Chapter 3: Sorrow (Part 2)

Ao Ao wished the other party would leave as soon as possible, but dared not say so, instead forcing a look of honor on his face. He said, “Let me arrange it. Don’t worry, I’ll surely satisfy you!” Since he couldn’t drive away this troublemaker, he had no choice but to flatter him hard and treat him well, so that the threats would disappear. He had to admit—this guy was impressive.

Zhang Lang took the lead, bringing a large group of Star Sect disciples to quickly clear out the best residences in the city. This place had originally been the residence of a senior elder of the Star Sect. That elder was driven out and dared not voice any objections, instead helping out as well.

The entire Star Sect mobilized, and all its disciples received the talismanic shadows of Guo Shier and the others. They were ordered to meet every demand of Guo Shier and his group. Ao Ao and Zhang Lang warned everyone in the sect that anyone who dared offend Guo Shier and his group would better cut off their own heads and hang them as a warning.

Guo Shier and the others were unaware of the orders given by the Star Sect. He and Huo Bao were chatting in a room, reminiscing about the past.

Eagle Demon asked, “Bao, after you guys left… have you gone back?”
Huo Bao replied, “We went back to Hai Men, but everyone there had already retreated.”
Eagle Demon asked, “Have you gone to North Talisman Gate?”
Chen Bing said, “No. We originally planned to return via the Star Continent, but ended up in conflict with the Star Sect’s disciples.” He knew that if it weren’t for meeting Guo Shier and the others, they would have been finished—unable to escape and never realizing the Star Sect had such formidable strength.

Guo Shier fell silent for a moment before saying, “North Talisman Gate no longer exists.”
Hong Shi asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”
Eagle Demon explained, “North Talisman Gate… no, the continent where it was located—all the sects and people there are gone.”
Huo Bao, Hong Shi, and Chen Bing all widened their eyes. Huo Bao said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, don’t joke. How could it be gone? Are you serious? What happened?”

Luo Zhan sighed and said, “It was destroyed by an ancient clan. Many died, and those who survived were captured. The entire continent was wiped clean, including the continent where Chenxiao Sect is located.”
Huo Bao suddenly stood up and shouted, “Which clan did this? I’ll settle accounts with them!”
Guo Shier shook his head and said, “That ancient clan… has already been destroyed by us. North Talisman Gate was rebuilt in their former location. Master Luo Jie and Grandpa Nanshan are there. You can go back and help.”
Huo Bao sat down heavily on the ground, muttering, “How could this happen?”
Wu Chongren gently patted Huo Bao’s shoulder to comfort him.

Chen Bing said, “Damn it, Chen Hong has gone back…”
Guo Shier said, “Don’t worry. Xiao Hong has been rescued by us and is with Master Luo Jie and the others.” He handed Huo Bao a jade talisman and said, “This is the coordinates of the continent where they are. You should go back as soon as possible.”
Huo Bao took the jade talisman and asked, “Shier, can’t we… follow you?” A hint of sadness appeared in his eyes.
Guo Shier didn’t know what to say. He lowered his head and said, “I’m sorry, Baozi…” He couldn’t take Huo Bao and the others with him because leaving this small world required strength beyond that of a sixth-tier altar. Even if he agreed to take them, their strength was far too weak. From the information he had, to break through the spatial barrier, one needed strength at least at the sixth-tier altar level—otherwise, it was even pointless to try. Even with that level of strength, it was only a basic level, and they would still need protection. Forcing them to go would put not only them but also those who accompanied them in danger.
Eagle Demon sighed and said, “Baozi, stop talking. You’re making it hard for Shier.”
Luo Zhan said, “Baozi, we can barely keep up with Shier’s pace… And we’ll soon leave here… never to return…”
Chen Bing asked, “Leave? Where to?”
Eagle Demon replied, “A very far place. Once you go, you can’t come back.” He couldn’t explain further. It had taken him a long time to understand the concept of small worlds, and by the end, he only grasped a little. In truth, he still didn’t fully understand, but one thing was clear: once they left, they could never return.
Chen Bing couldn’t understand, nor could Huo Bao. The only thing they understood was that their strength was too weak, preventing them from following Guo Shier, which left them extremely frustrated.
Guo Shier said, “Baozi, stay at the Star Sect for a while. I’ll help you build a Virtual Form Altar.”
Huo Bao looked at Guo Shier in disbelief and said, “What? Help us build an altar?” He had been stuck at this bottleneck for a long time. His spiritual power had already reached the required level, but he couldn’t gather the necessary materials or enough sacrificial offerings.
Sacrificial offerings were crucial. To ascend to a Virtual Form Altar for the first time, in addition to various materials, three to four high-tier mutated talisman beasts’ souls were needed—at least those of level twelve mutated talisman beasts. But with their current strength, it was difficult to hunt such powerful beasts, plus there were many other obstacles, which is why the four of them were stuck at this stage.

From Guo Shier’s perspective, he could immediately spot their problems and realize that if they couldn’t overcome this hurdle, it would be very difficult for them to make further progress. So he resolved to boost Huo Bao and the others’ strength—so that even if they couldn’t follow him, they could at least reach the rank of altar-level professionals. By helping Huo Bao and the others advance, Guo Shier could also ease some of his guilt. He said, “Building an altar isn’t that difficult; I guess you’re stuck on the material issue.” Huo Bao, Hong Shi, and Chen Bing showed great excitement. Once they reached the altar level, both their strength and status would improve significantly, and after advancing, they could team up to search for materials. Altar-level professionals could go to many places that even great sage masters couldn’t reach, allowing them to collect many materials they couldn’t obtain before. Success in advancing would mean embarking on a bright path. Wu Chongren watched the three with envy. Huo Bao said, “Shier, Old Wu is a good friend we’ve met. He’s also stuck at the level of high-grade great sage master. Can you help him?” Eagle Demon couldn’t help but shout, “Huo Bao!” He was slightly annoyed—did they really think materials were easily available? He knew that Guo Shier had been trapped in terrifying situations countless times while collecting materials. Even if it involved robbery, it was achieved through strength and wisdom, which was by no means easy. Guo Shier sighed inwardly. He felt deeply guilty toward Huo Bao and the others. He raised a hand to stop Eagle Demon and said, “Okay.” Wu Chongren was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. He knew well that advancing to the Void Form Altar required many rare materials. It had been almost twenty years since he reached the level of great sage master, yet he still hadn’t gathered all the necessary materials—several were still missing. Guo Shier said, “The four of you, make a list of the materials you lack and give it to me.” When Huo Bao started to ask for help, Eagle Demon snapped at him, making him realize he had been presumptuous. They had spent countless hours and efforts trying to gather the materials needed for advancement, yet they still hadn’t completed the list. Originally, Guo Shier was supposed to provide materials for the three of them, but now that Huo Bao had added another person, his expression turned somewhat awkward. The four of them made a list of the missing materials and handed it to Guo Shier. Without even looking, Guo Shier put it into the altar. His soul trembled slightly as he said, “Old Man Shuai, I leave this to you. We should be able to gather these materials. If anything is missing, just tell me—I can always find it…” He remembered extorting materials from the Gu Bing family and the Gu Lei family; the materials they obtained from those two families were already quite impressive.

Soon, four pouches containing talismans appeared in Guo Shier’s hands. Although there was a large amount of material needed for advancement, it posed no challenge to the old master. Some of it was even substitute material—higher-grade materials used to replace the ordinary ones. Since all the materials stored in Guo Shier’s altar were of high quality, lower-grade materials were hard to find.

Giving the four pouches to the four people, Guo Shier said, “You can advance here.” In fact, Ying Mo, Luo Zhan, and he himself were also on the verge of advancement. So, he planned for them all to advance together. Of course, there was a sequence to it, as someone needed to stay behind for protection.

Guo Shier arranged for Huo Bao and the others to settle down. He didn’t have them separate but rather live together in a large courtyard with several small buildings. Then he summoned Ao Ao and Zhang Lang. Those two poor ancestors of the Star Sect were treated by Guo Shier as mere messengers.

Guo Shier said, “Ao Ao, Zhang Lang, we’ll be staying in this courtyard for now. You can arrange professionals to guard outside. Without my orders, no one is allowed to enter, or else…”

Ao Ao replied, “Kill them without hesitation. Anyone who enters without orders must be killed!”

Guo Shier said satisfactorily, “Mm, give the orders. I doubt anyone would have the courage to do so.”

Ao Ao replied respectfully, “Yes, senior, rest assured. I’ll take care of everything. By the way, senior, do we need to send someone in with food?”

Guo Shier shook his head. “No need. Just treat this place as a forbidden area—no one is allowed in. I also don’t need any professionals in the courtyard.”

Although Ao Ao and Zhang Lang didn’t understand why, neither of them asked. They understood clearly: whatever he ordered, they would do—never acting on their own, so as to avoid any problems.

Guo Shier was very satisfied. These two were indeed smart people. He nodded and said, “Good, go now. Remember to seal off the entire courtyard.”

Ao Ao and Zhang Lang took their leave and immediately dispatched a large number of professionals, setting up checkpoints every three steps and sentries every five steps to completely seal off the courtyard. They also sent dozens of hunting vehicles to patrol above the courtyard. Of course, they didn’t dare fly the hunting vehicles over the courtyard. The purpose was merely to prevent any flying vehicles or hunting vehicles from accidentally entering, as that could kill many people.

Ying Mo and Luo Zhan each found a room to continue building their altars in preparation for advancement.

Guo Shier followed Huo Bao and the others into a large room. He knew there were many issues associated with advancing to the Virtual Form Altar for the first time, and Huo Bao and the others might not be aware of them, so he needed to make proper preparations. The five of them sat down, and Guo Shier asked, “Do you have any other questions before the advancement?” Chen Bing said, “Shier, I have a question that’s not related to the advancement…” Guo Shier asked curiously, “What question?”