Chapter 964: Chapter 964

"Granny!" Lan Xingling and Kusha both ran over.

Blood was still flowing from Granny's mouth, her expression frail: "Ling'er, Little Sha, I didn't expect you two to be able to enter the grand formation."

"It was Lin Chen who brought us in," Lan Xingling pointed to Lin Chen and said.

When Granny saw Lin Chen, her pupils suddenly constricted: "A celestial god, Lord Celestial God—you've returned!"

Lin Chen froze on the spot, "Since when did I become Lord Celestial God?"

However, Lin Chen took a couple of steps forward and approached Granny.

"These guys are ruthless, to hit an old woman this hard." Lin Chen frowned, placing his palm over Granny's wound.

Instantly, a radiant light of vitality entered Granny's body.

Due to the severity of Granny's injuries, nearly all her meridians had been severed.

If Lin Chen and the others had arrived even a few minutes later, saving her might have been impossible, even for him.

Half an hour passed as Lin Chen continuously channeled the light of vitality into Granny's body.

Granny's originally pale face began to regain some color.

However, as too much vitality light was expended, beads of sweat began to form on Lin Chen's face.

Lan Xingling took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the sweat rolling down Lin Chen's face.

Another ten minutes passed before Lin Chen finally loosened his hand.

"Alright, your injuries are mostly healed now, but you've damaged your foundation. For the time being, you mustn't use the Qi within you and need proper rest," Lin Chen said with a sigh of relief.

To everyone's surprise, Granny excitedly knelt in front of Lin Chen.

"Celestial God, I never thought this old woman would see you again." Granny's expression was one of devout reverence as she kowtowed repeatedly to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen hurriedly helped her up, "Granny, you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm no celestial god!"

Granny shook her head, "Impossible. Absolutely not. How could I mistake you? You are the celestial god!"

Lin Chen looked helpless, "Granny, can we talk while you stand up?"

Only then did Granny get back on her feet. However, the reverent gaze she directed at Lin Chen remained unchanged.

"Granny, what exactly just happened?" Lin Chen asked.

A hint of confusion appeared in Granny's eyes: "Just now, a celestial god with golden hair came here."

"A celestial god with golden hair?" Lin Chen was stunned.

At that moment, Lin Chen was at a loss for words. Earlier, when Granny called him a celestial god, he'd felt somewhat flattered. But now it seemed like Granny's idea of celestial gods was rather vague.

"Granny, how did you determine that both I and that person are celestial gods?" Lin Chen asked curiously.

Granny's expression turned solemn as she said, "We of the Doba tribe have two celestial gods: one is you, and the other is the golden-haired man I just saw. Both of you were once our saviors. The reason I identified you as celestial gods is because of the Qi surrounding you."

"Qi surrounding us?" Lin Chen froze in astonishment.

"We Doba tribesfolk are highly attuned to the Qi of individuals' bodies. We can easily identify someone's identity based on their Qi, and the Qi emanating from both you and that person confirms that you are celestial gods," Granny said with conviction.

Lin Chen was momentarily speechless. By his recollection, this was his first time entering this secret realm—how could he possibly be some celestial god?

Nonetheless, Lin Chen pressed on, "What exactly did that celestial god do earlier?"

"He demanded the starfield key from me, then struck me with a single blow," Granny said, her gaze tinged with confusion, yet devoid of resentment.

"He struck you? Didn't you say he's your savior?" Lin Chen asked, perplexed.

Granny seemed just as baffled: "I heard from my grandmother that, back when a plague ravaged our Doba tribe's territory, it was the golden-haired celestial god who descended and cured the plague, saving our tribe."

"I see. Did he do anything else during his previous visit?" Lin Chen asked.

"No, after curing the plague, he left," Granny replied.

Lin Chen nodded, "While I don't know what kind of person he was before, this guy is definitely no good now. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to kill you."

Granny nodded as well, "Indeed, I never expected him to lay a hand on me."

"Where is the entrance to the starfield? We need to get inside," Lin Chen said seriously.

"You also wish to enter the starfield? It's incredibly dangerous in there," Granny said, worried.

Lin Chen's gaze turned icy: "That so-called celestial god entered the secret realm with ill intent. I must stop him."

Granny sighed, "Who could have imagined that the two celestial gods of our tribe would one day become enemies."

Lan Xingling added, "Granny, the first celestial god is no longer the savior you thought he was. He has also killed many of our tribesmen. That man is now a demon."

Granny nodded, "If you insist on entering the starfield, I will take you to the entrance."

With that, Granny pointed with her cane to an ancient tree deep within the grasslands.

"Celestial God, use your blood as the key, and you will be able to enter the starfield," Granny said solemnly.

"Using blood as the key!" Lin Chen's gaze shifted to the towering ancient tree in the middle of the grassland.

This tree must have been standing for a thousand years, with a tangle of vines sprawling around it. Yet despite its age, its branches and leaves remained lush.

"This tree serves as the gateway to the starfield. However, only four people can enter at most, as exceeding that number could destabilize the spatial balance."

"Only four people?" Lin Chen frowned.

After some discussion, it was decided that Lin Chen, Zhao Xiaohua, Wang Zixuan, and Lan Xingling would enter the starfield.

After bidding farewell to Granny and the others, the four approached the ancient tree.

Fixing his gaze on the ancient tree, Lin Chen noticed a structure resembling a teleportation array before it. Following Granny's instructions, Lin Chen pricked his finger and allowed a drop of his blood to drip into the groove of the array.

As the drop of blood fell, the entire formation began to tremble.

Suddenly, Lin Chen felt his vision blur, and it was as if he had entered a kaleidoscopic world. About a minute later, Lin Chen found himself in the middle of a vast desert.

To his dismay, he had landed in the middle of a sand pit, his mouth and body filled with sand.

Lin Chen stood up, brushed the sand off his clothes, and surveyed this unfamiliar world.

This place was completely unlike the world they had just left. Sand sprawled as far as the eye could see, and even the sky was murky and dim.

At that moment, the surrounding sand dunes began to shift, and the others emerged from the heaps of sand as well.

Each of them was just as disheveled as Lin Chen, their faces and clothing covered in dust.

Wang Zixuan patted the dirt off herself, exclaiming dejectedly, "What kind of hellish place is this? Everything here is just sand."

"Master, this might be a thought-projected dimensional space connected to the realm you came from. There's an energy magnetic field detected to the southwest—the place you're seeking should be there," said Xiaoshuai.

But at that moment, dark clouds suddenly filled the sky, and waves of sand surged in the distance.

Lin Chen's expression shifted: "Damn, a sandstorm is coming."