However, what appeared before everyone was a semi-transparent object with nothing on it.
“Sage, what’s going on?”
A burly man looked at Celestial Sage and asked, “Is the so-called Heaven Book really empty? How are we supposed to comprehend it?”
Everyone else also looked towards the stage, their faces full of confusion.
“Please be patient, my friend!” Celestial Sage responded with a smile.
As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a drop of Essence Blood quickly flew towards the Heaven Book.
Soon, as the Essence Blood seeped into the Heaven Book, words and images gradually appeared.
Billy glanced at it and found it similar to the Heaven Book he had seen before.
Some of the text could be understood individually, but together it made no sense, and the images were extremely abstract, making it impossible to decipher their meaning.
Everyone present had similar expressions of bewilderment, unable to understand anything.
“Sage, is this the Heaven Book?” an elder asked loudly.
“Indeed!” Celestial Sage nodded with a smile.
It really was the Heaven Book! But no one could understand it!
“Sage, this Heaven Book is too profound. Could you explain it to us?” an old woman asked.
“Yes! Please enlighten us, Sage!” another elder said.
“Please enlighten us, Sage!” many people shouted in unison.
“Please be patient, my friends!” Celestial Sage gestured for silence with a smile.
“I invited you all here today to discuss the Heaven Book together…”
“He’s a hypocritical fraud!” Greta, standing next to Billy, muttered as she looked at the smiling Celestial Sage on the stage.
“You are a disciple of Celestial Pavilion. Is it appropriate to speak about your elder like that?” Billy glanced at her.
“I’m just stating the truth.” Greta turned to Billy. “Sir, don’t be fooled by his facade. He’s a big fraud!”
“What did he deceive you about?” Billy asked.
“He wouldn’t bother with someone like me!” Greta moved closer to Billy.
Then she whispered, “Sir, I’m telling you, that Heaven Book is fake. He forged it himself!”
“How do you know?” Billy’s eyes narrowed slightly. “It’s no secret that Celestial Pavilion possesses a volume of the Heaven Book. How could it be fake?”
He had heard about this from two people.
One was Piper Avila from Gathering Virtue House, and the other was Miss Fairy.
Even if Piper Avila might not have told him the truth, he believed Fairy wouldn’t lie to him.
Moreover, so many people had come here because they were sure Celestial Pavilion had the Heaven Book; otherwise, such a large crowd wouldn’t have gathered.
“Of course I know!” Greta said proudly. “Because I know where the real one is!”
“Where?” Billy asked instinctively.
“It’s in the storage ring I gave you!” Greta handed the storage ring to Billy again.
“There are two items inside. One is the mystic art for cultivating bloodlines, and the other is Celestial Pavilion’s volume of the Heaven Book!”
“What?!” Billy’s pupils contracted upon hearing this.
He looked at Greta closely and found that she didn’t seem to be joking.
“Are you serious?” Billy asked again.
“Sir, haven’t you heard that children don’t lie?” Greta retorted.
“Why is the Heaven Book in your hands?” Billy asked again.
“I couldn’t stand his hypocrisy, so I stole it!” Greta added after smacking her lips.
“Sir, do you know? To obtain this volume of the Heaven Book, he slaughtered thousands in a sect, leaving not even a single soul!”
“You know quite a lot!” Billy remarked as he looked at her.
“I heard it from people in the sect…” Greta continued.
“Does he know his Heaven Book was stolen?” Billy interrupted her.
“Of course!” Greta nodded and then changed the subject. “By the way, do you know why he’s hosting this event?”
“You know again?” Billy asked back.
“I heard from people in the sect that his purpose for hosting this event is to lure those with Heaven Books to Celestial Pavilion and then ambush them!” Greta replied.
“Is that so?” Billy’s eyes narrowed again upon hearing Greta’s words.
At this moment, he had almost confirmed his suspicions.
To put it bluntly, Celestial Pavilion’s ultimate goal for hosting this event was likely him!
He had caused quite a stir in the eighth-tier star domain over the past few months. Those with intentions would have known he came to the eighth-tier star domain; Celestial Pavilion would be no exception.
Celestial Sage wanted to get the Nine Dragons Cauldron and Heaven Book from Billy. The best way was to lure him to Celestial Pavilion and then make a move.
After all, he needed to maintain his image as a respected elder and couldn’t resort to blatant robbery.
At this moment, an unexpected change occurred in mid-air. A figure quickly flew in from the horizon, shrouded in a black robe and wearing a black-and-white mask.
In an instant, he raised his hand towards the Heaven Book. The Heaven Book immediately flew into his hand.
Without any pause after obtaining the Heaven Book, the figure turned and flew out of the courtyard.
“Who are you? Leave the Heaven Book behind!” Celestial Sage shouted angrily as he flew up.
He then formed a violent seal with his hand and hurled it towards the figure. The void cracked inch by inch.
“Let’s see if you have what it takes!” The figure responded in a deep voice while raising his hand to meet the attack.
From the aura emanating from him, it was clear that his cultivation was on par with Celestial Sage!
A deafening explosion shook the sky as the void collapsed instantly. The resulting shockwave sent hundreds of people below flying.
Those at the impact center with cultivation at Returning Source Realm or below were annihilated without exception.
Even those at Supreme Source Realm didn’t fare much better; their physical bodies perished, leaving two or three dozen soul forms floating in mid-air.
The only ones relatively unharmed were those at Condensed Kun Realm. Although they were injured, they were not seriously affected.
Two late-stage Condensed Kun Realm experts clashing resulted in shockwaves that left everyone else in despair.
From the moment the figure appeared until now, only two or three seconds had passed. By the time everyone reacted, the scene was already in chaos.
The next moment, everyone hurriedly got up and retreated to the edges of the square. The entire courtyard descended into chaos.
“Bastard! Leave the Heaven Book behind!” In mid-air, Celestial Sage roared with anger.
As he spoke, his hands continued to form terrifying waves of energy. The wind howled, and the void trembled.
“The Heaven Book is in my hands. Come and get it if you can!” The figure responded loudly.
As he spoke, he showed no intention of retreating and launched waves of attacks with his hands as well.
Boom! Boom! A series of deafening explosions echoed through the sky as the void collapsed again and shockwaves spread rapidly.
Those below who hadn’t managed to dodge were all sent flying once more, leaving another large group lying on the ground…