Hearing Nie Jingshen"s words, the Heaven Emperor"s frown intensified.

He pondered aloud, “Since you are saying this, could the Yan father and son have advanced again recently?”

“Yet, if this humble Daoist does not remember wrongly, it was merely a couple of years ago when they previously advanced their cultivation bases, right?”

A look of surprise flickered within the Heaven Emperor"s gaze.

“Back during Broad Creed Mountain"s opening ceremony that year, junior apprentice-brother Yan once said that there will come a day when not yet having become an Immortal, even having left the Royal Reed Sea along with the Later Earth Text, you, the Heaven Emperor, would still not be able to harm him. He said that that day was not far away,” Nie Jingshen smiled, “While it sounded arrogant back then, it has since been proven that he is not the sort to make groundless boasts in serious matters.”

“His words have come true now. And indeed, only a mere few years have pa.s.sed since then.”

Hearing this, the Heaven Emperor"s heart sunk slightly.

He turned to look in the direction of the central Jun Heaven Territory, gazing into the horizon as he was silent for a long time.
……

Meanwhile, a hole suddenly opened amidst s.p.a.ce in the eastern Vast Heaven Territory, forming a wound of the sky that overflowed with light.

Two men emerged from within, one garbed in purple and the other garbed in white.

The purple-clothed man had a rather lazy expression but seemed pretty interested in something.

The white-clothed man looked helpless and vexed, seemingly finding something to be regretful too.

These were naturally the Upper Exalt Chen Qianhua and his brother, the Earthly Young Master Chen Kunhua.

“Why did you have to come, elder brother? While your injuries are healed, your earlier effort in secluded cultivation has been completely wasted,” The white-clothed Chen Kunhua said helplessly, “Even if you want to come, you should wait till Qilin Cliff has requested it of you multiple times. That might even give you a chance to obtain the Heaven Opening Scripture.”

“That is not important,” Chen Qianhua looked around the area, “I realised that I was rather too lazy before. There may have been many interesting things right before me that I have overlooked.”

“For example, that Snow Crane actually detected something even with me helping to conceal the mysterious workings of the heavens, thus being able to start fleeing before it was too late.”

“Besides that half a River Diagram, this person also has very high attainments in the earlier heaven dao of divination. This is really a pleasant surprise,” Chen Qianhua smiled, “Really, she and that Yan father and son are all birds of a feather. The whole family is so interesting.”

Chen Kunhua had a helpless look on his face, “If you had acted in the past, brother, when the Snow Crane"s cultivation base was still not so high, it would have been very easy to locate her then.”

“You"re right,” Chen Qianhua realised, “What have I brought about? Good, good. Life will no longer be so boring that way. It looks like I must stand aside and simply do nothing for many more things I encounter in the future. There might be even more pleasant surprises some years down the road.”

“Still, this Snow Crane ends today,” He sounded regretful but also nonchalant as he gazed towards the sky up above.

Chen Qianhua"s gaze flickered slightly as streams of originally jade green light surfaced, traversing the air.

It was naturally immensely different when someone else used the talisman and when he made a move in person.

After returning to the World beyond Worlds, all-encompa.s.sing jade green light intermingled within Chen Qianhua"s gaze.

The radiance dimmed after a long time, dissipating into formlessness.

“Alright, the Earth Exalt"s lot won"t have to expand so much effort in trying to track her now. Only the physical work remain,” Chen Qianhua smiled.

Just as his younger brother Chen Kunhua was about to say something, his expression suddenly flickered as he retrieved a paper talisman and ignited it.

Green smoke arose from the paper talisman which condensed into some words in mid-air.

Chen Qianhua returned to his usual lackadaisical self as he paid it no concern.

After reading them, though, Chen Kunhua was stunned, “How is this possible?!”

“Oh?” The purple-clothed youth was intrigued now as he glanced at the words.

The message originated from the Earth Exalt w.a.n.g Zhengcheng, requesting that Chen Qianhua personally intervene in this matter.

The strength of Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di surpa.s.sed all their previous estimations!

The news from Yuanzhou City"s Heavenly Mysteries Pavilion was that within a mere few years, Yan Zhaoge had actually advanced yet further in attaining the ninth level of the Martial Saint realm, the late Immortal Bridge stage.

More importantly, at the ninth level of the Martial Saint realm, Yan Zhaoge was able to suppress the black-clothed Brocade Emperor with his abilities.

While unsure of Yan Di"s current strength, relating Yan Zhaoge"s abnormal improvement to Yan Di"s similarly astonishing growth rate from before, w.a.n.g Zhengcheng felt that an adjustment to his plan was necessary.

An immense change had already occurred with the comparison in strength between their two sides!

There was a chance of failure for them if Chen Qianhua did not personally act this time.

“Oh? A pleasant surprise really came?” Chen Qianhua"s gaze instantly lit up.

“But how could he be this fast?” Chen Kunhua was rendered dumbstruck, “If I do not remember wrongly, Yan Zhaoge only attained the eighth level of the Martial Saint realm four over years ago back in the Nine Underworlds, right? Ah, wait!”

“It seems that his father spent an even shorter period of time in going from the eighth to the ninth level of the Martial Saint realm. In that case, could he now be…”

Chen Kunhua looked on in shock at his elder brother, “It couldn"t be so fast even in places with very abundant spiritual qi like Jade Capital Crag, Qilin Cliff and Restful Immortal Valley, right? However supremely talented one is, however ideal their environment, some time-based cultivation is still necessary along with a gradual acc.u.mulation.”

He suddenly thought of something as his expression turned solemn, “Could it be that just like us, Broad Creed Mountain possesses the Thick Spirit Essence Congregating Art? That couldn"t be, right? There should not be enough materials left in the World beyond Worlds to forge a second set of this.”

“Who knows?” Chen Qianhua said, “Thick Spirit Essence Congregating Art, Immortal Rising Ladder, Seven Paths Centred Mechanism, Spirit Divinity Overflowing Lid…there are just those few methods at the end of the day. Who knows which of them he used? All I know is that things have become even more interesting. Haha!”

Amidst his laughter, Chen Qianhua soared into the air, disappearing from his original location.
……

At the same time, someone else was also returning to the World beyond Worlds from extradimensional s.p.a.ce through another wound of the sky.

He appeared to be in his thirties or forties with frost on his brows and a sharp, piercing gaze.

This was none other than Yan Di.

Not long ago, he had left Broad Creed Mountain and headed to extradimensional s.p.a.ce outside of the World beyond Worlds to investigate a newly discovered foreign dimension.

After receiving news from Yan Zhaoge, he had rushed back at full speed.

Yan Di"s gaze was bright as it had never been before but cold too.

He gazed at a compa.s.s in his hand, its needle clearly being a jade hairpin that had a snow crane at its head.

The needle wobbled lightly as Yan Di hurried in the direction indicated by it.

Now, streams of jade green light suddenly flickered in the sky above.

Yan Di"s gaze hardened as the originally unstable compa.s.s needle suddenly stabilised, pointing stably in a single direction.

He inhaled deeply and accelerated, going at full speed.

Soon, Yan Di arrived at Fog Tea Mountain which was close to the borders of the eastern Vast Heaven Territory and the central Jun Heaven Territory.

The compa.s.s needle indicated that he was to continue heading north a little more.

Yet, the dim yellow light of earth suddenly surged before him, concealing the heavens and earth as an egglike clump of light was formed.