Tantai Qiong Hua and Tantai Xuan led Su Chun, Luo Li, and Luo Yu as they tore through the void, traveling toward the outermost edges of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
Su Chun looked at the surrounding starry sky with curiosity.
Unlike the bustling star domains she had seen before, the further they flew toward the edge, the more desolate and barren the sky became.
The stars were sparse, cosmic dust filled the air, and even the light seemed much dimmer.
“Grandmother, is the Sky-Prison Realm near here?”
Su Chun couldn’t help but ask.
The sight here was a far cry from the mysterious place at the heart of the Immortal Domain she had imagined.
Tantai Qiong Hua nodded, her gaze fixed on a distant star domain shrouded in a gray mist.
That region of stars seemed isolated by an invisible barrier.
One could faintly see stars rotating within, yet it emitted an aura of deathly silence.
“It is right there. That area is sealed by the Laws of Heaven and Earth. Ordinary cultivators cannot get close, let alone enter. One needs a star map to lead the way to arrive safely.”
Tantai Qiong Hua gestured toward the star plate in her hand as she explained.
As they spoke, the group arrived at the edge of the gray mist.
Tantai Qiong Hua began to manipulate the star plate in her hands.
The plate was covered in profound runes and emitted a faint starlight.
She injected a trace of immortal essence into it, and the star plate instantly erupted with a brilliant radiance.
“Invoke the power of the stars, open the dust-laden path…”
Tantai Qiong Hua bit her fingertip, letting a single drop of golden blood fall onto the star plate.
The blood quickly merged into the plate, transforming into a golden pillar of light that shot into the sky, striking the gray mist directly.
*Rumble!*
As the golden light poured in, the gray mist churned violently, looking like boiling water.
In the center of the mist, space began to twist and shatter, and a massive vortex slowly formed.
In the center of the vortex, a passage leading to an unknown land was faintly visible.
“This is the special passage to enter the Sky-Prison Realm. It can only accommodate cultivators below the Shenxiao Realm. After entering the passage, you will be randomly transported to different areas of the Sky-Prison Realm. Do not be afraid; there should not be any significant danger,” Tantai Qiong Hua explained.
Tantai Xuan immediately gave Su Chun a hug, her eyes filled with reluctance and worry.
“Chun’er, be careful in everything during your journey to the Sky-Prison Realm. Remember, safety is the most important thing. It does not matter even if you do not obtain any opportunities.”
“Mother, I know,” Su Chun said with a nod.
She then gave a deep bow to Tantai Qiong Hua.
“Go on.”
Tantai Qiong Hua and Tantai Xuan waved their hands, forcing themselves to endure the parting.
Su Chun took a deep breath and looked at Luo Li and Luo Yu.
The three of them shared a smile.
Then, holding hands, they stepped into the rotating spatial vortex together.
A powerful sense of dizziness washed over her.
Su Chun felt as if her body were being torn and twisted by countless forces.
The surrounding scenery changed rapidly, with all sorts of bizarre colors flashing before her eyes.
She could feel Luo Li and Luo Yu’s hands gripping hers tightly, but as the spatial turbulence intensified, their hands were eventually forced apart.
“Luo Li! Luo Yu!”
Su Chun cried out.
“Husband, don’t be afraid. The two of us will definitely find you,” the two girls said.
Although they were very reluctant to be separated, they could only maintain their composure to reassure Su Chun until the three of them could no longer see one another.
***
After an unknown amount of time, the dizziness gradually faded.
Su Chun felt her body slam heavily onto the ground.
She landed butt-first, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Ouch! Dammit, can’t there be a more civilized way to land? My poor butt.”
Su Chun clutched her backside and cursed under her breath before standing up.
When she saw her surroundings clearly, she was stunned.
This was not the Immortal Ancient Secret Realm she had imagined, nor were there any wonderful mountains or waters overflowing with spiritual energy.
What met her eyes was a range of rolling hills covered in ordinary trees and weeds.
The air was filled with the scent of soil and vegetation.
The spiritual energy was pitifully thin, not even one-tenth of what was found in Meng Hua Zhou.
‘This? This is the Sky-Prison Realm? The core area of the Immortal Domain?’
Su Chun’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She circulated the Chaos Power within her body, intending to probe her surroundings, only to find that the Laws of Heaven and Earth here were completely different from the outside world.
The laws here were fragmented and chaotic.
‘How can this be?’
Su Chun’s heart sank.
Although the thin spiritual energy did not affect her much, it meant that cultivation speed would be very slow.
In this world, the speed of cultivation was not even one-tenth of that in the Upper Realm.
At this moment, Su Chun was dressed as a very ordinary young girl, wearing a simple purple dress without any grand accessories.
She looked up at the sky.
It was gray and overcast, with no sun, moon, or stars visible—only a layer of oppressive clouds.
On the distant horizon, she could faintly see the outlines of some low-lying buildings.
It appeared to be a village.
‘It seems I can only head to that village first to investigate the situation.’
Su Chun restrained her aura, disguising herself as an ordinary mortal girl, and walked toward the distant village.
Along the way, she carefully observed her surroundings.
Most of the plants here were species she had never seen before, but they were all very common, with no signs of being spiritual plants.
She occasionally saw small animals, but they were all mortal beasts without a single trace of spiritual energy.
The closer she got to the village, the stronger the signs of human life became.
Su Chun could hear the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking, as well as the laughter of children playing.
When she entered the village, she found that most of the buildings were made of mud and thatch, looking very simple.
The villagers wore clothes made of coarse cloth and had simple, honest smiles on their faces.
They lived a lifestyle of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.
They did not seem to find an outsider strange.
They merely looked at Su Chun with curiosity for a few moments before continuing with their own business.
Su Chun found an elderly man who looked relatively kind and stepped forward, cupping her hands.
“Old sir, may I ask what place this is?”
The old man looked Su Chun up and down.
Although she was dressed simply, compared to the people in the village, she looked like a young lady from a wealthy family with an extraordinary temperament.
“Is the little girl lost? This is Cloud Village.”
Su Chun certainly wasn’t asking for the name of the village.
“Old sir, I mean on a larger scale. For example, what kingdom or region is this?”
The old man looked a bit puzzled.
“Young lady, you aren’t from around here, are you? This is the Chu Kingdom of the Eastern Region.”
Su Chun thought for a moment and continued to ask, “Then, old sir, are there any cultivators in this world? You know, the kind of existences who can fly, move mountains, and fill the seas?”
Upon hearing the term “cultivator,” a trace of reverence and yearning immediately flashed in the old man’s eyes.
“You mean the Immortals? Naturally, they exist. It is said that within the Yunmeng Mountains to the east, there are Immortals living there.”
The old man pointed toward the distant east.
Su Chun immediately let out a sigh of relief.
In her understanding, if there were opportunities in this world, they would certainly be in the hands of these cultivation forces.
“Thank you, old sir.”
After Su Chun finished speaking, she bowed to the old man to express her gratitude and prepared to leave the village.
However, the moment she turned around, the Chaos Power within her body suddenly fluctuated for no reason, as if it had sensed something.
This sensation caused Su Chun to involuntarily look toward a certain spot in the village.
‘Such a unique power fluctuation… This Cloud Village doesn’t seem simple.’