137: Nine Realms!?

"What happened to Xiang Ning?" Chu Yuan asked.

Since arriving at the Outer Heaven Battlefield, he hadn't been in contact with anyone from the previous training base, nor had he run into any of them.

The levels at which the two sides carried out missions were different, and naturally, the locations were different as well; unless one was specifically searching, it was impossible to cross paths.

"It seems he was set up. I just heard the news and came over immediately." Mao Rui's demeanor had become more composed, no longer as flighty as before.

Chu Yuan had actually inquired about this; apart from himself, the places where the others carried out missions were in a buffer zone.

Because there were no high-value resources there, the Ninth Legion and the Crystal Fire Clan had tacitly agreed not to occupy it, leaving it instead for low-intensity warfare, which had quite the air of drilling troops.

It wasn't just the Ninth Legion and the Crystal Fire Clan participating; many smaller clans attached to both sides were involved as well.

Although it was said there were no high-value resources, the output of a few Secret Realms within it was still very precious to low-level Martial Artists... There were quite a few such buffer zones between the Ninth Legion and the Crystal Fire Clan.

Great Qin didn't just have the Ninth Legion, and the enemies weren't limited to the Crystal Fire Clan.

Just as the enemies of the Crystal Fire Clan were not limited to the Human Race.

The First to Ninth Legions were like existences guarding the borders, surrounding a large area in the middle.

This was the Foundation of Great Qin on the Outer Heaven Battlefield.

When the enemy was relatively strong, they would shrink inward; when the enemy was relatively weak, they would expand outward, which was very flexible.

However, this Foundation hadn't existed from the beginning. The Outer Heaven Battlefield had long existed; why would the other races be kind enough to specifically leave a piece of land for Great Qin and let Great Qin join this game?

Therefore, it was all seized.

For example, the Fire Burning Mountain Range, as well as the large area surrounding it, and even the location of Dawn City, were all snatched from the jaws of the Crystal Fire Clan.

While chatting, Chu Yuan had already followed Mao Rui to Xiang Ning's hospital room.

"Fatty... holy crap, Chu Yuan, why are you here too?"

Chu Yuan looked him up and down and discovered that although Xiang Ning looked a bit miserable, with his head wrapped in thick gauze, his injuries were not very serious.

At the very least, he spoke with a full, vigorous voice.

He smiled and said, "I heard you got set up, so I came to see you."

"...You come to visit a patient empty-handed?"

"How could I?" Chu Yuan took out some Medicinal Pill from his spatial ring.

Xiang Ning looked at them and found them inexplicably familiar. After thinking for two seconds, he said gloomily, "Aren't these the ones I sent to you before?"

"How could that be? They just happen to look a bit similar..."

"I remember the nick on this bottle was from when I accidentally knocked it against a table... Did you knock yours in the exact same way?"

"I've discovered that you're a very pedantic person..."

Mao Rui put down the fruit basket and asked seriously, "Xiang Ning, what exactly happened?"

For those of them who were scions of a Martial Arts Family, as long as they didn't go out of their way to seek death, the danger of performing daily missions was actually not great.

If they encountered any emergencies, the military talismans they carried were not just for show.

Therefore, Mao Rui didn't understand why Xiang Ning had ended up in this state.

It couldn't be that he was reluctant to use it, could it?

Xiang Ning sighed, "It was that bastard Pang Long..."

After listening for a while, Chu Yuan understood the whole story.

Xiang Ning's squad had been besieged while fighting for a treasure, and it just so happened that Pang Long's squad was also nearby.

The two squad leaders, of course, didn't know about the conflict between Xiang Ning and Pang Long, so they temporarily joined forces.

As a result, Pang Long betrayed Xiang Ning at a critical moment.

Chu Yuan couldn't help but ask, "What about your father, the Legion Commander?"

"My dad isn't from the Ninth Legion..." Xiang Ning sighed, "Besides, that bastard didn't attack me directly. He just claimed his strength wasn't enough and he couldn't hold off the siege... What can I do?"

He certainly wouldn't care about Pang Long's background, but the Xiang Family had always been quite particular about following the rules.

"So you're just going to let it go?"

Xiang Ning gritted his teeth and said, "I've noted this debt!"

"...Doesn't that still mean you're going to let it go?"

"Go away, go away... Oh right, I saw Tian Tian a few days ago, she seems to be doing okay now."

"Hmm."

"Chu Yuan, come here!" After Cultivating for a while, the terminal in Chu Yuan's hand vibrated; it was a message from Zhang Yue.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone wants to see you!"

Although Chu Yuan felt a bit puzzled, he still headed to the location sent by Zhang Yue.

It was at the very center of the military camp, not far from the teleportation array.

From a distance, he saw Zhang Yue standing there with a solemn expression; beside him was a figure whose face could not be seen clearly.

Chu Yuan already knew that a Seventh Realm Martial Artist could perceive the existence of Divine Sense, so he didn't dare to probe lightly, yet at this moment, he still subconsciously unleashed his Divine Sense.

To his horror, in his Divine Sense, there was nothing beside Zhang Yue, as if what his eyes were seeing was just an illusion...

"You are Chu Yuan? In the future, do not use Mental Energy to probe existences stronger than yourself." A gentle voice rang directly in his mind, carrying a hint of warning.

Chu Yuan's heart jolted, and he quickly retracted his Divine Sense.

Zhang Yue seemed not to have noticed anything unusual. Upon seeing Chu Yuan's figure, he hurriedly called out, "Chu Yuan!"

Walking closer, Chu Yuan finally saw the appearance of the person beside Zhang Yue.

He was in the form of a young man with black hair, a faint, almost imperceptible smile hanging at the corners of his mouth, his temperament elegant and gentle, yet seemingly unattainable.

What was most eye-catching were his eyes.

His eyes seemed to contain a sea of stars, vast and boundless! It made one unable to help but let their mind sink into them.

It also made one feel, from the bottom of their heart, that they were incomparably small...

"Who are you?"

The young man smiled and spoke, "Zhao Zheng."

Zhang Yue gave Chu Yuan a look, then said solemnly, "Elder, I will take my leave."

"Go." The young man nodded, then began to size up Chu Yuan again.

Elder? Chu Yuan's heart was shocked once again, and his posture straightened even more.

This was not just a title, but represented... the Ninth Realm!

It was the Foundation for Great Qin to gain a foothold on the Outer Heaven Battlefield! It was the barrier protecting Earth Star from invasion! It was also the highest authority of Great Qin!

Only those in the Ninth Realm could be called an Elder! And not just some so-and-so from the Zhenwu Bureau, or some so-and-so from such-and-such Legion...

The person Zhang Yue said wanted to see him... was a Ninth Realm powerhouse!?

But he didn't remember ever having any contact with a Ninth Realm powerhouse...

Zhao Zheng seemed to see the confusion in his heart and continued to smile gently, "Don't be nervous. I heard that you learned the Divine Kingdom of Light in just half a month?"

"Divine Kingdom of Light... could you be?"

"Correct, the Divine Kingdom of Light is a Martial Skill I created." Zhao Zheng nodded, "I also didn't expect that one day it could be learned by a Fifth Realm Martial Artist; you are very good."

"Just lucky..."

"On the path of Martial Arts, if you can do it, you can; if you can't, you can't. How can there be luck?" Zhao Zheng said, "I've heard a bit about your situation. It's a pity, I found out a little too late, and that kid Wei Huang got to you first."

Chu Yuan was silent. He understood the meaning behind Zhao Zheng's words, but he really didn't know how to respond...