Translator: CinderTL
[Can't we meet?] Song Wen sighed softly, his voice tinged with disappointment. [I had hoped to see you, but... alas! It seems I'll have to wait for another opportunity.]
He paused briefly, then shifted his tone and asked, [Has Hong Zhe been preoccupied with something important lately? You mentioned before that he was obsessed with cultivation. Why has he been acting so uncharacteristically recently?]
Qi Luo didn't seem to suspect anything, answering Song Wen's questions directly.
[Hong Zhe has been frequently visiting the Qianchang Wilderness lately. He claims to have taken a disciple there and is helping them achieve Divine Transformation. As a result, he hasn't had time to seclude himself for cultivation.]
[Taken a disciple!] Song Wen's voice was filled with surprise and suspicion. [As a member of the Divine Blood Gate, how could Hong Zhe recruit disciples outside the sect? Doesn't he fear punishment from the Divine Blood Gate?]
Qi Luo replied, [I've been wondering about that myself. I asked Hong Zhe about it, but he refused to elaborate.]
"Do you know who Hong Zhe's disciple is?" Song Wen asked.
"No," Qi Luo replied.
Song Wen felt a wave of disappointment.
Hong Zhe taking a disciple from outside the Divine Blood Gate likely meant he had ulterior motives.
If they could uncover the disciple's identity and capture him, it would give them leverage and increase their chances of coercing Hong Zhe.
"Since you can't meet me in person right now," Song Wen said, "I'll contact you again in a few days."
"I probably won't be able to leave for the next three months," Qi Luo replied. "Send me a message after that."
"Very well," Song Wen replied, storing the Communication Jade Slip.
He had achieved his objective and even saved an Earth Evasion Talisman he had planned to give away. This outcome left him quite satisfied.
Song Wen left the secret chamber, paid his bill, and soared out of Cloudveil City.
Instead of returning directly to the Withered Desolation Marsh, he flew a million miles southwest to a desert.
He had been to this desert before.
Years ago, Song Wen had used Hui Zhen to extort a thousand Bodhi Spirit Cores from Du'e, and this desert was where the transaction took place.
The desert's Spiritual Qi was thin, and few ventured here.
Song Wen headed straight into the desert's depths and sat in meditation atop a barren stone mountain.
He remained there for several days.
On this particular day, a fierce gale howled, whipping up yellow sand into dragon-like spirals that blotted out the sky.
Song Wen's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open.
His gaze was as sharp as a blade, Thunderlight crackling within.
His hands swiftly formed a seal, spiritual light swirling between his fingertips. A violent, overwhelming aura erupted from his body, surging toward the heavens.
High above, dark clouds gradually coalesced amidst the swirling sand, churning like a tempestuous sea.
Within the dense black clouds, countless golden lightning bolts flickered like grotesque serpents, emitting a low, ominous hum.
A deafening crack reverberated across the sky.
A golden bolt of lightning tore through the clouds.
Its blinding light cleaved through the rolling sand, carrying cataclysmic power as it struck the earth.
BOOM—
A thunderous roar erupted as the lightning slammed into the ground.
In an instant, the earth trembled violently, the ground collapsing to form a bottomless chasm. Cracks radiated outward from the edges like a spiderweb, stretching across the desert.
As the thunder struck, golden Thunderlight rippled outward, obliterating the yellow sand in its path, reducing it to nothingness. The chaotic world cleared, becoming bright and clear.
For a moment, the world fell silent, save for the whisper of the wind.
"The Jade Morning Divine Thunder... it's complete!" Song Wen murmured to himself, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Since successfully advancing to the Void Refinement Stage, he had been intermittently comprehending the sixth Dao of divine thunder for some time. Today, he had finally managed to successfully manifest it.
With a swift movement, Song Wen departed the desolate desert.
Upon returning to his cultivation cave on Wu Yuan Island, Song Wen found Ye Bing's secret chamber stone door tightly sealed. He sat down cross-legged on the ground, closing his eyes to meditate.
Over a dozen days later, the stone door finally creaked open, and Ye Bing slowly emerged.
After a brief exchange, they decided to set out for the Qianchang Wilderness immediately.
Song Wen packed up the formation and daily necessities from his cultivation cave, then soared into the sky above the swamp. He summoned a Giant Flying Ship, which carried Ye Bing westward.
To reach the Qianchang Wilderness, they had no choice but to cross the Rotting Miasma Ridge.
After more than a month of travel, the pair arrived at the outer fringes of the Rotting Miasma Ridge.
Gazing at the sky filled with gray-green miasma ahead, Song Wen worried that the Giant Flying Ship's large size might alert the demon beasts and poisonous insects within the ridge. He stowed the ship away.
"Gou Jun, what route do you think we should take back to the Qianchang Wilderness?" Ye Bing asked.
She held a jade slip in her hand, which emitted a faint white light that coalesced into a map in the air.
However, most of the map remained blank, showing only three narrow routes.
This map was the one provided by the Dual Polarity Sect years ago, marking only the terrain within a very narrow band around the three routes.
Song Wen suggested, "Let's stick to the route we took on our way here. After all, we've already traveled it once and are relatively familiar with it. We can make slight adjustments as needed."
As Song Wen finished speaking, a jade slip appeared in his hand, emitting a faint white light.
The light converged, forming an enormous topographical map before them.
Ye Bing's eyes widened in shock.
"This... this is a map of the entire Rotting Miasma Ridge, with the distribution of high-tier demon beasts marked! With this, we can easily traverse the ridge by avoiding the few sixth-tier and seventh-tier beasts. Where did you get this?"
"I found it by chance in an ancient ruin," Song Wen replied casually, then added, "This map is extremely old, so the current distribution of demon beasts likely differs greatly from what's marked. We can't rely on it completely. However, if we overlay this map with the Dual Polarity Sect's route map and avoid any areas where high-tier beasts might be lurking, we should be able to cross the Rotting Miasma Ridge smoothly."
"Then you lead the way," Ye Bing said.
Song Wen nodded, his figure darting into the swirling miasma.
Two months later.
The miasma gradually thinned, and a sliver of clarity finally pierced through the dim, oppressive sky.
Song Wen and Ye Bing had traversed the Rotting Miasma Ridge and reached its far edge, now only tens of thousands of miles from the Qianchang Wilderness.
Their journey had been relatively smooth, though they had encountered rampaging poisonous insects and predatory sixth-tier demonic beasts several times along the way.
However, through their combined efforts, they had managed to escape each perilous situation unscathed.
Though their expressions showed slight fatigue, their eyes radiated a palpable sense of relief.
"Gou Jun, let's find a secluded spot to rest and replenish our spiritual power before continuing," Ye Bing suggested.
"Agreed," Song Wen replied.
They reduced their escape speed and began searching for a suitable place to take a short break.
Suddenly, Song Wen's brow furrowed, and he pointed to the left ahead.
"Immortal Maiden, there's movement in that direction."
(End of the Chapter)