The Imperial Elder stepped forward, his simple ashen robes radiating an authority that transcended the natural laws of the mountain peak. Each of his steps seed to soothe the turbulent energy of the Heavenly Star Formation, transforming the storm into a tranquil river.
"Envoys of the Xing Luo Plains," the Elder's voice was low yet echoed directly within their souls. "Today you depart not in the na of your respective sects or clans, but as the spearheads of this civilization. In the Yao Gu Plains, the Heavens will watch you more closely, and the earth will test the weight of your footing."
Zhi Xuan felt a subtle tug from the Divine Furnace within him as his eyes t the Elder's gaze. There was a fleeting acknowledgnt there—an understanding that the youth before him was no longer rely a genius cultivator, but a vessel for sothing far more ancient.
"Board the vessel," the Elder commanded while waving his broad sleeves.
One by one, Ye Ming, Liu Feng, and Ling Huo soared upward with their elegant movent techniques. The Eighth Prince followed with an arrogant snort, letting his Seven Eternal Gods Bell emit a silver chi that pierced the silence of dawn. Zhi Xuan was the last; he leaped with pure strength, landing on the deck of the black jade ship without causing a single vibration, even though the weight of the Xuan-Huang on his shoulders was capable of cracking mountains.
Zhu Yanghai stepped closer as Zhi Xuan set foot on the deck. The Holy Son of the Zhu Clan stared at the bundle on Zhi Xuan's chest with slightly furrowed brows, yet he did not utter a single word of mockery.
"My sister left a ssage," Zhu Yanghai whispered as they stood side by side, ensuring his voice was only heard by Zhi Xuan. "She said, if you return without your own head, she will be the one to fetch it from Yao Gu."
Zhi Xuan chuckled softly, though his heart felt warm. "Tell her, my head is still too precious to be left in a foreign land."
The black jade ship suddenly vibrated violently, not due to an attack, but because the spiritual vibrations of the ancient space within it began to roar. Silver dragon runes along the hull glowed brightly, spewing blue light that warped the space around them.
In an instant, the scenery of the Imperial Mountain Peak vanished, replaced by a tunnel of light rushing through the inter-dinsional void via the Heavenly Star Gate. Behind them, the cultivators who escorted them could only stare hopefully at the closing Heavenly Star Gate.
Zhi Xuan leaned his back against the cold ship mast, his eyes staring out toward the transparent shield where the stars appeared like elongated streaks of light. On his chest, i Hua began to squirm. The silk binding that held her loosened as the little girl's consciousness slowly returned.
i Hua's long eyelashes flickered, then slowly opened, revealing a pair of clear yet vacant eyes as if she had just crossed thousands of years in a brief dream. She blinked several tis, staring at the ship's ceiling decorated with glowing silver dragon carvings, before finally looking up at Zhi Xuan's sharp jawline.
"Brother Zhi Xuan... are we inside a dragon's belly?" i Hua murmured, her hoarse and innocent voice breaking the tension on the deck.
Zhi Xuan released the silk binding on his chest, letting i Hua stand on the cold black jade floor. "We are on a ship, i Hua. We are heading sowhere very far away."
"A ship... like i Hua's starry boat?" i Hua replied cheerfully, looking up at Zhi Xuan innocently.
Zhi Xuan only smiled thinly; he nodded slightly and reached out his right hand to gently pat the small head. "Correct, just like i Hua's Seven Star Boat."
i Hua laughed joyfully, her tiny hands imdiately reaching under her embrace to ensure Lulu was not left behind. The rag doll appeared with its dull, flat face, as if also staring at the expanse of light outside the ship's shield. "Lulu, look! The boat is very big!"
i Hua's shrill cheerfulness in the midst of the silent dinsional corridor imdiately drew the attention of the other occupants. Ling Huo, who was trying to recover his fire essence, opened his eyes with annoyance. anwhile, the Eighth Prince, leaning on the other side of the deck, snorted coldly, though his eyes could not hide his curiosity about how a mortal child could remain so calm under the pressure of the vacuum.
Zhi Xuan only smiled thinly; he sat down cross-legged and leaned against the mast. He tapped his waist and imdiately a Divine Black Jade appeared and shattered before him. Dense spiritual essence imdiately enveloped him as he began to cultivate calmly, recovering his essence and preparing himself like the other envoys.
The silence on the deck was soon taken over by a vortex of thick spiritual essence. The shattered Divine Black Jade released a mist of pure energy so thick it ford a thin layer over the black jade floor. For an ordinary cultivator, absorbing such vast energy in an instant could cause ridians to burst, but for Zhi Xuan, it was rely a drop of water for the thirst of his soul, which now bore the weight of two extre poles.
Inside his Sea of Consciousness, the Heavenly Samsara Wheel turned heavily. Every rotation had to fight the gravity of the Xuan-Huang Energy residing within the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron. However, amidst that pressure, his energy circulation beca even more dense and solid.
"Little girl," a cold and sharp voice cut through the light concentration of the envoys.
Holy Son Hua Tianming stepped closer, his fluttering white robes unaffected by the pull of spatial energy outside the ship. His eyes, sharp as swords, stared at i Hua, who was busy sitting Lulu atop a wooden storage box.
i Hua looked up, showing no fear whatsoever toward the Soul Transformation aura radiating from Hua Tianming. Instead, she knitted her small brows, staring at the silver headpiece worn by the Holy Son, and then shyly spoke while slightly wiggling her feet. "Oh um, hi uncle, that is very beautiful in your hair."
Hua Tianming's face, usually as cold as marble, suddenly stiffened. The term uncle that ca from i Hua's lips seed to be a ntal attack more effective than any sword strike. Behind him, Hua Lian Xi—the Holy Daughter—covered her mouth with her sleeve, holding back a laugh that almost exploded, while Zhu Yanghai openly guffawed until his shoulders shook.
"Uncle?" Hua Tianming repeated the word in a low tone, as if testing the taste of poison on his tongue. "Little brat, do you know who you are talking to?"
i Hua tilted her head, her small fingers stroking Lulu's dull cheek. "Um, i does not know. Are you Brother Zhi Xuan's friend, uncle?"
"I am not his friend," Hua Tianming finally replied, his voice sounding stiffer than usual. "I am the one who ensures your brother does not die before reaching the gates of Yao Gu."
i Hua blinked, then she smiled broadly, revealing her neat row of milk teeth. "Thank you, Good Uncle! My na is i Hua, you can call i!"
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Hua Tianming fell silent, his jaw tightening for a mont as if holding back an unfamiliar surge of emotion. For a genius of an Ancient Clan worshipped like a god, being called Good Uncle by a child who did not even possess a cultivation base was an insult to his dignity, yet i Hua's absolute innocence left his killing intent with nowhere to anchor.
Hua Lian Xi stepped forward, her presence bringing a soothing scent of peach blossoms. She knelt before i Hua, matching the little girl's height. "i Hua, is it? A na as beautiful as you," she said softly. Her clear eyes peered deep into i Hua's eyes, trying to find any trace of hidden energy, but she only found a peaceful emptiness.
"Beautiful Sister also has a nice hair ornant!" i Hua exclaid happily, pointing to Hua Lian Xi's flower-shaped jade hairpin. "Does everyone on this dragon boat have to wear shiny things?"
Zhu Yanghai, still chuckling, finally approached, leaning against the mast right next to Zhi Xuan, who was still in ditation but with ears alert. "Did you hear that, Zhi Xuan? In your sister's eyes, we are all just a bunch of people who like wearing shiny things."
Zhi Xuan opened one eye, his blue sapphire gaze eting Zhu Yanghai's with a playful glint. "She has a unique way of seeing the world. At least she is honest, is she not?"
Zhi Xuan closed his eyes again, but his lips still curved into a thin smile. He could feel how i Hua's pure presence acted like an antidote to the ship's atmosphere, which was previously thick with competition and tension.
Hua Lian Xi, still kneeling before i Hua, slowly reached out her hand. "May I touch your doll, i?"
i Hua paused for a mont, looking at Lulu and then at Hua Lian Xi with a weighing gaze. "Lulu says... Beautiful Sister has a heart as warm as spring, so it is okay. But be careful, Lulu does not like it if her clothes are pulled."
When Hua Lian Xi's fingertips touched the dull fabric of the Lulu doll, a subtle vibration rippled through the Holy Daughter's ridians. Her eyes widened instantly. For a mont, she did not feel the rough texture of the cloth, but a sensation like touching an ancient and impenetrable barrier. However, before she could investigate further, the sensation vanished, leaving Lulu as a ordinary, pitiful-looking rag doll.
"Strange..." Hua Lian Xi whispered almost inaudibly. She withdrew her hand, looking at i Hua with a new and faint sense of respect.
Hua Lian Xi rose slowly, her gaze still fixed on i Hua, who was now busy feeding Lulu with a piece of imaginary candy. A strange silence enveloped the ship's deck, where great geniuses who usually discussed heavenly laws fell silent just because of a mortal child's interaction.
"What is it, Lian Xi?" Hua Tianming asked, noticing the change in his sister's expression.
Hua Lian Xi shook her head slowly, trying to neutralize the vibration in her fingertips that still felt slightly numb. "It is nothing, Brother. Perhaps my energy circulation is just slightly disturbed by the spatial pressure in this dinsional corridor."
As a brief mont passed like the cycle of a full moon in the mortal world, ti warped and shortened the distance between the far-stretching Plains. The black jade ship suddenly emitted a low roar that vibrated from its inner formation core. The blue light surrounding the ship's shield began to fade, torn apart by the ergence of a new view slowly seeping in from behind the veil of void.
The tunnel of light that originally shot straight ahead now shattered into fragnts of crystal particles, signaling that they had reached the end of the Heavenly Star Gate.
A violent jolt hit the ship's deck as the black jade vessel surged out from the mouth of the dinsional corridor. A blinding white light instantly swept across the entire room, forcing the envoys to squint. However, when their vision returned, their breath seed to stop at the sight unfolding before them.
Here, the sky was not a pale blue like in Xing Luo, but a deep sapphire blue, adorned with golden clouds moving slowly as if carrying the weight of heavenly blessings. There was no single sun here; instead, seven eternal glows hung on the horizon, radiating Yang essence so pure that every breath felt like swallowing a high-grade spiritual pill.
Zhi Xuan rose from his ditation, his eyes widening as he felt an extraordinary sensation. The Heavenly Laws in this plain were so thick that the air felt dense, vibrating with a frequency that rged with the heartbeat of the universe.
In the distance, floating islands covered in erald jade forests appeared to drift amidst silver mists. Spiritual waterfalls fell from thousands of feet in the air, but instead of hitting the ground, the water turned into rain of light before disappearing back into the sky.
The black jade ship slowed down, cutting through the golden cloud ocean that felt like liquid silk. Every ti the ship's hull touched the clouds, ripples of Heavenly Law spread, creating a symphony that pleased the eyes while intimidating the soul. In the Yao Gu Plains, spiritual essence was no longer just energy to be inhaled, but a living entity, crawling into every pore of the skin even without being intentionally absorbed.
Zhi Xuan stepped to the edge of the deck, his hand gripping the black jade railing. He could feel the Slaughter Pillar on his forehead throbbing hotly, reacting to the extre purity of this place. To him, Yao Gu was not just a paradise; this place was a giant refining furnace trying to erase the demonic stains from his existence.
"This is the Yao Gu Plains," the Imperial Elder's voice sounded heavier, full of deep respect. "The place where the Heavens never close their eyes. Here, every evil thought will feel like a thorn in the flesh, and every holy intention will be given wings to fly."
Below them, the land of Yao Gu stretched vast and endless. The mountains here were not made of ordinary stone, but of ancient crystals reflecting the seven eternal lights from the horizon. Giant trees with silver leaves stood tall, each leaf storing natural rune carvings that continuously whispered sacred scriptures into the air.
i Hua ran to the edge of the deck, her large eyes sparkling, reflecting the beauty of the floating islands passing beside them. "Brother Zhi Xuan! Look! The water does not fall down, it goes up to greet the stars!" she exclaid while pointing at the waterfall of light sliding into the sky.
Lulu in her arms seed silent, but in Zhi Xuan's eyes, the doll appeared to absorb the golden glow from the surrounding clouds, making it no longer look too dull under this heavenly light.
The Eighth Prince stepped beside Zhi Xuan, his arrogant face now filled with tangible tension. "The Heavenly Laws here... are at least ten tis denser than in the deepest ditation rooms of the Empire. If I cultivated here for ten years, I am certain I could touch the threshold of Weaver Transformation without hindrance."
"Yet you are here to fight, not to ditate," Zhi Xuan replied without looking. He felt the Xuan-Huang Energy within his soul begin to resonate with the heavy footing of the Yao Gu earth. In this place, he felt as if his every step was being watched by thousands of invisible eyes from a higher dinsion.
The black jade ship continued to descend, cutting through the silver mist enveloping a vast plain known as the Court of Holy Light. At the center of the plain stood a structure resembling a giant lotus flower made of pure white marble, surrounded by pillars of light towering until they pierced the clouds.
As the ship landed with a soft rustle of energy, Zhi Xuan saw that they were not the only guests in this intimidating paradise. On the other side of the Court, a silver ark shaped like the horizon had docked first. From there, a different aura radiated; not as heavy as Xing Luo, but sharper and full of illusory ripples that blurred the vision.
"Envoys of the Feng Mie Plains," Ye Ming muttered, his eyes narrowing as he saw five figures in grey robes with silver thread embroidery appearing to float above the ground. "They are faster than we expected."
Zhi Xuan did not pay much attention to the Feng Mie envoys. His attention was instead drawn by five other figures already waiting in the middle of the marble lotus. They wore pure white robes without striking decorations, but behind their backs, there were thin halos of light rotating slowly—a sign that they were native inhabitants of Yao Gu who had rged with the Heavenly Laws since birth.
"That is the Law you seek upon reaching Soul Transformation," Ruo Xianxue said suddenly within Zhi Xuan's mind, her voice sharpening into alertness. "Their Five Elents are different; they incorporate higher Heavenly Laws into them."
Zhi Xuan squinted, trying to pierce through the mist of light surrounding the five Yao Gu envoys. Ruo Xianxue's words were not rely a warning; he could see how the air around the five youths curved and submitted, as if space itself felt honored to support their existence.
"Five practitioners of Heavenly Law..." Zhi Xuan murmured. He felt the Heavenly Sword on his back vibrate slightly, not out of fear, but out of a joy that thirsted for a challenge.
The Imperial Elder led the way down the ship's stairs. Behind him, the Xing Luo entourage stepped in disciplined formation. Zhi Xuan's feet touched the white marble of the Court of Holy Light, and instantly, a stinging cold sensation crept up from the soles of his feet, trying to dissect the spiritual essence he stored.
This was the Opening Salutation of the Yao Gu Plains—a natural scan to ensure no filthy entities set foot on their holy ground. The Slaughter Pillar on Zhi Xuan's forehead throbbed violently. The black color on his left hand, though wrapped in pale blue cloth, seed to start burning.
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