Chapter 405: Farewell to the Puppets

A soldier of Lord Sha's Imperial Guard hurried over, and after seeing the scene in the mirror his complexion also changed drastically; he lowered his brows and looked at Wei Yuning, asking in a trembling voice, "May I ask where the senior comes from?"

"Oh, I come from the Immortal Realm; I am an envoy of the Cultivator Alliance!" Wei Yuning didn't understand what was happening, but a formal title is always useful; he smoothly produced a pre‑prepared token and waved it before the two of them.

"Oh, so you are a dignitary of the Immortal Realm; please come in!" Lord Sha said respectfully.

Wei Yuning nodded silently, walked calmly through the passage, then turned his back to the two and rolled his eyes toward his companions, indicating he had no idea what was happening.

Everyone boarded the Celestial Shuttle, and Qin Wu volunteered to pay the fee.

The earlier situation was too bizarre, so everyone hoped Wei Yuning would not return.

Soon Qin Wu returned, his expression full of bewilderment. After the Celestial Shuttle's doors closed, he spoke, "They didn't charge me a transport fee, saying it was out of respect for this great being's face."

Qin Wu pointed his finger at Wei Yuning.

Wei Yuning spread his hands, shrugged, and said, "Perhaps their mirror is malfunctioning."

The Celestial Shuttle slowly entered the transport array, and everyone exhaled in unison.

When the official transport began, unsurprisingly, Wei Yuning remained conscious while all his companions around him fell into unconsciousness.

He couldn't help but sigh, forcing himself into a deep cultivation state.

However, regardless of the kind of deep cultivation, he was not forced into unconsciousness, and could feel the subtle changes in the surrounding conditions.

Time passed slowly, and nothing abnormal occurred.

The distance from the Edge Lands to the Eternal Immortal City is extremely vast; to cross a quarter of the Primeval Realm's starry sky, even using a massive stellar transport array, takes several days.

Gradually, Wei Yuning realized that cultivating in this strange space gave him a deeper understanding of the meaning of time. In the same span, it was but an instant for the unconscious people beside him, yet it felt like several days to him.

The situation resembled the "Hundred Years in a Dream" of the Divine Martial Gate; comparing the time differentials, the disparity inside the transport channel seemed even larger. If he could continuously cultivate within the channel, then during the same external time, wouldn't he gain more than a hundredfold the cultivation time of others?

Having figured this out, Wei Yuning began to ponder how to remain inside the transport channel.

On this matter, the Puppets are experts; they can even race inside!

"When we reach Green Forest Guard City, it seems I must thoroughly interrogate that sub‑level sapient; I wonder if I can obtain any useful information!"

Thoughts become reality!

He suddenly sensed a slight disturbance outside.

When he opened his eyes, indeed, in front of the cockpit, another Puppet appeared.

"That's not right; hasn't the recent transport channel returned to normal? Why are the Puppets still here?" Wei Yuning thought.

When he learned of the transport channel anomaly that day, he knew the Puppets were sabotaging it, and now the situation was incomprehensible. Suddenly abnormal noises came from the port windows on both sides; he turned his head and again saw two Puppets on the left and right.

At the same time, an odd sound emanated from the Celestial Shuttle's tail.

Wei Yuning's face turned pale; elsewhere he could still spar with the Puppets, but here, aside from his clear mind, his physical actions were no different from an ordinary mortal.

"What are they trying to do?"

Soon he understood: a massive force from several directions pushed the Celestial Shuttle, causing the once normal‑speed shuttle to accelerate abruptly, roughly doubling its speed.

"The Dao Ancestor is above; they are actually helping the Celestial Shuttle accelerate? No wonder the transport array's efficiency has greatly increased lately!" Wei Yuning was utterly shocked.

"Finally I've waited for you, Daoist friend of Jade Dragon Mountain!" The Puppet, eyes flashing red, hovered before the viewport, meeting Wei Yuning's gaze; it continued rhythmically tapping the Celestial Shuttle's outer hull, producing a strange conversational clatter.

"Who… are you?" Wei Yuning asked in astonishment. In his eyes, the Puppets were indistinguishable.

"I am Huang Qiye. Look closely at my star‑chart marking; the Huang Qiliu Ye who spoke with you last time is my subordinate," the Puppet pointed to a tiny blue dot on its chest.

Wei Yuning activated his visual power, and through the window examined the blue dot, discovering it was an unusually complex star chart filled with countless stars.

"May I ask what the meaning behind your names is?" he couldn't help his curiosity.

"It's still the first time a sentient being from the Primeval Realm has taken interest in this," Huang Qiye's red eyes flickered a few times as he continued tapping the Celestial Shuttle's hull, "This is our special naming method for sapients, and only we higher sapients possess such a marking. 'Huang' stands for the ecliptic, which is our chronicle system; 'seven' denotes a time unit, the whole hour; 'six' denotes the minute; 'night' represents darkness within light and shadow, paired with 'day' which stands for brightness. This star chart means that at the ecliptic's seventh hour night whole hour … at the workshop observation port, the scene was imprinted."

"I see, Daoist friend Huang Qiye; what business brings you to me?" Hearing this, Wei Yuning's mind further confirmed the other's robot nature, yet he asked respectfully. Apart from lacking a living spirit's consciousness, these beings are no different from sapients, and there's no need to anger a cold‑blooded machine.

"This place is closer to the Immortal City, so we can have you quickly inform its master. We need a hiding place for the Heart of All Things—sooner the better! Also, where did the sub‑level sapient we gave you go? Why can't I reach it?" Huang Qiye said.

Wei Yuning hesitated, then said, "Daoist Huang, you know, even if I inform those who can decide, it takes time. Moreover, whether they believe me is another issue; my cultivation is merely average, and others may not value my words!"

As he spoke, he released the sub‑level sapient—the intricate interdimensional transport bird—from the life‑space ring.

The sub‑level sapient, upon emerging, immediately spotted Huang Qiye and emitted a strange chirping sound.

Huang Qiye, after hearing the sub‑level sapient, saw his red eyes flash rapidly and began producing a bizarre squeaking cry. The two communicated for about three to five minutes before finally stopping.

They all turned their red eyes toward Wei Yuning.

Wei Yuning inexplicably felt the atmosphere tighten.

Boom—boom—boom—boom, a rhythmic knocking sounded again: "We no longer need the Heart of All Things; just let us enter the place you let Xiao Jiu enter! As a reward, we will give you a gift: the Immortal City's master must agree to any condition you propose. If he refuses, we will sever all passages around the Immortal City, turning it into a solitary fortress! We mean what we say!"