Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

"Wait, did you get a gemstone this time?" Xiao Mengyu asked.

Shen Ye looked at his hand subconsciously.

Indeed, there was an extra gemstone!

However, this gemstone had no luster and looked like a normal stone, nothing like the previous two.

Those two had appeared soundly on Shen Ye's hand.

—while this one was full of cracks, as if it might shatter at any moment.

Shen Ye directly activated the "Tool of Destiny".

Several lines quickly emerged:

"This is a gemstone eroded by Demonic Qi and is no longer usable for you."

"Through this gemstone, you vaguely see the outcome of the technique."

"There is no turning back—"

"All destinies are already sealed."

"The technique failed, and the destruction of the Penglai Immortal Mountain has also occurred, never to be reversed."

"—Look for another path."

Shen Ye read it quickly and couldn't help but sigh.

He hadn't expected the outcome to be like this.

He had actually killed Yun Ni not long ago.

He had also used a fate that was already completely determined to confine her.

So he understood better than anyone—

Destiny was set.

There really was no way around it.

But there was another extremely important question.

"Teacher, who exactly are the enemies of the Immortal Country? Why haven't they shown themselves from start to finish?"

Shen Ye asked, puzzled.

—This was the real enigma!

Whether it was the infiltration of the immortal mountain, cultivators being demonized, or the light columns from the bombardment formation technique, they all proved the enemies' terror—

But who were the enemies?

"There were many speculations back then, but no one knows who exactly it was," Xu Xingke said.

"Why is this so?" Shen Ye asked.

Xu Xingke, holding a cigarette, gradually became serious:

"Most life forms are suitable for survival on planets, but some are born to freely roam the universe, such as the king species, the Cosmic Giant Insects, and maybe others."

"There are many cosmic monsters that are extremely skilled at using the power of the universe to hide themselves, blocking investigation."

"If it attacks from within the universe, it must have laid countless traps."

"Moreover, a monster capable of annihilating an Immortal Country—"

"No one dares to explore the truth lightly."

"Because a careless move might not only cost them their lives, but their entire civilization might be completely destroyed."

"—Some cosmic monsters can simply devour an entire planet."

This was the first time Shen Ye had heard of such a thing, and he was somewhat shocked.

Xiao Mengyu, however, nodded:

"When our planet was destroyed, the family head of that generation also paid a heavy price, summoning a cosmic beast capable of traversing the universe and moved the whole family to the Death Planet."

Shen Ye sighed.

Cosmic monsters.

A single king species could block off the entire Death Planet.

If it were a monster from the Ninety-Nine Layer Universe, or even higher—

It was unimaginable.

There was just no way around it.

"We must hurry back now—we don't know what the situation is like on the Death Planet at this moment," Xu Xingke said.

Xiao Mengyu also slightly nodded.

"The universal laws here are so abundant, won't you practice for a while?" Shen Ye said.

"You have the door, we can come again at the right time," Xu Xingke said nonchalantly.

"Shen Ye, be careful, call me if you need anything," Xiao Mengyu said sentimentally.

"Okay."

Once the conversation ended, Xu Xingke took out a card and activated it.

The two disappeared from in front of Shen Ye.

The trial layer quieted down.

Leaving only him, standing alone, quietly reflecting on everything.

Destiny was set.

The Penglai Immortal Mountain was beyond salvation.

What about the Heaven Connecting Technique?

Shen Ye rubbed his temples, sat down cross-legged, and thought through the recent events once more.

For a moment.

He couldn't help but sigh again.

"It won't work..."

"If I don't even know who the enemy is, there's no way to proceed."

"I might as well return to the Death Planet."

—Staying in the Taoist Palace didn't offer a bit of privacy; it was really pointless.

Since the door here had already been opened.

Next time, just open the Gate of Heaven to come for the trials.

Shen Ye silently thought, and then stood up, heading towards the stairs.

He returned to the trial square.

The half-statue was not there.

Probably still busy buying time for him.

Go back?

Shen Ye hesitated.

Suddenly, an elder appeared at the other end of the square, saw him, and quickly walked over.

"Greetings, elder."

Shen Ye greeted with a salute.

"Nangong Wantu, I've had a report from a trial disciple and was entrusted by the Sect Leader to come and investigate," the elder said.

"A report? What happened?" Shen Ye asked.

"See for yourself." The elder took out a talisman and activated it.

The Talisman suddenly emitted light, forming layers of images.

In the grand hall of the Supreme Tao Palace.

Here, many disciples had already completed their trials and were quietly waiting.

"Elder!"

A female voice rang out.

A female disciple, furious, approached the platform, bowed slightly, and loudly said,

"I have a matter to report!"

"What is it?" the elder asked indifferently.

Shen Ye recognized her after a moment; it was Chu Manshu.

She had been defeated once by Xiao Mengyu and had been knocked out by the teacher once—her trial was a complete failure.

She seemed almost crazed with anger.

"I want to denounce the Mysterious Gate disciple Nangong Wantu! He asked for help during the trial and didn't contribute at all!" Chu Manshu said.

"Is this true?" the elder asked.

"If it is false, I am willing to accept punishment!" Chu Manshu said.

The image ended there.

Shen Ye smiled and saluted the elder, "She misunderstood."

"How so?" the elder asked.

"I chose team combat, so naturally, I had to call comrades to face the trial together," Shen Ye said.

"Is there an option for team combat?" the elder asked, puzzled.