Chapter 81: The Method of Departure

Behind the text were maps and extensive detailed explanations.

“What? Beneath the Black Wind Divine Palace lies a hidden gate that connects to a vast extraordinary world?” Dongbo Xueying was greatly astonished. The map clearly indicated that within the underground hall where he cultivated, there was a concealed portal leading to a grand supernatural realm. Having observed the experiences of Elder Lei Zhen of the Sea God Palace over more than a thousand years, Dongbo Xueying had gained some understanding of the world he lived in.

The world he inhabited was a highly stable and perfect material world!

The material world was vast and flawless.

Across various regions of this material world, some spatial folds and rifts had given birth to imperfect extraordinary worlds. These extraordinary worlds were categorized into large and small ones. Because of their imperfection, these realms had condensed certain unique treasures. Even the very essence of these worlds would manifest as tangible objects. Many precious items sought by the extraordinary beings originated almost entirely from these realms.

In the human world, not even a single Yuan Stone could be unearthed! What exactly was a Yuan Stone? It was a mineral formed from the primordial cosmic energies that gave birth to a world. In the perfectly balanced human world governed by flawless laws, all forces were utilized with utmost efficiency, making it impossible for extraordinary beings to find any magical artifacts.

However, in these large and small worlds where the natural laws were simplistic and incomplete, certain mystical energies directly coalesced into physical forms. Countless precious “extraordinary treasures” made these beings ecstatic.

Therefore, though these worlds were primitive, they were still named “extraordinary worlds” precisely because they were rich in extraordinary treasures!

“How rare must such a large extraordinary world be?” Dongbo Xueying exclaimed in disbelief. “Could there really be one connected here?”

According to Elder Lei Zhen’s account, humans had only ever discovered and explored a total of eight large extraordinary worlds. Adding the one connected to the Black Wind Divine Palace, that made only nine!

“Each unexplored large extraordinary world is a grand treasure trove,” Dongbo Xueying marveled.

No wonder the Black Wind Ancestor had established his palace here.

Large extraordinary worlds…

Their rarity made them extremely valuable. Once too many people learned of their existence, they would inevitably be seized by the most powerful Half-Gods. These Half-Gods would enter and plunder the worlds, acquiring vast quantities of extraordinary resources.

“Large extraordinary worlds are extremely precious,” Elder Lei Zhen cautioned in the appendix. “Never reveal their existence, not even to a close friend, for betrayal may come from behind.”

Elder Lei Zhen had actually been in deep retreat for cultivation.

Yet he still clung to the hope of becoming a Half-God. Having lived for one thousand five hundred years, he had no emotional attachments to the mortal world and had never revealed the secret of the Black Wind Divine Palace.

…

Dongbo Xueying closed the book, his eyes filled with contemplation.

“Although large extraordinary worlds are valuable enough to excite even Half-Gods,” Dongbo Xueying mused silently, “the Black Wind Ancestor likely has already plundered it. Moreover, it’s far too distant from me—I am still merely a mortal.”

Then Dongbo Xueying briefly glanced through the other books before waving his hand, gathering all the items into storage. In his palm remained only two peculiar talismanic tokens, the control devices for two extraordinary alchemical creatures. With a simple infusion of Mana (battle energy), he easily refined and mastered them.

The golden ape and the golden roc beside him immediately spoke: “Greetings, Master.”

“When I leave the Black Wind Divine Palace, I will take you both with me,” Dongbo Xueying declared.

“Master, we’ve longed to leave this place,” the golden ape said excitedly.

The golden roc was equally filled with anticipation.

Dongbo Xueying smiled slightly. “Since you two call each other ‘monkey’ and ‘little bird,’ I’ll do the same.”

“Whatever the Master wishes to call us is fine,” the two extraordinary alchemical beings replied obediently. One of the advantages of alchemical beings was their absolute loyalty.

“By the way, the Oceanic Realm Stone is within this pond?” Dongbo Xueying gazed at the octagonal pool.

“Yes,” the golden roc replied. “The previous master feared that warriors from the Witch God Temple might discover this place, so he set up an array around the pond. If I shatter this token, the array will explode with power rivaling the previous master’s full strength. It might kill the enemy, or at the very least, completely destroy the Oceanic Realm Stone. Moreover, many dangerous areas within the Black Wind Divine Palace will automatically kill any Witch God Temple warriors who enter.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

The Witch God Temple was an organization formed by the extraordinary beings of the beast clans.

Humans and beasts were ancient enemies. Even if one had to leave behind precious treasures for a worthy successor, one would never allow them to fall into the hands of another race!

“Whoosh.” Dongbo Xueying squatted down, scooped up some of the spiritual liquid from the pond with both hands, and took a sip.

A cool sensation coursed through his entire body.

Every part of him—muscles, tendons, bones, organs, the dantian sea of energy, and even his soul—was slightly nourished. Moreover, as the energy from the spiritual liquid was rapidly absorbed, Dongbo Xueying’s hunger vanished entirely.

“I’m not hungry anymore just from drinking this,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled.

“Food is just energy,” the golden ape grinned. “Spiritual liquid transformed from the Oceanic Realm Stone is naturally far more nourishing to the body than ordinary food. The previous master drank this liquid almost daily, and it was a major factor in his rise to become a Saint-level peak expert.”

Dongbo Xueying reached into the pond and pulled out a peculiar jade stone.

The stone was entirely ocean-blue, its surface shimmering with a faint cerulean glow. This jade was the essence of heaven and earth, the core of a small world. Looking at it, one couldn’t help but feel an urge to take a bite. This desire to consume it was an instinctive yearning of life itself.

“Just looking at it makes one want to eat it,” Dongbo Xueying remarked.

“Never eat it directly—it would be a terrible waste,” the golden ape quickly warned. “If placed in water, it will slowly dissolve, transforming ordinary water into spiritual liquid. The previous master used it for nearly a thousand years, and it was only half-dissolved.”

“Needs water?” Dongbo Xueying frowned. “I don’t have any water!”

“This pond’s spiritual liquid alone will last the Master for another thirty or forty years,” the golden ape said. “Once we leave, you should stock up on more water.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded. Then with a wave of his hand, the spiritual liquid was enveloped by cosmic energy and transferred into a storage treasure—a separate spatial dimension with no air or gravity, where objects remained stationary once placed. The spiritual liquid now floated in midair within the storage space.

Then Dongbo Xueying headed toward a crack in the distant wall. The entire underground hall was scarred with large, jagged wounds and fissures.

“According to Elder Lei Zhen’s map, he entered through this crack,” Dongbo Xueying observed, looking at the fissure before him. It sloped slightly downward.

With a step forward, Dongbo Xueying entered the crack, his body radiating flames that illuminated the pitch-black passage. As he walked deeper, the fissure grew narrower. After walking more than ten miles, the crack had become so narrow that further progress was impossible.

“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying frowned. “Elder Lei Zhen transformed into a stream of water to pass through this crack all the way to the Black Wind Divine Palace. But I am still a mortal—I can’t pass through!”

Without a path, could he dig a new one underground?

Clearly, that idea was unfeasible.

“According to Elder Lei Zhen’s description, a vast area surrounding the Black Wind Divine Palace is a massive formation! The nearby mountains, land, and other regions are all part of the formation’s range. Like the valley, it is within the formation’s domain. Within this range, there are numerous patrolling guards, all highly perceptive.”

“Anyone who dares to break the ground or carve a passage through the mountains within the formation’s range will be immediately detected.”

“One must follow the existing paths—no damage can be done.”

Dongbo Xueying felt troubled.

If even extraordinary beings couldn’t find a way through by force or trickery, then he had no hope.

“This crack is narrow and stretches over a thousand miles,” Dongbo Xueying sighed softly. “Only by becoming extraordinary can I pass through.”

…

Helplessly, Dongbo Xueying returned to the ruined, vast hall. As a mortal, even with maps detailing other minor areas of the Black Wind Divine Palace, he had no way of entering them.

Gazing at the empty, silent hall.

To leave, he must cultivate to the extraordinary realm!

“Monkey, Bird,” Dongbo Xueying looked at the golden ape and golden roc, smiling. “It seems that for a long time to come, only the two of you will be my companions.”