24: The coordinates of the fairyland you gave are fake, right?

The Lie Tian Divine Tiger, carrying Lin Xuan, shot out of the spatial rift as if fleeing for its life, its fur bristling like dandelions from the Shadow Plane's gloomy winds.

Lin Xuan clutched a 'cocoon' wrapped in chaotic energy, a faint white light flickering within it.

"Roar... scared this tiger to death... I'm never going to that hellhole again!" The Lie Tian Divine Tiger lay on the ground, panting heavily, its tongue hanging long.

Lin Xuan ignored it, carefully placing the cocoon into the core of the Myriad Realms Spirit Spring Eye.

Pure life-origin spring water enveloped it, and the almost-dissipated white light visibly stabilized, revealing the faint outline of a nearly transparent young girl curled within.

"Her life's been saved, but when she wakes up depends on her own fortune." Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to see Huang Yan rushing over like a gust of wind, followed by Feng Qiqi, who had just been fished out of the Spirit Spring, wrapped in a blanket, her small face still pale but her eyes shining brightly.

"Senior! Qi Qi is awake! The Nirvana True Flame is starting to feedback!" Huang Yan's eyes were red with excitement, completely forgetting that she wasn't yet Lin Xuan's disciple, and she shook Lin Xuan's sleeve.

Feng Qiqi, meanwhile, curiously stared at the white light cocoon in the Spirit Spring, then looked at Lin Xuan, asking softly, "Sister, is this the Master who saved me? He... he's so handsome."

Lin Xuan's mouth twitched.

He subtly pulled his sleeve from Huang Yan's grasp and casually ruffled Feng Qiqi's still-damp little head.

"It's good that you're awake.

Perfect, there's work to do." He raised his hand and swiped it through the air, and a dense barrage of insect disaster distress signals scrolled out like a livestream chat.

"See? Those resource planets near your sister's hometown, the World-Devouring Insects are almost done munching through the mines.

Your newly awakened Nirvana True Flame is perfect for burning insects.

Go with your sister and get some practice."

Feng Qiqi clenched her small fist, and a scarlet-gold flame "whooshed" from her hair, her eyes fierce: "Burn insects! Qi Qi is best at burning things!" Huang Yan covered her face, muttering, "Sister, did you put your skill points in the wrong tree?"

"Master! Then we..." Yun Qingyao and the others also arrived upon hearing the news, their eyes burning as they looked at the pile of pseudo-divine artifacts in Lin Xuan's hand.

Linglong even rubbed her small hands, her peach blossom eyes gleaming: "Master! My Myriad Transformation Demonic Banner is already itching for action!"

Lin Xuan waved his hand, and several streaks of light accurately landed in their hands: "Qing Yao, take Qi Qi to the Divine Phoenix Realm's resource planet; Yue Chan, go to the Xuanhuang World rift; Xinghe, go to the Shadow Plane of the Demon Realm; Linglong and Su Yuan, go to the Buddhist Realm's Lotus Minor Realm!

Kong Ming... you follow Linglong! If I hear you chanting sutras to 'transcend' the insects again, I'll crush one bead from your rosary and you'll be silenced for a day!"

Kong Ming, clutching the rosary that could physically silence him, his small face pale, frantically nodded, indicating he would be as quiet as a mouse.

"Depart!

Clear out the insects!

Bring back any promising talents you find!

If you do well, the divine artifacts are yours!

If you don't..." Lin Xuan sneered, "I'll personally give you extra training!"

"Yes, Master!" Everyone, except the nodding Kong Ming, responded in unison, their battle intent soaring as they tore through space and went their separate ways.

Feng Qiqi, pulled by Huang Yan, vanished as a scarlet-gold streak of light.

After sending off his disciples, Lin Xuan plopped down on a bluestone, rubbing his temples.

Peace and quiet? Non-existent!

He brought up the Celestial Realm coordinates given by Emperor Qinglan, his Law-Breaking Sword Eyes operating at full power, his divine sense like invisible tentacles, fiercely plunging into the endless void!

"Celestial Realm... Celestial Realm... where the hell are you hiding?" Lin Xuan muttered to himself, rummaging through the vast spatial currents.

A Void Refinement stage divine sense was enough to cover several mortal realms, but searching for specific coordinates in the boundless heavens was like finding a needle in a haystack.

As he searched, Emperor Qinglan's tearful explanation of the Celestial Realm's cultivation ranks automatically popped into Lin Xuan's mind:

True Immortal, a rookie who just ascended, roughly equivalent to rations in the eyes of the Asura Clan.

Profound Immortal, can be a small squad leader, premium rations.

Golden Immortal, considered a figure, advanced rations that can barely resist.

Grand Unity Golden Immortal, a big shot, a tough bone that makes the Asura Clan take them a little seriously.

Immortal Monarch, a titan overseeing a region, even the Asura Clan has to weigh their options.

Immortal Emperor, legendary, Emperor Qinglan said he'd only heard of them but never seen one, probably already stewed by the Asura Clan.

"Tsk, an Asura Queen... at least an Immortal Monarch level, or even Immortal Emperor level thing, right?" Lin Xuan felt a bit of a toothache.

"If this fight breaks out, my little Void Refinement body... doesn't seem quite enough, does it?" He stroked his chin, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"However... high risk means high reward!

The 'local specialties' of the Celestial Realm... must be more valuable than insects!"

After a long time of searching in the void, he found nothing.

Lin Xuan irritably scratched his hair: "Did that old man Qinglan give me the wrong coordinates? Or did the Celestial Realm move because the Asura Clan ate it?"

At the same time, on the edge of the Divine Phoenix Realm, Scarlet Flame Star.

This was originally a treasure land rich in fire-attributed ores, but now it had become a self-service restaurant for insects.

Dull gray World-Devouring Insects covered the entire ore vein, their crunching sounds making one's scalp tingle.

"Sister Qing Yao! To the left! That Nascent Soul Insect King is trying to slip away!" Feng Qiqi, riding on the back of a fire phoenix condensed from Nirvana True Flame, pointed her small hand at a sneaky dark-gold giant insect deep in the mine pit.

"Moonlight, freeze!" Yun Qingyao lightly shouted, and the pseudo-Chaos Moon Wheel in her hand glowed brightly!

The clear moonlight poured down like the Nine Heavens Silver River, instantly freezing half the mine pit!

Countless insects were frozen into ice sculptures, maintaining their gnawing postures!

The Nascent Soul Insect King's speed faltered, its lower body instantly covered in ice!

"It's Qi Qi's turn!" Feng Qiqi's small face was flushed with excitement.

She waved her hand, "Nirvana True Flame! Burn it all!"

Whoosh—!

The scarlet-gold divine flame, like an enraged dragon, spewed from the fire phoenix's mouth!

The flames carried the supreme power of purification and rebirth; wherever they passed, the frozen insects, along with the ice, instantly vaporized!

Not even a speck of ash remained!

The Nascent Soul Insect King only managed to let out a short wail before turning into the purest energy particles in the scarlet-gold divine flame!

"Well done, Qi Qi!" Huang Yan, who was clearing out stragglers with Divine Phoenix True Fire not far away, looked at her sister's display of power, her beautiful eyes filled with pride.

On the other side, in the Shadow Plane of the Demon Realm.

The light here was distorted, like thick ink.

Leng Yuechan's figure flickered like a ghost through the dense swarms of insects.

She didn't even draw her sword; with just a touch of her fingertip, the Chaos Sword Bone on her spine flashed!

Buzz—!

An extremely condensed, invisible Sword Intent appeared out of thin air, precisely piercing through a Nascent Soul Insect King's compound eye and exiting its most vulnerable back of the neck!

The insect king's massive body stiffened abruptly, then crashed to the ground!

The surrounding insects instantly fell into chaos!

"Sword Intent... can be used like this?" Leng Yuechan herself was a little surprised, feeling the enhancement brought by the pseudo-Immortal Slaying Sword Sheath, a subtle curve appearing at the corner of her mouth.

Killing insects seemed more interesting than practicing swordplay?

Buddhist Realm's Lotus Minor Realm.

This was supposed to be a pure Buddhist land filled with chanting, but now it was defiled by insect swarms.

The scene was, for a time, very... chaotic.

"Myriad Transformation Demonic Heart · Dance of a Thousand Demons! Make them bite each other, you brats!" Linglong stood on a giant black lotus, waving the pseudo-Myriad Transformation Demonic Banner like a summoning ritual!

Eerie demonic sounds and chaotic halos enveloped a large swarm of insects!

The insects' scarlet compound eyes instantly went mad, roaring and pouncing on their own kind!

You bite my tail, I chew your head, fighting more fiercely than anyone else!

Su Yuan stood behind Linglong, holding the pseudo-Heavenly Evolution Compass, pale green deduction runes swirling in his pupils: "Sister Linglong! Three o'clock direction! Three insect kings are clumped together! Their weakness is... uh, they seem to be biting each other's butts?"

Kong Ming sat cross-legged in a corner of the black lotus, his small face flushed, tightly clutching the pseudo-Bodhi Prayer Beads, his mouth opening and closing silently in a frenzy, clearly trying to chant for transcendence, but not daring to utter a single syllable—Master's physical silencing was too terrifying!

...Lin Xuan was still rummaging around in the void, completely battered, his divine sense greatly depleted, having found no trace of the Celestial Realm coordinates.

He irritably slammed his fist against the nearby spatial barrier: "Old man Qinglan! Get out here!"

Buzz!

A disheveled figure was forcibly dragged out of a spatial fissure by chaotic energy; it was none other than Emperor Qinglan, bruised and swollen, his imperial robes torn in several places.

"Temple... Temple Master Lin..." Emperor Qinglan's heart pounded as he saw Lin Xuan's displeased gaze.

"The coordinates you gave me were fake, weren't they?" Lin Xuan grabbed his collar.

"I've been searching in the void for ages, and I haven't found a single immortal hair!

Where's the Celestial Realm? Did the insects eat it?"

Emperor Qinglan's face was mournful: "Temple Master, please calm your anger! The coordinates are absolutely real! They were in that exact spot ten thousand years ago! Unless... unless the Celestial Realm really..." He thought of that terrible possibility, and his face turned pale.

"Shut up!" Lin Xuan released him, his eyes flickering.

The coordinates were correct, yet he couldn't find it... there was only one possibility!

The Celestial Realm's spatial coordinates had been completely distorted by some powerful force, or even... sealed!

Only the Asura Clan, who controlled the Celestial Realm, could do this!

"It seems... I'll need to find a 'tour guide'." Lin Xuan's gaze turned towards the direction of the misty Shadow Plane, his Law-Breaking Sword Eyes seemingly piercing through space, locking onto that terrifying annihilation zone from before.

A tour guide... naturally, it would be the entity capable of creating such an annihilation storm.

Though dangerous, it seemed... to be the only shortcut to finding the distorted coordinates?

He looked back towards the Star Palace, where his disciples were happily slaughtering insects, and the white light cocoon in the Spirit Spring had stabilized considerably.

"Lie Tian Divine Tiger!" Lin Xuan called out, his eyes sharpening like blades.

"Roar! Master? Again?" The Lie Tian Divine Tiger's face fell.

"To the edge of the Shadow Plane!

This time, no going deep, just find a local to ask for directions!" Lin Xuan's lips curved into a dark and dangerous smile, "And while we're at it, see if that place has any other 'local specialties' besides terrifying things!"