I felt like a pebble hurled into the sky, spinning and flying through chaos, the wind howling in my ears, everything a blur before my eyes. I struggled to steady myself, but in vain, left at the mercy of this force pulling me upward into the air.
"Lier!" Qu Chen's anxious voice came from below, heavy with deep worry and terror. I tried hard to answer him, but no sound would come out.
I saw the light radiating from the Teleportation Array growing more and more intense, like a dazzling sun illuminating everything around it. Seeing this, the men in black wore looks of absolute panic; flustered and out of their minds, they dropped their weapons and scattered in all directions, not daring to approach the Teleportation Array by even half a step.
"Lier, hold on!" I heard Linger's voice. She was not far above me, striving to reach out to me. I saw her fingertips touch my sleeve, only to be repelled in the next second by a powerful force.
"Linger!" I cried out, but once again I was sucked into that mighty suction force, my body flying upward completely out of control.
In a daze, I saw a figure flying toward me at blinding speed. He radiated a dazzling golden light, and his overwhelming pressure made it hard for me to breathe.
It was him!
I recognized the newcomer. It was Qingyunzi, the one who had once guided me within the Illusion Realm.
"Senior!" I shouted with all the strength in my body.
Qingyunzi reached out toward me. His eyes were filled with worry and anxiety, but I could not make out his expression; I could only see his lips moving slightly as if he were saying something, yet I could not hear any sound.
His hand drew closer and closer. I tried hard to grab it, but just as I was about to touch his sleeve, my vision suddenly went pitch black and I lost consciousness.
...
"Ugh..."
I did not know how much time had passed when I slowly opened my eyes and found myself lying in a warm embrace, the familiar presence bringing peace to my heart.
"Lier, you're awake!"
I raised my head to see Qu Chen looking at me with worry written all over his face. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly having worried for a long time.
"What... what happened to me?" I struggled to sit up, but felt a complete lack of strength throughout my body.
"You were sucked in by the power of the Teleportation Array. Fortunately, Senior Qingyunzi arrived in time and saved you." Qu Chen helped me sit up and explained softly.
"Senior Qingyunzi..." I murmured to myself, the tall and majestic figure flashing through my mind. "Where is he?"
"He has already left." Qu Chen's gaze shifted into the distance, a trace of admiration and yearning flashing in his eyes. "He said we have already passed the test, and next—"
Before he could finish his sentence, I suddenly felt a powerful fluctuation of Spiritual Power coming from the direction of the Teleportation Array. Turning my head to look, I saw that the light of the Teleportation Array had reached its absolute peak, like a pillar of light connecting to the heavens and illuminating the entire night sky.
"Let's go!" I grabbed Qu Chen's hand and ran toward the Teleportation Array without a moment's hesitation. "It's time for us to set off!" I held Qu Chen's hand tightly, the warmth in our palms conveying a familiar reassurance. The light of the Teleportation Array grew ever brighter, enveloping both of us within it. The excited shouts of Linger and Xuanfeng rang in my ears, but they were quickly swallowed by a tremendous roar. I felt a dizzying spin as if caught within a violent vortex; all my senses were magnified infinitely, only to plunge into silence in a split second.
When I opened my eyes again, the sight before us left both Qu Chen and me stunned.
This was no longer the familiar back mountain of the Qingyun Sect, but a vast and boundless grassland. The lingering rays of the setting sun spilled over the emerald-green grass, resembling a layer of golden gauze draped across the land. A gentle breeze swept past, carrying a faint, refreshing floral fragrance that gladdened the heart and refreshed the spirit. In the distance, rolling mountain ranges loomed vaguely amidst the clouds and mist, resembling a wonderland.
"So beautiful..." Linger's voice sounded beside me, carrying an unconcealed gasp of wonder.
"Is this... the higher-dimensional Immortal Cultivation world?" Xuanfeng muttered to himself, his eyes brimming with curiosity and anticipation.
I took a deep breath, feeling the dense Spiritual Energy in the air—far richer than the region where the Qingyun Sect resided—as if every pore of my body had opened up, greedily absorbing this pure power.
"We made it!" A joyful smile bloomed across Qu Chen's face. He turned to look at me, his eyes sparkling. "Lier, we have arrived in a completely new world, and this will be our new starting point!"
I nodded firmly, my heart filled with hope and yearning.
The four of us walked hand in hand, strolling across this beautiful grassland, admiring exotic flowers and rare herbs we had never seen before, and listening to crisp, pleasant birdsong. In the distance, several white cranes danced gracefully, their elegant postures forming a living painting.
"This is simply too gorgeous!" Linger could not help exclaiming. "I feel like I'm dreaming."
"If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up," Xuanfeng said with a smile.
We admired the surrounding scenery while walking toward the distance. After walking for I know not how long, the sky gradually grew dark, and we decided to find a place to rest.
Just then, we spotted a patch of woods not far away. Faint lights shone from within the trees, suggesting human habitation.
"Let's go take a look over there," I proposed.
We walked toward the woods, pushing through a patch of dense brush, and suddenly the view opened up before us.
Right in the center of the woods, a few quaint wooden houses were built against the mountain. Red lanterns hung beneath the eaves, emitting a warm glow. An elderly man dressed in a cyan robe was sitting in front of one of the wooden houses, leisurely sipping tea.
"Pardon the interruption, may I ask..."
Before I could finish, the elderly man raised his head, his gaze falling upon us with a gentle, benevolent smile at the corners of his mouth.
"Young friends, you've come from the lower realm, haven't you?"
"Pardon the interruption, may I ask..." Before I could finish, the elderly man raised his head, his gaze falling upon us with a benevolent smile at the corners of his mouth.
"Young friends, you've come from the lower realm, haven't you?" The elderly man set down his teacup, his tone amiable and kind.
I was stunned for a moment before snapping to my senses; the old man must have meant that we came from the lower-dimensional Immortal Cultivation world. "Elder, how did you know?" I asked curiously.
The old man smiled faintly and pointed in the direction behind us. "Coming through the Teleportation Array—who else could it be if not people from the lower realm?"
Everything clicked in my mind; it turned out the old man had known of our arrival all along.
"This old man is Qingyunzi. May I ask how my young friends are addressed?" The old man introduced himself, his gentle tone instantly winning our affection.
"Junior Feng Li (Qu Chen / Linger / Xuanfeng) pays respects to Senior Qingyunzi." The four of us bowed to Qingyunzi in turn.
Qingyunzi smiled and nodded, gesturing for us to sit down and talk. He poured us cups of fragrant spirit tea, inquiring in detail about which world we came from and why we had come here.
I briefly recounted our experiences in the Qingyun Sect and the whole story behind repairing the Teleportation Array. After listening, Qingyunzi remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "So that's how it was. It seems you share a deep affinity with the Qingyun Sect. This higher-dimensional Immortal Cultivation world is rich in Spiritual Energy and filled with countless opportunities, but it is also fraught with greater perils. Since you are newcomers, you must still exercise caution."
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior. We juniors will surely keep it engraved in our hearts," I said gratefully, while Qu Chen, Linger, and Xuanfeng echoed my sentiments nearby.
Over the next few days, Qingyunzi acted like a kind elder, explaining the basic rules and factional divisions of this world to us, imparting various cultivation insights, and even gifting each of us a Dharma Treasure as a welcome gift.
Under Qingyunzi's guidance, we gained a deeper understanding of this brand-new world. The cultivation system here was much more complete than that of the lower realm, and cultivation resources were far more abundant, yet the competition was correspondingly fiercer.
"If you want to establish a foothold in this world, talent alone is not enough; you also need formidable strength and unwavering conviction," Qingyunzi said earnestly. "You are all fine saplings. You must cultivate diligently and not waste your natural gifts."
We kept Qingyunzi's teachings close to our hearts. Aside from cultivating every day, we explored our surroundings to search for cultivation resources and opportunities suited to ourselves. The Spiritual Energy here was several times denser than in the lower realm, allowing our cultivation speeds to advance by leaps and bounds; my own cultivation realm even made a breakthrough, faintly touching upon the threshold of a bottleneck.
Qu Chen's talent also gradually manifested itself. His cultivation speed was extremely fast, even surpassing mine, and he faintly showed signs of becoming a leading figure among his peers.
Linger and Xuanfeng also found cultivation paths suited to each of them. Linger was exceptionally clever and possessed a deep comprehension of the Dao of Formations, so she decided to join an Immortal Cultivation sect renowned for its formations to further study the profound mysteries of arrays.
"Lier, Brother Chen, I am going to pursue my dream of formations, and you must work hard too!" Linger waved her hand, a confident smile radiating across her face as she turned and stepped onto the journey toward that sect...
After Linger left, Xuanfeng also made his choice. He chose to join a sect renowned for artifact crafting, a place that gathered master artifact smiths from all over. Xuanfeng's lifelong dream had always been to become a sword-casting master like Ouyezi, forging divine weapons capable of cutting through iron like mud.
"Lier, Brother Chen, I am going to pursue my dream of artifact crafting! We'll meet at the peak!" Xuanfeng waved his large, calloused hands—roughened by years of gripping a smithing hammer—and turned to step onto the path toward that sect.
Watching Linger and Xuanfeng depart into the distance, my heart was filled with emotion and anticipation. In this brand-new world, each of us had found our own direction, striving forward for our dreams.
Qu Chen and I decided to form a partnership to explore the mysteries of this world together. We traveled through famous mountains and great rivers, hunted for heavenly treasures, and challenged powerful Demon Beasts. Through adventure after adventure, our strength continuously grew, and our affection for one another steadily deepened.
"Lier, watch out!" Once, we accidentally strayed into a perilous zone and were ambushed by a ferocious Thunder Leopard. Disregarding his own safety, Qu Chen threw himself in front of me to block the beast's fatal strike.
Seeing Qu Chen injured in order to protect me, a warm current surged through my heart and further solidified my determination to walk this path by his side. Pouring all my strength into the fight, I finally drove the Thunder Leopard back, then helped up the wounded Qu Chen to tend to his injuries.
"Brother Chen, are you alright?" I asked anxiously, my eyes filled with worry.
"I'm fine, just a minor wound." Qu Chen smiled and gently stroked my cheek with his hand. "As long as you're safe."
Beneath the setting sun, we leaned against each other, our gazes filled with tender affection. I knew that my heart entirely belonged to this young man, to this lover who fought side by side with me through life and death.
We threaded through a dense forest in search of legendary Spirit Herbs. Suddenly, a powerful energy fluctuation swept over from afar, accompanied by waves of ancient and mysterious aura.
"Lier, did you feel that?" Qu Chen grasped my hand tightly, asking with a solemn expression.
I nodded, my heart brimming with curiosity and anticipation: "Let's go take a look!"
We walked toward the direction of the energy fluctuations, passed through an area shrouded in mist, and suddenly the view opened up before us. An ancient and magnificent ruin appeared in our sight. At the entrance of the ruins, a giant stone tablet was inscribed with ancient characters that radiated an imposing pressure.
"Wh... what is this place?" I murmured to myself, filled with awe.
Qu Chen shook his head, indicating that he had never seen such characters either. At that very moment, the characters on the stone tablet suddenly emitted a dazzling light, and a powerful suction force pulled us directly into the ruins...