Trial Space

The moment Sheng Zhen entered the door, he was transported to a different place.

Landing on a dirt road, Sheng Zhen looked around to take stock of the surroundings. He was in a place that did not look much different from the Indigo Beasts Forest he was used to. Tall trees, forest ground filled with dead leaves and devoid of any grass, and many strong presences in the distance.

Only he knew this was no Indigo Beasts Forest but a special space alchemist Yun Cang refined. It was a different plane of existence from which he is familiar. From the rough estimates, he could make from Celestial Architect's notes, this space was actually larger than the entire Earth from his previous life.

Sheng Zhen sensed someone coming and immediately used Shadowless Flight to vanish.

A group of about a dozen people entered the clearing he was standing. Every one of them was wearing fur loincloths and covered from head to toe in tribal tattoos similar to Hui Gang.

"There is no one here", the man with the strongest aura among the group remarked.

"No, I definitely sensed someone here just moments ago", a mousy boy said. He was crawling and sniffing the ground, "Even smell is lingering here"

"Then where is this person? Where does the scent lead?"

"I...don't know. It just vanishes."

The leader frowned, "Leave it be"

"No need to chase a master in stealth when we will get bastards from Righteous Sects to kill."

"For Lord Yi, For Unholy Madian", Leader yelled with religious zeal and raised his Axe.

"""For Lord Yi, For Unholy Madian""", His companions laughed and raised their weapons before leaving the clearing in search of 'preys.'

Invisible, Sheng Zhen watched all this while perched on a tree branch. Even his aura was completely withdrawn, leaving behind not even a trace of his presence.

Behind his invisibility, Sheng Zhen was frowning. He might not be very familiar with the cultivation landscape of the Continent, but even he knew about the treaty between Demonic and Righteous sects. After the last war, the demonic sects lost, badly, were forced to sign an unfair treaty and banished into a small corner of the continent.

That happened thirty-five thousand years ago, but the treaty is still in effect and Righteous Sects alliance had not grown any weaker since then. But for Demonic Sects to so brazenly ignore the treaty and attack, what are they after?

He knew everything that is tomb's treasury and everything in there was very precious but he could not think of a single thing that might have invited such brazen actions.

And that fanaticism towards Yi and the so-called Unholy Madian, he was getting chills just thinking about the situation.

'But first I need to know what is happening here, Skyword!'

The golden book appeared beside still invisible Sheng Zhen, 'Show all the intelligence reports of Yin Sea Sect on Crimson Fiends.'

The golden book split into many different scrolls, each containing secrets that spies of Yin sea Sect risked their life and limb to obtain.

'The Crimson Fiend Sect is based around the inheritance of an Ancient Fire Demon. As such, it is rich in Fire-based cultivation arts, with the core technique of the sect rumored to be a Sky ranked cultivation method...'

Moving through the forest, Sheng Zhen continued to read through the intelligence reports. As for why he relied on intelligence reports of the Yin Sea Sect rather than directly reading from texts of Crimson Fiends Sect? Because outside perspective on sect was far more comprehensive and gave him a better estimate of their abilities in a short time.

As for code, Skyword had no problem translating any language and Code in the world as long it is not Sky Script. There is no secret that is safe from Skyword.

'...Crimson Fiends have agreed to follow the Yin Sea Sect. Waiting for orders.'

Sheng Zhen completely read the report of a sleeper cell in the Crimson Fiend Sect and frowned. Even the weakest sects do not easily agree to follow other sects but from the reports, Crimson Flame Sect is no different from a slave to Yin Sea Sect.

"What are they up to?", Sheng Zhen muttered, silently cursing his inability to read Skyscript for the hundredth time.

He dismissed the Skyword. Whatever happens, it was the business of the Righteous Sect alliance, not his. He was just interested in the Yin Sea sect because they are one of the culprits behind the abduction of Yue'er.

Just then a massive earthquake struck the forest, the trees started to shake like mad, cracks formed on the ground but the eeriest thing was that the roars of beasts that filled the forest like perpetual background music immediately stopped like a final note in a symphony.

Disoriented, Sheng Zhen skidded to halt on the ground.

"On no. Who was stupid enough to wake up that.", he cursed out loud.

Jumping on a tall tree, Sheng Zhen could make out an enormous mountain range in the distance. Only that was not a mountain just the back of an enormous beast that was carrying those mountains. And currently, those mountains were shaking.

Even the Celestial Architect who designed the trial grounds was fearful of that and he feared if that beast gets enraged, it might end up destroying the entire Trial Space.

'It would not have woken up now, that was not an easy thing to do', Sheng Zhen prayed.

Thankfully, the mountains stopped shaking and he breathed a sigh of relief.

'I need to get to the trial grounds as soon as possible before some other unforeseen situation strikes.'

"Skyword, open Celestial Architect's map of Trial Realm'