Splitting the Heavens

Chapter 824: Halo Mirror

An unsteady ring of five colored light appeared from the void and formed a spatial gate. Shang Xia tumbled out from it the next second and his pale face revealed his lingering fear.

The five colored light ring started to fade as the Five Element Ring fell to the ground below with a loud clang. It was no longer shining as brilliantly as before.

The space in the Celestial Remains was truly too frail.

Even though he managed to injure Yiyun during the battle earlier, he exhausted a huge amount of energy during the short exchange.

After realizing that there were other Martial Dipper Realm experts in the area, Shang Xia chose to leave immediately. He didn’t expect to run into a region of chaotic space. If he hadn’t used an Abyssal Emptiness Talisman earlier, he might have been lost in the void forever.

By the time he emerged, the Five Element Ring was nearly damaged from the ordeal he went through. Because of that, he understood that he would have to avoid escaping through the void even if he met other enemies in the future.

Fortunately, he had his Five Element Movement Art. Even though it wouldn’t allow him to jump through the void, it was a much safer alternative.

Examining his surroundings and ensuring that there was no one around, Shang Xia hastily grabbed 2 mid-grade essence crystals to replenish his energy.

Faint spatial fluctuations continued to brush against him while he was recovering. He could tell that those fluctuations originated from many directions, and he could also hear loud blasts in the distance. It was obvious that there were many battles taking place.

The Celestial Remains was getting more chaotic by the second.

Shang Xia couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency overwhelming him. As the number of experts in the Celestial Remains increased, more and more battles would break out. The already weak space would be further depleted, and it was possible that the entire region would crumble the next second!

His most important task was to locate the Stellar Cauldron before the Celestial Remains crumbled. That was because the moment the Celestial Remains collapsed, the Stellar Cauldron would definitely be exposed. When that happened, there would be no need to care whether Kou Chongxue’s plan would work as the 4 Sixth Order existences would probably make their move immediately to secure the cauldron.

After thinking about it, Shang Xia no longer cared about restoring himself to his peak state. He threw that thought out of the window and he knew that he would have to rush over to the region where the Stellar Cauldron was before anything else.

As he charged towards the forbidden region, he had a feeling someone was watching him. Even though his expression didn’t change, his heart sank.

Extending his divine will, he couldn’t find anyone in his surroundings.

Shang Xia was extremely confident in his divine will. Even third element Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors couldn’t compare to him in that regard. Even those in the fourth element wouldn’t be able to avoid detection if they were observing him.

There was no way the person observing him was a fifth element Martial Dipper Realm Ancestor...

Other than Kou Chongxue, was there another existence at that level in the Azure Ascension World?

Shang Xia remained suspicious, but he didn’t reveal any trace of it on his face.

After fighting Yishen and Yiyun of the Eternal Palace, Shang Xia understood that the superpowers of Azure Ascension World who had long histories had many amazing techniques. They might be observing him with something else other than divine will.

...

When Shang Xia was feeling a sense of unease, 8 Martial Dipper Realm experts had gathered in a certain spot in the Celestial Remains. There were 14 Martial Extermination Realm experts with them.

Among the 8 Martial Dipper Realm experts, the person in the lead was someone with a somewhat withering beard and hair. However, his appearance was anything but old. He looked like a kid with a rosy complexion.

A giant mirror that was the size of a basin hovered before him as he observed a somewhat blurry figure.

“That’s him, that’s him!” A skinny-looking young cultivator with thin lips and a faint eyebrow. He pointed at the figure in the mirror and yelled, “I didn’t think that Martial Uncle would be able to find him even though you were merely looking for battles taking place in our surroundings!”

“Pingzi, stay calm. There’s no need to yell!” The old expert said softly to the young cultivator by his side.

The gaze that landed on the young cultivator brought along with it boundless pressure. The young man who was acting a little pompous earlier quickly restrained himself. He spoke again in a respectful tone. “Yes, Martial Ancestor!”

The young cultivator turned out to be Qing Pingzi of the Northern Sea Mystic Sect, someone Shang Xia met back when he was patrolling the sea of stars.

The old expert grunted once as though he was pleased with Qing Pingzi’s performance and he mumbled, “Is he the disciple of Kou Chongxue from the Tongyou Institution?”

“Martial Ancestor, he’s called Shang Xia and he’s the grandson of Shang Bo of the Tongyou Institution. According to his seniority, he can be considered Kou Chongxue’s third-generation disciple. However, the Tongyou Institution doesn’t use master and disciple terms. They consider themselves teachers and students. Shang Xia is currently the hall master of the Talisman Hall and he has also taken on a post as a teacher. According to the seniority of the Tongyou Institution, he’s a senior capable of teaching others. No one would be able to suppress him based on seniority alone.” Qing Pingzi explained.

A snort left the old expert’s lips. “Hmph, they can’t even get their seniorities right and they have no system when passing down their inheritances. A master doesn’t seem like a master and a student doesn’t act like one. There is bound to be chaos in their faction!”

Qing Pingzi responded quickly, “Martial Ancestor, you’re right!”

“It’s not easy to keep using the Halo Mirror. It’s the first time any of us from the Azure Spiritual World has entered the Celestial Remains and we won’t be more familiar with the place than those from the Azure Origin World. It’s especially so for the Eternal Palace, Divine Capital Sect, and the Yuanchen Sect. I’m afraid their attention should be placed on the Origin Holy Artifact by now... Pingzi, why do you want me to keep watching this guy?” The old expert sighed.

Even though he sounded calm and gentle, a formless pressure was placed on Qing Pingzi the moment he spoke. It was as though his Martial Ancestor would no longer listen to his suggestion and would be disappointed in him if he failed to give a suitable reason.

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Qing Pingzi tried to maintain his cool as he replied, “Martial Ancestor, Shang Xia brought 6 Martial Extermination Realm experts with him into the Celestial Remains, but he tossed them aside and started to move alone. From how quickly he’s moving and how sure he is of where to go, I’m afraid he isn’t running around like a headless chicken. He should have a clear goal in mind.”

Qing Pingzi saw that the old expert wasn’t fully convinced and he quickly continued, “Back when I was patrolling the sea of stars, I learned about something unintentionally. Ever since the battle against the Spirit Abundance World, Kou Chongxue has been in seclusion in the Tongyou Paradise. However, news of his disappearance came soon after and there were rumors that he left for the sea of stars. Could he... Could he actually be hiding in the Celestial Remains?”

Finally grunting once, the old expert mumbled, “Keep talking.”

A trace of joy filled Qing Pingzi’s heart. “For Shang Xia to be in such a rush, could he be trying to meet up with Kou Chongxue? Moreover, if Kou Chongxue had been hiding here the whole time, would he be related to the sudden appearance of the Origin Holy Artifact? He might even be the one who caused it! If that is truly the case, all we need to do is to track Shang Xia and we’ll be able to find Kou Chongxue. When that happens, we’ll be able to locate the Origin Holy Artifact!”

The old expert nodded subconsciously. “That makes sense... Interesting... Alright. I will use the secret art and leave a strand of my qi in there. No matter where he goes in the Celestial Remains, he won’t be able to avoid detection.”

Another trace of joy rushed through Qing Pingzi, and he quickly added, “Martial Ancestor, Shang Xia is extremely crafty. Moreover, his strength is nothing to scoff at either. He managed to kill an expert in the same cultivation realm who was extremely good at running away... Martial Ancestor, your secret art might be amazing, but if you unleash it from a distance, wouldn’t he be able to detect it?”

The old expert didn’t seem to care at all and he snorted, “Normally, people would eventually notice when I use the Halo Mirror to observe them for some time. However, it’s been so long and this brat hasn’t felt a thing. His abilities should be greatly exaggerated. Moreover, he entered the Martial Dipper Realm almost the same time as you. He should still be in the first element... HUH?!”

He tried to retrieve a trace of Shang Xia’s aura through the Halo Mirror as he spoke, but just as he completed his secret art, the figure in the mirror blurred before disappearing.

“Where... Where is he?” Qing Pingzi gasped involuntarily before raising his head to look at the old expert. “Martial Ancestor...”

The old expert was similarly confused. The Halo Mirror was a mystical treasure and it was adept at capturing traces of spatial fluctuations. If it was used to spy on someone, it could predict its target path and the general direction they were talking.

When Shang Xia was first discovered, it was because the exchange between himself and the experts of the Eternal Palace caused massive spatial fluctuations. When he left, the Halo Mirror was still able to track him down.

Under such circumstances, Shang Xia shouldn’t be able to escape from the Halo Mirror as he continued to fly through the Celestial Remains.

No matter how quickly he moved, it shouldn’t be possible to evade the Halo Mirror!

Even if he had some sort of method to evade the mirror, it should be somewhat like what the experts of the other Elysiums would do. They would conceal their aura and cover the space they were in before unleashing a way to fill the screen with fog or mist before escaping.

Unlike what the experts of the other Elysiums would do, there wasn’t any mist or way to hide him. Everything in his surroundings, including the ruins and earth below, the messy grass and tiny trees in the distance... Even the clouds he flew through were clearly reflected in the mirror! The only thing that was no longer there was Shang Xia himself!

It was as though he was never there in the first place!

None of them could wrap their heads around what had happened.

Even the old expert who had been using the Halo Mirror for close to 100 years was starting to question himself. He was supposed to have complete control over the divine weapon, and never once has he lost his target that way.

How did he do it?!

The old expert was no longer as relaxed as before. A heavy pressure descended and the other Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors around him didn’t dare to breathe heavily.

He felt as though the prestige he had accumulated for close to 100 years was being challenged by a mere Shang Xia!

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