Yin Yanan stood at the stern of their air-transportation spiritual tool and gazed off at the Seven-star Blue Sea, her expression tensing up.

The other nine disciples of the Beast-controlling Sect had their hearts filled with fear after seeing what had just happened. However, their faces were filled with admiration as they turned to look at Yin Yanan.

They had witnessed the Pure Heaven Sect, the Chu Clan, and the Trisword Sect’s air-transportation spiritual tools being smashed by the eight stone statues.

If Yin Yanan hadn’t insisted on them evacuating just now, they would have been reduced to mists of blood and flesh like those from the Chu Clan, the Pure Heaven Sect, and the Trisword Sect.

Even though they weren’t sure what had allowed Yin Yanan to make such a decision, they admired her for making a wise decision and saving their lives.

“How the h.e.l.l did that guy know that great danger lay within those stone statues?” Yin Yanan asked herself inwardly.

At this moment, she was certain that Nie Tian hadn’t sent a wisp of his soul awareness into her mind to take advantage of her, but she still couldn’t figure out how Nie Tian could have possibly known that the eight stone statues would attack the observers.

Also confused, Qiao Yunxi from the Divine Flame Sect couldn’t help but ask, “How did you know those stone statues were actually dangerous, Nie Tian?” 

As she spoke, she turned to look at the eight stone statues from time to time, and saw them rising out of the sea’s surface to float over the Seven-star Blue Sea.

Even though she was now separated from those statues by significant distance, her heart still shook with terror.

She knew that if she hadn’t left with the other Divine Flame Sect disciples, they would have shared the Pure Heaven Sect and Chu Clan members’ fate.

All of the other eight Divine Flame Sect disciples looked incomparably grim as they fixed Nie Tian with shocked and confused gazes.

SHEW! SHEW! SHEW!

At this moment, Yue Yanxi, Jiang Feng, and the other experts finally joined up with them.

Thanks to their Void domain cultivation bases, they had long since learned of the shocking changes that had taken place at the heart of the Seven-star Blue Sea. Therefore, their expressions were also incomparably grim.

Jiang Feng secretly congratulated himself for trusting Nie Tian and telling the young Bliss Mountain Sect disciples to evacuate from that area.

With a complicated look in his eyes, he gazed deeply at Nie Tian and said inwardly, “Fortunately, I witnessed this kid’s uniqueness during the trip to that forbidden region, and decided to trust him this time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been catastrophic.”

Upon seeing Yue Yanxi and the other experts, the young disciples of the Divine Flame Sect, the Bliss Mountain Sect, the Jian Clan, and the Guan Clan all shouted as if they had just survived a calamity.

“Grand elder!”

“Elder Jiang!”

“Elder!”

However, Yue Yanxi waved his hand at them, signaling them to calm down.

Upon seeing this, the juniors gradually calmed down and regained their sense of security.

Yue Yanxi’s eyes shone with bits of fiery light as he gazed off into the distance and said, “Those stone statues seem to have stayed motionless after rising from the sea. Zhou Shang is still there, a certain distance from the statues. I’m not sure what he’s planning to do, but from the look of it, those statues don’t intend to chase after any of you...”

Yue Yanxi’s expression suddenly flickered before he could finish.

Only at this moment did he notice the great changes in the depths of the Seven-star Blue Sea.

Jiang Feng’s temples jumped as he gasped with astonishment. “A huge vortex has formed in the depths of the sea, and there’s an even larger stone statue in that vortex!”

His cultivation base was the same as Yue Yanxi’s. Therefore, the two of them saw the anomaly almost simultaneously.

After taking a deep breath, Yue Yanxi said, “That stone statue seems to have absorbed the remains of the dead disciples of the Pure Heaven Sect, the Trisword Sect, and the Chu Clan. Even though we’re now a considerable distance from that stone statue, and I merely probed it with my soul awareness, I sensed great danger from it.”

At this moment, Jiang Feng called out decisively, “Little Qiong, leave now with the Divine Flame Sect through their ancient stars.h.i.+p, along with your senior martial brothers.”

Their own ancient stars.h.i.+p was still berthed by another dead realm, which was rather far from their location. He had come to talk to Yue Yanxi.

Now, unknown danger lay in the depths of the Seven-star Blue Sea. It would be unsafe to travel to the location where their own ancient stars.h.i.+p was berthed.

Then, he turned to Yue Yanxi and said solemnly, “I hope we can set our differences aside for now, and ride this tribulation out together.”

Yue Yanxi also understood the greater good. He waved at the juniors from the Bliss Mountain Sect, the Jian Clan, the Guan Clan, and Yin Yanan, who was the last to arrive, and said, “You can leave through the teleportation portal on our ancient stars.h.i.+p, and go take shelter in our headquarters for the time being.

“You too, Yunxi!”

He had only briefly probed the gigantic stone statue in the depths of the sea with his soul awareness, and he already sensed great danger from it. He knew that these juniors with low cultivation bases would only become their burdens if they stayed here.

Besides, he was also worried that the juniors would die miserable deaths as soon as the stone statues launched an attack.

“I’ll stay a bit longer,” Qiao Yunxi said. “My Flame Bird is fast enough. I’ll be fine.”

Yue Yanxi had a second thought about it, and realized that her Flame Bird might actually be able to keep her safe.

Furthermore, he would also be here to protect her in a moment of need.

Therefore, Yue Yanxi nodded and said, “Yunxi and Nie Tian can stay. The rest of you need to return to our headquarters now, and inform our sectmaster of what has happened here!”

The juniors from the Divine Flame Sect didn’t dare to disobey him. They all jumped off the Flame Bird into the Guan Clan and Jian Clan’s air-transportation spiritual tools.

WHOOs.h.!.+ WHOOs.h.!.+

But at the same time, Yin Yanan from the Beast-controlling Sect and Mu Biqiong from the Bliss Mountain Sect flew out of their own air-transportation spiritual tools and landed on the Flame Bird, one to Nie Tian’s left and the other to Nie Tian’s right.

Even though they didn’t say anything, they made their att.i.tudes clear with their actions.

Jiang Feng from the Bliss Mountain Sect shot a sideways glance at Mu Biqiong, and asked with a stern tone, “Have you thought it through?”

Wearing a veil, Mu Biqiong nodded vigorously. “Yes, I have.”

Jiang Feng closed his eyes and thought for a few seconds before finally agreeing for her to stay.

Since the Void domain overseer from the Beast-controlling Sect hadn’t arrived yet, no one present could really tell Yin Yanan what to do.

Seeing that she refused to leave, Yue Yanxi didn’t intend to persuade her either.

Soon, the other juniors sailed towards the Divine Flame Sect’s ancient stars.h.i.+p on their air-transportation spiritual tools.

All that remained were the four Void domain experts, Nie Tian, Qiao Yunxi, Yin Yanan, and Mu Biqiong.

Yue Yanxi finally couldn’t fight his curiosity anymore, and asked, “Nie Tian, how in the world did you know those stone statues contained great danger?” 

All those who had stayed laid their eyes on Nie Tian one after another.

Eyebrows furrowed, Nie Tian said, “Sorry, I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you it wasn’t accurate to refer to the connections between the Pure Heaven Sect and Chu Clan members and the eight stone statues as ‘interaction’.

“I’d use: awakening.”

Guan Fu stood aghast. “Awakenings?!” 

“That’s right,” Nie Tian said with a serious expression. “As far as I see it, they awakened those statues. I’m guessing those stone statues belong to a strange race, which none of us know anything about. I’m afraid their days go all the way back to the Desolate Antiquity Era, when Ancientspirits prospered.”

The Flame Dragon Armor’s soul had been a flame dragon, and flame dragons were a branch of the great wyrms, which had lived in the Desolate Antiquity Era.

t.i.tans, ancient beasts, and great wyrms were all Ancientspirits from the Desolate Antiquity Era.

Since the Flame Dragon Armor’s soul had held fear towards the eight stone statues, it was very likely that the statues were actually a species that had lived in the same era as the Ancientspirits.

Since that was very long ago, perhaps none of the Demons, Phantasms, and Fiends that roamed the starry river today had appeared back then.

“The Desolate Antiquity Era!?” Everyone present looked deeply shaken. Apparently, they had all heard of the Desolate Antiquity Era to a greater or lesser degree. 

If what Nie Tian said was true, and those eight stone statues were actually living creatures from the Desolate Antiquity Era, why would they have suddenly risen from the sea, and remained motionless since?

Without paying much attention to the others’ astonishment, Nie Tian continued, “They were either sleeping or restrained by some restrictive spell. By running their soul awarenesses at their hearts and between their eyebrows, those from the Pure Heaven Sect and the Chu Clan must have triggered something, and awakened them.

“The reason why they didn’t move about after their awakening is probably because they’re waiting...”

With a bitter expression, Yue Yanxi finished his sentence for him. “They’re waiting for that larger statue to be awakened.”

Nie Tian nodded. “That’s probably it.”

WHOOs.h.!.+

A large bird suddenly flew into their view, glittering with dazzling golden light.

On the bird sat a middle Void domain old man from the Beast-controlling Sect.

In Nie Tian’s senses, that bird must have reached the seventh grade, and possessed the strength of a Soul realm human expert.

“Are you alright, Yanan? Where are the others?”