"What... what is going on?"
Ji Shui Lian and the others were stunned. They expected to see familiar faces, but instead, they found no one. The signs of intense fighting indicated that their hidden location had been discovered.
Yi Tianyun surveyed the area. The fighting had been intense, but the Divine Inscriptions here were incredibly strong. Despite the ferocious attacks, the structure remained mostly intact, with only some damage and no signs of collapse.
From the lingering auras, Yi Tianyun could sense that a battle involving a God Monarch-level power had taken place. Even such a high-level battle hadn't destroyed the structure, showcasing the Divine Spirit Race's exceptional skill in Divine Inscriptions.
However, given the situation, the Divine Spirit Race members who stayed here likely faced grim fates.
"It seems the battle took place about a week ago, judging by the lingering aura. And once again, it appears to be your old enemies, the Evil Spirit Race," Yi Tianyun deduced from the residual battle aura.
"Yes, it does seem like it was about a week ago. It looks like the Evil Spirit Race discovered this place," Elder Ji Yue said solemnly. But it shouldn't have been possible; this place is so hidden, surrounded by many small planets, and very remote. It should have been hard to find."
"But it was discovered, and quite suddenly at that. From the looks of it, they evacuated in time; there are only battle traces here and no signs of casualties," Yi Tianyun observed. "At least no one seems to have been killed here, though whether anyone was captured is another matter."
"Let's hope so..." Elder Ji Yue frowned, still finding it hard to believe the Evil Spirit Race had found them.
"I know you have great confidence in your hidden Divine Inscriptions, but from what I see, there are a few possibilities. First, you have a traitor within the Divine Spirit Race," Yi Tianyun speculated.
"Impossible!" Ji Shui Lian immediately refuted this. "Our clan can't have a traitor. Even if there is internal strife, no one would ever collaborate with the Evil Spirit Race. Collaborating with them leads to no good end! Besides, we live in harmony and treat everyone fairly; it's impossible to have a traitor."
Everyone else nodded firmly, refusing to believe they had a traitor.
"Okay, if you're sure about that, then my second guess is that someone can detect your special marks just like you can," Yi Tianyun said.
"That... that's impossible. How could they see our specially placed marks?" Ji Shui Lian and the others remained skeptical.
"The abilities of the Evil Spirit Race may surpass your understanding. When they absorb your essence blood, do you think they don't gain some of your abilities? Not only the Evil Spirit Race, even I can see them!" Yi Tianyun waved his hand, and a brilliant light shone from his eyes.
He activated his Heavenly Eye, an ability inherited from the Spirit Race, a descendant of the Divine Spirit Race.
"That... that's our clan's ability!"
Seeing this, they immediately understood. Their abilities could be bestowed upon others, but doing so usually left the giver almost crippled.
Ye Qingxuan was an exception. She possessed a pair of Heavenly Eyes and gifted one to Yi Tianyun while keeping one for herself.
"That's right. This was gifted by a friend from the Three Realms. The Evil Spirit Race might have exploited this, forcing your people to bestow their abilities and allowing them to easily find your marks," Yi Tianyun said, shaking his head. These marks are too easy to break. Not marking might be better, but without marks, no one can find you. It's a dilemma."
"Bestowing abilities is not something that can be done casually. Especially with the Evil Spirit Race's conflicting attributes, it's not easy to bestow them, and even if forced, they might not be usable. Even for other races, the conditions are very stringent. Your success is a miracle," Ji Shui Lian argued. "I don't think the Evil Spirit Race used this method."
"As I said, the evolution of the Evil Spirit Race is more astonishing than you think. They've captured many of your kind and absorbed much essence blood. Do you think they haven't undergone any mutation? You say your Divine Inscriptions are well-hidden, and I agree. Even I wouldn't be able to find this place."
"Now they have succeeded and caught you off guard. I think you need to plan your next steps carefully."
Yi Tianyun looked around the area; it was completely deserted. Moving towards the other side, he found the exit. This hidden chamber didn't have only one passage; otherwise, they'd be trapped if the Evil Spirit Race guarded the entrance.
"That's true. The Evil Spirit Race's ability to devour has indeed evolved and become more terrifying than before," Elder Ji Yue admitted. "Our Divine Spirit Race once suppressed them, but now we are the ones being suppressed, leading to our decline."
"What do you mean?" Yi Tianyun sensed there was a story behind this.
"It's a long story. The Evil Spirit Race has always been a malevolent existence, devouring everything in their path. Most races stood up to resist, to avoid being devoured. At that time, our Divine Spirit Race was quite powerful and led the charge to suppress the Evil Spirit Race, driving them into retreat."
"But we didn't completely eradicate them, and no one expected them to return stronger than before. By then, our Divine Spirit Race had declined. No race can remain prosperous forever, not even us..." Elder Ji Yue sighed deeply.
No race can stay prosperous forever; this is the harsh reality. A force can remain strong only by continually producing talented geniuses and managing the faction well. Otherwise, a decline is inevitable.
Some disappear within a few hundred years, while others persist for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years, thanks to ancestral treasures.
Despite the Divine Spirit Race's strong bloodline, they couldn't withstand the river of time and ultimately declined. It's tragic that the Evil Spirit Race now suppressed the former leaders!
"It seems the Evil Spirit Race must have received some great opportunity or backing..." Yi Tianyun smelled a conspiracy.