Chapter 363: Mist Across the Heavens

Spirit Realm outskirts, Dark Star Harbor.

This secret stronghold, hidden deep within a massive meteorite belt, has long been shrouded by the Ninefold Concealment Array set up by the Heavenly Patrol Bureau. Even if a late Nascent Soul cultivator's divine sense sweeps over it, they can only perceive an ordinary interstellar debris field, making it nearly impossible to discover that it actually conceals a hidden harbor capable of docking large star vessels.

At this moment, on Dock "Jia-7" deep within the harbor, a…… flying vessel that is difficult to describe in words for its antiquity and mystery hovers silently.

It is about thirty zhang long, shaped like an elongated dart, its entire body presenting a deep dark-gold hue, its surface covered densely, layer upon layer, with rune arrays. These runes are not characters from any known system in the Spirit Realm, but rather older, more obscure Primordial Glyphs, each slowly circulating, emitting a faint chaotic-colored light.

"Voidbreaker Shuttle".

One of the Alliance's hidden treasures, it is said to have been personally forged by an ancient master proficient in spatial laws, specifically designed to traverse spatial turbulence and break spatial blockades. Its shell is forged from "Void-Refined Gold" mixed with "Chaos-Primal Copper", and its interior bears inscriptions of one hundred and eight different spatial rune arrays, capable of resisting most spatial traps and the erosion of void creatures.

At this moment, the hatch of the Voidbreaker Shuttle is wide open, a ladder of pure energy extending to the edge of the dock. Six figures are now entering in single file along the energy ladder.

Wang Ping walks in the middle. He still wears his ink-green Daoist robe, with the Chaos Star Command hanging at his waist, his aura more inwardly restrained and profound than three months ago. That thread of Xuanming True Soul fused with the power of Order, the Yin Ultimate Extinction Chill, after repeated refinement over this period, has been completely integrated into his chaos system, becoming part of his Dao foundation.

By his side, Cangxuan wears a black tight-fitting outfit, carries a long sword, his steps like a sword, his sharpness inwardly restrained yet making one dare not meet his gaze. Yuliuli wears a moon-white Immortal-Retention dress, surrounded by a faint, elusive immortal melody and Dao resonance, her steps light as treading on clouds.

Tiandian Shangren walks in front, his whisker resting in the crook of his arm, his moon-white Daoist robe stirring without wind in the void. As he walks, he squints his eyes to examine the Primordial Glyphs on the Voidbreaker Shuttle's shell, murmuring words under his breath, obviously interpreting them with some secret method.

Ban Shan Lao Zu strides forward with large steps, his bare ancient bronze upper body muscles knotted like dragons, those strange patterns flashing in the dim light of Dark Star Harbor with a heavy, mountain-like earth-yellow glow. He grins, occasionally patting the Voidbreaker Shuttle's shell, emitting a "dong dong" muffled sound, muttering: "Good stuff! Solid! Can withstand Old Stone's tossing!"

Xuanhu Furen walks last, her fan woven from unknown feathers swaying gently, her eyes flowing with a hint of lazy scrutiny. Her gaze sweeps over every detail of the Voidbreaker Shuttle, over the backs of the five ahead, finally lingering slightly on Wang Ping, a flash of thoughtful light in her eyes.

After all six entered, the hatch closed silently. The Voidbreaker Shuttle trembled slightly, then like a swimming fish, slid out of the dock soundlessly, merging into the infinite darkness beyond Dark Star Harbor.

Inside, a cave within a cave.

The interior of the Voidbreaker Shuttle is folded and expanded by exquisite spatial arrays, its actual space more than ten times larger than its appearance. The central feature is a main passage running front to back, with six independent quiet rooms on either side, a hall for deliberations, and a hemispherical observatory.

The observatory is located at the front of the shuttle, constructed of transparent crystal, allowing 360-degree unobstructed observation of the external void. The crystal is inscribed with fine rune arrays, both resisting void energy erosion and displaying real-time data of external spatial fluctuations.

At this moment, the six gather on the observatory, gazing at the stars rapidly receding outside the viewport, silent for a while.

"Everyone." Tiandian Shangren speaks first, his whisker swaying lightly, "Going to the 'Law Corridor', the journey is long, requiring passage through three void turbulence zones, two silent star fields, and a misty region enveloped by ancient arrays. With the Voidbreaker Shuttle's speed, conservatively estimated…… three months."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the five: "Three months, saying it's long isn't long, saying it's short isn't short. This old man suggests you take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with each other, exchange insights, and prepare for cooperation upon entering the ruins. After all, dangers within the corridor are unknown and perilous; the word 'tacit understanding' may save lives at critical moments."

Ban Shan Lao Zu grinned: "Tiandian old-timer speaks sense! Old Stone has long wanted to get close to a few young friends! Especially Wang Ping little brother—able to have Dean Jiang personally name him, and return alive from that damned Xuan Po Abyss, he must have some skills! When we have time, let's practice together?"

Wang Ping smiled slightly: "Senior Ban Shan flatters me. If the opportunity arises, I will certainly seek your guidance."

Xuanhu Furen covered her mouth and laughed softly, that laugh soft and sweet, yet inexplicably carrying a hint of allure: "Ban Shan, don't scare young Wang Ping friend. Though he is young, that aura on him…… tsk tsk, even I cannot see through it."

Her eyes flowed, landing on Wang Ping, half-smiling: "Little friend, how is the taste of the Xuanming True Soul entering your body?"

Wang Ping's expression unchanged, he said lightly: "Thanks to Lady's concern, still acceptable."

"Acceptable?" Xuanhu Furen's eyes flashed with a hint of playfulness, "That's not just 'acceptable'? Though I never personally went to the Northern Border, I have also heard that the 'Xuanming True Soul' at the core of the Xuan Po Core has never actively chosen a master for ten thousand years. You being able to make it acknowledge you must mean you have extraordinary qualities."

Wang Ping did not respond, merely nodding slightly, taking it as acknowledgment.

Cangxuan watched coldly from the side, then suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as ever: "Xuanhu Furen, Wang brother is humble and dislikes boasting. If you have questions, wait until entering the ruins, then the truth will be seen."

Xuanhu Furen was slightly startled, then laughed even more brightly: "Ah, Cangxuan little friend is so protective. Good, good, good, I won't ask then."

Yuliuli smiled lightly, that laugh like an echo in an empty valley, making one's mind and spirit refreshed: "Everyone, the journey is long, why not each cultivate in seclusion, nurture essence and gather energy. When we arrive, let us work together in unity to explore the ruins."

Everyone had no objections.

The voyage thus began.

The first month was relatively peaceful.

When the Voidbreaker Shuttle passed through the first void turbulence zone, everyone personally experienced the strength of this ancient flying vessel. Those void energy turbulences capable of tearing ordinary star vessels to pieces, upon impacting the shuttle's surface, only stirred up flashes of rune light, which were then silently dissolved by those ancient rune arrays.

Inside, almost no turbulence was felt.

Wang Ping spent most of his time in the quiet room, closing his eyes to cultivate.

His quiet room is not large, only able to hold a bed, a table, and a futon. But the array is exquisite, isolating all external disturbances, truly a cultivation treasure land.

He sat cross-legged on the futon, hands forming seals, chaos immortal elements circulating slowly. Within his dantian, the chaos infant treasure aspect stood solemn, the Fusang tree seed in its embrace lush and verdant, the Heaven-Overturning Seal and Chaos Tribulation Sword each occupying a side, exhaling chaos light.

But the most core change is that thread of Yin Ultimate Extinction Chill.

It is no longer merely a "chill", but a new existence fused with Xuanming True Soul and the power of Order. It hovers to the right of the chaos infant treasure aspect, mutually independent yet mutually blending, like the yin-yang fish in the Taiji diagram.

Each time Wang Ping completes a cycle of circulation, he can clearly feel his understanding of the "Yin", "Extinction", "Ice", and even "Order" laws deepening at a visible speed.

Within that thread of Xuanming True Soul lies the Yin origin condensed over hundreds of millions of years in the Xuan Po Core. It is like a living ancient classic, recording the entire process of the Yin Dao from inception to perfection. Each time Wang Ping refines a thread of it, he can obtain a segment of information—those informations are not text, not images, but a more direct "law insight".

He gradually understands that the Yin Dao is not merely "cold" or "freezing".

Its essence is "stillness".

Heaven and earth have two poles: motion and stillness. Motion's extreme gives rise to Yang, stillness's extreme gives rise to Yin. True Yang fire is the extreme of "motion"—burning, exploding, endless life; while Yin Ultimate Extinction is the extreme of "stillness"—sinking, contracting, all things returning to storage.

Stillness extreme then motion, Yin extreme Yang gives rise. True Yin Great Dao never fears "Order", because Order itself is a manifestation of "stillness"—laws eternal, all things following norms, this itself is the realm of "stillness".

And the Yin Ultimate Extinction Chill fused with Order's power precisely manifests this "stillness" quality to the extreme.

Wang Ping opened his eyes, palm upturned, a thread of azure-blue light slowly emerging. That light is not bone-chilling cold, but rather brings a sense of tranquil peace to the mind and spirit. Yet if one carefully senses, they will find beneath that tranquility lies the terrifying power to freeze all living vitality, even to solidify the flow of time.

"Still one step short." He murmured to himself.

This chill, though strong now, has not yet fully merged with his chaos system. They remain independent, like two parallel rivers, not yet truly converged.

Once they converge……

Wang Ping shook his head, no longer thinking further. On the path of cultivation, haste is most taboo. When the time comes, it will naturally happen.

The second month, he began leaving the quiet room.

Tiandian Shangren became his first exchange partner.

This old Daoist proficient in ancient arrays is extremely interested in the Primordial Glyphs on the Voidbreaker Shuttle's shell, spending several hours each day on the observatory studying those flowing glyphs. Wang Ping is also quite interested, so he often joins him in stargazing and discussing the Dao.

"Little friend, please look." Tiandian Shangren pointed to a group of rune projections appearing on the crystal wall, his whisker tapping lightly, "This 'Void Defining Anchor' rune is the unique handiwork of the ancient 'Myriad Phenomena Stargazers' lineage. Its structure differs from any Spirit Realm array system, being even more…… pure."

Wang Ping focused intently. The lines of those runes are extremely simple, yet contain an indescribable flavor. They are not used to "drive" energy, but to "define" rules—like drawing a line in chaos, stipulating "this is the boundary".

"Old man has studied arrays for eight hundred years, thinking I had exhausted all changes." Tiandian Shangren stroked his beard and sighed lightly, "Seeing these Primordial Glyphs, I know there is heaven beyond heaven. Little friend, you bear the chaos inheritance, for this kind of 'rule-defining' law, do you have any insights?"

Wang Ping pondered for a moment, then said slowly: "Chaos encompasses all things, evolves all things. These runes may perhaps be the 'Myriad Phenomena Stargazers' taking chaos as a basis, extracting from it a kind of 'order expression'. They are not creating rules, but…… describing rules."

Tiandian Shangren's eyes flashed with brilliance: "Describing rules? Good! Good a describing rules! Old man has understood!"

From then on, an old and a youth often stood side by side before the observatory, discussing runes, deducing arrays, one talk lasting several hours. Tiandian Shangren poured out his lifetime's learning, Wang Ping used the Primordial Glyphs to verify the chaos Dao, gains abundant, far exceeding any secret realm exploration.

The Moving Mountain Old Ancestor also refused to be lonely, often seeking out Wang Ping for "sparring."

Of course, this sparring was not a real fight, but a simulation using divine sense, deducing the interaction between the physical body and space.

"This old stone's skin has been refined for eight hundred years!" the Moving Mountain Old Ancestor patted his chest, his voice like a great bell, "Chaotic turbulence can't smash it, star arks can't destroy it, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators' techniques bombarding it are like scratching an itch!"

Wang Ping earnestly asked for advice: "Senior, how is your physical body combined with spatial power?"

The Moving Mountain Old Ancestor grinned: "Good question! What I, Old Stone, cultivate is an ancient body-refining technique called the 'Mountain Peak Suppress Space Art.' This art focuses on using the flesh to draw spatial power, refining oneself into a 'living mountain peak' to suppress a region of void! Think about it—if a mountain peak stands there, can space not be stable?"

Wang Ping fell into thought. He recalled his own Heaven-Overturning Seal, which was also a suppressive method, but leaned more toward "treasure" than "flesh." If he could integrate part of the philosophy of the 'Mountain Peak Suppress Space Art' into himself, using a chaotic body to draw spatial power, what would the effect be?

He began to ask the Moving Mountain Old Ancestor for the essentials of the body-refining path, and the Old Ancestor was happy to teach; they hit it off immediately, often sitting in meditation for hours at a time in the quiet chamber.

Lady Xuanhu played another role——that of a sentinel.

As a Nascent Soul Great Perfection of the Xuanhu clan, her sensory talent could be called terrifying. Those creatures lurking in the void turbulence, those traps hidden in spatial folds, often before the boundary-shattering shuttle's detection array could react, she would already give advance warning.

"Three thousand li to the left front, a swarm of void worms is migrating, detour." She lightly waved her silk fan, her eyes flowing, as if she could see through the void.

"Spatial fold anomaly on the right, suspected remnant of an ancient battlefield's spatial trap, slow down and pass through."

"Straight ahead……a bit interesting, a faint probing sensation, but fleeting, possibly just a passing void behemoth."

Her warnings had never been wrong.

Wang Ping once couldn't help but ask: "Lady, does your sensory ability have a method?"

Lady Xuanhu covered her mouth and smiled lightly, her eyes flowing, looking at him with a half-smile: "Little friend wants to know?"

Wang Ping nodded.

"That won't do." She shook her fan, a hint of slyness flashing in her eyes: "This is my Xuanhu clan's secret, passed to daughters not sons. Unless……" she deliberately drew out her tone, "you marry into my fox clan?"

Wang Ping was slightly startled, then chuckled: "Lady, you're joking."

Lady Xuanhu laughed until her branches trembled, that laughter echoing in the quiet chamber, lingering for a long time.

Cangxuan and Yuliuli, meanwhile, each cultivated in seclusion, rarely showing their faces.

In Cangxuan's quiet chamber, faint sword cries often echoed. Those sword cries grew lower and lower, more and more inwardly restrained, yet contained a kind of heart-pounding "Sword of Laws" artistic conception. Wang Ping occasionally passing by could clearly sense that Cangxuan's sword path was undergoing some kind of qualitative leap.

Yuliuli's quiet chamber was shrouded in faint, ethereal celestial music. That celestial music was empty and profound, sometimes like dripping spring water, sometimes like wind blowing through bamboo groves, calming the mind and spirit. She was obviously also seizing the time to deepen her understanding of the music and soul path.

In the third month, navigation became difficult.

The Boundary-Shattering Shuttle entered a region called the "Dead Silence Star Field." Here there were no stars, no planets, not even interstellar dust, only a piece of absolute, pure void.

But it was precisely this void that was the most dangerous.

Tianyan Shangren pointed at the data display on the observatory platform, his face solemn: "Space here is extremely unstable, spatial rifts or void vortices may appear at any time. Everyone must stay inside the cabin, absolutely do not project divine sense outward."

The six gathered on the observatory platform, their eyes fixed on the suffocating darkness outside the porthole.

The Boundary-Shattering Shuttle was like a fallen leaf drifting in an endless abyss, slowly and cautiously making its way. Those ancient runes at this moment shone to the extreme, flowing wildly, resisting the omnipresent spatial erosion.

Lady Xuanhu closed her eyes, a faint silver light swirling around her body, as she was fully exerting herself to sense everything around her.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and said softly: "Three thousand li to the right front, there is something……very large, very ancient, now sleeping. Detour, go slowly, do not disturb it."

Tianyan Shangren immediately adjusted the course, and the Boundary-Shattering Shuttle, at an extremely slow arc, went around that area.

When that "something" was far behind them, only then did everyone dare to let out a breath.

"What is that?" the Moving Mountain Old Ancestor rarely lowered his voice.

Lady Xuanhu shook her head: "I don't know. But that aura……is more terrifying than a Body Integration cultivator. Perhaps it is some void creature bred in this Dead Silence Star Field, or perhaps the remains of some ancient great power……in any case, it is not something we can provoke."

After another seven days, the Boundary-Shattering Shuttle finally crossed the Dead Silence Star Field and entered a relatively stable void.

On the observatory platform, the six watched the star map gradually return to normal, all feeling the relief of having survived a catastrophe.

"Soon." Tianyan Shangren pointed at the blinking light point on the star map: "In five more days, we can reach the target area."

Five days later, the Boundary-Shattering Shuttle slowly decelerated and finally stopped in a piece of void that appeared ordinary.

However, when everyone looked outward through the observatory platform's crystal wall, they all simultaneously sucked in a breath of cold air.

Ahead in the void, a piece was blurred.

This was not ordinary darkness, nor nebula or dust blocking the view. Rather, it was a more strange state——as if an invisible, enormous curtain had been draped over the starry sky ahead, completely covering it.

On the curtain, there was no starlight, no spiritual energy fluctuation, no trace of laws.

Divine sense probing in, like a mud cow entering the sea, vanished instantly without a trace, with no feedback.

Tianyan Shangren's face grew solemn, he flicked his horsetail whisk, sending out one probing rune after another into that blurred area, all of which disappeared without a trace.

"Ancient concealment array." He said in a deep voice, "And it is of a level I have never seen before, even unable to comprehend. It does not conceal light, nor aura, but……existence itself."

The Moving Mountain Old Ancestor scratched his head: "What does that mean?"

Tianyan Shangren took a deep breath and said slowly: "It means that this void, on the 'law level,' has been hidden. It is not gone, but rather some power has erased it from 'existence that can be perceived.' What we can see is merely an appearance; the true entrance lies hidden behind this appearance."

Cangxuan frowned tightly: "Is there a way to break it?"

Tianyan Shangren remained silent for a long time, then slowly shook his head: "This old one……needs time. This array is so ancient, so complex, far beyond what this old one has seen in his lifetime. Forcibly breaking it would be no different than striking a stone with an egg."

Lady Xuanhu suddenly spoke: "Perhaps……no need to break it."

Everyone looked at her.

She shook her fan, her eyes flowing, with a hint of slyness: "Since this array exists, it must necessarily have a 'gate.' Although I cannot see through the array itself, I can sense……in that blurred area, there is an extremely weak but regular 'breath.' Every twelve hours, the array's fluctuation weakens for an instant; that instant, perhaps, is the opportunity for the 'gate' to open."

A flash of light appeared in Tianyan Shangren's eyes: "Is Lady's words true?"

Lady Xuanhu slightly nodded: "Seventy percent confidence."

"Enough!" Tianyan Shangren flicked his horsetail whisk, "This old one will now begin to deduce the array's fluctuation pattern, combined with Lady's perception, perhaps we can find that 'instant' within three days!"

Wang Ping silently gazed at the blurred void outside the porthole, a hard-to-describe palpitation surging in his heart.

In his dantian, the Jianmu seed suddenly trembled slightly, the chaotic nebula pattern on its leaves flowing and accelerating, as if sensing something.

The spatial fluctuation at the edge of the fragment of the Chaos Immortal Palace, the "Silver Radiance Council" from the mouth of the silver-robed puppet, the "Yuan Xu Seed" and "Yin Guide Light" memory fragments from the leader of the Yin Ming forces……

Perhaps all these mysteries are hidden within that star field concealed by the ancient array.

He took a deep breath, withdrew his gaze, and looked at these five companions beside him, each with vastly different styles yet equally reliable.

Cangxuan, sword intent sharp and cold; Yuliuli, immortal melody lingering; Tianyan Shangren, whisk swaying lightly, the light of deduction flashing in his eyes; Ban Shan Lao Zu, fists clenched, fighting spirit high; Xuanhu Furen, gently shaking her fan, eyes flashing with a cunning yet profound light.

Six people, six different paths of law, about to step into that unknown land which even ancient civilizations trembled before.

"Everyone." Wang Ping spoke slowly, voice calm yet carrying the weight of a thousand jin, "In three days, it will be time to enter the formation. These three days, prepare yourselves, adjust your states. After entering the formation, no matter what you encounter, remember——we are together."

The crowd exchanged glances, all nodding slightly.

Outside the Stargazing Platform, that patch of blurred void still lay silently ahead, like an eternal, wordless riddle.

And the answer, waits silently for those who come.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Realm-Breaking Shuttle floated silently before that patch of blurred void, like a fish waiting for the tide. Inside the Stargazing Platform, the six each occupied a side—some closed their eyes to regulate breath, some focused on deduction, some gently shook their fans—all having adjusted their states to peak.

Tianyan Shangren suddenly opened his eyes, whisk swaying lightly, his voice carrying a hint of uncontrollable excitement: "Here it comes!"

All turned together to look outside the porthole.

That patch of blurred void which had stretched across three days was now undergoing a subtle change. Like a stone dropped into a calm water surface, the blurred surface began to ripple with layer upon layer of ripples. At the center of the ripples, an extremely fine and faint crack quietly appeared; along its edges, starlight could be vaguely seen flickering.

"The gate is open." Xuanhu Furen said softly, her eyes flowing with a hint of solemnity, "But this gate……can only last three breaths. Within three breaths, one must enter, otherwise one must wait another twelve shichen."

"Three breaths are enough." Tianyan Shangren formed seals with both hands, streams of runes flying from his fingertips into the control core of the Realm-Breaking Shuttle. The ancient vessel trembled slightly, then transformed into a stream of dark gold light, shooting toward the rapidly closing crack.

At the moment of entering the crack, Wang Ping clearly felt an indescribable sense of dislocation. As if his entire self had been stripped from the plane of reality and forcibly shoved into another dimension. That feeling was somewhat similar to when he entered the Chaos Immortal Palace years ago, yet deeper, more thorough.

Tianyan Shangren's voice echoed in everyone's ears: "Steady your mind and spirit! This is a transmission on the level of law—do not resist, go with the flow!"

Three breaths, long as three years.

When that sensation of dislocation finally faded, everyone's vision suddenly opened up.

This is a……void that cannot be described in words.

It is not true "void," but a strange space woven from countless law lines.

Those lines vary in thickness and brightness, crisscrossing like a mad painter wildly splashing across an endless canvas.

Each line is a manifestation of a law—there are crimson lines of the fire law, azure lines of the ice law, silver-white lines of the space law, dim gray lines of the time law……