C496
From the moment he began the ascent, Yu Yuan's demeanor turned grave, and he fell into silence. The laughter and banter he had shared with Tong Laoqian and Yuan Lianyao at the mountain's base had vanished completely. Without a glance to either side, he ascended the stone steps, resolutely making his way to the summit.
For reasons unknown, even Tong Laoqian seemed affected, refraining from his usual idle chatter and grandiose discussions. The fan he habitually waved was now tucked away. Despite his bulky frame, he moved with surprising agility up the mountain.
Yuan Lianyao, walking between Yu Yuan and Tong Laoqian, was the only one who looked around with curiosity, eager to uncover any secrets the small hill might conceal. Rosy Cloud Island was known for this hill, higher than the rest and thick with greenery.
Under the burning sun, Yuan Lianyao felt an unexpected coolness as she traversed the mountainside. The fierce sunlight bathed her, yet it seemed devoid of warmth, leaving her with a chilling sensation.
Having recently harnessed her Lunar Spirit through the dark arts of the Ruby Hand, she found the hill's atmosphere eerie and unsettling. Her Flame Deity occasionally picked up on the faint, sorrowful wailing emanating from deep within the mountain, reminiscent of a tormented spirit's cries from the abyss.
The hill was modest in height, roughly two hundred meters, and even with a leisurely pace, Yu Yuan was soon to reach the peak. Abruptly, without any forewarning, the usually reticent Yu Yuan halted. The narrow path forced Yuan Lianyao and Tong Laoqian to stop as well, and they both looked up at him expectantly.
Confusion and a plea for answers shimmered in Yuan Lianyao's eyes. She parted her lips, about to speak, but Yu Yuan shook his head, signaling her to remain silent, his gaze then shifting to Tong Laoqian.
Taking a deep breath, Tong Laoqian announced, "I shall not ascend to the summit."
With a casual smile, Yu Yuan softly told Yuan Lianyao, "Just wait here for a moment."
Yuan Lianyao was taken aback, unable to grasp why Yu Yuan would ask her to wait just as they were nearing the summit.
"I'll explain later."
Leaving her with those words, Yu Yuan resumed his ascent, taking deliberate steps toward the mountain's peak.
Yuan Lianyao and Tong Laoqian had been silently observing him all along.
As he reached the pinnacle, his figure vanished in the blink of an eye!
Startled, Yuan Lianyao couldn't contain herself and was about to dash upward, desperate to understand why Yu Yuan had disappeared upon reaching the summit.
Wasn't the gaunt man with the ghostly pale complexion standing right there at the top?
How could Yu Yuan vanish the instant he summited?
"Don't go!"
Tong Laoqian's voice boomed from behind, "Heed his advice. Stay here and do not ascend to the peak!"
Yuan Lianyao abruptly halted and turned, her voice filled with curiosity, "What secrets does this humble hill conceal? What do you and he know?"
Tong Laoqian didn't reply at once. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and took a seat on the stone steps, extending his remnant soul to probe their surroundings.
A copper coin, materialized from a remnant soul, gently circled above his head before slipping back into his consciousness.
He exhaled deeply and said with a smile, "Now we're out of the Skyreach Consortium's reach. They shouldn't be able to detect us, hear our conversation, or see us anymore."
"What?" Yuan Lianyao gasped.
"The overseer of the Skyreach Consortium can observe most parts of Rosy Cloud Island," Tong Laoqian chuckled, offering an explanation. "Especially you, since the Consortium has pledged to the Ruby Hand to escort you safely to the Sundering Isles, they're particularly vigilant."
He paused before adding, "Now that we're this close to the peak, the Consortium should be blind and deaf to our actions."
Yuan Lianyao was still confused. "Lee Qi and I..."
"Yu Yuan. We can speak freely of Yu Yuan here," Tong Laoqian corrected with a grin.
"Understood," Yuan Lianyao nodded. "Yu Yuan and I were just at the base of the mountain, by the sea. We could clearly see the cultivator at the summit, watching as he perished."
A golden thread was wrapped around his neck, dragging both his body and soul into the heart of the mountain, correct?" Tong Laoqian clarified with additional detail.
"That's right," Yuan Lianyao confirmed.
"Hahaha!" Tong Laoqian burst into laughter. "Let me put it to you this way: the view and the world you experience when climbing these stone steps are entirely different from what you see and where you are when you soar through the sky using your cultivation level."
"Ah!" Yuan Lianyao exclaimed, taken aback.
"That clueless fellow, the peak where he appeared, the place where he landed—anyone can see and sense that," Tong Laoqian explained patiently, "But where we stand now, the summit Yu Yuan reached, it's not something you can see or sense."
"It's essentially two separate realms, two utterly distinct worlds!" Tong Laoqian revealed the profound secret.
Yuan Lianyao was momentarily stunned, then slowly the meaning dawned on her, and she fully grasped the implications of his words. "You know this, and does he also know?"
"I used to think he was unaware, but now I realize he's known all along," Tong Laoqian said, his sentence twisting awkwardly.
"So what about us, and what about him?" Yuan Lianyao, still puzzled and eager for answers, pressed on, "What's at the summit? Is Yu Yuan in danger?"
"To tell you the truth, I really have no idea," Tong Laoqian admitted with a candid expression. "Just wait."
Yuan Lianyao had no choice but to wait in frustration.
Elsewhere.
With a single step, Yu Yuan felt as if the stars had shifted, the world transforming in the blink of an eye.
The summit of the small hill was shrouded in white mist, as though it stood in the depths of the lofty heavens!
Yu Yuan's smile shone brightly; he knew he had arrived at the right place.
The cultivator who had recently used his exceptional realm to fly and then descended onto the mountain's summit was in a completely different place from the peak where Yu Yuan now stood.
Standing at the pinnacle, Yu Yuan looked up, feeling as if the sky's barrier was within arm's reach.
Indeed, the summit of this mountain was one of the most enigmatic spots in the Everlands, a place closest to the heavens!
Atop the modestly sized peak lay a small pond.
Yu Yuan approached the pond with a light chuckle and peered down.
The first thing to catch his eye in the pond was Rosy Cloud Island.
Rosy Cloud Island filled the pond, which seemed like a vast hole in the sky, a window through which the gods observed the mortal realm.
From this vantage point, the massive Sea Wanderer moored at the island's edge appeared no larger than a palm-sized gourd, easily missed without a careful glance.
Yu Yuan gently closed his eyes, pausing for several seconds before reopening them.
This time, his gaze fell upon an expansive sea dotted with countless islands, each no larger than grains of rice.
Rosy Cloud Island was merely one of these inconspicuous specks.
He scrutinized the scene and quickly located the unnamed island where he had previously lounged in the burning sun, awaiting the Sea Wanderer's arrival.
He also noticed an area where dozens of islands of varying sizes clustered more densely.
"Sundering Isles!"
Yu Yuan easily recognized the cluster of nearly a hundred islands scattered before him as his destination, the place he intended to visit.
He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes once more, silently calculating for an extended moment.
Upon opening his eyes again and gazing into the pond, he beheld three vast landmasses separated by an immense ocean.
"Everlands, Euwrea, Quiescence, and Aetherius!"
A radiant smile spread across Yu Yuan's face.
In that instant, he felt as though he stood deep within the Nine Heavens, like a deity gazing down upon the myriad lights and fireworks of the human world.
The Everlands and the three continents lay before him, all beneath his feet!
As Yu Yuan prepared to close his eyes once more, to push his limits, a voice suddenly rang out, "To see the complete Everlands with the third eye is already commendable. Do not attempt further. At your level of cultivation, a fourth glance might reveal the Star River."
"And that would mean your death."
