There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 123 You're on my side, I'm on yours [Second Update]

Seeing the surging black tide, Elder Youchan suddenly made a hand seal!

The Xuan Shui Shuttle Boat forcefully twisted its body amidst the raging turbulence, grazing the edge of the rolling black tide!
"Chucky!"

A few wisps of foul odor clung to the airship's protective shield, causing the dark green shield to corrode as if by strong acid, emitting a piercing sound, and visibly dimming and dissolving!
"What is that?!" Ling Wan pointed in the direction from which the black tide was coming.

Deep within the source of the churning black tide, a massive, dilapidated stone palace loomed faintly in the darkness!

The stone hall has an ancient and wild style, covered with marks of chiseling and carving. Many parts have collapsed, and the surrounding space presents a sense of distortion after being eroded!
“It looks like the ruins of gods and demons!” Xuan Su said gravely. “However, the ruins of gods and demons should be buried deep in the past, how could they appear here? And they are shrouded in so much foul air from beyond the realm! Could it be…” As she spoke, she changed the subject, “This place has become a forbidden zone, we cannot stay here any longer! Leave quickly!”

Upon hearing this, Elder Youchan suppressed her injuries and steered the flying boat to avoid the sweeping path of the black tide, rushing towards the relatively "calm" dark area at the edge of the ruins fragments. At the same time, she asked Chen Qing, "Fellow Daoist Jiming, where can we leave?"

Chen Qing focused his mind and sensed the tremor of the Void Talisman, which suddenly intensified. A faint, strange sensation drifted over, as if on a whim! He then pointed to an inconspicuous spatial fold at the edge of the ruins: "There!"

"Hold on tight!" Elder Youchan didn't hesitate any longer and urged the shuttle boat to crash hard in the direction Chen Qing pointed!
"Crack!"

It was as if an invisible layer of glass had shattered, and a violent shockwave swept across the entire ship!

With a jolt, Chen Qing was thrown out of the airship. After the intense feeling of weightlessness and dizziness subsided, the cold wind, carrying ice particles, slapped hard against his face.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

What came into view was a vast, boundless ice field, with goose-feather snowflakes falling in a flurry.

"Just now I seemed to feel a summoning force. Could there be some hidden secret here?"

"boom!"

A heavy impact came from behind.

He looked back and saw the battered Xuan Shui Shuttle Boat, half-submerged in the thick snow, its hull dimly glowing, several marks of corrosion from the black tide's foul air shocking, and black smoke billowing from it.

"Sigh!" Chen Qing sighed. "I knew it! Too many people shouldn't ride a flying boat!"

Elder Youchan was pale as she sat cross-legged at the bow of the boat, trying to regulate her breathing and resist the corrosive energy. She was also trying to forcefully break through the spatial barrier by piloting the flying boat, which made her injuries even worse.

Jiyue Zhenren, Ling Wan, Xuan Su and others recovered from the shock and looked around at this unfamiliar ice field.

Ling Wan frowned, sensing the sparse spiritual energy and the heavy, deathly chill. Where was she?

Xuan Su walked to the edge of the shuttle boat, squatted down, picked up a pinch of the pitch-black frozen soil under the snow, sniffed it lightly, then looked up at a few dim stars in the sky, her expression becoming unusually solemn: "Although the spiritual energy here is thin, there is still a trace of extremely weak but pure Taiyin essence deep in the earth's veins. Judging from the star positions..."

She paused, then said in a deep voice, "This place should be located in the Northern Cold Continent, which is probably tens of thousands of miles away from Obsidian Taiyin Island!"

"What?!" Everyone's hearts sank.

Tens of thousands of miles!
This means that they have now crossed the treacherous ice plains and ventured deep into the heart of the Hundred Tribes!
Immediately, Master Jiyue made a hand seal, and a stream of clear, cold moonlight shot out from her fingertips, attempting to communicate with the Guanghan Palace.

But the moonlight was like a clay ox entering the sea, not only did it not receive a response, but it also spread outwards in circles of faint ripples in the void!
"Damn it!" Xuan Su's expression changed drastically. "Among the Hundred Clans, the Frost Sniff and Void Trace tribes are the most skilled at tracking such ripples!"

Without hesitation, the group first gathered up the damaged flying boat, then instantly fled hundreds of miles away, disappearing into the depths of an ice-cracked canyon. Han Jing and Ji Yue joined forces to set up multiple layers of concealment and hiding restrictions.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, two ghostly figures appeared where they had been standing!

One had the head of a wolf and the body of a human, its nostrils flaring; the other resembled a mantis, its compound eyes gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light, its forelimbs slicing through the air like blades, as if trying to capture any remaining traces.

This change was transmitted to everyone through the detection technique.

"Scouts from the Frost-Scented Division! Sword Hunters from the Void-Trace Division!"

Ling Wan immediately recognized the origin of the newcomer.

The wolf-headed scout growled a few times, and its mantis-like compound eyes flashed for a moment, as if exchanging some information. Finally, it transformed into two afterimages and sped off in another direction.

However, the crowd's expressions did not recover, because the appearance of these two undoubtedly proved Xuan Su's speculation. They were now in the lair of the Hundred Clans, and once exposed, they would be surrounded in an instant!
"How do we get back?" Master Han Jing's gaze fell on Xuan Su as he asked, "Do you have a way?"

She is the only one in this place who is most likely to know the way home.

Xuan Su frowned deeply: "Back when the Taiyin Sect launched its northern expedition, it set up teleportation arrays at perilous locations to connect the Nine Netherworlds, allowing for the movement of tens of thousands of miles in an instant. According to the celestial calculations, there should be a remnant array a thousand miles to the east, but..." She gazed at the continuous, menacing mountain range to the east, shrouded in demonic energy, "This road is treacherous, fraught with danger at every turn, and I wonder what the state of those arrays is now."

A thousand miles away!

Normally, this might not be a big deal for them, at most taking some time, but here, it means crossing the dragon's den and tiger's lair inhabited by hundreds of races, where there are likely to be many calamities and the danger of being exposed at any time!

As everyone thought about it, the atmosphere gradually became heavy.

“Perhaps it’s not necessary to go to such lengths.” Chen Qing, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke up. “As long as the array platform is still connected to the Netherworld Rift, I can try to sense it and see if the platform can still function!”

All eyes immediately focused on Chen Qing. He had said something, yet he remained seated cross-legged with his eyes closed, only his aura suddenly became ethereal and otherworldly.

A tiny ripple in space, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, spread out from his body.

Xuan Su's eyes flashed, revealing a mixture of understanding and complexity: "Crossing the Nine Nether Void! Fellow Daoist Ji Ming has already grasped the essence of our sect's secret technique, and his control over the Dao of Space has reached a high level. Moreover, he can connect with the Nine Nether Void and remotely use the teleportation array to allow us to traverse this place!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This person's comprehension was simply monstrous. Even in the past eras she remembered, she rarely saw someone who could comprehend secret techniques and supernatural powers so quickly!
At this moment, Chen Qing's mind was focused on the Niwan Palace.

The Void Talisman, which incorporates the essence of the "Nine Nether Void Divine Power," is radiating a clear light, as if it has become his eyes for perceiving space, illuminating the void.

Space was no longer mysterious to him; wherever his thoughts led, he could traverse the void, shift and sense things as naturally as breathing.

"After this newly cultivated spatial divine power was devoured by the Void Talisman, the talisman itself developed its own divine power. In the future, when cultivating other spatial methods, it should also integrate into it. However, since the Dao of Space ultimately rests here, and the talisman governs all methods, it's quite convenient, avoiding the need for complex methods. Now, as long as we can detect traces of that teleportation array, and have sufficient mana and spiritual energy to support it, we can directly borrow it to teleport us there..."

As his thoughts raced, he activated the talisman, following a faint connection to search for the Taiyin Sect's teleportation array.

suddenly!

An extremely subtle and strange fluctuation manifested from a point on his body!
If it weren't for his sudden surge in spatial control, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all!
With a thought, Chen Qing focused his mind on the past and discovered that a spatial imprint had been left on his body without him even realizing it!
"Who, when..."

A thought flashed through Chen Qing's eyes as he recalled a scene from not long ago!
"It's that Leng Che!"

As he recalled the past, his thoughts gradually became clear.

In the Guanghan Palace, that guy's seemingly reckless "divine sense probing" and the "mysterious yin blood amber" he took out in a pretentious manner were all a decoy!

"What a scheme! Just like when Daoist Chenguang took out the Heart-Illuminating Stone, all his actions back then were to plant this spatial imprint! This person seems to be imprisoned in the Guanghan Palace, but he probably has a backup plan. Once he's ready, he'll find an opportunity to activate a secret technique to teleport me into a pre-set deadly trap!"

Upon realizing this, Chen Qing's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"However, now that I've discovered this bait, I can put it to use! As a way to get us out of this predicament!"

With this thought in mind, he activated the spiritual talisman in his Niwan Palace, causing it to shine brightly and envelop the mark, reversing its analysis and erosion!

"Everyone," Chen Qing opened his eyes after a few breaths, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "I have found a spatial mark that can be used for teleportation. However, the situation on the other side is a bit complicated. It is someone with ulterior motives who left a mark on me, hoping to find an opportunity to ambush me!"

"What?!" Youchan, Jiyue, and the others' expressions changed drastically.

Master Han Jing frowned and said coldly, "Who dares to be so bold as to try to ambush you!"

"It must be the coldness of the Moonlit Palace," Chen Qing said calmly. "This seal must have been a trap they set to lure me into, but I've already reversed it and pinpointed the source. I can use it to cross the icy plains and teleport there! That will be perfect for getting out of this predicament! However, the journey is long and will require a lot of magic power and spiritual energy, so I'll need your help!"

"It's Yuehua Mansion again! What exactly are they trying to do? They're scheming at every turn!" A cold glint flashed in Han Jing Zhenren's eyes, and his killing intent soared to the sky: "Since you've locked onto them, just go and kill them. We'll transfer spiritual energy to you to help you burn off some energy!"

"That's right!" Elder Youchan said coldly, "It's a good time to ask them what their intentions are in colluding with the hundred races, inciting Nascent Soul cultivators, and plotting against their fellow cultivators!"

“This plan is feasible, but we must act before the other side is fully prepared,” Master Jiyue said decisively, but then her eyebrows furrowed slightly. “If they have already laid a trap, or even moved directly to the Yuehua Mansion’s lair, with a Nascent Soul cultivator in charge, then if we rashly rush in, we will be walking into a trap! To be on the safe side, it would be best to investigate first!”

“That makes sense,” Elder Youchan echoed in a deep voice. “But we can’t delay too long. If they launch their attack ahead of schedule and summon Fellow Daoist Jiming, that would be terrible!”

Xuan Su pondered for a moment, then said, "I have a method for investigation! But I need to rely on the residual Yin energy here, which will give me a few hours to prepare. During this time, I ask all of you fellow Daoists to protect me!"

"A few hours? Good! Then let's wait! Especially at times like these, we must not make mistakes in haste!" Master Hanjing nodded, his killing intent undiminished. "Know yourself and know your enemy, then you can strike with lightning speed!"

“Good!” Chen Qingyi nodded and said, “That’s excellent. We’ll wait for Fellow Daoist Xuansu to ascertain the truth before deciding on our course of action! Everyone, our most urgent task is to accumulate magical power and gather spiritual essence in preparation for the need to break through boundaries and teleport!”

"Don't worry, Junior Brother Jiming, I'll take care of this!" Master Hanjing said, his body swirling with icy true energy, causing the cold air in the canyon to swirl back and condense into crystal-clear ice crystals that floated in front of him.

With a gentle wave of her hand, the ethereal moonlight cascaded down, transforming into droplets of pure moon dew that merged into the ice crystals: "With the combined efforts of the three of us, there should be no shortage of spiritual essence."

Elder Youchan said hatefully, "The Moonflower Palace is treacherous and sinister. They have been scheming and plotting at every turn. How can we let them have their way!" Her hands emitted a ghostly light, drawing in the Yin cold energy from the depths of the earth and merging it into the Ice Crystal Spiritual Marrow, making its ghostly light even brighter.

The three of them directly used their Golden Core cultivation to forcibly condense spiritual marrow. This kind of spiritual marrow was of course not as stable and pure as that from spiritual mines, and it would also damage the cultivator's foundation. However, it was convenient and fast, and it was only used by Chen Qing for teleportation, so there was not much to worry about.

Xuan Su sat cross-legged on the frozen earth, obtained a trace of the mark's aura from Chen Qing, then formed a hand seal, condensed a spirit talisman in mid-air, and sank it into the dark frozen earth to observe the changes.

As Chen Qing watched her being buried in the ground, he thought about the dilapidated stone palace and the terrifying black tide he had seen when he traveled through space. After a moment of contemplation, he said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Xuan Su, would it be too much to ask you something now?"

Xuan Su's gaze remained fixed on the frozen earth as he said, "Fellow Daoist, please ask without hesitation. After planting this talisman, you must first observe the changes. You can still be distracted during this time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing didn't mince words and asked directly, "When you were traveling earlier, you encountered the black tide of foul energy, which you called 'extraterrestrial foul energy.' Do you seem to know its origins? Also, what secrets does that dilapidated stone hall, with its ancient and barbaric style, hold?"

　The third update will be before midnight! It'll be here soon!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)