Chapter 1048: Far-flung Fame
The Domain of Heaven’s Origin was a medium grade human domain.
The reason why it was a medium grade human domain was because, like the Domain of Heaven Python and the Domain of Heaven’s Boundaries, its most powerful cultivators were also at the Saint domain.
As vast as the Domain of Heaven’s Origin was, they had less than a handful of Saint domain experts.
The sectmaster of the Martial Spirit Sect, Wei Botao, was a middle Saint domain expert who was well-versed in wood power incantations. Aside from him, the Martial Spirit Sect had another early Saint domain expert.
The third and last Saint domain expert the Domain of Heaven’s Origin had was the sectmaster of the Earth Spirit Sect, Qiu Hanshan, who practiced earth power incantations.
The Domain of Heaven’s Origin had long since become a subordinate domain of Hou Chulan, the Divine Daughter of the wood element sect of the Five Elements Sect.
Hou Chulan also practiced wood power incantations, and she was at the late Void domain.
In the middle of the grand meeting hall in the Martial Spirit Sect’s headquarters, Wei Botao and a number of elders were standing respectfully before Hou Chulan, bowing their heads and reporting something.
Apparently, disciples of the Martial Spirit Sect and Earth Spirit Sect had recently discovered three teleportation portals in the Domain of Heaven’s Origin.
All three of them seemed to connect to the outsider heaven and earth. The disciples that had discovered the teleportation portals had disappeared shortly after sending word back to their sects.
Both the Martial Spirit Sect and the Earth Spirit Sect had sent followup groups to search the areas where those disciples had disappeared. However, they had failed to find any trace of the three teleportation portals they had talked about after extensive searches.
Therefore, they suspected that the missing disciples had most likely been killed. Meanwhile, the three teleportation portals might be constantly on the move. They might have floated to other locations.
Hou Chulan was a tall, slender beauty. Dressed in a cyan dress, she looked full of youth’s vigor.
She listened in silence as Wei Botao reported the situation to her.
A late Saint domain old woman that stood behind her asked questions for her from time to time.
The late Saint domain old woman, who was clearly Hou Chulan’s subordinate, said with a knitted brow, “Three teleportation portals that connect to outsider realms. All of the disciples that discovered them have disappeared after sending word back to their sects… Right now, many major human domains are in peril. Powerful outsiders keep crossing into our heaven and earth through teleportation portals they’ve hidden for many years.
“After entering our domains, they either vanish or launch massive massacres right away, bringing calamities to our domains.
“The reason they do that is to plunge the entire human world into chaos and turbulence, so that we won’t be able to concentrate on the battle that’s taking place in the Dead Star Sea.
“This turbulence has already plagued humanity for years, and it won’t end anytime soon.”
The old woman let out a sigh and continued, “Now, it seems that the Domain of Heaven’s Origin is being dragged into it as well. And since it’s only a medium grade domain, once outsider grand patriarchs get here before we’re prepared, the whole domain may fall.
“Miss, all of our sect elders are fighting in the Dead Star Sea or the invaded domains. With just us alone, even if we can find those teleportation portals, we can’t possibly destroy them all at the same time.”
Hou Chulan frowned and said in a soft voice, “I’ve already communicated with the other great sects, and the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace has replied. They said they’ll send people over, and we’ll be surprised.”
“We’ll be surprised?” The old woman shook her head. “All of their elders and Sons of the Stars have important tasks. Only Sikong Cuo and Fang Yuan are free, but both of them lost many subordinates in the Domain of Nether Heaven. I doubt that they’ll be of much help to us.”
“Perhaps there’s someone else,” Hou Chulan said.
“Someone else...” the old woman muttered, not seeming to hold any hope.
At this moment, strong spatial fluctuations came from a inter-domain teleportation portal in the great hall.
Immediately afterwards, a few figures appeared in the glowing spell formation.
They were none other than Nie Tian, Jing Feiyang, Yue Yanxi, and Jiang Feng.
The old woman went blank for a moment before secretly examining the new arrivals. “One at the middle Saint domain and two at the late Void domain. Adding in a Profound realm one... Don’t tell me this is the surprise the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace talked about.”
“I’m Nie Tian from the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace,” Nie Tian said humbly. “May I ask who I’m speaking to?”
Upon hearing the name, the hunched old woman shuddered slightly. “Nie Tian?! The seventh Son of the Stars?!”
Hou Chulan’s eyes also lit up. A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth as she said, “It’s you! No wonder Elder Wei said we’d be surprised.”
As a Divine Daughter of the Five Elements Sect, she had heard the name repeatedly in her conversations with Huang Jinnan and Lou Hongyan.
Both Huang Jinnan and Lou Hongyan had spoken very highly of Nie Tian whenever his name had come up.
According to them, even though Nie Tian was the newest of the seven Sons of the Stars and his cultivation base was the lowest, he could always do something incredible.
Not long ago, Hou Chulan had asked the two of them about the upheaval in the Domain of Nether Heaven.
From them, she had learned that the fact that a wisp of Lu Jiefeng’s soul had managed to escape, securing his chance at being reborn, had a great deal to do with Nie Tian’s incredible performance.
However, she had later heard that, through the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace’s assessment, Nie Tian had been awarded less contribution points than Sikong Cuo, who hadn’t made any significant contributions to the operation.
With a warm smile, she said, “I’m Hou Chulan. I really didn’t expect the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace to send you.”
Nie Tian took a close look at her, and was impressed by her good looks.
She was every bit as beautiful as Dong Li and Mu Biqiong. Even though she was at the late Void domain, which was considerably higher than Lou Hongyan and Huang Jinnan, she struck Nie Tian as a girl next door, full of a youngster’s vigor.
Standing behind her was one late Saint domain old woman, two middle Saint domain old men, and three early Saint domain experts.
That didn’t include Wei Botao, the sectmaster of the Martial Spirit Sect.
Compared to Huang Jinnan and Lou Hongyan’s subordinates, Hou Chulan’s subordinates were even stronger.
Besides, she herself was stronger than Huang Jinnan and Lou Hongyan as well.
Keh! Keh! Nie Tian laughed bitterly. After taking a quick glance at Jing Feiyang and the others he had brought, he said somewhat embarrassedly, “Umm... Since I haven’t been a Son of the Stars long, I don’t have a lot of powerful subordinates. And some of them happen to be in secluded cultivation, seeking breakthroughs in cultivation, so...”
As the saying goes, it drives you hopping mad to compare yourself with others. Both Hou Chulan’s subordinates’ strength and her own cultivation base were far superior to his.
This time, Wei Lai had given him the mission of helping Hou Chulan destroy the three outsider teleportation portals in the Domain of Heaven’s Origin. Afterwards, contribution points would be awarded according to his performance.
He suddenly had a somewhat embarrassed feeling to present his subordinates and himself.
Hou Chulan, however, seemed to see through his thoughts, as she let out a careless laugh and said sincerely, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. I feel more secure to have your assistance than any other Son of the Stars.”
With these words, she even took the initiative to approach Nie Tian.
Putting her smile away, she bowed slightly and said with all seriousness, “Thank you and Miss Pei for bursting through Grand Monarch Blood Axe’s sea of flesh aura and spreading word of the upheaval in the Domain of Nether Heaven in time. If it weren’t for the two of you, Uncle Lu would have perished, body and soul.
“Allow me to thank you on behalf of the entire Five Elements Sect!”
Both the old woman and Wei Botao, the sectmaster of the Martial Spirit Sect, were shocked by her actions.
However, as her subordinates, they hastily nodded and bowed towards Nie Tian as well to show their gratitude.
Standing behind Nie Tian, Yue Yanxi and Jiang Feng exchanged a glance. Both of them saw the mixed look in each other’s eyes.
In fact, they had felt a sense of inferiority as soon as they had arrived and seen how formidable Hou Chulan’s subordinates were.
After all, she didn’t have a single Void domain cultivator standing beside her. All of her subordinates were at the Saint domain.
However, despite their lifelong efforts, they had only recently broken through into the late Void domain, which was not even worth mentioning in front of Hou Chulan’s subordinates. They had assumed that her subordinates would slight them.
Who would have thought that, after learning that the surprise the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace had promised was Nie Tian, not only were they not disappointed, but they were actually so happy and grateful?
As Nie Tian’s subordinates, they felt honored as well after seeing the way Hou Chulan treated him.
Nie Tian smiled. “No need to thank me. Miss Pei did most of the work. I only provided her with assistance on several occasions.”
Hou Chulan straightened her back and smiled heartily. “Quit humbling yourself. Huang Jinnan told me all about it. He said that both he and junior martial sister Lou would have been dead if it weren’t for you. So both our sect and the Void Spirit Society acknowledged your significant contributions to the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace.
“I really don’t understand what Vice Sectmaster Luo was thinking by awarding you just five hundred thousand contribution points.
“According to our assessment, even ten times what you were given, five million contribution points, isn’t too great an award.”
Upon hearing these words, Nie Tian fell silent.
Luo Wanxiang was in charge of all internal affairs for the time being. Even though he was indignant about his behavior, he didn’t think he should complain about it to someone from another sect like Hou Chulan.
Therefore, after a moment of hesitation, he changed the subject by asking, “May I ask which of you is the sectmaster of the Martial Spirit Sect?”
Wei Botao took a step forward. “I am.”
“Chai Longge and Chai Fengwu are from your sect, right? How is the brother-sister pair doing?” Nie Tian asked.
Wei Botao was taken aback. “You know them? They’re fine. And they’re currently in our sect’s headquarters. Are you...”
He went blank for a brief moment before snapping out of his thoughts. “They once told me that they received help from a man named Nie Tian in the Shatter Battlefield. Don’t tell me that it was you!”
Nie Tian smiled. “Well, it was me.”
Wei Botao bowed a second time. “Oh, I thought it was just another man with the same name as yours! Allow me to thank you on behalf of the Martial Spirit Sect for helping them repeatedly in the Shatter Battlefield! If it weren’t for you, they wouldn’t have been able to make it out of there alive. And thanks to their gains from that trip, they both made significant breakthroughs in their cultivation.”
Wei Botao seemed much more sincere as he bowed this time.