C496 Going up the Mountain

As soon as he began the ascent, Yu Yuan's demeanor turned grave, and he fell into silence. At the base of the mountain, the playful banter he had shared with Old Cash and the laughter with Yuan Lianyao had vanished without a trace. He climbed the stone steps without a glance to either side, his focus fixed on the summit.

For reasons unknown, even Old Cash seemed to have caught the solemn mood, refraining from his usual idle chatter and grandiose discussions. The fan he habitually waved about was now tucked away. Despite his bulky frame, he ascended with surprising ease.

Sandwiched between Yu Yuan and Old Cash, Yuan Lianyao gazed around with an air of intrigue, her eyes alight with curiosity about the secrets the modest hill might hold. Rosy Island was known for this hill, taller than the rest and cloaked in dense greenery.

The sun blazed overhead, yet as Yuan Lianyao made her way up the slope, a coolness enveloped her. The fierce sunlight that bathed her seemed devoid of warmth, imparting an inexplicable chill instead. Having recently harnessed her Yin God through the Red Devil Sect's Ultimate Yang Devil Spell, she found the hill's atmosphere eerily oppressive, an unsettling sensation that gnawed at her comfort.

Her Flame Yin God occasionally picked up the faint sound of wailing from deep within the mountain, like the lament of a lost soul in the Nine Underworlds.

The hill was modest in stature, roughly two hundred meters tall, and Yu Yuan could have easily reached the peak quickly, even at a leisurely pace. But without any forewarning, he came to an abrupt halt on the narrow steps, prompting Yuan Lianyao and Old Cash to stop in their tracks behind him.

With a look of puzzlement and a silent plea for answers in her eyes, Yuan Lianyao parted her lips to speak. Yu Yuan, however, shook his head and gestured for silence, his gaze swiftly moving beyond her to rest on Old Cash.

Drawing in a deep breath, Old Cash declared, "I'm not going any further up the mountain."

With an easy smile, Yu Yuan turned to Yuan Lianyao and softly requested, "Wait here for me a moment."

Caught off guard, Yuan Lianyao couldn't fathom why, just short of the summit, Yu Yuan would ask her to stay put.

"I'll explain later."

With those words, Yu Yuan resumed his stride, ascending the mountain one step at a time.

Yuan Lianyao and Old Cash watched him intently, their gaze fixed on his every move.

As he reached the summit, his figure vanished into thin air!

Startled, Yuan Lianyao couldn't restrain herself and dashed forward, desperate to understand why Yu Yuan had disappeared upon reaching the mountaintop.

Wasn't the gaunt, pale-faced man just standing there a moment ago?

How could Yu Yuan have disappeared in the blink of an eye?

"Don't go!"

Old Cash's voice boomed from behind, "Heed his advice. Stay here and wait. Do not climb to the top!"

Yuan Lianyao halted abruptly, turning back to ask in a hushed tone, "What secrets does this humble hill conceal? What do you both know?"

Old Cash didn't reply right away. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and took a seat on the stone steps, extending his soul consciousness to probe their surroundings.

A coin, formed from his soul consciousness, spun once above his head before slipping back into his mind.

He exhaled deeply and, with a smile, said, "There, now the Babel Chamber of Commerce shouldn't be able to detect us, hear our conversation, or see us anymore."

"What?" Yuan Lianyao gasped.

"Most of Rosy Island is under the watchful eye of the Babel Chamber of Commerce," Old Cash chuckled, offering an explanation. "Especially you. The Babel Chamber of Commerce made a promise to the Red Devil Sect to ensure your safe passage to the Crack Archipelago, so naturally, they're keeping a close watch."

He paused, then added, "Being this near the mountain's peak, they should no longer have the ability to see or hear anything."

Yuan Lianyao, still confused, began, "Lee Qi and I..."

"Yu Yuan. You can say Yu Yuan's name here without worry," Old Cash interjected with a laugh.

"Okay then," Yuan Lianyao nodded in agreement. "Yu Yuan and I were just down at the mountain's base, by the sea, where we could clearly see the cultivator at the peak meet his end."

"A golden thread wrapped around his neck, dragging both his body and soul into the mountain's core, correct?" Old Cash filled in the detail.

"Yes, that's exactly what happened," Yuan Lianyao confirmed.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Old Cash burst into laughter. "Let me break it down for you. The view you get climbing these stone steps, step by step, is nothing like the view you get soaring through the sky with your cultivation level. It's like being in two entirely different worlds."

"Ah!" Yuan Lianyao gasped in surprise.

"That clueless fellow, the mountain summit where he appeared, the place he descended—anyone can see and sense that," Old Cash explained with patience. "But where we are now, the summit Yu Yuan reached, it's not something you can just see or feel."

"It's like two separate realms, two utterly distinct worlds!" Old Cash revealed the mystery.

Yuan Lianyao was momentarily dazed, but then the meaning of his words dawned on her. "You know, and he knows?"

"I used to think he was oblivious, but now I realize he's been aware all along," Old Cash said, his sentence twisting awkwardly.

"What about us, and him?" Yuan Lianyao, filled with confusion and eager for answers, pressed on, "What's at the mountain peak? Is Yu Yuan in danger?"

"To tell you the truth, I really don't know," Old Cash said with a candid look. "We'll just have to wait."

Yuan Lianyao had no choice but to wait, fraught with impatience.

Meanwhile...

With a single step, Yu Yuan felt as though the stars had shifted, the universe transforming in the blink of an eye.

The summit of the small hill was shrouded in white mist, as if perched in the lofty depths of the heavens!

Yu Yuan's smile shone brightly; he knew he had arrived at the right place.

The mountain peak where the Yin God Stage cultivator, who had recently flown arrogantly into the sky, had landed was not the same as the peak where Yu Yuan now stood.

Standing at the pinnacle, Yu Yuan looked up, feeling as if the barrier of the sky was within arm's reach.

Indeed, this mountain peak was one of the most extraordinary places in the Boundless Land, the closest to the heavens!

On the not-so-spacious summit was a small pond.

Yu Yuan approached the pond with a light chuckle and peered down.

The first thing he saw reflected in the pond was Rosy Island.

Rosy Island filled the pond, which seemed like a vast hole in the heavens, a window through which the gods observed the mortal realm.

The colossal "Pirate Ship" moored at the island's edge appeared no larger than a palm-sized gourd when viewed from this tiny pond. Without a discerning eye, it was nearly impossible to recognize at first glance.

Yu Yuan gently closed his eyes, pausing for several seconds before reopening them. On the second look, a vast expanse of sea filled his vision, dotted with numerous islands as tiny as grains of rice. Among them, Rosy Island was just an inconspicuous speck.

He scrutinized the scene and quickly located the unnamed island where he had previously basked lazily in the sun, awaiting the arrival of the "Pirate Ship." He also noticed a cluster of islands, dozens in varying sizes, swarming closer together.

"Crack Archipelago!"

Yu Yuan easily identified the sprawling group of nearly a hundred islands as his current destination, the place he was intent on reaching.

Inhaling deeply, Yu Yuan closed his eyes once more, silently calculating and waiting a bit longer this time.

Upon opening his eyes again and gazing back at the small pond, he was met with the sight of three vast landmasses separated by an endless ocean.

"Boundless Land, Heavenly Source Continent, Nirvana Continent, and Mysterious Continent!"

A radiant smile spread across Yu Yuan's face. In that moment, he felt as if he were a deity perched in the lofty heavens, gazing down upon the myriad lights and lives of the mortal realm. The Boundless Land and all three continents lay beneath his gaze!

As Yu Yuan was about to close his eyes once more, to test his limits, a voice suddenly rang out, "Seeing the complete Boundless Land with the third eye is already quite an achievement. Don't push yourself further. At your level of cultivation, attempting to see with the fourth eye might reveal a galaxy."

"And that," the voice cautioned, "could be the death of you."

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