C541 Chaos of Heaven and Earth

Ahead was the sky, behind was the ocean; the feeling of this world turned upside down was quite intriguing. A great opportunity might lie just ahead. Staying calm in the face of it shows a good mindset, but pretending to be relaxed is just being pretentious—it’s a sign of a troubled mind.

So, after Woo Zhengyang and Yu Wenqing picked a direction, they moved forward with all their might. Although they agreed to move together, Yu Wenqing had no intention of accommodating Woo Zhengyang. He charged ahead, leading the way.

Yu Wenqing was at the Tendon Bone Stage, and even the most basic martial arts techniques, when executed by him, were much faster than those of the five people ahead. Moreover, coming from the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion, his martial arts skills were anything but ordinary. He seemed to glide on a cloud of blue smoke, effortlessly covering several yards in the blink of an eye.

With a slight smile, Woo Zhengyang also put his all into the Dragon Countering Nine Steps. Among the seven, Woo Zhengyang had the lowest cultivation level, but the way Dragon Countering Nine Steps built momentum was quite profound.

On the first step, Woo Zhengyang was slower than anyone else. By the second and third steps, his speed increased steadily. By the fourth and fifth steps, he was keeping pace with Fong Zhiyuan and Yann Xinjue. With the sixth and seventh steps, Woo Zhengyang's speed surpassed both of them.

When Woo Zhengyang reached the eighth step, his speed surged dramatically, becoming several times faster than before, nearly matching Yu Wenqing at the Tendon Bone Stage. He maintained this incredible pace, sprinting with relentless energy.

This breakthrough came after Woo Zhengyang's diligent study of the "Dragon Countering Nine Steps." The first eight steps of this technique build and accumulate power, culminating in a powerful burst on the ninth step. However, when used for movement, the ninth step's speed, though impressive, dissipates the accumulated energy, forcing a restart from the first step. This back-and-forth can be quite cumbersome and inefficient.

To address this, Woo Zhengyang experimented extensively, drawing insights from various movement techniques, including one called "Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada." This particular technique provided him with valuable insights.

By integrating its principles, Woo Zhengyang learned to control the energy release, shifting the explosive power of the ninth step slightly forward to the eighth step. As a result, the speed of the eighth step increased significantly, while the accumulated energy remained intact. When he reached the ninth step, the energy didn't need to burst forth, allowing him to continue with the same explosive force as the eighth step.

Meanwhile, Woo Zhengyang was balancing the power of his explosive strength with his accumulated energy, allowing him to stay on the brink of a breakthrough without actually crossing it. This kept his speed steady at the eighth step.

"Impressive! To keep up with my 'Lingyan Footwork' at the Inner Stage is no small feat!" Yu Wenqing exclaimed with a smile. "But I haven't gone all out yet!" As he spoke, Yu Wenqing picked up the pace.

Woo Zhengyang wasn't about to back down either, unleashing the power of the Profound Heaven Fire. In an instant, he was enveloped in a fiery glow, with flames flickering around him as he chased closely behind Yu Wenqing.

One was surrounded by fire, the other seemed to glide on air, and they were locked in a fierce competition. In no time, they had overtaken the other five, leaving them in awe.

Yu Wenqing was a high-ranking member of the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion, so his prowess was expected. But for Woo Zhengyang to match him was truly remarkable.

After what felt like the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the two, with their fiery and smoky trails, finally reached the end of the seawater palace wall. Yet, there was no door or even a window in sight. As they moved closer to the edge of the roof, they felt a powerful suction pulling them in, making it impossible to break free.

With their previous experience, the two quickly adjusted their movements. As their feet touched the ground, they found themselves behind the seawater palace wall they had just passed, standing on the roof that had been in front of them moments ago.

If they were to follow the previous ocean's logic, they would now be upside down, with the blue ocean above them and the sky behind the roof...

The roof's edge was close, and after a short walk, they reached the end again. An uncontrollable force pulled them, and once they steadied themselves, they realized they were on the other side of the roof—or rather, the front side.

Finally, they were back with the sky above and the ground below. Reflecting on their journey, they couldn't fathom how they had walked horizontally on walls or even upside down. Yet, during the experience, they felt no strangeness and even sprinted with abandon...

"The Hundred Flower World truly defies imagination," Yu Wenqing remarked, standing at the roof's edge, gazing at the endless ocean below.

Then, they began their ascent to the highest point of the seawater palace. After some time, they once again crossed over the palace roof, appearing on the opposite palace wall!

They searched this side for a long while, but even as Fong Zhiyuan and the others caught up, they found no entrance or portal.

I thought there would be a great opportunity ahead, but this enormous palace, as lifelike as it is, has no entrance. Without an entrance, no matter how great the opportunity inside, it’s useless.

Unwilling to give up, everyone began searching separately, examining the sides, corners, and even the flow and color of the seawater around the palace.

Eventually, exhausted, they returned to where they started. There was nothing, not even the dragon boat, leaving them stranded outside the palace.

“What’s going on... Did the dragon boat bring us here just to trap us?”

“I’m sure there’s a way in; we just haven’t found it yet.”

“Why don’t you go look again? I’ve already checked my area thoroughly and found nothing.”

The group was filled with complaints and frustration.

Woo Zhengyang was also frustrated. The palace felt familiar to him, but familiarity alone couldn’t guide him. He knew it wasn’t dangerous, but that didn’t help him find a way in.

“Let’s switch areas and search again!” Yu Wenqing suggested, unable to sit still any longer.

Everyone agreed without objection. After redistributing the areas, they resumed their search.