Journey to the head

The majestic Azure Peak stands tall, while the bright, white jade capital city shines brilliantly.

Today, the Jade Palace, which had been quietly suspended atop Biluo Peak high in the sky, suddenly trembled. The countless starlight surpassed the snow accumulated over ten thousand years, and rays of light shot straight into the heavens. The disciples of Yunshan were puzzled and looked up in awe.

Within the celestial city, the four corner pavilions shone brightly, and the four elements of wood, metal, fire, and water surged back and forth, causing the four symbols to ripple. At the center of the celestial city, the seven-tiered glazed roof of the Jade Capital main hall first surged with golden earth elemental power, and then the five elements gathered together, transforming into a yin-yang taiji diagram, which slowly rotated above the main hall.

In the east pavilion, the Azure Dragon coils around the jade pillar; in the west tower, the White Tiger roars with golden energy; on the south eaves, the Vermilion Bird burns with the fire of separation; in the north palace, the Black Tortoise carries the Luo River's treasures; seven precious glazed tiles condense the vast energy; the Yin and Yang of the meridians transform into the boundless chaos.
Such a strange phenomenon has never occurred in recent years. However, some disciples of Yunshan suddenly remembered that fifteen years ago, after returning to Cangzhou, Sect Leader Lu Qian first revealed the Bai Yujing, a top-grade artifact spirit treasure, to the world at a banquet for the leaders of various sects in Cangzhou.

That time, it was to enhance the prestige of our sect, so we sacrificed our spiritual essence to fully unleash the power of Bai Yujing. Afterwards, Bai Yujing concealed all its mysteries and quietly floated above the spiritual vein to nurture and cleanse itself. Only the core members of the sect came and went, and its true form has not been seen for fifteen years.

Why did Baiyujing suddenly tremble today, displaying a thousand mysteries and various supernatural powers?

Little did they know that Lu Qian, who was in seclusion in Baiyujing, had been awakened by such a shock.

He now looked younger than he had fifteen years ago, around thirty-five or thirty-six, and could barely be called a young man.

Because his lifespan was less than a hundred years in the past, even before entering his final decline, Lu Qian always felt that his energy was waning, his spirit was weakening, and his various abilities were not as good as before, resulting in a slight reduction in his strength.

Even if such a decline is not significant, it will still affect the upcoming trip to the Dragon Palace.

In this grand Dragon Palace gathering, as long as Lu Qian successfully enters the Dragon Palace, he will naturally be able to handle things with ease and gain the upper hand thanks to the memories of the Dream Dragon in his mind. However, the most crucial issue is how to enter the Dragon Palace under the watchful eyes of the experts from both the Dragon Clan and the Starfall Islands!
The Ascension Token in her hand was, after all, something Hai Shuangyao had snatched from Mi Mengyin.

Moreover, he wouldn't be going in alone; he would also be bringing his senior sister and Yu Jiao along. The journey was fraught with danger, and he couldn't afford to be careless.

Therefore, Lu Qian had no choice but to reluctantly consume another Longevity-Adding Treasure, which added another hundred years to his lifespan. With these two hundred years of lifespan as a foundation, he was finally able to unleash his full potential.

His cultivation was interrupted by the shock of Bai Yujing, but Lu Qian was not surprised but delighted. In a flash, he transformed into a five-colored escape light and flew out of the quiet room, landing in the large square in front of the main hall of Yujing in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, an old man with white hair and beard stood in the middle of the scene, looking up at the yin-yang fish that was slowly rotating and formed by the fusion of the five elements.

Lu Qian recognized it at a glance; it was none other than Bai Yujing's spirit, Yu Weng!
“Old Jade, you’re finally awake.” Lu Qian landed in front of him.

His condition is much better than when Lu Qian won Baiyujing.

After 20,000 years of decline, the Jade Elder had lost his mind and his spirit was about to dissipate.

After fifteen years of spiritual energy infusion from Biluo Peak and Yuanchen Realm, and with Lu Qian occasionally adding spiritual essence as a supplement, Yu Weng has stabilized the situation and is able to maintain his foundation. Today, he has awakened from his slumber, and thus Bai Yujing shines brightly, revealing its true form.

Although he still looked very old, his long, snow-white hair had become more flowing, and his body, which had been so faint and seemingly about to be blown away by a gust of wind, had become much more solid.

He was staring blankly at Lu Qian, standing there without saying a word.

Lu Qian didn't urge him, but simply stood quietly in front of him.

After a long while, the old man finally asked in a very dry and weak voice, "Old man Yu, is that me? And who are you?"

After all, it was Lu Qian who brought Baiyujing to the Baoguang Realm and placed it above the Biluo Peak spiritual vein. Over the years, he has basically been cultivating and working in Baiyujing.

Therefore, although the spirit had long since lost its memories and had been in a deep slumber, it still naturally felt a sense of closeness to Lu Qian.

At the same time, he could also feel an extremely familiar and mysterious power within Lu Qian's body, which made him feel close to and trust him.

"My name is Lu Qian. I saved you from the brink of death and gave you new life," Lu Qian shouted. "Therefore, I am your new master!"

With his left hand, he held up Bai Yujing's control token, within which the five elements of spiritual light swirled. With his right hand, he pointed to the sky, and instantly the five elements of spiritual energy surged like waves, with five-colored light shooting straight into the clouds.

Supernatural Power: The Five Elements Realm!
It wasn't just a single supernatural power; as Lu Qian stood within the Five Elements Realm, the spiritual energy of the Five Elements was surging and cheering, and his profound understanding of the Great Dao of the Five Elements was transforming into Daoist rhyme that spread outwards.

"The Five Elements Revolve", "Five-Colored Divine Light - Reversal of the Five Elements", "Creation Divine Light - Circular Generation of the Five Elements", "Five Elements Boundary - Convergence of the Five Elements", and the Mysterious Female Divine Light that was born from "destruction and regeneration", enlightened by "life and death and reincarnation", and was ultimately born that was neither black nor white, neither black nor white, neither black nor white, neither black nor white!

Jade Elder was stunned. He could feel the joy and excitement deep in his heart. The white jade capital city shone even brighter, its brilliance extending for thousands of miles!

The Five Elements fluctuations emanating from Lu Qian were identical to those of the Creator who created him. And it was precisely this profound Five Elements Dao that created the unique Jade Capital Immortal City, unparalleled in heaven and earth!

Deeply drawn in, Yu Weng couldn't help but take several large steps forward, almost touching Lu Qian's body. He stretched out his withered palm, watching the five elements of spiritual energy ripple like waves between his fingers.

"Owner."

The old man seemed to have pondered for a long time, and hesitated for even longer, before finally saying, "You are very good. However, your cultivation level is too low."

Lu Qian was overjoyed and quickly said, "I am currently at the late Nascent Soul stage, and a great opportunity is just around the corner. The day when I achieve the Primordial Spirit stage is not far off!"

"Once I attain the status of a Primordial Spirit Sovereign, I will be able to truly establish a connection with you, truly become your master, help you reshape your mind, and let the whole world witness our brilliance!"

Yu Weng looked at Lu Qian quietly, as if trying to understand the meaning of his words.

After a long while, he nodded almost imperceptibly, then disappeared again and fell back into a deep sleep.

Lu Qian put away the token and withdrew his supernatural powers, feeling triumphant as he soared into the air, looking at the immortal city that had lost its radiance and fallen silent once more.

If this trip to the Dragon Palace goes smoothly, I will be able to advance to the Nascent Soul stage. With the White Jade Capital in hand, my strength will naturally increase by leaps and bounds!

Just then, Wu Yan's message arrived urgently through the increasingly sophisticated intelligence network via the Intelligence Department's communications office.

After reading the letter, Lu Qian fell into deep thought.

Li Sheng's foundation-building treasure land is not on the Jade Balance Continent, but requires crossing the ocean. It could be said to be unexpected, yet reasonable. Wu Yan's speculation is likely correct; after all, he originated from the Treasure Light Realm, so either his foundation-building opportunity lies within the Treasure Light Realm, or it is on the spiritual vein formed within the Treasure Light Realm.

The opportunity to establish one's foundation waits for no one. To be on the safe side, I should take the Golden Tree Branch with me on this trip. If I am indeed in the Treasure Light Realm, I will use the Golden Tree Branch to open a spatial passage and enter the Treasure Light Realm again to help Li Sheng establish his foundation.

but
Within his dantian, the nascent soul released its embrace, and the golden branch that had been tightly held in his arms appeared in Lu Qian's palm.

In an instant, golden light flowed, washing over the Jade Capital. This unparalleled treasure was captivating no matter how many times one looked at it. What was even more mysterious was that even though it possessed spatial power beyond the comprehension of the mortal realm, its fluctuations were barely perceptible and difficult to detect, unlike those pseudo-immortal artifacts and immortal artifacts that possessed a vast, all-encompassing, and irresistible pressure.

After escaping from the Treasure Light Realm, the Golden Branch was reduced to only six leaves, its power greatly diminished. In preparation for the trip to the Dragon Palace, Lu Qian treasured it dearly, never using it and instead implanting the Golden Branch into a low-level spiritual vein within the sect, extracting the world's essence from the Firewood Minor Realm after the spiritual vein, so that it could recover quickly.

Thinking that there might be living beings in other worlds after the Firewood Minor World, Lu Qian still had some compassion. He only extracted from each spiritual vein for a period of time and never completely drained it.

Even so, more than a dozen first- and second-level spiritual veins have shown signs of aging and have begun to exude a sense of decline.

Meanwhile, by today, when the golden tree has been fully enlarged, it has grown to two feet long, with eleven golden leaves shimmering with light on its three branches!

Its power is greater than ever before.

Now, if one were to enter the minor realm again, it would require at least two leaves to activate the spiritual veins for the journey, and additional leaves might be needed to adjust the strength of the spiritual veins.

As a result, the power of the golden tree branch was reduced, and this trip to the Dragon Palace lost a major ally.

But after a slight hesitation, Lu Qian decided to set off immediately.

Li Sheng is my disciple. Since I have led him onto the path of Taoism, I will naturally do my best to protect him.

Compared to him, no matter how precious the golden branch is, it is still an inanimate object.

Having made his decision, Lu Qian informed the higher-ups of his sect of his whereabouts, and then left Baiyujing alone, heading towards the location of Wu Yan and her group.

The Nascent Soul cultivator's escape speed was already six thousand miles per hour, and with the aid of mental power and incantations, Lu Qian's flight was naturally incredibly swift. In just a few hours, he arrived at the large market town of Ningzhou and entered the Haiyuan Pavilion.

Here, the five members of the Yunshan Sect—two Nascent Soul cultivators, two Golden Core cultivators, and Li Sheng—are waiting.

"Disciple pays homage to Master."

"Disciple greets Sect Leader."

Lu Qian nodded and invited everyone to sit down and talk.

Wu Yan spoke first: "Master, if we are to cross the ocean to protect Junior Brother during his Foundation Establishment, then the fewer people the better. The Zhengyuan Divine Ship and the other disciples on board should all go back. Only a few of us need to take Junior Brother with us."

“I have already consulted the Sea Abyss Pavilion. If it is just a few people crossing the Star Sea, there are two routes. One is to gather into a small team and cross the sea, which takes a long time. The second is to take their treasure ship like Master did before, but that requires passing through the Dragon Clan's waterways, which may cause unexpected complications.”

“Let’s take the treasure ship,” Lu Qian said decisively. “Crossing the sea has no fixed route, and it would take who knows how long. As for the Dragon Clan’s waterways, with the Haiyuan Pavilion’s signboard there, we should be fine.”

"In short, the opportunity to establish a foundation is time-limited, so the sooner the better."

Li Sheng suddenly reported, "Master, if things don't go smoothly, I am willing to give up this opportunity."

He raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning: "It's just a chance encounter, how could it possibly affect my path? There's no need to trouble my teachers and fellow disciples with such risks."

Lu Qian smiled and said, "Your intentions are commendable, but we need to work hard to achieve them. Don't worry, this is just the inner sea of ​​the Star Sea. The dragons, sea creatures, sea monsters, and wild beasts are all very weak. Crossing the ocean is not difficult."

After a few more words of discussion, Lu Qian ordered Wu Yan, Wang Ruoyu, and Cui Linglong to lead the Zhengyuan Divine Ship back to Bichao Mountain, with Wu Yan taking over the mountain gate in his place. He himself, along with Xiang Kong, would take Li Sheng on a journey overseas.

Cui Linglong felt quite disappointed. Her accompanying Li Sheng on his Foundation Establishment journey was partly a sect mission, but she also had her own ulterior motives.

That was to find the whereabouts of his lover, Liu Zaijiu.

More than 120 years ago, Senior Brother Liu was spotted and taken away by a passing Nascent Soul cultivator, who said that he could only return to see him after he achieved Golden Core.

But after he left, he disappeared without a trace, vanishing into the world without a trace.

Over the years, despite the devastating blow of my father's passing, my longing for my senior brother Liu has only grown stronger with each passing day. Countless times, I've dreamt of him returning home draped in the sunset, only to find my pillow empty of tears in the blink of an eye.

Now that I have attained the Golden Core stage, how is Senior Brother Liu doing? I suppose that since the resources available to independent cultivators are limited, he probably hasn't achieved the Golden Core stage yet.

If the Yunshan Sect had been a Nascent Soul sect back then, even if it were only half as powerful as it is now, Senior Brother Liu wouldn't have needed to seek help from others and could have wandered the world with a Nascent Soul rogue cultivator.

Although the Yunshan Sect now possesses an ever-expanding intelligence network, it can no longer find any trace of this rogue cultivator. Cui Linglong, unwilling to constantly exploit the sect's intelligence resources for her own personal reasons, has no choice but to search for clues whenever she has the opportunity.

Upon hearing that they were going to cross the sea and even head towards the Tianquan Continent, Cui Linglong was overjoyed. She thought to herself that after searching for so many years without any news, perhaps that Nascent Soul cultivator had left the Yuheng Continent. She could take this opportunity to inquire about him on the Tianquan Continent.

Unwilling to accept the order for safety reasons, the sect leader ordered them to return, and Cui Linglong had no choice but to obey.

Senior Brother Liu, where are you now?
I've been waiting for you to come back.

A day later, Lu Qian, Xiang Kong, and Li Sheng boarded the treasure ship of Haiyuan Pavilion and headed towards Tianquan Continent.

So far, the foundation-building treasure land that Li Sheng sensed has always been in the same direction as the Tianquan Continent without any deviation, so it seems that everyone's guesses were correct.

The journey would take about six or seven days. Thinking that he might have to return to the Treasure Light Realm, Li Sheng felt complicated, while Xiang Kong smiled broadly.

He chatted with Lu Qian along the way, eager to see the changes in his hometown.

“Fellow Daoist Xiang Kong, only fifteen years have passed, so I estimate there haven’t been any changes.” Lu Qian smiled. “This is because the flow of time is now the same on both sides. If it were like before, fifteen years would have passed in the Yuan Chen Realm, while only half a year would have passed in the Bao Guang Realm. There would be even less concern about things changing.”

Xiang Kong nodded and bowed to Lu Qian with his palms together in gratitude: "Thinking back to fifteen years ago, I was only a Golden Core cultivator. Now, thanks to Sect Leader Lu and the Yunshan Sect, I have achieved the Nascent Soul stage. That is something I wouldn't even dare to dream of in the Treasure Light Realm."

His gaze was deep and unfathomable, as if he were looking at the spiritual vein that connected the two worlds.

"But the path to the Great Dao has only just begun. I don't know when I will be able to sever the spiritual veins and liberate the Treasure Light Realm."

Just as Lu Qian was about to offer some words of comfort, Li Sheng, who had been standing quietly to the side listening intently, suddenly shuddered and turned deathly pale.

"Master! My opportunity to establish my foundation has vanished!" (End of Chapter)