Leo, who was meditating with his eyes closed, repeatedly practiced the Nine Heavens Star Chart. He had already absorbed most of the energy contained in the medicinal diet.
The spiritual power in his dantian condensed and liquefied, becoming increasingly pure and abundant.
The aura that burst out from Leo’s body grew stronger and stronger.
The radiant starlight completely enveloped Leo’s body.
Breakthrough, to the upper Spirit King realm!
With a muffled “boom,” it seemed as if some barrier had been broken.
Leo’s tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, a sharp light flashing in his pupils.
He exhaled deeply and stood up from the ground.
Feeling the surging power and spiritual energy growing within him, a determined smile appeared on Leo’s lips.
“Sophia, wait for me. I will come to find you soon!” Leo looked up at the starry sky, thinking to himself.
Leo scanned the area, noticing that many elite disciples were still in their cultivation state.
Then, he turned his gaze towards where Jennifer and others were.
The appearance of Abel and Iron Tower did not surprise Leo much.
He knew that people from WONDER would come looking for him.
In a flash, Leo appeared beside Jennifer.
“Mr. Wells, why are you here?” Leo asked.
Abel looked at Leo, the worry on his face not dissipating. He said, “Leo, your cultivation has improved again. Very good. I came to see you for two reasons.”
“First, to thank you. The higher-ups know about your efforts in fighting the tsunami; second, to understand some things from you. Watch this video first.”
Iron Tower handed a tablet to Leo.
Leo calmly watched the video of Claudia fighting the giant tiger.
“You don’t seem surprised or shocked. This isn’t the first time you’ve seen this video, is it?” Abel observed Leo’s expression closely.
Leo said calmly, “This is indeed the first time I’ve seen this video. The reason I’m not surprised is that I witnessed the battle between them after freezing the tsunami.”
“What? You witnessed the battle between them?” Abel’s expression changed. “What was the outcome? Did the woman in white and the giant tiger perish together?”
To Abel, only mutual destruction would be the best outcome; otherwise, it would be a terrible situation if either survived.
Leo shook his head and said, “They didn’t perish together. The woman in white won.”
“The woman won? Where is she now?” Abel asked urgently.
“She went back through a spatial rift to her world.” Thinking of Sophia being taken away, Leo felt heavy-hearted.
Hearing that the woman had returned, Abel felt relieved and continued to ask, “Leo, how much do you know about the world connected by the spatial rift?”
This was what Abel wanted to know most because it concerned not only Atraria but also the safety of all humanity on Earth.
Leo pondered for a moment and said, “Although I haven’t been to that world, I can infer some things about it.”
“That world has a completely different civilization from ours. It should be a Cultivator’s World.”
“Cultivator’s World?” Abel showed a thoughtful expression.
“The current civilization on Earth belongs to technological civilization, which transforms nature and humans through technology.”
“The cultivation civilization is based on cultivators themselves, transforming themselves and nature by mastering something called spiritual power.”
“In the Cultivator’s World, there are not only humans but also Demonkin, Fiends, and other races. These races often fight each other for resources and interests.”
“In ancient Atraria, there were also cultivation civilizations and cultivators. Due to the invasion of Otherworld Cultivators, a cataclysmic war broke out on Earth.”
“This war lasted for three hundred years, not only reducing Earth’s land area but also depleting its spiritual power.”
“The depletion of spiritual power made Earth unsuitable for cultivation. Atrarian cultivators then opened a space-time passage to the Otherworld and left Atraria and Earth.”
“The spatial rift above West Sea is the space-time passage opened by ancient Atrarian cultivators?” Abel asked.
“Yes. After the cultivators left, only ordinary humans remained on Earth. After thousands of years of development, we entered the current technological civilization era.”
Leo’s words clarified many things for Abel.
“Are there ordinary people in the Cultivator’s World connected by the spatial rift?” Abel asked.
“There should be.” Leo nodded. “Due to the abundant spiritual energy in the Cultivator’s World, ordinary humans there should be much stronger than those on Earth.”
“In your opinion, will cultivators or Demonkin and Fiends from that world invade Earth?” Abel asked his most pressing question.
Leo’s expression turned serious as he said word by word, “Cultivators probably won’t, but if Demonkin or Fiends or other non-human races learn about Earth’s existence, they are very likely to invade.”
“Demonkin and Fiends kill mortals and absorb their souls to refine weapons or speed up their own cultivation.”
“You mean… if Demonkin or Fiends from that world come to Earth, they will kill all humans here?” Abel’s expression turned grim.
Leo nodded slightly with a serious expression. “In the Cultivator’s World, cultivators wouldn’t stand by if Demonkin or Fiends slaughtered humans. But if they come to Earth without cultivators to balance them out, the consequences are predictable.”
Leo’s words not only made Abel feel heavy-hearted but also changed the expressions of Holden, Violet, Jennifer, and others.
What Leo said was true; even Earthlings kill and fight each other for interests, let alone an invasion from otherworldly races.
After a long silence, Abel exhaled deeply, his face growing more solemn.
“Leo, is there any way to close the spatial rift above West Sea?” Abel asked.
To Abel, closing the spatial rift would mean cutting off Earth’s connection to that Cultivator’s World.
Leo smiled bitterly and shook his head. “I can’t do it. Maybe you could consider using a nuclear bomb.”
Abel shook his head decisively. “No way. The radiation and tsunami caused by a nuclear explosion would bring great disaster to Atraria.”
Leo was just saying it casually; using a nuclear bomb was definitely unreliable. Besides the disaster it would cause, if the nuclear bomb failed to close the rift, there would be no coming back.