With the divine artifact seized, the cultivators of the ten dark forces immediately fled.
The Destiny Temple did not pursue them. At this moment, recovering the divine artifact was the top priority.
One could imagine that news of the Heavenly Pivot Needle’s seizure would spread like wildfire, impossible to conceal. If the artifact could not be reclaimed, the Destiny Temple would become a laughingstock across the Heavenly Court’s myriad realms.
In the future, any force would dare to secretly strike against the Destiny Temple, including the ten clans of the Hell Realm.
“Should we inform the divine spirits and request their intervention…?”
A Fate Emperor had barely spoken when he was met with cold glares, prompting him to fall silent.
Firstly, the enemy came prepared, clearly having accounted for the possibility of alerting the Destiny Temple’s divine spirits, and must have a contingency plan.
Secondly, with so many powerhouses present, losing the Heavenly Pivot Needle was already a profound disgrace. Not only would the beings of the world mock them, but even the cultivators within the temple would regard them with shame.
Many old figures in the temple were eager for a chance to rise to power.
Asking the divine spirits to intervene now would only broadcast their incompetence.
For the sake of both the Destiny Temple and themselves, they had to reclaim the divine artifact on their own.
Banruo said, “The loss of the divine artifact must be reported to the temple immediately so the divine spirits are informed. However, we must also assure them that we will recover the artifact to atone for our failure. Whether the divine spirits trust us is not our concern.”
The Nutian High Priest nodded. “I believe Her Highness, the Divine Maiden, speaks wisely.”
The Death High Priest, his face grim, said, “The holy armies of the Heavenly Fate Division, Judgment Division, and Destiny Division must deploy at least three hundred thousand troops. I propose we purge Ice King Star.”
“Do you think Ice King Star is some trivial place? If you dare purge it, Lord Ice Emperor will be the first to hold you accountable,” the Nutian High Priest retorted.
He harboured great resentment toward the Death High Priest, believing he bore at least half the responsibility for the artifact’s loss. After all, the plan to collaborate with the Divine Maiden’s Twelve Chambers was devised by the Death High Priest.
The Nutian High Priest had never trusted the Twelve Chambers.
Banruo said, “To mobilize the armies of the three divisions to Ice King Star, we must first notify the Ice Emperor Palace. Since the artifact was lost on Ice King Star, the Ice Emperor Palace cannot escape responsibility. I believe Lord Ice Emperor will not obstruct us.”
The Fuluo High Priest approached, his face ashen. “I examined the residual spatial inscriptions. It was a one-time spatial teleportation array. Based on the strength of the spatial fluctuations, I deduce they teleported at least a hundred million miles away, likely beyond the star.”
“Can you pinpoint the exact spatial coordinates?” Banruo asked.
The Fuluo High Priest said, “Using the divine blood spilled by the divine corpse, I calculate their current position to be in the northern starry sky.”
“We’ll pursue them now.”
Several Fate Emperors prepared to set out immediately.
“Wait.”
Banruo asked, “Is there a star map of the starry sky near Ice King Star?”
A Stone Clan Fate Emperor, somewhat dismissive of this young divine maiden, felt she was wasting time. He said, “Your Highness, Ice King Star is in a desolate region of deep space. The nearest star above seventh grade is three light-years away. Even a Great Saint couldn’t reach it by flight in a hundred years!”
“For the Heavenly Court’s cultivators to escape with the Heavenly Pivot Needle, they must use Ice King Star’s spatial wormholes.”
“I believe their teleportation a hundred million miles away is merely a ploy to lure us into pursuit, a tactic to draw the tiger from the mountain!”
“Thus, the Heavenly Fate Division should pursue the artifact and eliminate the Heavenly Court’s cultivators. The rest of the Destiny Temple’s forces must remain on Ice King Star to guard the spatial wormholes.”
Banruo shook her head. “We cannot be certain that those who took the Heavenly Pivot Needle are from the Heavenly Court. The Great Light Sword alone is far from sufficient evidence.”
The Stone Clan Fate Emperor tossed a communication talisman to Banruo. “It’s already confirmed that Cairo, the World Hand of the Array Extinction Palace, recently infiltrated Ice King Star. This is likely his doing.”
“Yet I received information that Cairo and the Heavenly Court’s powerhouses appeared in the Divine Maiden City, where they shot and killed Zhang Ruochen,” Banruo said.
The Stone Clan Fate Emperor replied, “Cairo could have killed Zhang Ruochen, used a spatial teleportation array to rush here, and then seized the Heavenly Pivot Needle.”
Banruo’s emotions flared, and she said coldly, “Is Cairo that formidable? To kill Zhang Ruochen in front of Yuan Qianmo, Zhuo Yunong, and a host of Hell Realm powerhouses, and take his body, then race millions of miles to snatch the Heavenly Pivot Needle from us? Is this something one person could achieve? There must be an exceptionally skilled mastermind orchestrating this. We cannot afford to be careless.”
“I see Your Highness is merely stalling. If the Heavenly Court’s cultivators suppress the Heavenly Pivot Needle’s artifact spirit, recovering it will be immensely difficult. My apologies, but I must pursue immediately.”
Of the four Fate Emperors, except for the gravely injured Wu Yue Minghuang, the other three led the Heavenly Fate Division’s powerhouses toward the northern starry sky.
Banruo clenched her fists, wanting to stop them but ultimately failing.
In the end, her status as a divine maiden was too new, her cultivation too low, and her words lacked weight.
“I’ll go negotiate with the Ice Emperor Palace.”
Wu Yue Minghuang also departed.
The Death High Priest said, “I’ll mobilize the Destiny Temple’s forces to seal all of Ice King Star’s wormholes.”
The Fuluo High Priest, deeply worried, said, “Zhang Ruochen is a junior valued by the Divine Venerable. I must go to the Divine Maiden City to confirm whether he has truly fallen. If he has, the true culprit must be found, no matter what.”
The Fuluo High Priest sighed inwardly, knowing that if Zhang Ruochen was indeed dead, the impact would be no less than the loss of the divine artifact.
When Blood Absolute War God returned from the Jade Emperor Realm and flew into a rage, storming Destiny God Mountain to demand justice, who could stop him?
After all, Zhang Ruochen’s emergence from hiding was largely due to the Heavenly Pivot Needle. Had it not come to Ice King Star, who could have found him? He wouldn’t have needed to prove his innocence.
“I hope the Golden Tiger can protect him,” the Fuluo High Priest thought to himself.
The Nutian High Priest glanced at Banruo, sympathizing with her awkward position. “Your Highness need not worry. As long as all of Ice King Star’s spatial wormholes are sealed, even if someone is scheming, the divine artifact cannot be lost.”
“What if a Heavenly Court divine spirit is waiting in the outer stars to receive them? They wouldn’t need to use the wormholes,” Que said.
The Nutian High Priest snorted coldly. “This is Ice King Star. The Heavenly Court’s divine spirits wouldn’t dare appear in the nearby starry sky.”
Que fell silent, saying no more.
The Nutian High Priest continued, “The ten dark forces have operated on Ice King Star for years, controlling multiple spatial wormholes. If we don’t eliminate them, they’ll remain a threat. I’ll join forces with the other factions’ powerhouses to wipe them out.”
In the end, only Que, Xing Luo, and Banruo remained.
Xing Luo had been observing Banruo. “Actually, I share your suspicion. This matter is indeed strange, with an eerie undercurrent, as if an invisible hand is manipulating everything. But their actions aren’t wrong. We must pursue those who took the Heavenly Pivot Needle without delay.”
Xing Luo turned to leave.
“Where is Divine Son Xing Luo going?” Banruo asked.
Xing Luo’s lips curved slightly. “I’m no longer a divine son, so I bear no responsibility for the artifact’s loss. Naturally, I’ll do what I wish.”
Xing Luo intended to pursue Xue Lingxian, taking advantage of his severe injuries to eliminate him.
Once Xue Lingxian recovered, Xing Luo wasn’t confident he could defeat him.
Banruo said, “I know the divine artifact may not matter to you.”
“Exactly. Even if we recover it, it won’t be under my control,” Xing Luo said with a shrug.
Banruo continued, “But as a former divine son of the Destiny Temple, don’t you care about the temple’s dignity and reputation? The loss of the divine artifact is a severe blow to the temple’s prestige.”
“Moreover, don’t you resent being manipulated like a pawn?”
Xing Luo’s gaze sharpened, and after a moment of thought, he said, “Tell me, Your Highness, what do you want me to do?”
This new divine maiden, though low in cultivation, had cultivated the Gate of True Self, suggesting she was no ordinary talent. It would be interesting to see if this young woman, poised to take control of the Destiny Temple, had the capability to match her ambition.
Banruo said, “Investigate the Divine Maiden’s Twelve Chambers.”
“Investigate the Twelve Chambers?” Xing Luo’s eyes showed surprise.
Banruo explained, “The Supreme Source Divine Crystal first appeared at the Divine Maiden Tower, and it vanished there too. It was the Twelve Chambers’ cultivators who claimed Zhang Ruochen stole it, leading us to bring the Heavenly Pivot Needle to Ice King Star.”
“The Destiny Temple collaborated with the Twelve Chambers to deal with the ten dark forces and the Heavenly Court’s hidden operatives in the Hell Realm. The Twelve Chambers agreed readily, likely because they dared not defy the temple. But their eagerness to contact the other nine dark forces, who showed no suspicion, feels too unnatural.”
“Furthermore, the Twelve Chambers’ relationship with the Heavenly Court is quite delicate. I know that Heavenly Court cultivators often use the Twelve Chambers’ channels to infiltrate the Hell Realm.”
“The Twelve Chambers have ties with the Destiny Temple, the ten dark forces, and the Heavenly Court, giving them access to intelligence from all three. If there is a mastermind, the Twelve Chambers are in the best position to succeed.”
Though Xing Luo doubted the Twelve Chambers would dare oppose the Destiny Temple and seize the Heavenly Pivot Needle, Banruo’s reasoning held some merit. Upon reflection, the Twelve Chambers did seem suspicious.
Everyone’s attention was focused on the Supreme Source Divine Crystal, the Heavenly Pivot Needle, the ten dark forces, Cairo, Zhang Ruochen, and the spatial wormholes, overlooking the Twelve Chambers.
They had remained in the blind spot of all cultivators’ attention.
The stronger the cultivator, the more likely they were to dismiss the Twelve Chambers, believing they lacked the audacity or ability to join this contest.
After Xing Luo left, Banruo turned to Que, smiling self-deprecatingly. “A grand divine maiden, yet I have no experts by my side. Even a top-tier Hundred-Shackle Realm Great Saint from the ten dark forces is beyond my ability to handle.”
“What do you want to do? I’ll help you. As long as we don’t face a Supreme Realm Great Saint, my sword is sharp enough,” Que said.
From the Hunting Heaven Battlefield to Ice King Star, Que had spoken little, observing coldly from the sidelines. Yet he could see this new divine maiden was exceptionally astute, remaining calm even in the most critical moments.
When everyone else was in disarray, she could make rational decisions.
Such a woman earned a trace of his admiration and respect.
For someone as proud as Que to acknowledge Banruo was no small feat. With his support, her path to controlling the Destiny Temple’s authority was within reach.
Banruo said, “We need to find a star map of the starry sky near Ice King Star.”
Que, quick-witted, understood instantly. “You suspect there are other spatial wormholes near Ice King Star?”
“It’s not impossible,” Banruo replied.
