Chapter 82: Flying Through Auspicious Clouds

Flying Through Auspicious Clouds

"It's shaking, it's shaking!"

Early this morning, waves of loud shouts echoed across the Baoyun Ferry. The cultivators rushed out one after another, throwing on their robes, and gazed into the distance. "It really is shaking... The momentum of the spiritual energy eruption is truly magnificent!"

Most of these Foundation Establishment cultivators were visiting the Baoyun Sea for the first time, so they were naturally filled with wonder. They saw that amidst the surrounding clusters of precious clouds, spiritual liquid seemed to be surging. The stable energy field beneath their feet had undergone a massive change overnight. In the distance, it looked as if a fountain was erupting upward with immense force, causing the originally calm spiritual energy to fluctuate like ocean waves, rolling and churning. Even the vast Baoyun Ferry was impacted, shaking incessantly and even being blown away from its original location.

"The spiritual energy is erupting! The Hengze Heaven is about to manifest in the world!"

Within the precious clouds, streaks of light flickered incessantly, all flying toward the place where the spiritual energy was erupting. Auspicious clouds surged in the sky, filled with mist and rosy light, reflecting the slanted rays of the morning sun—an indescribably beautiful and romantic scene. Ruan Ci stood on the edge of a cloud, gazing at the distant scenery for a long time before smiling at Qu Qu Tan Yue. "My lord, I am going. If I don't return, don't be too sad; just find another."

Qu Qu Tan Yue said, "That wouldn't just be finding one more, would it? I'm afraid I'd have to find several hundred wives? Just to be angered back to life by you?"

His expression was relaxed, as if the place Ruan Ci was going to wasn't anything of great importance. Ruan Ci smiled slightly and turned to fly away, but Qu Qu Tan Yue called her back. This time, he could no longer maintain the facade, revealing a trace of worry. He whispered, "Be careful. Although you have sword Qi to protect your body, in a place with over ten thousand people, anything can happen. Don't be too willful; act cautiously. If you get trapped inside, no one will be able to save you."

Ruan Ci laughed. "I know. Don't worry, I have my own judgment."

Although Qu Qu Tan Yue said this mostly out of his own self-interest, she still felt a warmth in her heart. She waved at him and turned to leave, but Qu Qu Tan Yue stopped her again. He said softly, "Even if you obtain the Hengze Jade Dew, you must be extra careful. I cannot wait for you here; soon, the great cultivators from all the major sects will come here to await the results. If my avatar is discovered, I fear it will be disadvantageous for both of us. Within the Shangqing Sect, there is much infighting. After you come out, if the person who comes to pick you up is not an elder of your own lineage, you must also be careful... Sigh."

He took out another Qiankun bag, stuffed it into Ruan Ci's hand, and sighed. "I didn't want to give this to you, fearing I'd spoil you too much and make you too extravagant, and that I wouldn't be able to support you in the future. But you don't have much spiritual jade on you. The environment inside the Hengze Heaven is treacherous, with reality and illusion intertwined; you won't be able to absorb spiritual energy at every moment, so it's better for you to carry it."

Ruan Ci sent her spiritual sense inside and found the Qiankun bag packed densely with tens of thousands of spiritual jades. From the Huangshou Mountain all the way to here, the spiritual beast materials she had obtained were only worth a little over ten thousand. This Qiankun bag already contained an amount that many Foundation Establishment cultivators would never touch in their entire lives. She said, "I have some too; I don't need this much."

Qu Qu Tan Yue said, "I know you have some, but it's just in case. Take it, otherwise I won't be able to rest easy."

He spoke with genuine feeling. Ruan Ci knew his true nature, but for these past forty-plus years, Qu Qu Tan Yue was the only one who had been so attentive and gentle toward her. Regardless of his hidden motives, she still found it very comforting. She put away the Qiankun bag and waved at Qu Qu Tan Yue. "Come here."

Qu Qu Tan Yue approached with a half-smile. Ruan Ci floated up slightly and gave him a quick peck on the temple. She hurriedly pulled away, her face flushing red. Not daring to look at Qu Qu Tan Yue, she whispered with a smile, "I won't thank you for the things you gave me, only for caring about me so much. We shall meet again."

As she spoke, she slowly backed away. Qu Qu Tan Yue was both amused and annoyed. He sighed, "Is this the time for jokes? I'm worried you won't come back, yet you're only thinking of these things—once you're inside, be extremely careful!"

Ruan Ci shouted, "I know!"

She made a face at Qu Qu Tan Yue, turned, and accelerated, transforming into a streak of light that drew a pale green mist across the horizon before gradually fading into the distance. Qu Qu Tan Yue watched the streak of light shrink until it disappeared. Only then did he touch his temple, a playful smile appearing on his lips. He turned and said, "Fellow Daoist, the person has left, aren't you going to come out yet?"

Behind him, the boy in the floral-padded jacket appeared silently. He scrutinized Qu Qu Tan Yue carefully and said in a shrill voice, "Kid, which family invited you as a high-level protector?"

Qu Qu Tan Yue laughed. "I wasn't invited by anyone; I just came to send my wife into the Hengze Heaven to retrieve some things. Fellow Daoist, I should ask you the same question: which family invited you as a high-level expert? Which passenger on the boat are you here to protect?"

The boy in the floral-padded jacket shook his head. "My grandson is already dead. I didn't look after him well on the boat, and it was his own fault. Relying on me being by his side, he ran around acting wildly. After the ice on the jade boat thawed, he went to watch the excitement while I was in meditation. By the time he returned, he was deeply poisoned and beyond saving."

Speaking of his relative's death, his tone was quite calm. Qu Qu Tan Yue's expression also remained unchanged as he smiled. "What a pity, that child had no fortune."

The boy's large eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a cute, puzzled expression. He seemed to be talking to himself. "No fortune... valuing fortune, are you from the Qingling Sect?"

Qu Qu Tan Yue folded his arms across his chest, a smile on his lips, neither confirming nor denying the boy's guess. The boy paced back and forth a few times and sighed. "What a pity. If I were to fight you here, I wouldn't be able to kill all seventeen little cultivators; some would inevitably escape into the Hengze Heaven."

Qu Qu Tan Yue asked, "How many has the Fellow Daoist already killed?"

The boy extended his lotus-root-like arms and flipped his palms back and forth. "I've killed ten, and the other five have died one after another these past few days. The Poison Sect produced a genius disciple this time. If he enters the Hengze Heaven, I'm afraid not many people will come out alive. All the major forces are intentionally or unintentionally trying to find him."

He chuckled. "I don't know which one he is, but that doesn't matter. Aside from the two of us old monsters, why not just kill all the passengers who came off the jade boat? —Oh well, since I didn't stop her just now, it's useless to tangle with you here. In any case, the Day-Three Grain Bigu Pearl has already recorded your little wife's aura. Most of the various forces have given instructions to their disciples; the moment she enters the Hengze Heaven, she will be hunted down by joint efforts. I've already killed ten, so it's better to commit less killing karma."

As he spoke of the fate Ruan Ci was about to face, Qu Qu Tan Yue listened indifferently, neither surprised nor revealing the slightest worry. He simply nodded and sighed, "What a pity."

The boy said, "What's a pity? If you could beat me, you could naturally stop her and tell her to come back immediately. But I see that this avatar of yours has floating magic power and a slightly rigid energy, so I'm afraid you are too far from your true body. Killing me won't be that simple, unless you perish together with me, which would at least vent some anger for your little wife."

Qu Qu Tan Yue said, "True. My true body is at a critical juncture in cultivation, so it would be difficult to kill you unless I sacrifice this avatar. Normally, an avatar is just an avatar, and losing one wouldn't matter. But unfortunately, my wife just kissed me, so this avatar cannot be easily damaged here. It must return to my true body to bring all these memories back to my sea of consciousness. So, despite all the nonsense you've spoken, I still cannot kill you."

This point seemed to make him quite melancholy. Qu Qu Tan Yue sighed and said lazily, "As for my little wife, if she is surrounded and killed, it would indeed be a pity—a pity that so many sects expended their fortune to send their disciples in, only for them to die at the gate without gaining any benefits. Isn't that a pity?"

His tone was so grand that the boy in the floral-padded jacket had to look at him sideways, tentatively asking, "Are you really from the Qingling Sect?"

Qu Qu Tan Yue flicked his sleeve. The boy in the floral-padded jacket frowned and retreated rapidly, laughing strangely twice before shouting, "If you won't say, then don't. What a temper! In a few years, I'll be waiting for you at this Baoyun Ferry to see if you dare to come."

As he spoke, he shook his shoulders, transformed into a pale white streak of light, and disappeared in an instant. Qu Qu Tan Yue stood where he was, staring at the streak of light, his fingers twitching slightly as if he wanted to release some insect magic treasure, but he ultimately held back.

A blood-line golden insect crawled out of his sleeve and buzzed, "Young Master, are you really not going to follow him?"

Qu Qu Tan Yue sighed slightly and said, "Forget it. Killing him would be a mere trifle, but that is only an avatar. If he loses an avatar, he might be able to probe into our background, which I fear would be disadvantageous to my wife."

The golden insect danced up and down for a while. "That's true, that's true. Young Master, we should hurry to Biyuan Mountain. Linu and I have eaten many good things, and there is a huge restriction that we can't chew through."

Qu Qu Tan Yue said, "Biyuan Mountain is somewhat dangerous. I need to change into another avatar; wait a few days."

Xiunu was not very happy and buzzed, "An avatar, aren't there as many as you want... Ah, I understand."

It danced again, its voice filled with laughter. "Young Master was telling the truth just now; Young Master is reluctant to lose this avatar—Young Master, has the Young Mistress already started to like you? I knew it, Young Master roams through the flowers and is always successful; one day, the Sword Envoy will willingly be our Xuanpo Sect's Young Mistress."

It was clearly accustomed to flattering Qu Qu Tan Yue. Qu Qu Tan Yue's lips curled up slightly. Although he didn't say it explicitly, it was clear that Xiunu's flattery made him very happy. "Don't let the Mistress hear this, and don't let her know you're nearby; she has a thin skin... Sigh, let's wait until she comes out of the Hengze Heaven."

He sighed and became worried again. "Foundation Establishment twelve, theoretically she shouldn't die in the Hengze Heaven, but does she really know what this means..."

#

"Hey, what was that just now? Did you really take a liking to that kid?"

Inside the streak of light, Wang Panpan crawled out from Ruan Ci's waist at some point, squatted on her shoulder, and asked, "A few spiritual jades and a few magic tools were enough to coax you? Donghua Sword Envoy, having such shallow vision isn't very good."

Ruan Ci laughed. "It wasn't convenient for me to look back. Hurry and help me see if he's still standing there, watching me leave? —Didn't I say it? I'm not thanking him for the things, but for his intentions. I just need to make him think that I've already started to like him a little."

Thinking about the twists and turns involved, Wang Panpan understood and couldn't help but laugh. "Wonderful! Yes, you must make him think you are gradually falling for him, so he will constantly pour mental energy into the love seed, and unknowingly be backlashed even deeper. Hehe, interesting, interesting. You are truly wicked to the core, absolutely wonderful; this is exactly what suits my taste."

It applauded for a long while before instructing Ruan Ci, "I've told you everything about the Hengze Heaven on the way. Once you're inside, trust no one except Fengyu. Especially that extremely powerful Poison Sect disciple on your jade boat. To prevent variables, the various major sects and minor sects might join forces to kill you survivors first. That day at the pier, the Baoyun Ferry people took out the Day-Three Grain Bigu Pearl, which, besides avoiding dust, poison, and miasma, can actually record a cultivator's aura, so no matter how you disguise your face, it's useless."

Wang Panpan's cat face revealed a look of triumph. "Hehe, but they never expected that your aura was fake to begin with. Qu Qu Tan Yue probably thought of this, otherwise he would have given some instructions. So now you know how far-sighted I was to find you such a sect? If it weren't for a big family like the Shangqing Sect, how could you, a little Foundation Establishment disciple, carry a Grotto-Heaven spiritual treasure on you so casually?"

It chattered on, giving many more instructions. Seeing a expanse of water ahead, constantly rippling with the breeze, it stopped and sighed. "I can't go any further. Be careful inside. I know you will never die, but..."

It flicked its tail. "But for some reason, seeing you walk so smoothly step by step, I can't feel happy..."

Ruan Ci smiled and touched its furry forehead, saying gently, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. What's there to be sad about? One lives a life, it's better to be happy."

She took out a veil hat and put it on, secretly urging the Cloud Seed with her spiritual sense. Her aura changed instantly: the Heavenly Fate Cloud Seed could even forge an inner landscape, and could even disguise the image of Dao rhyme entering the body, so changing her aura was nothing. Ruan Ci's true aura had never been exposed to others, always hidden under the Cloud Seed; it was nothing more than changing a disguise.

Wang Panpan nodded with satisfaction and leaped to the side, jumping onto a cloud. Ruan Ci waved goodbye to it, her heart moved, and she changed the color of her streak of light, circled a small loop in the sky, and then landed on the edge of the great marsh.

The clothes she wore were a magic tool of Young Master Yue, which could change shape and color at will. At this moment, she wore a red round-collared robe and a veil hat, looking androgynous. Standing on the edge of the marsh, only a few people cast their eyes over, but turned away after a moment.

Everyone stood far apart and did not talk to each other. This great marsh was extremely vast; the shore could hold thousands of people without being crowded. Streaks of light constantly flew in, all stopping further away. Only one streak of light attracted everyone's attention. Someone shouted, "That's the aura of the Poison Boat!"

As soon as the words fell, sword light was released from all directions, slashing toward that streak of light. No matter how capable that streak of light was, being slashed by hundreds of sword Qi halfway, it could only let out a mournful cry and fall from the cloud. Ruan Ci focused her gaze and saw that in the streak of light, a cultivator's face was as pale as gold, eyes tightly closed, clearly seriously injured. It was indeed a person who had been on the same boat.

It could be seen that when there were many cultivators of the same tier, even the most profound cultivation base was useless. Those who could avoid the Poison Sect's toxicity were all somewhat extraordinary, but today they had fallen here. Ruan Ci warned herself inwardly, but her expression remained calm as usual. After taking a few looks, she continued to stand coldly with her arms crossed, watching the great marsh before her.

This Baoyun Sea originally had no real seawater. The surging river water of the Fengfu River, upon reaching the estuary, was all transformed into spiritual energy by a natural array, steaming upward. The spiritual energy sea that rose and fell beneath the Baoyun Sea—beneath the precious clouds, one could call it a void, or one could call it seawater. Sometimes in the precious light on the horizon, it seemed as if blue waves were surging, but when flying close and pushing aside the clouds to look carefully, it was a clear sky, with only spiritual energy rolling.

Ruan Ci had stayed at the Baoyun Ferry for so long, and she hadn't been curious about what was at the bottom of the spiritual energy. However, she couldn't see that far. According to Qu Qu Tan Yue, the deeper one dived, the stronger the spiritual pressure, and even Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't withstand such immense pressure. The mountains along the Baoyun Sea coast were almost uninhabited by mortals or cultivators because the natural array was not that stable. Sometimes, the spiritual energy tide in the sea would sweep across the mountain peaks, destroying all living things. But at this moment, this great marsh was different from the illusions occasionally seen in the past. Even though she had reached the edge, it still looked like shimmering water, as if a great marsh was truly floating in the air. Ruan Ci bent down and touched a trace of the lake water. The lake water dissipated into spiritual energy at her fingertips, and it seemed to have a subtle difference from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but the difference was very slight. Before Ruan Ci could savor it, the spiritual energy had already dissipated. She couldn't help but nod inwardly, thinking, "No wonder only Foundation Establishment cultivators come here. The spiritual energy of the Hengze Heaven is different from the outside world. Two kinds of spiritual energy are mixed together, and the space here is not very stable. Even if an avatar comes here, unless they cut off karma, it will ultimately affect the energy field in the dark. It doesn't matter if an avatar is lost in a spatial crack, but the junior disciples carried by their side will also die, which is not worth it."

Just as she was thinking this, a streak of light like a long rainbow appeared on the horizon, with extraordinary momentum, landing here. Everyone couldn't help but turn their heads to look, and many cultivators revealed solemn expressions—although everyone had put away their inner landscape, they couldn't easily probe the detailed cultivation base of others, but in the energy field, they could still sense the changes in aura. This person's spiritual pressure was very heavy, and the oppressive feeling brought to everyone was even close to that of a Golden Core cultivator. There was no doubt that this person was already at the Foundation Establishment perfection, and was probably only a step away from Core Formation.

The streak of light landed, revealing its true appearance: a cold and beautiful young girl. This woman had a high and elegant bearing, and wherever her eyes glanced, people couldn't help but feel inferior. She quickly chose a spot, moved her lotus steps lightly, arrogantly passed through everyone's gaze, walked to a cultivator with a veil hat, and smiled slightly at him. The cultivator with the veil hat reached out, and she didn't hesitate, holding his hands and standing together.

Everyone couldn't help but look at the cultivator with the veil hat differently, re-examining him, but in the energy field, they didn't see anything special, so they thought he must have used a secret method to hide his cultivation. The favor of a beauty was heavy; to be able to get such favor from this woman, this cultivator must have something extraordinary.

At this time, they hadn't entered the Hengze Heaven yet, and it wasn't a good time to probe reality. The lakeside soon quieted down, and streaks of light continued to be cast. As the lake water rippled, the water vapor became more and more moist, and the waves became larger and larger, as if something in the center of the lake was causing the tide to surge. After a few hours, a wave rolled over and hit several people. After the water passed, the figures of these people disappeared. Seeing this, everyone's spirits were lifted, and many turned back to release their flying swords to report to the Baoyun Ferry:

The spiritual tide has arrived, the Hengze Heaven is open!

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Updated, sorry for the wait, everyone. I'm sending red packets for this chapter. Little Ci has finally entered the instance. Everyone knows who the new cold and beautiful woman is, right!

I went to see "Tenet" yesterday. Emm, my thoughts are all on Weibo. Because not many people have seen it, I won't comment specifically to avoid spoilers. Anyway, the feeling my friend and I had after watching it was that it wasn't a masterpiece, it felt a bit pretentious. But Robert Pattinson is super handsome!

Having pomfret for lunch~~~~ mushroom tofu soup~~~~ and today I'm planning to watch "Everyday Life of Hunting Demons in Another World", ah, and "Undead Tavern", I'll give you a repo tomorrow.

. Thanks to the little angels who cast overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution for me between 2020-09-05 07:33:22 and 2020-09-06 12:01:02~

Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: Yunran, Time's Delusion, l1mon, Scenery, Xie Qingyuan, Yu Yu Wan Yao (1 each);

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: zrluvbbh (72 bottles); LLLe (20 bottles); Shaoxia, So Poor Still Reading (ㄒoㄒ), Yan Xizao, Hengdi Chuiyue, Six-Tone Sauce in the Grass, Alice's Illusory Wonderland (10 bottles); Zaojian Zhenxiu (7 bottles); Lucidum (6 bottles); Su Mu Xing, Little White Caught Your Attention (5 bottles); Mo, Scenery (2 bottles); Ren Zai Luwen, Books Are Three Good Things, Hate Summer, Xi Chao, Spring Water Dingdong, Baby Leyao, Dandan (1 bottle);

Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!