Chapter 2482: Suspicion
(Because in the previous chapter, I wrote a leave notice. After deleting the leave notice and updating the new chapter, in many versions of QQ Reading, the new chapter was swallowed by the leave notice chapter and couldn't be displayed. Hah! So, readers who can't see Chapter 2481 "Divine Artifact Stolen" can try updating their QQ Reading version, or delete "Eternal God Emperor" from their bookshelf and re-add it. I'll try not to take breaks or write leave notices in the future—this was too troublesome today!)
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With the divine artifact stolen, the cultivators of the Ten Dark Powers immediately fled.
The Destiny Temple did not pursue them; at this moment, recovering the divine artifact was the top priority.
It was easy to imagine that the news of the Celestial Pivot Needle being snatched would spread with lightning speed, impossible to cover up. If the divine artifact could not be retrieved, the Destiny Temple would surely become a laughingstock throughout the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms.
From then on, any force would dare to strike against the Destiny Temple in the shadows. This included the Ten Clans of Hell.
"Should we inform the gods and ask them to intervene..."
A Fate Emperor had just opened his mouth when he was met with cold stares from all around, so he shut up.
First, the enemy had come prepared, clearly considering the possibility of alerting the Destiny Temple's gods and must have a backup plan.
Second, with so many strong experts present, losing the Celestial Pivot Needle was already a complete disgrace. Not only would they be mocked by all living beings, but even the cultivators within the temple would be ashamed of them.
In the temple, many old fellows were just waiting for an opportunity to rise!
If they asked the gods to intervene now, wouldn't that be admitting how incompetent they were?
Whether for the sake of the Destiny Temple or for themselves, they had to recover the divine artifact on their own.
Bore said, "The loss of the divine artifact must still be reported back to the temple immediately, so the gods know. But we must also tell them that we will definitely recover the artifact and make amends. Whether the gods trust us is not our concern."
Nutian Shenzun nodded and said, "I believe what the Divine Maiden says is correct."
Death High Priest's face darkened as he said, "The Saint armies of the Fate Department, Judgment Department, and Fortune Department must dispatch at least three hundred thousand troops. I think we should massacre Ice King Star."
"What do you think Ice King Star is? If you dare to massacre Ice King Star, Lord Binghuang will be the first to not let you off." Nutian Shenzun said.
He harbored great resentment toward Death High Priest, believing that Death High Priest was at least half responsible for the loss of the divine artifact. After all, the plan to cooperate with the Goddess Twelve Pavilions was formulated by Death High Priest.
And Nutian Shenzun had never trusted the Goddess Twelve Pavilions.
Bore said, "To mobilize the armies of the three departments to Ice King Star, we must first inform the Ice Imperial Palace. Since the divine artifact was lost on Ice King Star, the Ice Imperial Palace cannot escape involvement. I believe Lord Binghuang will not make things difficult for us."
Fortune High Priest walked over, his face ashen, and said, "I inspected the residual space inscriptions—it was a one-time Space Teleportation Array. Based on the intensity of the spatial fluctuations, I estimate they were teleported at least a hundred million li away. In other words, they went beyond the star."
"Can you calculate the specific spatial coordinates?" Bore asked.
Fortune High Priest said, "Using the divine blood spilled by the divine corpse, I deduced that their current location should be in the northern starry sky."
"We'll go after them now."
Several Fate Emperors were about to set off immediately.
"Wait a moment."
Bore asked, "Is there a star map of the starry sky near Ice King Star?"
A Stone Clan Fate Emperor held this young Divine Maiden in considerable contempt, thinking she was wasting time, and said, "Divine Maiden, Ice King Star is a desolate zone in deep space. The nearest planet of level seven or above is three light-years away. By flying alone, a Great Saint couldn't reach it in a hundred years!"
"For the cultivators of Paradise Realm to take the Celestial Pivot Needle and escape back to Paradise Realm, they must go through the space wormhole on Ice King Star."
"I believe that their use of the teleportation array to go a hundred million li away is merely a trick to lure us into pursuit. This is a 'lure the tiger away from the mountain' strategy!"
"Therefore, the Fate Department should pursue the divine artifact and hunt down the Paradise Realm cultivators. The rest of the Destiny Temple's cultivators must stay on Ice King Star and keep a close watch on all space wormholes."
Bore shook her head and said, "We cannot be certain that those who took the Celestial Pivot Needle are from Paradise Realm. The Great Radiant Sword alone is not enough."
That Stone Clan Fate Emperor took out a Message Light Talisman, tossed it to Bore, and said, "It has been found that the World Hand of Array Destruction Palace, Kailuo Dishi, recently sneaked into Ice King Star. This matter is most likely his doing."
"But the news I received is that Kailuo Dishi and the strong experts of Paradise Realm appeared in Divine Maiden City, where they shot and killed Zhang Ruochen." Bore said.
That Stone Clan Fate Emperor said, "Kailuo Dishi could have killed Zhang Ruochen, then used a Space Teleportation Array to come here and take the Celestial Pivot Needle."
Bore's emotions were intense as she said coldly, "Is Kailuo Dishi so formidable? He can kill Zhang Ruochen in front of a large group of Hell Realm strong experts like Yuan Qianmo and Zhuo Yunong, and take his corpse. Then he can travel millions of li and snatch the Celestial Pivot Needle from our hands. Is this something one person can do? There must be a very powerful figure orchestrating this—we absolutely cannot let our guard down."
"I think the Divine Maiden Bore is just stalling for time. If the Paradise Realm cultivators suppress the artifact spirit of the Celestial Pivot Needle, finding the divine artifact will become extremely difficult. Apologies, but I must go after them immediately."
Of the four Fate Emperors, aside from the severely injured Wuyue Fate Emperor, the other three led the strong experts of the Fate Department and chased toward the northern starry sky.
Bore clenched her hands tightly, wanting to stop them, but ultimately couldn't.
In the end, she, as this Divine Maiden, had too little experience and too low cultivation—her words carried no weight.
"I'll go communicate with the Ice Imperial Palace."
Wuyue Fate Emperor also left.
Death High Priest said, "I'll go mobilize the Destiny Temple's forces to seal off all wormholes on Ice King Star."
Fortune High Priest looked worried and said, "Zhang Ruochen is a junior valued by the God Venerable. I must go to Divine Maiden City to find out if he has truly fallen. If he has, the mastermind behind it must be found no matter what."
Fortune High Priest sighed deeply, knowing in his heart that if Zhang Ruochen really died, the impact would be no less than losing the divine artifact.
When Xue Jue War God returned from Jade Desolate Realm and flew into a rage, storming Fate Divine Mountain to demand an explanation, who could hold him back?
In the end, the reason Zhang Ruochen had come out of hiding was largely forced by the Celestial Pivot Needle. If the Celestial Pivot Needle hadn't come to Ice King Star, who could have found Zhang Ruochen? He wouldn't have needed to come out and prove his innocence.
"I hope Zangjin Baihu can protect him." Fortune High Priest thought to himself.
Nutian Shenzun glanced at Bore, somewhat sympathetic to her awkward situation, and said, "Divine Maiden, there's no need to worry. As long as we seal off all the space wormholes on Ice King Star, even if someone is playing tricks, the divine artifact cannot be lost."
"What if there are Paradise Realm gods outside the star, waiting to receive them? Then they wouldn't need to use the space wormholes." Que said.
Nutian Shenzun snorted coldly and said, "This is Ice King Star. The gods of Paradise Realm wouldn't dare appear in the nearby starry sky."
Que fell silent and said no more.
Nutian Shenzun added, "The Ten Dark Powers have operated on Ice King Star for many years, controlling multiple space wormholes. If we don't exterminate them, they will remain a threat. I will go now to unite the strong experts of various forces and wipe them all out."
In the end, only Que, Xingluo, and Bore remained.
Xingluo had been watching Bore and said, "Actually, I feel the same as you. This matter is indeed very suspicious, with a strange aura to it. It feels like an invisible hand is controlling everything. But their approach isn't wrong—they should indeed pursue the cultivators who took the Celestial Pivot Needle immediately. Time cannot be wasted."
Xingluo turned to leave.
"Where is Divine Son Xingluo going?" Bore asked.
Xingluo curled his lips and said, "I am no longer a Divine Son, so I won't bear the responsibility for losing the divine artifact. So, I'll go do what I want to do."
Xingluo planned to pursue Blood Lingxian, taking advantage of his severe injuries to eliminate him in one go. Once Blood Lingxian's injuries healed, he wasn't confident he could defeat him.
Bore said, "I know that in your eyes, the divine artifact may not be important."
"That's right. Even if we find the divine artifact, what's the point? It's not mine to control." Xingluo shrugged.
Bore said, "But you were once a Divine Son of the Destiny Temple. Don't you care about the temple's dignity and reputation? Losing the divine artifact will be a severe blow to the temple's prestige."
"Besides, you don't want to be played like a pawn, do you?"
Xingluo's gaze narrowed as he pondered for a moment, then said, "Speak, Divine Maiden. What do you want me to do?"
This newly appointed Divine Maiden, though low in cultivation, had cultivated the Gate of True Self—she was surely no mediocrity. It was time to see if this young woman, who was about to take control of the Destiny Temple, truly had the ability.
Bore said, "Investigate the Goddess Twelve Pavilions."
"Investigate the Goddess Twelve Pavilions?" Xingluo showed a surprised expression.
Bore said, "The top-grade Origin Divine Crystal first appeared at the Divine Maiden Tower, and it disappeared there too. It was the cultivators of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions who claimed Zhang Ruochen took the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal, which is why we brought the Celestial Pivot Needle to Ice King Star."
"The Destiny Temple cooperated with the Goddess Twelve Pavilions to deal with the Ten Dark Powers and the cultivators of Heavenly Court hidden in Hell Realm. The Goddess Twelve Pavilions agreed quickly, of course, because they dared not defy the Destiny Temple. But they were so eager to contact the other nine Dark Powers, and those nine didn't suspect anything at all. I find it too abnormal."
"Moreover, the relationship between the Goddess Twelve Pavilions and Heavenly Court is very delicate. As far as I know, cultivators from Heavenly Court often use the Goddess Twelve Pavilions' channels to sneak into Hell Realm."
"One could say that the Goddess Twelve Pavilions have connections with the Destiny Temple, the Ten Dark Powers, and Paradise Realm, allowing them to know the intelligence of all three sides. If there truly is a mastermind behind this, the Goddess Twelve Pavilions have the best conditions and the highest chance of success."
Xingluo didn't believe that the mere Goddess Twelve Pavilions would dare to oppose the Destiny Temple and seize the divine artifact Celestial Pivot Needle. But what Bore said made some sense. Upon reflection, the Goddess Twelve Pavilions were indeed quite suspicious.
However, everyone's attention was focused on the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal, the Celestial Pivot Needle, the Ten Dark Powers, Kailuo Dishi, Zhang Ruochen, and the space wormholes, overlooking the Goddess Twelve Pavilions.
They had been hiding in the blind spot of everyone's attention.
The stronger the cultivator, the more they would overlook the Goddess Twelve Pavilions, thinking they wouldn't dare and lacked the ability to participate in this struggle.
After Xingluo left, Bore looked at Que and said self-deprecatingly, "As a Divine Maiden, I don't even have a single expert by my side now. Any top-tier Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint from the Ten Dark Powers is beyond my ability to handle."
"What do you want to do? I'll help you. As long as I don't encounter a Supreme Realm Great Saint, my sword is sharp enough." Que said.
From the Heaven Hunting Battlefield to Ice King Star, Que had spoken little, always observing coldly. But he could see that this newly appointed Divine Maiden was indeed exceptionally intelligent, able to remain calm even in the most critical moments.
When everyone else was in chaos, she could still make rational decisions.
Such a woman earned a hint of admiration and respect from him.
For someone as proud as Que to acknowledge Bore was no small feat. With his support, Bore's path to seizing power in the Destiny Temple was within reach.
Bore said, "We need to first find a star map of the starry sky near Ice King Star."
Que was also sharp and immediately understood, saying, "You suspect there are other space wormholes near Ice King Star?"
"It's not impossible." Bore said.