Chapter 436: Returning to the Floating City

“You must know why I’ve come, right?” Su Che asked gently.

“Yes, Master Tianyu,” the old monkey replied respectfully, bowing slightly. “A year ago, I was already prepared, knowing that Master Tianyu would come for me sooner or later.”

Su Che nodded lightly and said, “If no further preparations are needed, shall we go now?”

“Hmm…”

The old monkey pondered for a moment before cautiously asking, “That place is very dangerous. Doesn’t Master Tianyu need a few attendants?”

“Yes,” Su Che replied with a smile.

In the Immortal Prison, there were always several Yuan Ying subordinates at his disposal, who could be called upon temporarily or regarded as personal guards. Moreover, there was Fei Yun, a special being with control over Immortal Essence power.

The old monkey said nothing more, closed the shop door, and prepared to go to that dangerous place with Su Che.

Before leaving, however, Su Che hadn’t forgotten one thing. During his last visit to the Floating City, the little fox Yin Ling who had greeted him had done him a favor by introducing him to the cultivation method of the Black Domain Immortal Lotus taught by her great-grandfather Yin Luo.

Back then, Yin Ling had made a small request: that when Su Che became a great cultivator at the Yuan Ying stage and returned to the Floating City, he not ignore her or forget her…

Su Che had promised to keep that promise. Now that he was here, he couldn’t break his word. At the very least, he should find her and say hello.

“Brother Tianyu!”

When Yin Ling saw Su Che from afar, the joy that radiated from her was beyond description in words.

As a fox clan cultivator, she was surely skilled in the art of temptation. And at this moment, her natural expression seemed to bring her charm to its peak—truly delightful and enough to enchant anyone…

“Yin Ling,” Su Che greeted her with a smile as well.

“Master Tianyu…”

Gasps of amazement filled the air. On the third floor of the Lingxiao Tower, although there weren’t many people, they were all at least at the Golden Dan stage. Almost everyone had seen Su Che’s portrait before.

To see up close the person who held the highest status in the cultivation world of Qiyuan Star was a great honor for everyone present. Yet Su Che himself still wasn’t fully aware of just how significant the name “Tianyu” was in the hearts of tens of millions of cultivators on Qiyuan Star.

At this moment, feeling the respectful gazes around him, even Lao He was deeply moved: “Fourteen years ago, the master was only at the first level of Qi cultivation, just a tiny ant who had just stepped into the realm of cultivation. He lived in constant fear and caution, with various misfortunes befalling him daily. Now, on Qi Yuan Star, he is admired by thousands, and the fate of hundreds of billions of beings rests in the span of his thought… Such a dramatic change makes it seem like a dream, as if it happened in another world…”

“Enough!”

Su Che smiled to himself: “Lao He, speaking in such a literary manner makes me feel as if I’m in a dream—a nightmare that chills my whole body.”

“Haha…”

Lao He scratched his head and laughed loudly: “Master, don’t underestimate me, Lao He. In fact, my mind holds a great deal of knowledge. My wisdom shouldn’t be underestimated!”

Though it sounded like a joke, it was also true. Having captured so many prisoners in the Immortal Prison, Lao He could copy the useful knowledge in their minds and store it in his own. Describing Lao He as “knowledgeable” was certainly not an exaggeration.

However, since he was used to being rough, his occasional pretentiousness did make people shiver with discomfort.

While joking with Lao He in his mind, Su Che didn’t neglect his warm conversation with Yin Ling. Immersed in her passionate, admiring gaze, Su Che asked gently, “How is your great-grandfather, Yin Luo, these days?”

“Thank you, Brother Tian Yu, for still caring about great-grandfather,” Yin Ling said sweetly. “He’s doing well. The last time I saw him, he kept praising you. Now, people talk about Brother Tian Yu everywhere at all times.”

Su Che nodded with a smile: “After the great migration, I’ll find the most suitable place for your great-grandfather to fully utilize his skills in growing spiritual herbs. And of course, I certainly won’t forget you either.”

“Great!” Yin Ling was overjoyed and clung tightly to Su Che’s arm, refusing to let go.

Standing nearby, Li Qi thought to himself, “In life, one never knows when misfortune will strike or when good fortune will arrive. Yin Ling… she’s about to experience great fortune…”

It was not only strange; the gazes of those Golden Core cultivators around at Silver Ribbon were filled with obvious envy, even jealousy. Given the current status of Master Tianyu in the cultivation world, whoever could win his favor would receive an immense blessing, with an incredibly bright future—something simply unimaginable.

The beautiful female demons responsible for entertaining guests at the Lingxiao Tower also longed to imitate Silver Ribbon by rushing over and hugging Su Che’s other arm. Yet, Master Tianyu’s reputation was too great, his influence too profound. Despite their eagerness, they lacked the courage.

A few years ago, when Su Che was still at the Golden Core stage, if they had had the chance to show him their kindness, admiration, and enthusiasm, it might have sown the seeds of future blessings. But now, it was too late.

In the cultivation world of Qiyuan Star, everyone knew that Master Tianyu tended to disregard women. Aside from Tian Yin, who was also a peerless genius, no other woman seemed to catch his attention. Tricks like beauty schemes were completely ineffective against him…

After that, Su Che summoned one of his subordinates, the Peacock Lord, and instructed her to take good care of Silver Ribbon. They also discussed in general terms the relocation of the Floating City.

The Floating City, such a distinctive trading place, must not be abandoned; it should be brought into the Immortal Prison to ensure its preservation.

Of course, this task still needed to be done by Lin Feng, who was at the Refining Void stage. Su Che currently lacked the ability to bring such a massive sky city into the Immortal Prison. First, Lin Feng had to divide the Floating City into several parts and place them inside the Mountain River Cauldron, then send the cauldron into the Immortal Prison.

“In the future, the Floating City will still hover above the Immortal Prison world…”

Su Che flew into the starry sky with Li Qi, gazing at the aerial city from afar before turning his gaze to the deep blue Qiyuan Star. A sense of profound accomplishment welled up in his heart.

From such a distance, it seemed as though he could grasp the entire Qiyuan Star in his palm.

……

Following Li Qi’s guidance, Su Che flew over a hundred thousand miles to arrive at Moruo Continent, the region on Qiyuan Star with the least spiritual energy.

Moruo Continent bordered the Arctic Sea. Back when Su Che was at the Foundation Building stage and being pursued by the Taiyi Sect, he had passed by Moruo Continent once but did not stay.

Moruo Continent, spanning twenty thousand miles in all directions, for some unknown reason, lacks spiritual energy extremely and has a rather harsh natural environment. No cultivation sect has established its headquarters in such a vast area.

“Could the mystery of Moruo Continent’s lack of spiritual energy also be related to the Sky-Devouring Rat?” Su Che thought to himself.

The two arrived above a series of barren mountains, looking down at the cracked, lifeless, and oddly shaped dark red soil mounds below.

“Is this it?” Su Che asked in a deep voice.

“The entrance is here,” Li Qi replied. “But we still need to pass through an extremely long underground passage—at least hundreds of miles—and then there’s a huge natural underground labyrinth. My friend found a few blood-red fragments there back then…”

“Just a few?” Su Che asked.

“Yes.”

Li Qi nodded. “But he said there were many larger blood-red fragments as well, though they were only visible and not obtainable. It’s extremely dangerous there. Out of the eleven explorers who went, only three managed to escape alive. Apart from those few fragments of unknown use, they gained nothing else.”

“What level of cultivation did those eleven explorers have?” Su Che asked further.

“They were all demon cultivators at the Golden Core stage, with the strongest being only in the later stages of that stage. Actually, I should have been the twelfth person, but due to an extremely important matter that arose suddenly, I couldn’t join that expedition.”

Recalling that incident, Li Qi shook his head and sighed, his posture seeming much slumped. “Of the eleven friends, only three survived. If it weren’t for personal reasons that stopped me from going, perhaps I would have been one of those who lost their lives.”

“All at the Golden Core stage…” Su Che repeated softly.

“Yes, Master Tianyu,” Li Qi nodded. “That’s why when you investigated this matter at the Treasures Pavilion back then, I said that only those who had reached the Nascent Soul stage were qualified to explore there. If one’s strength was too low, there was a high chance they wouldn’t return.”

“Thank you for your kindness back then,” Su Che said gently.

Li Qi declined repeatedly.

The two hovered in the air and exchanged detailed conversations for a while. Su Che basically understood that Li Qi had never been to that dangerous place; he only knew the general location of the entrance. He also learned about the perilous experiences from the three survivors, but it was all secondhand—nothing he had seen with his own eyes.

“On Planet Qiyuan, could there still be forces that could harm me?”
“Even if such forces do exist, they are probably the demonic powers left behind by the Sky-Devouring Rat in this world. As its successor, it shouldn’t harm me.”
Su Che thought it over silently. Since all living beings on Planet Qiyuan were to be relocated, he certainly couldn’t ignore the powers inherited from the Sky-Devouring Rat. In fact, he even planned to discuss with that giant heart whether it should leave together with him…
With his decision made, Su Che descended along with Li Qi. The entrance was hidden among the strange mountains and rocks below.