Chapter 152: Shifting Reactions

It was inside an expansive, luxurious room that cultivators alike would actually be grateful enough to have a chance to visit. 

The room was gloriously designed, filled with breathtaking imagery meant to awe any person coming here.

The room was coated in a beautiful crystal blue paint that seemed to shine to life. There were large finely crafted ice sculptures of the legendary divine beast, the nine tails fox, placed throughout the room. 

By just one look, anyone can tell the grandeur of the legendary divine beast through the beauty of the ice sculptures. It forces minds alike to look at its perfect beauty and pay their full attention to it.

And to top it off, there are three legendary figures huddled around a large window of the room, accentuating the nobility of the room even more. 

It was two women and one man there, and each of them carried the weight and power to move continents of people.

The extraordinary man there was a devilishly handsome one, having the captivating appearance to swoon the hearts of women. His noble-looking face just oozes with charm enough to make people submit to his will.

His body was perfectly lean and fit, showcasing a stature that was always ready for action at a moment's notice. Donning on his lean body was a gorgeous shiny blue robe. 

The blue robe had the design of the legendary divine beast, the nine tail fox, artistically crafted on to it.

But the most remarkable aspect of the man was the two blue fox ears sticking out from the top of his beautiful blue hair. And elegantly swirling from the waist of the man was five foxtails!

As for the woman, she was the definition of celestial beauty. 

And if Darcel and Aniela were to ever meet this woman, they would see she was the spitting image of Masami!

Only this woman had a more mature beauty vibe that amplified her holy presence. Her crystal blue eyes shimmered with alluring divinity that made it nearly impossible to not get lost in.

She had a bombastic body with tremendously large twin peaks protruding from her chest and a bewitching large curvaceous behind. She also wore the same shiny blue robe as the handsome man.

And just like the man, the woman also possessed two fox ears and five foxtails.

This magnificent pair of fox-like humans were actually the parents of Masami! 

The man was one of the three leaders of the Ice Nine tails sect.

Kitsui faction leader Ryoka Kitsui! 

While the woman was his majestic wife and a tremendous powerhouse in her own right, Mika Kitsui!

And beside them, then there was the only hooded robe woman in the room. Because her hoodie fully cover her face and the robe covered her body, it was hard to tell her real appearance.

But out from her waist, the hooded robe woman had six tails swirling from there! 

She was the immensely respected grandmother of Masami, Nomiya Kitsui.

These three were beings that stood over most cultivators in their Province. There wasn't a single Heavenly King that wouldn't bow in their presence. 

All because they all were legendary Grand Sages!

The mystical realm that exists above Heavenly King and what so many ordinary geniuses pines to achieve. 

Although, despite the lofty status each of them wields, none of them held the bearing of a mighty Grand Sage currently.

Ryoka's expression was heavily distraught; his face was scrunched up in frustration and annoyance as he talked to his wife. 

"First the damn gray sky. Then the whole damn snow turned gray. Then the divine barrier getting utterly shattered. And now, none of us can't track that troublesome girl anywhere! Fucking dammit!"

The fiery rage-filled tone of Ryota didn't affect Mika at all. Even for the Elders of their sect, nobody wants to be in Ryota when he's roaring. 

But Mika only felt the fires of her rage build up as her crystal blue eyes bore a hole in Ryota's face.

"Oh, don't you dare act like everything here isn't your own damn fault! You know why our daughter is missing? Because of you!" 

Ryota's blue eyes blaze with rage, glaring hotly into his wife's face. "Bullshit! Don't act like you're some sort of kind saint! My ass you are! You know damn well you have some blame for all of this!" 

Mika merely snorted at his accusation.

"Oh please, save it. You're always the one enabling our other children to glorify their bad aspects. I'm far tamer compared to you." 

Ryota didn't immediately respond. He instead opted to subtly increase the pressure of his Heavenly Sage aura on to Mika. 

However, Mika merely clicked her tongue as she intensified her Heavenly Sage aura to match Ryota head-on.

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. But before Ryota could speak again, 

"Enough! This unbelievable fiery side of our family is exactly why we're ranked the lowest! The blaming game will get us nowhere. And in any case, I'm the one to blame since I helped her in leaving. Now, quiet down so I can finish assessing the situation."

Nomiya had finally spoken up without even blaring her Heavenly Sage aura. And yet, both Ryota and Mika dispersed their Heavenly Sage aura at the same time.

Although their faces still kept up the fierce glares aimed at each other. 

After a few seconds of tense silence, Mika was the one to break off the glare. She looked over to Nomiya with a more subdued look and respect swirling in her eyes.

"Grandmom Sage….please. Can you at least confirm she's alive?" 

Nomiya glances up at Mika. There were no visible changes to her mood or expressions as she told them, "I don't know. With the divine barrier broken, it's hard to sense out far. Even with my special Sage Spirit Sense, I'm having immense difficulty. The Qi all around us is rapidly changing by the second. We're going to need to work with Sage Ancestor."

"Tch! Goddammit, I can't believe we have to call on those old fogeys. No matter, hopefully, they can shed light on where that girl is." Ryota grumbled out, already feeling a headache coming on.

Mika, too felt the same displeasure about the upcoming meeting. But she didn't let it show on her face, knowing it's useless to complain. 

Nomiya didn't care about their displeasure and already turned to go off to their great Sage Ancestor….

….

High and deep into the gray sky, beyond the limits of what average cultivators can peer into. 

Three powerful figures were floating right in the middle of the sky.

The three were all men, and one of them donned a luxuriously looking red robe that smoothly fit his slim soft body. 

The second man wore a gorgeous, gentle green color robe that had the same captivating charm of staring into the tranquility of nature.

And the last man wore the most extravagant looking robe. He wore a bright silver one that radiated his grand imposing presence. 

Around all three of the men's necks was the hide of a silver jaguar, also showcasing the exotic taste they have in clothing.

If these men were to go anywhere throughout the Nine Provinces, they would cause utter silence and immediate submission. 

They were what even Grand Sages refer to as the Masters of the World. 

"To think….there would actually be a day where the divine barrier is no more. Even now, I can just feel the Qi atmosphere rising in power and quality. This will be good and bad for all of us." The green robe man was expressing his thoughts out loud.

And it was a similar sentiment shared with the red robe man as he nodded his head. "Indeed. Now, with no limits, who knows what kind of power those Demigod Kingdoms can gain. And that's not even discussing the inevitable rise of numerous divine geniuses. We….may need to speed things up."

The silver robe man didn't immediately talk. His eyes closed for a brief moment and then quickly opened back up the next. 

A clear path formed in his mind as he told the other two men, "We will closely monitor the situation for now. Even with this violent shift of energy, nothing can happen immediately overnight. But, we indeed will need to quickly capitalize on this chance before everything becomes haywire."

The red robe man began to confusingly scratch his head. So many varying thoughts were swirling in his mind all at once. 

"Still, it's all just so confusing. Our great Ancestors walked this world during the ancient era. Yet, it was always recorded that the divine barrier should be impossible to shatter. Not even the collective of the most powerful Demigods could shatter it. I pray this is a new era for our world than a disaster."

The silver robe man had the calmest reaction throughout the whole dramatic shift of events. Even now, he kept his gaze neutral, only saying, 

"Maybe….just maybe it's a bit of both."

….

On a remote island surrounded by the endless clear blue ocean from away from any kind of normal civilization, the stench of death was prevalent there. 

Dried blood stained the entire island, and there were skeletal corpses of once-thriving Spirit Monsters and even humans.

There was only one figure left alive on this island. And they were at the edge of the island, peering up into the gray sky. 

The last person alive was a woman with a peculiar appearance.

This woman wouldn't fit the bill for any kind of traditional or even average looks. Her face had long protruding ugly scars carved onto it, providing her with an already menacing stature.

She had long yellow hair that was messy and unkempt. Her hair was filled with dirt, grime, sand, and spots of dried up blood. 

And she only wore one long ripped white shirt that covered her skinny body. From the ripped spots of her long white shirt, one can spot even more gruesome scars carved into her body. 

To anyone else, this woman would look like some kind of deranged demon.

But, if Darcel and Aniela were to take one look at this woman, they would instantly recognize her. 

She was the yellow-eyed woman! 

The very same woman that sent them on their journey!

The yellow-eyed woman didn't have any sense of time. She couldn't tell just how long she's been staring into the gray sky. In her trance-like state, only one thought kept on continually replaying in her mind,

'Darcel….Aniela….Darcel….Aniela….alive. I….I must find them now!!' 

In the depths of the woman's yellow eyes, a yellow spark of energy was slowly rising, preparing to unleash to the world.