Chapter 173

How to go from the Cloud Middle Realm to the Cloud Outer Realm?

That's not difficult.

Whether in Cloud Palace City or the four lodging islands and seven star islands under the Cloud Upper Hall, there are teleportation arrays to the Cloud Outer Realm.

Not only that.

Even within the Cloud Sea there are special rising cloud currents that can also serve as bridges from the Cloud Middle Realm to the Cloud Outer Realm.

However, traveling those rising cloud currents is extremely dangerous; even a Yuan Ying Cultivator cannot guarantee their own safety, and they wouldn't know which region of the Cloud Outer Realm they would emerge in.

If unlucky, one might arrive right into a siege by several Cloud Middle Beasts, which would be troublesome.

As for Yunhe, naturally there is no safer and more reliable method than using the teleportation array in Cloud Palace City.

Thus.

Upon returning to Cloud Palace City, he went straight to the Teleportation Hall likewise located on Heaven Pillar Mountain.

When Yunhe entered the Teleportation Hall, he found it far livelier than he had imagined.

Many cultivators gathered here.

Likewise, there were cultivators from the Cloud Upper Hall maintaining order here, and of course some cultivators trying to form teams.

"Piluo Island, anyone want to go to Piluo Island together?"

"Tongming Island, we still need two fellow cultivators to activate the Tongming Island Teleportation Array."

These teleportation arrays can each transmit at most ten cultivators per activation, regardless of cultivation base.

Each activation of a teleportation array requires paying one thousand low-grade ling stones to the Cloud Upper Hall.

That is, no matter how many people board the teleportation array, the cost is one thousand spirit stones; if ten people gather, each pays one hundred spirit stones, otherwise they negotiate among themselves.

Therefore most cultivators choose to gather ten people before boarding.

After all, for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, one hundred spirit stones is not a small amount.

Moreover, on the stone pillar before each teleportation array is engraved which islands the array can connect to.

Yunhe's goal was clear; his destination was rather remote, so he did not see anyone calling out to go together, and thus he headed straight to the teleportation array in the innermost corner of the hall.

The cultivator in charge of that teleportation array, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Cloud Upper Hall, after seeing Yunhe, a Golden Core cultivator, still respectfully bowed and then asked somewhat unexpectedly:

"Senior, will you be boarding alone?"

"Piliang Island." Yunhe straightforwardly said the cloud island he wanted to go to.

At the same time, he slapped his storage bag and took out ten medium-grade ling stones.

This scene was seen by many, who secretly clicked their tongues.

Golden Core cultivators are wealthy indeed.

Little did they know.

The spirit stones on Yunhe's person had long been depleted; these were obtained from Elder Jiang's and Ning Manrou's storage bags.

Although Elder Jiang had been refined into a human puppet by Ancestor Blood Kui, the latter obviously did not value his possessions, and in fact there was not much valuable stuff; however, the spirit stones were not few, consisting of mid- and low-grade spirit stones worth over ten thousand low-grade ling stones.

They had clearly been stored for a long time.

Although Ning Manrou's cultivation base was only late Foundation Establishment, as a sect leader her storage bag contained, besides ample materials needed for crafting puppets, the most spirit stones.

In fact, she had two hundred medium-grade ling stones and over ten thousand low-grade ling stones!

Even the deposit given by the corpse gu in the previous days has been taken back.

In one go he harvested nearly fifty thousand low-grade Ling Stones, so Yunhe naturally didn't want to waste time just to save a few hundred low-grade Ling Stones.

He was eager to quickly refine his natal magic treasure, otherwise the disadvantage in a magic duel when clashing magic treasures would be too great.

Most importantly.

Who knows when the Demon Beast Body might start breaking through to the third stage; by then it's unclear how long it will need to hibernate, so obtaining the 'Firewood Paulownia' will undoubtedly be delayed further.

Suddenly.

A gust of clear wind came from outside the hall doors, accompanied by the crisp 'ding-dang' sound, and then Yunhe caught a faint, fresh fragrance.

Turning his head, he saw a graceful figure already standing beside him on the teleportation array.

"Fairy Lingling?!"

Not knowing who it was, upon seeing the arrival he couldn't help but exclaim.

"Is she really the Fairy Lingling of the Qingmu Sect?"

No matter which world or place, some gossip is unavoidable as after-dinner chatter.

This Fairy Lingling is one of the renowned beauties of the Yunshang Realm, and who knows how many cultivators dream of her as their ideal dao companion.

She wore a light green gauze thin dress, and on her face she also donned a sheer veil covering most of her visage, which seemed to be a decent magic treasure capable of blocking spiritual sense; at her waist hung a string of seemingly ordinary bells that would emit a clear 'ding-dang' sound when she walked.

"Fellow Daoist, I also want to go to 'Fragrant Isle'; may I join you?" Fairy Lingling gave Yunhe a graceful salute and said.

Her voice was ethereal and gentle, just like the bells at her waist.

Early Core Formation?

Yunhe nodded, returned the salute, and said: "That's only natural."

Having said that, he took back five of the ten mid-grade Spirit Stones he had previously produced and handed them to the Yunshang Hall cultivator.

This sight caused many cultivators in the hall who admired Fairy Lingling to narrow their eyes slightly.

He actually took back five mid-grade Spirit Stones?

Someone who can casually produce ten mid-grade Spirit Stones, yet traveling with Fairy Lingling, is unwilling to even bear the travel expenses?

This was the first thought that flashed through many people's minds.

If Yunhe didn't have Core Formation cultivation base, perhaps some cultivators who style themselves as 'flower-protecting righteous warriors' would have stepped forward to cause a fuss.

As for these, Yunhe naturally saw them and couldn't help feeling amused.

How can there still be someone cultivating immortality and ending up as a simp immortal?

Thank you.

Lightbell Fairy Fairy also didn't say anything, with a light flick of her jade hand, she also took out five medium-grade Spirit Stones.

This is 'Little Cloud Feather', please affix it, seniors. The Cloud Upper Hall cultivator took out two strange feathers, gave one to each person, then took out the activator for the teleportation array.

This feather functions similarly to Yunhe's 'Cloud Middle Feather'; both can provide protection during transmission.

However.

'Little Cloud Feather' is a one-time use item, and its effect is nowhere near that of the 'Cloud Middle Feather'.

At the same time, not many forces in the Cloud Middle Realm can refine this item; it seems several powers have joined together to monopolize it.

Hum—

Very quickly.

The Spirit Stones inlaid on the teleportation array glowed faintly, and then immediately a dazzling white light burst forth.

When the white light faded.

Yunhe and his companion had already arrived at Fragrant Veil Island.

But the sight before him left him stunned.

Amidst the intertwining clouds and mist, simple-looking bamboo huts were built atop ancient broken walls and ruins, with scattered cultivators sitting before them, forming an extremely simple market.

Yunhe and his companion stood within a restriction, which automatically dissipated when the white light from the teleportation array faded.

At that moment he noticed a Cloud Upper Hall cultivator sitting with eyes closed in meditation in the corner outside the restriction.

「これ。」

Yunhe curiously rubbed the nearby wall, which had been reduced to a small stub, feeling its weathering over the years, though he didn't know how many years had passed, it remained very sturdy.

In a daze.

He seemed to see the once towering halls, entwined with clouds and mist, that had stood here.

"Is this your first time coming to the Cloud Outer Realm?" Lightbell Fairy's voice suddenly rang out.

Hearing that, Yunhe did not conceal it, smiling and saying: "Indeed."

Lightbell Fairy nodded in realization, bowed, and asked: "May I know your name, fellow Daoist?"

Yunhe briefly pondered, then said: "I am Yunhe."

Then farewell, Fellow Daoist Yunhe.

After saying that, Lightbell Fairy's light gauze fluttered, accompanied by the clear sound of bells, transforming into a blue streak of light that flew away.

Yunhe didn't mind much; he took out a Jade Slip recording the cloud map of this place from his storage bag, quickly checked the direction, then flew toward his target.

The Cloud Outer Realm differs from the Cloud Middle Realm; this cloud sea teems with numerous demonic beasts, most of which are not weak, making it difficult for Foundation Establishment cultivators to navigate.

Of course, Cloud Middle Beasts are practically synonymous with demonic beasts, so many cultivators team up to hunt them here; whether hide, flesh, or demonic cores and essence blood, they are valuable materials.

However, what truly makes the Cloud Outer Realm dangerous is the mist that entwines the surroundings.

Unlike the Cloud Middle Realm where all cloud islands float above the cloud sea, here the cloud islands seem to drift within the cloud sea.

These mists not only block vision but also somewhat impede spiritual sense perception, and grant the Cloud Middle Beasts a larger, freer range of movement.

"Rather than saying this is the 'Cloud Outer Realm,' it would be more accurate to call it the 'Cloud Middle Realm'."

Yunhe, while flying, muttered a teasing remark.

His destination was remote; even setting off from 'Fragrant Veil Island', he estimated at least ten days to half a month of flight. Thus, after leaving Fragrant Veil Island, Yunhe simply took out the Flowing Cloud Falcon Boat, summoned the Heavenly Capital Gu Corpse to pilot it, while he sat aboard and unfolded a Jade Slip to peruse.

This Jade Slip was found in Ning Manrou's storage bag, and it is the most important 'Secret Sect Puppet' technique of the Mi'ou Sect, containing methods for controlling puppets, crafting them, and producing special-effect puppets such as 'Breaking Seal Puppets'.

It's not an especially profound puppet technique, incomparable to the 'Thousand Gu Myriad Insects Art', but it still lets Yunhe supplement some deficiencies in his puppet arts.

Moreover, a portion detailing the creation of 'Demonic Beast Puppets' greatly intrigued him.

Because of the Demon Beast World, Yunhe never lacks demonic beast materials; however, aside from a portion he uses as practice material for forging, most are simply sold outright, which is somewhat wasteful.

If he could craft them into 'Demonic Beast Puppets', their value would increase severalfold, and they could sometimes serve as a means of dealing with enemies.

"Speaking of which"

Yunhe, while browsing the Jade Slip's contents, revealed a thoughtful expression.

"Controlling insects, manipulating puppets, and commanding refined corpses are, to some extent, akin to each other, right?"

If he could, like the Blood Fiend Elder Ancestor, simultaneously control a large number of puppets, wouldn't one person be equivalent to a cultivator army?

Puppets, Crimson Shadow Golden Winged Bees emerging together—perhaps he wouldn't need to lift a finger, and the enemy would be unable to withstand.

And then he laughed and shook his head.

"The time spent crafting puppets also needs to be factored in."

Cultivation takes time, alchemy takes time, talisman crafting takes time, forging takes time; in the future, once one's natal magic treasure is forged, it likewise requires time to nurture with one's primordial spirit and magical power, plus puppet crafting.

"Clearly I have such a long lifespan, yet I always feel time is insufficient."

Moreover.

As his cultivation base broke through to the Golden Core stage, Yunhe could clearly feel that his cultivation speed had slowed considerably.

Not only because Golden Core cultivators have higher spiritual energy requirements, but also because the advantage of his 'Five Elements Spiritual Body' in the Golden Core stage gradually weakened.

"Unfortunately, the Qingzong Sect's 'Grand Longevity Great Five Arts' is fragmentary, possessing only the method to condense the 'Lesser Five Elements Spiritual Body', lacking the condensation methods for the 'Five Elements Spiritual Body' or even the 'Great Five Elements Spiritual Body'; if the chance arises, I might return to the Eastern Realm to see if I can complete this incomplete art."

Only after breaking through the Golden Core stage once did he deeply understand how vital the spiritual body is for a low-talent cultivator like himself.

"So I still have to rely on elixirs; I don't know how effective the 'Marrow Yuan Elixir' refined from a third-tier demon beast's inner elixir will be, and my body's resistance to the 'Marrow Yuan Elixir' is also a problem."

Yunhe sighed faintly.

After reaching Golden Core, various problems followed one after another.

"Let's take them one by one; first we need to forge our natal magic treasure, the rest can be postponed a bit, especially regarding the spiritual body."

One month later.

Throughout the flight, Yunhe would occasionally take out the cloud map to check his direction, and at the same time tried as much as possible to avoid some cloud beasts, which caused his flight speed to never pick up.

Despite his efforts to avoid them, he still inevitably encountered attacks from some cloud beasts along the way.

Fortunately, most of them were first- and second-stage cloud beasts, and he didn't encounter any third-stage cloud beasts, so it wasn't too troublesome.

"Finally arrived."

Standing on the boat, Yunhe's gaze pierced the hazy mist, and he finally saw that cloud island in the distance.

It's rather strange, come to think of it.

Although the island is shrouded in winding clouds, the vegetation on it is unusually lush.

However, after a careful scan of the dense foliage, Yunhe quickly pinpointed the location of the "blood crystal wood," mainly because its scarlet crown leaves stood out starkly against the lush green forest.

Yunhe narrowed his eyes.

So conspicuous yet growing well—this says a lot.

————

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(End of chapter)