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nWithin their room.

nSu Yi sprawled out in his wicker chair, gazing at the Fang Han. The youth just stood there, hanging his head.

nSu Yi laughed. “I admired your earlier stubbornness more.”

nThe youth instinctively raised his head. “Don’t you… blame me?”

nSu Yi took out a jade slip and stretched. “You didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I blame you?”

nThe youth pursed his lips and said in a low voice, “I…”

nSu Yi shook his head. “You don’t need to explain. All you need to do is remember this. So long as you’re not at fault, you have no need for concern, not even if you pierce a hole through the heavens.”

nThe youth was stunned.

nA little while later, he tentatively took out a yellow-skinned gourd and presented it to Su Yi. He stammered, “I… I bought this for you. It isn’t worth much, but… consider it a token of my appreciation.”

nSu Yi was stunned, but before he could ask any questions, Fang Han set the gourd down, turned, and left.

nSu Yi picked the gourd up and examined it. It was a drinking vessel, and it really wasn’t precious, but Fang Han had picked it out with him in mind. For that reason alone, Su Yi felt gratified.

nOnly then did he realize that Fang Han had gone to the market to buy him a present.

nThe kid’s got a conscience after all! Su Yi smiled and put the yellow-skinned gourd away.

n……

nWhen Fang Han returned to their room, he took out a blank talisman, bit through his fingertip, and used his blood as ink.

nA little while later, a lifelike Bi’an totem floated out of the finished talisman, glowing with spiritual light and emanating an inscrutable, mysterious aura.

nFang Han let out a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow, then used his divine sense as a brush to write a message on the talisman.

n“Big Sister, if you receive this talisman, it’ll prove that I’m still alive. I’m doing well, too.

n“I’m already on my way back to the White Reed Province. Rest assured; I have a powerful senior accompanying me, someone even Immortal Lords have to treat with respect…”

nBeneath the lamplight, the youth thought back to everything he’d experienced since meeting Su Yi, and he earnestly wrote it all out.

nA long time passed before he withdrew his divine sense, carefully placed the talisman in his palm, and circulated his cultivation base. His fingers wrapped around the talisman and formed a hand seal.

nWeng!

nBefore long, the talisman silently melted into a beam of silver light, cut through the sky, and disappeared.

nAfter finishing all this, the youth felt a massive weight lift off his shoulders, and he toppled into his bed.

nHis bright eyes shone with hints of longing and eagerness.

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n“A Bi’an Shooting Star Talisman… I bet the kid’s contacting his sister.”

nIn the other room, separated by a wall, Su Yi withdrew his divine sense, silently drank a jug of wine, calmed his heart, and started meditating.

nWord of tonight’s incident at Soaring Cloud Tower had been completely sealed off, so it hadn’t stirred up any waves.

nThe following day.

nAs noon approached, Su Yi brought Fang Han to a banquet at Heavenly Repose Pavillion.

nWhen they arrived, Mo Canqiu and the other nine Immortal Lords were there waiting for him, as well as Fu Yunzhong of the Endless Jades Immortal Sect and Xue Hongfeng.

n“Fellow Daoist Su, please take a seat!” Mo Canqiu and the others smiled and led Su Yi to the seat they’d arranged for him. Then, they too took their seats.

nFu Yunzhong was the first to rise and offer a toast, and he looked ashamed of himself. “Last night, I was blind and foolish, and I treated you with disrespect. I came here today to apologize! I humbly request your forgiveness, Fellow Daoist.”

nSu Yi subtly inclined his head. “The ignorant are without sin. Sit down.”

n“Many thanks!” Fu Yunzhong clasped his fist and took a seat.

nLast night, he earnestly requested Mo Canqiu’s guidance. Although he didn’t manage to learn Su Yi’s origins, he’d at least learned a little about him.

nFor instance, that Su Yi had cracked the mysteries of the Nine Steles of the Primeval Era, and that the Red Dragon Dao Monarch saw him as her most distinguished guest!

nAll of this left Fu Yunzhong stunned, but more than that, he celebrated that he hadn’t taken any reckless action last night. If he had, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

nBefore long, the other old monsters followed suit, each offering Su Yi a toast. The atmosphere was lively, and the air was full of laughter.

nXue Hongfeng took all of this in. He was astonished, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholy.

nOrdinarily speaking, Immortal Lords were rare and elusive. Wherever they went, others looked upon them as if they were gods!

nNever mind ranked Universe Realm Immortals; even ranked Void Realm Immortals almost never got the chance to converse with them!

nAnd this was no mere chat. This was a banquet! The Immortal Lords all saw Su Yi as their distinguished guest, and they were practically scrambling for an opportunity to offer him a toast! They even saw him as a like-minded individual!

nI wanted to become his friend, but it seems that won’t be possible… Xue Hongfeng sighed.

nAdmittedly, Su Yi had yet to become an immortal.

nBut both his strength and his status were far, far beyond Xue Hongfeng’s! The disparity was too great. How could they possibly become friends?

nSuddenly, Su Yi smiled and raised his cup. “Fellow Daoist Xue, allow me to offer you a toast.”

nXue Hongfeng was abruptly started out of his scattered thoughts. He hurriedly raised his cup and drained it. “If anything, I ought to offer you a toast!”

nSu Yi smiled. “Last night, you intervened on Fang Han’s behalf. It’s only right that I offer you a toast. If there’s ever anything you need, go ahead and ask.”

nXue Hongfeng felt warm and fuzzy inside, but out loud, he said, “To tell the truth, I helped last night in large part because I knew you were an extraordinary person, and I wanted to get closer to you. That’s why I stepped forth on that young fellow’s behalf. And although I’m ashamed to admit it, I failed to achieve anything in the end.”

nHe seemed forthright and open; he’d even revealed his ulterior motives.

nSu Yi smiled. “It’s enough.”

nMo Canqiu raised his cup, smiled, and said, “You’re broad-minded indeed, my young friend. Allow this old man to offer you a toast.”

nXue Hongfeng was stunned and flattered. He hurriedly raised his cup.

nThe other old monsters followed suit, leaving him completely flustered, but happy and excited too.

nHe was from an Immortal Lord clan, but under ordinary circumstances, how could so many Immortal Lords have toasted in his honor?

nNothing like this had ever happened before!

nBy the time they’d finished their last toast, Xue Hongfeng couldn’t help but remind himself, Stay calm! Stay calm! They’re doing this on account of Brother Su. Never mind receiving a toast; someone of my status wouldn’t even be qualified to sit here if not for him!

nThe thought calmed him down considerably.

n“You’re headed to the Abyss of Dark Fog?” exclaimed Su Yi.

nOver the course of their conversation, he learned that Mo Canqiu and the other old monsters had boarded the cloud ship to visit the greatest forbidden zone of the Dark Province, the Abyss of the Dark Fog.

n“That’s right.” Mo Canqiu nodded. “We hope to join forces to pick a few Darkflame Dao Embryo Fruits in preparation for breaking into the Miracle Realm.”

n“That place is extremely dangerous,” Su Yi said softly. “They say it’s a place of no return, even for immortals.”

nThe gathered Immortal Lords all looked helpless; they clearly knew that.

nOne of them said with a bitter laugh, “There’s nothing for it. Our opportunities to break into the Immortal King Realm are far too fleeting. To the best of our knowledge, Darkflame Dao Embryo Fruits only grow deep within the Abyss of Dark Fog. Even if it’s just a sliver of a chance, we have to try to seize it.”

nThe others nodded along.

nAll of them were established old-timers of the Immortal Lord Realm. Making any further progress was endlessly difficult.

nThe man in Confucian robes said, “It’s because we know that the Abyss of Dark Fog is perilous that we chose to join forces, and we’ve made ample preparations. I think… we at least have a chance of obtaining the good fortune we’re after.”

nSu Yi shook his head. “I’m afraid you have little hope of success.”

nThis was already putting it politely.

nThe brutal reality was that the Abyss of Dark Fog wasn’t just the most perilous forbidden zone in the Dark Province. No, it was one of the most famous and perilous forbidden zones in the Immortal Realm.

nEven Immortal Kings were unlikely to make it back from the Abyss of Dark Fog alive!

nAs for Immortal Lords? They faced all but certain doom!

nThe old monsters were stunned, and all of them looked a bit ill at ease. Su Yi was directly telling them that he thought poorly of their chances!

n“We’re after good fortune. How can we avoid the corresponding dangers? We’re already like arrows on the bowstring; we must complete our flight,” Mo Canqiu said softly.

nEveryone knew that the greater the good fortune, the greater the accompanying danger!

nSu Yi mulled this over, then said, “How about this? I’ll give you something that might well come in handy in the Abyss of Dark Fog.”

nWith that, he took out a jade slip and used his divine sense to carve it. Then, he used a strange secret method to seal it completely before passing it to Mo Canqiu.

nAt first, the old monsters were curious. Just what kind of gift would Su Yi give them?

nBut when they saw the jade slip, they were unwittingly stunned, and they couldn’t quite wrap their heads around it.

nThe Abyss of Dark Fog was perilous and unfathomable. What good would a jade slip that Su Yi had only just carved do them?

nSu Yi didn’t explain. All he said was, “If you run into life-or-death danger in the Abyss of Dark Fog, take out this jade slip.”

nHis expression instantly grew solemn. “You must bear this in mind: don’t reveal it lightly. If you do, you’ll only invite unpredictable trouble.”

nMo Canqiu was instantly solemn. He put the jade slip away, then clasped his fist. “Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!”

nWhen the other old monsters saw how seriously Su Yi took this, they couldn’t help but be surprised. Just what mysteries are hidden within that jade slip for Fellow Daoist Su to issue such a solemn warning?

nOne of them even voiced this question out loud, but Su Yi just smiled and said he hoped they wouldn’t run into any life-or-death peril in the Abyss of Dark Fog.

nThis little interlude passed quickly, and the banquet continued, discussing matters both past and present. It was a joyous occasion.

nAlthough Su Yi said little, when he did speak, he always provided new insights. The Immortal Lords found this fascinating, and surprising, too.

nThis was Fu Yunzhong’s first real interaction with Su Yi. Although he couldn’t figure out where Su Yi had come from, just listening to him speak astonished him. He frequently sighed over his own inferiority.

nNow, he finally understood why Mo Canqiu and the other Immortal Lords respected a young man like Su Yi so highly.

nTwo days later.

nMo Canqiu and the other old monsters disembarked in the Dark Province. Meanwhile, Su Yi, Fang Han, and Xue Hongfeng continued toward the White Reed Province.

n“Now that we’ve passed the Dark Province, it’ll be just two days until we reach the White Reed Province. I just wonder if Qi Fufeng managed to uncover any of the information I’m after.”

nSu Yi stood by the cloud ship’s railing and gazed into the distance, his blue robes rustling in the nighttime winds.

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