Chapter 491: The Unfriendly Gaze of a Great Sage!

After the fall of Great Sage Zhantian, the Battle Heaven Saint Realm suffered a backlash. This very fact allowed one to deduce that the Nightmare God Clan was involved in dealing with him.

However, on the surface, he was slain by a powerhouse from another branch of the alien races; the Nightmare God Clan merely assisted from the shadows.

Through the residual memory fragments left by the Nightmare Force, Li Xuanfeng and Ye Qingqing saw the hidden truth of that time: the Nightmare God Clan was the main force that dealt with Great Sage Zhantian!

The backlash that caused the Battle Heaven Saint Realm to fall would leave residual Nightmare Force. This was something the Supreme Experts couldn't have failed to consider. They would inevitably have sent people to the Battle Heaven Ruins to cleanse it thoroughly, preventing its spread.

Yet, at least a hundred thousand years have passed, and the Battle Heaven Ruins Barrier still contains residual Nightmare Force. Clearly, it wasn't completely cleansed back then.

At that time, neither Ye Qingqing nor Lian Yuezhou had been born, so they weren't clear on the specific details of what happened.

The one who made the move was a Quasi-God King of the Nightmare God Clan, also their strongest member. Failing to completely cleanse the residual Nightmare Force left by such an existence is somewhat understandable.

After all, a Quasi-God King of the alien races is equivalent to a Quasi-Emperor in the Canglan Realm!

If such a powerhouse is determined to conceal their power, it truly isn't easy to detect.

The reason Li Xuanfeng and Ye Qingqing were able to sense something amiss this time was twofold: first, Ye Hanyou's own Realm was too low; second, their own strength and perception were formidable, allowing them to detect a very well-hidden yet somewhat discordant aura on him.

Another key reason was Li Xuanfeng's mastery of Chaos Power, which allowed him to trace the Nightmare Force to its source and meticulously separate it out.

If it were up to Ye Qingqing alone, while she could sense something was off about Ye Hanyou, she wouldn't have been able to pinpoint and extract the Nightmare Force.

However, the Nightmare Force eroding the Soul of Holy King Jiyin, Ye Lingtian, was hidden extremely well. Even Li Xuanfeng didn't detect it immediately. It was only after he destroyed Ye Lingtian's Physical Body and most of his Soul that the remaining remnant Soul could no longer support the Nightmare Force's perfect concealment, allowing Li Xuanfeng to identify it.

'With two consecutive strands of Nightmare Force cleared by me, perhaps that Quasi-God King of the Nightmare God Clan has already taken notice?'

Li Xuanfeng sent a voice transmission to Ye Qingqing.

'Given his strength, he is certainly capable of noticing. But in the end, it's only residual Nightmare Force; he definitely can't discern exactly who took action.'

Ye Qingqing nodded.

'Of course, if you were to use the same power right in front of his true body, he should be able to recognize you.'

Ye Qingqing added.

She naturally had some understanding of that Quasi-God King of the Nightmare God Clan. Not only was his Realm extremely high, but his methods were also among the most bizarre.

'Judging from the memory fragments in the residual Nightmare Force, there's still quite a bit of hidden residual Nightmare Force in these Battle Heaven Ruins. Let's see if we can clear it all once the central area opens.'

'And this Battle Qi Tower should also be cleaned up.'

Li Xuanfeng turned his gaze towards the Battle Qi Tower; the descending rainbow bridge had not yet vanished.

Through some of the residual memory fragments from the Nightmare Force, he knew there was also residual Nightmare Force within the Battle Qi Tower.

The Battle Qi Tower was originally a weapon forged by Great Sage Zhantian. After his Breakthrough to the Great Sage Realm, this tower was of little help to him, so he left it in the Battle Heaven Saint Realm specifically to temper his Disciples' practical combat abilities.

As a weapon of Great Sage Zhantian, it naturally bore his Soul imprint. It was also at that time that the Battle Qi Tower was eroded by Nightmare Force, which seized some control authority.

However, thanks to the persistent resistance of the artifact spirit, the Nightmare Force failed to seize full control.

Refining the Battle Qi Tower would allow one to control those Cultivators who had obtained Battle Qi. This was a trick played by the Nightmare Force after seizing partial authority.

If Ye Hanyou had succeeded in challenging the tower according to plan, he would indeed have gained partial authority over it. However, the truth was that the Nightmare Force in his Sea of Consciousness would have merged with the Nightmare Force in the Battle Qi Tower, jointly contending with the tower's artifact spirit for greater control.

Finally, with Ye Lingtian personally making a move, the three strands of Nightmare Force would unite, enabling complete control over the Battle Qi Tower!

In this way, even if the true body of that Quasi-God King of the Nightmare God Clan couldn't come to the Canglan Realm, he could still, across the Endless Void, incite a calamity on the Ancient Spirit Continent or continue to conceal his identity to carry out other schemes.

It must be said that this alien race made even Li Xuanfeng feel somewhat eerie and troublesome. Those residual Nightmare Forces could almost be considered the other party's minor Clones!

To deal with such an enemy, the best approach would be to learn their methods and use them against them!

All of this was useful information Li Xuanfeng obtained through Soul-searching.

Now that he was aware of it, acquiring this Battle Qi Tower would be very simple.

'By the way, Junior Brother, just now I sensed a very unfriendly gaze, most likely from a Great Sage. We need to be cautious.'

Ye Qingqing's voice transmission sounded once again in Li Xuanfeng's mind.

'Oh?'

Li Xuanfeng's heart stirred.

With his current strength, he had few rivals among Saint Kings. Without using his trump cards, encountering a Great Sage would certainly be a death sentence.

If he encountered an Early Great Sage Realm opponent and used his trump cards, he could still put up a fight. After all, he still had one Great Sage talisman—this was what the System returned after he gave the Saint King talisman Lian Yuezhou gave him to Leng Wuyan back in the Star Realm.

Moreover, with a Senior Sister at the Quasi-Emperor Fourth Heaven by his side, even if a Great Sage descended, they wouldn't be able to cause any significant waves.

'The owner of that gaze is at the Thunder God Mountain. You shouldn't have had any contact with him, yet he harbors hostility. Either Holy King Jiyin has some connection with him, or he is the Black-robed Person who knows your identity!'

Ye Qingqing continued.

As a powerhouse at the Quasi-Emperor Fourth Heaven, if she focused on concealment, a Great Sage would be incapable of detecting her.

That gaze filled with hostility was directed at Li Xuanfeng, but the other party had not revealed themselves, let alone made a move. It was unclear what their intentions were.

Li Xuanfeng nodded. He truly hadn't had contact with any Great Sage. Both possibilities Ye Qingqing mentioned made sense.

However, since the other party wasn't planning to show themselves for now, Li Xuanfeng couldn't be bothered with them for the moment. He still had things to do.

'No need to pay attention for now, Senior Sister. There's no need for you to expose yourself either. Let me secure the Battle Qi Tower first!'

Li Xuanfeng transmitted back.

'Alright.'

Ye Qingqing nodded.

She also wanted to see if they could lure out a bigger fish.

'This Battle Qi Tower has some issues. You all shouldn't enter.'

Li Xuanfeng said to Luo Li, Wei Qingyan, and Su Xiaoyu.

These words were also meant for others to hear.

'Alright!'

Luo Li and Wei Qingyan nodded. Their trust in Li Xuanfeng was unconditional.

Su Xiaoyu also obediently nodded along. When she looked at Li Xuanfeng, the curiosity and admiration in her eyes hadn't faded. This Senior Brother's strength completely exceeded her imagination, and her mind was still buzzing a little.

As for the other Cultivators, of course, none dared to contradict Li Xuanfeng.

Who would have the nerve to defy a powerhouse who could easily annihilate Holy King Jiyin and who even refused Saint King Beiming's attempts to befriend him?

From the previous battle and dialogue, many had heard mentions of alien races and calamities, knowing this matter was extraordinary. Regardless of whether Li Xuanfeng's claim about the Battle Qi Tower having issues was true or false, no one dared to question it.

Li Xuanfeng said no more. In a flash, he followed the rainbow bridge and vanished into the Prodigy zone of the Battle Qi Tower.

A conspicuous red dot appeared on the lowest level of the Battle Qi Tower, representing Li Xuanfeng's current position.