Chapter 294 - 278: Creation
Qi Yun bid farewell to the West Sea Forbidden Area and sped southeast.
At first, he could still see the rugged coastline of the continent’s edge and the sparse offshore islands below.
As he ventured deeper, the continent’s outline gradually vanished behind him.
As far as the eye could see, there was only the endless deep blue sea and the equally vast, boundless sky.
The sea breeze carried the salty, damp scent of freedom. At times, the water was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the drifting clouds; at others, gentle waves rose, cresting like a thousand piles of snow.
He followed the sea chart and coordinates given by Xuan Hengzi, spreading his Divine Sense like a fine net to sense the direction of the ocean currents, the rise and fall of oceanic ridges, and the subtle gradient changes of the Spiritual Mechanism in the air.
At night, he observed the position of the stars to correct his course.
The method Xuan Hengzi had taught him combined the Celestial Star Sect’s unique celestial navigation with the secret sea routes of the Sea Dancers.
It involved several "Vacant Positions" that could only be glimpsed at specific times and from the angle of specific stars, as well as several treacherous "Sea Vortexes" and "Mist Belts" that had to be avoided.
The journey had its share of setbacks.
On one occasion, he mistakenly entered an area that seemed calm but actually contained chaotic primordial magnetism. His Escape Light nearly spiraled out of control. Fortunately, his Daluo Heaven Dao Foundation was stable, allowing him to forcefully stabilize his position and detour around the area.
On another occasion, he encountered a rare, large-scale "Sea Yin Wind." It was formless and intangible, yet it specialized in eroding a Cultivator’s Magical Power and Spiritual Light.
Qi Yun had no choice but to retreat, diving thousands of feet into the deep sea and using the water pressure and the yin power of the Earth Veins to resist it. The ordeal cost him a full day.
Proceeding with such caution and taking many detours, he crossed hundreds of thousands of miles of ocean in just over a month.
On this day, during the darkest hour before dawn, only a faint line of light graced the horizon.
Qi Yun hovered in the air. The sea below was a strange, deep indigo—almost ink-black. The currents were slow and chaotic, forming massive, slowly rotating vortexes that, bizarrely, produced almost no spray.
The Spiritual Qi in the air was so thin it was almost nonexistent, yet a heavy, profound sense of emptiness filled the area.
’This is it!’
Following the method described in the Secret Skill, Qi Yun took out a simple Compass refined from Starlight Stone.
After spinning wildly for several rotations, the Compass needle quivered and pointed to a specific angle.
’Follow the stars’ path, enter the Vacant Position, use the water spring as a guide...’ Qi Yun recited silently. His body suddenly plunged downward, not in a vertical drop, but in a slanted, spiral trajectory angled to the sea’s surface, heading toward the deep-sea spring.
As his Escape Light passed, the surrounding scenery began to distort.
The ink-black seawater seemed to transform into a viscous gel, swallowing all light and severely suppressing his Divine Sense.
After descending about a thousand yards, he was surrounded by absolute darkness and silence. The water pressure was enough to crush solid steel.
Just then, a faint light flickered from the spring ahead. Without hesitation, Qi Yun cast a special Star Power Seal Technique, taught to him by Xuan Hengzi, into the spring.
HUMMM!
A low-pitched hum resonated.
The spring’s faint light suddenly expanded, forming a vortex just large enough for one person to pass through.
Qi Yun slipped inside.
After passing through a thin membrane of water, the scene before him opened up dramatically!
It appeared to be a massive underwater air bubble, or perhaps a Water Mansion held open by some kind of natural force field.
In the center of the space, the base of an island was rooted in the seabed at an unknown depth, extending upward, piercing the luminous barrier, and reaching for the space above.
Qi Yun floated upward, quickly passing through the pale blue glow.
Everything suddenly brightened as a wave of fresh, moist, and incredibly abundant Spiritual Qi washed over him!
He now stood upon an island.
The island wasn’t large, perhaps thirty miles across, and was irregularly shaped. In its center stood several low yet beautiful, verdant peaks. Babbling streams flowed between them, pooling into several clear ponds and small lakes.
The island’s vegetation was dense, filled mostly with exotic flowers, strange grasses, and Spirit Wood adapted to the overseas climate. Though there were no particularly rare species, everything grew exceptionally well, creating a lush and vibrant scene brimming with life.
The island’s edges were lined with fine, silvery-white sand beaches, dotted with reefs.
The entire island seemed to be enveloped by an invisible barrier of water vapor. Inside, the Spiritual Mechanism circulated in a self-contained, gentle, and peaceful system.
Looking up, he saw a blue sky with white clouds. The sunlight was warm, gentle, and constant.
This must be the scene within the concealing barrier formed by natural sea mists and chaotic ocean currents that Xuan Hengzi had described.
It wasn’t just hidden; it was also an excellent environment for Cultivation.
’Huangli Island... It truly is a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land.’ Qi Yun’s Divine Sense spread out like a tide, carefully sweeping over every inch of the island’s land, every body of water, and the course of every Spirit Vein.
He was meticulous, searching for any trace of residual Restrictions, hidden abodes, or powerful dormant beings.
After a full day and night, Qi Yun withdrew his Divine Sense, a satisfied expression on his face.
The island was just as Xuan Hengzi had described. The Spiritual Qi was abundant and pure, the Earth Veins were stable, and there were no traces of powerful Restrictions or abodes left behind by anyone before him.
The only inhabitants were some wild beasts and Low Tier sea birds. The strongest creatures were a few minor Spirit Monsters that had gained a bit of spiritual nature, none of which posed any threat to him.
It seemed the Sea Dancer had truly only used it as a Separate Mansion for occasional, quiet cultivation and hadn’t developed it extensively.
’This is the place,’ Qi Yun decided.
His first task was to transform this naturally secluded island into his own impregnable sanctuary for closed-door cultivation.
He flew to the summit of the highest peak in the center of the island.
Qi Yun formed a sword-finger and drew patterns in the air. Streaks of incredibly condensed Magical Power shot out, plunging deep into the mountain and its Earth Veins. He was using immense Magical Power to directly fine-tune the island’s Earth Vein nodes, allowing him to more efficiently gather the Water Spirit Qi from the surrounding sea.
This was a signature technique of the Earth Spirit Sect, one he had learned from Mo Shou Master!
The mountain peak trembled slightly as Earth Qi began to rise. The flow from several spiritual springs noticeably strengthened, and the streams seemed to babble more cheerfully.
The island’s vegetation grew visibly more lush and verdant.
Next, he took out the various Array Flags and pieces of Spiritual Jade he had long prepared. With a series of flicks from his hands, these Array Formation materials flew to all corners of the island as if they had lives of their own.
Some embedded themselves in rock, others sank to the bottom of the water, and still others hovered in mid-air.
He was setting up a complex, multi-layered Grand Array.
The outermost layer was the Illusion Sea Maze Array, which would use the island’s natural vapor barrier to further enhance its powers of concealment and misdirection.
The middle layer was the Nine Palace Locking Spirit Mountain Suppression Array, which would stabilize the Earth Veins, lock down the Spiritual Mechanism, and prevent his aura from leaking excessively during his breakthrough. It also possessed powerful defensive and counter-attack capabilities.
For the innermost layer, he set up the most powerful array in his possession, the Northern Defense Array, around the primary cavern he had chosen for his seclusion.
It would serve as his final bastion during his seclusion!
As he set up the arrays, Qi Yun’s every gesture commanded the power to move mountains and fill seas.
With a wave of his hand, massive boulders flew into the air, rearranging themselves according to the Array’s needs.
With a stomp of his foot, Earth Veins shifted, and spiritual channels were rerouted.
His Deep Blue Daoist Robe snapped in the sea breeze as the Dao Rhyme surrounding him gradually merged with the island’s Spiritual Mechanism.
In that moment, it was as if he were the master of the island.
The very rules governing this thirty-mile radius were being quietly reshaped according to his will.
And as Qi Yun was engrossed in his preparations on the remote island, making his final arrangements to break through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage...
...
「Within the Imperial Capital of the Nanyin Dynasty, Central Earth Continent.」
The Eastern Palace, Crown Prince’s Mansion.
Within a study that was the height of elegance and luxury, yet whose details revealed an air of supreme majesty and classical charm.
Wisps of green smoke curled up from an incense burner, the priceless Dragon Saliva Soul-Stabilizing Incense.
The four walls were adorned with authentic landscape paintings by masters of a previous dynasty. The profound atmosphere of the art faintly resonated with the room’s miniature Feng Shui layout, gathering a pure, purple energy.
A young man in bright yellow robes, his hair bound in a jade crown, stood before a large desk.
He was exceptionally handsome, with features as if drawn in a painting, a high-bridged nose, and skin as fair as jade. Though he did not deliberately release any pressure, he naturally exuded the graceful, noble air of one long accustomed to ruling and wielding power.
Within his eyes, faint strands of pure, pale-gold Emperor Dragon Qi could be seen circulating with his every breath, granting him an indescribable nobility.
This was none other than the current Crown Prince of the Nanyin Dynasty.
He was also an unfathomably powerful prodigy in the Cultivation Realm, one who had long since stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
The door was gently pushed open.
The visitor was a tall, thin old man wearing a floor-length, unadorned, jet-black robe. His face was gaunt and deeply wrinkled.
The old man’s steps were slow yet exceptionally steady. With every blink, fleeting illusions of stars being born and extinguished, of karma turning, flashed within his eyes, making it impossible for one to meet his gaze.
The Supervisor of the Nanyin Imperial Observatory.
A grand master of the Mystic Sect with unfathomable Cultivation, one who specialized in observing celestial phenomena, divining the National Fortune, and calculating fortune and misfortune!
"I’m afraid I must trouble you this time, Supervisor."
The Crown Prince’s voice was clear and bright, yet his tone was exceedingly polite, even carrying the respect a junior would show to an elder.
The black-robed Supervisor bowed slightly. His voice was raspy yet steady, like the rustle of old silk.
"Your Highness is too kind.
It is my duty to alleviate Your Highness’s burdens and serve the Dynasty. I will naturally do my utmost to fulfill your request."
He raised his head, his eyes that seemed capable of piercing any fog fixed on the Crown Prince.
"Whose location does Your Highness wish for me to divine this time?"
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince of Nanyin’s smile remained, but a brilliant light suddenly flashed through his eyes—a light as piercing as ancient glaciers and as scorching as the sun in the highest heavens!
He no longer suppressed his aura. Facing the Supervisor, he slowly, completely released the shackle that had been deeply hidden in the core of his Purple Mansion!
BOOM—!!
In that instant, with the Crown Prince at its epicenter, the entire study shook violently!
An indescribable, majestic presence, like a slumbering ancient dragon awakening, swept out with ferocious power!
This presence was born of Creation itself, utterly domineering, and carried a supreme will that looked down upon the entire world and all its inhabitants.
Stirred by this presence, the pale-gold Emperor Dragon Qi transformed into tiny, illusory golden dragons that danced around the Crown Prince, emitting silent, regal roars.
For the first time, the Supervisor’s placid face showed clear signs of shock. A terrifying light burst forth from his eyes as he murmured:
"This... This is... a Venerable Dao Foundation?!
Your Highness, you..."
The Crown Prince of Nanyin released his aura for only a moment before retracting it. The terrifying Venerable Qi Mechanism and the host of dragon phantoms vanished back into his body in an instant. The study returned to its former calm, as if the whole display had been an illusion.
But the gentle smile had vanished from his face, replaced by a profound sense of calm.
He looked at the Supervisor and spoke, his words slow and perfectly clear:
"That is correct. I ask you, Supervisor, to use this very presence as a focus."
"Divine for me... the location of the other Venerable in this world."
...