With a slight frown, Li Jing said, “You didn’t hear me? Okay, I’ll say it one more time. From now on, Nie Tian will be your junior martial brother, and you’ll forget about the things that happened between you and him.”

Yu Tong bowed her head in silence for a while before replying, “Got it.”

“Good.” Li Jing said no more.

Under the starlit sky, Yu Tong’s shoulders couldn’t stop from shivering. Apparently, Li Jing’s decision had greatly shaken her.

However, she didn’t dare to disobey or argue with her. She could only do as she was bid.

After all, she had a very good idea of what kind of person the sectmaster was and what punishment she would face if she dared to go against her orders.

She could only try to slowly forget the unpleasant incidents between her and Nie Tian.

Her master, Shen Xiu, had noted her sorrow and indignation. She touched her head and said softly, “Kiddo, Nie Tian has become an important asset of our sect. I heard something about the things that happened between you and him, but the moment he awakened the Bone Blood Demon, he was bound to become one of us.”

After all, Shen Xiu had had gone through winds and waves with Li Jing. She understood that now that she had made up her mind, no one’s feelings would change her mind, no matter whose.

After giving the order to Yu Tong, Li Jing turned to look at Hong Can, Zou Yi, and the others.

Under her suggesting gaze, all the disciples from the other sects gathered by her side, including Li Fan, who she had released and returned to the Blood sect with the others.

Even Hong Can, who was from the Hell sect, spoke to her very carefully. “Sectmaster Li, could you tell us what happened to the Realm of Flame Heaven during the time we were gone?”

Upon hearing Hong Can’s words, the expressions of all those who had returned from the Heaven Gate trial turned grim and concerned. A subdued mood rapidly spread out among them.

“Terrible things,” Li Jing said with a plain tone.

Then she went on and briefly explained to them about the war between the seven sects and the foreign invaders.

Not long after Hong Can and the others had entered the Heaven Gate, it disappeared. However, at the same time, a large amount of outsiders swarmed into the Realm of Flame Heaven via opened spacial rifts; most of them were low-tier, but there were also a few high-tier ones.

However, knowing that their Demon Trapping Purgatory Formation had broken down and outsider demons would soon invade the realm via those spacial rifts, the Hell sect had evacuated before they arrived.

Most of their powerful experts had been scattered in their affiliated cities, while others had gone to the Ghost sect.

Experts from the other six sects had also learned that the Demon Trapping Purgatory Formation had lost its effect and realized that they wouldn’t have walls to stay behind if they chose to defend the Hell sect. Therefore, they had returned to their respective sects.

That way, not only would they be able to contend with the outsiders with the help of their grand, sect-protecting spell formations, but they could also shelter the clans that clung to them.

As they had expected, soon enough, countless outsiders had flooded the Realm of Flame Heaven, spreading out to attack all the sects and sending some of their best warriors to the cities where the experts from the Hell sect had held fast.

The war between the outsiders and the seven sects immediately unfurled and spread out to every corner of the Realm of Flame Heaven.

Later, when the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth was polluted and demon Qi inundated some parts of the realm, the teleportation portals lost their effect.

Communication between the seven sects had grown increasingly difficult. As time passed, they gradually lost contact with one another.

For example, when the Blood sect had been besieged by outsiders, they found it harder and harder to receive information from the other sects.

The latest news they had received said that the Grayvale sect had already been sacked by the invading outsiders; most of their Qi warriors had died by the outsiders’ hands with only a few successfully breaking through the siege, whose whereabouts unknown.

Since some powerful experts from the Hell sect had joined the defense of the Ghost sect, they had been in a stalemate with the main force of the outsider army.

Meanwhile, since the Spiritual Treasure sect had lost their Heaven Burning Earth Flame Formation, they had no choice but to go to the Cloudsoaring sect and join their camp.

On the other hand, since the Mystic Mist sect wasn’t as strong as the other sects, the outsiders hadn’t deployed much of their force to attack them, and thus they were currently able to defend themselves.

However, everyone knew that the main force of the outsider army had been deployed to the Ghost sect.

Once the Ghost sect lost their battle, the elite outsider troops would march on to the Mystic Mist sect and Cloudsoaring sect.

If it came down to that, the Mystic Mist sect and Cloudsoaring sect wouldn’t even be able to last a day.

Great powers in the other realms knew perfectly well what was going on in the Realm of Flame Heaven, but none of them had answered the Hell sect’s request for assistance.

As human Qi warriors with similar origins, the indifference of the powerful experts from the other eight realms had made the Hell sect fume with rage. However, there was nothing they could do about it.

With a plain tone, Li Jing gave a detailed explanation of the current situation of the other sects. Then she continued, “Our sect has also suffered great losses, but thanks to the awakening of the Bone Blood Demon, we escaped our doom.

“The seven sects stand and fall as one now.

“Even though we forced the outsiders to retreat this time, we didn’t hurt their foundation. All those we’ve killed were low-tier foot soldiers.

“We’ll recuperate as quickly as possible and then I’ll lead some of our Greater Heaven stage and Worldly realm experts to support the Ghost sect.

“As long as the Ghost sect can hold fast or even better, defeat their enemies, the Realm of Flame Heaven will most likely live through this calamity.

“Furthermore, I doubt that the outsiders will go all-out to seize the Realm of Flame Heaven and make it their home again.

“They must also know that if they actually send all their troops to this war, the other eight realms will sense the threat and probably won’t stand by any more.

“So this is more like a retaliation!

“Both the outsiders and the human Qi warriors of the Domain of the Falling Stars have their own worries. I believe this invasion of the Realm of Flame Heaven is only the beginning.”

Li Jing suddenly stopped and turned to look at Nie Tian.

Facing Nie Tian, she said to Li Fan, “The reason I need to keep Nie Tian in the Blood sect is that, although he can now control the Bone Blood Demon, he still hasn’t fully awakened it and its true strength is still yet to be displayed.

“If he wants to do that, he’ll have to learn some of the Blood sect’s secret magics.

“Magics that only disciples of the Blood sect are eligible to learn!

“I guarantee you that after he joins our sect and practices those secret magics, he’ll soon become as powerful as a Profound realm expert! And his Bone Blood Demon will be able to more efficiently enhance its strength through the Blood Refining Incantation. Given time, it would grow to be the most powerful weapon we can use to defeat the outsider invaders!

“I believe Wu Ji would accept it if him losing a disciple could restore peace and safety to the Realm of Flame Heaven.”

Only until now did Li Jing turn to look at Li Fan in the eyes and say with a soft tone, “I hope you can explain my intentions with Nie Tian to your master when you go back to the Cloudsoaring sect or find a way to contact him. Times are different. Nie Tian has become a crucial factor as to whether we’ll be able to turn the situation around and save the Realm of Flame Heaven. I promise that as long as he joins the Blood sect, I’ll personally pass our secret magics to him and not hold anything back.”

“Alright. I’ll pass your message to my master,” Li Fan said in a low voice.

After hearing Li Jing’s explanation, he now had a better understanding as to why she insisted on making Nie Tian a Blood sect disciple.

“I hope Nie Tian will tell me that he’ll be able to awaken the Bone Blood Demon from its slumber again.” Li Jing also shut her eyes after these words.

Upon hearing these words, everyone’s gaze shifted to Nie Tian.

None of them had ever expected that Nie Tian, who had made great gains during the Heaven Gate trial, would become such a key factor after returning to the Realm of Flame Heaven.

With measuring gazes, they looked deeply at Nie Tian, who was still in the middle of his cultivation.

Not only was he refilling his vortex of spiritual power with the power he had absorbed from the spirit stones, but he was also channeling the falling starlight into his rapidly-rotating vortex of starlight.

When he had a feeling that his spiritual power was almost fully restored, he unleashed a wisp of his psychic awareness to examine the hexagram tattooed on his chest.

As soon as it entered the hexagram, the first part of the Fragmentary Star Incantation unfurled in front of his eyes, every single symbol incomparably clear. Without any hesitation, he started learning them by heart and contemplating the profound truths they contained.

It wasn’t long before he was lost in the sea of fascinating mysteries.

Meanwhile, he also sensed that his psychic power was rapidly emptying as the learning went on.