Chapter 265: Solitary Yin

Chapter 265 -255: Solitary Yin

This seemed to be an opportunity.

Chen Qingyang began to offer some words of comfort. “In that case, Master, you have even less to worry about. The Tai Xu Sect has no shortage of people skilled in the Alchemy Dao. If you obtain some elixirs to repair the Divine Soul and take them daily, you’ll recover.”

At this, the Master seemed to not want to continue the conversation. She was silent for a long time before replying nonchalantly, “I have obtained many elixirs. I’m taking them now.”

‘They must not be very effective; otherwise, she wouldn’t be like this. Still, today was progress. The Master said more to me than before.’

“I won’t disturb you any further today, Master. When I visit again, I will find an elixir for you. It might be helpful for repairing your Divine Soul.”

‘What ordinary elixirs can’t do, the Heaven Repairing Glaze might,’ Chen Qingyang thought. ‘This is my chance.’

Perhaps surprised by his words, the Master fell silent for a long time. She never once turned to look at Chen Qingyang. “That won’t be necessary, but I appreciate the thought.”

Chen Qingyang wouldn’t give up so easily. “Master, you must understand that one only finds a chance at life by burning one’s bridges. From your perspective, some things indeed shouldn’t exist. But that doesn’t mean those things are entirely useless. Why not give it a try?”

Perhaps, at that moment, Yun Ci was pondering the man named Chen Qingyang.

From her point of view, it should have been impossible for Chen Qingyang to appear in the Yong Kingdom and save her, yet that was exactly what had happened.

She felt she ought to give it a try.

“If it truly is effective, you may name your price. I will agree to any condition I am able to meet.”

Chen Qingyang, however, said, “There’s no rush. You already owe me one favor, Master. What’s one more?”

After a long pause with no response from the Master, Chen Qingyang said, “I will take my leave now.”

She still gave no sign.

His figure slowly receded until it vanished completely at the stairwell. Only then did Yun Ci glance back.

Her face was a little pale, a stark contrast to her usual state, and her expression was slightly dazed.

When he reached the first floor, Qingfeng was there to see him out.

“From what you could see, Senior Brother Chen, how is the Master’s condition?”

A flicker of doubt crossed Chen Qingyang’s mind. “You’re always by the Master’s side, Junior Brother. Shouldn’t you know?”

Qingfeng shook his head. “It’s been a long time. The Master has been in seclusion and refuses all visitors. You’re the first person to see her in a long while, Senior Brother.”

Chen Qingyang paused for a moment. “I only saw her back. As for her condition, I can’t really say.”

Qingfeng sighed again, then escorted Chen Qingyang to the entrance and watched him disappear into the swirling snow.

A moment later, he was seated in his small courtyard.

Today had been quite fruitful. Not only had he delivered the elixir, but he’d also gotten Yun Ci to accept it. Now, all he could do was hope it would have some effect.

He rested for a short while, and soon it was midnight.

Dressed in a profound robe, he used Wind Control to travel, arriving outside Xu Lingfeng a moment later.

Starlight gleamed in Chen Qingyang’s eyes, allowing him to see the fine threads where Star Power connected. They reached up to the Celestial Vault, anchored themselves to the mountains and rivers, and wrapped all around, forming what looked like a great net.

Because he was proficient in Array True Understanding and had abundant Star Power in his body, he could see wherever an array had been established.

He then channeled this perception through his Conscious Fish, sensing the flow of Star Power and the array’s layout.

It was like following a trickling stream. The points where these flows of power converged could be called the array’s nodes, and where these nodes themselves gathered, one could find the Array Building.

Before long, he spotted a White Jade Tower hidden deep within a valley. He had found it by following the Qi Mechanism, a far more precise method than simply remembering its location as he had at Cyan Bamboo Peak.

He drew closer, formed a hand seal, and activated Array True Understanding. As Star Power surged through him, he focused on the Array Building and mapped out the flow of the Qi Mechanism, as well as the ‘door’ that led into the Sumeru Secret Realm.

He then retreated a good distance away, leaving only his Conscious Fish behind. It passed through the barrier with almost no effort, and suddenly, the world it perceived underwent a dramatic change.

It was nighttime in the outside world, and the same was true within this Sumeru Illusion Realm.

However, everything here seemed to be enveloped in a thick, white mist. He looked left and right; every direction appeared identical.

This was nothing like the one at Cyan Bamboo Peak, which had mountains, water, fields, and houses, and was simply like being in a different location.

He sensed the Qi Mechanism again. The Spiritual Qi was incredibly dense, yet there was a desolate, grim feeling to it, as if he were in a world made of metal—cold, hard, and utterly devoid of gentleness.

‘Since I’m already here, I won’t leave empty-handed,’ Chen Qingyang resolved. He had his Conscious Fish memorize the location of the exit barrier, then shot off in the opposite direction.

‘If the barrier is the edge, then I should be heading toward the center.’

He lost track of how long it had been. In the outside world, the sun rose, birds began to chirp, and the sky started to brighten.

Finally, a golden light appeared ahead in the Sumeru Illusion Realm, and its world began to brighten as well.

The surroundings remained unchanged, still a vast expanse of white. But at least the Conscious Fish now had a landmark. It continued flying forward.

This world was incredibly vast, and he couldn’t sense the aura of any living person. At first, Chen Qingyang proceeded with caution, but he gradually let his guard down.

But that single point of light just hung in the sky, and no matter how far he traveled, he never seemed to get any closer.

‘Could it be… a reflection?’

‘No, that can’t be right. Even if it were a reflection, it would have to end somewhere. There would have to be a point of connection between the reflection and the real thing, but I can’t see anything like that here.’

He patiently continued onward.

Chen Qingyang couldn’t stand the waiting any longer. He returned to his courtyard to focus on alchemy and cultivation, leaving his Conscious Fish behind almost out of sheer stubbornness. He refused to believe this path was endless.

Back in the courtyard, a fresh supply of Alchemy Raw Materials was laid out. Hong’Er told him Senior Sister Profound Robe had delivered them. If he wasn’t mistaken, that must be Leng Yueru.

Presumably, Senior Sister Leng couldn’t wait for him and had already left. Chen Qingyang had his people gather the materials. Yun Ci was truly generous; there was enough here to refine several hundred elixirs.

Then, he settled in to wait for his Conscious Fish to discover something.

But seven days passed. The Sumeru World had grown dark and light seven times, yet that faint halo of light remained suspended overhead. No matter how hard his Conscious Fish pushed forward, it was like a destination that could never be reached.

‘I’ll wait another three days,’ he decided. ‘If I haven’t succeeded after a full ten days, I’ll pull the Conscious Fish back and think of another plan.’

Being stuck in this stalemate was draining. Even someone as calm as Chen Qingyang couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated. Just as he was wondering whether he should take the five elixirs he had prepared and make another trip to the Four Golden Peaks, he heard Xu Baoling’s voice beside him. “You’ve been frowning for the past few days, Senior Brother. Is something troubling you?”

She stepped down slowly from the altar, dressed in white robes that seemed to shimmer like gauze, emitting a faint golden light. Her cultivation had clearly improved recently after taking the elixirs Chen Qingyang had given her.

She was getting closer to forming her Yin Spirit Body.

He was indeed troubled, but he couldn’t tell her about it. He just shook his head. “No, nothing.”

As if she understood him perfectly, Xu Baoling just shook her head and smiled. “Well, if you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t press you.”

After saying this, she didn’t leave, but simply waited quietly by his side.

‘Oh, what the hell,’ he thought. ‘I’m just idle anyway. I might as well hear what she has to say.’ “Do you think there’s any place in this world that’s endless?”

Xu Baoling replied, “I don’t think so. If a place feels endless, it’s either because it’s too vast, or because you’re moving too slowly. I believe you’re the one who told me that, Senior Brother.”

‘Too vast… that’s unlikely.’

‘It’s a Sumeru Secret Realm, after all. In the time that’s passed, I could have flown tens of thousands of miles. It’s impossible that I haven’t reached the end. But it doesn’t feel like I’m just going in circles, either.’

‘Even though it’s shrouded in mist, I can still feel my location changing.’

“But what if you’re in a world that isn’t all that large, yet you can never reach the end? What could be the reason for that?”

Xu Baoling had no idea what he was truly struggling with, and his question left her completely baffled. She furrowed her delicate brows and pondered for a moment.

“Either you think you’re moving, but you’re actually stationary… or… the world is round.”

Round.

Chen Qingyang latched onto the idea, but one question remained. ‘If it’s round, why can I never reach that point of golden light? And what is that golden light?’

‘That doesn’t seem right for a round world… unless…’

Suddenly, he burst out laughing. “That has to be it.”