CHAPTER 382: CHAPTER 382: THE ENORMOUS SWORD SCAR

The next day!

The rising sun brought all things back to life.

Over a thousand Sect disciples, invigorated, had risen early to pack their bags.

Chen Pingping watched Nangong Jue, speechless for a long time.

The wind was strong, tousling Nangong Jue’s clothing and long hair. His slightly resolute face, when he smiled, bore wrinkles that seemed to tell bystanders of his growth. Deep within his dark pupils, signs of fatigue occasionally surfaced.

But he was smiling. "Someone has to stay here, right?"

Yes!

Too many people were leaving: Zhuge Wushuang, Mo Wuwei, other disciples of their generation, and the entirety of Qingfeng.

Before anyone could respond, Nangong Jue added, "Once we part this time, who knows when we’ll meet again. But rest assured, by the time you return, unmatched, the Wuji Sect will still be here. I will always be here guarding it."

"You really won’t reconsider?" Zhuge Wushuang asked.

"No!"

"Let it be, then!" Mo Wuwei took a deep breath and said with a light laugh, "Wait for my return!"

One by one, figures stepped onto the flying ship.

The last was Chen Pingping. He smiled and said, "I have set up many powerful Arrays around the Wuji Sect. Here is the method to operate them." He extended a finger, and light shot into Nangong Jue’s mind. "There are seventh, eighth, and ninth-tier Arrays. As long as it’s not a Saint Realm powerhouse attacking, the Wuji Sect will be safe. Additionally... I left you some things on Qingfeng’s back mountain. Go and get them after I leave!"

Nangong Jue did not refuse; he knew of Chen Pingping’s capabilities. "Alright!"

The huge flying ship gradually receded until it disappeared from sight. Nangong Jue remained immersed in the farewell, his gaze vacant...

Only after a very long time did he return to his senses.

Behind him stood more than four hundred disciples. Most were of low realms; there were over a dozen in the Supreme Mystery Realm, but no King Tao powerhouses.

Nangong Jue glanced over them without saying a word and headed towards Qingfeng’s back mountain, only to find a mountain of cultivation resources.

He was stunned for a moment.

On a desk, there was a jade vial and a letter: "The greatest regret in life is missing out, but... when you still have the power to change things, why not try to change?"

"Inside the jade vial is a Nine Revolutions Spirit Pill that can cleanse the body and enhance one’s cultivation physique, capable of transforming the ordinary to the supreme."

"Below the letter, there’s a drawing I deduced using the Heavenly Book. It’s her location. Take care, Chen Pingping."

Nangong Jue’s heart trembled, his breathing quickened.

「...」

「On the flying ship.」

Hongxiu asked with a smile, "What did you leave him?"

"A hope," Chen Pingping said, lifting his head.

「...」

After traveling for several hours, they had nearly left Nan Zhanbu Province. The flying ship’s first stop was not the Nine Heavens but the Spirit Realm. Of course, they could also have entered the Spirit Realm through the passage beneath the Wuji Sect.

However, the flying ship was too large, carrying over a thousand cultivators. If they went through that passage, it could disrupt its balance.

Therefore, Chen Pingping decided to find a new spatial location, using the Heavenly Book to calculate the weakest Spatial Barrier, and then cross through it.

Only now did He Yitian learn the truth, cursing, "You’re crazy! Do you know how many Spirit Stones it takes for a flying ship to break through a Spatial Barrier?"

"How many?" Chen Pingping frowned.

"Hundreds of millions!" He Yitian was livid.

That’s a Spatial Barrier!

If a flying ship could cross it so easily, the superpowers of the Southern Diaspora would have intervened long ago, destroyed the He Family, and seized the flying ship.

Before Chen Pingping could speak, He Yitian continued, "The more powerful individuals there are, and the higher their realms, the more terrifying the amount of Spirit Stones needed."

Uh!

That was rash.

Chen Pingping glanced back at the Sect disciples behind him, his expression suddenly becoming unnatural.

At this moment, Earth Chicken sent a voice transmission: "What are you afraid of? That lass’s shoulder companion has a lot of energy! It’s time to use it."

She was referring to the Mao Qiu on Jiang Ni’er’s shoulder.

This little creature is a Devouring Sky Beast, after all!

Earth Chicken sent another voice transmission: "Just place it in the core Array."

"Are you sure it will work?" Chen Pingping asked.

"Of course!" Earth Chicken nodded.

Chen Pingping smiled, took a few steps toward Jiang Ni’er, and then picked up Mao Qiu.

The little fellow looked drowsy and was muttering nonstop until Chen Pingping tossed it into the core Array, where it suddenly became alert.

"???"

"Everyone get ready, the flying ship is about to cross the Spatial Barrier," Chen Pingping announced, turning to the crowd.

Three, two, one...

BANG!

Under his control, the flying ship broke through the Spatial Barrier, resembling an ancient behemoth tearing through the sky—a majestic sight from afar.

Divine Brilliance burst forth, illuminating the heavens and the earth.

Everyone was unable to open their eyes. By the time everything settled down, they had arrived in the Spirit Realm.

Over a thousand Sect disciples looked around this new world with curious faces.

Chen Pingping cracked a slight smile, instructed Earth Chicken to set up a concealment Array, then leapt down with Jiang Ni’er, saying, "Everyone, stay put."

「Aboard the flying ship.」

He Yitian slowly came to his senses, as if in a dream.

He had just been discussing the cost of crossing Spatial Barriers with Chen Pingping, never expecting Chen Pingping to simply pass right through.

Since the flying ship was under Chen Pingping’s control, he couldn’t sense the changes in the core Array.

The whole process took no more than a minute.

It was too fast.

"What happened?" He Yitian scanned his surroundings.

「...」

Chen Pingping discerned a direction and vanished in an instant.

About ten minutes later, he entered the territory of the Heavenly Phoenix Imperial Dynasty...

He wondered, after so many years, with the cultivation resources he had left behind, plus that Spirit Vein, shouldn’t Lan Xiuzhi be able to dominate the dynasty by now?

However, upon entering the dynasty’s territory, what appeared before him was a massive pit.

It stretched far and wide, its depths unfathomable.

Anything that approached the pit had its vitality extinguished, leaving nothing but desolation.

His heart pounded, his breathing slightly hurried as he immediately extended his Divine Sense.

The entire imperial dynasty was gone.

Chen Pingping soared into the air and saw this so-called pit. Stretching for tens of thousands of miles and several thousand miles wide, it looked less like a pit and more like a colossal sword scar.

At that moment, Jiang Ni’er, beside him, showed a pained expression and urged, "Chen, we must go."

In his perception, there were no fluctuations of energy nearby.

Chen Pingping’s eyebrows knitted tightly.

SPURT!

Jiang Ni’er turned pale and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, her emaciated body stumbling backward. When she looked up again, her dark eyes were filled with terror. She pointed to the sky with a trembling little finger and said, "It’s them! They did it! They wiped out the Heavenly Phoenix Imperial Dynasty with a single sword strike!"

"Who?" Chen Pingping asked.

"Them."

"Who are ’they’?"

"I... I don’t know. I saw their sword. It feels like I’ve seen it somewhere before," Jiang Ni’er trembled, her expression spasming.

Hearing her words, Chen Pingping’s heart also surged with tumultuous waves. They? A single sword strike wiped out the Heavenly Phoenix Imperial Dynasty?

This scene... he had heard of it before.

Guang Xiaoyu once said that a big shot had taken action, slashing at the Wen Dynasty with a single sword, leading to the powerful dynasty’s downfall, turning it into the dust of history.

"Chen, we need to get out of here!" she cried, her whole body shaking with fear.

"It’s okay," Chen Pingping stepped forward to comfort her. "It’s already over."

Yes!

The slaughter had ended.

The Heavenly Phoenix Imperial Dynasty had become a thing of the past; everyone here had died.