Splitting the Heavens

Chapter 1209: Discussion and Dilemma

The True Immortals of the Spirit Luxuriant World couldn’t hear his thoughts, but after hearing what he said, Yang Taihe turned serious. “Would that mean that the high-level True Immortals of the other words are really defending their Star Beast Nests from other worlds? Does that mean that your true body...”

Shang Xia’s clone seemed to already know what Yang Taihe and the others wanted to say and he replied, “My true body sent me back to inform everyone that he just ran into an ambush consisting of 2 high-level True Immortals and a third tier True Immortal after leaving the Star Beast Nest. He managed to return to the Star Beast Nest safely, and the 3 of them hadn’t located it yet.”

The news Shang Xia’s clone brought back was too damn shocking and everyone started discussing among themselves in hushed voices.

Zhang Xuansheng spoke suddenly, “If the experts True Immortal Shang ran into weren’t from the Spirit Abundance World, Spirit Mammoth World, Spirit Tinkle World, or Spirit Thistle World, that would really mean that we might have run into experts from another great power... Or they might have hailed from a powerful world!”

Zhang Jianzi, who had always acted as though he was invisible when he was standing beside Zhang Xuansheng, also sighed, “To send out 2 fourth tier True Immortals and a third tier True Immortals to look for a Star Beast Nest... Could Xing Xingtian really be right and we’re about to confront an Essence World?”

Liu Jingsheng glazed at Zhang Jianzi before looking back at Shang Xia’s clone. “True Immortal Little Shang, what do you plan to do next?”

Shang Xia’s clone laughed. “The Star Beast Nest is a secret region on par with an Elysium... The treasures contained within are extensive and of extremely high quality. The true body feels that it’s a pity if we give it up like that. As such, he wishes to hear your thoughts...”

After he was done, Shang Xia’s clone introduced the situation in the Star Beast Nest, especially how great it was and how many treasures he had already found.

Naturally, they were moved by what they were hearing. At the same time, they were also feeling some complex emotions.

Seeing as they were keeping silent for the moment, Shang Xia’s clone couldn’t help but chuckle, “From the looks of it, aren’t you guys going to take the risk to develop this Star Beast Nest?”

Li Jidao was the first to reply. “I need to be sure of something before I can make any divisions. If there really is an Essence World outside the Star Beast Nest, are you really confident of destroying it in case they start an invasion and wipe away all traces that will lead to our world?”

The Divine Capital Sect had always been at odds with the Tongyou Institution. Li Jidao’s attitude towards Kou Chongxue was bad, and even when Shang Xia and Kou Chongxue surpassed him, he never bothered changing his attitude toward them.

However... His tone finally seemed to thaw a little when he spoke to Shang Xia’s clone this time.

Clearly, Shang Xia’s advancement to the fourth tier of the Martial Void Realm dealt the various factions of the Spirit Luxuriant World a huge blow! In fact, the impact surpassed anything he would have expected.

After all... One’s cultivation and strength determined their status.

Shang Xia’s clone thought for a second before he replied, “My true body definitely has the ability to do that. Unless the Seventh Order Realm expert from the Essence World makes a move, otherwise, he will most definitely be able to retreat unharmed.”

“True Immortal Little Shang, will you remain in the Star Beast Nest all the time to protect it?” Li Jidao quickly followed up with another question.

After a moment of contemplation, Shang Xia’s clone mumbled, “It’s possible for me to hold the fort for 3 or so years. However, I won’t guarantee anything longer.”

Li Jidao shook his head and sighed, “That’s too short... It’s alright even if we turn the place upside down and grab everything we can before leaving. After all, long-term development is...”

All of them knew that they should be thinking about the future, but if that wasn’t possible, they could only take whatever they could and retreat to prevent themselves from being exposed.

Yang Taihe suddenly interjected, “Actually, I’m also very curious... Why would a high-level True Immortal need to be stationed in the Star Beast Nest? Even though the difference between high-level True Immortals and ourselves is large, there are definitely protection formations and the like. Destroying the Star Beast Nest as a last resort should be possible, right?”

Actually, that was also a problem that the other True Immortals wished to know. Perhaps only Shang Xia would be able to clear their doubts.

Shang Xia’s clone thought for a second before he mumbled, “There should be 2 reasons... The first is that only a high-level True Immortal would be able to fully control the Star Beast Nest... After all, the size of the nest is comparable to an Elysium, which is the same as an ordinary continent!”

None of them reacted for some time. It wasn’t because they expected as much, but they were truly shocked by the revelation. Only then did they realize that a high-level True Immortal would be able to fully control a continent!

That would mean that the life and death of all life on the continent was but a thought away...

Glancing at the True Immortals, Shang Xia’s clone expected their reactions and smiled. “Of course... It’s not as if a high-level True Immortal would try something like that unless they wish to fuse with the World’s Will...”

After he spoke, the True Immortals standing around heaved a sigh of relief. However, some of them still felt a little regretful as that would mean even if they advanced, they wouldn’t be able to do something like that.

Shang Xia’s clone continued, “Of course, a secret region is different from a continent and it isn’t governed by a World’s Will. With my true body in control of the Star Beast Nest, we won’t be afraid of any sudden invasions...”

Yang Taihe couldn’t help but ask, “What is the other reason?”

“The second reason is that a high-level True Immortal would be able to bring dozens of experts with them into the spatial tunnel in a split second while also wiping away their tracks. If any other True Immortal were to take charge of the Star Beast Nest, they might only be able to return while leaving behind obvious traces. It would be highly likely the other side would be able to follow their tracks.” Shang Xia’s clone explained.

In the end, Zhang Xuansheng couldn’t help but conclude for all of them. “So... You mean to say that in order to stand firm in the Star Beast Nest that might be under the observation of an Essence World, we will need to be capable of retreating while wiping away our tracks to prevent them from hunting us down?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Shang Xia’s clone mumbled.

The True Immortals of the Spirit Luxuriant World exchanged gazes but eventually, Yang Taihe was the one who spoke again. “From the looks of it, we will need to work together to deal with this...”

“Are we really going to lay down a rank six grand formation there?”

“The key to this entire matter is that we still need to station a high-level True Immortal there. Otherwise, even if we fortify the Star Beast Nest, they will definitely invade the moment they determine we won’t have a high-level True Immortal...”

“Exactly. We have to make long-term plans if we establish ourselves in the Star Beast Nest. Of course, it would be for the best if we manage to interact with the Essence World and exchange interests. If the other party wishes to invade, we must be able to retreat unscathed. To do that, we will have to destroy the Star Beast Nest. What’s the point of developing it if we can’t even protect it?”

“How should we deal with the matter of connecting a spatial tunnel to the Star Beast Nest anyway? If we wish to develop it, we will need to maintain a fixed spatial tunnel to it...”

“...”

After several rounds of discussion, the situation fell to a deadlock and Yang Taihe took charge in the end to end the meeting. “Since we can’t think of anything good for the time being, we should just head back and discuss this with the members of our factions. After all... The more brains we have working on this the better. We might be able to find a better way to deal with this.”

It seemed as though that was all they would be able to do. After all, Shang Xia would be staying in the Star Beast Nest for the time being and there shouldn’t be any problems in the near future.

Seeing how no one rejected his idea, Yang Taihe nodded and added, “Since it’s decided, let’s meet back here in half a month.”

After he was done, he turned to Shang Xia’s clone and continued, “True Immortal Little Shang, is there anything else you wish to tell us?”

Shang Xia’s clone shook his head slowly in response. “I have nothing else. If anything comes up, my true body will inform me to notify you guys.”

...

Returning from the heavenly screen, Shang Xia quickly located the 3 deputy patriarchs who were in charge of the administration of the institution and told them everything about the Star Beast Nest and everything he experienced.

Ever since Shang Bo returned from the battle with the Star Beast pack, he entered seclusion again. As such, Yun Jing, Ji Wenlong, and Liu Zhiyuan were the only ones running the show.

After hearing Shang Xia’s experience, they quickly gathered the higher-ups of the institution for a discussion.

In the Tongyou Institution, every expert whose cultivation had reached the Martial Dipper Realm was gathered. There were also several Martial Extermination Realm experts with strong foundations and rich experiences who were called over.

After hearing the situation, Ge Qingzhu was the first to speak. “Since we have already come into contact with foreign experts outside the Star Beast Nest, why don’t we try to establish friendly relations with them? At the very least, we should learn about the power they serve. If they are truly from an Essence World, there isn’t much we can do to them... However... If they’re a Spirit World like us, there’s no reason for us to be afraid of them!”

“I concur.” Bu Jingshuang, who had visibly aged since the last time Shang Xia saw him, spoke slowly, “Now, we have no idea how strong the other side is, and they don’t know anything about us either. If I was part of the group that ambushed Little Shang and saw him fight us all off, I would definitely be afraid. Before gaining a little more information, I wouldn’t make any rash moves...”

Shang Lubing thought for a moment before he added, “No matter what, we need to probe the other party. They would definitely do the same. If Little Shang remains there himself, he needs to be cautious no matter what. The Star Beast Nest might be very important to the great powers of our world, but it’s not something we need to care about. Even if there are 10 Star Beast Nests, we can’t risk Little Shang’s life for them...”

His statement was met with unanimous agreement.

Shang Xia’s clone chuckled at their response. “Many thanks to seniors’ care and concern. I’ll definitely relay what happened here to my true body when I return.”

Yun Jing glanced at those present before she brought the topic back on track. “Alright, let’s talk seriously. Back at the heavenly screen, the True Immortals heard the reason why we need to station a high-level True Immortal there. They also thought of several ideas. However... Let’s try to think if there is any other way about it.”