Chapter 2: The Star Sect (Part 1)

Although Guo Shier didn’t work as a detective in his past life, he still knew how to analyze the environment and look for unusual clues. The battles fought by spellcasters, especially those at the level of saints and above, caused significant damage to the surroundings. Though some time had passed and many traces of the battles had disappeared, a few remnants still remained.

Next to the shrubbery was a thicket, with many broken and fallen branches. Guo Shier said with a smile, “I just need to look for signs of a fight to figure out which direction Master Luo Jie went.” He flew forward for a while before suddenly descending into the thicket. Qi Nanshan and the other two followed suit.

Guo Shier crouched on the ground, holding a stick as he dug slightly. Qi Nanshan asked, “Shier, have you found anything?”

Eagle Demon, with his sharp eyes, spotted a piece of torn leather. Guo Shier used his stick to lift it, revealing a corpse. However, only half of the body was left—the upper body was missing, and a strong stench of decay filled the air.

Monier stepped back and said, “It smells awful! Baby, burn him.”

Guo Shier replied, “Wait a moment. Grandpa Nanshan, was this person one of those who attacked you?”

Qi Nanshan nodded. “Judging from his clothes, he probably was…”

Guo Shier raised his hand and shot out a bit of spellfire, quickly turning the remains to ashes. He retracted the spellfire and said, “Let’s go.”

The four of them rose into the air. Guo Shier assessed the direction briefly before saying, “Follow me.” Qi Nanshan had long known Guo Shier to be exceptionally intelligent, and Eagle Demon was even willing to follow him blindly. Only Monier felt a bit puzzled, but since she doted on Guo Shier very much, he once again became the leader of the group without anyone noticing.

Guo Shier flew slowly, occasionally landing to check for clues before continuing his flight. The other three followed silently behind him. After flying nearly a kilometer, Guo Shier found a second corpse. Every time he saw a corpse, he feared it might be Luo Jie. Fortunately, this time it was also a caster who had been chasing Luo Jie.

After finding the second corpse, no more traces of a battle could be found.

Guo Shier sighed and said, “It seems Master has escaped… I guess the other casters were scared away. Sigh, the clues end here.” Though he sighed, his tone sounded relaxed. Knowing his master was safe, he felt a little relieved.

Qi Nanshan smiled and said, “Our old man’s combat strength is truly formidable. Heh, trying to take advantage of him? That’s not going to work!”

Guo Shier asked, “Grandpa Qinan, did you and Master agree on a place to meet if we got separated?”
Qi Nanshan frowned and shook his head. “No.”
Guo Shier felt disheartened. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “Is that ancient soul altar of the Black Talisman people still there?”
Qi Nanshan replied, “It should still be there. The old man has the coordinates; I don’t… Back then, I was just a juniorcrazy master and couldn’t use talismans, so… to get to the ancient soul altar of the Black Talisman people, we must first find the old man.”
Guo Shier was a bit confused. He knew too little about the Star Continent and didn’t know where to look for Luo Jie. After a while, he said, “Should we go to the Star Sect? Maybe we can find some clues.”
Monier clapped her hands. “That’s a good idea, but… we need to be careful if he’s there.” She pointed at Qi Nanshan.
Qi Nanshan said, “It’s fine. As long as I don’t intervene, no one will notice. With you three here, I probably won’t need to step in.”
Guo Shier asked, “Where is the Star Sect?”
Qi Nanshan replied bluntly, “I don’t know!”
Guo Shier was speechless. “Grandpa Qinan, you’ve been here for so long—how come you don’t know where the Star Sect is?”
Qi Nanshan said, “I haven’t even had time to hide from the Star Sect, so how could I go looking for it?”
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “Master Luo Jie probably won’t go to the Star Sect either, but… as long as he’s on the Star Continent, sooner or later he’ll attract the attention of the Star Sect’s experts… Then we’ll have clues.”
Monier said, “The Star Sect is the most famous in this continent, so it should be easy to find. This is an Advanced Continent, and the Star Sect is a dominant sect here. We need to be careful.”
Eagle Demon said, “We should find a guide or ask professionals for directions.”
Guo Shier pointed to the left. “Let’s go this way.”
Monier wondered, “Baby, why go there? That’s mountainous terrain.”
Guo Shier said, “After a fight, the first thing is to find a suitable place to hide. Mountainous areas are good choices. Master might go there, so let’s go take a look.”
Monier nodded. “It’s good to check it out.”
The four of them immediately flew toward the distant mountains.
Along the way, Guo Shier saw two open secret realm entrances, marveling at how many secret realms there were on the Star Continent.
Half an hour later, they entered the mountainous area. From time to time, they could see the glow emitted by professionals using teleportation talismans, but from afar, they couldn’t approach to ask questions.
Eagle Demon was surprised. “Are there that many secret realm entrances?”

Less than a few hundred meters into the mountainous area, they saw five or six entrances to secret realms. Guo Shier suddenly slowed down and said, “Everyone, slow down. Something’s not right here…” He sensed a faint unease in his soul—though not strong—so he became more vigilant. The four of them slowed down and flew along the cliffs at the edge of the mountain range. Guo Shier was amazed, “How can there be so many entrances to secret realms? No wonder this place has become a hub connecting the continent and the secret realms… At Beifu Gate, secret realms are quite rare. Here, you can see an entrance every few hundred meters you fly.” Monier said, “Too many secret realms isn’t good either.” Guo Shier asked, “Why?” Monier replied, “Many secret realms contain strange and mutated talisman beasts and worms. If they remain open for long, those fierce creatures will come to the continent, causing a disaster for those who live here. If a mutated talisman beast of the tenth level or higher appears, even professionals below the rank of Saint Master won’t be able to escape.” Guo Shier nodded. “I see. If such fierce creatures emerge, only large sects can survive. No wonder there’s only one sect here.” As soon as he finished speaking, a massive force struck them. Caught off guard, the four of them couldn’t stabilize themselves and were pulled back dozens of meters by the force. Trees on the ground snapped and flew everywhere with the shockwave, while sand and stones rose into the air, creating thick dust clouds. Guo Shier quickly activated his defense, using the Golden Armor Talisman again. This talisman was given to him by Monier. After inheriting the legacy of the Ancient Soul Altar, it had changed—bearing many more ancient runes and having improved its defensive capabilities. Although Qinan Shan was also pushed back by the force, he didn’t care about it. Monier waved her hand as she retreated, firing a virtual talisman that blocked the impact. Eagle Demon also didn’t mind; as a Talisman Martial Saint Master, his body was extremely strong. Monier exclaimed in surprise, “A Great Saint Master! A battle between Great Saint Masters!” Looking up, they could see two people facing off in the sky. Their earlier strike had collapsed a mountain peak, just a few hundred meters away from them. The attack was sudden; after testing each other, the two stopped in midair, facing off. Guo Shier whispered, “Let’s retreat!” The four of them—two intermediate Saint Masters and two junior Saint Masters—would be an incredibly powerful force at Beifu Gate, capable of sweeping across the entire continent. In Chenxiao Sect, they were also considered top experts. But on the Star Continent, they were merely ordinary professionals.

The four of them slowly retreated. Monier forced a wry smile and said, “Our Great Sage of the Chenxiao Sect… hardly ever fights. As for this Great Sage here…” She was at a loss, not understanding why the two in the sky were fighting. A single strike had collapsed a mountain peak, showing that both of them were giving it their all.

Guo Shier retreated quietly while carefully observing the two in the sky. Ever since he had seen Li Ran and Chou Mo’s strength, he had paid less attention to the Great Sages. But that single strike made him realize that even the Great Sages were masters beyond his reach. He simply didn’t have the strength to confront one now.

Monier seemed a bit nervous. She had known since joining the Chenxiao Sect that the Great Sages were not to be trifled with.

The two in the sky were both young. One wore sky-blue clothes; from a distance, the accessories on the clothes couldn’t be seen clearly, only dozens of small shields floating around him. He had long hair that fluttered as the mystical symbols circled him, giving him a striking appearance.

The other wore gray leather armor with glowing runes. His hair was very short, his body sturdy, and he had a fierce look. A trident was at his side, swaying as his body moved.

“Xingzong… Han Xiao!” said the young man in blue proudly.

“Is Xingzong that great? I’m Evil Head!” retorted the young man in gray armor in a disdainful tone.

Han Xiao said coldly, “You killed a disciple of our Xingzong… Will you come with me to Xingzong, or shall I kill you?”

Evil Head laughed heartily. “Your Xingzong is just a bunch of arrogants! Haha, a few idiots attacking me for no reason—not killing them would be a shame for me! Han Xiao… with just you… trying to take revenge? Pathetic! Bring in more experts! Haha, there are secret realm entrances everywhere here. Even if a bunch of experts come… what good would that do?”

Han Xiao replied coldly, “Is that so? Do you really think Xingzong is useless?”

Evil Head said in a strange voice, “Useful? Damn right it’s useful! I, Evil Head, have long wanted to deal with your Xingzong. Haha, it seems nothing special after all. Killing them is simple—just a few masters and a mad master. These little figures dare to act tough here, thinking they’re something special?”

Han Xiao said nothing more. He raised his hand and cast a peculiar mystical symbol. The symbol soared high into the sky before suddenly exploding, emitting a dazzling light.

Evil Head cursed, “Bastards! What else can your Xingzong do besides gang up on people? Die!” He rushed forward.

Guo Shierou firmly shouted, “Go!” He turned around and flew swiftly to the left. Monier said without hesitation, “Follow!” She was also a bit frightened. Han Xiao’s spirit token was clearly a message token; on the Star Continent, there were disciples of the Star Sect everywhere, and once such a token was sent, skilled experts would arrive quickly.