Chapter 1773: ESCORT MISSION, BEGIN! Pt.8

When the Talisman Masters of the Tongyou Institution who were above the third rank or above activated the Talisman Seed, Shang Xia’s clones received his order from back in the Essence Luxuriant World and exchanged a glance. They quickly withdrew the starlight covering the fleet. Even the 6 remaining ships in the strike fleet that was commanded by Kou Chongxue and had been struggling to maintain the battle formation from the runes of the Origin Star Robe were clearly exposed.

At that moment, there was no longer any concealment left on the battlefield. The process by which the 2 huge ships and over 20 Talisman Masters of the Martial Extermination Realm at the very least were laid bare as they controlled the Talisman Seed. Every Sage watching in the depths of the void saw what happened.

Shang Xia’s reasoning for the revelation was simple. The method by which the Talisman Seed released its power differed entirely from other methods of manifesting Seventh Order energy. Its characteristics closely mirrored those of a real Sage wielding their inner qi.

Though Shang Xia had no fear of spies from outside the Star Curtain, he didn’t want to give them any excuse to interfere or stir up further trouble at that critical moment.

Even so, as the power of the Talisman Seed revealed itself, several cold, sinister voices echoed through the void, reaching Shang Xia and his clones. Without exception, they questioned the nature of the Talisman Seed, insisting that it proved Shang Xia had personally taken action.

Faced with those veiled accusations, Shang Xia only chuckled softly. He turned in the direction where Star Beast Nest No.2 once was, and he addressed a particular Sage who had been hiding the entire time. Of course, his voice could only be heard by Sages and no one else. “Sage Chen Ji, why aren’t you saying anything? Did you already notice that the Talisman Seed came from the Secret Talisman Gate in your Essence Xing World?”

Though the question was aimed at Chen Ji, Shang Xia’s voice was intentionally loud enough to reach every observer, both within and beyond the Heaven Observation Field.

Chen Ji did not respond immediately. Only after a brief pause did he reply indifferently, “That doesn’t look like an inheritance from the Secret Talisman Gate to me. They never had a rank seven inheritance.”

Shang Xia chuckled in amusement, “It’s quite simple, really. This Talisman Seed was something I brought back from your world when I was still a True Immortal. I nurtured it in the World origin Source, and as our world ascended, it mutated and turned into what it is now. It’s just their luck for running straight into it after planning to take advantage of the situation.”

With those words, Shang Xia blocked off the last shadowy suspicions of the onlookers. But in doing so, he also placed the existence of the Talisman Seed squarely into the view of the Sages of the various worlds.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

As for what fate might await the Secret Talisman Gate of the Essence Xing World now that Shang Xia had publicly revealed their legacy... That was no longer his concern.

Back on the battlefield, the annihilation of over a hundred cultivators across the 3 fleets not only shocked the enemy. Even the Essence Luxuriant World’s experts were terrified by the might they had unleashed. They never anticipated the Talisman Seed to possess such overwhelming power!

That was also why the entire battlefield froze for a second when the 3 fleets were completely annihilated. All sides, whether friend or foe, forgot about the fight, stunned by the sheer devastation of that single attack.

What unsettled everyone even more was that the Talisman Seed, still floating between the 2 large ships, had not disappeared. The talisman runes wrapped around it flickered dimly, and after its explosive release, faint light began to reappear, signaling that it was once again storing energy for a potential second activation.

With a single detonation, the Talisman Seed had destroyed over a dozen starships, killed multiple True Immortals, and wiped out hundreds of elite cultivators. If it were activated again, how many more would die?! How many ships would be lost?

Though the experts among the enemy fleets understood that such Seventh Order energy likely couldn’t be used lightly and that the Essence Luxuriant World might not be able to trigger a second blast so soon, the mere presence of the Talisman Seed seemed like a terrifying deterrence.

But what if they weren’t bluffing?

What if the Talisman Seed could be activated immediately?

Even if it unleashed only a single fireball the next time, who could guarantee it wouldn’t fall on their head?

And even if someone else took the hit, that would be one less ally, another piece off the board. With fewer ships, none would be able to stop the Essence Luxuriant World’s fleet from towing the Azure Qing World. In that case, what point was there in continuing the battle?

Just then, the Talisman Seed hovering between the ships glowed slightly brighter.

The remaining ships that were engaged in battle seemed to reach an understanding with each other instantly. All of their attacks slowed and they even reached a tacit agreement with those in the Essence Luxuriant World as both sides disengaged.

Though the enemy fleets pulled back, they didn’t retreat entirely. Instead, they lingered tens of thousands of miles away in the surrounding void, silently tailing the Essence Luxuriant World’s fleet, still hoping for a chance to strike again. They were unwilling to accept defeat.

Meanwhile, the main fleet reformed their formation. The chains dragging the Azure Qing World were once again tightened, and the fleet’s speed returned to its former pace.

The 6 surviving mid-scale ships were all damaged to varying degrees, but they could still maintain their course. They resumed their protection of the main fleet.

Between the 2 large ships, the Talisman Seed remained hovering in the void, undisturbed. The runes were no longer glowing, but its mere presence was enough to keep the surrounding fleets in check.

With the last devastating battle behind them, the Essence Luxuriant World’s fleet had completed two-thirds of its journey.

The final leg of the journey passed without further conflict. The chaotic streams around both worlds started to merge when they closed in on the space around the Essence Luxuriant World, leaving only a single thin barrier of chaotic stream surrounding both worlds.

With that, the Azure Qing World officially became the first subordinate world under the Essence Luxuriant World!