Chapter 68: Tian Xing Zi

  Although I had long known that the space opened up by cultivators could be large or small, he still did not expect that the space occupied by the Cultivator Alliance would be so vast.

  As Dongfang Xue walked through a passageway and pushed open a wooden door at the end, a space as large as ten football fields appeared before me and Wuqing.

  "Wow, it's so big!" Wu Qing exclaimed with a shocked expression, looking up with her head raised, the dark top was nearly fifty meters away from the ground.

  "Is this made of stone?" I touched the wall, it was icy cold, and knocked on it with my fingers, the wall was very hard and emitted a dull sound, apparently very thick.

  "That's right, it's all granite." Dongfang Xue led us through this empty "plaza", explaining: "When we discovered this space hundreds of years ago, since the original owner of the space was unknown, we couldn't change the laws within the space, and could only make some modifications according to its original appearance. At that time, it presented a huge rock cave."

  "If only I could change the rules, I'd love to turn this place into a street of accessories and clothing." Dongfang Xue sighed wistfully, noticing my astonished gaze, her face turned red as she lowered her head and led the way, saying nothing more.

  "What is this space used for?" Wu Qing asked with interest, without noticing her embarrassment.

  "It's the conference hall. Anytime there's something to be decided, it's voted on here. It can hold all of the cultivators in the headquarters." Dongfang Xue explained, returning to normal.

  "It's enough." A cold mutter to himself. Such a large space can accommodate several thousand cultivators, which is more than sufficient.

  And I have been secretly shocked all the way. The size of the space opened up by the cultivator is directly proportional to the cultivator's cultivation, and it also requires a very deep cultivation to maintain the existence of the space after the original master disappears.

  At this time, I also secretly calculated that with my current cultivation base at the Spiritual Realm Heaven Immortal stage, I could form a phantom space of at most half the size of this space. From this, it can be seen how profound the original master's cultivation was who occupied this space for the Cultivation Alliance.

  "We're here!" Dongfang Xue arrived in front of a passageway, pushed open a wooden door, and stood at the entrance with a smile: "Welcome to the city of cultivators."

  A wave of heat mixed with the sound of bubbling surged towards us, and both I and Wu Qing took a deep breath at the same time. The smell that came towards us was already very familiar to us, because it was the unique smell of the city.

  Inside the gate is a small city.

  "You sit here for a while, I'll go inform the people at Tian Xing Gate and arrange for you to meet with the master of Tian Xing Sect as soon as possible." Dong Fang Xue said apologetically after inviting us to take a seat.

  "It doesn't matter, go." said Wu Qing hurriedly.

  Dongfang Snow nodded and instructed a girl beside him for a few words before turning around and hurrying away.

  I and Wu Qing are now in a small roadside shop, separated by the glass window next to us, clearly visible outside is the bustling crowd or the cultivators.

  Perhaps it's because there aren't many people here, and outside, unlike ordinary cities, roads haven't been built, only a winding main road has been left among the many shops, although it looks very chaotic, but it seems to have a unique charm.

  If we didn't know that this was the headquarters of the Cultivation Alliance, I'm sure we would have thought that this was just an ordinary human town by now. The pedestrians walking outside the store were dressed fashionably, and there were all sorts of shops along both sides of the road. I even saw a net cafe with a large sign hanging at the entrance, which read "World of Warcraft is about to start public testing".

  "Please have some tea." The girl who was just talking to Dongfang Xue walked over, carrying two cups of hot tea and said to me: "I'm very sorry, since this is a tea tasting club, we don't have any drinks, so we can only treat you with tea."

  "It's okay." I smiled at her and suddenly thought of a question, so I hurriedly stopped her to ask: "Excuse me, why are there so many human shops here?"

  "Is this your first time here, sir?" The girl turned around and smiled at me: "At the beginning, it was just like ancient times, without any modern things. Later, more and more cultivators who lived in human society came here, but they found that there was nothing here and it made them very uncomfortable. So they opened all these shops, and now this place is no different from outside."

  "It was like that, I know now, thank you." I nodded my head to indicate that everything was fine, and the girl politely bowed slightly and walked away with the tray.

  After taking a sip of clear tea, I fell into deep thought for a moment.

  From the headquarters of this Cultivation Alliance, it can be seen that cultivators and humans have achieved preliminary integration. Most cultivators have been integrated into human society. I believe that if this development continues, perhaps hundreds or thousands of years later, there will no longer be a distinction between cultivators and humans.

  But why are there still so many people in the cultivation world who are dissatisfied with this situation? And what about the many cultivators that the Sword Immortal mentioned, as well as the mysterious man who met with Meng Xing'er before her transformation - who are they? Is it really true, as the Sword Immortal said, that there is some unknown force manipulating everything from behind the scenes? What could be the purpose of this force?

  "Hey, what's on your mind? You didn't even respond when I called you!"

  Suddenly, Dongfang Xue's voice came from beside my ear, and I was shocked awake to find Dongfang Xue leaning in front of me with a curious expression.

  "Let's go, Tian Xing Zi wants to meet you all."

  I slowly stood up, took a deep breath, and completely shook off the confusion in my heart. I then smiled at Dongfang Xue with a carefree smile: "Yeah, let's go explain."

  Dongfang Xue looked at me with some confusion, not knowing what I was thinking about just now that made me so absorbed in thought. But thinking that this had nothing to do with her, she didn't say anything more and turned around to lead the way.

  According to Dongfang Xue, Tianxingzi's residence is not far away. I followed her with Wuqing through two main roads and came to a small wooden house.

  The hut is located in a relatively remote area, it can be seen that there are fewer people here, and the surrounding shops and buildings are also scarce.

  Dongfang Xuejing walked to the front of the small cottage and pushed open the door, with Wuqing and I following closely behind her. Upon entering, we saw that the room was already filled with people. In a high-backed chair directly opposite the door sat an elderly man with white eyebrows and whiskers. He wore a traditional Chinese changshan, and on his feet were a pair of thick-soled black cloth shoes, giving him the appearance of an ordinary elderly villager from rural China.

  As soon as Wu Qing and I stepped into the room, everyone's gaze suddenly focused on us two. Although I seemed to ignore it, my divine sense had already understood the cultivation of everyone in the room.

  Of course, if I weren't so calm and collected, especially since I was the main person involved in the Dream Star incident, my heart would be racing with anxiety, not knowing what to do.

  "Is this the leader of the Heavenly Star Sect? I pay my respects." I walked up to the old man and bowed deeply, saying loudly.

  I'm actually almost a thousand years old, and in terms of age, I might be older than Tian Xingzi, but judging from my appearance, I still look like a young person, so I don't mind being considered a junior.

  "A guest from afar is a treasure, brothers of the Heavenly Star Sect please be seated. Forgive this old man for not rising to greet you, my legs are not as nimble as they used to be." Tian Xingzi's face was calm and composed, he merely inclined his head slightly as he spoke.

  Someone brought over two chairs next to them, and Dongfang Xue also walked into the crowd of people sitting down.

  After everyone sat down, Tian Xingzi's gaze kept sweeping between me and Wu Qing. His line of sight paused briefly on Wu Qing before lingering on me for a long time. I naturally faced him calmly, letting him size me up from head to toe.

  Tian Xingzi was getting more and more shocked as he watched, when Dongfang Xue came to see him, he had already told Tian Xingzi that the visitor's cultivation was not simple, and strongly warned him not to conflict with him. At that time, Tian Xingzi didn't think much of it, thinking that Dongfang Xue had become timid after going out for a few years, after all, what could a mere human cultivator do compared to a true immortal who could live for hundreds or thousands of years?

  But now that he sees me in person, Tian Xingzi only then realizes that Dongfang Xue's words were not empty, there is not a single bit of power fluctuation on my body, and yet with his own eyes, he can't see the depth of my cultivation at all.

  If it were in the past, he would probably still think I'm just an ordinary human being. However, Dongfang Xue has seen me take action many times before. A person like that can't possibly be ordinary. The only explanation is that my cultivation far surpasses his own, so he can't see through my depth.

  "What brings the proud heavenly brother to this place?" Tian Xingzi, the leader of the Tianxing Sect, asked with a bow, causing several nearby cultivators to look at me in surprise. They couldn't understand why Tian Xingzi, who was very senior in the Cultivation Alliance, would use such polite language to ask a human a question, and even call him "brother", wasn't this confusing their ranks?

  "I've come for Dream Star's sake." I didn't bother with pleasantries either, and replied straightforwardly.

  Tian Xingzi's face fell, clearly because he was thinking of his beloved disciple who had died under strange circumstances. After a while, he forced himself to ask: "The person is already dead, what else can be said?"

  "It's like this, I know that Xing Er's situation is a bit unusual, so I've come to explain it to you in order to avoid affecting the relationship between you and the government," Wu Qing explained.

  "What else can be said? Everyone is dead, and you're still spouting that nonsense to deceive us. Who knows if it was you humans who harmed the Star Child, then shifted the blame to that so-called Messenger!"

  Among the crowd on one side, a relatively young cultivator shouted angrily.

  I took a glance at him, and it was a twenty-year-old human youth-like cultivator of the true way, with yellow hair dyed, and three earrings on his right ear. It really didn't match.

  Tian Xingzi stretched out his right hand and pressed down on the air, gesturing for him to shut up. Then he turned to Wu Qing and said, "You also saw that our people are not very convinced by your explanation of what happened to Star. Unless you can come up with some powerful evidence, we'll have to investigate this ourselves."

  I exchanged a cold glance with him, we had anticipated this situation before coming here, so there was also respect.

  So I stood up and asked Tian Xingzi, "Can I ask the head of Tian Xingzi to find a place where there is no one, so that we can talk alone, and then I can show you the evidence?"

  I'm saying this because I want to summon a messenger from the demon world.

  Due to the rules of the demon realm, a demon envoy is not allowed to appear in front of ordinary people. As someone who has jumped out of the five cycles of reincarnation, if it were just him and the master of Tianxing Sect, the demon envoy might still show some face. However, with so many people present, the demon envoy would definitely not come out, which is why he hoped to be alone with the master of Tianxing Sect.

  "Why should we listen to you? Who knows what kind of scheme you have against the sect leader!" The blond young man couldn't help but shout again, but Tianxingzi stretched out his hand and made a gesture for him to be quiet. "Sect leader, who knows what kind of scheme this despicable human has against you, or..." He cried out with a wronged expression.

  "Shut up, Wang Feng! I can judge for myself. How dare you be so rude in front of our guest!" Tian Xingzi turned his head and scolded, seeing him quiet down, he then turned back to face me.

  I smiled and looked at him, but my brain was racing because I felt that the name Wang Feng was very familiar, as if I had heard it somewhere before, but for a moment I couldn't think of where.

  "Alright, someone who can be so straightforward with me must be a person of integrity. I believe he won't play any tricks." Tian Xingzi suddenly smiled and said to me: "Let's go talk in the next room."

  "Be careful!" Several cultivators cried out in concern, but they were all glared back by Tianxingzi's severe gaze.

  I stood up with a smile, and Tiān Xīng Zǐ also got up with the support of another cultivator beside him. It was clear that his legs seemed to have some problem, and he walked extremely unsteadily.

  Wu Qing stayed behind at my behest, with Dongfang Snow outside. I believe he won't be in any danger, and besides, Wu Qing's own cultivation is also at the level of escaping from danger. I even gave him a magical artifact, so even if all these cultivators outside were to gang up on him, it would be enough for him to resist for a while.

  The house door closed behind me, and the cultivator who had escorted Tian Xingzi in also retreated.

  The room's soundproofing is quite good, at least the noise outside can't be heard at all. I quietly sent a thread of divine sense out and tied it firmly to Wu Qing's body, so if there's anything wrong outside, I can also support him in time.

  "Please sit down!" Tian Xingzi pointed to a nearby sofa.

  I sat down and said straightforwardly, "I know you have doubts about Star's death. Most importantly, you don't believe in the existence of the demon realm envoys and magic realm envoys. If I can prove to you that the demon realm envoy exists, will you still have doubts?"

  Tian Xingzi didn't answer my question, but instead sat there with his white-haired head bowed for a while before speaking: "Xing'er is my personally taught disciple. Her parents died early and I brought her up myself. In my eyes, she's my precious treasure, my lifeblood. Xing'er hasn't disappointed my expectations of her either - she's naturally clever, and every technique I teach her, she picks up right away. Although her cultivation isn't high yet, among the younger generation, she already counts as having pretty good abilities."

  A stifled sob came from Tian Xingzi's lowered head, "She was lively and active since she was a child, and fortunate to be well-behaved, with a sweet mouth, calling everyone 'grandfather' or 'uncle', so everyone liked her. I've always spoiled her, trying my best to satisfy her demands, so when she said she wanted to take a look at human society this time, I immediately agreed, and even asked several cultivators in human society to take care of her. Who knew that after she went..."

  Tian Xingzi couldn't say anything more, covering his face and sobbing quietly, the sadness he had been holding back for so long finally bursting out.

  I can only remain silent, I who have long jumped out of the five cycles of reincarnation look at life and death very lightly, for me, death is just a part of life, so I never had any feelings about Dream Star's death. But at this moment, looking at the white-haired head in front of me that was crying, looking at that thin and small body trembling with grief, my heart suddenly also rose up with a hint of sadness.

  "I knew that the young cultivators in the alliance were clamoring to avenge Xing'er, but I stopped them all. Why? Because I know that we can't let our personal affairs affect the relationship between cultivators and humans, which is just starting to merge. Any conflict could make things worse, and it might even escalate into an all-out war between humans and cultivators. That's why I didn't allow them to avenge Xing'er, instead waiting passively for your explanation."

  At this point, Tiān Xīng Zǐ suddenly raised his head and asked: "But now you use such a strange reason to explain to me, how can I believe it?"

  Tian Xingzi suddenly stood up, looked at me straight in the eye and said word by word: "As an old man who has lost his beloved apprentice, I now demand that you give me a convincing explanation. This is already my greatest concession!"

  I gazed at him with admiration, this elderly man who had just lost his only kin and most beloved disciple. Yet he was not blinded by hatred; instead, he worried that it might affect the relationship between cultivators and humans. How could such a broad-minded person not be admired?

  I stood up, bowed deeply to him, and then straightened up with a serious expression: "Tian Xing Zi, the leader of the sect, I admire you."

  Tian Xingzi smiled wryly and didn't say a word.

  I didn't say any more, after all, even if it's admiration, it should be moderate. After a pause, he continued: "Since the sect leader doesn't believe in the existence of the demon messenger, then I'll summon him over. However, I have no way to summon the demon messenger from the magic world."

  "Alright, if you can really summon a messenger from the demon realm and have him tell me the cause of Xing Er's death, then I'll believe you."

  I nodded silently, no longer speaking, and began to chant a spell, summoning the messenger from the demon realm.

  A moment later, a black fog appeared in the room, and then the familiar black figure of the demon messenger walked out of the fog.

  "Mr. Long, is there something?" said a black figure emerging from the dark fog, greeting me.

  "Sky Level Five?" I asked in surprise.

  "That's right, it's me. We meet again." The black figure waved his hand and laughed in his unpleasant voice.

  "Why is it that every time I summon, you appear? Is the only messenger in the demon realm?" I said with some surprise. Summoning a messenger isn't about summoning a specific one, but rather random, yet I just couldn't understand why all three times I summoned a demon realm messenger, it was always Tian Ji Wu Hao.

  "Of course not, it's just that I happened to have some free time and heard your call, so I swapped with the messenger who was originally supposed to come, and came over!" Tian Ji Wu Hao said with a smile.

  "Oh, I see." I nodded slowly and asked quietly: "By the way, this old gentleman is very interested in your battle with the demon messenger at the shopping mall, why don't you tell him about it?"

  As soon as he heard this, Tianji Wu immediately became enthusiastic and began to explain.

  I patiently waited for him to finish speaking, then suddenly asked: "What was that black fog-like thing that floated out of the monster's body?"

  Tianji Wuhao heard my question and immediately became embarrassed, hesitating for half a day before responding: "That's a secret of the demon realm, I can't tell you, just consider it a possessed demon."

  "Impossible!" Tian Xingzi couldn't help but exclaim: "This kind of demonic creature can't possess us cultivators who have undergone spiritual refinement."

  Seeing someone didn't believe in himself, Tianji Wuhao also became somewhat anxious. In his anxiety, he shouted: "Why is it impossible? That thing can be done, otherwise why would we rush to catch it back so urgently?"

  As soon as the words were out, Tian Ji Wu Hao knew he had misspoken. I immediately asked: "So you're very familiar with that thing? Otherwise, how would you know its dangers? What exactly is it?"

  "Oh, Mr. Long, don't make things difficult for me. If I tell you, I'll be put to death once I go back. I don't want my soul to scatter and never attain rebirth. Please, just don't ask."

  Although Tian Xingzi and I couldn't see the expression on Tiantian Wuhao's face, just from his voice, we could clearly tell that he was regretting what he had said earlier.

  I knew that pressing him further would not get anything out of him, so I could only thank him and ask him to leave. After the black figure of Tian Ji Wu disappeared from the room, I turned to Tian Xing Zi and said: "You should believe me now."

  Tian Xingzi's face was wooden, after all, the appearance of Tianji No. 5 had already confirmed what Wuqing and I said. Although he still didn't know why Xing'er would change into another form, it must have something to do with that black fog that was caught by Tianji No. 5 back then.

  Thinking that his beloved disciple had just entered human society and suffered such a cruel fate, and the murderer was still from the demon world with the ancient desolate divine beast, Tian Xingzi felt dazed.

  Doesn't that mean I don't even have a chance to avenge myself? Even if I could, I'm no match for them.

  "Xing Er, Master is powerless, can't avenge!" Tian Xingzi suddenly covered his head with both hands and wailed: "The demon realm has the ancient desolate divine beast, how can Master avenge?"

  I stood by and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy, so I spoke up to remind him, saying: "To be strict about it, the one that killed your disciple should be that black fog. If it hadn't attached itself to Meng Xing'er's body, the people from the demon realm wouldn't have made a move against your disciple either."

  Tian Xingzi's spirit was stirred upon hearing the words. Yes, if it weren't for that ghostly thing attaching itself to his own disciple, how would Star have died? Thinking of this, Tian Xingzi gritted his teeth and said: "As long as I live, I will definitely investigate what that thing is, let its soul scatter and never be reborn!"

  After a pause, Tian Xingzi calmed down and said to me: "I'm really sorry, I misunderstood you. Don't worry, from now on I will try my best to restrain these cultivators and not let them conflict with humans."

  I was just about to speak when I suddenly heard a loud noise coming from outside, the sound was so big that even this room with good sound insulation couldn't block it.

  At the same time, the young cultivator who had escorted Tian Xingzi in suddenly burst through the door with a loud crash and rushed in, panting heavily as he exclaimed: "Master, something's wrong! Wang Feng just ran out and rallied all of the Alliance members under the banner of avenging Star, and that companion who came with this gentleman has also been taken to the council hall!"

  "What?" I was shocked by his words and forgot to be polite, stood up and swayed for a moment, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

  "Xiao Liu, hurry and help me over, I want to see what those little rascals are up to!"

  Tian Xingzi's face turned bright red with anger, and he shouted at the young man who had rushed in. However, in his heart, he was shocked by the cultivation I had just displayed. With his own cultivation, he hadn't seen how I had left at all, and he couldn't help but secretly sigh that this was indeed a master of hidden strength!