Chapter 133: Ants in the Southern Barbarian Lands

The two of them continued their exchange, back and forth. The courtyard regained its lively atmosphere.

Time passed quickly. After the two True Immortals who had been pulling strings behind the scenes met their end, peace returned to the world. The Tianwu Realm entered a rare period of tranquility. In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.

On this day, the weather was clear and sunny. However, above the Western Sands of the Tianwu Realm, the sky underwent a dramatic shift. The very fabric of space seemed to twist and warp. The heavens trembled, and the clouds disintegrated in an instant. The boundaries of the sky slowly began to reveal themselves. High above the Western Sands, one could clearly see a young man clutching a precious artifact, struggling to cross the barrier.

The Western Sands had been left desolate ever since the Leiyin Temple was destroyed; the people there lived in constant peril. With the Kongling Temple leading the cultivators away to the Southern Barbarian lands to escape the catastrophe, the region was essentially deserted. Thus, even with such violent upheavals in the sky, there was no one around to notice.

On the other side of the barrier, several figures were performing their duties, channeling their power into magical arrays and artifacts. Through their collective efforts, a crack finally tore open in the boundary right before their eyes. Although it was only a small fissure, it gave them hope, and they redoubled their efforts. Soon, the opening widened enough for a person to pass through.

The youth who had been standing before the barrier stepped through without hesitation. In an instant, he appeared within the world of the Tianwu Realm.

At the same time, at the edge of the world, a sea of mysterious yellow mist churned. An ancient tree was hidden within it, standing tall and imposing, reaching toward the heavens. The ancient tree gave a sudden shudder, and a terrifying aura instantly pierced through space and time, descending upon the youth.

The young man watched the terrifying energy descend upon him, but he did not panic. With a slight flick of his hand, he pulled a small tablet from his sleeve. The tablet instantly expanded into a protective canopy, enveloping him. The horrific aura crashed down upon him, and the youth’s body trembled violently. He could not help but sway, and his face turned as pale as his robes.

"No wonder one cannot cross realms at will; the price to pay is simply too high. Even with the sect using a Trans-Realm Stone to assist me, I was still caught by the World Tree and forced to sacrifice a portion of my cultivation..." he muttered to himself.

He began to circulate a mantra, and the canopy covering him shimmered before being absorbed into his body. His cultivation level rose slightly as a result. "At least my realm did not drop. Otherwise, would I not be looked down upon by these ants?" The youth flexed his wrists and stretched his limbs. "Just wait, Ming Yexin, is it? I shall see what you are truly capable of!"

With a single step, he descended from the sky to the ground. Upon landing, he felt a sense of confusion. In such a vast region, he couldn't sense anyone—not even a powerful cultivator, let alone a single soul. What was going on? The youth searched continuously until, after a long time, he found a very small sect. This sect was so insignificant that even its sect master was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, which was precisely why they had not migrated to the Southern Barbarian lands. Soon, the young man learned that everyone else had fled to the south for refuge.

"So, you are all in the Southern Barbarian lands. Then wait there for me," he sneered, and with a single step, he vanished.

To an ordinary person, the Tianwu Realm was vast, but to an immortal, it was no bigger than a speck of dust. After just a few strides, the youth arrived within the borders of the Southern Barbarian lands.

"This is the Jixing Sacred Land... Heh." He casually grabbed a cultivator, extracted the precise location of the Jixing Sacred Land from the man’s mind, and headed straight toward it.

At that moment, within the Jixing Sacred Land, the entire area was still reeling from the aftermath of the recent Tianwu Realm youth martial arts tournament. After all, the sacred mountain of the Jixing Sacred Land had been cleaved in two, not to mention the collapsed palaces and destroyed structures throughout the grounds.

However, as a major sacred land of the Southern Barbarian territory, they were quite wealthy. Furthermore, following the destruction of the Lufu Palace and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, their resources had been redistributed, and the Jixing Sacred Land had received a significant share. As a result, they had been able to rebuild quickly.

Inside the main hall of the Jixing Sacred Land, the two Sacred Lords, Ling Ji and Ziyang, had invited Leng Qianxue and An Yue’er to discuss matters.

"Goddesses, we have invited you here today to ask for your counsel. Many cultivators in the Southern Barbarian lands have been growing restless lately," Sacred Lord Ling Ji stated without preamble. "Since the traitorous Lufu Palace and Ten Thousand Swords Sect were dealt with, and the two True Immortals behind them were extinguished, the Tianwu Realm has largely returned to peace. Many people believe the world is safe again and are considering returning to their original homes..."

They had come to the Southern Barbarian lands to escape, leaving behind many resources they could not carry. Now that the Tianwu Realm was peaceful, it was only natural they would want to return.

"However, we cannot be certain if there is anyone else planning to strike at the Tianwu Realm, or if there are still eyes watching from the shadows," Sacred Lord Ziyang added. "We were hoping to learn if Senior Zhu has given any indication regarding this..."

An Yue’er and Leng Qianxue fell silent. "Senior has not given any hints regarding this matter," An Yue’er replied, shaking her head.

Leng Qianxue spoke up: "Let us do this: I will go and ask Senior now. If Senior says the Tianwu Realm is safe, then it would indeed be better for them to return."

Hearing this, both Sacred Lord Ling Ji and Sacred Lord Ziyang nodded. "Then we thank the Goddesses."

"Very well, let us depart to find Senior Zhu immediately," Leng Qianxue said.

Just as they were about to leave, a shout rang out from outside the hall: "We are under attack!"

The cry echoed throughout the entire Jixing Sacred Land. Sacred Lords Ling Ji and Ziyang rushed out with lightning speed. As they emerged, they saw a youth standing in mid-air, dressed in white robes. He looked down upon them with a haughty, defiant expression, as if the entire Jixing Sacred Land were beneath his contempt.