WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Spherical light shields spread out from the All Manifestations Star Banner behind Luo Wanxiang.

A ten thousand kilometer radius around Luo Wanxiang was then sealed off from the rest of the starry river by the glowing starlight shields.

However, Luo Wanxiang’s heaven-shaking, earth-moving voice penetrated the multiple light screens to echo in their ears. “If you’re here, I can’t put my all into battle, so I need you to get to the Realm of Fragmentary Star as soon as possible. I’ll find a way to deal with the Profound Purity Palace, the Extreme Coldness Palace, and Grand Monarch Ice Bones, and end the turmoil in the Domain of Frigid Depths for our sect.”

After that, the streak of starlight that had carried the starship, Zu Guangyao, and the others out of the shielded area returned like a river running into the sea.

Han Wanrong looked back and discovered that she could see nothing beyond the starlight shields. Brow knitted, she said, “Umm...

“So what Vice Sectmaster Luo said is that he doesn’t need our help to end the trouble here, right?”

Face cold, Xin Qing said, “He wasn’t so arrogant before.”

Zu Guangyao signaled for them to stop talking.

Some Void domain disciples on the starship didn’t hear the conversation between Zu Guangyao and the other elders. They chatted on in high spirits.

“I can’t believe the vice sectmaster has become so powerful and confident.”

“It seems that his cultivation base has risen above that of the grand elder. The result of his recent secluded cultivation is unbelievable.”

“No wonder he refused to come out of it prematurely. Now with him here, the turmoil in the Domain of Frigid Depths should be easily ended, right?”

“What should we do?” Xin Qing asked in a low voice.

Zu Guangyao pondered for quite a while before saying, “There’s nothing we can do in this clash between a Son of the Stars and a vice sectmaster. Perhaps our only choice is to return to the Realm of Fragmentary Star as quickly as possible, and inform Wei Lai and the others of what’s happening here.”

With a bitter expression, Xin Qing said, “Wei Lai? He’s neither the grand elder nor a vice sectmaster. What will he be able to do? With Vice Sectmaster Chu imprisoned by Grand Monarch Ice Bones, who else can stop him?”

Zu Guangyao sighed in frustration. “If only we were at the God domain.” 

Han Wanrong cast her eyes down. “Yeah, because we haven’t entered the God domain, we don’t even qualify to join battles between peak powers.” 

The conversation among the three of them carried on for a while before they eventually decided to return to the Realm of Fragmentary Star and have the board of elders decide what to do about this clash between Luo Wanxiang and Nie Tian.

...

The Immortal grade divine tool All Manifestations Star Banner continued to manifest its divine might.

Dazzling starlight shields sealed off that part of the starry river. Even soul awareness couldn’t penetrate it, which forced Zu Guangyao and the others to evacuate.

This simplified the situation.

Yin Xingtian, Mo Qianfan, and Yu Suying looked up at Luo Wanxiang with fearless expressions.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

At this moment, Kleist’s five evil spirits finished devouring the discarnate souls of the Qi warriors from the Domain of Frigid Depths and returned to him.

With them floating over him, he fixed his vicious cold eyes on Nie Tian.

Nie Tian immediately realized that the reason why Luo Wanxiang had spared him while sending Zu Guangyao and everyone else away with his star-shifting magic was because he had to leave him for Kleist.

He must be part of Luo Wanxiang’s deal with Kleist.

Nie Tian’s reflection appeared in the prismatic crystal between Kleist’s eyebrows as he said, “I’ll take that Spirit Pearl you have. Even I couldn’t give the five evil spirits fleshly bodies, but you did. I don’t care how you managed that. That Spirit Pearl and the five evil gods will be mine.

“With their help, I shall advance to the tenth grade and join the ranks of grand monarchs!”

As he spoke, a drop of sparkling translucent Blood Essence spun in each of Kleist’s splayed palms.

“Bloodline: Soul Imprisonment!”

The drops of Blood Essence shattered into numerous pieces that looked like tiny blood-colored crystals, as if they had split into the ancient magical symbols from the Phantasms’ evil canon.

Each and every one of them carried secret soul-imprisoning spells.

Such spells seemed to extend all the way here from the Nether River in the Nether Realm.

All of a sudden, evil spirits’ chants started to echo in Nie Tian’s ears.

A terrifying image of corpses and blood then entered Nie Tian’s sea of awareness.

Countless corpses were piled into mountains in a sea of blood. The cruelty, insanity, and bloodiness of the image rapidly multiplied with the help of the five evil spirits.

In a bewildered state, Nie Tian discovered that he seemed to be separated from his fleshly body and become a wisp of true soul, which was deeply surrounded by mountains of mangled corpses.

Underneath them was a boundless sea of blood, and even his soul awareness was drowned by its overwhelming foul smell.

In this bizarre image, his true soul, which he had refined over and over, seemed more illusory than ever.

Numerous magical symbols that he didn’t recognize flew towards him like cyan butterflies, as if they intended to pierce into his true soul, wipe out his memories, and erase his most essential soul imprints.

At the same time, the nine fragmentary stars floating over his sea of awareness seemed to be heavily suppressed.

“As tough as your fleshly body may be, your soul is your weak spot.” Grand Patriarch Evil Phantom Kleist sneered as he watched his Blood Essence split into Phantasm magical symbols that fell on Nie Tian and entered his sea of awareness like snowflakes.

Among the tens of thousands of races in this starry river, the Phantasms were the most skilled in soul magics.

The perfect combination of their wide array of soul magics and their special bloodline was what had allowed them to dominate parts of the starry river. It was also what Kleist now relied on to deal with Nie Tian.

No other attacking means were used.

“Even though your star souls, as a legacy of the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace, are also extraordinary, your cultivation base is far too low. None of your bloodline, fleshly body, or spiritual tools can strengthen your soul fundamentally.”

Kleist looked unhurried and composed, as if he already had victory in his hands. (Idiom: be sure of success)

Yu Suying from the Profound Purity Palace had paid close attention to Nie Tian from the moment Grand Patriarch Evil Phantom had launched his attacks. Now, she ordered, “Go help Nie Tian.”

The huge silver ship from the Profound Purity Palace then sailed towards Nie Tian, giving rise to loud rumbles.

As the ship emanated silver light, the seven Saint domain Qi warriors from the Profound Purity Palace standing on it fixed Grand Patriarch Evil Phantom with stares simultaneously.

As soon as they cast the Seven Purity Soul-channeling Incantation, a unique soul spell of the Profound Purity Palace, seven streaks of light of seven different colors shot towards him, interweaving in the void as they did.

POOH!

A tunnel seemed to be forcibly created in the starry void.

Even Luo Wanxiang exclaimed softly as he was surprised by the fact that the shields formed by his All Manifestations Star Banner were so easily penetrated.

The Seven Purity Soul-channeling Incantation had been created by the founder of the Profound Purity Palace and his seven junior martial brothers.

This incantation had to be cast by seven cultivators of the same cultivation base.

Its wonders would channel seven streams of soul power from the seven casters before braiding and condensing them into a killing move that was vested with multiple secret magics of the Profound Purity Palace.

It could be used to break all kinds of soul-restrictive magics.

BOOM!

The beam of incomparably bright condensed from the seven light streams was aimed at the prismatic crystal between Kleist’s eyebrows.

Even though it was still far from reaching it, Kleist felt a strong stabbing pain.

“Soul Maelstrom!” As Kleist shouted, tens of thousands of discarnate souls swarmed out, turning his surroundings into a spinning vortex of discarnate souls and peculiar power.

Upon entering the Soul Maelstrom, the beam of light created by the Seven Purity Soul-channeling Incantation started to grow twisted.

Yu Suying didn’t take a single glance at the battle between her subordinates and Kleist. Instead, she stared at Luo Wanxiang and berated, “Luo Wanxiang, you colluded with the Phantasms. Do you know the price you’ll pay for that?

“I wonder how a man as narrow-minded as you became a vice sectmaster of the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace in the first place. I heard about the conflicts between you and Nie Tian long ago, but you didn’t have to frame him for colluding with the Phantasms just because of internal strife like that, right?”

She was smart enough to see the truth.

As soon as Zu Guangyao and the others had left, Kleist had made a move against Nie Tian. This proved that the one that had colluded with the Phantasms was Luo Wanxiang, not Nie Tian.

“Some things take time to see. You will soon.” Luo Wanxiang said indifferently.

“What things?” Yu Suying asked, looking surprised.

Luo Wanxiang let out a cold snort. “Great changes are underway. Even your sect is going under. I can’t believe you’re delusional enough to think that you can encroach on the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace. You really think your sect will thrive as the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace withers away?”

Yu Suying frowned deeply as she pondered the matter.

“Starfall.”

Like stars that filled the sky, countless sparks of starlight flew out of the All Manifestations Star Banner and plummeted towards Yin Xingtian, Mo Qianfan, Yu Suying, and the Profound Purity Palace disciples on the silver ship.