1363-1375

Chapter 1363: Going Out

Rean's group was truly lucky in finding the Fallen Light Star Fragments. Well, to be more precise, since no one else wanted the fragments, there were quite a few lying around on the third level after thousands of years. Some had a good amount of Light Element inside, while others did not have that much. From the looks of it, the fragments slowly lost their power as the years passed. It's just that the process itself was very slow.

Suddenly, Hurio noticed his tablet showing a huge reaction. "Wow! Call Rean here. I just picked up the signal of a huge Fallen Light Star Fragment."

"I'm here already." Well, Rean didn't even need to be called over. "I also felt the presence of this piece. From what I could sense, it's got to be enormous!"

Suddenly, Kentucky came flying down, telling them, "Hey, Rean. There's something you guys will definitely want to see." Kentucky then flew ahead as Hurio, Rean, and Roan followed him.

Eventually, they arrived at what seemed to be a huge open area. To be more specific, it looked like a park or something similar to it. It's just that the plants had completely taken over due to the lack of maintenance for countless years. However, it wasn't the park that caught their attention. Instead, it was the huge sphere at the center, which looked more like an altar in their eyes.

"Holy shit! That fragment is gigantic!" Hurio couldn't help but say from shock.

"Fragment?" Rean didn't agree with that. "There's no way that thing is a fragment anymore. It's more like a huge rock at this point." As they continued to look at it, one thing popped into their minds, which was definitely something they had to worry about. "The problem is, can we even cut that thing in half?"

The sphere was at least five meters tall, and it glistened with Light Element all over. The concentration was obviously higher than any fragments they found so far, thanks to its size. For Rean, that was far more than what he needed to use as a catalyst for his breakthrough into the Elemental Transformation Realm.

Roan didn't waste time and approached the sphere with his scythe. "There's only one way to know."

'Death Style, Death Scythe!'

*Clang!*

Unfortunately, Roan wasn't even able to leave a scratch after using his strongest skill. "Now, that's what I call resistant..."

Rean shook his head after seeing that. "Well, we couldn't break the fragments either. We tried to do that with some of the bigger ones we found on our way here, but in the end, it was useless. It's to be expected that this sphere is just as resistant."

Hurio then looked at Rean and asked, "How do you want to do it? The order of distribution has me as the next receiver."

Rean pondered over it for a bit before saying, "To be honest, I don't need this much. A tenth of this entire sphere would be more than enough for me. How about you give me all your fragments, and you get this sphere? I would still have way less than you, but it makes more sense. Well, I would have all the next fragments we find from here onwards in exchange."

That was the fairest solution Rean could think of, even if he would be at a disadvantage. However, Hurio's answer took him by surprise. "How about we do the opposite instead? You give me all your fragments, and you can have the sphere. Is that okay with you?"

Rean obviously wouldn't complain about getting the sphere. The size of the Light Star Sphere didn't really matter to Rean. In fact, it didn't even need to be a Fallen Light Star. It could be any item that had natural Light Element in its composition. "Are you sure? Just so you know, I'm definitely not refusing this offer."

Hurio nodded in response, and so did Lilia. Sure enough, Lilia also knew what the Fallen Light Star Fragments were used back in their homes. "To be honest, we wouldn't be able to use such a huge thing. For us, small chunks and fragments are a lot more useful. Also..."

Hurio continued where Lilia left off, telling them, "Our spatial rings aren't even close to being big enough to take it with us."

Rean still didn't know what Hurio's people needed the fragments for, but he didn't complain, nor did he ask. "Well then. I more than welcome it." Soon after that, Rean touched the huge sphere, using the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm to pull it inside. A flash of silver light then enveloped the sphere, making it disappear without a trace. That obviously surprised Hurio and Lilia. "That's a hell of a spatial ring you have there."

Rean smiled in response but didn't comment on the issue. Their spatial rings were more like decoration items, after all.

[Holy shit, this thing is massive.] Even Sister Orb was impressed by its size when it suddenly fell into the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm. [Rean, you better have other uses for it as you definitely won't need this much during the breakthrough.]

Rean nodded, responding, 'Of course! Didn't you see Roan attack it with his Death Scythe? Even his strongest attack couldn't leave a scratch on this thing. It seems like the bigger the Fallen Light Star, the higher the quality. I would say that this sphere is a forging material at the Golden Peak-level of very high quality. Perhaps, it could even be a Divine Initial-level material.'

After that, Rean took out all the fragments he got and passed them to Hurio, who happily accepted them. "Sure enough, Soul Binding Contracts are very efficient."

Roan didn't care much about that, though. The important thing was that they got the necessary materials for Rean's breakthrough. "Alright, Rean. We need to go after the Freezing Star Liquid." 

"Freezing Star Liquid?" Hurio was taken aback. "That's a very rare item, even in the Lost Star Realm's third level."

Rean and Roan agreed with him. "Indeed. However, it's a very important item for us. Even if we don't find it now and enter that secret alternate plane, we'll still come back to the Lost Star Realm to look for it again."

Hurio nodded after hearing that. "Well, it won't stop us from looking for more fragments, so I won't stop you."

Roan nodded in agreement, saying, "Exactly. It's just that I will leave you guys behind while you do it.. I'm going out to explore on my own."

Chapter 1364: Quite A Lot Of People

However, before Roan could leave, the area around them began to tremble once again. Immediately, they looked at Sally, thinking that perhaps another ancient beast had appeared. After all, it wasn't the first time they had seen something like that. However, Sally continued to have her eyes closed. It was as if she didn't even know what was happening.

Not long after, several rays of white light appeared in the sky, all striking the position where the Fallen Light Star Sphere was a moment ago. It's just that it wasn't there anymore. Naturally, it was a very eye-catching event that ended up catching the attention of many cultivators, so they all rushed in the direction of the lights.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the entire third level. "Who took away the Light Star Sphere?!" Soon after, the light hitting the position where the sphere was located a moment ago began to take on the lifelike form of a small boy. The boy then looked at Rean's group as rage filled his mind. "How did you manage to take the Light Star Sphere away? No one was supposed to be able to move it at all."

Rean and Roan didn't know anything about that, though. They simply used the Soul Gem System to pull the thing into the Dimensional Realm. Was there supposed to be something holding the sphere in place?

[Ahem... well, uh... there was a very strong resistance around the sphere. It's just that it couldn't resist the Soul Gem System's power, so it was pulled away.] Sister Orb told them.

Rean and Roan's mouths twitched in response. Couldn't she have told them that ahead of time? 'You're as useless as always!'

The two didn't even have a chance to explain as the little boy began to gather energy to attack. The space around the entire park was quickly restricted, making it extremely difficult for anyone to enter or leave. The two also saw the red color of killing intent filling the entire air around them. However, before the boy could launch its devastating attack, Sally finally opened her eyes.

*Roarrr! Rorrrrr, Rorrrarrr...*

Just like what she did with the second small white dragon, she seemed to be communicating with the small boy in their own language. "What did you say?" The energy gathering around the boy then disappeared without a trace as he looked at Rean and asked, "Are you sure?"

*Rrawrrrr, roar, rorrrr, rorrarrrr....*

"So, the second guardian has already confirmed it, huh?" The boy calmed down before saying, "Rean, is it? I'll give the second guardian some face. I don't know how you did it, and I won't pursue the matter. All you need to do is place the Light Star Sphere back in its place. Do that, and I won't kill all of you."

Sally also looked at Rean and nodded in response. It was obvious that this boy was much stronger than Saly, so that was the best she could do for them. She had to protect the twins' group, but she couldn't fight against someone like the little boy.

Rean's group sighed in relief, though. They didn't know what happened, but they definitely wouldn't go against the boy's words. The only doubt was whether the Soul Gem System would even open. After all, this light boy was definitely as dangerous as he could possibly be. 'Well, at least the red color of killing intent has disappeared.'

[It's fine. You can send the sphere out.]

Sure enough, the sphere immediately appeared again. Following that, several lines of Divine Energy appeared from all throughout the vicinity, rushing into the Light Star Sphere. It was obvious that the sphere had some extremely important reason to be there in that spot as the entire area seemed to welcome it.

The little boy still had a dark expression on his face, but he nodded theless. "Sigh... tens of thousands of years of slumber, just for some brats to force me to wake up. How much will it slow down my recovery?"

The boy then looked back at Rean's group and told them, "Now, get out of my sight. You better not touch this or any of the other Light Star Spheres in the area. I absolutely won't give you another chance in life." After that, the light that kept the little boy's form disappeared, and so did the boy. It's just that Hurio felt like the boy looked at him at the last moment with a hint of interest. 'What was that?' He didn't tell anyone about it, though.

Rean bitterly smiled and looked at Hurio, telling him, "It seems like our deal was useless in the end."

Hurio nodded with a dejected expression. "Indeed. Here, take the Fallen Light Star Fragments you gave me back." Because of the Soul Binding Contract, everything had to be shared. Since the previous one was now lost, Hurio had much more than Rean, so he had to follow the contract.

Rean didn't reject it, obviously. He also needed them for his breakthrough. "Ahem... should we talk about what just happened, or do you think it's better to ignore it?"

"Ignore it," Roan said immediately. "Tens of thousands of years of slumber. That's what he told us. If that's true, then he has been here longer than the top powers of Lanqueas Continent. Perhaps the entire Lost Star Realm solely exists for that 'recovery' he mentioned. Do you really want to meddle with someone like that?"

Rean, Roan, Kentucky, and Lilia shook their heads vigorously after that. That little boy gave them a feeling of danger several times greater than the small white dragon in the second level.

Roan then turned around, preparing to leave. Even though they lost the sphere, he still intended to go out and explore the third level, trying to find the Freezing Star Liquid. However, he quickly noticed that they had gotten themselves some company. "Well, that boy's show of power caught a lot of attention, it seems."

Sure enough, as soon as the little boy left, the spatial power preventing anyone from entering or leaving around the park soon disappeared. That meant everyone who came after that show of lights was finally able to enter it. Jix Organization, Lanqueas Sect, Didatido Sect, Croste Clan, Krui Clan, Dragon Tail Brotherhood, etc. There were also cultivators who weren't part of the top ten that were here to look for treasures. "That's quite a lot of people...." Rean couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Chapter 1365: Fake Deal

However, some of them immediately recognized Rean's group, especially the lizard on his shoulder. They were the Croste Clan, Lanqueas Sect, Didatido Sect, Jix Organization, and Dragon Tail Brotherhood. Well, in the case of the Dragon Tail Brotherhood, they didn't know about Rean's group having tamed the ancient beast. They simply thought the lizard on Rean's shoulder was very similar to the one they found back in the second level.

Of course, the elder of the Dragon Tail Brotherhood immediately understood that the small armored lizard was definitely the same one. The enormous black hole in his natural spatial perception around the armored lizard was way too easy to notice. "We're leaving. Now."

Without giving any explanation, that elder of the Dragon Tail Brotherhood immediately retreated with the other disciples from the brotherhood. Of course, he at least explained to his own groups that what they were seeing was an ancient beast, and it was better if they stayed as far away as possible from it.

Even the groups that didn't know about Rean and the others also narrowed their eyes as they took a few steps back. Although not every group had a Void Tempering Realm elder following them, at least half of them did. Naturally, they could also see the terrifying creature in front of their eyes due to their natural spatial perception.

It was then that Gigo, the one that Rean's group met earlier, came forward to talk and asked, "Who are you?"

Rean looked at Gigo and couldn't help but smile in response. "Oh! It's our friend from earlier. Thank you for the four Second Stage Turtle Marks. We can now make good use of them."

The groups who were ready to escape were surprised to hear that. Didn't that mean Rean's group had already killed four members of the Didatido Sect? After all, the third level worked by stealing marks from others to receive the recognition of their beast guardian.

Gigo didn't get angry from that, though. "As long as I still have mine, I don't care. However, you still haven't answered my question. Do you know what it means to meddle with the top ten powers' Lost Star Selection?"

Rean shrugged his shoulders after hearing that, telling them, "Fortunately, we have the strength to do that. In any case, if no one wants to do anything, we're leaving."

However, Gigo smiled when he heard that. "As I thought. No one would refrain from using the power of such a strong ancient beast. This ancient beast in your shoulders can't attack anyone, right? Otherwise, there's absolutely no way I could have escaped last time. It can only protect you."

Rean didn't mind nodding since he already expected Gigo to figure out the problem. It simply didn't make sense that Rean's group landed the killing blows when such a strong ancient beast was part of his group. "That's correct. We made an agreement with Sally here, and she now needs to protect us until her services aren't necessary anymore." Of course, Rean wouldn't tell them that Sally would only protect them in the Lost Star Realm. After all, letting them think whatever they wanted was to their advantage.

That's the part that interested Gigo and the members of his Didatido Sect. It's just that they would have rather been alone with Rean's group at this moment instead of having so many people watching the conversation. Now that Gigo had confirmed it, his elder immediately took over the conversation. "I'm Colirano from the Didatido Sect. Gigo told me what happened, and we're obviously very curious. How did you make this ancient beast help you? No one had ever done that before. If you tell us the secret, I can give my word as an elder of the Didatido Sect that no one will cause you harm, even after exiting the Lost Star Realm."

Hurio, Lilia, and Kentucky felt like laughing now. Secret? What secret? It was nothing more than sheer luck. Of course, they wouldn't tell them that. Hurio then took the opportunity to refuse the offer. "You can't really expec-"

However, it was at this moment that Rean shut him up, telling everyone else, "The secret to tame an ancient beast, right? To be honest, it isn't too much of a secret. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Zack Juni, and this person by my side is Zeck Juni. We are cultivators from Jhiod Continent. As for the other two, they're our subordinates."

Roan's mouth twitched after hearing that. Who the hell was Zeck Juni? Hurio and Lilia also didn't feel very happy to be called subordinates. Well, Rean was obviously up to something, so they didn't say anything at the moment.

"Jhiod Continent?!" Obviously, the elders from those top ten powers knew about that place. It was the continent that was supposed to be connected with one of the strong races in the Realm of Gods itself. "Can you prove that?" Of course, Colirano didn't believe that straight away.

Rean then pointed at the Star Armored Salamander on his shoulder and replied, "This should be more than enough proof on our status, no? I've done my homework. Your Lanqueas Continent had access to this place for tens of thousands of years. However, you still weren't able to tame a single ancient beast. In contrast, a Saint Realm cultivator like me did just that."

Of course, just that still made it hard to believe. It's just that whether Rean... or Zack was really part of Jhiod or not didn't matter. What mattered was that it would at least explain why he did have his way to tame the ancient beast. That's what Colirano and the rest cared about.

Rean continued, "I don't mind telling you the secret to tame the ancient beasts. No, to be more specific, you would make an agreement with them. Anyways, if you really want to learn the technique, you'll have to pay for it."

In response to his words, an elder of the Krui Clan couldn't help but snort, saying, "Hmph! And would you tell us the truth after we pay for the information? If that's the case, you'll have to sign a Soul Binding Contract, stating that whatever you said was the truth and that you would die if you lied about the information."

Roan immediately understood Rean's plan, saying through their Soul Connection, 'Not too bad.'

Rean smiled in response as he looked at that elder. "No problem. I can sign it straight away."

Naturally, everyone was taken aback by Rean's words. "If... if you really sign the contract, we're willing to pay for this information." Using a Soul Binding Contract made everything different. There was no way to lie, especially if death was the outcome of breaking the contract.

Rean's smile widened after hearing that. "Great! Then, let me talk about my price. First, you have to tell me everything I need to be one of the selected people to enter the second plane that's filled with Divine Origin Energy. Second, the truth is that we didn't come here for that place. Instead, we came looking for Freezing Star Liquid. It's quite unfortunate that we didn't have enough Divine Stones to buy during the auction outside. With that, we entered this realm so that we could get it.. If you can give us two vials of Freezing Star Liquid, we can sign the contract right now."

Chapter 1366: The Contract

The first condition wasn't too much of a problem. The twins had figured out most of the things already. Even the cultivators that were not part of the top ten already had an idea of what was happening. It's just that they wouldn't be able to escape the next Light Element Wave. The only problem was the Freezing Star Liquid. 

"What?!"

"Freezing Star Liquid?!"

"Are you crazy?"

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find such a thing?"

"You're asking for too much!"

In response, Rean patted Sally's head as he continued, "Is it really that hard? Weird, I thought being able to tame an ancient beast was several times harder. At the very least, of you have ever succeeded in doing it. As for the Freezing Star Liquid, although rare, you have found quite a lot of it after tens of thousands of years. I wonder, which one is worth more in your eyes? The Freezing Star Liquid, or the method to tame the ancient beasts? Well, it's not exactly taming, but you get the idea."

"This..." Rean's words immediately shut everyone up.

Rean knew that he had hooked them, so he struck the iron while it was hot. "In the Soul Binding Contract, I will put a clause where my brother and I won't ever tell anyone else how to form an agreement with the ancient beasts. That means the people who go through this deal with us will be the only ones who will learn the method. I wonder... would one of the top ten powers of Lanqueas Continent find it useful to be able to do these agreements with the ancient beasts? Especially during the times when the Lost Star Selection is happening?"

At that point, the voice of disapproval among the cultivators disappeared. Indeed. How good would it be to be able to borrow the ancient beasts' power when they participated in the Lost Star Selections? Wouldn't that mean they would always be selected? After all, who could fight against the ancient beasts in the Lost Star Realm?

With that, Colirano gritted his teeth and raised his hand, telling them, "I accept the deal. Two vials of Freezing Star Liquid. However, you'll have to sign the Soul Binding Contract first."

Naturally, the elders of the other powers couldn't let the Didatido Sect have the method for themselves. Who knows if they would ever find another way to do the same thing?

"Our Krui Clan is willing to give two vials of Freezing Star Liquid and a thousand Rank Two Divine Stones."

"Hmph! Our Forse Guild offers extra ten thousand Rank Two Divine Stones!"

"Extra fifteen thousand from our Jix Organization!"

"Hehe! If it's Divine Stones, our Croste Clan doesn't lack any of them. Two vials and twenty thousand Rank Two Divine Stones!"

"Ha! Aren't you too cheap? Let me show you why we're the leading force of the Lanqueas Continent. Three Vials of Freezing Star Liquid!"

After hearing that, the others looked at the elder of the Lanqueas Sect. He was one of the four elders sent along with their four groups of five disciples. In fact, he was also the same guy Rean and Roan saw at the exit of the second level, Yuan. 

Naturally, the other powers narrowed their eyes in response when they heard that. Two vials were already pushing it in their eyes. Three vials made it somewhat unfeasible for them. But then again, they needed the methods to form an agreement with the ancient beasts.

"We also offer three vials and the Rank Two Divine Stones," the elder from the Jix organization said.

And just like that, a bidding session had begun. Rean, of course, was delighted to hear all of that. However, he and Roan only needed two vials. As long as they had the necessary items, the Soul Gem System's Starlight Body Cultivation Technique would always work. With that said, he immediately reached a decision. 'It's not much, but it'll serve as a small payback for what they had done.'

Rean then looked at the Croste Clan elder before saying, "Alright, all of you can stop already. The guy from the Croste Clan, what's your name?"

That elder immediately answered, saying, "I'm Opacli Croste."

Rean nodded in response. "I have some connection with your Croste Clan, so I've decided that I'll take your offer. We just need two vials in the end, so there isn't much of a point in the offers continuing to rise. After all, as people from the Jhiod Continent, we don't lack Divine Stones that much."

Opacli was ecstatic to hear that. Even for the entire Croste Clan as a whole, Three vials of Freezing Star Liquid was a ridiculously high price. The twenty thousand Rank Two Divine Stones weren't much of an issue, though.

"Wait, you can't do that!" Naturally, the other powers didn't like that at all.

"We can definitely offer more, even if it isn't Divine Stones."

"Yes. How about rare alchemy pills? We have those as well."

However, Rean didn't seem to care about it. "I have made my decision. If any of you are dissatisfied with my deal, you can make a deal with the Croste Clan later. Opacli, come here and write the Soul Binding Contract. Put there that you shall explain the Lost Star Selection's rules and pay me for the secret. In exchange, I must tell you the methods to form the agreement or my brother and I will die. Also, you can put a clause there that other than me and my brother, no one else in our group knows how to do it. That means it'll be useless to ask Hurio and Lilia about it later."

How could Opacli not agree? Rean basically told him to write everything he wanted to from the very start. He only had one doubt, though. "You don't mind if I put a time limit for you to teach our Croste Clan the method, right?"

Rean smiled in response. "Not at all. However, I will only tell you the methods through a Divine Sense message a moment before the selection is over. Your Croste Clan can make use of this secret in the future, but I don't want to have competition before we're guaranteed a chance in that second plane."

Opacli already expected as much. "That's fine. I'll put the time limit to coincide with the selection's ending."

And with that, Opacli took out one of his own Soul Binding Contracts, just to make sure it was genuine, and wrote down the clauses. 

Chapter 1367: How Will We Do It?

Nevertheless, Rean was curious about one thing. "You accepted the offer. However, do you really have so much Freezing Star Liquid on you right now? It doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd keep carrying around."

Opacli shook his head, telling him, "No one here would have that much. I would be impressed if they had a single vial to start with. However, it'll still take another week or so before the selected are sent to the Lost Star Realm's Divine Plane. That's more than enough time."

Rean was surprised to hear that. "How come? Isn't it a contest of speed to see who gathers the markers first?" Of course, he understood that the 'second' plane his group had been talking about until now was called the Lost Star Divine Plane by the top ten powers, so he didn't ask about the name.

Opacli nodded, explaining, "That's not wrong. For that, I would need to go into the second part of this contract, which is to tell you about everything I know about the Divine Plane. However..." Opacli then looked around, watching the other groups look at him. "It would be better if we make things a bit more private."

Rean understood his meaning before calling Kentucky. Opacli then told the second elder and the rest of the disciples of his Croste Clan to gather together. Soon after, their group took flight to leave that place.

"Wait! You can't just tell them the methods. It'll disrupt the balance between the ten powers during the selections," Yuan from the Lanqueas Sect said.

Rean didn't seem to mind, though. "Well, if you don't like it, you can always try to stop us." As soon as he said that, Sally opened her eyes for a moment and looked at Yuan. That only made Yuan feel a large chill on his back. Stop them? Even if Sally didn't kill anyone, he wasn't that stupid to mess with one of the ancient beasts. In fact, no one was.

After Rean's group had left, the remaining groups immediately distanced themselves from each other. After all, one must remember that they all needed to kill people with second stage marks to receive the third. As for joining hands to deal with Rean's group, that wouldn't happen. They simply couldn't trust each other at all.

*Boom, boom, boom...*

As Rean's group flew away, they heard the sound of explosions of Divine Energy coming from the park. Naturally, the groups there began to fight for the second stage marks.

"You don't need to care too much about them," Opacli said. "There were only seven groups present there. Each top ten power brought four groups of five disciples, so there are a lot more groups that didn't appear. They might have been too far away or didn't even notice the phenomenon."

That helped Opacli bring up his next question. "By the way, what caused those rays of light that gathered at the center of the park?"

Rean smiled in response and continued to be the one among their group to talk as always. "That's a little experiment we were doing. We were trying to see if we could use the third level's power to resist the Light Element Wave that would come later."

Opacli didn't truly believe that, but he had no way to confirm whether it was true or not either. "Is that so...?" He decided to leave that aside for the moment. "Anyways, let me continue. I said it would take another week or so for the selected to be sent to the Divine Plane. However, you're right. Speed also counts here. It's just that it doesn't matter for your group anymore. After all, all of you have already gotten your second stage marks to receive the third guardian dragon's recognition."

Opacli could tell that they had already gone far enough from the other groups, so he asked everyone to land on a nearby ruined building. Soon after, he talked a few things with his group before immediately dashing back in the direction of the park. "Sorry. With the battles going on in the park, there's a good chance that my disciples will get a chance to fish in chaotic waters. I sent them back since they haven't gotten their second stage marks yet. I'll also be joining them soon."

Opacli then talked more about the rules. "Anyways, all your group really needs to do right now is to find the next Dragon Beast Pool. However, you probably can guess that the pool is different from a normal pool. The first one was a pool that was supposed to be frozen in ice but wasn't. The second one, on the other hand, was a lava pool. As for the third one, it's a pool filled with Light Element."

"Light Element?" That was quite surprising for Rean's group.

"Yes." Opacli nodded. "In a certain way, the third pools are the easiest to find. After all, they're very eye-catching. But as I mentioned before, without devouring someone else's second stage mark, your own guardian dragon wouldn't even come out of it. It's just that it's obvious to me that you got your marks from the Didatido Sect's disciples, so you're fine." 

Rean nodded in response. "I see... and what about the Freezing Star Liquid?"

Opacli didn't forget about it. "Once someone gets the third mark from their guardian beast pools, it becomes useless to kill them. Their marks can't be robbed anymore. With that said, speed is paramount. The faster you get your marks and upgrade them to the third stage, the better. The other groups won't try to attack you anymore since it's a waste of time and energy."

"I believe it'll take around a week or so until we don't have anyone anymore with second stage marks. The ones who had them would either already be dead or would have evolved their marks to the third stage. That's enough time for me to get your Freezing Star Liquid. As for how I'll do that, it's a secret I would rather not talk about if you understand me."

Rean could tell that Opacli had some way to communicate and acquire the Freezing Star Liquid from his clan from outside. It's just he didn't know how, nor did he care as long as he got the liquid.. "It's fine. So, how will we do it?"

Chapter 1368: Doubts In Mind

"That's where the next part of the rules come in," Opacli said. "For you to enter the Divine Plane of the Lost Star Realm, you have to gather all the third stage mark owners at the altar in the center of the third level. Only then will their marks gather together to open the passage to the Divine Plane. Of course, only those with the third stage marks will be able to enter it. The rest will only be able to observe."

Rean couldn't help but ask after that. "What will happen to those who don't have the third level marks? After all, a lot of cultivators entered the barrier and are now spread throughout the three levels."

Opacli snorted in response, saying, "Hmph! Who cares about them? They entered it because they wanted to. Their fates were sealed the moment they took that decision. You should know by now that even if someone manages to resist the last eight waves, the top ten powers of the Lanqueas Continent won't make sure they won't be alive for long. Well, at least they served to catch the attention of the other ancient beasts who remained inside the barrier after the waves. That's already a good way of spending their lives for our cause."

Rean narrowed his eyes after that. Sure enough, these guys from the Croste Clan were just like that. No, it would be wrong to put them all inside the same basket. In any case, that's how the majority thought. That made Rean feel even less guilty to steal the vials of Freezing Star Liquid from them. Without a doubt, it would be quite a blow to them. "I understand." Of course, he didn't say or show it on his face.

Roan then told Rean, 'The small white dragon in the second level already said that, so why did you ask?'

Rean glanced at Roan in response, telling him, 'Just trying to see if they had some other alternative for the other cultivators. Seems like it was useless to ask in the first place.'

Roan then decided to change the topic with Opacli. "What about the Divine Plane itself? Is Divine Origin Energy the only thing you can get from there?"

Opacli looked back at Roan with a puzzled expression and asked in response, "Was there supposed to be anything else there?"

Roan narrowed his eyes after hearing that. He was good at detecting lies, and Opacli's answer truly looked to be genuine. 'Then, what did that little girl called Aelrie mean by that? She said that Divine Origin Energy wasn't the only thing in that place.' Of course, it could be that Opacli was simply way too good at lying, just like the other guy Roan met in the outskirts of the Lost Star Realm.

Opacli wanted to close the deal at all costs, so he even helped the twins by telling them where the dragon pools would most likely be found. Now that the twins had signed the contract, he needed to meet them again at the altar so that he could receive the methods to form agreements with the ancient beasts. The good thing was that he truly wrote down that the twins couldn't be lying when they said that only the two of them knew how to do it. That meant Hurio and Lilia, who were following them, didn't know anything. Last but not least, the clause that demanded Rean and Roan not to tell any of the other top ten powers was also written down.

Eventually, Opacli decided to leave. "Alright. I need to go now and meet the disciples of my group. If some of the elders from the other powers decide to attack them, they won't be able to do much to defend against Void Tempering Realm cultivators. I'll meet you again in a week or so at the altar at the center of the third level."

With that said, Opacli immediately left the twins' group, using his spatial power to travel faster.

Rean then looked at the others and said, "Do you think there would be a group of high-level cultivators at that altar a week later to catch us?"

Hurio immediately shook his head, saying, "There won't. If they bring people capable of battling against Sally, that'll destroy most of the third level. Besides, you do remember that boy we met earlier, right? I don't think he'd allow the top ten powers to do as they please in the Lost Star Realm."

Roan agreed with Hurio, telling Rean, "To be honest, I think they know of that boy's existence. As to what that means, that's not our problem."

Lilia was curious about something else, though. "Rean, Roan... there's no such thing as an ancient beast taming method or agreement. How come you're still alive after signing the contract? Shouldn't you have died because of your lie?"

Rean already expected that question, and he did have an answer for that. "Lie? What lie are you talking about? I didn't lie at all. I will indeed tell them the method I used to reach an agreement with Sally and the small white dragon."

Lilia was taken aback by his confidence. "This... but that wasn't exactly a method... instead, it's a lucky event. Besides, we know that you have Light Element Affinity helped with it as well. For some reason, the guardians think very highly of you because of your affinity, saying that no humanoid race should have it in the Realm of Gods or whatever. That's definitely not something the Croste Clan can copy."

Hurio narrowed his eyes after hearing Rean's response. "That's a lie. Soul Binding Contracts aren't so easily bent like that. At the very least, I don't think it's worth testing out how much you can bend the contract as you could really die from it. There's some other secret behind the fact that you two didn't die after signing the contract, isn't there?"

Roan kept silent while Rean shrugged his shoulders as he replied to Hurio's question. "Who knows?"

Hurio didn't like that answer. After all, wouldn't that mean that the Soul Binding Contract he had signed with the twins could also be useless? But then again, Rean and Roan had truly followed the clauses of their contract. "Whatever. Let's keep looking for more Fallen Light Star Fragments."

Rean nodded in agreement. "We will move in the direction of the dragon pools that Opacli mentioned while we do that."

And with more doubts in his mind than before, Hurio started to look for the fragments once again with Rean and the others.

Chapter 1369: Whatever It Was

Well, there wasn't much of a reason for him to worry as the twins didn't intend to go back on the terms of the contract to start with. In other words, it didn't matter whether the contract worked on them or not. Moving that aside, during the next week or so, they avoided all the ancient formations while collecting fragments. Ancient beasts were no issue either, thanks to Sally. 

Eventually, they arrived at the Dragon Beast Pool. It was just as Opacli had mentioned to them. It was very easy to find as it was very eye-catching. Sometime later, after they arrived, an opening appeared on the pool, from which another Guardian Dragon appeared. He was basically a copy of the previous two, except for the golden hue above his white scales. "So the four of you already got second stage marks. According to the rules, you are eligible to receive the third stage and form the complete Dragon Mark."

The small white dragon then looked at Sally for a moment but didn't say anything. It seemed that he had already heard about what happened between Sally and the twins' group. The small white dragon then pointed his claws at Rean, Roan, Kentucky, and Hurio before a ray of golden light came out of them. That ray hit their foreheads before the Dragon Mark on their foreheads grew a head and a tail. "With this, my part is over. Until the next selection."

The small white dragon didn't want to talk at all as he quickly dove into the Light Element Pool. As for the Dragon Marks on the twins' group foreheads, the color of the various parts making up the mark didn't stay the same. Instead, the ice-blue wings and the crimson red body changed color to be the same as the tail and head. It had completely become white as snow.

Seeing that, Rean shrugged his shoulders, telling the others, "Well, let's continue our search for Fallen Light Star Fragments. We already know everything we need about this selection part, so there's no need to care too much about the guardian dragon."

Sure enough, they immediately departed after that. It was just a little sad for the Dragon Tail Brotherhood, as another group came to this same Dragon Pool a day later but only got one of their Dragon Marks completed. As it was the only remaining one in the pool since each guardian dragon could only give five, they had to go to another Dragon Pool.

Of course, many cultivators from the top ten powers ended up heading to other Beast Pools that they initially didn't have anything to do with. Those were the cultivators who lost their Beast Marks for whatever reason and decided to steal the marks from those who succeeded. Celso's group was one of them. Celso did have his own Dragon Mark, but two of his companions had the Monkey Mark and the Snake Mark, respectively, which they actually stole from others. 

In the meantime, Rean's group had gotten quite lucky. They found even more Fallen Light Star Fragments along their way to the altar at the center of the third level. In fact, most of them couldn't even be said to be hidden at all, showing how little people cared about them. However, two days prior to their arrival at the altar, they could not help but involve themselves in a surprising event.

Kentucky was flying up high in the sky above the ruins, watching to see if there were no enemies near them when he noticed something. "Hmm...?" He looked up at the sky and could see with his better eyesight that a new star seemed to have appeared in the sky. One must remember that inside the Lost Star Realm, it was possible to see the stars above the Realm of Gods, which wasn't possible outside. 

At first, he thought it was just his imagination. However, that star seemed to increase in size the more time passed. Eventually, he was certain that he wasn't wrong and immediately called Rean's group below. "Rean, Roan, look up."

Rean and Hurio looked at the sky and didn't understand what Kentucky meant. They were 10 kilometers apart as always, so they first got close to each other before asking, "What are you talking about, Kentucky?"

Kentucky quickly landed on the ground and used his wing to point in the direction of the right star. "That star over there seems to be getting closer to the Lost Star Realm."

Rean and the others narrowed their eyes after hearing that, but they couldn't see any difference. Then again, if Kentucky said so, he should be right. "Isn't that bad? If it's heading in the direction of the Lost Star Realm, then it's not a star but a meteor instead. Depending on its size, it might kill everyone here."

Hurio shook his head in response, saying, "I don't think such a thing would happen. The Lost Star Realm has been here for so long already. If that's the case, how come we didn't see any crater?"

Rean had to admit Hurio was right, shrugging his shoulders in response. "Then, should we follow it to see where it will fall?"

Kentucky looked up again and pondered in silence for a bit before saying. "I can tell more or less where it's going to fall. However, do you really want to get close to it or wait until it lands first?"

Roan immediately decided for them. "Let's go where it'll land. It's just as Hurio mentioned. There has to be something to prevent such a thing from causing a lot of damage. Who knows? Perhaps the Fallen Light Star Fragments we're picking up originate from these meteors."

Rean then looked at Sally, who surprisingly wasn't sleeping at the moment. Since she was awake, he decided to ask, "Sally, is that okay to get close to that thing?"

Sally looked at the sky after that and nodded in response. "If... danger... I... flee... with... everyone..." As always, she wasn't very good at using words. Yet, the twins' group understood that she could flee with them if necessary. With her control over spatial powers, it shouldn't be an issue.

With that, everyone hopped on Kentucky's back as the Minokawa flew in the direction of the meteor... or whatever it was.

Chapter 1370: Gone

Surprisingly, it turned out that the 'star' wasn't approaching the ground at high speeds. At some point, Kentucky was able to tell its speed, which wasn't anything that could cause trouble. The reason he didn't notice it before was that this 'star' was very small, so the light it generated was quite difficult to discern. "It's moving at around 200 kilometers per hour or so. However, I think it's no bigger than a meter in diameter. Then again, it does have a huge amount of Light Element contained in it. Otherwise, it wouldn't shine that much."

Eventually, Kentucky landed on top of a building as everyone watched the star. By now, even Rean and the others were able to follow the star with their eyes and tell how big it was. "Hey, isn't it breaking apart?" Rean could not help but ask the others.

Kentucky immediately confirmed, nodding. "It is... it will rain down above our position if it continues to break apart."

Roan then commented after that, "It seems like this is how the Fallen Light Star Fragments end up in the third level. With that, I wonder where that thing comes from. After all, it's definitely not a real star. It's more like a meteorite that received a huge amount of Light Element for some reason."

Rean agreed with Roan, saying, "Indeed. If you look at the Fallen Light Star Fragments we got so far, the materials they're made of aren't exactly the same. I'm just curious as to what could make these meteorites transform into items made out of pure Light Element."

After that, Rean's group watched it get closer and closer as they stood still. They could simply collect the fragments once they hit the ground. Even if the cultivators from the top ten powers appeared, they wouldn't care about it too much. No one among them cared about Light Element materials, after all.

However, it was then that Kentucky noticed something far off in the distance, thanks to his better eyesight. "Hey... isn't that Hurio's sister?"

Hurio and Lilia's hearts skipped a beat as they immediately looked in the direction Kentucky pointed at. However, all they could see were some small dots and nothing else. They didn't have the same level of sight as Kentucky, after all. "Are you sure? Can you see the rest of our people there? Is Elder Lamanto there?"

Kentucky shook his head as he replied, "I'm not sure. I can only tell that your sister seemed to be on top of a building not much smaller than ours. I have no idea what she's trying to do, though."

Rean pondered in silence for a bit before asking, "Did she see us as well?"

Kentucky shook his head, telling him, "I doubt so. I only noticed her because there seemed to be some white light flickering around her body. We're not doing anything that could catch her attention, so she shouldn't have perceived our presence yet."

Hurio and Lilia were obviously more affected by the news, so Roan asked, "Do you know what she's doing?"

Hurio shook his head, answering Roan's question. "No. The specifics of what would happen in the Lost Star Realm were kept secret from Lilia and me."

Lilia confirmed Hurio's words, adding, "Indeed. Even though I was also chosen to come along in this expedition, only Mira and Lamanto were told what we would be doing. I wasn't even sure whether we would even get into the third level or not."

"Let's wait and see, then," Rean said. "Kentucky can watch from afar and tell us what's happening. If you feel like you want to go and talk to her, then you can go there after finding out what she's doing."

Hurio and Lilia nodded after hearing that. "Alright." Lilia didn't mind doing that anymore because they had Sally now. Mira told her before they separated that whatever they were doing was very dangerous. That's why Hurio wasn't supposed to be part of it, which was also the reason why she agreed to force Hurio to follow her. 

Kentucky then began to tell the others with Divine Sense what he was seeing. 'The light around Mira's body is now rising to the skies. Oh, I can see the others now. They're positioned all around Mira in some pattern. Hmm... I believe they're activating some kind of formation.'

'Wait! The light coming from Mira's body is heading in the direction of the falling star.'

Rean's group immediately looked up after that, and sure enough, they saw a beam of light heading straight for the Fallen Light Star Meteorite, the same meteorite that was on the verge of breaking apart. However, at the very moment the beam of light touched it, it seemed to want to change direction. From the looks of it, it was making its way to where Mira and her group were located.

'Oh! The meteorite was full of cracks just a moment ago. However, the cracks are being melded as it continues to fall. On top of that, its speed is continuing to increase. It has already surpassed 300 kilometers per hour... 350 kilometers per hour... 400 kilometers per hour...' It wasn't hard for Kentucky to judge its speed at all.

Eventually, the meteorite was moving so fast that it had also turned into a beam of light in their eyes. 'Is Mira trying to kill herself and her group?'

Hurio and Lilia shook their heads in response. 'Definitely not. There has to be a reason why she's using the Light Star Meteorite.'

Kentucky nodded, saying, 'In any case, brace yourselves. It has already gone past 1000 kilometers per hour in speed. In the next few seconds, it's bound to hit the building where your sister and the others are on top of.'

Surprisingly, Kentucky was right. The Light Star Meteorite reached the building not long after and was ready to destroy it with its impact. Even if it was less than a meter in diameter, the momentum behind it could already cause huge damage. For some reason, Mira and her group didn't move at all, as if wishing to be hit by the meteorite.

However, just as the impact was about to happen, the meteorite seemed to burst into bright light for a fraction of a second. It was so bright that even Kentucky had to turn his eyes away. Soon after... nothing!

With his better eyesight, Kentucky noticed that the burst of light had disappeared in an instant and immediately looked back at the top of the building. 'What?! Where is the meteorite? No, wait! Where are Mira and the others? They disappeared!' 

Indeed.. The top of the building was empty while Mira's group was now gone.

Chapter 1371: Good To See You Again

"Gone? How are they gone?" Hurio and Lilia were obviously shocked to hear that. "First of all, where's the explosion that should have happened?"

Kentucky shook his head as he replied, "How would I know that? After that flash of bright light, everything disappeared. And by everything, I mean the meteorite and your sister's group."

Rean shrugged his shoulders after that. "Well, now we know what they wanted to do, although we don't know what purpose it serves." Rean then looked at Lilia and Hurio and said, "We only have another day or so before arriving at the altar. We don't have much time left. Do you guys want to go check what your sister was doing in that building, or do you want to go ahead?"

"This..." Hurio had the full Dragon Mark now, and Lilia would be safe with Sally on her side. If they went there, they might become involved in whatever Mira and Lamanto were trying to do in the Lost Star Realm.

Rean also added, "To be honest, I already got enough Fallen Light Star Fragments around three days ago. I'm only collecting more in case I need them for something else in the future. I'm a blacksmith, after all. If you want to go and see what your sister was trying to do, Roan and I will take our leave here."

Hurio couldn't help but say in response, "If you do that, then Sally will leave with you. She's only here because of your Light Element Affinity. Once that happens, Lilia and I will become helpless if the cultivators from the top ten powers find us. Let's not even mention the Light Element Wave that will come sometime later."

"Well, that's true." Rean didn't deny Hurio's words, nodding.

Roan then glanced at Hurio and Lilia and asked them, "Do you really want us to follow you, though? I believe you haven't forgotten that you still haven't told us what you needed the Fallen Light Star Fragments for. If Roan and I go there, wouldn't we find out? At the moment, we don't have an interest in whatever your sister's group is doing. But if it turns out that we can get something out of it, we won't mind using Sally to acquire it."

Sure enough, those words made Hurio and Lilia shut up. Sally was protecting their group, sure. However, she was protecting Rean above all. There was nothing Hurio and Lilia could do about that. "Sigh... fine. Let's head to the altar."

Roan narrowed his eyes, though. If they had said that they didn't care anymore, it would be fine. They could simply fly to that building with Kentucky and see what they could find. However, even now, Hurio would rather not risk Rean, Roan, and Kentucky from finding out what they were using the Fallen Light Star Fragments for compared to what Mira and Lamanto were trying to do. Just what could be that important?

Rean nodded with a smile after that, saying, "If that's the case, let's get on Kentucky and head to the altar. Who knows? Perhaps your sister's group found a way to enter that Divine Plane that no one knows, and we'll actually meet them there. Hahaha!"

Hurio and Lilia looked at each other after that. At the very least, Mira and Lamanto didn't seem to know much about the Light Barrier, the Light Element Waves, and the so-called Divine Plane. They looked very surprised when they saw that Light Element Wave for the first time as well. Could it be that they knew about it and pretended they didn't? Then again, why would they know about some secret entrance that even the top ten powers were unaware of? That didn't seem plausible.

Nevertheless, Hurio couldn't help but think about that boy they met in the park. He still remembered how that boy seemed to look in his direction just before he disappeared. 'Why do I feel like the boy and my sister's group are connected?' It's just that he didn't tell anyone about that.

Of course, Rean could try one last thing. "Sally, do you know what the people on that building were trying to do?" Sure enough, there was still Sally there. She seemed to be acquainted with the Guardian Beasts in the pools, so she might have an idea.

However, Sally just shook her head in response. "No..." It was hard to tell whether she was telling the truth or not. In any case, Rean didn't insist on it.

"Well then. Let's go." After that, Rean immediately jumped on Kentucky's back, followed by the others right after. Eventually, Kentucky took flight and resumed their journey.

Along the way, Rean took the chance to ask Hurio, "By the way. Are you okay with not looking for more Fallen Light Star Fragments? If so, I'll tell Kentucky to bring us straight to the altar."

Hurio and Lilia looked at each other after that as they seemed to be discussing something through Divine Sense messages. A moment later, Hurio finally nodded as he replied, "I already got more than I expected, so we're fine. Of course, if we can get more, then that would be even better."

Rean shook his head after hearing that. "Since you don't need any extra ones, we won't stop anymore." Rean then turned to Kentucky and told him, "You heard the guy."

"Yep. I won't stop." Kentucky then flapped his wings with a lot more strength and zoomed into the distance with Rean's group on his back.

It took around a day and a half, but Rean's group arrived at the altar that Opacli talked about. Not only that, but they soon found out that quite a few cultivators had gathered there as well. The majority of them had the clothes and badges of the top ten powers, with just a few other cultivators that didn't really understand what was happening there.

Rean wasn't sure how many of the top ten powers' disciples died in the fights for the marks. However, it was obvious that not even half of the amount that first entered the Light Barrier was present. Perhaps some of them haven't arrived yet, but there was no doubt that many had passed away by now, losing their marks for the sake of the selection.

"Zack! Zeck! Over here!" As they arrived at the altar, Rean immediately recognized a voice calling for them. Sure enough, Opacli was there. As for the disciples he was in charge of, only two of them seemed to be alive with complete beast marks on their foreheads. The other three disciples Opacli was in charge of were nowhere to be seen.

Moving closer to him, Rean smiled in response and said, "It's good to see you again, Sir Opacli."

Chapter 1372: Resonance

Opacli nodded, saying, "Same goes for me. So, we should be very close to the number of cultivators with complete marks now. Once the time comes, everyone's marks will interact with the altar in the center, and the passage to the Divine Plane will open. That's also the moment where you'll have to tell me the methods to form an agreement with the ancient beasts."

Rean and Roan nodded in response. "That's obvious. We definitely don't want to die here for nothing. In the end, whether you can form agreements with the ancient beasts or not isn't our problem. After all, we intend to go back from where we came after we're done with it. That's why we don't really care that much in telling you since we would have reaped the benefits already."

Opacli was satisfied to hear that. Of course, he wasn't concerned since Rean and Roan... or Zack and Zeck had signed the Soul Binding Contracts. That's something one shouldn't be able to escape from. "Oh, by the way..." Opacli remembered something else. "You told me you had some relationship with our Croste Clan. However, I couldn't find anyone there that knew people that looked like you."

Rean just smiled in response, telling him, "Of course, you didn't. After all, this isn't our real appearance, nor is it our real name. Senior Opacli should know that we wouldn't reveal our real identities that easily, right?"

Opacli wasn't the least bit surprised by Rean's words. "As I thought. Then, what kind of relationship do you have with our Croste Clan? Would you mind telling me who it may be that you know there? Perhaps it can make things easier for your group once you exit the Lost Star Realm. We do have quite some power in this continent, after all."

Rean thought that Opacli might have an idea already. After all, Rean made it simple for them. Two brothers? Connection with the Croste Clan? Wouldn't that mean these brothers with different features were the same duo that had a relationship with Tixa? But then again, the relationship with Tixa was kind of a scandal, so chances are that almost no one in the Croste Clan itself knew of it. It would definitely explain why the Croste Clan didn't connect the dots.

"Leaving that aside, did you bring the Divine Stones and the vials of Freezing Star Liquid?" Rean didn't answer Opacli's question and instead asked for the items.

Opacli wasn't surprised that 'Zack' didn't answer and nodded right after. "Yes, here you go." He then threw a spatial ring to Rean, which Rean quickly checked. Inside it were the vials and the twenty thousand Rank Two Divine Stones.

Roan also checked the contents of the ring and was very satisfied. In the end, he didn't have to go explore this place without any guarantees that he would find the liquid. 'Send the vials and Divine Stones into the Dimensional Realm. If there's any kind of tracker on them, it will be useless in the Dimensional Realm.'

Rean agreed with Roan on that. 'Sure thing.'

The vials and Divine Stones then fell into the Dimensional Realm, which Sister Orb immediately checked. [Hehe! You were right. It's very well hidden, but there's a tracker inside the Divine Stones. Oh well, it's useless as nothing can enter or leave the Dimensional Realm without our permission, including the signal it produces.]

Rean and Roan nodded after that. Right after, Rean looked at Opacli again and said, "Everything is okay. Well, we do have a Soul Binding Contract active for both sides, so I wasn't afraid of our deal going south to start with."

Opacli sighed in relief. "So, can you tell me how to form an agreement with the ancient beasts? We have already reached this point, and everyone is more or less ready to enter the second plane. It shouldn't take long for it to open."

Rean shook his head, telling Opacli, "Wait until the passage opens. I want to guarantee that nothing wrong will happen."

Opacli could only play along as the contract did state that Rean had to pass the information before entering the Divine Plane. Since it hadn't opened yet, he didn't have to say anything yet.

In the meantime, Hurio looked at how Rean's deal was concluded and how the contract didn't take any effect on him. By now, Hurio was really thinking that perhaps the twins had a way to avoid the contract. 'Oh well... I've already reached his place, so I can only move forward.'

Another day and a half passed in a flash until finally, one last cultivator, surprisingly someone who wasn't part of any of the top ten powers, appeared with a complete bear mark. His presence obviously caught the attention of the people from the top ten powers. After all, of them had noticed that guy before. Of course, it was obvious that he had to kill members of the top ten powers to get his mark. As for which of the ten powers had the bear marks, it was the Forse Guild.

The members of the Forse Guild, including their Void Tempering Realm elder, narrowed their eyes when they saw that. However, now that everyone had reached the altar, they couldn't do anything with the guy anymore. A complete mark couldn't be robbed, even if the owner was killed. Besides, his mark was necessary to open the Divine Plane. In any case, the elder and the disciples marked his features and would definitely look for this guy once the event was over.

Roan looked at the man as well and couldn't help but comment, "That guy... isn't part of the humanoid races."

Surprisingly, Roan was right. The man was, in fact, a demon beast who reached the Transition Realm. As mentioned before, demon beasts could assume a humanoid form when they reached that level. Here, in the Realm of Gods, that's also when they acquired intelligence. He had several features of his demon beast race, even as a human. However, above all else, his demonic beast aura was clear as day for everyone present.

Then again, there wasn't much time to think about it.. That's because the moment the guy appeared, all the third stage marks on everyone's foreheads activated and started to resonate with the altar in the center.

Chapter 1373: Entering The Portal

From what the twins heard, the portal to the Divine Plane would appear at the base of the altar. The altar itself was enormous, having several tens of meters. Many inscriptions that no one could understand were engraved on it, all of which resonated with the cultivators' marks. 

At some point, the Void Tempering Realm elders from the top ten powers felt spatial power gathering around the altar. The level of the spatial powers being attracted by the altar was very high, something that those elders couldn't even dream about wielding someday. 

Eventually, the ground seemed to open... well, the ground was still there. It's just that the portal appeared right on top of it. The altar itself was in the middle, seeming to be floating on a pool of dark water. Sure enough, the portal appeared at the base of the altar, surrounding it completely. 

As soon as that was done, one cultivator, who wasn't part of the top ten powers, rushed inside. He had been lurking around, trying to understand what was happening in the Lost Star Realm. There were quite a few others in the area in the same situation as him, knowing that the top ten powers were up to something that was probably very beneficial. 

No one tried to stop the guy, though. In fact, Rean could see the disdain in the eyes of the disciples from the top ten powers. It was obvious that they knew something would happen.

*Bzzzzzzz!*

Right when that guy entered the portal, the altar shone with white light, instantly enveloping his body. 

*Arrrrgh!*

The white light seemed to melt the guy's body in the next moment, giving him only the chance to scream before his body was pulverized. That scene made Rean's group remember the Light Element Wave they saw before entering the depths of the Lost Star Realm.

The rest of the cultivators obviously didn't dare to get even close to the portal now. The guy who tried to rush inside was in the Late Stage of the Transition Realm but still died in an instant. Their fates wouldn't be any better if they tried it.

Eventually, some disciples from the Vanios Sect, which had marks that looked like a three-legged white crow, moved towards the portal. When they got close, the altar once again shone with the same white light. However, they didn't get affected by it at all. The three-legged white crow on their foreheads glowed as it released some kind of power that kept the altar's light from touching them. Following that, they jumped inside the portal on the ground and disappeared.

The other powers' disciples who had their third stage marks did the same, jumping inside the altar's portal one after another.

Rean then looked at Sally and said, "Sally, we are going ahead. You'll be responsible for protecting Lilia until the Light Element Waves are gone. Alright?"

Sally nodded and floated to Lilia's shoulder. Since Lilia didn't have any marks, she obviously couldn't enter the altar's portal. Lilia and Hurio then discussed something through Divine Sense before they bade each other farewell. After all, Hurio would be sent outside the Lost Star Realm after the Divine Plane closed a week later.

Rean, Roan, and Hurio then jumped on Kentucky's back. "Alright! Let's go, Kentucky!"

Opacli was taken aback and quickly reminded Rean. "Hey, you haven't told me the method to control the ancient beasts yet. You'll die if you enter the portal without telling me."

Rean looked at Opacli and laughed after that. "Hahaha! True, true! Very well, this is how I formed an agreement with the ancient beasts." Rean then retold how he gained Sally's trust, much to Opacli's shook. "What?! Did you heal that Armoured Salamander's child? Wait! That isn't useable at all! I made it very clear in the contract that the method had to be possible to be used by our clan. This is far from that."

Rean shook his head as he replied, "Of course, it's not! All you need to do is find an ancient beast with a child who's at the brink of death and help him. Of course, that's only if the ancient beast doesn't kill anyone who gets close." 

Kentucky then took flight and headed to the portal. At the same time, Rean gave Opacli one last piece of information. "By the way, tell Tixa... no, wait! Her real name is Maeralya Croste. Anyways, tell Maeralya that her lovers are still alive and kicking. Next time, don't go around wiping out several cities. For now, we're taking these vials of Freezing Star Liquid and Rank Two Divine Stones for what you did. You shouldn't have tried to kill us, much less kill all those innocent people while doing that."

Opacli was enraged. First of all, what were the twins even talking about? Maeralya's lovers? He didn't know anything about that. All he knew was that those three vials of Freezing Star Liquid were worth a huge fortune, and even the Croste Clan would feel a huge pain to lose that. "Wait right there!"

Opacli immediately used his spatial powers and tried to stop the twins. However, Sally's eyes shone with a fiery light before her Fire-attribute spatial power came out and hit Opacli. This time, she didn't care about keeping him alive and immediately obliterated the guy. Opacli had nothing to do with the selection, after all. He didn't have a mark.

Sally then looked at the two disciples that were together with Opacli, which made them almost piss in their clothes. However, unlike Opacli, they had the third stage marks, so she couldn't do anything to them. Sally and Lilia waited for the twins to disappear into the portal after that. Once that happened, Sally covered Lilia with her spatial powers, and the two females soon disappeared on the spot. With Sally's control over space, of the elders there could hope to follow them. And just like that, the Croste Clan lost an elder and a huge fortune.

The remaining elders of the other powers snorted after seeing that. In the end, there was no such thing as an ancient beast control method. For them, it was very good that they lost the bid since they would be the ones to receive the loss.

Not too long after, all the disciples and that demon beast with third stage marks entered the portal.. The portal disappeared right after, confirming that everyone who had the right to enter had done so already.

Chapter 1374: What Is This Thing?

Nevertheless, in the area where the elders saw the disciples disappearing, their disdain as to what happened to the elder of the Croste Clan only lasted a few moments. After all, they had another issue, which was the fact that Rean's group had entered the Divine Plane. 

"What now? I already informed my sect about what happened here," an elder of the Vanios Sect could not help but say. 

"There isn't much we can do. As you know, everyone is teleported randomly in the Lanqueas Continent once the Divine Plane is done." This time, it was the elder of the Jix Organization who said that.

All these elders had been enemies not long ago, helping their disciples acquire the third stage marks. But now that the Divine Plane had opened, they didn't have a need to fight anymore. They could put their heads together to think about the twins' group and that demon beast who found out about the truth of the Lost Star Selection.

"I'm pretty sure the Croste Clan left some way of tracking those brats down. I definitely would if it was me."

"Indeed. However, we can't risk it too much. It would be better if our disciples in the Divine Plane got rid of them."

"That's complicated. The Divine Plane was always used for cultivation, after all. If they lost precious time cultivating while looking for those guys, they wouldn't achieve the breakthroughs they need to achieve."

"He's right. I also told my guild's disciples that they should ignore everything and focus on cultivation. Only attack if attacked."

"Not to mention that at first, they wouldn't be able to do anything to anyone else. You know how the Divine Plane works."

It was then that an elder mentioned, "But did you hear Opacli's words before he died? He made sure the Soul Binding Contract's clauses were written in a way that Zack and Zeck couldn't avoid. However, it didn't seem like those two suffered anything from breaking the contract."

"Hmph! There's no way to avoid the contract. It was definitely Opacli's mistake that left some opening in the clauses that allowed those guys to ignore it."

Yuan, the Lanqueas Sect Elder, shook his head as he said, "You all know just how important Feezing Star Liquid is for us. It's an extremely rare material for Yin Energy cultivators. If it were you, would you leave any breaches in the contract those brothers could exploit?"

With that, everyone went silent. Sure enough, they would definitely not do something that stupid, especially with how fishy this ancient beast controlling method sounded. "Are you telling me that those brothers have a way to nullify the Soul Binding Contracts?"

Yuan nodded in response. "Yes." However, he also warned everyone. "It's just that I'm not sure. Who knows? It might really have been a mistake from Opacli's side. I strongly doubt that to be the case, though."

The elders there pondered in silence for a moment before they reached a conclusion. "We better contact our higher-ups and let them know about it. We must capture those brothers at all costs. Someone try to contact the Croste Clan as well. With Opacli's death, there isn't anyone left to send a message to them."

The Jix Organization elder nodded. "Leave it to me. My Jix Organization is the closest one to the Croste Clan. I'll tell them to send someone to talk with them and try to understand more about those brothers. They said something about being lovers with Maeralya, and the only Maeralya I know is the princess of their clan. We need to learn more about it."

Eventually, they all agreed to that before they looked at the other cultivators in the area. Sure enough, they were all at a loss on what to do now that the portal had closed. All they could do was to wait and see what the elders of the top ten powers would do to survive the Light Element Waves and try to copy that.

However, those elders just snorted in response and immediately left together. They did have a way to survive. But they wouldn't tell those people how it was done. First of all, if not because they knew the Light Element Wave would kill those people, they would have done it themselves. Those cultivators had seen too much already.

Meanwhile, in the Divine Plane of the Lost Star Realm, the twins and the other cultivators from the various powers appeared one after another. The space was anything but big. It was possible to see the spatial barrier surrounding the area. Rean and Roan immediately recognized that since the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm had a similar barrier to separate it from the outside world.

All the cultivators that appeared in that Divine Plane then dropped to the ground as the portal was located on the ceiling of that plane. Rean's group also noticed the same altar that was located on the third level of the Lost Star Realm. As mentioned before, the altar opened a portal around it, and it seemed that the other half of the altar was inside this place.

Rean then commented through the Soul Connection with Roan, 'This place should span any more than a few dozen kilometers from one side of the plane to the other.'

Roan agreed with him. 'It's still bigger than the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm, though. I believe it's around three times as big.'

It was then that they received a message from Celis through Sister Orb. 'Who cares about how big it is? Can't you feel the Divine Origin Energy? Stop wasting time and start cultivating already. Open a passage so that I can use my roots... no, forget making a passage. Bring me out and let's cultivate together!' Celis was obviously ecstatic with all the energy he could feel from the Dimensional Realm.

However, Rean and Roan had to first guarantee they were safe. After all, they appeared in this place together with the disciples from the other top ten powers. What if they all decide to attack their group?

'Wait!' It was then that Rean noticed something. 'How come Celis is talking to us? The Soul Gem Dimensional Realm should be closed at the moment due to the dangerous situation we're in.'

Sister Orb immediately answered. [There's nothing dangerous here. At least at this very moment, no one can attack you. Everyone here is pretty much immune to any damage.] 

Only then did Rean and Roan notice that their bodies seemed to have a soft white glow over them.. It was very faint, so they only noticed it now. 'What is this thing?'

Chapter 1375: Divine Demon Bird

Sister Orb immediately answered them. [That's the thing that's protecting everyone here. The Divine Origin Energy in this place is being mixed with Light Element before being attached to the living beings in this Divine Plane. Don't ask me how it's being done, though. All I can tell you is that there's a formation working on it, but its level is so high that even analyzing it would take me centuries at the very least.]

Fortunately, Rean and Roan were more than satisfied with that explanation. After that, they looked around and saw that the disciples of the top ten powers were heading to their own corners. They also saw the two disciples who were following Opacli look at them with dark expressions. However, even though both of them were in the Initial Stage of the Transition Realm, of them tried to attack the twins.

Hurio didn't hear Sister Orb's explanation, so Rean told him about the protection barrier himself. Of course, he pretended that it was just an idea of his since no one attacked them. Hurio nodded after listening, obviously happy that they wouldn't need to fight in this place.

In any case, the Divine Plane was basically empty. Other than the white glow coming from its ground, there was nothing else to see in the area. That puzzled Rean's group a little, as the little girl told them that there was something else they might be able to acquire here.

"Can you guys see anything different in this place at all?" Rean asked.

Roan, Kentucky, and Hurio shook their heads in response. "Everything looks exactly the same. However, Divine Sense doesn't work well in this Lost Star Realm, so there might be something hidden here. Or perhaps the little girl was just making us look like fools all this time."

After that, Kentucky brought their group to a corner far from the other cultivators. Since this plane was basically a flat white glowing ground, it was very easy to see the other cultivators. And that was considering the fact that all of them distanced themselves from each other, spanning several kilometers.

Kentucky couldn't help but mention something at that point. "Since we're all protected by this light, why would those disciples from the top ten powers stay so far from each other? It shouldn't matter where you cultivate."

Roan agreed with Kentucky, coming up with an idea as he answered, "That might mean that this protection won't last forever. You all better keep your eyes peeled in case you see anything different. Anyways, let's not waste time anymore. Kentucky, go down."

To be safe, Kentucky landed as far as he could from any of the other teams before Rean, Roan, and Hurio hopped off his back. "Now then. Although there might be something else we should pay attention to here, that shouldn't be our focus. Instead, do as all the others are doing, and let's cultivate."

Rean nodded in response before he and Roan accessed the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm and pulled Celis out. Suddenly, an enormous Demon Tree appeared in that Divine Plane, much to everyone's surprise.

"The hell?!"

"Where did that thing come from?!"

"It's a Demon Tree... but which species is that?"

"Did it pass the test as well without anyone noticing?"

"As if! If it had, it would have entered from the same portal as we did. However, it just appeared several kilometers away from it."

"Those guys from the Jhiod Continent are really resourceful."

By now, the cultivators were really starting to believe that Rean's group came from Jhiod. Otherwise, how would they be able to do such a thing? Hiding a Demon Tree on that side should be extremely hard.

Hurio, obviously, was even more shocked. "What the fuck is this thing?!"

Rean laughed before introducing the tree to Hurio. "This is Celis. Just like Kentucky, he also has sentience. He came from the same continent as we did."

Celis looked at Hurio for a moment before completely ignoring him. Instead, Celis spread his roots all around, covering at least a kilometer in radius. He only wanted to cultivate and absorb as much Divine Origin Energy as possible, and his roots would help a lot with that. However... "This ground can't be penetrated. I tried to burrow my roots into it, but my roots couldn't go even a centimeter down." 

Rean then asked back, "Will that reduce your cultivation speed?"

Celis shook his head, replying, "No. This place isn't the outside world. Since there isn't a real ground for me to attach myself to, then the cultivation speed will stay the same."

"That's good." Obviously, Rean, Roan, and Kentucky were happy to hear that.

Celis then looked at Kentucky after that and told him, "Come to your nest and cultivate there. With our synergy, our cultivation speed will be much higher."

Kentucky didn't need to hear it twice before landing on Celis's back. In fact, Celis didn't even try to look like a different Demon Tree and immediately returned to his World Swallowing Cedar form. Thanks to that, someone in the group recognized his race.

"A World Swallowing Cedar!" Surprisingly, it wasn't the disciples from the top ten powers that recognized Celis. Instead, it was that demon beast who was in his human form, the only other being other than the twins' group who had entered this place.

He intended to first sit down and cultivate. However, after seeing that, he immediately came to talk with Rean's group. 

Naturally, Rean's group noticed his approach. "Hello, sir. Do you need anything?"

The demon beast then looked at the top of the World Swallowing Cedar and saw Kentucky sit on his nest, looking at him as well. Eventually, he decided to ask, "Are you willing to sell this World Swallowing Cedar to me? I can pay a very good price for him."

Rean and Roan looked at Celis with weird expressions. Sell Celis? They didn't have that kind of authority. Rean then asked Celis through a Divine Sense Message, 'Well, you heard the guy. Do you want to sell yourself?'

Celis felt like giving Rean a beating. 'Fuck you. Can't you tell? He's obviously a Divine Demon Bird. Otherwise, why would he show any interest in me? He also wants to build a nest on me. Just so you know, Kentucky and I totally can feel the Divine Blood in his body.'

Rean was surprised to hear that, and he immediately looked back at that demon beast and asked, "Which kind of Divine Demon Bird are you?"