Just as the giant beast tried to flee, the even more enormous hand withdrew back into the endless sky.
But this was not the end; it was a new beginning.
Qiao Zenan stared in stupefaction as a massive magical artifact descended from the heavens… No, that was definitely not a magical artifact. It had to be a higher-grade refined item. Was it a Dharma Treasure used by Golden Core cultivators? A Spirit Treasure used by Nascent Soul cultivators? Or something even higher?
Countless fine strands of steel interlocked, forming a dense grid. As it appeared, it seemed to shatter the vast sky into countless pieces, descending with a vast and mighty pressure.
Its target was pointed directly at that ferocious beast.
The fearsome beast, at this moment, burst forth with its fastest speed in an attempt to flee. Such speed made Qiao Zenan’s heart tremble with fear. If it had pursued him at this speed before, he would never have even had the chance to see the Qixi Festival Sect.
But even this speed could not escape the all-encompassing grid of the net.
The moment the giant beast was struck by that dense grid, Qiao Zenan felt as if his eyes were about to be blinded.
Rolling thunder boomed between heaven and earth, accompanied by blinding electric light. For a brief period, the vast world was lit up into a sheet of ghastly white.
Qiao Zenan hurriedly covered his eyes, only then feeling some relief for his stinging vision.
Only when the thunderous roaring in his ears ceased did he open his eyes to look ahead again. When he saw the scene before him, he couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air.
The ferocious beast that had previously left him in such a sorry state was now plummeting from the sky, green smoke rising from its entire body, before falling into a valley below.
Then, from high above, the giant hand appeared once more. It reached into the valley, scooped up the ferocious beast, and just like that, retreated behind the clouds, disappearing from sight.
Clarity returned between heaven and earth. Everything that had happened before seemed as if it were just a dream.
But the cold sweat on his back made Qiao Zenan understand: it had all been real.
“Thank you, Senior, for saving me!”
Regaining his senses, Qiao Zenan hastily knelt and bowed deeply toward the sky above.
After Su Xiaoyu fished the mosquito out of the diorama box, she unhesitatingly crushed it with a tissue and threw it into the trash can. Only then did she feel at ease.
Then she put away the electric fly swatter, went to the bathroom to wash her hands, and returned to the side of the diorama box.
When she came back, she found the Qixi Festival Sect to be quite lively.
That person named Qiao Zenan from the Blazing Heaven Sect had entered the Qixi Festival Sect. The rest of the Blazing Heaven Sect members had also found their way over, and both sides were now conversing.
Su Xiaoyu pressed her ear against the wall of the diorama box, listening to their exchange. As she listened, her expression couldn’t help but turn a bit odd.
Because the subject of their conversation was unmistakably her.
Inside the main hall of the Qixi Festival Sect, some members of the Qixi Festival Sect and the five from the Blazing Heaven Sect were all seated.
In the time prior, the Blazing Heaven Sect group had explained their purpose for entering Magpie Mountain.
After learning the situation, Tong Shishi had a look of sudden realization. “So you all came because of Su Wuchen. To tell the truth, Su Wuchen appeared outside our sect yesterday and brought us great harm.”
When this topic came up, Tong Shishi still felt somewhat disheartened.
Qiao Zenan hadn’t expected to hear news of Su Wuchen here. He quickly asked, “Might I ask where Su Wuchen went afterwards?”
Tong Shishi: “He’s dead.”
Qiao Zenan: “Dead? How did he die?”
Hearing this question, Tong Shishi’s expression inevitably became a bit strange.
She raised a finger and pointed to the sky, then said, “The way that ferocious beast died just now—that’s exactly how Su Wuchen died.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Zenan’s expression immediately became uncontrollable, and the other members of the Blazing Heaven Sect each wore an unusual look.
When the giant hand had descended from the heavens earlier to slay the ferocious beast, the people of the Blazing Heaven Sect, though scattered in different locations, had all witnessed it. They remembered that soul-shaking scene vividly and would probably never forget it for the rest of their lives.
But Su Wuchen had also died in the same manner?
Qiao Zenan carefully tempered his tone and asked, “May I ask, Sect Master Tong, about that… being? What is the situation?”
Tong Shishi said helplessly, “I don’t know.”
Qiao Zenan was stunned. “You don’t know?”
Tong Shishi sighed. “I don’t know. That being also only appeared yesterday, so my understanding isn’t much greater than yours.”
This answer made the Blazing Heaven Sect group look at each other.
Si Xiaoxiao hesitated before asking, “Then do you think it’s a senior expert, or could it be another kind of existence?”
Tong Shishi looked at Si Xiaoxiao. “What do you mean, another kind of existence?”
Si Xiaoxiao was a bit nervous and said quietly, “I just feel, based on that being’s performance earlier, its status is frighteningly high. Even those Nascent Soul True Monarchs or Soul Formation Divine Lords probably don’t possess such might. It’s practically like… like a Divine Manifestation of the heavens themselves.”
Golden Core True Persons, Nascent Soul True Monarchs, Soul Formation Divine Lords—Si Xiaoxiao had seen these existences herself, but compared to the might displayed by that being earlier, there was an immense difference.
Hearing Si Xiaoxiao speak like this, everyone in the main hall couldn’t help but feel somewhat uneasy.
“Could the heavens truly manifest a spirit like that? We are cultivators, we can’t be superstitious.”
The one who spoke was Gongye Qing.
Si Xiaoxiao looked at Gongye Qing. “Superstitious? Then how would you explain all these various circumstances?”
Gongye Qing hesitated, then said, “Could it be an elder related to someone in our sect? An existence beyond the Soul Formation Divine Lord?”
He had been struck with a deadly poison during Su Wuchen’s earlier attack and was on the verge of death. Yet, divine medicine descended from heaven, allowing him to recover.
Was that a coincidence?
He felt it wasn’t.
That being had appeared specifically to resolve the Qixi Festival Sect’s crisis, saved him, and even left behind divine liquid in the back mountain. Then it eliminated a strange ferocious beast that could have threatened the Qixi Festival Sect—almost as if it were secretly sheltering them.
But why would it shelter the Qixi Festival Sect?
There was no reason.
Would the heavens specifically manifest a spirit to protect a minor Qixi Festival Sect?
Was that even possible?
But if it were some immensely powerful existence, why would it protect a tiny Qixi Festival Sect without any apparent reason?
Gongye Qing carefully expressed his thoughts to everyone.
Hearing this, the group looked at each other, feeling it wasn’t entirely implausible.
Tong Shishi pondered and said, “Then I’ll call everyone here and ask. An unknown, immensely powerful existence has been secretly sheltering us. We can’t just pretend nothing has happened.”
Outside the diorama box, Su Xiaoyu was speechless.
Watching Tong Shishi actually start to assemble the Qixi Festival Sect members to ask about their origins, she couldn’t help but find it amusing.
The reason she chose to shelter the Qixi Festival Sect was, of course, to gain Faith Value.
With her intervention to eliminate the mosquito just now, her Faith Value had undoubtedly risen again, currently reaching 100 points.
She didn’t know the exact pattern of how Faith Value increased, but it seemed that whenever she performed a Divine Manifestation within the diorama box, Faith Value would increase?
If that was the case, then should she perhaps make contact with everyone?
But if she did make contact, what identity should she use?
An immensely powerful being from the Cultivation World?
Yet she clearly wasn’t such a powerful being. And what if they asked her for cultivation guidance? She was completely clueless about that. That would be truly embarrassing.
Then should she pretend to be a Divine Manifestation of the heavens?
Su Xiaoyu’s mind buzzed with activity as she considered exactly what she should do.
