Chapter 99: Teleportation

Surveying the bright cave, I observed the shattered teleportation array on the floor, surrounded by various spider webs. Nestled within these webs were several spider eggs. These were undoubtedly the eggs of the White Spider. While they could potentially assist Han Li in securing opportunities at the Void Heaven Palace, they were of no immediate use to me. It would be better to save them and find an opportunity in the future to give them to Han Li, allowing me to follow him into the Void Heaven Palace.

With that, I left the eggs alone, letting them remain where they were to hatch. My attention shifted to the broken teleportation array. Rolling up my sleeves, I prepared to begin the repairs. The array patterns required were quite ancient, but given my comprehensive knowledge, they posed no problem at all. During the restoration process, I even copied the entire array pattern onto a scroll. I could use this to set up two more teleportation arrays, though my current formation level was not high enough; I would need to advance a level or two first.

It took only half a day to restore the damaged array to its original state. Now, it only required the insertion of spirit stones to travel to the Chaotic Star Sea. However, before proceeding, I had to ensure this side of the array would not be sabotaged. I took out a set of pre-prepared formation flags and set up the most powerful defensive array I could manage, preventing any future interference. I certainly did not want to spend a great deal of time traveling across the Boundless Sea, back through the Great Jin, and then to the Yue Kingdom just to return.

Once the formation was set, I tossed the colorful skeleton aside; it was useless to me for the time being. Holding the token—which felt like neither gold nor wood—I marveled at the surrounding fluorescence. I channeled a vast amount of spiritual energy into the token, and to my surprise, half of my immense internal reserves were drained instantly. This was astonishing; in the original story, even Han Li, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, hadn't been drained dry. My reserves were clearly many times greater than his.

That detail mattered little now. Once the energy was injected, the space around me began to warp, and I was pulled into a wondrous spatial tunnel. I endured immense pressure within the passage, feeling as if I were drowning, making it difficult to breathe. Yet, unlike Han Li, who nearly fainted, my consciousness remained clear. After a few moments, I traversed the space and arrived at the other end, landing on a dusty floor.

The lighting was dim, so I conjured a fireball in my palm to illuminate the surroundings. This was a small room carved out of stone, connected to an underground passage. Everything was ancient and thick with dust, the air heavy with the scent of decay. I stood up and, pulling several glowing spirit stones from my storage pouch, embedded them into the walls. After injecting them with spiritual energy, they emitted a brilliant white light that turned the room as bright as day.

Only then could I see everything clearly. The floor was covered in thick dust, which the recent teleportation had sent swirling into the air, making it hard to breathe. The walls and ground were coated in moss and mold, which I found highly unpleasant. I protected the teleportation array with a spiritual barrier, then unleashed a fire to scorch the entire room, followed by a gust of wind to sweep the charred remains out through the passage. The room finally felt comfortable and odorless.

I then set up my defensive formation flags to secure the area. Satisfied with the sturdy barrier, I pushed open the stone door and stepped out, mounting my flying sword to ascend through the tunnel. The passage rose about a hundred meters, ending beneath a massive boulder. With a single fireball, I blasted the rock into smithereens, revealing the open sky. The sudden explosion sent seagulls on the island scattering into the air.

Taking flight, I looked down to observe the island’s shape. It was round, resembling a turtle shell. It was suitable for a basic formation. I decided to hide the entire island with a veil formation until I could personally establish a more permanent base of operations later. I took out twelve formation flags and planted them in twelve directions across the circular island. Suddenly, the island vanished from sight, replaced by a calm stretch of ocean and a few scattered reefs.

"That should suffice. Now, to see who is nearby. The closest power should be the Heaven Ascension Pavilion, I suppose."

With that thought, I shot off toward the eastern ocean, searching for ships. At my speed, I covered hundreds of nautical miles in just half an hour, slaying several bizarre sea beasts along the way with a single strike of my sword. Soon, I encountered a massive vessel, followed by a vast fleet. The lead ship emanated the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator—evidently the bodyguard for the fleet.

I descended from the sky onto the deck of the flagship, my robes fluttering, signaling my rank. Sensing my Core Formation aura, the Foundation Establishment cultivator hurried out from the ship’s tower to greet me.

"I do not know the purpose of your visit, Senior. This humble one will do everything in his power to assist you."

The cultivator spoke in an ancient dialect common to those near the Boundless Sea. Having studied many languages in preparation for this journey, I understood him perfectly.

"In which direction is the Heaven Ascension Pavilion? Point the way, and if you have a sea chart, hand it over," I demanded bluntly.

Seeing the urgency, the cultivator immediately retrieved a sea chart of the southwestern region of the Chaotic Star Sea and handed it to me.

"Very well. I shall take my leave."

I took the chart and flew off, heading toward the position marked for the Heaven Ascension Pavilion. It lay to the west-northwest, only a few dozen nautical miles away. It seemed this fleet had just departed from the pavilion. I flew at high speed, passing by several small, inhabited islands, but as these were mostly populated by mortals, I did not stop.

I pushed my speed to the limit, my Wuji sword growing in size, with flames erupting from the hilt like a jet engine. I soared across the sky, leaving a trail of white smoke in my wake. My velocity was so great that it carved a trough into the surface of the sea, leaving a massive wake behind me that took quite some time to settle back into stillness.