Chapter 83: Design

"So what's the point of being so clever? We straightforward people don't speak in riddles; as soon as March comes, the sea will be unsettled because a great number of Nascent Souls appear."

"You stay here until April to mine, then set out in May." Xuantang Xingjun snapped his fingers to calculate, then added:

"If the cave heaven opens in another five years, you have several hundred thousand spirit stones in hand; you could easily cultivate here for five years, without having to labor at sea like a wandering cultivator."

"Then you can return to Heavenly Origin through the cave‑heaven passage, saving time and even saving on supplies."

"What if we end up back in Eastern Continent?"

"Or if an unexpected situation occurs, I could fall into another passage."

"Just like you, your mortal body is in the cave heaven while your primordial spirit accidentally drifted to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, for at least three hundred years, right?" Jiang Yu needs to find her parents quickly; they are mortals and cannot wait a hundred years.

As for her older brother, she must verify whether his body has been usurped; she cannot allow a demonic cultivator to occupy his body and roam freely.

"Senior, I have a lingering worry; even if I sit among the spirit stones, my cultivation speed will slow down.

If this continues, I fear I will develop a heart demon; at the boundary, could I take you to the Great Luo Cave Heaven…?" She believes that during Foundation Establishment she had no heart demons because the hundred‑evil‑immune dragon turtle, Jiang Tu, was guarding her.

"Go, go, go, we'll leave in two days." Xuantang Xingjun waved his hand, then ran off to weed the spirit fields; he was afraid she might still cause trouble.

Jiang Yu no longer felt like drawing talismans; she grabbed her sword and flew to the mountains to practice swordsmanship.

The handle‑less spirit sword formed its hilt with golden spiritual energy; sword after sword she slashed, parried, and thrust, the techniques already etched into her bones, now she only needs to speed up, faster and faster.

Otherwise, she would be unable to stop missing her parents, older brother, and fellow sect companions.

At roughly the same time, Jiang Bai, based on Jiang Tu's earlier transmission, traced the whereabouts of the Tai Chi Fish Token seized by the enforcement squad at the Falling Moon Sect.

It turned out that the night Jiang Tu discovered the nameless corpse, that fish token was sent to a shop of the Falling Moon Sect for sale.

Later it was spotted by a cultivator of the Profound Heaven Sect, who bought it.

Thus, with his trail cut off, Jiang Bai plans to both gather spirit herbs to restore his cultivation and search the shops of various great cities for

just as he was heading toward the teleportation hall, he suddenly saw Foundation‑established Lin Yuan and Wan Xiyue coming toward him.

Lin Yuan took the initiative to greet, "Brother Jiang, long time no see."

"Long time no see." Jiang Bai wasn't familiar with them, but after a moment he asked, "How is Jiang Yu's soul lantern doing lately?"

Wan Xiyue was slightly surprised; Lin Yuan nodded, "Everything is as usual, perhaps one day she'll suddenly appear before us, giving us a surprise.

Brother Jiang, Wan and I are preparing to go to Ten Thousand Demons Mountain again; if you're free, would you join our team?"

Jiang Bai thought for a moment and said, "The Void‑Breaking Pearl is a non‑directional teleport; wherever Jiang Yu is now, she cannot return to Ten Thousand Demons Mountain."

He suspects Jiang Yu has already teleported to the Uncrossed Sea or Eastern Continent, but the two Foundation cultivators before him clearly assume she is still on the Heavenly Origin continent.

"Perhaps we should go to the Demon Gate to look for her.

At least, we could go to the Harmony Sect to search for Jiang Yu's older brother." Wan Xiyue had long held this thought, but her master forbade her from going.

Lin Yuan shook his head decisively, "We can't go for now; we need to reach mid‑Foundation stage before we can venture to the Demon Gate."

Actually, I think if Jiang Yu were teleported to the Demon Gate, she would certainly find a way back.

Even if she temporarily lacks spirit stones, she would sell some items to gather tickets for teleportation.

Going to Ten Thousand Demons Mountain is just holding onto the hope that she and the little Dragon King Ao Ze might be hidden among the Yao Race.

"It's possible; I happen to need to collect some spirit herbs, so I'll go with you." Jiang Bai always roams, and Ten Thousand Demons Mountain is rich in resources; another trip wouldn't hurt.

Jiang Yu, far away in Eastern Continent, does not know that some people have not given up searching for her.

Practicing the spirit sword for a night or a day each time dispelled much of the hidden worries in her heart; after another sleep she felt lively and bouncing again.

Of course, she wasn't reckless; that morning she went to the innkeeper to ask about the weather for the next few days.

The innkeeper said confidently, "In two or three days there will be a storm, no doubt, but the wind may not blow toward the direction you intend to go.

It will certainly affect the port here, that's for sure."

Jiang Yu poured him some spirit tea she brewed; he was in late Foundation stage, so she felt comfortable chatting, "In the western waterfront market, is there anyone well‑versed in the various anecdotes of our Eastern Continent?"

Early in the morning it was quiet, and the innkeeper was delighted to have someone to chat with, "How big are we talking about?"

"For example, does anyone have firsthand sight of a cultivator achieving divine transformation? If we're lucky to hear about that tribulation crossing, it would broaden our knowledge." Jiang Yu deliberately omitted mentioning the Nascent Soul tribulation, giving the innkeeper a false impression; she had seen it.

After all, there are many Nascent Soul cultivators on the Eastern Continent, and from time to time someone successfully reaches the Nascent Soul stage.

But the innkeeper frowned and said, "I've lived over a hundred years and have never heard of anyone achieving divine transformation in recent years.

Come to think of it, when I was as young as you I was also quite curious about it; after personally observing the formation of Golden Core and Nascent Soul, I also inquired with others.

The seniors all say that in the past one or two hundred years they've not heard of anyone achieving divine transformation.

Moreover, they haven't been seen traveling outside for many years; when mentioned, it's always in the context of secluding themselves."

Jiang Yu looked rather regretful, "It seems we can only consult travel journals from several hundred years ago."

"Hehe, we haven't even reached the Golden Core stage, those things are too far away.

If you have free time, young friend, perhaps you could stroll around Inlaid Moon City; in mid‑April, the once‑in‑a‑decade Dao‑Demon Grand Competition takes place, and this time the Demon Gate is hosting.

That will truly broaden your insight, far more concrete than hearing others talk about tribulations." The innkeeper's words were heartfelt.

After thanking him, Jiang Yu walked the streets; she spent half a day lingering in various tea houses, occasionally interjecting a sentence or two.

Sure enough, many people talked about the Dao‑Demon Grand Competition; occasionally someone mentioned that a sect had recently added another Nascent Soul, or had seen Golden Core dueling techniques, but no one brought up divine transformation.

When they saw a Golden Core cultivator enter the tea house, those people usually fell silent.

Having seen it several times, Jiang Yu, even if a bit slow, eventually figured out that she only hears news while chaining Qi during Foundation Establishment, and has forgotten that many things can only be understood after the Golden Core stage.

She gave a self‑deprecating smile, and just as she was about to leave, she noticed a skinny young cultivator rush into the shop, shouting, "Big trouble! Big trouble! Fellow Daoists!"

Several people present immediately responded, "What's the matter? Tell us."

"Don't hold back, come on, come on, let me buy you a tea first, then speak quickly." Even the innkeeper wasn't exempt.

The skinny cultivator went to the counter, took the tea and drank it down, "A stone hall suddenly opened in the Cloud‑Mist Mountains; someone saw two Nascent Souls of the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect and over a dozen Golden Cores brutally killed inside.

Behind them, wandering cultivators who saw numerous supreme artifacts inside the hall tried to break the formation and enter, but all perished in a blade array.

It is said that two days ago several Nascent Souls of the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect went there; the moment they jointly broke the great array, they were all trapped."

"You're not talking about the old site of the Cloud‑Mist Immortal Sect, are you?"

Exactly.

There are even hidden treasures.

It is indeed one of the former ten great Daoist gates.

……

Jiang Yu stopped listening, she silently left the teahouse, and transmitted by divine consciousness: "Senior, is this the place we go down to?"

I remember there are only a hundred or so artifacts inside.

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun nodded: "What you saw is only a side hall; underground there is an entire stone hall."

"You deliberately didn't kill Qi Haohao and the others, in order to lure more high‑level investigators, to avenge the Yunwu Sect." Jiang Yu suspected, that when they return to a mortal body, they will also plan to kill themselves.