"Who attacked you?" Tian Muyang interrogated. The object of his interrogation was a mass of indistinct amalgamation of the four essential energies. If one peered into its cloudy existence, one would notice the presence of a fragile Sea of Consciousness tethered desperately to a tiny sphere that glistened with an icy light.
Behind Tian Muyang were five Earthly Saints, including Yang Chaoyue, whose Sky Destroyer was anchored nearby. They were standing amidst the epicenter of chaos and destruction—Yun Che's ambush site.
"Bing Jingru!" Tian Muyang's tone was oppressively heavy. The indistinct mass of energies was none other than the Bing Clan's Matriarch, Bing Jingru!
The five Earthly Saints, including Yang Chaoyue, had slightly pale expressions alongside their gloomy faces. The Bing Clan had suddenly been attacked by an unknown assailant roughly twenty minutes ago, and one of their planets had been plunged into misery by an attack. If it weren't for He Bojing's quick actions, the vast majority of the planet's inhabitants would've died.
Tian Muyang had been alarmed, informed, and reacted by summoning five Earthly Saints who were in good standings with him or allied through other individuals. He had brought five, an outstanding amount. Yet, despite this, they were at most only able to use a conjoined Temporal Reversion by executing an isolation spell that focused solely on Bing Jingru's Mystic Soul and Sea of Consciousness. All of which were destroyed by a power that made reversing time exceptionally difficult. With the Mystic Soul reborn, Bing Jingru's soul was tethered to it.
Unfortunately, he was a little late due to various matters and was unaware of the costly price of revival, which had increased exponentially. Tian Muyang had to make certain excruciating promises and offerings to these elite cultivators to appease his beloved wife, Bing Fei, who was also the daughter of Bing Jingru.
If it wasn't for the fact that they were related, Tian Muyang would've preferred just placing his wife as the new Matriarch. An urge to vomit welled within him thinking of his lost lifespan and the cost he'd have to pay to the other five Earthly Saints; the urge to crush the world emerged in his heart.
If it wasn't for his rewards for diligently acting for Wei Wuyin's interests in these last few years, he'd have been unable to even get them to agree. Now, he was back to square one—broke. His anger and frustration were hard to conceal.
"I-I don't know…" Bing Jingru's choppy, ghastly voice resounded from the indistinct mass of energy. She had no physical body, and her Mystic Core was gone, so her cultivation had essentially been reset. She was in a similar state as Wu Yu had been. The only blessings she could be thankful for were that she wasn't dead and Tian Muyang was here.
"Tell us everything," Tian Muyang demanded in a deep voice. Bing Jingru didn't hold back and informed them about everything that she could recall, including Bing Tian's return and likely the reason for the ambush. She even mentioned the shadowy mist that erupted from Bing Tian's ring.
"A treasure?" Yang Chaoyue pointed out. Everyone here was a prominent figure in the cultivation world and immediately came to the same conclusion. Bing Tian was a wanted woman for questioning since her aura was found beside the Chaosnova. While it wasn't too urgent, there were top-tier elites that felt she had answers to the Chaosnova's origins and why it happened. More importantly, they were curious as to why she was there, as if expecting it.
After all, Heavenly Seers deduced that she had been there for an extended period, and it was just outside the blast range of the Chaosnova, as if perfectly calculated. There were too many suspicious points.
"..." Tian Muyang thoughtfully considered this matter. If this entire event was born from the competition for a treasure, then Bing Tian's return and the following sequence made sense. Moreover, it meant that Bing Tian's disappearance was deeply rooted in concealing the existence of this treasure.
Woosh!
He Bojing arrived at this point, his expression extremely dark, and his mood was like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Only when he saw the group of Earthly Saints did he smile faintly to mask his expression.
"You asked for me?" He Bojing had been with a few Earthly Saints demanding the Skyrend Domain be opened for investigation, but the damnable Liu Clan refused to do so. They were conducting their own 'private' investigation and would 'inform' them of their findings. The desire to crush the Skyrend Domain's array was heavy in their hearts.
Unfortunately, the Skyrend Domain foundation was established by their imprisoned Earthly Saint, so breaking it wasn't a simple task. Even with their power, they'd take about a few days to do so. Additionally, the cost of Mystic Power simply wasn't appealing to the other Earthly Saints. Since they could only wait for that investigation to conclude, the Earthly Saints left envoys and departed. They weren't too invested in the event anyhow, simply curious.
He Bojing, however, was fuming! The Heaven Relic! The fact those two escaped his grasp was already embarrassing enough, but he lost a leg and an arm. If that cultivator was the Void Voyage Sect's Sect Master or a Grand Elder of the Sect, then it wasn't too unexpected. Still, it left a sore spot.
Now, he was called by Tian Muyang as the first one on the scene. This Tian Muyang was extremely frustrating to deal with when it came to Bing Clan matters. Especially since he was so lustful for them, even pursuing the Bing Clan's Matriarch before settling for her equally as a beautiful daughter. It was borderline obsessive.
Then again, he also similarly wanted the Bing Clan's women. Their Cultivation Methods often incorporated Yin and Ice, making them exceptionally beautiful and extremely potent Dual Cultivation partners or Yin Cauldrons. Any man who was ambitious for power would seek them out. Unfortunately, he never had the eternal joy of experiencing Ascended Bing Clan members.
He Bojing noted the indistinct mass of energy that was Bing Jingru and was shaken. He had inspected the cost of reviving Bing Jingru, and it was absurdly high, far too costly for his blood, and that was within the first few seconds. She was thoroughly killed by a power that made it seem as if she was killed by an Earthly Saint, so after ten minutes, it was disgustingly pricey to reverse.
However, seeing the pale expression of all six Earthly Saints, he immediately realized that they half-measured the revival and it was still costly. What was it? A thousand years? More? Each?
"You were the first Earthly Saint on the scene, and you engaged with the perpetrator outside the planetary boundary." Tian Muyang didn't add a questioning tone to his words, essentially stating that this was an interrogation.
He Bojing's eyes flickered, "I was."
"..." Tian Muyang leveled a strong, oppressive stare at He Bojing. The tension built to an unbearable degree, almost as if stating that if He Bojing didn't speak, he'd attack.
He Bojing stiffened. This troublesome bastard! "Haaa…I'll tell you…"
He Bojing decided not to conceal anything, even about the Heaven Relic.
"Heaven Relic?!" Yang Chaoyue, the other Earthly Saints, and even Bing Jingru all exclaimed with shock. The Heaven Relic was an item that was depicted as a treasure made by those who wielded heaven's power. It was an ancient item that was described as a core of heavenly chaos that could be used to cultivate a unique state that would elevate one's insight and perception of the Mystic Dao.
Their information wasn't entirely complete, but it was true! The Origin State was renowned for being able to grasp higher levels of the Mystic Dao. It was a critical reason why Worldly Saints could enter the Heavenly Saint Phase and beyond. Without an Origin State, it was impossible to grasp higher levels of Mystic Intent.
The light of greed, desire, and urgency emerged in all of their eyes—except…Yang Chaoyue. If the world knew that she had a 1st Origin State Mystic Soul, they would hound her viciously for the secret. Despite that, she still mustered her greed to hide her thoughtfulness.
"Grey-scaled masked cultivator? Adept in Spatial and Time Arts? What was their cultivation?" Tian Muyang focused on other things, as he too, didn't seem to care about this Heaven Relic.
He Bojing sighed depressingly, "I couldn't tell you. Their Spiritual Strength felt as if it was a formless void, and even though it entered my body during our fight, I couldn't gain the slightest clue. It was like trying to see into a murky cloud for an invisible needle." His description made little sense to them, but the fact it sounded so profoundly difficult only indicated that the cultivator's cultivation base was great. "I did, however, sense Mystic Energy, so it wasn't a pure Body Cultivator with beast infusion arts."
"The other?" Tian Muyang asked.
"A Nascent Demi-Mortal Lord, for certain. He wielded a strange sword that could unleash a power that can injure my Mystic Physique. If it wasn't for the inherent dispersion and flexible qualities of Water Power, I might've suffered greatly taking it head on." He Bojing was an Earthly Saint, so his report was relatively reliable.
"They weren't working together?"
"No; they seemed to be in direct contention, only teaming up to resist me, and the grey-scaled cultivator-"
A figure flew hastily, interrupting the interrogation.
"Uncle Muyang, where's grandma?!" Bing Liya rushed in with flowing tears. The Earthly Saints all frowned, and if it were anyone else, they would've sealed them away and sent them off, but considering how particular Tian Muyang was…
She directly rushed into Tian Muyang's embrace while spewing out hectic tears. Tian Muyang's eyes softened slightly, patting the girl's head to console her. "Your grandmother's fine, so calm down. I still have things to do, okay?"
Bing Liya's sniffles were quite loud, and then she glanced at the surroundings curiously and found each figure was exceptionally prominent. However, in Tian Muyang's embrace, she was fearless. There was even a slight sense of superiority in her eyes.
He Bojing had the urge to send this girl off to the next life. Just because you have a powerful uncle, you think you can brazenly look at me like that?!
"Where's Sister Xiao?" Bing Liya curiously asked, heedless of the annoyed expressions of these elite powerhouses. She only hugged Tian Muyang increasingly tighter.
Yang Chaoyue laughed inwardly. It was clear that this girl was striving to outdo her aunt, becoming the next Bing Clan woman on Tian Muyang's belt. This little minx didn't even bother hiding it. But this was the world of cultivation, and Tian Muyang was an Earthly Saint of the most powerful clan in the world, so she didn't feel this was wrong. In fact, given Bing Jingru's condition and Tian Muyang's attempts to pursue her in the past, she was bound to hug his thigh and commit an openly-concealed affair for the sake of regaining her former glory.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that Tian Muyang's wife had a theoretically higher status in the Tian Clan than she did as a Sky Monarch and greater access to specific resources. Just the fact he could summon Earthly Saints here to revive a dead Demi-Mortal Lord through joint Temporal Reversion was evidence of his influence and wealth.
"Xiao Bing? The Everlasting Ice Essence Physique cultivator?" Tian Muyang was shocked. He glanced toward He Bojing, who immediately explained that the grey-scaled cultivator had taken her since the sword-wielding cultivator tried to kill her.
"..." Tian Muyang frowned. Xiao Bing…
She was one of the figures he was asked to assist if needed by Wei Wuyin's Grand Knight. Since Wu Yu was part of the Star Formation Unit, Wei Wuyin had asked Wu Yu to delegate his overseer duties to certain experts. He didn't fear others knowing their relation to him, he feared that they didn't, and they acted against them. The only exception was Na Xinyi, who was given a wide berth due to her unique ambitions.
If Xiao Bing was saved, then that meant the grey-scaled cultivator was likely the hidden protection sent by Wei Wuyin. This began to make sense. Of course, Wei Wuyin never predicted that delegating protection duties would reveal his involvement here despite his efforts to conceal himself.
Fortunately, Tian Muyang was an asset.
After talking a little more, Tian Muyang moved away and sent out a Spiritual Transmission using Wei Wuyin's special transmission jade that transmitted through the Void. It was extremely discreet and concealed. Not even Earthly Saints would notice unless it was done right in front of them. While he did so, two other Earthly Saints sent Spiritual Transmissions out discreetly; one was Yang Chaoyue. The other was Yu Clan's sole Earthly Saint, Yu Changyun!
He was average-looking, wearing green scholar robes, round-shaped glasses, and exquisitely tattooed hands that exuded a faint formation power. As the foremost authority in the Creationist field of Architects, the Yu clan was renowned for their formations, arrays, and talismans. They had an unfathomably deep relation to the Golden Life and Godforge Pavilions, having contributed heavily to several successful Golden Auctions.
At roughly the same time, three detailed reports came into Wei Wuyin's information network, filtered out, and then sent to him in a condensed summary of facts and intelligence.
The Earthly Saints soon gathered and then proceeded to assist the inhabitants of Ice Jade. Since they were here on Tian Muyang's dime, they might as well exert a little to form a good impression. Ice Jade received enviable assistance.
He Bojing left; he was depressed after Tian Muyang sent him away, giving him a guarantee that he'd receive compensation for the expended Mystic Power and saving the lives of the Bing Clan's citizens and members. He was left with very few gains despite his heavy losses. He even had to return Bing Tian's living body without a soul.
Tian Muyang brought Bing Liya and Bing Jingru along as he investigated the planet for any traces left behind by the sword-wielding cultivator. He was also thinking of wiping out any traces of Wei Wuyin's involvement, should he come across it.
Given that Xiao Bing was given preferential treatment due to her relation to Wei Wuyin, it was going to be hard to prevent this information from leaking. But for now, he could delay any concrete verification.
-----
Three hours after the Ice Jade incident, Wei Wuyin and Xiao Bing entered the Vermillion Domain, the home of the Tang Clan.
"Haha," Wei Wuyin chuckled.
"What is it?" Xiao Bing curiously asked.
"One of my informants just told me that you were kidnapped by a vile miscreant of indeterminate power and intentions." He couldn't resist the urge to smile. Wasn't he the vile miscreant described? Moreover, what colorful wording was this? Vile miscreant? How amusing.