Chapter 142: Spatial Orientation
Chen Xiao moved swiftly through the Thousand Souls Domain, collecting various mineral veins there. But for now, he had only tapped into three large mineral veins and eliminated three eighth-tier fierce beasts; the rest were just a few medium and small mineral veins. Although the Thousand Souls Domain was rich in resources, it wasn’t yet the time for full exploitation. The three large mineral veins he had extracted were sufficient for his subordinates to use. As for clearing all the fierce beasts and spirits there, that was unrealistic. Moreover, Chen Xiao intended to turn this place into his secret base, so the less noise, the better.
Chen Xiao only took Suo Hen with him. Although Floating Cloud was powerful, his orientation was problematic—no normal man would want to keep him around. Leaving him in the temple was the best option. Chen Xiao didn’t even give him an ability card to leave the World of Abilities. Who knew what might happen if that guy went to the secular world?
…
“Everything is now stable. My cultivation level has reached the sixth tier. In the World of Abilities, at least on the surface, I am already a formidable figure.” On the small island at the center of the Thousand Souls Domain, Chen Xiao used the black crystal from the Main God’s Space to refine the collected mineral veins into star coins, while thinking rapidly in his mind.
“The only thing left now is to wait for the True Dragon Treasures to be unearthed.” Chen Xiao still harbored curiosity and longing regarding the True Dragon Treasures. The so-called treasures within them held little appeal for him, but the circumstances surrounding them were far too strange. He had to investigate thoroughly, otherwise he couldn’t sleep peacefully. More importantly, that dream—the mysterious trajectory that appeared in his dreams—had kept evolving in his mind ever since. Countless times, Chen Xiao tried to replicate that trajectory, but failed each time.
Returning to the temple, Chen Xiao handed over a hundred billion star coins, crafted from one large mineral vein, to Stedley, instructing him to quickly strengthen the temple’s foundation and recruit more believers. After making brief plans, Chen Xiao left the World of Abilities. As for matters related to the temple, he completely handed them over to Stedley and Wan Hu to manage.
In the secular world, there was nothing left to deal with regarding the Soul of China. All its members had been dismissed, with only a few experts remaining on standby. The vampires and dark vampires had ceased all activity since the Yellow Sea incident. Other countries’ ability users also gave up monitoring that sea area—everyone who went there died. It had become a forbidden sea, and no ability user wanted to go there anymore.
In an instant, the entire World of Abilities became eerily quiet. Yet everyone knew that beneath this calm, a terrifying storm was brewing.
Half a month after leaving the military camp, Chen Xiao returned. By then, those pampered college students had shed their delicacy under real military training.
Chen Xiao still couldn’t let go of his identity in the secular world. He still harbored hatred toward his grandfather and needed to find out what had happened to his parents. Now wasn’t the time to reveal anything. After returning to his class, everyone was sensible enough not to ask what had happened that day or why he left in such a hurry. Life returned to its usual pace. Half a month passed quickly, and on June 8th, the military training ended. The students returned to school for three days of vacation. Naturally, they didn’t want to waste this time, so someone in Chen Xiao’s class suggested taking a group trip to Beidaihe during these days. The proposal was unanimously approved, including Chen Xiao. After being on edge for so long, it wouldn’t hurt to relax a bit. Beidaihe, being the closest and best seaside resort to Jinghua City, was very famous in Huaxia Country. It was already June, and although it wasn’t the best season for beach trips, the place was still crowded. When the students arrived, they were as excited as birds out of a cage. “Wow, bikini-clad beauties…” Liu Xu, whose injuries had healed, also came along. Coming from the inland areas of Huaxia, it was his first time seeing such a beach, and he was thrilled. On the contrary, Jiang Xianxiang, who usually liked to flirt, became silent. After Liu Xu and Qiu Cheng put on their swimsuits and went into the sea, Jiang Xianxiang approached Chen Xiao. “Boss,” Jiang Xianxiang said, approaching him. “What’s up, Xiangzi?” Chen Xiao, gazing at the endless sea in high spirits, smiled when he saw Jiang Xianxiang. “Is it you?” Jiang Xianxiang hesitated before finally mustering the courage to ask. Chen Xiao placed his hands behind his head, lay down on the soft sand, and narrowed his eyes. After a while, he slowly said, “If it’s not me, then who?” “Boss, I mean…” “Stop talking,” Chen Xiao interrupted him. “I’ve been your brother for almost a year. I don’t want to deceive you. Please stop asking, okay?” Hearing Chen Xiao’s words, Jiang Xianxiang’s expression became slightly complex, but he nodded. “Boss, I trust you.” In an instant, Jiang Xianxiang’s attitude changed completely, and his usual energetic self reappeared. “Boss, come on, let’s go see the beauties!” With his signature smile back on his face, Jiang Xianxiang called out to Chen Xiao and headed toward the beach. Chen Xiao curled his lips, ignoring him and continuing to enjoy the rare peace. “Hm? A supernatural being?” At that moment, Chen Xiao frowned slightly. He sat up abruptly and looked toward the beach. A woman—blonde with blue eyes, stunningly beautiful with a seductive figure—was walking on the beach in a sexy bikini. Wherever she went, whistling sounds followed her.
“A foreign supernatural being?” Chen Xiao stared at the woman, his brows slightly furrowed. Although she had tried to conceal the fluctuations of her spiritual energy while walking, she still couldn’t hide them from Chen Xiao. After hesitating for a moment, he followed her from a distance. The woman entered a changing room by the beach, changed into casual clothes, and then headed outside. Chen Xiao followed her from afar. After sending a text message to Jiang Xianxiang and the others, he continued to keep an eye on her. Chen Xiao had already realized that the clothes she was wearing were not hers—seemingly just something she found hastily. From various clues, he came to an absurd conclusion: this woman had come from the sea, and her compatibility with water energy was only slightly weaker than Chen Xiao’s. “A supernatural being from the sea?” Chen Xiao shook his head. This only piqued his interest—not because of her beauty, but because of her identity. When she reached a forest outside the beach, she glanced around briefly, then closed her eyes and used her mental power to scan the area before finally feeling at ease. Hidden in the shadows, Chen Xiao had even concealed the fluctuations associated with his illness; it would be strange if a woman at only the fourth level of cultivation could detect him. Suddenly, Chen Xiao saw a flash of golden light in the woman’s hand—a golden stone, about the size of a human fist, appeared in her hand. She gently placed the stone on the ground and stepped back three steps. Instantly, a faint glow emanated from the stone, enveloping the woman’s body and the space within three meters around her. “Is this… spatial power?” Chen Xiao frowned slightly. Finally, he remembered where this stone came from. It was a Spatial Orientation Stone! One that could open a portal to another realm in the mundane world of Earth. Chen Xiao suppressed his urge to act immediately and watched coldly. Slowly, the golden light faded. The alluring woman stood there, sighing in relief. She stepped forward, picked up the Spatial Orientation Stone, and put it in her supernatural ability card. But she didn’t leave. After a while, Chen Xiao felt a blur in his vision—as a second figure appeared beside the woman. It was an old man with a weathered face, his age indistinguishable. He wore a silver robe, had silver hair and beard, and held a staff as tall as a person. As soon as the woman saw the old man, she knelt down immediately. “Haibei, you’ve done well,” the old man said, nodding in satisfaction. “To serve my king is Haibei’s honor,” replied Haibei, filled with reverence at the old man’s praise. “Good. There are no other realms leading here, which is convenient for our clan’s operations,” the old man said, highly satisfied with the area around Beidaihe. “There are also no supernatural beings here, so no trouble will arise. Haibei, you’ve chosen an excellent location. When I return to our clan, I will reward you generously.” Hearing this, Haibei bowed again.
“Is that so?” It was only then that Chen Xiao stepped out from hiding and sneered at the old man and Haibei.
“Oh?” The old man wasn’t surprised at all upon seeing Chen Xiao. “You managed to evade my mental probe. Do you possess some treasure? You can even hide your life energy fluctuations.”
Chen Xiao shook his head and said, “Who are you? Where do you come from? Why did you choose this place to open a portal to another dimension?”
“May the Sea God forgive your ignorance,” the old man chuckled, then said to Haibei, “Haibei, it was your negligence that exposed our clan’s location. Go back and accept punishment from the great king yourself.”
“Old man, you still haven’t answered my questions,” Chen Xiao said, frowning slightly.
“Do I need to answer a dead man’s questions?” The old man shook his head disdainfully. Then, he swung his staff violently, sending a wave of silver energy toward Chen Xiao’s body.