Chapter 123 - 80: Visitor from Beyond the Heavens (Part 2)

Chapter 123: Chapter 80: Visitor from Beyond the Heavens (Part 2)

Zhong Shenxiu laughed. "It seems you think I’m going to lose, Junior Sister."

Fairy Lv quickly replied, "That’s not what I meant... How could you possibly lose, Senior Brother? You’ve never lost before."

Zhong Shenxiu shook his head. "Then why are you worried, Junior Sister?"

"Ever since you formed your Golden Core, Senior Brother," Fairy Lv said, "I’ve never seen you take an opponent so seriously. You’re even delaying your breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm just to wait for him to refine his Golden Mercury..."

Zhong Shenxiu replied, "Reaching the Nascent Soul realm is a simple matter. Waiting a little while is nothing."

"But if you reached the Nascent Soul realm," said Fairy Lv, "Xuzhuang would likely never be able to catch up."

Zhong Shenxiu just smiled, not answering. He gazed into the distance, thinking, ’That’s not necessarily true. Xuzhuang, let me see what you’re really made of.’

A fine, misty rain fell over Yunmeng Marsh.

A lone figure was fishing from a small boat on the lake, humming a folk tune to himself in quiet contentment. Suddenly, he seemed to sense something and lifted his conical hat slightly to peer into the distance.

A streak of Sword Qi shot across the sky. Though it was high among the clouds, a formless, sharp aura washed over the lake below. It sent the Spiritual Cranes scattering in terror, and the fish below dared not even breach the surface.

"Ah!" the angler cried out in alarm. The fish he had carefully gathered with bait were all gone. He looked up again to see the sword light had already vanished into the distance, leaving a long, white scar across the clouds.

"The ultimate essence... So Xuzhuang has reached this realm as well. Such astounding talent. Perhaps Heng Ce’s choice wasn’t a mistake after all..."

High above the clouds, Xuzhuang flew at incredible speed using Sword Escape. The white ape he carried was so terrified by the wind that it kept its eyes squeezed shut. After an unknown amount of time, it suddenly felt the rushing gales cease, replaced by a profound sense of peace and tranquility.

The white ape opened its eyes. The surrounding mists parted like curtains revealing the moon, and a magnificent Cloud Palace materialized before it. A look of pure shock filled its eyes.

Today, however, no attendants were on guard. Seeing the great gates of the Cloud Palace standing open, Xuzhuang’s expression shifted slightly. He led the white ape inside. There, he saw Daochen Zhenren sitting calmly on a cloud bed, with the magnificently attired Sun Suzhen standing at his side.

Lying amidst the white mist on the floor was a young man. His eyes were shut, his expression was peaceful, and he was so still that not even a single hair moved. He was clearly under the effect of a Detention Technique.

Xuzhuang took two steps forward and bowed with his hands clasped. "Sect Leader. Senior Brother Sun."

Although he had come to present the white ape—now named Yuan Hao—he could tell from the scene that Daochen Zhenren and Sun Suzhen had other matters to discuss. So, he simply stood by silently with his hands at his sides.

Having sought the Dao under Xuzhuang and received his instruction in the mountains for some time, Yuan Hao now understood a degree of etiquette. He didn’t dare make a sound, standing obediently behind Xuzhuang.

Daochen Zhenren smiled. "Junior Brother Xu, since you’re here, you might as well know."

He pointed to the young man on the floor. "Before sunrise today, this boy broke through the dimensional barrier above our Tai Su Grotto Heaven and fell right into my hands, so I detained him."

Xuzhuang’s brows raised. A peculiar feeling washed over him. As his gaze fell upon the young man on the floor, he secretly activated his spiritual sight, and what he saw surprised him.

He saw five-colored qi swirling above the crown of the young man’s head, showing signs of coalescing into an auspicious cloud. It reminded Xuzhuang of Zhong Shenxiu’s Purple Qi Xiangyun. While the young man’s phenomenon couldn’t compare to Zhong Shenxiu’s, it still possessed a burgeoning, vigorous potential.

While Xuzhuang was lost in thought, Sun Suzhen suddenly flicked a finger. A faint speck of spiritual light shot from his fingertip and fell upon the young man. The boy’s body rippled as if a drop of water had hit a calm lake, and within the glow, his every internal and external acupoint, meridian, and muscle fiber became clearly visible.

Sun Suzhen mused aloud, "This boy’s physical structure is remarkably similar to the people of our Profound Yellow Realm. I imagine he must be a human from a world or star in a nearby cosmic region."

Xuzhuang said coolly, "Observing his internal state, he has the cultivation of the Qi Cultivation realm, and it appears to follow a proper orthodox path... If there’s nothing amiss, we might as well let him go."

Sun Suzhen said, "I agree. Although the Profound Yellow Realm isn’t one of the great, bustling Great Thousand Worlds where all paths converge, we need not be hostile to visitors from other realms."

After a brief discussion, Sun Suzhen said, "We need to know who this boy is, what his purpose is, and how someone with only a Qi Cultivation base managed to traverse the void... Sect Leader, why not release him from the Detention Technique and simply ask?"

Xuzhuang agreed. He felt that as the Tai Su Orthodox Sect, they should have the magnanimity of a great sect. Even if they let the boy go, they shouldn’t fear him knowing he had been detained by them. If his origins were innocent, they could even offer some compensation for the inconvenience. He had no objections.

Daochen Zhenren simply sat on the cloud bed, allowing his two True Disciples to confer and make the decision. Seeing they had reached an agreement, he made no comment, but simply reached out and pointed a finger into the air, dispelling the technique that held the young man immobile.

The young man’s eyelids fluttered a few times before opening. He showed no signs of panic, instead calmly surveying his surroundings. A flash of shock glinted in his eyes before he quickly suppressed it.

Then, Daochen Zhenren spoke with an easy calm, "Young friend, you heard the questions my Junior Brother Sun asked. Would you mind enlightening him?"

It turned out that while Xuzhuang and Sun Suzhen were conversing, Daochen Zhenren had already discreetly restored the young man’s hearing, allowing him to prepare himself.

The young man calmly climbed to his feet, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, and began, "This one is named Zhou Jun..."

His speech was from the same language family as that of the Divine Continent, just with a slight accent, which Xuzhuang and the others had no trouble understanding.

It turned out that this young man named Zhou Jun had grown up in an ordinary world. According to him, his home world was a mundane place with no concept of cultivation. There were only a few practitioners of martial arts, and even their highest attainments could not compare to the Qi Cultivation realm.