Chapter 525 - 524: Return
Not only did he level up, but he also received a title reward. This whole sequence of events left Yi Tianyun feeling incredible. This trip had paid off handsomely. Even without a treasure vault or any Spirit Medicines, he was already more than satisfied.
To capture so many Demon Beasts and gain so much experience—what could possibly be better? He had gained a massive amount of experience all at once, enough to raise him by a full level.
However, when he saw that the next level required a billion experience points, he couldn’t help but sigh. ’Leveling up is getting ridiculously hard.’ The experience required became more and more terrifying the higher he climbed. Unless he killed experts at the Void Spirit Stage or above, there was simply no way to gain a massive amount of experience.
He now completely disdained the experience gained from Core Formation Stage cultivators; it was even less than what he got from capturing pets. Of course, the experience from capturing pets wasn’t particularly high either. Most of them yielded five to six hundred thousand experience points, though the ones at the Void Spirit Stage gave a bit more.
The deciding factor was the sheer quantity, which was enough for him to level up with ease. However, it had taken a considerable amount of time to Capture every last Demon Beast. If he had simply killed them all, it would have taken less than half the time.
’Finally... I’ve captured them all...’
Yi Tianyun took a deep breath. ’This really is a chore.’ Meanwhile, the "chore" happening outside was even more astonishing. The others had been relentlessly attacking the main gate without a moment’s pause since they started.
"Divine Envoy, are you finally finished?" they asked, glancing around. Every Demon Beast in the cages was gone. They could only imagine the looks on their enemies’ faces when, after struggling so hard to break in, they found nothing but an empty space.
They would surely be frustrated enough to cough up blood. And the real kicker was that by then, Yi Tianyun and the others would be long gone.
"Yes, let’s get ready to leave. There’s no treasure vault to speak of, just a pile of Demon Beasts," Yi Tianyun said, signaling for them to hold onto him. He was ready to use Instant Teleportation to get them out.
"That’s fine. Our main goal was to deal a heavy blow to the Celestial Nether Divine Kingdom, and now we’ve achieved that, and quite splendidly!" Elder Luo and the others were very satisfied. To lose so many Demon Beasts in one fell swoop... if they were in the enemy’s shoes, they’d be the ones spitting blood.
Among the captives were their own phoenixes. For the Phoenix Race, that alone made the entire trip worthwhile.
Yi Tianyun nodded and swiftly teleported away with them, meeting no resistance. Not even the powerful Divine Runes could block his Instant Teleportation.
The system already operated beyond such limitations, and this Divine Skill was even more exceptional. Escaping was a simple matter.
The next moment, they appeared in the forest outside, perfectly safe.
"We’re clear," Yi Tianyun said.
The three elders looked around. Even though they had been expecting it, they were still profoundly shocked. The speed was simply astonishing; he had extracted them with such ease.
"That’s just outrageous... To escape so casually, it’s like the walls of the Celestial Nether Altar are just for show. No effort at all." Elder Luo and the others sighed, their voices filled with both awe and envy.
But their feelings were limited to envy; there was no way for them to learn such a skill. They assumed it required a special spatial affinity, a talent they did not possess. Thus, they could only look on, unable to learn it themselves.
Even if they were explicitly taught how, they would never be able to master it. This was, of course, just their own assumption. Ordinary Teleportation could never achieve such an effect. At best, it could cover a short distance, and more importantly, it could never bypass the Divine Runes to allow for entry at will.
"That’s right! They’ll be coughing up blood for sure this time! After working so hard to smash through that wall, only to find not a single one of us inside... they’ll definitely go insane, won’t they?" Elder Lei and the others roared with laughter, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction at the thought.
An immense sense of gratification washed over them. When they thought about everything the Evil Spirit Race had done to them, this was letting them off easy. If the situation had permitted, they would have loved to have fought their way out.
"Alright, it’s about time. You can return and report the situation to the Clan Leader. Also, take these two phoenixes with you to treat their injuries and neutralize the poison." Yi Tianyun summoned the two phoenixes. While having them would be nice, he still chose to hand them over.
’The Phoenix Race will definitely want them back. It’s not like I can just keep them, right?’
"You..." Elder Luo looked at Yi Tianyun, a sense of realization dawning on him.
"That’s right," Yi Tianyun said, meeting his gaze. "Just as I said before, the plan hasn’t changed. I’m going back in for a look. You all head back first. I’ll return shortly."
The three elders exchanged glances before finally nodding. This expedition had shown them the extent of Yi Tianyun’s power. Combined with his incredible Instant Teleportation, they felt they didn’t need to worry about him.
"Very well, then. We’ll return first and inform the Clan Leader of the situation," Elder Luo advised. "You must be extremely careful. Even with a skill like your Teleportation, you need to be cautious. No technique is infallible. If you end up trapped in there, the loss would far outweigh any gain!"
They were all deeply concerned for Yi Tianyun’s safety. After all he had done for them, they had come to see him as a true comrade. How could they stand by and let him walk into danger?
"Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it." Yi Tianyun smiled, urging them to leave quickly.
After bidding farewell, they departed swiftly without lingering. It would have been impossible for them to charge in alongside him. In the heat of battle, one’s life could be extinguished in an instant.
Yi Tianyun’s Teleportation was miraculous, but they knew it likely couldn’t be used constantly. More importantly, they wouldn’t be able to support him effectively unless they were fighting right beside him the entire time.
In fact, they felt it was better for Yi Tianyun to act alone. That way, they wouldn’t slow him down.
After they were gone, Yi Tianyun didn’t go back in right away. His Instant Teleportation was still on cooldown. He had to wait here for an hour before he could teleport back inside.
An hour passed in a flash. With a flicker, his figure vanished. The next instant, he was back inside. The entire place was now in chaos. Most of the Cultivators had swarmed the area around the Demon Beast Cages, forming a crowd so dense it was impenetrable.
Yi Tianyun glanced over, then concealed his figure. No one noticed his presence. With most of the guards drawn to the commotion, he could now sneak in with incredible ease.
’It should be roughly this way...’
Without pausing, Yi Tianyun headed directly toward the location of the treasure deep within the Celestial Nether Altar, following the Netherworld Treasure Map to the letter. He was eager to see what this treasure was. ’I hope it’s more valuable than what the Coiling Dragon Treasure Map led to. I’d better get a good Treasure!’
’It has to be at least a Divine Artifact. If it’s only a Sacred Artifact, then coming back here would be a total waste.’
With the majority of the guards gone, sneaking in was a breeze. He quickly followed the map and arrived at the location of the treasure.
’This is the place...’ Yi Tianyun narrowed his eyes as he looked at the passageway before him. He just had to go inside to reach the treasure!