Small gates appeared beside each Obscura member, and Ba Se's voice emerged from them, saying, "In that human civilization, Green Lotus and Nan Ling were sealed within the Crimson Lotus Tomb together, while Chang Dou was refined to death. Yue Lu escaped, and Si Qin has returned."
That single report rendered many members silent. How had the human civilization actually pulled off such an accomplishment? They had been attacked by three Plume Immortals and not been defeated. They had even killed one of the birds. It was simply unbelievable.
Nan Ling, Si Qin, and Chang Dou were all two-law Immortals, ranked in the middle of the Ten Plumes. Nan Ling, in particular, was second only to Gao Tian and Bei Qing, but even that Plume Immortal had been sealed. The growth of that human civilization far exceeded their expectations.
"Hehe, that is not very good."
"The human civilization defeated three Plume Immortals... That means that, even if we make a move, we would gain nothing good from it."
"Ba Se, how long has it been since Lu Yin joined Obscura?"
"A little over 1,200 years."
"In only 1,200 years or so, he elevated his human civilization to this level... That is truly terrifying."
"Even I feel uneasy."
"So do I."
"Hehe."
The cosmos trembled again. From the depths of the Plume Immortals' great tree, a towering Plume Immortal soared upwards. The beating of its wings caused the cosmos to sway, and the pressure it brought forced every member of Obscura to pull back.
"How outrageous."
"Shang Jing... what a terrifying old monster."
"It’s just an old undying thing. I never expected it would still be alive."
"Back up a bit more. Show it some face."
"Hehe."
Specks of white starlight descended like a curtain of gates, blocking every member of Obscura’s front. What followed were endless phantom gates that spread across the whole omniverse in an instant, extending so far that no one could see where they ended. This was a world of gates.
This was Obscura’s White, the source of their gates.
"White, do not interfere! This is a grudge between my Plume Immortals and human civilization!" Shang Jing was beyond furious. Overwhelming power erupted from it as it sought to forcibly suppress the cosmos.
In front of the bird, the white starlight flickered and a gentle voice replied, "The human civilization that you speak of is a civilization that my Obscura has promised to protect for 2,000 years."
"That is a human civilization! Do not forget that! They are the descendants of the Nine Ramparts, a mortal enemy of your Obscura," Shang Jing raged.
"There is no need to repeat yourself. Obscura values its promises. If we say 2,000 years of protection, then it will be 2,000 years."
"You truly mean to oppose me?"
"We are at war."
"You are courting death!"
"You can try." As those words fell, more illusory gates appeared around one Plume Immortal after another. Their sudden appearance caused all of the birds to grow uneasy. Even a supreme powerhouse like Bei Qing could not escape from these gates. How was this even possible? Just what level had Obscura’s White reached for even Bei Qing to be affected like this?
The cosmos fell silent. No one spoke.
Yet the silence did not last long. Countless sharp fragments rose up around the Plume Immortals' great tree, drawing the attention of both sides.
They were the shards of the broken transparent sword.
Earlier, Obscura’s Transparent had attacked the Plume Immortals' tree with their sword, only to then be dragged away by Gao Tian, who had been prepared for the Keeper of Balance. The bird’s appearance had also shattered the transparent sword. Later, Lu Yin had used tri-color divine energy to wield the sword to destroy the Plume Immortals' great tree, which had awakened Shang Jing.
With the ancestral Plume Immortal awakened, Lu Yin had fled, and the transparent sword had shattered even further after destroying the Plume Immortals' tree. Those fragments had scattered through the Aevum Inch like shards of broken glass, and for a time, no one had paid them any mind.
At this moment, those transparent sword fragments rose up, and they gradually gathered together, reforming into a sword.
The sight of this shocked the Plume Immortals.
Bei Qing was horrified. Impossible!
For the transparent sword to return like this, it meant that Obscura's Keeper of Balance had returned. Could Gao Tian have been defeated?
As for the members of Obscura, each of them stared at the transparent sword. It was impossible to tell what anyone was thinking, but the scales of victory had clearly started tipping in Obscura’s favor.
Ba Se still did not appear. Only a voice emerged from a small gate. "Plume Immortal Gao Tian’s life and death remain unknown. The Keeper of Balance has returned."
Those words confirmed the outcome of the battle between the Keeper of Balance and Gao Tian, and they pushed the Plume Immortals into the abyss while also chilling the Obscura members.
They were well aware of Gao Tian's strength. At the beginning of the war with the birds, Lu Yin had been assigned a five-star mission to seal off Gao Tian’s awareness to keep it from emerging. According to the understanding of those from Obscura, Gao Tian had long been considered the strongest Plume Immortal.
Now, that strongest figure had been defeated, and its life and death remained unknown. On the other hand, Obscura's Keeper of Balance had returned unharmed.
The gap between the Plume Immortals and Obscura was widening.
With the loss of both Nan Ling and Chang Dou added to the situation, not to mention the earlier loss of Ming Yu during the previous battle, it had become obvious that the Plume Immortals had lost this clash of civilizations.
But this might not be the outcome that every creature wanted to see, including Obscura itself.
Shang Jing's aura suddenly vanished, and the rising pressure receded like a tide. Even the ancient bird’s voice grew much softer. "What was believed to be a trap ended up burying our own side instead. Gao Tian's fate was self-inflicted. It thought too highly of itself and has no one else to blame. At the same time, congratulations, Obscura. You chose your current Keeper of Balance well."
No one from Obscura responded.
Shang Jing looked up at the transparent sword. "Can you tell me if Gao Tian is dead or alive?"
A calm voice answered, "It escaped. Its life and death are unknown."
Shang Jing's gaze deepened. "It fled without even returning home... Then it seems that it is not far from death."
Across the battlefield, Old Man Hehe spoke, "The Ten Plumes, plus you who remained hidden, makes for eleven in total. How many are left now? Hehe."