Splitting the Heavens

Not long after Qin Ming returned to the ruins of the Essence Wilderness World from the depths of the Nebula Forbidden Region, Sage Jin and Zhuo Gudao appeared closely behind him.

There, Qin Ming restored the connection with the Essence Frontier Heavenly Field, and his strength that had fallen earlier due to the loss of connection returned.

However, because he also lost the power to draw on the remnant World's Will of the Essence Wilderness World, the restoration of his strength was limited.

He was more than capable of turning around to deal with Sage Jin and Zhuo Gudao at that moment.

But clearly, Qin Ming had no intention to concern himself with such matters. He couldn't even be bothered to care that Sage Jin and Zhuo Gudao were right behind him.

At the stronghold in the ruins of the Essence Wilderness World, there used to be a floating continent pieced together from fragments of the broken Essence Wilderness World. In terms of area alone, it was comparable in size to a continent at the state of perfection of a Spirit World.

Actually, the floating continent had originally been intended by Qin Ming to be cultivated as a subsidiary Spirit World under the Essence Frontier Heavenly Field.

Due to the special nature of the Nebula Forbidden Region, it could only serve as an outpost for their exploration for the time being.

Even so, the Essence Frontier Heavenly Field had poured a great deal of effort into building their stronghold.

Since it had been breached by Shang Xia's surprise assault, not only were their years of effort destroyed, but the high-level cultivators stationed there also suffered heavy casualties.

Relying on the residual energy in the stronghold... Qin Ming confirmed the identity of the 'mysterious' Sage who laid siege on them.

Shang Xia?! How could ot be him?!

Along with his shock, a hint of realization appeared on Qin Ming's face.

It was no wonder the assailant had launched such a sudden attack, catching them completely off guard and rendering the early warning systems deployed by the Essence Frontier Heavenly Field in the nearby space completely ineffective.

Qin Ming soon found several survivors among the surrounding ruins. From their accounts, he learned the approximate time of the assault and the direction in which the enemy had likely fled. A grave sense of unease filled his heart.

He could tell that Shang Xia had either destroyed or captured several of their Star Ships and was retreating along the safe route they had carved through the Nebula Forbidden Region.

As soon as he emerged... He would enter the Essence Frontier Heavenly Field!

Qin Ming abruptly turned and looked toward Sage Jin and Zhuo Gudao after reaching his conclusion.

Although they had always maintained a relatively safe distance from Qin Ming, the sheer difference in their battle capabilities made them instinctively retreat the moment they felt his presence bearing down on them.

Naturally, their reactions did not escape Qin Ming's perception. A trace of contempt appeared on his face before he started to trace the connection with his soul back in the Essence Frontier World. He quickly connected to his soul that had been placed in the World Origin Source.

Immediately, the void in front of him began to collapse layer by layer, until a spatial tunnel formed in the Nebula Forbidden Region.

Unfortunately, as they were inside the Nebula Forbidden Region, the appearance of the spatial tunnel caused the surrounding fragile space to collapse rapidly.

The spatial collapse would block the newly formed passage, turning it into something even more treacherous.

As such, Qin Ming had to expend even more energy to reinforce the spatial tunnel until it was barely stable enough to remain open in the Nebula Forbidden Region.

Once the spatial tunnel held firm, Qin Ming couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He was clearly not entirely confident that he would be able to open it successfully. Still, it worked, though at great cost to himself.

The only thing that comforted him was that he could return to the Essence Frontier World the next moment. Once he returned, as the expert who held the greatest degree of control of his world, the energy he used to create the spatial tunnel would be quickly restored once he returned.

That was right... As soon as he realized Shang Xia had been running down the only safe route out of the Nebula Forbidden Region and might be launching a surprise attack on the Essence Frontier Heavenly Field without his presence, he had to return.

Thankfully, despite the heavy cost, his gamble had paid off.

Not long after he departed, Sage Jin and Zhuo Gudao arrived at the spatial tunnel. They both spread their divine soul to probe the condition of the surrounding void.

Moments later, Zhuo Gudao revealed a strange expression. "He actually chose to return to his world through brute force. His action will consume a tremendous amount of his world origin... Moreover, it wouldn't be restorable in the short term..."

Sage Jin's expression also sank. "At most, it would deplete enough world origin to fill the World Origin Source of a single continent spanning 10,000 miles. Given the Essence Frontier World's growth over the past centuries, every single continent should have reached a size of 13,000 miles to 15,000 miles. This level of consumption wouldn't even exhaust the reserves of a single continent."

Though Sage Jin's tone sounded casual, Zhuo Gudao was shocked by his revelation.

But he quickly noticed Sage Jin's expression. Since they now stood on the same side, he didn't hold back and asked, "Brother Jin Quan, are you..."

Before he could finish, Sage Jin's face suddenly turned pale. A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips. Fortunately, his cultivation level did not fall again and remained at the third star of the Martial Emptiness Realm.

Zhuo Gudao's expression changed. Instead of stepping forward, he even shifted his left foot slightly backward, his entire posture visibly tense.

"Shang Xia..." Sage Jin raised his head and stared into the void. His voice was hoarse like a wraith's, and the blood at the corner of his mouth gave him an even more sinister look.

"Brother Jin Quan, what happened...?" Zhuo Gudao asked with some hesitation, though his expression showed that he had already guessed the truth.

"My soul that was scattered after Qin Ming threw my world into the Nebula Forbidden Region! It has been completely annihilated... Shang Xia definitely did this!"

Sage Jin did not hide it from Zhuo Gudao, nor could he.

Though his cultivation still appeared to remain at the third star, both he and Zhuo Gudao knew well that his level would likely begin deteriorating faster and faster.

Since Qin Ming had figured out immediately that Shang Xia had assaulted their outpost in the Nebula Forbidden Region, Sage Jin and Zhuo Gudao could naturally deduce the same from the clues left at the scene.

A flurry of thoughts passed through Zhuo Gudao's mind, but he finally asked, "Then what do you plan to do now? Should we pursue him? Perhaps Qin Ming has already blocked Shang Xia at the exit of the Nebula Forbidden Region. If we catch up, we might be able to flank him from behind, and you could avenge the destruction of your remnant soul!"

It had to be said, after one betrayal and reconciliation, the two of them now appeared even more united than before. At the very least, the way they addressed each other was a lot more friendly.

After hearing Zhuo Gudao's suggestion, Sage Jin appeared slightly tempted. However, he quickly recovered his composure and said in a low voice, "No, we'll make out way out safely and not try to take risks. Since those two mid-level Sages might want to fight to the death... It will be best for us not to meddle in it."

Upon hearing his response, Zhuo Gudao actually seemed relieved.