Chapter 243: Teleportation Array
Song Jiulai had originally concealed her cultivation at the Early Stage of Qi Refining, but that was too low for the Dragon Frost Swamp.
She could change it for free only once a year, so this time she’d spent a bit of energy to change it to the Late Stage of Qi Refining.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t even be able to get a word in with the others in the team.
She glanced around. "Isn’t Mu Qiu going too?"
The System said, "Everyone’s departing together. She’s in the next batch."
Realization dawned on Song Jiulai, and she excitedly headed toward Honghuang.
"Excuse me, fellow Daoist, are you two also heading to the Dragon Frost Swamp?"
Song Jiulai squeezed into the crowd and greeted Honghuang and An Xiu with great enthusiasm.
Honghuang shot her a suspicious glance, but being quite extroverted, he immediately broke into a smile. "Yeah, we are, fellow Daoist. You too?"
An Xiu, however, gave Song Jiulai a measuring look.
Song Jiulai nodded. "Yeah, what a coincidence!"
The System asked, "Are you only being this clumsy because you’re banking on Honghuang being an idiot?"
’Shut up! Don’t you dare talk about my son like that!’
The System: "..."
Even Honghuang could tell how forced the conversation was. Still, it was the first time the two of them, traveling so far from home, had met a Cultivator who was this friendly. They remained wary but were willing to humor Song Jiulai on the surface.
"It is, what a coincidence!" Honghuang said enthusiastically. "I’m Honghuang, and this is my friend, An Xiu. And you are, fellow Daoist?"
"Me? I’m Li Daqiang!"
Song Jiulai announced cheerfully.
Upon hearing the name, Honghuang raised a subtle eyebrow. "So it’s Brother Li."
’He was reminded of Su Daqiang.’
Although the written characters on the Yunzhou Continent were different, the meaning was more or less the same when translated.
Many names had the style of ancient Huaxia.
Mortals here sometimes gave their children names that were a bit of a stretch.
But literacy wasn’t restricted on the Yunzhou Continent, so most people could read, and names were generally more sophisticated.
A name as lazy as ’Li Daqiang’ was a rare sight!
’He really wanted to tell Su Daqiang he’d found his long-lost brother from another mother.’
Song Jiulai said, "Then I’ll be bold and call you Brother Honghuang, too."
An Xiu sent a private message to Honghuang: [There’s something wrong with him. Don’t get too involved.]
Honghuang: [I know. You think I can’t tell? Do you really think I’m an idiot?]
An Xiu: [Yes.]
Honghuang: [...You f—]
’Player Honghuang has been muted for ten minutes for using profanity.’
Honghuang: "..."
’Great. Now I can’t send private messages.’
He shot a glare at An Xiu before turning back to Song Jiulai. "May I ask which Sect you’re from, Brother Li?"
"Me? I’m just a Loose Cultivator." Song Jiulai waved her hand dismissively, then asked with feigned curiosity, "What about you, Brother Honghuang?"
"Feique Sect."
’Of course. When you’re away from home, everyone claims to be from the Feique Sect.’
Song Jiulai feigned a look of sudden realization. "The Feique Sect! I’ve heard of it."
As they were chatting warmly, the Guiding Disciple at the front had the fifty of them line up, interrupting their conversation.
They were told to grip their Jade Tokens tightly and enter the tower housing the Teleportation Array in an orderly fashion.
The Sea View Sect had four such Teleportation Arrays, each leading to a different destination.
Upon entering the tower, the crowd discovered that the Teleportation Array, which had appeared to be in the sky from the outside, was in fact located inside the tower.
A massive Eight Diagram Platform sat in the center, inscribed with all sorts of complex and profound spells.
A pillar of light spiraled within the tower, and the entire Teleportation Array pulsed with a glow like a Spirit Stone. Only the Spirit Stone Base Platform in the center, where people were meant to stand, remained dark and unlit.
This was the first time both Song Jiulai and Honghuang had seen a Teleportation Array.
Both of them couldn’t help but let out an impressed, "Whoa."
’It’s huge,’ Song Jiulai thought. ’It would be great if the Longevity Sect could build one in the future.’
’It’s huge,’ Honghuang thought. ’Could our Sect even afford to build one?’
Building a Teleportation Array required a fortune in top-grade spirit stones, a price no small sect could possibly afford.
Then, the two of them exchanged a glance.
Their gazes met, a silent confirmation passing between them: they were both country bumpkins who’d never seen anything like this.
Honghuang, who just moments ago had found Song Jiulai suspicious, suddenly felt a sense of kinship. "Brother Li, is this your first time seeing one too?"
Song Jiulai nodded.
Honghuang glanced at the composed crowd ahead, then cleared his throat. "Alright, Brother Li, let’s try to act cool. We don’t want people thinking we’re a couple of hicks."
Song Jiulai: "..."
’But isn’t that the truth?’
Behind them, An Xiu’s eyes darkened slightly.
No matter how vigilant he was, he’d never have guessed that the Cultivator in front of them was a Sect Master in disguise.
’He just felt that anyone who approached Honghuang so randomly had to be up to no good!’
Holding their Jade Tokens, everyone stepped onto the Teleportation Array in an orderly line.
Once inside the Array, the higher-level Cultivators occupied the most spacious spots, leaving those in the Qi Refinement Realm to crowd together.
Song Jiulai noticed only two or three were at the Golden Core Stage; the number of Foundation Establishment Stage and Qi Refinement Realm Cultivators was about equal.
Since it was an ultra-long-distance Teleportation Array, Song Jiulai heard the Guiding Disciple outside say, "First-timers on a Teleportation Array will feel very unwell. You must endure it. The chances of an accident are slim, but not zero. If a mishap occurs during transit that leads to your demise—well, then you’re just fated to die."
’What?!’
’Why didn’t you mention that earlier?!’
’Wow. This was the first time Song Jiulai had ever seen such a blatant ’we’re not responsible for accidents’ policy.’
’Though, this was pretty common in the Cultivation World.’
But that didn’t stop her from grumbling about it.
Everyone else, however, seemed completely used to it.
But before anyone could react, the Spirit Stone Base Platform beneath their feet erupted in a blinding light.
In the next instant, they had no idea where they were.
It was a strange, profound sensation. Song Jiulai could clearly see her own body being stretched into thin, fragmented strands.
Her consciousness, however, remained lucid.
It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable.
In fact, she felt remarkably clear-headed.
The process was simultaneously fast and slow. Slow enough for Song Jiulai to witness a momentary, kaleidoscopic blur, as if she were speeding past countless things.
And yet fast enough to be over in the blink of an eye.
When her senses returned, she found herself in a fantastical new land.
The first thing that caught her eye was a massive Xuanwu Tower floating in the distant sky.
The tower was carved in the likeness of a Black Tortoise, suspended high in the sky. Amid the churning clouds and mist, this colossal tortoise carried the building on its back, appearing to swim through the heavens.
An oppressive aura radiated from it, and yet, she could faintly hear the sounds of song and dance.
There were quite a few similar structures in its vicinity.
But this Xuanwu Tower was by far the largest.
Far below it lay a massive city.
The Teleportation Array they stood on was now in an open-air location. Several massive stone pillars, like the remnants of a ruin, surrounded it.
Disciples stood guard on all sides.
Just then, the sound of retching filled the air.
The Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement Realm disciples, limbs weak and trembling, stumbled out of the Teleportation Array. They were clearly still dizzy and disoriented, with the world spinning around them.
The two Core Formation Stage men, however, looked perfectly fine.
Song Jiulai recovered quickly, but she noticed that Honghuang and An Xiu seemed unaffected as well.
However, they all shared a tacit understanding, lowering their heads to blend in with the crowd and pretending to stumble off the platform with weak legs.
Shen Hai’an and his companion, however, keenly noted the odd behavior of the trio.