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Of course, the situation between the two could not be detected by others; only those at a higher level could sense it. At this moment, they arrived at the main seat, with Qing sitting in the chair while Meng Lao directly took a seat behind her, almost instantly entering a state of meditation. Clearly, the issue was serious, but to everyone else, it appeared that Meng Lao was merely on guard against unexpected events.
"Everyone, I believe you are all aware of the emergence of the Green Sage's map!" Qing said as she scanned the room.
Silence ensued; the response from the crowd was nothing but silence. In truth, those present had long harbored conflicting feelings about Qing's leadership. This sentiment was just a budding issue. Over the years of fierce battles against the Church, many of their friends and family had suffered losses. Most importantly, after so many years of conflict, it seemed that nothing had been resolved, leading to such emotions among them.
Qing was an exceptionally intelligent woman and understood this situation well. She smiled lightly at Qingdao and said, "I know that many of you have opinions about my leadership over these years, but I believe that once I reveal everything, you will understand!"
"Look here!" With a flick of her hand, a shard of the map appeared before everyone—a three-inch-long silver nail shimmering with light. Upon seeing these two items, everyone gasped in astonishment.
"This is a fragment of the external domain map from the mechanism, and this silver nail naturally possesses spirit-binding power. This is actually the result of your hard work over these years. I can tell you that three out of four fragments of the map have already appeared. Aside from the Heart of Civilization that was taken by an unknown force years ago, the other three sacred artifacts have also emerged," Qing said without hesitation as she placed both precious items on the table.
Instantly, discussions erupted throughout the conference room, and Qing did not stop them. It was Jiang Xing who stood up to maintain order. Following that, Azure Harmony and Jiang Xing explained to everyone several instances that seemed futile over the years but were actually crucial battles for dominance.
At this moment, everyone realized that only Azure Harmony and Jiang Xing truly understood the entire sequence of events. It turned out that Qing and Jie had already reached an unspoken consensus: strong individuals would not interfere in battles among others. The battlefield was divided into two factions; when strong individuals were not engaged in combat, those at a higher level would begin fighting at the locations where treasures appeared.
Even those participating in battles like Cao Man and Li Xiangjun did not know what they were truly fighting for; they only knew that whenever their factions clashed, there would be bloodshed. Meanwhile, Qing and Jie displayed their skills—whether through stealth or theft—to compete for maps or sacred artifacts.
At this point, aside from the map belonging to Eternal Child and the missing Heart of Civilization, all six other items had been clearly divided. As Qing revealed some information even Jiang Xing was unaware of, everyone finally understood where the problem lay.
Among the four maps, the one in Qing's hand belonged to the mechanism responsible for preservation; thus she effortlessly secured it. The map preserved by Charlie the Holy Knight had been found by Jie in the West. The remaining map held by Eternal Child was still in Xiao Yefeng's possession and had yet to be discovered by either side. Recently surfaced was Green Sage's map, which became central to Qing and Jie's fierce conflict. Xiao Yefeng also deduced that Azure Harmony and Meng Lao's injuries likely stemmed from this matter.
On another front, ownership of the Four Sacred Artifacts had also emerged: aside from the missing Heart of Civilization, Spirit Binding Silver Nail fell into Qing's hands while Mechanism Network was snatched from her by Jie. The Eight Directions Seal had also appeared; however, Qing glossed over its whereabouts just as she did with Green Sage's map without providing detailed accounts.
Vaguely sensing something amiss, Xiao Yefeng realized that Qing and Jie's battle was essentially a conflict between Eastern and Western Metaphysics Societies and the Church. Yet what had happened to those once formidable forces? Although some had aligned with Jie, it was still only a small fraction compared to what once existed. Where had Perfect World gone? Furthermore, regarding Xiao Yefeng's recent findings about new weapons—what had become of those constellations? What position did they hold?
Amidst all these discussions, Xiao Yefeng pondered for a long time before finally arriving at a most reasonable explanation—a bold hypothesis that seemed almost impossible yet stood as his best interpretation at that moment.
At that moment, someone finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Azure Maiden, we have no doubts about the map of the Eternal Child and the disappearance of the Heart of Civilization. However, things have become impossible to conceal. Are we finally going to engage in a great war with the West? Moreover, has the map of the Green Sage and the Eight Directions Seal already fallen into Western hands? If that's the case, doesn't that mean you have to fulfill your promise to help Jie?"
These questions were exactly what everyone wanted to know. With this inquiry, there was no need for further discussion or speculation; all eyes turned to Qing.
Upon hearing the question, a faint smile appeared on Qing's pale face. After a self-deprecating chuckle, she said, "I have both good news and bad news regarding everyone's questions. Which one would you like to hear first?"
"Azure Maiden, let's start with the good news!" Jiang Xing replied.
Nodding, Qing said, "Alright then. The good news is that my brother did not win. From the current level of collection, we are still at a stalemate; neither side has gained an advantage. Therefore, the second concern everyone has cannot possibly arise!"
Before anyone could ask further questions, Qing continued directly, "The bad news is quite simple. Regarding everyone's first question, I can give you a clear answer: the third map that has appeared and the Eight Directions Seal that suppresses fortune..."
"They have been taken!" After a long silence, Qing finally revealed the answer, which made everyone gasp in shock. As she narrated, Xiao Yefeng sighed inwardly.
It was indeed as he suspected. Although Qing had yet to disclose who had taken the map and the Eight Directions Seal, Xiao Yefeng had already guessed it must be either Perfect World or the Zodiac. Under normal circumstances, he couldn't think of anyone capable of stealing things from both Qing and Jie as well as the guardians of East and West. If anyone could do it, it would definitely be someone from Perfect World. Had the mysterious Perfect World finally decided to show itself after hiding for so long?
Then Qing recounted what had happened around the same time Xiao Yefeng faced near disaster in Africa. The Divination Compass and Divine King's Scepter simultaneously sensed the appearance of both the Eight Directions Seal and fragments of the map. As a result, Qing and Jie chose identical strategies; they split their forces—Qing headed towards the map fragments while Meng Lao sought out the Eight Directions Seal. Jie’s side did likewise; Jie rushed towards the Eight Directions Seal while Xius pursued the map fragments.
Even though both sides were evenly matched and split their forces, they remained neck-and-neck. Due to the sudden turn of events, Qing couldn't call for help from the Metaphysics Society in time, nor could Jie. The four individuals met at identical positions: Qing encountered Xius while Jie faced Meng Lao. What should have resulted in mutual destruction instead saw a third force intervening.
In a surprise attack, not only were all four severely injured but they also lost both the map fragments and the Eight Directions Seal in the process. This news immediately caused an uproar within the Metaphysics Society. Qing's strength far surpassed Jiang Xing's, while Meng Lao was even more powerful than Qing. Yet both were injured, and crucially, Jie's two companions returned wounded as well. Just how strong was this ambushing force?
At that moment, Xiao Yefeng thought it through and realized that during their struggle for dominance among themselves, they had entered a critical phase when someone from Perfect World launched a surprise attack. This disrupted their combined strength so that not only did they suffer attacks from each other but also from their own powers rebounding against them. Most importantly, they had been caught off guard; the ambusher's strength had infiltrated their bodies.
With all these factors combined, it was indeed strange that none of them emerged unscathed!
As everyone was inquiring about the identity of the ambusher, Qing took out a torn piece of clothing from the Spatial Ring and spread it on the table. "This is the clothing of the person who ambushed me," she said.
Seeing the fragment, Xiao Yefeng focused his gaze. The material appeared to be satin, and although the pattern was incomplete, it was clear that it featured a black background with Auspicious Cloud designs. However, no one could determine the identity based solely on this piece of clothing. Just then, Qing produced a sketch.
"This is a tattoo I saw on that person's back when I blasted their clothing apart during our battle. I believe everyone should recognize it!" As she flipped over the sketch, an image of a scorpion-shaped character in ancient script appeared. Upon seeing this design, Xiao Yefeng suddenly stood up. "It really is someone from Perfect World!"
Noticing Xiao Yefeng's excitement, Qing nodded. "Yes! Perfect World has appeared at this time, which means they must have been well-prepared. But now, in this era, we cannot estimate what these people intend to do. Originally, my conflict with my brother was straightforward, but now, with this force's involvement, everything has become chaotic. Moreover, you might not know this, but when they seized the Eight Directions Seal and the map, they left behind a message."
"What was it?" Xiao Yefeng asked.
"They said: A new era has arrived; they will control the entire world. The future belongs to the Gene Era!" Qing replied helplessly.
"Gene Era?" Everyone looked puzzled.
"So have you and your brother given up on your conflict?" Xiao Yefeng asked as he grasped the key point.
Looking at Xiao Yefeng, Qing shook her head in resignation but then nodded. Xiao Yefeng understood that with the Eight Directions Seal and part of the map in Perfect World's hands, it was somewhat beneficial for Qing because her brother would no longer be able to recklessly attempt to use the sacred artifact to restore the Spirit Barrier. From this perspective, there should be no problem; however, from Jie’s standpoint, things had taken on a new option—one that certainly involved risks. This choice was akin to seeking skin from a tiger.
With Jie’s intellect, he would not collaborate with Perfect World; thus, the issue of repairing the Spirit Barrier no longer existed. Of course, if they could reclaim the map and Eight Directions Seal from Perfect World, things might change again. However, Xiao Yefeng speculated that Perfect World likely did not intend to drag this era into the Gene Era.
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