Blake Azure grew increasingly uneasy. If this were any ordinary matter, he would have left long ago. He valued his reputation, but his life was even more precious.
But the Mindforge was something he had to obtain. All these years spent in the Aurora Continent—a place where not even birds would land—were for what? Was it not for the Mindforge? Now that he finally had a lead, how could he possibly walk away?
“Then allow me to test your skills,” Blake Azure said. A long rod appeared in his palm, and with it, a howling, sinister wind swept over the area. If not for his wariness of the short man’s strength, Blake Azure would have dispensed with courtesy and struck to kill immediately.
“Oh? The Trinity Rod?” The dark-skinned, short man exclaimed in surprise. Truth be told, such an artifact was quite rare.
The Trinity Rod looked like an ordinary staff, but it was anything but. This artifact was extremely difficult to forge, and only true masters of arraycraft could create one.
The Trinity Rod contained three hidden gates: the Gate of Loss, the Gate of Souls, and the Gate of Death. If caught by the aura of any one gate, death was inevitable.
Blake Azure attacked with lethal intent. The power of the three gates surged forth from the Trinity Rod as he tried to lock down the short man in an instant.
The three gates of the Trinity Rod suddenly expanded, looming like three portals of life and death, radiating a terrifying and sinister aura. Even cultivators standing far from the Trinity Rod in Skyveil Plaza felt their hearts race and their scalps tingle. Those of weaker cultivation could barely resist the urge to rush toward the three ominous gates.
A Sea-Splitting Realm expert was truly terrifying. That was the only thought in everyone’s mind. In contrast, the unremarkable short man was all but ignored by the crowd.
The short man didn’t move at all. With a flick of his hand, the three gates of life and death vanished from the Trinity Rod, and the artifact appeared in his palm.
Jian Yiwu stood stiffly before the short man, his connection to his artifact completely severed. At this moment, he dared not move a muscle. With a flick of the man's hand, the Trinity Rod was taken away—an undeniable display that this man was vastly more powerful than he could ever imagine.
If the man wished to kill him, a single finger would suffice.
The short man glanced at the Trinity Rod in his hand, gave it a slight twist, and the artifact vanished. Only then did he turn to Jian Yiwu and say, "You may go. I won't kill you."
Jian Yiwu dared not even think of reclaiming his Trinity Rod. He quickly bowed in respect, ready to retreat. He was certain that the short man before him was either a Tribulation Realm or an Ascendant expert. The mere thought of an Ascendant made his heart clench.
He'd been hiding in Aurora Continent for quite some time, and not only had he rarely seen Tribulation Realm cultivators, even Sea-Splitting Realm experts were a rarity.
Who could have known that in this fractured, rule-deficient Aurora Continent, there would still be Ascendants?
No matter how precious the Mindforge was, his own life came first. But this matter would not end here—how could he give up the Mindforge? Once he left Aurora Continent, he would immediately report this to the Jian family. Before this short man, Jian Yiwu was but an ant; yet in the Jian family, the short man would be an ant as well.
"Senior, please uphold justice!" Before Jian Yiwu could leave, a Nascent Soul cultivator rushed out, bowed deeply to the short man, and pleaded through tears, "A mid-stage Nascent Soul expert from our Qi Trading House was killed by this man for no reason at all. I beg you, Senior, to uphold justice for the cultivators of Aurora Continent!"
Jian Yiwu's expression changed, but he dared not leave. He feared that if he tried to go, he would anger the short expert and be killed with a single slap.
The short man's gaze fell on the Nascent Soul cultivator from Qi Trading House. With a sigh, he said, "I cannot intervene in this matter for your Qi Trading House."
"Senior, Nascent Soul cultivators are already rare in Aurora Continent. This man killed a fourth-layer Nascent Soul from our Qi family with a single blow. What will become of Aurora Continent..."
Before the Nascent Soul cultivator could finish, the short man sneered, "I know exactly what kind of people your Qi Trading House are. Not long ago, you wiped out the Starstream School, slaughtered dozens of Golden Core cultivators, and erased Starstream School from Aurora Continent. Why didn't you think of Aurora Continent then? Sigh, your Qi Trading House has gone too far."
The short old man shook his head as he spoke. The way Qi Trading House acted was courting destruction. Even if Starstream School had no successors, other sects could use this as an excuse to wipe out Qi Trading House in the future.
"Senior..." The Qi Trading House Nascent Soul cultivator shivered with fear.
The short man said calmly, "You needn't worry. I won't hold Qi Trading House accountable for this, but know that your actions will one day bring bitter consequences. You may withdraw."
"Yes, yes..." The Nascent Soul expert from Qi Trading House dared not utter another word, bowing his head and retreating quickly.
He was disappointed that he couldn't persuade the short expert to kill Jian Yiwu and avenge the Qi Trading House's Nascent Soul cultivator. As for the warning about retribution, he paid it no mind. There were only a handful of experts in Aurora Continent like this short old man, and they surely had no ties to Starstream School. As long as those few experts stayed out of it, Qi Trading House would remain untouchable across Aurora Continent.
How many sects in Aurora Continent possessed Void Spirit Stage experts? Qi Trading House had one now.
Jian Yiwu bowed respectfully once more, just as he was about to leave, the Skyveil vanished, and streaks of light emerged from the void, landing on Skyveil Plaza.
"The Skyveil has closed!" someone shouted.
The entire Skyveil Plaza was abuzz with excitement, everyone staring at the cultivators who had been transmitted out. The Skyveil was filled with treasures; every cultivator who emerged from it was a golden prize.
Jian Yiwu, who had been planning to leave, also stopped and swept his gaze across the crowd. His anger toward the short man grew—if not for him, Jian Yiwu would have searched every one of those who emerged. Now, he could only watch from the sidelines.
About two thousand people came out, but after scanning for a long time, Jian Yiwu still hadn’t found the cultivator he was looking for.
Each sect’s experts rushed forward to shield their own disciples, then bowed respectfully before the short man. He was certainly one of Aurora Continent’s hidden supreme powerhouses.
Melody Qin had just emerged when her master, Elder Grace, rushed to protect her. Seeing her prized disciple had reached the first layer of Golden Core, Elder Grace was overjoyed. When Melody Qin entered the Skyveil, she was only at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, and now, in such a short time, she was already at the second layer of Golden Core.
"Excellent, excellent," Elder Grace exclaimed repeatedly, his eyes full of delight.
Only Sherry Jing looked around in confusion. By rights, the elders of Starstream School should have come to greet her immediately. Yet she saw none of them—her master, Sect Leader Elder Harvey Reed, was nowhere to be found.
A heaviness settled in Sherry Jing’s heart—a sense of foreboding.
"Sister-in-law, why aren’t any Starstream School people here?" Tyler He asked in confusion. Emerging from the Skyveil was a major event; normally, the sect’s experts would be waiting to greet their disciples.
Sherry Jing was about to speak when a crisp voice rang out, "I never expected it. You ran away from home back then, and now you’ve become a disciple of Starstream School. Someone even calls you sister-in-law. Heh, but why hasn’t anyone from Starstream School come for you?"
"Who are you?" Tyler He asked coldly, staring at the pretty young woman who approached, his tone displeased.
"Her name is Sherry Frost. She’s from the same sect as Melody Qin," Sherry Jing replied calmly.
Tyler He recognized the name Sherry Frost and realized she must be related to Sherry Jing. Observing their interaction, he could tell the two were not on friendly terms.
"Since you’re called sister-in-law, you must have a husband. I wonder who’s lucky enough to marry you... Oh, I almost forgot to tell you—Starstream School offended Qi Trading House and has now been wiped out by them. Very few managed to escape..."
Before Sherry Frost could finish, Sherry Jing spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face turned deathly pale, and her hands trembled.
Tyler He was stunned as well. Although Starstream School was a second-rate sect, could it really be wiped out so easily?
"Mo Shuang, don’t be too sad. If you’d like, you can join our True Separation Sword Sect..." Melody Qin approached, her voice gentle with comfort. Inside the Skyveil, she’d misunderstood Di Jiu, so Tyler He and the others were not very warm to her. But after spending time together, Melody Qin realized these few were true friends.
"Senior Sister Qin..." Sherry Frost held a respectable position in True Separation Sword Sect, but compared to Melody Qin, she was still far behind. Seeing Melody Qin console Sherry Jing, her expression soured.
Sherry Jing calmed herself and said slowly, "Thank you, but I still want to return to my sect and see for myself. Tyler, check if Shu-di has come out."
She was kind-hearted and rarely held grudges. But the destruction of Starstream School by Qi Trading House was something she could never forget. Without Starstream School, there would be no Sherry Jing. Whether it was Sect Leader Elder Harvey Reed or the other elders, they had all cared for her deeply.
At this moment, she truly wondered if she was a jinx. Di Jiu, who had saved her life twice, was now gone, and the Starstream School that had sheltered her was no more.
"Senior Sister Mo Shuang..." Shannon Wei ran over, sobbing. Clearly, she had just learned of Starstream School’s destruction. She could not bear the blow; her master Jane Wu had treated her like a daughter, but now she had been killed by the Qi family.
Melody Qin sighed and said, "Shu-di is a spirit plant. If its master isn’t present, it won’t be transmitted out of the Skyveil and should still be inside."
While Melody Qin was still speaking, a piece of news that shocked the entire Skyveil Plaza spread—someone had taken the World Tome.