Chapter 103: Heading to the Central Region

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Qingyou Valley was still shrouded in a thin morning mist, and the distant mountain peaks were faintly visible.

A figure silently swept out of the valley entrance and landed in a mountain hollow outside the valley.

Su Yun had changed into a plain cyan robe, with the white belt made by Zhao Lanxin tied around his waist.

A woman followed behind him.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with delicate features and wearing a simple, plain blue dress—the type you wouldn't look at twice in a crowd.

Her name was Shen Ying, one of the female Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage from the Central Region who had been subdued yesterday.

Her cultivation was only at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and she came from a small Sect in the Central Region; she had been conscripted to join the punitive expedition purely to make up the numbers.

She had average talent and average Aptitude, making her a marginal figure in her Sect, the kind of person who rarely had anyone talk to her.

But Su Yun had chosen her precisely because of her "ordinariness."

To go to the Central Region and draw fire, he needed an inconspicuous companion.

Being too beautiful would attract attention, and being too strong would also attract attention.

Someone like Shen Ying was just right.

A voice tinged with nervousness broke Su Yun's train of thought.

"Master. This subordinate is ready."

Su Yun nodded.

"Call me Young Master on the road."

Shen Ying was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted:

"Yes, Young Master."

The two no longer delayed, turning into two streams of light and disappearing into the horizon.

Canglan Ferry.

This was the largest Immortal Ship dock from the Southern Region to the Central Region. Immortal Ships were docked one after another, their hulls carved with Formation runes, emitting a faint spiritual light.

Immortal Ships were the main tool for long-distance travel in the cultivation world.

Traveling from the Southern Region to the Central Region by flying on a sword would take at least two or three months, and one would have to pass through countless dangerous areas; a slight carelessness could lead to death.

But taking an Immortal Ship only took half a month, which was safe and worry-free.

Of course, the price was not cheap.

A ticket for a standard cabin cost five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

First-class cabins were more expensive, starting at three thousand.

Su Yun, with Shen Ying in tow, landed at the entrance of the dock.

Before them, the crowd surged, with various types of Cultivators coming and going—some wearing gorgeous Sect attire, some Loose Cultivators in rough cloth clothes, and merchant caravans carrying Spirit Beasts and Magical Artifacts, making for a bustling scene.

There was a long queue at the entrance.

Several Cultivators in uniform were checking identities, and a middle-aged man with a profound aura stood nearby.

Su Yun sensed that he had the cultivation of an Early Stage Golden Core; he stood there with eyes like lightning, scanning everyone who passed by.

That Golden Core Cultivator sensed someone observing him and looked over, his gaze lingering on Su Yun for a moment longer.

When it was their turn, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator in charge of checking took the identity Jade Slip Su Yun handed over, which was inscribed with the title of Guest Elder of a certain Sect.

The man looked at the Jade Slip, then at Su Yun, and was about to let them pass when the Golden Core Cultivator nearby suddenly walked over.

"Wait."

Su Yun looked up at him.

The Golden Core Cultivator's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then he looked at Shen Ying behind him and said indifferently:

"This Fellow Daoist looks very unfamiliar. Is this your first time going to the Central Region?"

Su Yun smiled.

"Indeed. I have long heard of the prosperity of the Central Region and wanted to go and see it for myself."

The Golden Core Cultivator nodded and said nothing more.

Then, he waved his hand.

"Let them pass."

The two passed through smoothly and walked toward the depths of the dock.

After walking a dozen steps, Shen Ying whispered:

"Young Master, that person…"

"Hmm. He recognized me."

Shen Ying's expression changed slightly.

Su Yun, however, smiled.

"It doesn't matter. I came here precisely to let them recognize me."

He looked back.

The Golden Core Cultivator had returned to his original position, but a Jade Slip had appeared in his hand at some point.

Su Yun withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.

The more this happened, the more at ease he felt.

The faster the news spread, the more those people would focus their attention on him.

Qingyou Valley would be safer.

The two boarded the Immortal Ship.

This was a medium-sized Immortal Ship, about fifty zhang long, divided into three levels.

Su Yun had booked a first-class cabin.

The room was not large, but the furnishings were elegant. There was a bed, a meditation cushion, a desk, and a small washroom.

The window was made of polished transparent Spirit Stone, through which one could see the sea of clouds outside.

Shen Ying stood at the door, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Young Master, this subordinate…"

"Come in." Su Yun had already sat down on the meditation cushion.

"You will stay here for this half a month."

Shen Ying's face flushed slightly; she lowered her head and walked in, silently sitting down in the corner and began to Cultivate.

The Immortal Ship slowly ascended.

Through the window, one could see the mountains below getting smaller and smaller, finally obscured by the clouds.

The ship's hull trembled slightly, then moved forward steadily.

Outside the window, the sea of clouds surged, and occasionally one could see the traces of other Immortal Ships, like a flock of giant birds soaring in the sky.

Su Yun withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes.

Cultivate.

Days passed by.

The Immortal Ship sailed through the sea of clouds, day and night alternating, with the vast sea of clouds always outside the window.

Su Yun and Shen Ying almost never left the room.

Cultivating by day, and continuing to Cultivate by night.

Occasionally someone would knock on the door—a ship worker delivering meals, or a Cultivator next door wanting to visit.

Su Yun refused to see anyone.

Shen Ying dealt with them a few times, and when those people saw that she was an inconspicuous female Cultivator, they lost interest.

As time went on, no one came to disturb them again.

The twelfth day.

Su Yun woke up from his Cultivation, feeling the increasingly solidified spiritual power within his body.

He looked inward at his Sea of Consciousness.

Two small figures were sitting cross-legged on the surface of the Sea of Consciousness.

During this time, they had been sleeping.

The previous battle had indeed consumed too much.

But at this moment, their aura had stabilized a lot.

Su Yun's mind stirred:

"Wake up."

True Monarch Bingpo opened her eyes and rubbed them groggily.

"Master?"

The Blood-colored Girl also opened her eyes and looked at him silently.

Su Yun smiled.

"We are almost there. Get ready."

True Monarch Bingpo blinked, then jumped up excitedly:

"Are we going to fight? Are we going to fight?"

Su Yun chuckled.

"Not necessarily. But it never hurts to be prepared."

True Monarch Bingpo nodded vigorously, her little face full of anticipation.

The Blood-colored Girl said nothing, just silently stood up and walked in front of him.

Su Yun took a deep breath.

"Come."

True Monarch Bingpo turned into a stream of ice-blue light and merged into his body.

The Blood-colored Girl followed closely behind.

Ice blue and blood red intertwined.

The aura around Su Yun began to skyrocket!

He stood up and walked to the window.

Shen Ying had already woken up and was watching him silently.

Su Yun reached out and picked her up.

Shen Ying blushed, but obediently nestled in his arms without struggling.

Su Yun pushed open the window.

Outside the window was the vast sea of clouds.

Below, a faint cyan light screen could be vaguely seen.

Gale Wind.

One of the most dangerous natural forces in the cultivation world.

Cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage would undoubtedly die if they entered the Gale Wind layer.

Those seemingly gentle winds were actually composed of countless tiny spatial rifts.

If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator entered, they would be torn to pieces in an instant. Even a Golden Core Cultivator could not last for more than a few breaths.

The Immortal Ship could fly safely entirely because of the protective Formation on its hull.

Su Yun took a step out and leaped out of the window!

Shen Ying closed her eyes, not daring to look.

The wind whistled in her ears, and the speed of the descent became faster and faster.

In the blink of an eye, they had rushed into the Gale Wind layer.

Those wind blades, capable of tearing apart a Golden Core, surged from all directions, but when they touched the halo of ice-blue and blood-red intertwined around Su Yun, they dissipated one after another.

Su Yun moved freely through the Gale Wind; those wind blades not only could not hurt him but seemed to be making way for him.

Shen Ying opened her eyes and watched the terrifying cyan wind blades around them being easily blocked by her master's protective spiritual light, her eyes filled with shock.

She suddenly understood why her master dared to come to the Central Region alone.

Such a person…

Who could kill him?

Don't know how much time had passed.

The surrounding Gale Wind gradually thinned.

Below, rolling mountain ranges and twinkling lights appeared.

The Central Region had arrived.