Chapter 240: Reigning Over the World (9) - Heading to the Heavenly Palace

Several months passed in a flash.

To the west of Ganzhou lay a vast, boundless expanse of ocean known as the Western Sea. Looking out as far as the eye could see, the azure waters stretched to meet the horizon. The deep blue sea and sky blended seamlessly together in the distance, making it nearly impossible to tell where the water ended and the heavens began.

Legends regarding this stretch of ocean had circulated through the cultivation world since ancient times. Long ago, several cultivators possessing immense divine abilities had gathered massive quantities of spirit stones, intending to cross the sea and reach the western extreme. Yet despite their meticulous preparations, they only managed to fly four million li before their vast reserves of spirit stones were completely drained. Left with no choice, they had been forced to turn back.

Thirty thousand years ago, an old monster at the Deity Transformation realm, supremely confident in his vast power, gathered all necessary supplies and resolutely ventured into the Western Sea. He was never heard from again. It wasn't until several centuries later that his descendants finally received a solitary transmission that had somehow crossed the boundless ocean. It contained a single, brief warning: "The sea is perilous. Do not come."

Those few simple words shook the entire cultivation world. If even a Deity Transformation expert—a figure standing at the absolute pinnacle of the mortal realm—could fall there, no one else dared to recklessly plunge into that endless blue ocean to provoke the unknown horrors lurking beneath its waves.

No one in the world knew what kind of land lay hidden on the other side of the sea, nor what terrifying creatures slumbered in its depths. Anyone who had ever stubbornly set out to uncover its secrets had never returned.

Jiuyou hovered in the air above the coastline, deep in thought.

Having lived for over seventeen hundred years and roamed across many lands, he wondered if the Western Sea before him was truly the same body of water as the Heavenly Abyss Sea he had once inhabited. Perhaps the two great oceans were connected, merely situated on opposite ends of the continent. Ultimately, however, this was just his own speculation. The truth could only be uncovered by investigating it himself one day.

His long journey to the Western Sea this time was to fulfill his appointed meeting with Bai Xuanyi. He held a fair bit of curiosity toward the legendary Heavenly Palace and wanted to see it with his own eyes. He also wished to meet the only other existences in this world who stood on the same level as him.

A dark stream of divine light silently cut across the coastline.

Jiuyou did not travel ostentatiously. He drew every trace of his Deity Transformation aura back into his divine soul and ventured out alone into the depths of the ocean. Seventeen centuries of weathered age and experience were perfectly concealed beneath his seemingly youthful shell, not leaking out in the slightest.

After flying for hundreds of thousands of li, his figure suddenly halted over the vast expanse of water. His divine sense washed outward like a tide, piercing through the mist and the rolling waves. Only then did he realize that an island was firmly hidden beneath this stretch of empty space, concealed by an array formation. The formation was crafted with exceedingly high mastery. If an ordinary Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator flew overhead without deliberately scanning for it, they would never notice the slightest clue.

Right at that moment, three figures swept out from the empty space just outside the island.

Two were at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage, while the third was at the Nascent Soul Late Stage. They had been hovering in midair, exchanging insights on their cultivation. Startled by Jiuyou's sudden appearance, all three paused and immediately swept their divine sense over him. Yet, no matter how many times they probed, they could not discern the depths of his cultivation. An invisible, oppressive weight pressed down on them. Their expressions instantly tightened, and they secretly gripped their magical treasures, falling into defensive stances.

Jiuyou was now a cultivator standing at the very pinnacle of the mortal realm. He paid no mind to a mere handful of Nascent Soul cultivators. Having weathered a millennium of shifting tides, he couldn't be bothered to engage in pleasantries or don a gentle disguise.

"I have come seeking Fellow Daoist Bai—Bai Xuanyi," Jiuyou said, his tone flat. He offered no unnecessary pleasantries, his voice drifting plainly into the ears of the three men.

The three Nascent Soul cultivators shuddered in unison. This man dared to address Bai Xuanyi by his full name and call him "Fellow Daoist"? Could this person standing before them also be a Deity Transformation expert? At that thought, stormy waves of shock crashed through their minds.

While their minds were still reeling, a brilliant beam of white light shot into the sky from the island within the array. A man descended upon the light. He wore robes as white as snow, and though his hair and beard were completely white, his facial features remained handsome and youthful. Clutching a pure white jade token, he glanced down to verify a message before looking up at Jiuyou hovering over the sea. He immediately bowed in deep respect.

"This junior respectfully welcomes Senior Jiuyou to Baijing Island," he said. "Your arrival is a tremendous honor for our island. My master left instructions long ago that you were to be received with the utmost hospitality. Please, Senior, follow me inside."

The three Nascent Soul cultivators no longer dared to show the slightest impudence. Frantically dropping their guard, they cupped their fists and bowed in unison. A wave of cold dread washed over them as they realized they had just bared their weapons at a Deity Transformation Divine Lord. They prayed silently that this senior wasn't some demonic path giant who slaughtered without a second thought.

Completely ignoring the stiff, terrified posturing of the three Nascent Soul cultivators behind him, Jiuyou maintained a calm expression. He followed the white-robed man straight through the formation, descending toward the heart of Baijing Island.

Only after a long while did the three Nascent Soul cultivators finally dare to let out heavy breaths.

The white-robed cultivator was Yu Zhihen, Bai Xuanyi's eldest disciple. Upon arriving in the Western Sea, Jiuyou had activated his transmission jade token to announce his approach. Receiving the message, Yu Zhihen had immediately flown out to receive him, arriving just in time to witness Jiuyou cowing the three Nascent Soul experts. His heart was already filled with absolute reverence, and he didn't dare show the slightest negligence.

The moment Jiuyou set foot on Baijing Island, a completely different worldly aura rushed over him.

The spiritual Qi within the island was dense and pure, possessing a crisp, continuous richness that vastly exceeded the cultivation environment of Ganzhou. Lush greenery covered the landscape, brimming with boundless vitality.

Cultivators could be seen everywhere, walking along paths or streaking continuously through the sky. Even the lowest among them, skimming just above the ground, possessed cultivation realms firmly at Foundation Establishment or higher.

Rare spiritual herbs and ancient spiritual trees dotted the land. Various docile spiritual beasts and exotic spiritual insects made their homes among them, forming a thriving, self-contained ecosystem.

Compared to the perilous chaos of the Western Sea just outside—where cultivators had to constantly remain on guard against the harassment of sea demons and monstrous beasts—this Baijing Island, hidden safely behind its array, was truly a rare utopia.

Jiuyou swept his gaze across the scenery, his mind completely unruffled thanks to a millennium of tempered experience. With his current Deity Transformation cultivation, supplemented by a Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure like the Five Origins Universal Hub, carving out a self-sufficient, Qi-rich pocket dimension like this would be effortless. He could easily craft a realm far broader and more prosperous than Baijing Island.

Yu Zhihen led the way. They passed through layers of spiritual peaks and hidden grottos, arriving at the deepest part of Baijing Island moments later.

Before them lay a perfectly circular Dao arena, bordered by countless prismatic crystals of varying sizes. Thousands upon thousands of these crystals hovered in the air above and around the platform, slowly revolving. They pulsed with a faint, luminous white glow. The surface of every crystal was carved with ancient, complex array runes—obscure and primitive patterns that far surpassed any ordinary mortal formation.

Jiuyou extended his divine sense slightly, instantly catching the pure spatial Dao-rhyme flowing through the crystals. After living for over a thousand years, combined with his intense study of formations in recent times, he possessed a profound understanding of the craft. At a glance, he could tell that these array lines shared the same origin as ancient spatial runes, yet were even more exquisitely crafted.

He realized immediately that this was a massive Ancient Teleportation Array. Its tier far exceeded the ancient array that had once connected the Heavenly Abyss Sea to Lingchuan; its power was profound, mysterious, and entirely unfathomable.

Stepping up to the entrance of the array, Yu Zhihen stopped and bowed deeply. "Senior," he said respectfully, "my master is already waiting for your arrival at the other end of the formation. As I still have sect affairs to attend to, I shall accompany you no further. I respectfully wish you a safe journey, Senior."

Jiuyou gave a slight nod. Without a word, he stepped forward into the core of the Teleportation Array.

Spiritual light surged faintly within his palm as the Five Origins Universal Hub pulsed with a quiet glow. Relying on his peak Deity Transformation Stage divine sense and the empowerment of his spirit treasure, he saw through the central hub of the ancient array in an instant. Without needing to chant any activation incantations, he simply used his own cultivation to forcefully trigger the array into motion.

A blinding pillar of pure white spiritual light abruptly erupted into the sky. It swept up a storm of swirling array runes, instantly and completely swallowing Jiuyou's figure.

Standing outside the array, Yu Zhihen witnessed this clean, effortless display of power, and a flash of genuine astonishment crossed his eyes. An ordinary cultivator activating an ancient grand array of this caliber would require complex preparations and precise incantations to channel the energy. Yet, this Deity Transformation senior had triggered the array mechanisms instantly using nothing but his own sheer power.

He sighed in awe. The heaven-reaching methods of a mighty Deity Transformation expert were truly beyond the comprehension of a Nascent Soul cultivator. The gap between their realms was like the chasm between heaven and earth.