Chapter 5299: Misleading Traces

The Celestial Transcendent’s two avatars, Zest Hyluan, Grand Elder Durandai, and Grand Elder Yue Qing, looked around.

"Where is this place?" Zest Hyluan asked in a curious tone.

In the distance, he noticed a town while descending, wanting to go ask but feeling exhausted. He didn’t even want to use soul sense.

He hoped someone would go ask while he took some rest.

However, Grand Elder Yue Qing gazed at a black-white star in the skies that possessed a corona that extended upward and looked like a sword sticking into the star.

"I recognize that star. It’s most likely the Rising Lightless Sword Star, a darkness-attributed star. The neighboring stars together form one of the many Sword Constellations in the Second Layer. Presumably, this is somewhere to the north of the Beast Autarch Upper Realm."

Zest Hyluan had dark circles underneath his eyes. Just as he was about to sit down, he turned to look at her, speechless.

"There’s no way you spent the time to memorize all the names and the locations of the astral stars. These things sometimes move."

The Second Astral Sea, which is home to more than septillion stars located across the Second Layer, was widely differentiated into Major Constellations and Minor Constellations. No one in their right mind would bother to learn all of those names and features unless they were astral cultivators, and clearly, Grand Elder Yue Qing didn’t seem like one.

Even astral cultivators wouldn’t bother learning all the stars! They wouldn’t care about most of the stars in the universe but would learn all about the stars in the Major Constellations and Minor Constellations.

"The Astral Cultivation Method had its glory once in the past, but remember most stars in all regions, and you shall never get lost in the vast universe. This is one of the many teachings of our Celestial Moonlight Sect."

"As expected from one of the top five sects. You guys kill your disciples with knowledge."

"As if the ruling powers of the Upper Realms are any different when they scour for talent."

"..."

Zest Hyluan had no words to respond to. Everyone knew the grueling competition that happens in the ruling powers because of their long history and billions of population. The number of resources simply wasn’t enough to support all. Most of them, the people with thin bloodlines, would end up living below the Immortal Emperor Stage or the Sovereign Stage in today’s era.

They weren’t even allowed to leave and needed to maintain the lower strata of the family, but they were pretty much safe from external threats and could live a good life as long as they knew their place and kept silent about internal issues that they couldn’t afford to deal with. In certain missions to the outside world, they could even gain immense benefits and live like a king or a queen.

Zest Hyluan shook his head.

He stood up straight and stretched lightly before they flickered once more and appeared above a lively town nestled against the edge of the floating continent.

Immortal Emperors walked the streets alongside Immortal Kings, Immortals, and even mortal cultivators who hurried between stalls and taverns. Pirate vessels came and went from the docks without pause, their crews shouting and bartering as though this place belonged to no one in particular.

The group looked down for only a breath as they confirmed the location from the signs and the maps posted at the gates and shops, even without having to buy anything.

After learning this was the Northern Shore Human Continent where people lived without using the art of beast taming due to being in the vicinity of the Beast Autarch Upper Realm, they ignored the town completely.

Their soul senses unfurled together and swept across the entire continent in a single, overlapping tide. Mountains, forests, ruined palaces, hidden valleys, and most importantly, huge seas passed beneath their perception until a faint spatial ripple drew every gaze toward a broken circle of standing stones on a particular island.

They flickered towards it with teleportation.

As soon as they arrived in the skies, below them was a Stonehenge formation. It seemed to have been destroyed after use, but residual undulations still clung to the shattered pillars and the cracked earth between them.

Zest Hyluan descended, crouched at the center, and pressed his palm to the ground. After a moment, as he rose, his expression turned dark.

"This teleportation formation has been activated three times. This time, they want to lead us off by two more places. They have planned quite the escape, using an astral avatar at first and then now a teleportation formation."

"Hmm, that brat is always a bit thorough in his methods, rarely throwing it all to the wind even though it seems like he’s acting without much deliberation by throwing himself into the fray." The Celestial Transcendent nodded lightly, seemingly not surprised.

His expression didn’t change at all, as though he was merely here to check.

Grand Elder Yue Qing also investigated, "This formation looks newly built, and teleportation formations don’t work in the Desolate Era. They were absolutely convinced they were going to succeed?"

She spoke with a question, her voice containing a tiny hint of disbelief.

"Perhaps." The Celestial Transcendent sighed lightly, "He did say he was going to shatter the Desolate Era, and I was half-willing to let him try if he could stop me. In the end, he even reversed it. If I had known that outcome, I wouldn’t have even battled him. Therefore, I think it can be said he was pretty much convinced."

"I don’t think it’s that deep." Zest Hyluan shook his head, "No one should be able to predict something like shattering the Desolate Era, or our incredible diviners would’ve known even at the cost of their lives."

"Since they came to the Six-Headed Hydra Upper Realm to shatter the Desolate Era, then when they escape, whatever surviving teleportation formations should already be working by then. Hence, they wouldn’t have built one fully under the Desolate Era, but would have finished it to near completion. Then when they return, they only need to set the final piece, complete the formation, and then disappear someplace else like they had initially devised. Quite an elaborate plan, but simple if all pieces of the puzzle were to fit."

"So in essence, catching them is impossible now?" Grand Elder Durandai’s gaze flickered.

"That would be the case. If we don’t get lucky on the first try, the Astral Night Demoness’s traces would already be gone. Mind trying to unleash that lucky arrow?"

Zest Hyluan turned to look at the Celestial Transcendent.

The latter nodded and used the arrow again.

However, it just flew straight without the slightest turn and then disappeared altogether.

"...?"

The others turned dumbfounded while the Celestial Transcendent’s smile froze.

He said, "This means I have no luck, and the arrow is lost too. It’s going to take a long time to search for it."

"..."

Silence brewed, creating an awkward atmosphere, making them imagine how the Celestial Transcendent was going to act toward the Heavenly Gambling Sect’s member from whom he had borrowed the arrow. They were known to be misers, so the Celestial Transcendent was surely going to be taken advantage of, his finances milked dry.

"Fine, let’s search one by one."

After coming this far, no one was willing to give up.

Zest Hyluan said as he teleported again with them in tow.

*Fssh!~* *Fssh!~* *Fssh!~*

Within a few dozen teleportations, he arrived at a distant continent where they found a Stonehenge formation by following the spatial undulations. Even if it was destroyed, it couldn’t escape his gaze, much less the Celestial Transcendent. He then gazed at the star above the skies, noticing the trace of spatial disturbance at the star from astral undulations.

Clearly, the Astral Night Demoness had been here, bouncing off the stars as she had left.

Unexpectedly, he had gotten it right on the first try?

His eyes narrowed as he turned to look at his friend, "I found her trace up at the star, but it could be another astral avatar trying to mislead us."