Chapter 682: The Oriole Behind

"Action?"

"Big Brother, do you mean to track down the true mastermind who exterminated my Heaven Snake Clan all those years ago?" Liu Bing's eyes lit up.

For over a thousand years, she had been cultivating at the Chaos Divine Court headquarters, and at Li Yuan's request, she had never been allowed to venture out.

Yet, several hundred years ago—

Li Yuan had sent her a message, telling her that there would be an operation before long, one that might allow them to find the true culprit behind the Heaven Snake Clan's extinction.

"Yes." Li Yuan nodded. "Back then, although it was Sovereign Guyuan who led numerous Celestials to launch the war that wiped out the Heaven Snake Clan... after I achieved the rank of God King, I traced the causal lines and fate lines of the past and discovered some things that didn't add up."

"According to my insights, Sovereign Guyuan had no prior grudge against the Heaven Snake Clan, and there were many declining clans in the Divine Domain... Why would he suddenly launch an attack on them?"

"Moreover, he has already died on Beichen Star, and he died by my hand."

"Logically, the karma between me and the Heaven Snake Clan should have been fully resolved." Li Yuan said slowly. "But in the dark, I have a feeling that there is still a great karmic debt between me and the Heaven Snake Clan... I just haven't been able to find the direction."

Causal lines.

Even if they exist, if I myself am completely ignorant of them, I may not necessarily be able to sense them clearly... If I could obtain more information and intelligence, investigating would naturally be easier.

"It wasn't until this Age Demon Star token appeared." Li Yuan looked at Liu Bing. "Only then did I form a certain hypothesis: I fear the source of your Heaven Snake Clan's destruction lies in this very token."

"It?"

"Is it the root of my Heaven Snake Clan's destruction?" Although Liu Bing did not know about karma, she was extremely intelligent and reacted instantly. "Big Brother, do you mean that the mastermind behind Sovereign Guyuan's actions back then was some God King? And their goal was to find this Age Demon Star token?"

Although Liu Bing did not know that the crystal before her was a fragment of the Black Demon Tombstone, she knew it involved eternal relics.

"Yes."

"I am only sixty or seventy percent certain." Li Yuan nodded. "But regardless, there has always been a God King watching it."

"And that mastermind likely believes the treasure is on you."

"Therefore."

"Xiao Bing, I need you to carry this Age Demon Star token and go to the Dark Dragon Star Domain first, then return to the Mohe Star Domain." Li Yuan said. "Act as bait to lure that mastermind out."

"I am to be the bait? Very well!" Liu Bing nodded without hesitation.

She knew it was dangerous; after all, the mastermind was a God King, and he could likely wipe her out with a single thought... but Liu Bing trusted her Big Brother.

Most importantly!

As the current leader of the Heaven Snake Clan, Liu Bing also wanted to know who had been so ruthless as to exterminate her clan over ten thousand years ago.

"Big Brother, should I move now?" Liu Bing asked.

"Yes."

"Go about everything as usual. Take the token and this cave-heaven magic treasure, and leave via the teleportation array. Leave the rest to me." Li Yuan flipped his palm and handed Liu Bing another storage magic treasure.

Liu Bing reached out to take it and quickly vanished from within the Juexing Palace.

"Xiao Mu, are you confident?" Li Yuan transmitted his voice.

"Rest assured." Xiao Mu's voice rang out. "This time, your true self and first source body are both carrying the Ancient Universe Realm and the Slaughtering Abyss, two great Imperial Weapons. The Ancient Universe Realm is even more powerful than your Imperial Weapon 'Slaughtering Abyss', and its ability to obscure heavenly secrets is simply unfathomable."

"Even if you only exert a sliver of its power."

"As long as it isn't a God Emperor personally performing the divination... they won't be able to detect your true self and first source body secretly following Liu Bing." Xiao Mu said with certainty.

Li Yuan nodded slightly, lost in thought.

Hidden within the cave-heaven magic treasure given to Liu Bing were Li Yuan's true self and first source body... In truth, if one wanted to fish, the best method was to observe from afar and descend only if the situation changed.

However!

Because it involved Liu Bing's life and death, Li Yuan truly did not dare to take too many risks.

Furthermore, Li Yuan was determined to find the mastermind not only to fully resolve the Heaven Snake Clan's karma, but more importantly, to eliminate the hidden danger to Liu Bing.

"Back then, at the Palace Master's celebration, God King Mingyu was unwilling to reveal the mastermind, but at least he didn't leak the fact that I had asked him." Li Yuan said softly. "I hope this mastermind takes the bait."

"If they don't take the bait."

"Then I can only wait until I head to the Age Demon Star, and once I clarify the nature of this Black Demon Tombstone fragment, I will find another way to uncover the mastermind." Li Yuan pondered to himself.

Yet Li Yuan believed.

If the mastermind truly wanted to obtain this Black Demon Tombstone fragment, they likely would not be able to restrain themselves for long.

And as a precaution.

Soon.

Hum~ A moving figure in purple appeared in the palace.

"Palace Master, why have you summoned me?" God King Xinjie looked at Li Yuan with a smile.

"Xinjie, you should still call me by my name." Li Yuan said with a helpless smile. When Senior Dongmang served as Palace Master, God King Xinjie rarely showed such respect.

"Haha."

"I'm just teasing you." God King Xinjie pursed her lips and smiled. "Tell me, what is the matter?"

"Simulate heavenly secrets." Li Yuan said.

Quickly, Li Yuan stated his purpose and gave a rough account of the cause and effect, causing God King Xinjie's eyes to light up repeatedly.

"A God King suspected to be from the Abyss Divine Court?"

"Very well!"

"A trivial matter. Your sworn sister is only a Celestial; simulating her heavenly secrets and movements is quite easy for me." God King Xinjie smiled. "Moreover, I will perform a disguise. Even if God King Hongjiu attempts a fate divination... at most, he will only break through my concealment and will not be able to affect you."

"Yes." Li Yuan nodded. "Then I leave it to you."

"Rest assured."

"I hope the mastermind jumps out, but... just the two of us? If a God King from the Abyss Divine Court descends, are we confident we can hold them?" God King Xinjie could not help but ask.

It was not that she did not trust Li Yuan.

But she also knew that Li Yuan's ability to exert such combat power on Beichen Star relied on the Imperial Array... Now, only a thousand years later, Li Yuan's strength likely had not undergone a qualitative leap.

"I have my own arrangements." Li Yuan smiled.

He knew God King Xinjie's concerns... In reality, even with talent as high as Li Yuan's, it was impossible to advance the World Dao from the first step to the second step in just a thousand years.

For a top-tier Eternal Dao, every step forward brought a surge in strength.

But the difficulty also skyrocketed.

Even with the deep accumulation of these thousand years, Li Yuan estimated that he might not be able to take the second step of the World Dao within ten thousand years.

However.

The breakthrough of the Ten Thousand Spirits Dao and the fact that his true self was carrying two great Imperial Weapons filled Li Yuan with confidence.

When Liu Bing left the Chaos Divine Court headquarters.

Within the territory of the Abyss Divine Court, above a mighty river scattered with countless snowflakes, a powerful fluctuation suddenly transmitted.

Hum~ Light and shadow condensed.

"Hongjiu?" God King Xueye's voice echoed above the river.

God King Hongjiu's phantom said, "Xueye, didn't you keep asking me to observe the causal lines and location of the Chaos Divine Court's 'Celestial Qing Tian Bing'?"

"Yes! Is there karma?" God King Xueye asked hurriedly.

"Just a short while ago."

"I could sense that she left the Chaos Divine Court headquarters... Moreover, her body is shrouded in a layer of blurred aura, distorting heavenly secrets, seemingly to guard against others probing her movements." God King Hongjiu said. "Judging by the level of chaos in the heavenly secrets, it should be God King Xinjie acting alone; only she can do that in the Chaos Divine Court."

"God King Xinjie is obscuring her heavenly secrets. Is she protecting her in secret?" God King Xueye's heart sank.

"It doesn't feel like it."

"She didn't use her full strength to obscure it; it looks more like a protective spell." God King Hongjiu shook his head. "If God King Xinjie had used her full strength, I wouldn't have been able to break through it so easily... I estimate Celestial Qing Tian Bing is an important Celestial of the Chaos Divine Court."

God King Xueye's eyes lit up.

Major divine court factions occasionally have God Kings obscure heavenly secrets to protect important Celestials under their command... This makes it much harder to divine their movements.

But such Celestials are usually numerous; it is impossible for every one of them to have a God King protecting them at all times.

More accurately.

Celestials worthy of being protected by a God King at all times are extremely rare.

"Is there a God King around Celestial Qing Tian Bing?" God King Xueye pressed.

"No!"

"I can be certain." God King Hongjiu said. "If multiple God Kings were acting together, the karma would be chaotic, and perhaps I would only be able to detect one or two... but whether a God King is following Celestial Qing Tian Bing cannot be hidden from me."

God King Xueye nodded.

This point had already been verified on Beichen Star... Within the Universe Realm, under deliberate observation, it was almost impossible to completely evade God King Hongjiu's detection.

At the very least, there were no God Kings in the current Divine Domain who were as skilled in fate divination.

"Her direction of travel should be the Dark Dragon Star Domain... that was once the ancestral land of the Heaven Snake Clan." God King Hongjiu said.

"Yes, many thanks." God King Xueye said. "In a moment, I must ask Brother Hongjiu to continue helping me obscure the heavenly secrets."

"Rest assured." God King Hongjiu said. "You give me treasures, so I will naturally do my best. If you need anything, send me a message."

Within the Abyss Divine Court, unless it was a major event, helping each other required the calculation of 'Eternal Crystals'.

Immediately.

God King Hongjiu's avatar dissipated.

"Dark Dragon Star Domain?"

"After more than a thousand years, this Celestial Qing Tian Bing comes out alone, and with heavenly secrets obscured, why would she carry the Age Demon Star token with her?" God King Xueye muttered to himself. "Could it be that God King Tianqing left behind some treasure in the Dark Dragon Star Domain that I don't know about?"

Back then.

When God King Tianqing was still alive, the Dark Dragon Star Domain was the star domain he ruled. Over the long years since, no God King had been born in this star domain.

It was just that now, the 'Divine Dragon Clan' was the most powerful force in this star domain, hence it was called the 'Dark Dragon Star Domain'.

"Back then, God King Mingyu said that God King Xinyuan refused her directly without much explanation... I shouldn't have been exposed." God King Xueye pondered continuously.

In his judgment.

There was a thirty percent chance that this was a killing trap... perhaps there was a God King watching from behind Celestial Qing Tian Bing.

Even if there was no God King watching, given Celestial Qing Tian Bing's background, she certainly had tokens from God King Fengyan and God King Xinyuan and could call for help at any time.

"But at least, there is no God King protecting her personally. There is a chance." God King Xueye still trusted God King Hongjiu's judgment.

The most important point.

God King Xueye was running out of time... God King Xinyuan was like a giant boulder pressing on his heart, and this token had already entered the other party's field of vision.

"Even if God King Xinyuan can't see through it for a while."

"What about when his strength grows even greater?"

"I waited over a thousand years for this opportunity. If I miss it, how many years will I have to wait for the next one? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? By then, will God King Xinyuan have become a God Emperor?" God King Xueye did not dare to gamble at all.

The other party's growth rate was too terrifying.

"I'll risk it!"

"In just a thousand years, no matter how strong God King Xinyuan is, it's impossible for him to have taken the second step of the World Dao, right?"

"The Dark Dragon Star Domain doesn't have any Imperial Arrays... As long as I seize the token, I am confident I can leave."

"At worst, I'll lose this true self." A trace of determination flashed in God King Xueye's eyes; he did not have many choices.

Even if it was a trap, he had to try once.

And immediately.

"Brother Mohai, Yinhuo, Lieyan..." God King Xueye transmitted his voice in succession. "I have a favor to ask."

The only chance.

God King Xueye would naturally give it his all... Over a thousand years had passed, and with the help of many powerful secret treasures, the God King-level combat power lost by the Abyss Divine Court had recovered quite a bit.

About two days later.

In the Dark Dragon Star Domain, on an ancient star, this star had a diameter of over ten million kilometers and was deathly silent, with only many broken walls and ruins remaining, seemingly recounting its former glory.

Whoosh!

A figure in green stepped through the void, looking down at the ancient planet below.

"Is this the ancestral star of the Heaven Snake Clan?" Liu Bing felt a wave of discomfort in her heart. She had been in the Dark Dragon Star Domain for a day and had set foot on the former land of the Heaven Snake Clan.

Many of the star systems once occupied by the Heaven Snake Clan had been occupied by other forces; only some ruins of the great war remained, and because they involved the Abyss Divine Court, these forces did not dare to approach.

In terms of strength.

Liu Bing was ranked in the top three in the Dark Dragon Star Domain, so her secret arrival was unknown to the experts within the Dark Dragon Star Domain.

"I must restore the former glory of the Heaven Snake Clan." Liu Bing swore inwardly.

She was different from Li Yuan.

Although she was born in the Beiqiu mortal domain, she had vague memories even while still in her egg... plus the early teachings of Venerable Venerable Qiu Bing, she was filled with a sense of belonging to the Heaven Snake Clan.

In her heart, besides Li Yuan, the most important thing was to rebuild the Heaven Snake Clan.

Now, although the Heaven Snake Clan was constantly multiplying under Li Yuan's protection and had begun to take shape, it was still far from its peak.

Suddenly.

"Hmm?" Liu Bing, who was observing the planet, sensed something wrong. She was also a Celestial and carried as many as six God King weapons for protection.

Some were left behind by God King Tianqing, and some were bestowed by Li Yuan.

This made her strength close to the Sovereign level, and at the very least, her perception of space-time was very keen... An invisible fluctuation swept across this star field.

Subconsciously.

Liu Bing looked into the starry sky.

Silently, a mighty blood-colored river appeared. This long river was like an ocean, obscuring the entire void.

A powerful will shrouded the entire world.

"This?" Liu Bing held her breath, her soul trembling.

Too terrifying.

In an instant, she understood that a God King had descended... Only a God King could make her feel despair in her heart.

"Celestial Qing Tian Bing."

"Do not struggle."

"I can spare your life, do not force me." A cold voice rang out in the depths of Liu Bing's soul, making her involuntarily want to give up resistance.

Hum~

An invisible force had completely permeated this space-time, making Liu Bing unable to make any further moves... but this force was indeed not aggressive.

God King Xueye's goal was the token; he truly did not want to hurt Liu Bing.

However!

Just as this force was about to penetrate Liu Bing's body to seize all the treasures she carried... Clang! A force even more terrifying erupted, centered on Liu Bing.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

Space-time shook!

Two terrifying forces intertwined and collided... From Liu Bing's perspective, the blood-colored river that had shrouded the entire starry sky was constantly shaking and retreating.

And massive star phantoms were blooming beside her, completely blocking the space-time force from the outside void.

"Boom!"

That blood-colored river boiled instantly, space shattered layer by layer, and a grand and mighty Eternal Dao aura shrouded the area, crashing down.

The two forces collided.

"This?"

"What? This level of attack?" Liu Bing had completely held her breath. She felt as if she were a lone boat on an endless ocean.

She could only drift with the waves, as if she could be destroyed at any moment.

These two terrifying forces... a sliver of either one would likely be enough to wipe her out completely.

"Another God King?"

"Is there a God King protecting me in secret? So quickly?" Liu Bing found it hard to believe. She hadn't even crushed the tokens of her master or Big Brother yet.

"Hum~"

In the endless void, more star phantoms descended. Stars fell one after another, ten thousand stars shining together, with billions of layers of auspicious light, as if a great universe were being opened... Thousands of stars smashed fiercely into that blood-colored river, stirring up endless waves.

Causing the aura of that river to constantly decline and retreat.

"God King Xinyuan."

"Damn it!" A heaven-shaking roar erupted from the blood-colored river. "How is this possible! How could you arrive so quickly?"

God King Xueye found it hard to believe.

Under God King Hongjiu's concealment of heavenly secrets, he had followed his senses, secretly lurking here, and had just made his move... but he had only revealed a sliver of power and hadn't even fully controlled Liu Bing.

Li Yuan had already appeared.

"Xueye."

"It actually turns out to be you." Li Yuan's voice was ghostly. "It seems the true mastermind who exterminated the Heaven Snake Clan must be you."

"Which means, you have the other parts of that token?"

"Damn it."

"If I had known, I would have directly ambushed Celestial Qing Tian Bing back then." God King Xueye gritted his teeth. He understood that Li Yuan had likely glimpsed some of the secrets of the token.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to set up a killing trap out of thin air.

But God King Xueye forgot... he only had the opportunity to ambush Liu Bing back then, but he did not have the opportunity to seize the token.

"However, none of that matters. Since you dared to ambush my sister, you can leave this true self of yours behind today." Li Yuan stared at the massive blood-colored river.

This river was one of God King Xueye's true selves.

"Haha, leave me behind?" God King Xueye sneered. "Xinyuan, you are too arrogant. Do you still think this is Beichen Star? There is no Imperial Array here!"

"Although you have opened an Eternal Dao, you have only taken the first step after all? You still want to kill me? You are dreaming!" God King Xueye moved instantly.

Boom!

That mighty blood-colored river erupted with endless rosy light, brilliant and shining, as if countless dragon shadows were soaring into the sky, howling and tearing the world apart.

"A domain?"

"You want to break my space-time restriction? That is truly a joke." Li Yuan laughed, then looked down at Liu Bing beside him. "Xiao Bing, today, watch as your Big Brother takes revenge for you."

Liu Bing held her breath and nodded, her heart surging.

She had already realized that Li Yuan had been hiding in the cave-heaven magic treasure he gave her, protecting her in secret all along.

"Suppress!" Li Yuan stepped through the void and pointed from afar.

The world changed color.

The star phantoms that had originally dispersed across billions of miles of space-time seemed to become substantial. Countless starlight surged mightily, instantly annihilating the rosy dragon shadows released by the blood-colored river... The domain methods God King Xueye had used with his secret treasures were simply vulnerable before Li Yuan.

"This?"

"God King peak strength? He did it by himself? He can also exert God King peak strength?" God King Xueye found it hard to believe, but he still did not panic.

"Brother Mohai, Yinhuo, Lieyan... why haven't you come over yet?" God King Xueye transmitted his voice anxiously.

These God Kings were on the edge of the Dark Dragon Star Domain... arriving would be very fast.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 683 =====