Chapter 524: Heavenly Vein Network

The seawater is scorching, and not only that, the sea is filled with fire‑evil qi and countless earth‑vein beasts.

"Daozhang, is what Yu Fei said reliable?" Gu Yue cast a gu spell, clearing the fire spirits in the sea.

Yan Buji pushed with both hands, and as the waves surged he brought forth fire spirits one by one, then used his technique to slay them individually.

He collected a good amount of mixed fire gold; after pondering, Yan Buji looked around and said, "Let's circle around and have a look."

"Circle around?"

"We have no basis of trust with him; even if he's telling the truth, we must stay cautious. In the end, we can't say whether that so‑called Heaven Palace Secret Realm actually exists..."

Gu Yue, puzzled, asked, "Then why are we listening to him?"

"Naturally it's for this mixed fire gold," Yan Buji said with a smile, pocketing the fire gold.

"Since this stuff is linked to scorching fire, it should sell without trouble."

"Indeed, I should hurry then; otherwise Daozhang will finish them all," Gu Yue laughed, speeding up her collection of mixed fire gold.

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed; though the sea was vast, under Yan Buji and Gu Yue's hunt, the number of fire spirits had noticeably dwindled.

It seemed the underwater volcano had also ceased erupting; over these days the seawater temperature gradually fell, the fire‑evil was swept away by water‑vein currents, and the sea finally returned to peace.

During these days Yan Buji roughly calculated the size of the earth‑vein beneath the sea; in short, the sea's earth‑vein is small, but its location is excellent, sitting at an earth‑vein node close to the nodes of several nearby major earth‑veins.

After reaching that conclusion, Yan Buji finally believed that Yu Fei's words were indeed correct.

"The sea's earth‑vein is a compromise, situated near several large earth‑veins; it should be formed from the dispersed energy after those major veins moved. Though it was drawn in, it will regenerate as long as those major veins remain stable," Yan Buji explained.

Gu Yue, not understanding this well, asked, "So, is there any problem?"

"Not really a big issue... Based on this, I have surveyed the surroundings and found no trace of any secret realm," Yan Buji said, looking up at the sky.

"But if we follow Yu Fei's account, the Heaven Palace Secret Realm is probably not within the sea."

"Is that so?" Gu Yue asked curiously.

Before she could fully grasp the point, the two suddenly received a message from Yu Fei, informing them that the entrance to the Heaven Palace Secret Realm had been found.

"Let's go!"

"Alright."

The two rode a spirit boat at full speed, arriving at the center of the sea where the volcano had erupted earlier, and looked up.

Yu Fei stood in midair, waving at them; Yan Buji folded the spirit boat and, together with Gu Yue, flew upward.

"Friends, we've found it!" Yu Fei said excitedly, pointing upward.

Gu Yue looked up, strangely asking, "Where?"

Yan Buji counted on his fingers and said, "About three thousand meters up?"

"Daozhang sensed it?" Yu Fei asked in surprise.

"Just a guess. Why would the Heaven Palace Secret Realm be in the sky?" Yan Buji asked with a smile.

Gu Yue gave Yan Buji a puzzled look; she understood that his earlier remark indicated he should know why the secret realm would be in the sky, and suspected he was deliberately probing Yu Fei.

Yu Fei looked around and said, "Three parts due north, straight to the Yellow Dragon. The Jiao Dragon spouts water, Xuanwu embraces the deity. Since you, Daozhang, are a Daoist cultivator, you should be able to see it, right?"

Yan Buji nodded, smiling, "I just never imagined a secret realm could detach from the earth and form in the sky; my knowledge is limited."

Yu Fei waved his hand, "Daozhang, you may not know, but the earth has earth‑veins, water has water‑veins, and the sky also has the Heavenly Vein Network."

"Heavenly Vein Network?" Yan Buji frowned; it was the first time he heard that term.

"The so‑called Heavenly Vein Network is actually a place where celestial qi converges in the sky," Yu Fei said, smiling at them. "In human terms, it's the Heaven Gate."

Gu Yue, with a strange expression, said, "Isn't the Heaven Gate a portal to the Nine Heavens? It should be a spatial node."

"Correct. The great beings of the demon race once calculated that the number of Heaven Gates above the Nine Heavens is 129,600—a single‑digit figure—of which only nine Heaven Gates and nine sky‑spatial nodes align perfectly," Yu Fei said.

Yan Buji was taken aback; could such a claim really exist?

He had never been to the Nine Heavens, so he was unfamiliar with the sky. Though cultivators of a certain realm can fly, they cannot live up there.

"So those single‑digit Heaven Gates are the Heavenly Vein Network?" Gu Yue asked.

Yu Fei nodded, "Exactly. These sky‑veins are not as easy to chart as earth‑veins or water‑veins; each sky‑vein gathers and disperses invisibly, drifting above the Five Realms, making their precise movements hard to calculate."

"In the end, could there be some formidable danger within these sky‑veins?" Yan Buji asked.

Yu Fei frowned, "It's hard to say. Flying demonic beasts can use sky‑veins to travel; even our flying demon race can harness them, but you two have probably heard of some untouchable things in the sky."

Gu Yue, surprised, said, "The Gale Wind, Mystic Thunder, and Drowning Rain? Those calamities should only appear near the daylight layer, right?"

"Actually, that's not the case. Sky‑veins flow unpredictably, gathering and dispersing invisibly; it's possible that the sky‑vein we encounter this time carries those calamities, so entering the Heaven Palace is not easy."

Yan Buji frowned, sensing something amiss, and began to ponder.

"But now that we've located the Heaven Palace, I must go there; what do you two think?"

"Of course we must go," Gu Yue replied immediately, then looked at Yan Buji, "Daozhang?"

"Hmm, this humble Daoist is wondering what to do if we encounter those calamities. It's said that even Nascent Soul Cultivators dare not enter them; for us few..."

Yu Fei smiled, "Daozhang need not worry; I will intervene and ensure we can safely enter the Heaven Palace."

Yan Buji nodded, "Alright, let's go."

"Both of you, follow me!"

With that, Yu Fei surged into the high sky, with Yan Buji and Gu Yue close behind.

The three ascended rapidly; the higher they flew, the farther they were from the earth, and Yan Buji and Gu Yue could feel the ambient qi growing increasingly thin. Consequently, both had to adjust their mana control to avoid excessive depletion without timely replenishment.

Conversely, Yu Fei, being of the demon race, felt no discomfort in this environment and flew faster and faster.

"Daozhang, did you just feel something was off?" Gu Yue asked.

"Indeed, something concerns this humble Daoist, but it's hard to explain for now; let's follow and see," Yan Buji said as he flew upward, soon spotting Yu Fei's figure.