30: Turbulent times
The heavens were focused, and countless enemies were approaching. Liu Qingtian's tree soul was tense; he had adjusted his state to its Peak. The Wither and Flourish Domain contracted and condensed, like a prehistoric Vicious Beast ready to strike, preparing to face the impending storm. He had even prepared himself to unleash the zang youming great halberd for a desperate, bloody battle.
However, the terrifying, overwhelming attack he had anticipated, which would have instantly submerged him, did not arrive immediately.
The first to arrive was Yue Shan, the Sect Master of the Earth Spirit Sect, who was closest. A streak of earth-yellow Escape Light, carrying the formidable aura of a Great Perfection of the Heaven Comprehension Realm, slammed down like a meteor outside the Wither and Flourish Domain. It revealed a tall, middle-aged man with a shocked and uncertain expression, though his eyes flickered with unconcealable greed.
He did not attack immediately but stared fixedly at the towering Demon Willow at the core of the Domain, and at the strange imprint faintly emerging above the willow, radiating starlight. The muscles on his face twitched, as if he were struggling to suppress the shock and desire in his heart.
Immediately after, in the direction of the Black Fiend Abyss, a cold wind howled. Rolling Evil Qi surged into the sky like smoke from a beacon. Phalanx after phalanx of Yin soldiers, with more orderly formations and Evil Qi almost condensed into substance, stepped out of the rift. Leading them was a Fiend Spirit General riding a skeletal warhorse, clad in shattered black armor and wielding a giant blade. Its aura had also reached the level of the Great Perfection of the Heaven Comprehension Realm!
Its eye sockets, where ghostly blue Soul fire flickered, also locked onto the star key imprint, emitting a silent roar.
Subsequently, Escape Lights from other directions arrived one after another, mostly Loose Cultivators or leaders of small factions at the Tongyou Realm or Wutian Realm. One by one, they stopped from afar, watching with suspicion and uncertainty, not daring to easily approach the heart-palpitating Wither and Flourish Domain or the two "big shots" who had arrived first.
The scene fell into a strange stalemate.
Doubts arose in Liu Qingtian's heart. According to what Lin Feng had said and the celestial phenomena induced by the star key, it shouldn't just be these "small fry" arriving. Where were those Golden Body Realm experts, or even the old monsters of higher Realms? Their speed could not possibly be slower than Yue Shan's!
Just as he was puzzled, through the carvings connected to the Jade Dream Realm and the Bone Abyss, he captured some terrifying fluctuations of intent from outside the Realm, which were still perceptible even after being weakened by the Domain:
"...star key! To think it appeared in the Borderland!"
"...What a pity! How hateful! The Realm wall blocks us; it is difficult for our true bodies to descend to the Lower Realm!"
"...Forced descent costs too much, and we would be rejected and suppressed by the Laws of this Realm. It is not worth the loss..."
"...Sending an Incarnation or projection makes it difficult to gain an advantage in the competition..."
"...Keep a close watch! Wait for the opportunity! The star key has appeared; the day the passage completely opens is not far off!"
Similar intent came from multiple directions, filled with unwillingness, greed, and restraint.
Liu Qingtian understood instantly!
That was it! The Sumeru Spirit Realm was a Major Thousand Worlds; its world barriers were incredibly solid, possessing an extremely strong repulsive force against powerful external entities!
For those experts above the Golden Body Realm, if their main bodies wanted to descend, they would inevitably have to pay a huge price. Moreover, even if they succeeded in descending, their strength would be severely suppressed by the Realm's Laws, potentially causing them to capsize in the gutter, being besieged by local experts or having others pick up the pieces.
Sending an Incarnation or projection would mean limited strength. In the current situation where the star key had just emerged and all parties were eyeing it covetously, it would be difficult to accomplish anything.
Therefore, those true powerful beings chose to watch for the time being, waiting for a better opportunity—likely the moment when the star tracks completely intersected and the Realm wall was at its weakest!
As for now, those who could arrive at the scene first and have a chance to compete for the star key were actually the Cultivators of the Sumeru Spirit Realm and its surrounding areas, with strength not exceeding the Golden Body Realm! And even the Golden Body Realm experts seemed to have failed to arrive in person for some reason.
Currently, the strongest on the scene were Yue Shan, Sect Master of the Earth Spirit Sect, and that Fiend Spirit General from the Black Fiend Abyss, both at the Great Perfection of the Heaven Comprehension Realm!
Having figured this out, the pressure in Liu Qingtian's heart decreased sharply, but his vigilance did not fade. Even if the highest level was only the Wutian Realm, a large enough number could still exhaust him to death.
Yue Shan clearly realized this as well. He scanned the Cultivators gathering around, greed and wariness intertwined in his eyes. Finally, he stepped forward, channeled his Spiritual Qi, and his voice spread like rolling thunder:
"Everyone! This Demon Willow is entrenched in our Borderland, devouring Spiritual Qi; it is an ominous object! Now that it has induced a treasure, it is feared to bring disaster! As a local Sect, our Earth Spirit Sect has the responsibility to clear away the scourge and maintain peace in the region! This object should be collected and suppressed by our Earth Spirit Sect! I hope you all will make it convenient; Yue will be most grateful!"
His words sounded high-sounding, but in reality, he wanted to rely on his strength and geographical advantage to forcibly dominate the star key.
"Hmph! Sect Master Yue, what a big tone!" The Fiend Spirit General emitted a hoarse mental fluctuation. "Heavenly treasures belong to those with virtue! This object clearly has a connection with the power of death and should belong to our Black Fiend Abyss! Your Earth Spirit Sect's clod of dirt should just go back and play with mud!"
"Presumptuous! A mere creature of evil spirits dares to covet a treasure!" Yue Shan was furious, and the earth-yellow Spiritual light on his body surged violently.
Both sides were at daggers drawn, and the atmosphere instantly became tense. The other Cultivators around were also restless, clearly unwilling to give up, but not daring to be the first to make a move and become the target of public criticism.
Liu Qingtian watched this group of people's ugly behavior with cold eyes, sneering in his heart. They seemed to have already regarded him, the "owner" of the star key, as a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, only caring about arguing over ownership.
Just at this moment, the star key imprint in his tree soul moved slightly, transmitting a vague message—it seemed to be about its preliminary usage method. It seemed to be able to mobilize the Power of the Stars in a small area to strengthen himself or form a defense.
More importantly, it transmitted a key piece of information: the star key was not a dead object; it would choose its own "key holder." If the current key holder died, it would automatically conceal itself until the next qualified person appeared. Forcibly seizing it would very likely trigger the star key's self-destruction or backlash!
This undoubtedly added another layer of shackles to those greedy people.
Liu Qingtian immediately had a plan in mind.
He spoke slowly, his cold and magnificent intent descending upon the entire field like the might of heaven, instantly suppressing all the noise:
"This object has already recognized me as its master."
"If you want to take this object, you must step over my corpse."
"Which one of you—will be the first to come and die?"
As his voice fell, the Wither and Flourish Domain expanded violently, and the Qi of Life and Death soared into the sky. The star key imprint slowly emerged above his head, shedding endless starlight, setting him off like an ancient demon god!
A formidable aura comparable to the Great Perfection of the Heaven Comprehension Realm, mixed with the Power of the Stars, was released without concealment!
At the same time, the zang youming great halberd beside him also emitted a low, fierce hum at the right moment. The terrifying, annihilating Evil Qi permeated the area, making everyone's Soul tremble!
Yue Shan and the Fiend Spirit General, who had just been arguing endlessly, suddenly changed their expressions, stepping back in unison, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief!
This Demon Willow... could actually speak? And its strength... was actually not weaker than theirs?! And that fierce halberd...
Those Loose Cultivators who had been eager to make a move were even more scared, their faces drained of color, and they retreated repeatedly.
The scene fell into a stalemate once again.
But this time, it was because of the powerful strength and desperate will displayed by Liu Qingtian!
The first wave of crisis, with the worlds focused on him, seemed to have been temporarily delayed. But Liu Qingtian knew this was just the beginning. Those gazes in the dark would never give up easily. He had to use this precious time to become stronger!