Chapter 453: Disappearing

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Chen Fei frowned slightly. This kind of attraction was somewhat peculiar, like resonance, but it also seemed like Chen Fei’s aperture had been purely drawn to it.

The aperture formed by the Suppressing Dragon Elephant not only constantly pulled together the 108 apertures but also subtly improved Chen Fei’s physical strength in his daily life.

The pulling of the apertures was something Chen Fei had noticed as soon as the aperture had formed. As for the improvement in physical strength, it took Chen Fei a few days to notice it.

Mainly because this kind of improvement was too subtle, and it was only when a certain amount had accumulated that Chen Fei’s consciousness could sense it.

Afterward, Chen Fei tried to continuously infuse his elemental force into this aperture, which could slightly accelerate the efficiency of physical improvement, but not by much.

Compared to the clear and visible improvements during the initial practice of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant, the enhancement of this aperture was now almost imperceptible, somewhat inconspicuous.

The Suppressing Dragon Elephant, when it reached perfection, no longer strengthened the physique as it did during the initial stages of cultivation. Instead, it continuously consolidated the defense strength of the spiritual sea in the mind.

Spirit Suppression, indeed had a kind of suppression on the mind, regardless of the myriad changes in the outside world, it remained unmoved.

Chen Fei suspected that his physique had now reached a certain limit, so the cultivation of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant and Spirit Suppression might no longer improve his physique.

As for the formation of this aperture, besides helping practitioners break through the Aperture Tempering realm, it might have other purposes in the future.

In the midst of this fog, something was actually causing a reaction in the aperture, which made Chen Fei curious. After all, this was the first time such a situation had occurred in nearly a year.

Standing on the surface of the sea, Chen Fei’s reflection shimmered in the clear water. The sea breeze rustled, and there were slight ripples beneath Chen Fei’s feet.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Fei looked back at the mist and lightly tapped his right foot on the ground. Ripples spread out in concentric circles from the spot where Chen Fei had touched, and he disappeared from the original location, rushing into the mist.

Previously, Chen Fei had been reluctant to board a boat and enter the fog, simply to avoid any unexpected events.

Although valuable spirit materials that could help practitioners break through the Aperture Tempering realm had appeared within the fog in the past, it had only happened twice in so many years.

Each time the fog appeared, it covered an area of several hundred miles in radius and could confuse one’s spiritual perception. Searching for useful spirit materials within such a vast range was an extremely daunting task.

However, now that something inside the mist was clearly causing a reaction in his aperture, Chen Fei had every reason to go in and investigate.

The path of martial arts was all about seeking stability, and there was nothing wrong with that. After all, stability could help one avoid unnecessary troubles. But when favorable opportunities presented themselves, one must seize them.

In the journey of cultivation, it was like rowing against the current. If you didn’t seize opportunities when they arose, reaching higher levels of martial arts would become increasingly difficult.

Inside the fog, others could take a boat and, if all went well, they could exit within a day, indicating that the dangers within were manageable.

With Chen Fei’s current cultivation and strength, unless someone with a realm above the Combined Aperture Tempering realm or a powerful monster appeared, he could handle any situation.

As Chen Fei’s figure disappeared into the mist, his spiritual perception, which initially could cover a radius of several hundred meters, was instantly compressed several times, and as he ventured further into the fog, this compression intensified.

Chen Fei’s eyes glimmered with a faint light, and his Star Gazing Art circulated within his sea of consciousness, expanding his somewhat limited perception significantly.

Turning his head to survey his surroundings, Chen Fei’s expression suddenly changed slightly. His body traced an arc and landed on a patch of water, where a Sea Orchid quietly bloomed.

A second-tier high-grade spirit material, Sea Orchids could be used to refine elixirs that benefited those in the later stages of the Aperture Tempering realm. Even directly consuming a Sea Orchid in the later stages of the Aperture Tempering realm could enhance elemental force by a few points.

An average Sea Orchid like this one would typically sell for five low-grade elemental stones.

Bending down, Chen Fei plucked the Sea Orchid.

This fog was truly mysterious. Within a few months of its appearance, it had produced spirit materials of this caliber. If it persisted for a longer time, the probability of valuable materials that could aid in breaking through limits would likely increase significantly.

However, the specific topography and environment ensured that this fog only appeared for a few months each year.

In such a vast, unsealed area with numerous second-tier spirit materials, it’s no wonder that the city outside has been rapidly developing.

Even martial cultivators in the Body Tempering realm, if they have the courage to venture into this fog and get lucky by obtaining a top-grade spirit material, would have all the necessary resources for their subsequent cultivation.

However, within this layer of fog, where there are humans, there are also sea monsters.

Compared to humans, sea monsters are more adept at navigating this layer of fog, and many spirit materials have been devoured by these sea monsters.

Chen Fei stored the Sea Orchid and continued forward in the direction sensed by his aperture.

After traveling over a hundred miles, Chen Fei had harvested quite a few valuable spirit materials along the way. He had also encountered many boats and monsters.

He even saw a boat surrounded by sea monsters, but the strength on that boat was sufficient, and clearing the monsters was only a matter of time.

Chen Fei stood on a rocky islet, about to bend down to pick the spirit materials above. Suddenly, his hand twitched slightly, and he furrowed his brows.

Chen Fei casually collected the spirit material and placed it in his bag. Then he looked into the distance.

The sensation from his aperture had suddenly disappeared just a moment ago.

It was an extremely abrupt disappearance, as if something had detected the resonance between Chen Fei and it and forcibly severed that connection.

Chen Fei’s furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and his curiosity deepened. What could it be that had caused this?

Following the location he had sensed just a moment ago, Chen Fei continued to move forward.

After a quarter of an hour, Chen Fei had to come to a stop.

Surrounded by thick fog, his mental perception was confused. Even with the support of the Star Gazing Art, without the guidance of his aperture towards the target, Chen Fei was starting to lose his sense of direction.

Sometimes, even a slight deviation in direction over a long distance could lead to a significant displacement from the intended target.

At this moment, Chen Fei had the feeling that he was getting farther away from whatever had resonated with his aperture.

Chen Fei looked ahead, pondered for a moment, and then pointed his right hand at his own brow.

As his finger passed over his brow, it seemed as if a crack had appeared there, and a faint glimmer of light emanated from it.

Sword Return Eye!

Various complex auras appeared within Chen Fei’s perception. He dismissed them one by one and focused his attention on the location of his aperture.

To trigger a resonance in the aperture, it had to be either the qi of heaven and earth or some form of information exchange. Chen Fei wanted to see if he could use Sword Return Eye to extract this kind of information.

In a sense, these so-called auras were, in fact, a form of information state.

Sword Return Eye was a means of examining auras, even those from the past, as a way to search for information.

Chen Fei’s mental power within his sea of consciousness operated at its peak and was infused into Sword Return Eye. After a moment, Chen Fei finally identified something different within his own aperture.

It was somewhat similar to an aura but seemed to be distinct.

Under Sword Return Eye, Chen Fei isolated this bit of aura and held it between his two fingers.

Chen Fei looked around and continued to use Sword Return Eye, searching for something similar to the aura he held in his hand amidst the vast and noisy environment of the fog.

The auras within the fog were numerous—human, monster, various spirit materials, and even the fog itself contained immense content.

Fortunately, Sword Return Eye, which had reached the state of perfection, eliminated all irrelevant auras, focusing solely on the relevant content.

An hour or two passed, and Chen Fei’s mental power was significantly depleted.

Suddenly, Chen Fei’s eyes brightened. The perception formed by the Star Gazing Art turned into a straight line, following the information found by Sword Return Eye, heading straight into the distance.

In Chen Fei’s line of sight, a boat appeared within his perception.

On this boat, Chen Fei found a presence that matched the aura he held in his hand. This didn’t mean that the resonating entity from before was on that boat.

Rather, it seemed that this boat, or the person on it, had somehow attracted the attention of whatever had resonated with Chen Fei earlier.

Several miles away, the Zheng family’s flag fluttered at the bow of the ship.

In the city of Flame Jade, there were numerous family powers, and over the years, a well-established pattern had already formed. Outsiders couldn’t easily intervene, and even the locals couldn’t break through the blockade of various families to develop smoothly.

However, in recent years, there was an exception, and that was the Zheng family.

Whether it was due to exceptionally good luck or extraordinary methods, the Zheng family had rapidly risen from a small family power to one of the top ten families within Flame Jade City.

The formation of a new force, especially within a city that had developed for many years, was bound to disrupt the interests of many people.

Yet, the Zheng family managed to navigate through the challenges, build relationships, and thrive. They even gained the support of several other family powers.

“How much longer until we can exit this fog?” Pu Yixing looked at Zheng Chuanwen beside him and asked quietly.

“It will take a few more hours,” Zheng Chuanwen glanced around, then checked the map in his hand, and chuckled softly.

Passing through the fog with passengers was a lucrative business for various family powers in Flame Jade City, and the fees were not insignificant.

“Wasn’t it supposed to take just one day? It’s already been more than that,” Pu Yixing expressed some dissatisfaction.

“The fog is filled with numerous sea monsters, and the route we established last time might not be usable again. It’s an inevitable occurrence,” Zheng Chuanwen shook his head and explained.

Pu Yixing furrowed his brow. While the explanation made sense, he couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling. He didn’t know where this feeling came from, but he just wanted to leave this layer of fog as soon as possible.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

A series of sound bursts echoed through the air, approaching from a distance. Zheng Chuanwen’s expression shifted slightly, and he immediately took a defensive stance. Everyone on the boat became alert.

“Sorry to disturb you. Would it be convenient to catch a ride? Our original boat was smashed by sea monsters,” Chen Fei’s calm voice sounded as he stood on the nearby sea surface.

Upon seeing Chen Fei’s appearance, the people on the boat realized he wasn’t a sea monster and let out a sigh of relief. All eyes turned to Zheng Chuanwen, who was in charge of everything on the boat..