Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 736 Hidden Mission 22

Yun Chu rode the Fire Iron Flying Ant, cleaving through the dark blue sea at an astonishing speed.

A chilling spiritual energy swirled around her, and her face bore the marks of over ten days of tireless travel, leaving her cold and weary.

Suddenly, a faint yet incredibly clear spiritual pull, like a star suddenly shining in the night, pierced through the vast distance and reached her heart!

Her pupils suddenly contracted, and without hesitation, she steered the bone ship to change direction, speeding toward the source of the sensation.

It moved so fast that it even carved a long white trench in the still sea.

As we approached, we saw a solitary reef island suspended above the azure waves, covered in strange, pale blue moss.

At the highest point of the island, a tall, pine-like figure in green robes stood alone on the cliff edge, his sleeves billowing in the sea breeze.

It's Yueze!

He watched Yun Chu arrive riding on a fiery iron flying ant, and instead of being surprised, a sense of understanding and heaviness flashed across his deep eyes.

Yun Chu's figure flashed, and she landed in front of Yue Ze like a startled swan.

"Yueze!"

There were no unnecessary pleasantries, no celebrations for surviving a disaster.

Yue Ze stepped forward and gripped Yun Chu's cold wrist tightly, as if trying to convey a sense of reality to her, or as if drawing strength from her.

His voice was deep and subdued, carrying a solemn weight that came from having unraveled the mysteries of the universe, cutting directly to the heart of the matter:

"Yun Chu, we've been trapped in the ancient times."

Yue Ze's gaze pierced through the vast sea fog, carrying an indescribable depth and heaviness: "This is thirty thousand years ago! I've investigated the gathering place of cultivators on this island. In this era... the rules of heaven and earth are completely different from those of our later generations!"

His tone carried an absurdity and a stinging sense of being overturned: "Here, those who possess four or five spiritual roots are considered to have innate spirituality and the ability to integrate the energy of heaven and earth. They are true prodigies and seeds of destiny! Sects fight over them all!"

He paused, his fingertips tightening around Yun Chu's wrist, as if stating an unbelievable and painful humiliation: "And people like us... those who possess a single-elemental Heavenly Spiritual Root..."

Yue Ze closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the sea breeze filled with the ancient, salty scent, and when he opened them again, his eyes were sharp as a knife: "Here, it is called 'Stubborn Rock and Waste Root'! The spiritual energy of heaven and earth cannot flow and converge, and the gate to the Great Dao is almost closed!"

“Going back is the only way to survive,” Yue Ze nodded resolutely, his gaze fixed on Yun Chu like a cold star. “Only by reactivating the time-space teleportation array can we reverse the river of time and return to the era that rightfully belongs to us!”

His outstretched palms seemed to convey the cold passage of time through his fingers.

Yue Ze's voice was clear and powerful, each word ringing out in the sea breeze: "We must find Yu Xue! Find her and force her to activate the formation to take us back!"

"Okay, we'll definitely find her." If we can't, she can always use her points to exchange for a time-space travel array in the system shop, and then she can bring him back.

The two then rode on Fire Iron Flying Ants and flew to Moon City.

Moon City is the main city of the Moon Bright Sect, which is a medium-sized sect.

Upon arriving in Moon City, Yun Chu and Yue Ze rented a cave dwelling to stay temporarily.

After settling in, the two decided to investigate further and learn more about this world.

Inside the Moon City Cave, a spiritual light permeated the air, isolating it from the noise of the outside world.

Yun Chu and Yue Ze sat facing each other, with jade slips and scrolls collected from various parts of the city spread out in front of them. These scrolls recorded the lineage of sects, the distribution of power, and even some long-standing secrets of this ancient world.

“The Heavenly God Sect…” Yun Chu’s fingertips traced the description of the sect on the jade slip, the words exuding supreme majesty, “Ruling the Eastern Extreme Sea, holding the reins of the righteous path, its lineage is ancient and can be traced back to before the ancient war between immortals and demons.”

"Its library, 'The Treasury of All Laws,' is rumored to contain wondrous arrays from the universe and ancient secret records. Perhaps... there are indeed clues to the time-space array diagrams."

"Why don't we try to join the Heavenly God Sect?"

Yue Ze pondered deeply before replying, "Indeed, such top-tier sects possess unfathomable foundations, unmatched by other forces. However, how can we gain entry into their ranks? Our identities are special, and our spiritual roots in this world are even more..."

The two understood what he had left unsaid.

A single-attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root, considered a "stubborn stone and useless root," would be so disrespectful in this ancient era that multiple spiritual roots were highly valued that even ordinary sects would hardly give it a second glance, let alone allow one to join the top sect.

Forcibly revealing one's later cultivation techniques and abilities might attract unnecessary attention and suspicion, exposing one's true origins.

Yue Ze remained silent for a moment, a resolute glint in his deep eyes: "Forcing it will be futile. The path of the Heavenly God Sect is probably not feasible, so we can only seek another way."

"Being a rogue cultivator, although there is no sect to protect me, I am also free from many constraints. Improving my cultivation and finding Yu Xue are my top priorities."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the bustling streets of Moon City, where cultivators with four or five spiritual roots, regarded as "prodigies" in this world, were full of vigor.

"The rules of this world are completely different, and our 'Heavenly Spiritual Root' has become a shackle. But there are three thousand Great Daos, and there may be a way to break through this predicament. We need to find a cultivation method or resource that is suitable for the rules of this world and can help us improve our cultivation as soon as possible."

Yun Chu nodded and said, "Yes. Yu Xue is the key. Since she was able to activate a time-space travel array once, she must have some secrets or something she relies on."

"Finding her and forcing her to reveal the formation is the most direct way back."

She paused, then added, "We have to leave Moon City. Although the main city of a medium-sized sect is well-informed, it's also crowded and noisy. If our 'stubborn and useless' constitution is noticed by someone with ulterior motives, it could cause trouble."

"Why not venture into those resource-rich but also perilous places, where we can hone our skills and find out where Yu Xue is?"

"This world is so vast. If she escapes, she will surely hide her whereabouts or seek a way back. Perhaps she will leave traces in some special place."

“Alright.” Yue Ze turned around, his gaze firm. “Objective: Improve our strength and search for Yu Xue’s whereabouts.”

"How about our next stop, the 'Ancient Forest of Ten Thousand Miasmas'?"

"The place is shrouded in miasma, teeming with poisonous creatures, and rarely visited by humans. However, it is rich in unique Yin-attribute spiritual herbs and ancient relics, making it suitable for us to conceal our whereabouts and perhaps even find some clues about the power of time and space."

The two quickly reached a consensus, packed their belongings, and quietly left Moon City. Riding their Fire Iron Flying Ants, they transformed into streaks of light and flew towards the Myriad Miasma Ancient Forest, a place where danger and opportunity coexisted.

---

Meanwhile, deep within a sinister and terrifying abyss-like palace shrouded in demonic energy.

Elder Yu Xue looked disheveled, no longer the composed and calm person she was in the Wind Dragon Domain Valley.

Her moon-white robe, a symbol of her status as an elder of the Jade Flute Palace, was already tattered and stained with filth and blood. She was firmly bound to a cold, icy stone pillar engraved with strange demonic patterns by specially made spirit-suppressing chains.

In the dimly lit dungeon, only a few wisps of pale green phosphorescent light flickered, illuminating her pale face, which still bore a stubbornness and resentment.

"Cough cough..." She coughed up a mouthful of foul blood mixed with black smoke. Her spiritual power was being eroded by demonic energy, causing her immense pain.

The tiger demon clan's sacred artifact—the semi-illusory rhomboid crystal core that powered the spacetime traversal array—as well as all of her storage magic treasures, had already been looted.

"Damn it... damn the Seven Deadly Demon Lord!" Yu Xue's heart was filled with boundless hatred.

She barely escaped the tiger demon's pursuit and activated the formation, but unfortunately fell into the spatial turbulence and directly plummeted into the territory of the Seven Deadly Demon Palace, a place that was feared since ancient times.

To make matters worse, she was captured by the patrolling demon palace guards as soon as she revealed herself and before her magic power could be restored.

She has been imprisoned here for some time and has suffered the torment of demonic energy invading her body.

The Seven Deadly Demon Lord who ruled this demonic realm never showed himself, but Yu Xue could clearly feel a powerful and cold divine sense sweeping across the dungeon, as if assessing her value, like examining an object.

"Yun Chu... Yue Ze... where are you?" In despair, Yu Xue couldn't help but think of her fellow disciples whom she had forcibly dragged into this place.

She knew full well that her actions at the time were extremely selfish, dragging them into this irreversible situation.

But at this moment, in this dark and hopeless prison, they became the only faint hope in her heart.

She struggled to circulate the remaining true energy, corrupted by demonic power, attempting to break through the restrictions within her body, while simultaneously and more secretly sensing that...

The only mark that wasn't taken from her, hidden deep within the origin of her soul, had a subtle connection to the Golden Core Secret Realm Token of the Jade Flute Palace.

This is her last trump card, and her only chance to escape or send a message.

"Wait... I'm going to escape..." Yu Xue gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with madness and determination, like a trapped beast in this dark dungeon.