Chapter 530 - 529: Dispersed Investigation, Mystery Everywhere

They found a secluded spot to land and gathered together.

They discussed things openly and honestly.

Li Jing explained to Jin Ritian and Xiang Dong that this place was not the Broken Ancient Fairyland, and put forth his own possible speculations.

He avoided any mention of the "task" related to the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist during his explanation.

But he did clarify to the others that he didn’t come to the spatial anchor point solely to help Qingfeng find traces of Fire Phoenix, and they might encounter some unexpected situations later on, and the Charming Spirit would intervene if necessary.

Upon learning that this place was not the Broken Ancient Fairyland, the look on Jin Ritian’s and Xiang Dong’s faces was extraordinarily unpleasant. It was as if they had both swallowed something dreadful.

Never mind that they had come to the wrong place entirely.

The situation was highly unusual, as the portal meant to lead to the Ancient Fairyland had instead connected to an unknown location. Any fool could tell something was amiss.

Hearing Li Jing speculate that this place might involve a Deceiving-the-Heavens being, and his entry to the spatial anchor point was to some extent influenced by the Charming Spirit - which might even take direct action - their expressions were indescribably wonderful.

This was a trap.

They had stepped into a deep pit!

It wasn’t only Jin Ritian and Xiang Dong.

Upon learning that the Charming Spirit might get involved, Shi Zixuan, who had known part of the situation beforehand, was equally perturbed.

Damn it!

What Li Jing told her before wasn’t the whole picture!

Shi Zixuan was always insightful.

Although Li Jing didn’t mention the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist, and was rather subtle when hinting at the Charming Shadow potentially intervening.

It wasn’t hard for her to understand that in addition to coming to help Qingfeng look for Fire Phoenix, there was another "task" that he couldn’t clearly explain to everyone, and he himself wasn’t completely sure about either.

This.

To be honest, was a bit overwhelming.

Nevertheless, they were already inside this space, and there was no visible exit. It was too late to back out.

After a period of silence to process Li Jing’s revelations, Xiang Dong spoke.

"I think I understand the situation now."

He looked up and said that then spoke directly to Li Jing.

"Firstly, I want to confirm something, Immortal Lord Li, do you have a way to return to the Immortal Realm?"

Before Li Jing could respond, Shi Zixuan rolled her eyes exasperatedly and said.

"Elder Xiang, isn’t this a rhetorical question?"

As she said this, she mocked him in a sarcastic tone,

"This kid is really savvy. He has practically taken us for a ride. If he didn’t have a way to return, would he recklessly enter the anchor point?"

Xiang Dong looked at the woman - who otherwise was the majestic Emperor Beiming - acting like a disgruntled housewife. Grinning in embarrassment, he said,

"I just wanted to confirm in advance, I also wanted to ask if there were any limitations to the method of returning."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze back to Li Jing, who responded,

"Of course, there is a way to return, and it has no restrictions. If the three of you think it’s necessary, I can send you back right now. But since we’re here, I believe none of you would want to leave just like that."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Dong nodded silently.

Jin Ritian likewise shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement.

Shi Zixuan on the other hand, puckered her lips, and voiced out.

"Don’t bother with these useless talks, so what do we do next? Stick together or...?"

"Sticking together wouldn’t be practical, I suggest we split up."

Jin Ritian recommended, noting,

"The danger here is foreseeable, but we don’t know much about this place. It’s necessary to spread out and scout the surroundings first. To be safe, we can split into two groups, so no one is alone in case something unexpected happens and we wouldn’t have anyone to send a message."

"I agree."

Xiang Dong raised his hand.

"I have no objections."

Li Jing voiced out, proposing,

"Qingfeng and Shi Zixuan will come with me, separating into two groups with Emperor Xiang and Emperor Jin. We will make arrangements to regroup here after a certain time."

Xiang Dong and Jin Ritian didn’t object to this arrangement.

Even though they knew of Li Jing’s ways to return and he could leave at any moment,

They stood a greater chance of survival if they did stay close to him.

But as Emperors ruling their respective Immortal Realms, they couldn’t lack even this bit of courage.

In terms of strength,

Shi Zixuan was the strongest of the three.

But after all, she was a woman.

It was time for men to step up.

After they brainstormed an initial plan, Jin Ritian spoke out,

"Fairy Qingfeng, you came here searching for the Fire Phoenix. Do you have any leads or if the two of you had any previous signs or agreements? If so, please let us know so we could keep an eye out when we separate later on."

In response to Jin Ritian’s question, Qingfeng, who had remained silently until then, pursed her lips together, and replied,

"The Fire Phoenix has already fallen. Honestly, I don’t know where to start looking for her. But if she indeed fell in this broken universe, she would definitely have left some traces behind."

As she spoke, she waved her hand and produced three brilliantly colored tail feathers.

"These three tail feathers, please take them with you, Venerable Emperors. If you come across any signs left by the Fire Phoenix, the feathers will naturally react."

Upon seeing this, Shi Zixuan and the others’ eyes lit up.

The Blue Phoenix’s actual realm was no different from theirs.

The only thing missing was an independent world.

As a divine beast that had lived for tens of millions of years, the Blue Phoenix had already transcended the ordinary concept of being "a treasure from head to toe", each part of it was at least a top-notch heavenly treasure.

The value of this tail feather of hers was terrifying!

The key was that it was only obtainable through the Blue Phoenix, there were no other sources.

After individually receiving the tail feathers, Xiang Dong looked at a certain someone.

"Immortal Lord Li, is there anything else you would like to inform?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing blinked twice, pondered and spoke.

"While Emperor Xiang and Emperor Jin are investigating, you might as well pay attention to any abnormal places in the space. Although this is not the Ancient Fairyland, there is undoubtedly a connection between two earth realms. If there is any discovery, it would be great, it could help us peek into the mysteries here."

Xiang Dong and Jin Ritian nodded, signifying they would pay attention.

...

After a brief discussion.

The group of five split into two paths, exploring in the south and north directions respectively.

No matter what the findings were, they would return to the starting point and gather after twelve hours.

Li Jing and the others were heading north.

Because the three of them were traveling together and the road ahead was completely unknown and unpredictable, Li Jing decided to bring out the Linglong Tower.

Among the five Lifebound Magic Instruments he owned.

In terms of speed, power, and destructiveness, the Linglong Tower was the least of them all.

The Flying Sword Blue Edge was quicker.

In terms of power and destructiveness, the two Taoist Items were superior, the Linglong Tower simply could not compete as it was not a Taoist Item.

But as for defense power.

The Linglong Tower was indeed the best.

Zixuan and Blue Phoenix both had ways to travel faster than Li Jing, and much faster at that.

But neither showed off their abilities on the journey.

The two of them, one being a dead emperor and the other an ancient divine beast, were powerful.

Ordinarily, it was hard for anyone to harm them.

But in terms of their endurance, they weren’t quite comparable to a half-step Taoist Item.

Especially this half-step Taoist Item which not only governed the rules of space but was also an indestructible heavy weapon.

Everyone traveled north, controlling the Linglong Tower.

Li Jing and the others didn’t go too fast, inspecting the broken worlds that were floating in the void space on the way.

The broken pieces of the shattered worlds were spread out in various shapes and sizes, and the environment on the lands was different everywhere.

There were ones that maintained their original ecosystem, while others showed special terrains like desolate lands.

On different lands, Li Jing and the others found many peculiar life forms living there.

There were spiritual beasts, demon beasts, ferocious creatures and the likes, but there were no ordinary animals.

From this, one could see.

This world was quite "advanced".

Even in the Immortal Realm, ordinary animal groups still existed.

And they were large in number, far surpassing the groups of spiritual beasts, demon beasts, and ferocious creatures that roamed in the Immortal Realm.

What’s more strange was that.

Blue Phoenix tried to communicate with various animal cultivations, but found that they seemed to speak a different language and couldn’t communicate at all.

The animal cultivations did not seem very respectful when they saw the Blue Phoenix.

This situation was extremely strange.

Normally.

Being a Blue Phoenix, the divine bird phoenix, could communicate barrier-free with any beast cultivation, while normal beasts would feel the pressure of bloodlines upon seeing her, especially the birds.

They landed on a relatively broad continent.

Blue Phoenix, after another failed attempt to communicate with a horned bird with sheep’s head, got spat on and slapped it away with an angry face, she then spoke out with a sullen look.

"The creatures here seem to lack a heart, although they don’t have much power in their bloodlines, my bloodline does not seem to suppress them, it’s as if..."

Halfway through, Blue Phoenix seemed unsure of how to describe it.

Upon seeing this, Li Jing laughed and said,

"This place is indeed extraordinarily special."

As he spoke, he looked around.

"The two of you must have noticed that the indigenous creatures here are unique, with many peculiarities, and while they bear some similarities to creatures in the outside world, they are not identical. A single group can possess characteristics from dozens of other groups."

"Not just the creature groups, but also the vegetation, it seems as if everything here was born from countless grafting attempts."

Shi Zixuan interjected.

"Hmm."

Li Jing nodded and looked at Blue Phoenix, saying,

"Have you seen Jurassic XX World?"

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng was a little stunned, and then her eyes lit up.

She had indeed watched this movie previously, as she was fascinated with the science fiction of Blue Star.

A movie about dinosaurs.

Blue Star and Earth have common similarities, after all, the existence of dinosaurs has traceable historical evidence.

Of course.

The films similar to Blue Star and Earth differed significantly.

In the movies of Blue Star, the lead characters are all advanced cultivators with the ability to fly and burrow underground, and dinosaurs are magically transformed into extremely terrifying creatures through a variety of novel ideas.

Leaving these aside.

Upon hearing Li Jing mention Jurassic XX World, Qingfeng immediately understood what he wanted to express.

Having never been acquainted with Cangming Entertainment City, Shi Zixuan naturally didn’t understand what they were talking about and expressed her confusion.

"That is..."

Just as she wanted to ask, Qingfeng spoke.

"Jurassic XX World is a Blue Star movie that tells the story of post-modern humans recreating various ancient creatures from the primitive era through genetic technology. Then, some people used forbidden methods to make profits, combining the genes of different ancient creatures to create hybrid creatures that had never existed before. As they were hybrids of multiple species, their cognition was completely blank after they were born, and they did not even know what they were."

Upon hearing Qingfeng’s explanation, Shi Zixuan’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

She couldn’t quite understand the terms like movie and genetic technology.

But weirdly enough, it sounded quite interesting to her.

After clarifying, she more or less understood.

What Qingfeng wanted to express was that everything in this Earth Realm was a product of artificial mixing, and it was mixed so severely that it lacked the basic cognition that original species groups would have had, leaving only the most fundamental biological traits.

Because of that.

Qingfeng couldn’t communicate with the sentient beings here, and her Divine Beast’s bloodline couldn’t exert any pressure on the creatures here either.

They simply didn’t know what Qingfeng was.

In their cognition, the Divine Beast’s bloodline didn’t exist at all...

Understanding the meaning, Shi Zixuan couldn’t help but recall the strange bird that had previously emerged from the anchor tunnel, and said pensively.

"The strange bird above the Venerable level that we encountered earlier should have been a native product of this place. We might run into similar powerful existences later on, and we should be on the alert."

As she spoke, she looked over.

"Moreover, everything here is obviously man-made. The person behind this is likely the one who tinkered with the Ascending Path leading to the Broken World. If this person is a Deceiver of Heavens as you speculated, Li Jing, what is his purpose in doing this?"

"Hard to say."

Li Jing shook his head and said.

"But I have a thought."

As he spoke, he continued.

"When the original Demonic Spirit acted, it shattered the Ancient Fairyland into pieces. The current Ancient Fairyland probably looks a lot like what we’re seeing right now, with spatial rules collapsing, and the ground splitting into fragments that exist in the void."

After explaining all of this, Li Jing looked around, and then set his gaze on the two of them.

"I believe that each piece of this broken world might correspond to a piece of the shattered Ancient Fairyland."

Upon hearing his explanation, both Qingfeng and Shi Zixuan were taken aback. The former expressed her surprise.

"You mean ..."

"Remember what I said beforehand, that the goal of the Deceiver of Heavens is nothing more than to take the Ancient Fairyland for himself. However, the Ancient Fairyland is not an ordinary place; even if it’s shattered, it’s hard to say whether it can be fully occupied?"

Li Jing began, saying,

"To assimilate or merge with the Ancient Fairyland, he needs some special methods. The strange creatures and plants we’ve seen here might be correspondingly mutated existences from the shattered Ancient Fairyland. The difference is that the creatures in the shattered Ancient Fairyland were born after the major catastrophe due to the law of survival of the fittest, while the creatures in the Earth Realm were artificially transformed to simulate them and attempt to achieve a state of compatibility with the Ancient Fairyland."

As he spoke, Li Jing paused, then said,

"I have a question. I hope you, Qingfeng, can answer me - was Fire Phoenix ever pursuing anything above the Venerable realm?"

"What kind of question is this? Who wouldn’t aspire to surpass the Venerable realm?"

Qingfeng responded instinctively.

Just as she was about to say more, Li Jing spoke again.

"How much was she attached to it?"

"We can’t really say ’how much’. "

Qingfeng began, saying,

"She and I are both divine beasts born and raised in the Immortal Realm, so going to the Upper Three Realms or not doesn’t really matter to us. In fact, we’ve never even thought of leaving ..."

Her speech was cut off halfway, as Qingfeng suddenly stiffened.

"Li Jing, what ... exactly are you trying to say?"

"Fire Phoenix’s relationship with you is extraordinary. She would obviously know your personality. The fact that she suddenly left without saying goodbye to enter the anchor tunnel, and didn’t even notify you, is naturally quite strange."

Li Jing explained, saying,

"Have you ever considered that she may not have wanted to come in, but was attracted or deceived by something."

" ... "

Qingfeng was silent, her face gradually turning pale.

Seeing this, Li Jing whispered.

"Much like the movie you saw, to combine various species of plants and animals requires sam ..."

Before he could finish, Qingfeng interrupted.

"Stop!"

Stopping Li Jing, she spoke with a pale face.

"I’ll go for a walk to clear my head, you two chat."

Having said that, she turned and walked away.

Shi Zixuan saw her walking into a dense nearby forest, then took a look back at Li Jing, who was still standing in his original spot.

"To be honest, I am a bit impressed with you. We’ve been here for less than half a day, and haven’t seen many details worth noting, yet you’ve scrutinized to such an extent. If the current people of Eastern Fairyland all had such clear thinking as you, that would be truly terrifying."

Saying this, she spoke inexplicably.

"But I admire you more, you dare to say anything to our faces."

"When it comes to Fire Phoenix, Blue Phoenix tends to get emotional easily."

Li Jing spoke calmly, saying.

"For her, being prepared mentally in advance is better than not being able to bear it when the truth is really unearthed. At least now it’s just a guess, she can have some luck."

Listening to him say this, Shi Zixuan thoughtfully nodded her head.

What Li Jing said really did make sense.

Speaking of the unknown road ahead.

If Blue Phoenix collapsed emotionally, for everyone it would be a big trouble.

Although her power was not the lowest in this journey, but she didn’t have an independent world, her ability to defend herself was extremely limited compared to everyone else.

Some situations should indeed be avoided.

Looking back at the direction Blue Phoenix had left, Shi Zixuan hesitated and asked.

"Well, aren’t you going to go over and pacify her?"

"Do I look like someone who pacifies others?"

Li Jing tilted his head.

"..."

Shi Zixuan was speechless, then nodded her head.

"I’m sorry."

"..."

Li Jing.

Although he himself didn’t think he was good at pacifying others, Shi Zixuan’s straightforward apology was excessive.

There’s nothing wrong with a man being direct, right?

Shaking his head to let it go, Li Jing sat down on a tree stump and exhaled a breath of dirty air, saying.

"Honestly, I also hope that I’m wrong, but reality may be cruel. The person behind the scenes has the ability to interfere with the Ascending Path broken in the Immortal Realm, this shows he has the ability to interfere with the outside world, and even as a Deceiver of Heavens, to enter the Immortal realm quietly unnoticed."

Greeting him with her words, Shi Zixuan spoke ominously.

"If you are right, this is indeed a bit cruel. Over the years, countless ancestors have set foot on the spatial anchor point and were never heard from again in the Immortal Realm, Fire Phoenix is just one of them."

Speaking in agreement, she continued.

"But a guess is just a guess, we need to find evidence to confirm it. Before that, we need to guard against the Deceiver of Heavens who might attack us at any time."

"There’s actually no need to specifically guard against."

Li Jing shook his head, saying.

"Whether or not this place is his independent world, it’s already broken and no longer a heaven and earth round, he can’t threaten us who have independent worlds, besides, he might not have time to care about us right now."

?

Shi Zixuan questioningly asked.

"What do you mean by that?"

"If he had free time, we should have been discovered and found by now."

Li Jing’s eyes sparkled, saying.

"I’ve encountered similar situations before. Before ascending, I killed a Deceiver of Heavens who almost succeeded in stealing the heavens but was in a deep sleep at a critical moment, he was only just awakened when I threw him into the Small Universe."

"..."

Shi Zixuan.

The experiences of Li Jing really unmatched.

Deceiver of Heavens.

She had only heard about them, never seen one.

This man even killed one before ascending...

Although the Deceiver of Heavens was unable to deal with Li Jing after entering the independent world, and thus was killed, it was still not simple to have the capability of stealing heavens and reaching such a critical moment.

While reflecting on this, Li Jing speculated.

"If the Deceiver of Heavens here is in the same situation, we might think of a way to find him, and then..."

Without finishing his sentence, he raised his hand and made a gesture of cutting his throat.

"..."

Shi Zixuan.

Previously in her eyes.

Li Jing with his thick eyebrows and big eyes was just a man with a lot of ideas, somewhat cunning, and then had a deep background.

But now it seems.

This guy is absolutely a dangerous person!

The real reason we came in hasn’t taken shape yet, the situation hasn’t been figured out too clearly, and he is already planning to kill the Deceiver of Heavens...