“Hua Tian?” Although Shi Qing and Cai Yue had both met Nie Tian before at the Blood Skull’s headquarters, their only impression of him was no more than a peculiar young man who had somehow upset the spiritual energy in the Lesser Heaven cultivation rooms.
Neither of them took Nie Tian as a resourceful and competent man.
Therefore, they had never attached much importance to him.
However, Wang Zhuo and Zhao Feng had recently witnessed Nie Tian beat enemies in battle, so they didn’t seemed very surprised.
All the other Blood Skull experts, including Gu Yu, hadn’t even heard of Nie Tian before. Thus, it was only natural that they seemed rather confused.
What could an early Heaven stage young man possibly rely on to rescue Pei Qiqi, who was known as a supreme fighter in the Void Illusion Mountain Range, and their young lord?
Under everyone’s gazes, Nie Tian seemed surprisingly calm. He shrugged and said with a modest tone, “Actually, I only did what I could, which was next to nothing.”
Cai Yuan chuckled, as he didn’t intend to give a further explanation. Rather, he turned to Gu Yu and asked, “Uncle Gu, do you have an identity medallion for a guest elder on you?”
Gu Yu went blank for a brief moment before taking out an identity medallion and handing it to him. “What do you need it for?”
Cai Yuan grabbed the command medallion and took a deep breath. Then, with a solemn expression on his face, he presented it to Nie Tian and said, “Hua Tian, as the young lord of the Blood Skull, I officially offer you the position of a guest elder of the Blood Skull. Here’s your identity medallion. It’s a token of your status!”
After seeing Cai Yuan make such a earnest offer, all of the Blood Skull members’ expressions flickered.
Normally, the Blood Skull had rules regarding making someone their guest elder. A strict assessment of the candidate was usually mandatory.
In the Blood Skull’s eyes, they would only give such an honor to truly powerful figures, who they deemed they couldn’t afford to offend and wanted to draw to their side.
Up to this day, they had never invited an early Heaven stage Qi warrior to be their guest elder.
Nie Tian was an exception.
If it weren’t Cai Yuan, who had presented the identity medallion to Nie Tian, Gu Yu and Shi Qing might have already stepped in and interrupted.
However, both Gu Yu and Shi Qing placed great trust and respect in Cai Yuan, and believed that his decisions were usually well-founded, except when they involved Pei Qiqi.
Cai Yuan must have his reasons.
“Thanks.” Nie Tian took the identity medallion and, under everyone’s gaze, put it away without even taking a close look at it.
“Great! We’re on the same boat now.” Cai Yuan smiled and turned to Gu Yu, saying, “The targets of this Dark Moon operation were Qiqi and her teleportation portal.”
He went on to explain the situation to Gu Yu and Shi Qing in detail, but he downplayed the part where they had escaped from Ma Jiu and his men.
“The Dark Moon sent many of their best warriors to kill us,” Cai Yuan said with a smile. “Yet, not only did they return empty-handed, they’ve even lost quite a few of their own. Uncle Gu, I deem that now that you’re here, we might as well give them a lesson they won’t forget! “They deserve our counterattack for making such a move on me and Qiqi!”
Gu Yu nodded and agreed, “We definitely can’t just pretend it didn’t happen.”
Afterwards, Gu Yu, Shi Qing, and Cai Yuan had a private discussion regarding their operation against the Dark Moon.
As they did, Gu Yu took out a Sound Stone and communicated with the Blood Skull members he had sent to search for Ma Jiu and his Dark Moon members, telling them to report back as soon as they found anything.
Since Nie Tian and Pei Qiqi didn’t participate in the discussion, they glanced around with bored expressions on their faces.
At that moment, Cai Yue, who was dressed as a young man, quietly approached Pei Qiqi, and whispered to her while staring into her eyes, “It’s because of you again! Otherwise, my brother wouldn’t have been trapped in such a perilous situation! How many times have you put him in danger already? If my brother ever gets hurt because of you again, I won’t let you off!”
Cai Yue unleashed her protest so fiercely that she looked like a baby tiger, baring fangs and brandishing claws towards Pei Qiqi.
Pei Qiqi, however, raised her chin to look up into the sky, showing her slender, jade-like neck, but didn’t utter a word. She treated Cai Yue like nothing more than air.
Seeing Pei Qiqi give no response, Cai Yue became even angrier, but she was aware that she actually couldn’t do anything to her.
Rage burning in her heart, Cai Yue shifted her gaze and saw Nie Tian, who was staring at her from the side, as if he was enjoying a show.
“What are you looking at!?” Immediately, she made Nie Tian her target. “Our business isn’t over yet! It was because you stole spiritual Qi from my cultivation room and undermined my cultivation that I failed to enter the Heaven stage according to my schedule. And because of that, they won’t allow me to join their operations in the Void Illusion Mountain Range!
“How do you intend to compensate me for causing me so much trouble?”
Nie Tian was confused as to how he was involved as he asked, “What?! Didn’t I pay extra spirit stones? What do I have to do with the fact that you haven’t entered the Heaven stage?”
“Say what you may, it’s because of you!” Cai Yue said in a arbitrary fashion.
Upon hearing their conversation, Pei Qiqi, who was still looking up, shot a curious glance at Nie Tian while one of her eyebrows rose.
Nie Tian frowned, as he was tired of Cai Yue’s rudeness and unreasonability. “What do you want?”
Just as Cai Yue was going to open her mouth, Gu Yu’s frustrated voice rang out, “Our men encountered a few Shatter City residents who they said they saw a band of Dark Moon members rushing back to their base.”
Gu Yu let out a snort and continued, “Those cowards only dare to act stealthily. They probably knew we were coming and thus retreated.”
“Yeah, now that they’ve returned to their nest, there’s really not much we can do.” Shi Qing said with a grim face.
At that moment, Nie Tian said with a casual tone from the side, “Don’t you know the location of their base? Why don’t we march over there and eliminate them?”
Upon hearing his comments, many Blood Skull members rolled their eyes at him, as if he was a fool.
Cai Yuan, however, knew that Nie Tian was new to the Realm of Split Void and didn’t understand certain things, so he explained to Nie Tian with a smile, “Hua Tian, just like us, the Dark Moon also has a teleportation portal in their base in the Void Illusion Mountain Range, through which they can bring in powerful experts from their headquarters in the Land of the Abandoned at any time.
“Therefore, they’ll be able to deploy heavy forces to defend their base once we attack it.
“By that time, I’m afraid, with the men we have, we won’t even be able to make it back alive.”
After hearing those words, Nie Tian felt enlightened. He nodded and admitted he hadn’t been aware of that.
“Actually, It’s not totally impossible.” Pei Qiqi’s voice echoed out. “I recently made a breakthrough in my mastery of spatial magics. With the copious amount of Space Spirit Jades I’ve obtained lately, I think I can shut down their teleportation portal for some time.
“Thus, we’ll be able to wipe them out during that period of time. There won’t be a problem as long as we get out of there before their teleportation portal turns back on.”
Like a sharp razor, a cold light shot out of Pei Qiqi’s glittering eyes, which were as bright as stars.
Upon seeing Pei Qiqi’s gaze, everyone present knew that Pei Qiqi had truly been angered by the Dark Moon, and she was determined to go all-out to fight them.
Cai Yuan took the initiative to state his stance on the matter by saying to Shi Qing and Gu Yu, “I think this is doable! Their force in the Void Illusion Mountain Range just suffered a significant loss. We have the upper hand now. Plus, if we act fast enough, we may catch up to Ma Jiu and his men before they can return to their base, and kill them while they’re exhausted and weak.
“Then, we can have Qiqi shut down their teleportation portal while we take out every single one of them within their base. After that, we withdraw.”
“Big brother, you’re being stupid again!” Cai Yue called out.
Gu Yu pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Shi Qing with a beckoning gaze. “What do you say, Brother Shi?”
Shi Qing hesitated as he turned to Pei Qiqi and asked with a serious tone, “Miss Pei, do you have confidence that you’ll be able to shut down their teleportation portal for some time?”
Pei Qiqi nodded in reply.
Shi Qing took a deep breath and said to Gu Yu, “I reckon it’s worth a shot.”
Gu Yu laughed out loud and said, “Good! The hunt is on, Dark Moon cowards! With Miss Pei’s help, we’ll march on the Dark Moon’s base in the Void Illusion Mountain Range and burn it to the ground!”
Inspired by Gu Yu’s words, every Blood Skull member showed soaring fighting spirit.
“Let’s go!”