Chapter 1851: Sage Qin Ming

In the void outside the Nebula Forbidden Region,

Near the vortex through which Shang Xia and the others had entered the Nebula Forbidden Region, a martial artist with three long strands of beard under his chin, a handsome face, and a stern, cold gaze stood in mid air with his hands behind his back.

Behind him were at least five medium Star Ships, and several True Immortals emerged from them. They stood quietly and respectfully behind the expert with the gold gaze.

"Sage, this was our oversight. We failed to detect the intruders and allowed them to break into the Nebula Forbidden Region."

Among them, the highest-ranked and oldest-looking True Immortal stepped forward and confessed.

His words seemed to draw the Sage out of his contemplation. With a faint grunt, the Sage replied, "This is not your fault. The Lucky Star Region is vast. If someone is determined to breach the Nebula Forbidden Region, you would never be able to stop them. The true purpose of your patrols was simply to warn off those ignorant and reckless enough to risk their lives."

The True Immortals heaved a sigh of relief at his words.

Exchanging glances with the others, the high-level True Immortal took another step forward and asked, “Sage, actually, it wasn’t as if there weren’t hard-headed fools who ignored our warnings and forced their way into the Nebula Forbidden Region. Most of them met with unfortunate ends anyway. Why has this incident drawn your personal attention?"

The Sage revealed a meaningful smile and chuckled, “Because it’s different this time. An old friend of mine has returned, and it seems he’s brought help."

"Old friend..." The high-level True Immortal mumbled to himself. Being someone of considerable seniority, he had some knowledge of events from centuries past. His expression changed as he instinctively glanced at those beside him before he gasped in astonishment, "Could it be... Is he..."

He didn’t dare to utter the name that flashed through his mind.

However, the Sage had already guessed that they knew who he referred to. With a soft chuckle, he mumbled, “Indeed... Sage Jin Quan is back.”

The name caused an immediate stir among the True Immortals. However, two or three who had only recently reached the Martial Void Realm looked completely puzzled, clearly unaware of what that name meant for the Essence Frontier World 300 to 400 years ago.

It was then that another fourth tier True Immortal, who exchanged a look with the leading True Immortal, stepped forward. “Sage, the Essence Wilderness World has long been destroyed. The Essence Wilderness Heavenly Field is nothing but a name that lies in the rivers of history. The Fanyu Sect has long since severed all ties with Sage Jin Quan after he disregarded the safety of his world and dragged the entire Heavenly Field into peril. Today, the Fanyu Sect is already a native faction of the Essence Frontier World. We no longer have any connection with the Essence Wilderness World that perished long ago.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Sage burst into hearty laughter. "True Immortal Fan, no need to be so concerned! You guys have established your roots in the Essence Frontier World for more than 300 years. Other than your core inheritance, how many within your sect can still remember the Essence Wilderness World?”

"Yes, Sage Qin Ming is right!" The fourth tier True Immortal looked deeply grateful, though cold sweat trickled down his back. He had already resolved that once he returned to the Essence Frontier World, he would immediately pass his leadership to a disciple born in the Essence Frontier World and urge the few elders who were once part of their sect when they were still in the Essence Frontier World to retire from view.

Meanwhile, another sect elder from a lineage also originating from the Essence Wilderness World showed no such fear. That was because the Heart Lamp Sect, while once the premier sect of the Essence Wilderness World, had obtained their inheritance from Sage Qin Ming himself. Their connection to the Essence Wilderness World was far weaker than the Fanyu Sect.

Back when the Essence Wilderness World was thrown into the Nebula Forbidden Region to stop its expansion, there were two other Spirit Worlds that had been integrated into the Essence Frontier Heavenly Field. All of them could have said to have reestablished themselves already with no affiliations to the Essence Wilderness World.

The leading high-level True Immortal asked again, “Sage, since Sage Jin Quan is back with help, what should we do next? Should we inform the Sages of the other Heavenly Fields in the Original Star Corner? After all, back then...”

Qin Ming raised a hand and interrupted. "No need. I have my own plans. Maintain patrols around the Nebula Forbidden Region, but reduce the number of ships and personnel by half. There’s no need to patrol so close to the Nebula Forbidden Region either."

The leading high-level True Immortal clearly didn’t understand the reason for this, but seeing that Qin Ming didn’t want to explain, he dared not question it further. He simply bowed and said, "Understood, many thanks for the understanding, Sage Qin Ming. We will make the arrangements immediately."

After the others departed, a profound light flashed in Qin Ming’s eyes as he looked at the Nebula Forbidden Region. “Old friend... It seems like you still haven’t given up.”

...

Faced with the choice of following the Ward Talisman Sword to meet up with Sage Jin and the others or following the Crimson Soul Tablet’s guidance to investigate the unknown pull, Shang Xia decided to follow his heart.

Even though the Nebula Forbidden Region was dangerous even for a Sage, Shang Xia pressed on cautiously with the connection he felt with the Crimson Soul Tablet.

Fortunately, the journey wasn’t entirely silent. The soul of True Immortal Su Chi which carried his past memories, spoke to him through the Cloud Rune Mysterious World tied at his waist.

"You’re saying that when Sage Jin was trapped in the Nebula Forbidden Region, the Essence Frontier World wasn’t the only one that took part in invading the Essence Wilderness Heavenly Field? Even Heavenly Fields from the Original Star Corner took part in it?” Shang Xia asked.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

While carefully navigating a fragile region of space, Shang Xia sensed that the Crimson Soul Tablet’s resonance had not disappeared, in fact, it had grown stronger. He relaxed slightly and continued his conversation.

Su Chi’s voice rang in his mind. "Of course. The Essence Frontier World used to be the strongest Heavenly Fields in the Original Star Corner. However, even if Sage Jin was trapped in the Nebula Forbidden Region, the Essence Wilderness Heavenly Field had been developed over thousands of years. It wasn’t something a Sage would be able to shatter so easily. Not to mention my Heart Lamp Sect had a Dao Field, and we possess enough power to rival a Sage.”

As Shang Xia crossed a stormy area filled with spatial rifts and lightning, he continued to ask, "Do you know who else, besides Qin Ming, took part in the invasion?"

"That..." Su Chi hesitated.

Shang Xia frowned. "You don’t know?"

Hearing the displeasure in Shang Xia’s tone, Su Chi quickly replied, "Back then, I had just reached the Martial Void Realm. I hadn’t been granted access to the Dao Field yet. With our Heavenly Field under immense pressure, I was sent with disciples to help the affiliated Spirit Worlds of our Heavenly Field. But before we even left, Qin Ming had somehow broken through our defenses and swept through the Heavenly Field like a storm. The Essence Wilderness Heavenly Field fell in a flash.”

Shang Xia couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong the more he thought about it. He continued to press, "He came alone?"

Su Chi answered firmly, "I only saw Sage Qin Ming. No other Sages appeared."

Shang Xia chuckled. "Sounds like an inside job. Someone in your Essence Wilderness World betrayed you."

After a pause, Su Chi sighed bitterly, "I’ve thought about that. The only explanation is that the Fanyu Sect, the ones who built much of the Heavenly Field’s defense system, were working with Qin Ming. At the very least, their upper ranks had been compromised. Otherwise, how could he have broken in alone?"

"Fanyu Sect? Were they skilled in formations?" His voice trailed off near the end.

As Shang Xia looked ahead to a spot in the chaotic void, a shiver ran down his spine. The Crimson Soul Tablet in his mind pulsed urgently, signaling that the target lay ahead.

Su Chi, unaware of what Shang Xia was facing, continued, "The Fanyu Sect was an Elysium-level sect focused on the dao of formations. They were involved in constructing nearly all large-scale defenses across the Essence Wilderness Heavenly Field. Their fame in the dao of formations spread beyond the Essence Wilderness World. They also crafted talisman jades and formation artifacts."

"Hm. Seems your suspicion isn’t without basis." Shang Xia responded offhandedly, then cut off the conversation. His expression grew serious as he approached the region of chaos before him.

He had tried to skirt around it earlier, but he could feel the guidance of the Crimson Soul Tablet and was sure whatever was resonating with the Crimson Soul Tablet lay inside the chaos.

In other words, he had no choice but to go in.

Activating a rank six defensive talisman, he poured his inner qi into his domain that surrounded him before he dived headfirst into the chaos.