has repeatedly expanded recruitment, and the frequency keeps rising. It used to happen once or twice per era, but now it's once or twice per star-year—a hundredfold increase. Yet the population on the Outer Sect World keeps shrinking."
He was only an Outer Sect deacon, and knew very little—he didn't dare investigate the truth behind these events.
It was said,
that an Outer Sect elder, unable to bear it, tried to stop the 'friendly exchanges' between the two sects, only to mysteriously disappear.
How could a dignified Void Rift cultivator vanish without a trace?
There was nothing to be done—the sect master personally issued a public statement akin to a eulogy, officially declaring the disappearance and ensuring that elder would never return.
"Oh."
Andrew blinked.
The structure of a star-sect was fairly stable, progressing from the outer sect to the inner sect and finally to the core level. The core was personally overseen by the sect master, who was always the strongest member. Even those who preferred seclusion and ignored worldly affairs had to serve as sect master if they were the strongest.
"Everglory Sect..."
"It seems the sect master is problematic." Andrew shook his head thoughtfully. Perhaps the entire core leadership of Everglory was compromised.
To uncover the truth, he would likely need to visit Sealrise Sect.
"Hmph."
A cold glint flashed in Andrew's eyes.
He had originally thought the sin of selling Humans to other races was the work of a single person. Now it seemed likely there was more than one culprit.
"Everglory and Sealrise working together?"
"It's a pity. As a newcomer, I can't give orders yet. Otherwise, I would send a large force to investigate and wouldn't need to intervene personally."
Inspector envoys rarely conduct investigations themselves.
It's time-consuming, inefficient, and dangerous to investigate alone.
Andrew pondered for a moment, then released his grip, instantly erasing the Outer Sect deacon's soul memory. With his profound mastery of soul arts, he could even alter the memories of ordinary Void Rift cultivators.
However, it was best to half-kill them first.
A life on the brink of death was much easier to reprogram.
"No need for that with Stellar Palace cultivators."
Andrew's eyes flickered, his crystalline soul form gently rotating. "This man cultivates life genes, not soul power—his soul is fragile."
So, with a thought, Andrew erased the relevant memories and left a small soul mark.
The registration continued...
The crowd was lively and noisy...
The Outer Sect deacon stood dazed for a moment, then shook his head and sighed.
"Sigh."
He assumed he'd merely spaced out for a moment. His stern, pitying gaze swept over the disciples and apprentices below, his voice resounding like an edict, reaching everyone's ears.
"Anyone participating in the friendly exchange between the two sects!"
"Come here and register immediately. Latecomers will not be accepted!"
In an instant, the scene grew even more chaotic. The apprentices' faces were filled with fervor as they anxiously watched those around them, afraid of losing their chance to participate.
Meanwhile,
Andrew hovered high above, overlooking the valley. He quietly pierced through the planet's atmosphere, gazing toward the direction of Sealrise Sect's sector.
This was a necessary move. Given Andrew's reputation, mobilizing a large force would alert the administrators of the Mory Sector, and both sects would destroy any evidence and refuse to confess—leaving Andrew with no solution.
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Soul guidance is considered a violation, and the Law-Enforcement Pavilion is particularly strict about evidence.
"I'll go there myself."
With firm resolve, Andrew checked the other Everglory Sect planets, but found no anomalies.
Everglory's Inner Sect World was bursting with flowers, while the Core Planet exuded an oppressive majesty. Andrew took it all in, recording everything mentally. There were five days left until the start of the Personal-Disciple Grand Tournament.
He waited—just two or three days more, until the Nether Wraith traces faded completely, then he would cross subspace and head to Sealrise Sect. Though Sealrise and Everglory were in different star systems, the Grand Epoch Sect Zone's five systems were close enough that a Cosmos Union cultivator could traverse the entire region in half a day.
Occasionally, sects arrived at Everglory's Core Planet.
Sometimes, personal disciples from different sects would spar under the guise of friendly exchanges, but these matches often turned violent.
Earlier, Andrew had encountered Rena Kee aboard a warp ship—she was one of these, a sect elder who tried to avoid conflicts with the upper sects. The top sects were exceptionally powerful, each with a Cosmos Union guardian, and the three great sects had ancient beings at Cosmos Union Peak.
"Cosmos Union Peak, huh."
Andrew stood with his hands behind his back, floating in outer space, a trace of killing intent flickering in his eyes.
He remembered the era of demons and monsters on blue Earth—every foreign race was to be slain, and anyone who sheltered them was executed without mercy.
What he hated most in this life was not foreign races, but those who harmed fellow Humans for their sake. No matter the excuse, he would kill every one he saw, with no hesitation or mercy.
Moreover, this was a forbidden crime in the Hall of Heaven. Inspector envoys had both rights and responsibilities.
"Sealrise Sect..."
Three days later, Andrew stepped forward, easily tearing through cosmic space and entering the dazzling subspace.
——
On Sealrise Sect's Core Planet, an elder with youthful features and white hair draped over his shoulders opened his eyes. "An administrator has warned us: the inspector envoy from the Hall of Heaven has arrived in the Mory Sector. It's that invincible Heaven-King."
"How should we handle this?"
"How should we handle this?"
"Ten thousand people count as a single unit—selling them to foreign races fetches a high price, equivalent to a life planet's value. Without these cultivation resources, even combined with Everglory Sect, we couldn't match Highcrest Sect."
The palace was extravagantly luxurious, inlaid with vast quantities of Celestial Ancient Jade that occasionally emitted a gentle glow.
Inside, the youthful-looking elder sat at the head, before a glass round table ten thousand meters in diameter, surrounded by Sealrise's core elders. "Sect master, you are a Cosmos Union Peak cultivator—Sealed Celestial Body, Sealed Black Hole, channeling infinite power. Do you still need to fear Andrew Han?"
"So what if he's a Void Rift cultivator—could he possibly be stronger than the sect master?"
One after another, the core elders spoke up—all present were the highest-ranking members of Sealrise Sect.
The youthful elder at the head was indeed the sect master, the undisputed strongest of Sealrise Sect.
Then,
A core elder squinted, stroking his short beard with a chuckle. "In my opinion, Inspector Andrew Han will never find us. The Mory Sector is vast; Sealrise is just one dominant force in the Grand Epoch Sect Zone. Even the weakest administrator surpasses us... Rest assured, everyone—just go about your business."
"Besides,"
"Worst-case scenario, the inspector comes incognito and happens to pass by Sealrise. But sect master, you are a Cosmos Union Peak, a Sealed Celestial Body ruling the stars. If Andrew Han really comes, wouldn't you sense him immediately?"
With these words, the oppressive atmosphere dissipated, no longer so heavy. Everyone relaxed, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Right, right."
"Makes sense."
They exchanged glances, smiles appearing on their faces.
The glass round table and gentle jade glow reflected a relaxed atmosphere.
Even the sect master at the head nodded and clapped his hands, saying, "Exactly. That's how it is. As a Sealed Celestial Body, I can block any unfamiliar presence outside the sect. Andrew Han won't be able to stir up any trouble, no matter how hard he tries..."
Before he could finish speaking—
Crack!!
The glass table split, tipping to both sides. From the crack, a figure in green robes rose, crystalline white hair flowing.
"???"
Everyone was shaken, their expressions changing drastically.
One core elder of the Void Rift level, unable to handle the shock, tried to flee silently, but collided with an invisible barrier and was bounced back.
"My apologies."
"Sorry to disappoint you all."
Andrew turned, smiling indifferently. Like a mighty golden-red sun, his colossal hand rose from below, grasping the entire palace!