Chapter 2858: Search
The positions of Heaven Slayer and Buddha Venerable were rather awkward; they stayed behind and were very far from the others.
The closest to them were Taoist Venerable and Demon Lord, yet the distance to reach them would take about seven years.
As for others, the second closest were Human Emperor and Qi’er, but even that was a ten-year journey.
The distance between them and Su Yang was even longer, taking over a decade.
Given this distance, if Heaven Slayer and Buddha Venerable wanted to find others, logically they should first head towards the closest, Demon Lord and Taoist Venerable.
However, along this route, they didn’t encounter the two, indicating they didn’t go to seek Demon Lord and Taoist Venerable.
Thus, they probably wouldn’t search for others either and most likely ventured into the depths of the Great World.
Su Yang looked towards the distant sky, realizing that Heaven Slayer and Buddha Venerable didn’t proceed forward to find the others but withdrew instead.
But in retreating, which direction did they choose?
Now that the scope of the Great World had expanded a million times, any slight error in direction resulted in a vast difference in distance.
How to find them was really a perplexing issue.
After pondering for a while, Su Yang came up with an idea: "Everyone, spread out, searching the previous positions of the Guardian Gods. Be vigilant on the way; if you sense the presence of those Blood Shadows or encounter any star-like entities, immediately retreat to this place. Avoid provoking those Blood Shadows at all costs!"
Everyone understood that Su Yang intended for them to conduct a fan-shaped search to find Heaven Slayer and Buddha Venerable.
If Heaven Slayer and Buddha Venerable went to explore the depths of the Great World, they would inevitably retrace their steps. During that process, they would certainly encounter those stars.
Without knowledge of these stars’ specifics, based on Heaven Slayer’s typical approach, they would likely investigate within the stars, which would definitely attract the Blood Shadows within.
This would lead to an inevitable struggle between both sides. The outcome of the conflict was uncertain, but it would definitely leave traces of the battle.
Su Yang’s directive for a fan-shaped search was essentially to locate those battle traces. By doing so, they could find the direction in which Heaven Slayer and Buddha Venerable had departed.
No one objected to Su Yang’s method. Following his arrangement, everyone spread out, adopting a fan shape, searching into the depths of the Great World.
Su Yang chose the central position, primarily to support others in case of any situation, so others could quickly seek him for help.
After flying forward for about seven months, Su Yang finally spotted a massive star, identical to the previous ones.
He immediately flew over, entering the center through the star’s opening.
Everything inside resembled what Su Yang had seen before. In the depths of the star was a small hut, within which stood a Blood Shadow.
The star’s interior comprised walls made of the World Tree’s branches, and the place was filled with Spiritual Source, saturated with dense Spiritual Energy.
The Blood Shadow saw Su Yang but didn’t react, seemingly ignoring him altogether.
Su Yang didn’t disturb the Blood Shadow, knowing it wouldn’t attack him, and saw no reason to provoke it unnecessarily.
Leaving this star, Su Yang didn’t continue forward but swiftly returned to the position where Heaven Slayer and Buddha Venerable had been.
The Blood Shadow within this star was unchanged, indicating it hadn’t participated in any battle. In other words, Heaven Slayer and Buddha Venerable hadn’t passed through from this direction.
After waiting in this region for about three months, Human Emperor was the first to return, having also discovered a star but didn’t investigate inside.
The star undoubtedly harbored a Blood Shadow, and Human Emperor lacked Su Yang’s ability; provoking the Blood Shadow would be tough to deal with.
Moreover, fighting those Blood Shadows was utterly meaningless since they lacked consciousness like the Guardian Gods. Engaging them would merely waste energy. Any injury could even benefit the Guardian Gods, rendering it a pointless endeavor!
Su Yang marked the position of the star mentioned by Human Emperor but didn’t rush to search, choosing instead to wait for others’ return.
Subsequently, Demon Lord returned, having discovered a star similar to Human Emperor’s.
Then came Taoist Venerable, Qi’er, Ye Wantong...
The group returned one after another, all having found stars without sensing the presence of the Blood Shadows’ power, nor did they detect any battle.
"Could we have searched in the wrong direction?" Supreme Dragon Emperor wondered, "Why haven’t we found traces of a battle along the way? Wouldn’t Heaven Slayer, faced with such a situation, investigate inside those stars? That doesn’t align with his usual behavior!"
Others were equally puzzled, unable to comprehend the situation.
Su Yang didn’t panic, inquiring about the stars’ locations discovered by others, and then instructed them to stay put while he set off alone to investigate those places.
After visiting four stars consecutively, nothing was out of the ordinary. The Blood Shadows hid within, seemingly disconnected from the outside world.
However, upon reaching the fifth star, Su Yang was astonished to find the star was empty, devoid of the Blood Shadow.
This revelation jolted Su Yang.
He knew that those Blood Shadows wouldn’t arbitrarily leave their stars unless sensing life outside, granting them the urge to kill.
And if life moved away, they would return to hide within the star.
Now, with the Blood Shadow absent from this star, the only possibility was someone had passed here, prompting the Blood Shadow to chase after them.
But then, why were there no traces of battle nearby if the Blood Shadow pursued outsiders?
If it were Heaven Slayer and Buddha Venerable who passed here, with their strength, confronting a Blood Shadow would likely disadvantage the Blood Shadow.
Normally, battle traces would be expected, and the Blood Shadow could even be heavily injured.
Yet what’s happening now? No signs of battle, and the Blood Shadow vanished without a trace; what exactly transpired here? Did they somehow avoid conflict?
With a mind full of questions, Su Yang continued to search the surroundings.