Chapter 380: Dark Clouds Over the City! Spatial Mystique

Chapter 380: Dark Clouds Over the City! Spatial Mystique

"Dongmo, how do you know Sha Kun is my direct disciple?" A glimmer of light flashed in Qiongjin's Deity's eyes.

He was shocked.

According to public information from the Demon Realm Civilization, their three Deities had not taken on direct disciples, as the requirements for a Deity to accept a disciple were quite high, and ordinary Semigod Apex powerhouses did not meet their standards.

Secondly, the cultivation paths had to be the same.

Sha Kun, the Semigod, was a well-known figure in the contemporary Demon Realm Civilization, second only to Dark Night, the Semigod. In terms of strength, he could be considered a Semigod Apex powerhouse.

Due to his grudge with Dongmo's Deity, Qiongjin's Deity had taken him as a disciple but had never leaked this information.

Not long ago, Sha Kun, the Semigod, had finally achieved a breakthrough, and his understanding of Spatial Laws had reached the Seventh Rank Perfect level, bringing great joy to Qiongjin's Deity. He believed that all of this was secret, and no one else knew about it.

But to his surprise, Dongmo's Deity was already aware of it. How could he not be shocked?

"Qiongjin," Dongmo's Deity said indifferently, "As the leader of a civilization, I can easily know what happens within it. It's difficult to hide anything from me."

"Hmph! Big talk," Qiongjin's Deity scoffed. "Night Shadow, the Semigod, was controlled by Soul Heart Control, and you didn't even notice it?"

Dongmo's Deity was speechless.

This hit his sore spot; the fact that Night Shadow, the Semigod, was controlled indeed made the usually proud Qiongjin's Deity feel embarrassed.

"Enough bickering."

"Since we've decided to go to war with the Seven Stars Civilization, we should work together instead of arguing at this time," Beiyue's Deity said. "Qiongjin, has Sha Kun, the Semigod, really broken through?"

"Yes, he's been wandering through many dangerous places in the starry sky, seeking opportunities. Not long ago, he achieved a breakthrough," Qiongjin's Deity nodded. "But with over three hundred years of cultivation, he has higher aspirations in his heart and isn't in a rush to become an Ethereal God."

"Impressive," Beiyue's Deity said excitedly. "With his understanding of Spatial Laws reaching the Ethereal God level, his strength will definitely increase significantly. He should surpass the Semigod Apex and be close to the Ethereal God level."

The Semigod Apex was the limit that a Semigod powerhouse could normally reach. However, both the understanding of the Seven Stars Meridian and the Ethereal God level of Spatial Laws surpassed this limit.

"He can't be considered an invincible Semigod. He's only broken through in his understanding of laws, and his Stellar Pulse isn't too strong, just a Six Stars Meridian," Qiongjin's Deity said.

"That's enough. His strength can easily block hundreds of Semigods," Beiyue's Deity smiled. "With him leading the army, plus dozens of Semigod Apex powerhouses and hundreds of ordinary Semigods... we can conquer the Flying Star of the Seven Stars Civilization in one go."

Obviously, Beiyue's Deity wanted Sha Kun, the Semigod, to participate in the war.

"I can't force him; I must ask for his opinion," Qiongjin's Deity said. "Also, even if he's willing to participate, he's war, he's currently in the starry rift... it will take him half a month to return."

Qiongjin's Deity was annoyed with Dongmo's Deity, but he remained polite to Beiyue's Deity.

Traveling through the starry rift required a long time, even with the help of stargates or wormholes for transportation.

"Half a month? That's too long," Dongmo's Deity frowned.

In war, speed was of the essence. According to his plan, it was best to gather a large number of Semigods within a few days and end the war swiftly.

"It's not slow."

"Dongmo, many Semigods from our civilization are out exploring. Just gathering them will take some time," Beiyue's Deity said. "Besides, do you plan to kill them all?"

Dongmo's Deity was taken aback.

"As I said, this could be a trap set by Dong Fang Ji," Beiyue's Deity continued. "So, we can test it once or twice to see if it's a trap..."

"And to probe the Seven Stars Civilization's defensive measures, so we can target them specifically."

"Our number of Semigods far exceeds that of the Seven Stars Civilization. We can afford the losses, even if it's three of ours for one of theirs. We can still overwhelm them."

"Finally, when Sha Kun, the Semigod, returns, we can launch the final battle," Beiyue's Deity said. "Ideally, we should aim to kill Fang Hai and Li Yuan. They are the biggest threats to the Seven Stars Civilization."

"If Dong Fang Ji dies, and we kill them, then our Demon Realm Civilization will have hope... If we can't kill them, we can only seize control of the Seven Stars Civilization."

"Agreed," Dongmo's Deity nodded, feeling that Beiyue's Deity made sense.

War should be approached with caution.

From then on, the three Deities of the Demon Realm Civilization set three goals for the war, in order of priority.

First, use the war to probe Dong Fang Ji's life or death.

Second, if they couldn't kill Fang Hai and Li Yuan, they would strive to send a large number of Flying Heaven Rank powerhouses into the Immortal Burial Ancient Domain to seize benefits.

Third, annihilate Fang Hai and Li Yuan, completely occupying the Seven Stars Civilization.

...

In the so-called 'starry rift,' most regions of the mortal world were like this.

However, most of these regions had harsh environments, and the planets in the starry rift were mostly desolate, making it difficult to nurture life... Usually, one had to reach the Semigod level to travel through the starry rift.

Within the dimensional plane, the existence of the plane's origin stabilized space, and Semigods had to spend a long time to travel between different planets.

But in the starry rift region, spatial rifts frequently appeared, and star gates and wormholes were even more common, making it more convenient for Semigods to travel through the starry sky.

Similarly, this was also more dangerous.

In a starry sky far from the Demon Realm Civilization, there existed an enormous icy planet.

A million miles away from the planet, on a massive boulder orbiting it, the celestial body was covered in ravines and canyons.

A dark and mysterious canyon.

Hoo!

Hoo! An invisible fluctuation was emanating from the canyon, spreading out in a rhythmic pattern. A faint, murky yellow glow could be seen shrouding the depths of the canyon.

Within this glow, a five-meter-tall figure, clad in black armor that resembled a metallic casting, sat cross-legged.

Suddenly.

"Hmm?" The armored figure opened its eyes and waved its hand, causing a stream of light to fly out and form a massive light screen in front of it.

A mysterious figure appeared on the light screen.

"Sha Kun." Qiongjin Deity, through the light screen, looked at his direct disciple.

"Teacher." Sha Kun, a Demigod, replied reverently.

"Have you informed others about your breakthrough?" Qiongjin Deity asked in a low voice, "And who else knows about our teacher-disciple relationship?"

"Leak?" Sha Kun, the Demigod, was taken aback, "Teacher, very few people know, and only those few life-and-death brothers know about my breakthrough... They shouldn't disclose it."

"Then how did Dongmo Deity find out?" Qiongjin Deity asked.

Sha Kun, the Demigod, was slightly startled.

"Never mind, that's not the main point," Qiongjin Deity changed the topic, "I contacted you because of another matter."

Quickly.

Qiongjin Deity informed his disciple of the results of the discussion among the three deities.

"Dongfang Ji is dead?" Sha Kun, the Demigod, was stunned and found it hard to believe, "Is that possible?"

He couldn't believe it.

In his heart, Dongfang Ji was an absolute figure comparable to deities... Even though his understanding of the laws had reached the False Deity level, he had never thought of challenging Dongfang Ji.

"The probability is very high," Qiongjin Deity said, "It's up to you to decide whether to participate in the war... You awakened a Six-Star Pulse in the Flying Heaven Realm. If you follow the normal path, the hope of awakening a Seven-Star Pulse before igniting the Divine Flame is extremely slim."

Sha Kun, the Demigod, nodded slightly. He didn't want to break through immediately; he wanted to further enhance his Stellar Pulse.

However, the difficulty was too high.

Even with his breakthrough in understanding the laws, he couldn't see any hope.

"But if you can enter the Immortal Burial Ancient Domain, there is hope," Qiongjin Deity said gravely, "You are my disciple, but I won't force you. Your cultivation path is your own."

"If you participate in the war, there will be a risk to your life."

"Therefore, the decision is yours."

Sha Kun, the Demigod, hesitated, deep in thought.

"Teacher, I'm willing to take the risk," Sha Kun, the Demigod, said with determination, "Once I become a deity, my foundation will be set. Even if I can't awaken a Seven-Star Pulse, the possibility of awakening a Nine-Layer Stellar Pulse is worth it."

"If I can awaken a Nine-Layer Stellar Pulse and cultivate the Nine-Layer Stellar Technique, I might even have a chance to become a true deity."

"Good," Qiongjin Deity said, "Then return to the civilization as soon as possible."

Not long after.

Sha Kun, the Demigod, transformed into a stream of light and left this starry sky.

...

"Demon Realm Civilization, all planets, initiate full alert," the Demon Realm Civilization quickly issued commands.

Although they were the aggressors, the Demon Realm Civilization had enemies other than the Seven Stars Civilization, so they had to be vigilant.

"Demigods, gather."

"All Demigods, proceed to the designated planet through the 'Star Realm Passage' without disclosing any information. Death penalty for disobedience."

"Prepare Sacred Artifacts."

"Don't ask questions, just follow orders," commands were issued, and the entire Demon Realm Civilization resembled a colossal war machine, with every level mobilized.

The Seven Stars Civilization's internal migration preparations and the mobilization of numerous Flying Heaven Warriors.

The Demon Realm Civilization's large-scale troop movements. Both civilizations took action, but neither revealed their intentions publicly, and both tried to conceal their activities.

However, the scale of these movements was too vast to hide all the information.

Especially for those factions closely monitoring the two civilizations.

The Immortal Ruin Civilization, Nine Cloud Immortal Sect.

This was one of the oldest sects in the Immortal Ruin Civilization and the top sect in the civilization today.

The sect's sacred hall was shrouded in layers of bizarre cloud vortices, each vortex spanning over a hundred kilometers in diameter. Within these cloud vortices, numerous floating palaces could be seen, known as the Nine Cloud Realm.

In a grand hall within the Nine Cloud Realm.

"Interesting."

"The Seven Stars Civilization has initiated a comprehensive migration plan? It seems they anticipate an internal conflict that will engulf the entire civilization." Yan Lin, clad in a black robe, examined two intelligence reports.

"The Demon Realm Civilization is also mobilizing its forces, gathering numerous Demigods?"

"Could it be that the Demon Realm Civilization is planning another invasion of the Seven Stars Civilization?" Yan Lin quickly concluded, "And the Seven Stars Civilization believes it might not be able to withstand the attack?"

"Impossible!"

Yan Lin shook his head, "According to Elder Zhiyan's assessment, even a novice False Deity might not be a match for Dongfang Ji... No matter how many Demigods the Demon Realm Civilization has, they may not succeed."

"If Dongfang Ji breaks through, even if he can't match me, he might come close." Yan Lin speculated.

He had cultivated for over two thousand years and had long reached the peak of the False Deity Realm.

How long had Dongfang Ji cultivated?

The realms of Demigod and False Deity, were not easily attainable through sheer number of years.

"Even if we use the strongest battle formation in our Immortal Ruin Civilization, the 'Xukong Qian Yuan Formation', and combine hundreds of Demigods into one, it would only elevate our power to the False Deity level... To defeat Dong Fang Ji, it's still difficult." Yan Lin, the False Deity, shook his head.

He was very familiar with Dong Fang Ji.

Many Demigods in the Immortal Ruin Civilization had interacted with Dong Fang Ji in the Starry Rift.

Without exception, those who dared to provoke him, all met their demise.

"I understand the situation. After fighting with the Demon Realm Civilization for so long, they must know better," Yan Lin contemplated. "But there are signs of war... it can only mean one thing."

"Dong Fang Ji is not in Flying Star!"

"Is Dong Fang Ji dead? Or is he trapped somewhere and unable to return to the Seven Stars Civilization?" Yan Lin wondered silently, then another thought crossed his mind: "Or is Dong Fang Ji planning something?"

With the distance between them, Yan Lin had limited information, so he could only guess, unable to confirm which possibility was more likely.

"Pass down the order."

"Keep a close eye on the war between the Demon Realm Civilization and the Seven Stars Civilization." Yan Lin sent the message.

"Yes!"

...

Those keeping a close eye on the Demon Realm Civilization and the Seven Stars Civilization were not from the Immortal Ruin Civilization.

"Is the Demon Realm Civilization really going to start another war? What information have they obtained?"

Within the Tian Liang Civilization, a large group of Demigods led by the 'Jin Liang Demigod' quickly received the news.

They had a close relationship with the Demon Realm Civilization.

"Don't be hasty."

"Keep a watchful eye."

"The Demon Realm Civilization hasn't summoned us to join the battle yet," Jin Liang Demigod said. "We can't be cannon fodder. Our entire civilization has only so many Demigods; we can't afford to lose them."

"Keep watching."

"If there's an opportunity, we'll proactively apply to the Demon Realm Civilization to join the battle," Jin Liang Demigod added.

"Yes!"

"Let the Demon Realm Civilization make the first move. We'll observe the situation. Command the second and third-tier star realms bordering the Seven Stars Civilization to avoid any provocative actions for now."

...

Within the Seven Stars Civilization, on Black Dragon Star.

In the void, shrouded by clouds, stood a towering stone tower, unlike modern architecture, exuding an ancient charm.

This stone tower, over 300 meters tall, resembled a stone mountain and was the sacred ground of Black Dragon Star.

"Yan Ming Demigod," Li Yuan said, "Are there any suitable ones among these Celestial Artifacts?"

In front of Li Yuan, a small temple floated, but inside, a different world unfolded, filled with powerful Celestial Artifacts.

It was the Celestial Artifact Chamber.

After leaving Blue Star, Li Yuan first went to Flying Star, where he collected the Celestial Artifacts, the Celestial Artifact Chamber, and the Ten Thousand Gods Inheritance Cave Mansion.

Subsequently, he attempted to subdue the suppressed Demigod Apex puppets of the alien races... All his efforts were in vain.

This was within Li Yuan's expectations.

Without time to be discouraged, Li Yuan hurried to Heaven Sea Star and collected the ten Demigod Apex puppets after they acknowledged their new master.

Finally, he began to visit each planet, allowing the remaining Demigods to choose two Celestial Artifacts each.

In the past, ordinary Demigods within the Seven Stars Civilization often lacked wealth and treasures, and many didn't possess Celestial Artifacts.

With the impending war, it was also an opportunity for many Demigods.

"Vice Alliance Lord, I'll take these two Celestial Artifacts," said a man standing not far away.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Li Yuan's thoughts moved, and two Celestial Artifacts flew out as rays of light, landing in front of Yan Ming Demigod.

"Thank you, Vice Alliance Lord," Yan Ming Demigod bowed slightly.

"If you want to thank someone, thank Alliance Lord Dong Fang," Li Yuan sighed lightly. "These are all left behind by Alliance Lord Dong Fang."

Only then did Li Yuan truly understand the foundation that Dong Fang Ji had laid for the Seven Stars Civilization.

"Yan Ming Demigod."

"Black Dragon Star, you are the strongest Demigod left to guard this star," Li Yuan said solemnly. "In addition to the two Celestial Artifacts, I'll also leave a group of Flying Heaven Puppets under your command to assist you in defending Black Dragon Star."

Whoosh!

Li Yuan waved his hand, and immediately, hundreds of figures appeared in the void.

"Four hundred Flying Heaven Puppets?" Yan Ming Demigod was surprised.

"The strength of these puppets is at the Flying Heaven Apex level," Li Yuan said. "They will follow your commands... Black Dragon Star is in your hands now."

In total, Li Yuan obtained 3,000 Flying Heaven Puppets.

On Blue Star and Heaven Sea Star, two of the most important planets besides Flying Star, Li Yuan left 800 Flying Heaven Puppets on each.

On the other four planets, he distributed 300-400 Flying Heaven Puppets each.

"Understood, Yan Ming will not disappoint you," Yan Ming Demigod said solemnly.

"Mmm," Li Yuan nodded slightly.

The Demigods left to guard the various planets... were a group carefully considered by Fang Hai, Yun Lao, and the others, believing them to be a batch of Demigods with an extremely low probability of being spies.

For Blue Star, two of the seven Demigods left to guard the star were Demigods from Xia Guo.

Therefore, Li Yuan felt assured leaving the Celestial Artifacts and so many Flying Heaven Puppets in their care.

Whoosh!

Li Yuan soared into the sky, and a massive blue light burst out from the clouds, carrying Li Yuan away.

"Such terrifying speed, it must be that Flying Snake Spirit Beast under Li Yuan's command," Yan Ming Demigod sighed. "I hope Flying Star can hold out."

...

In the void, Liu Bing was leading Li Yuan towards Lantie Star.

Suddenly—

"Li Yuan, we've received intelligence from our secret agents. The Demon Realm Civilization has confirmed the news of your teacher's demise and is gathering Demigods on a large scale, preparing for an invasion," Liu Bing said.

"Fang Hai sent a direct message to Li Yuan.

'Leaked?' Li Yuan sighed inwardly.

Although he knew there was a high chance of facing war, when the war was truly about to arrive, Li Yuan's heart couldn't help but tighten.

The number of Demigods in the Demon Realm Civilization was more than ten times that of their own.

'According to the information we received, the mobilization of the Flying Heaven Realm in the Demon Realm Civilization is not very large.' Fang Hai continued, 'They will likely concentrate their Demigods and directly launch an assault on Flying Star.'

'I've asked Mu Ji and the others to wait at the Star Realm entrance. After I deliver the Celestial Artifact, I'll rush back to Flying Star.' Li Yuan sent a message.

In terms of frontal combat power, Li Yuan wasn't particularly strong at the moment. After all, he hadn't cultivated for long enough, and he had only just reached the Flying Heaven Realm, lacking a foundational level.

But in a group battle like this...

Li Yuan's soul attack was the strongest among the Demigods of the Seven Stars Civilization. Even Lante Demigod and Fang Hai couldn't match him.

'Gun Technique.'

'The fusion of two laws is so difficult.' Li Yuan seemed to be flying while constantly focusing most of his energy on comprehending the mysteries of the two laws.

...

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, half a day had gone by.

On Flying Star, there were six Third Tier Star Realm, each with a Junior Archon-level expert, and a large number of Flying Heaven Warriors as support.

The other Demigods on Flying Star had all gathered at the Demon Mountain Star Realm entrance.

Whoosh!

A streak of cyan light traversed the heavens and landed on a majestic peak.

'It's Li Yuan, the Vice Alliance Lord.'

'Li Yuan.' The large group of Demigods stationed in this area all sensed his presence and looked towards the distant black figure on the peak.

Whoosh!

A streak of light swiftly approached and arrived beside Li Yuan.

'Headmaster.' Li Yuan looked at the newcomer.

'Is everything ready?' Fang Hai asked.

'Yes, the Demigods on the various planets have all chosen their Celestial Artifacts.' Li Yuan nodded firmly.

Although the Demigods had only just obtained their Celestial Artifacts, it would be difficult to unleash their full power. Still, their overall strength would significantly improve.

'Good.' Fang Hai's eyes were filled with satisfaction.

'Headmaster, is that the entrance to the Demon Mountain Star Realm?' Li Yuan looked towards the distance.

In the vast wasteland, there was a dark passage with a diameter of nearly a hundred kilometers, its depths unfathomable. The passage seemed to have torn through space, and it didn't seem to exist in the same spatial tier as the surrounding land.

Deep within the passage, a five-colored radiance emanated, appearing extremely mysterious.

Surrounding this passage, stood numerous distinctive peaks, totaling several hundred in number.

'Mhm.' Fang Hai nodded, 'The Demon Mountain Star Realm is incredibly vast, with a diameter exceeding ten thousand kilometers, and it contains numerous dangers. Ever since the Flying Star War more than a hundred years ago, neither our civilization nor the Demon Realm Civilization has had Demigods permanently stationed in the Demon Mountain Star Realm... We're both guarding the entrances to our Star Realms.'

Li Yuan listened. These messages were not secrets.

However, this was Li Yuan's first time here.

'The Source Energy Array set up by the Headmaster covers an area of three hundred kilometers. The core of the array is controlled by Lante Demigod, who has the strongest soul cultivation and an extremely high realm.' Fang Hai explained, 'If the Demon Realm Civilization dares to invade, we will immediately activate the array.'

'Without breaking through the array, it will be difficult for the Demigods of the Demon Realm Civilization to break out of this area.' Fang Hai emphasized.

'I can sense it.' Li Yuan could feel that beneath this seemingly peaceful wasteland, a terrifying power was lurking, a power that seemed to originate from the vast heavens and earth.

This was the Source Energy Array.

The formation Li Yuan had encountered on Lant Star was obviously not as powerful as this array.

'These are Array Tokens.' Fang Hai flipped his palm, and two tokens appeared in his hand, 'Refine them. When the time comes, you can activate a portion of the array's power to form a Source Energy Body or enhance yourself with the array's power... In any case, you must protect yourself at all costs.'

'I have only one command for you.'

'Live! Keep living.' Fang Hai stared at Li Yuan, 'You and your spirit beast are the greatest reliance of the Seven Stars Civilization right now... As long as you survive, even if Flying Star falls, our Seven Stars Civilization will have a chance to rise again.'

'Mhm.' Li Yuan nodded.

Immediately, Fang Hai left, and Li Yuan gave one of the tokens to Liu Bing.

The man and his beast quietly waited there.

'The power of the array is indeed formidable.' After refining the token, Li Yuan's perception of the array became even clearer. 'What we lack is the number of Demigods.'

Currently, there were only 28 Demigod-level experts guarding the entrance to the Demon Mountain Star Realm, including Li Yuan, Liu Bing, and the 40 Demigod Apex Automatons hidden in the shadows.

Even with their numbers, it was still too few.

'If we wait for another month or two, we can gather more than ten additional Demigods.' Li Yuan sighed inwardly.

Unfortunately, the Demon Realm Civilization would not give them this time.

Whoosh!

Li Yuan closed his eyes, and strands of Law Fluctuation rose around him. As he continuously comprehended the mysteries of the laws, he formed shadow after shadow of his gun technique.

With the war approaching, Li Yuan could only do his utmost to enhance his strength.

Time passed, second by second.

'Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!' Around Li Yuan, streaks of sharp light appeared out of thin air, their power far surpassing that of before.

Almost simultaneously,

On Li Yuan's Divine Palace Panel, a silent prompt appeared: '【Step into the threshold of Spatial Mystique, Spatial Mystique comprehension reaches 1%】'

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end