As he was out of options, Qin Yun could only give up for the moment. He began exploring other regions of the Ancient Skydragon Palace.
The Ancient Skydragon Palace was massive and just the periphery of the palace could be demarcated as a district in and of itself. Qin Yun circled the area and found that the district he entered when he came through the array formation’s entrance spanned about ten kilometers.
“I have finished exploring this area. The Water race soldiers that were guarding this district must have either escaped or died. As so much time has passed, not a single corpse can be seen. There is only dust. Dharma artifacts and weaker Dharma treasures have disintegrated.” Qin Yun held a Cosmic Bag. “After searching the district, I have found two third-grade Dharma treasures, five fourth-grade Dharma treasures, twelve fifth-grade Dharma treasures, many special herbs, and this intact Cosmic Bag.”
After Qin Yun circled the area, he returned to a spot not far from the ruined palace hall and looked at it.
“Everywhere else is intact but I have no way of getting into the other districts of the Ancient Skydragon Palace. The only way is through this spot!” Qin Yun looked carefully. “The hall collapsed, forming a ruin. The scuffs left behind here are a clear indication of the battle. If I probe the area from here, I might be able to reach different areas of the Ancient Skydragon Palace. Unfortunately, this spot is completely defended by the fiendmonsters.”
Normal palaces had their compounds connected by passages. Every district would have array formations isolating itself from the other districts.
As for cracking the array?
The Four Seas Dragon race had entered from the twelve other entrances and obtained Skydragon Blood Crystals and many treasures. However, they could only enter through whatever cracks they could find left behind by the battle, or from flaws in the array formations. As for cracking the array formations with overwhelming strength? How could the Ancient Skydragon Palace’s array formations be something a group of people beneath the level of immortal be able to crack? It was hopeless. Even existences that had stepped into the Dao would not be able to crack the array formations.
Qin Yun lacked the strength to crack the arrays, and he certainly didn’t have the means to destroy the walls. As for areas where the ancient Skydragon fought the Other Realm Fiendcelestial, there were forbidding cracks. Through two of the cracks, Qin Yun could see the end of another palace hall. It was a hall he had yet to reach but the collapsed hall was completely guarded by the fiendmonsters.
…
Qin Yun retreated helplessly after attempting for an hour.
He returned to where the two Yi family members were sitting cross-legged.
“The both of you lack an intent domain and can’t even withstand the most basic fiend aura, the first thing you encountered upon entering the Ancient Skydragon Palace.” Qin Yun shook his head. “That makes you lucky, however. If you ventured deeper, and encountered just one fiendmonster…it would probably rip you two apart.”
The fiendmonsters’ strength was absolutely not something these two cultivators that had yet to grasp the implications of the Heavenly Dao would be able to resist.
“Let’s go.”
Qin Yun waved his hand.
The two Daoist-robed men floated in midair and followed beside Qin Yun.
“I’ll bring the two of you back to the Yi family and get Patriarch Yi to save you. Sealing your own souls? With your souls being tainted by the fiendish auras, I have no way of saving you.” Qin Yun shook his head. Sword immortals had sharp and overbearing Dharmic powers which were formidable in battle, but as for saving people? And to actually rescue their souls, with the complications caused by the fiendish auras? Just the thought of it gave Qin Yun a headache.
“Swoosh.”
With the two in tow, he quickly returned to the entrance, by the array formation’s flaw.
Qin Yun placed the duo down first.
Following that, he took out several array formation items from his Cosmic Bag.
“Back when I exited Scenic Yang Immortal Abode and sold the Golden Core Cauldron to the Divine Firmament Chapter, I had yet to reach the Paramount realm! In order to ensure my safety, I bought quite a number of protective items and array formations that I could carry around with me. I can finally put them to use.” Qin Yun rapidly set up the array to mend the flaws in the array formation.
All the suitable arrays were set up—camouflage, concealment, and sealing. A total of six array formations were set up.
They were used to feign and conceal auras for the sake of life-preservation.
“Even if the Ancient Skydragon Palace’s array formation has this flaw, it will be very difficult to find it. I previously relied on my sword intent domain to probe numerous times before discovering it,” thought Qin Yun. “Now, even if I were to probe it again, my sword intent domain will only see it as part of the normal seabed.”
“I have to monopolize this entrance. If not, it will be difficult for me to find Skydragon Blood Crystals again,” thought Qin Yun.
He finished setting up the array formations.
As the array formations’ owner, Qin Yun naturally could control them easily. He quickly passed through the entrance with the duo.
“Swoosh.”
He carefully proceeded forward.
According to the route he had recorded, he twisted and turned and eventually, he walked out of the Ancient Skydragon Palace’s periphery array formations.
“In order to find them, I had deliberately recorded the route I took. The both of them were flying under the sea and it is unlikely they recorded a detailed route. Just two or three feet deviation in the boundless sea would lead one to a completely different region because of the Ancient Skydragon Palace’s array formations.” Qin Yun looked at the two men floating behind him. “I guess I’m just unlucky if the both of you actually had recorded the route you took to enter.”
Flying across the boundless sea normally allowed people to traverse more than fifty kilometers in a short while. Typically, one would not deliberately chart out a path with precision down to the foot.
“Let’s go.”
He flew upwards with the duo and soon, broke through the water’s surface.
It was already late at night.
He steered a cloud in flight with him standing in front while the duo continued sitting cross-legged on the cloud.
He headed all the way east.
…
Steering a cloud in flight was much slower than casting Beam Transformation Art. However, Qin Yun had done so deliberately. Qin Yun saw the ancestral land of the Kunlun Prefecture’s Yi family, Yi Water City, only the next morning when the morning sun rose.
Yi Water City was a city on a high plateau that circled around a humongous mountain. The mountain peak was covered in perennial snow.
As for Yi Water City, it had a snowy mountain peak in its backdrop. Above the mountain was Purple Cloud Palace, a cultivation area where Patriarch Yi stayed most of the time.
“Swoosh.”
Qin Yun landed outside Purple Cloud Palace. The disciples there saw him as well as the sitting duo beside him.
“Martial Uncles.” Immediately, disciples ran over and saw the sitting duo. There was a disciple who immediately entered to report the matter.
“Aren’t you Grand Dominance’s Sword Immortal Qin?” Soon, a female Daoist flew over. When she saw the sitting duo, her eyes could not help but moisten. She immediately asked, “Sword Immortal Qin, how is Fenglai?”
“Fiend auras have infiltrated their bodies. It’s a little troublesome. Perhaps Patriarch Yi can save them,” replied Qin Yun.
The female Daoist immediately said gratefully, “Sword Immortal Qin, our Yi family will forever be indebted to you for saving the two of them.”
“Patriarch is here.”
“Patriarch.”
It was rare for the disciples at Purple Cloud Palace to see Patriarch Yi. But at that moment, Patriarch Yi had rushed over and, in a few steps, he was beside Qin Yun.
“Qin Yun, thanks.” Patriarch Yi looked solemnly at the duo. “What a formidable fiend aura. Their souls have been partially tainted. Both of them have sealed their souls to guard their Dao hearts and are barely holding on. However, it’s possible for them to fail at any moment. I have to save them immediately. Qin Yun, you can have a rest for now.”
“There’s no need. I still have things to do in the West Sea. I’ll be leaving first,” said Qin Yun with a smile.
“Alright then.” Patriarch Yi nodded. “I really must thank you for this. My Yi family doesn’t have many cultivators, to begin with. Fenggu is dead and if Fenglai and Fengqi were to die…”
The Yi family only had one Connate Golden Core cultivator in the present generation. Previously, they had six Connate True Cores.
Yi Fenggu was dead.
Now, if these two died, the Yi family would suffer terrible losses. Patriarch Yi would also be saddened on a personal level.
“Senior, you will definitely save them with your capabilities,” said Qin Yun.
Patriarch Yi nodded slightly before he waved his hand. The two immediately transformed into a stream of light that flew towards Purple Cloud Palace. Patriarch Yi also took a step before vanishing. Clearly, he was also very worried.
“Sou!”
Following that, Qin Yun transformed into a beam that streaked through the sky and vanished across the western horizon.
“What a fast flying art.” The disciples at Purple Cloud Palace looked up and exclaimed.
“We previously requested help from the Divine Firmament Chapter but they failed to find our Martial Uncles after searching for more than half a year. Yet, Sword Immortal Qin found them. He sure is impressive.”
“Sword Immortal Qin is a Paramount realm sword immortal. There are only a few of those in this world, but for him to find them in the boundless sea, it shows that he must have put forth a lot of effort.”
“Thankfully Sword Immortal Qin is our Yi family’s son-in-law. If not, why would he ever search for them without asking for anything in return?”
The disciples were discussing fervently.
…
In a quiet chamber.
Patriarch Yi was trying his best to save them. Thankfully, the fiendish auras had not tainted their souls too deeply. After more than an hour, the two finally awakened.
When the duo awoke to the sight of Patriarch Yi, they heaved a sigh of relief. Following that, they respectfully greeted him, “Patriarch.”
“Both of you have Qin Yun to thank,” said Patriarch Yi.
“Qin Yun?” The duo was baffled. “Isn’t he trapped in the Scenic Yang Immortal Abode?”
“He came out of the Scenic Yang Immortal Abode sometime after the both of you disappeared. Furthermore, he has fought more than twenty fiendish demons and slew two of them. This battle is known throughout the world and Qin Yun is already a Paramount realm sword immortal! He is even able to cast a flying sword art with Infinite Converging Sword,” explained Patriarch Yi.
The duo was shocked once again but they felt grateful.
Patriarch Yi asked with a frown, “Did the both of you accidentally enter the Ancient Skydragon Palace?”
“The Ancient Skydragon Palace? What Skydragon Palace?” The duo was somewhat perplexed as it was a confidential location.
“We accidentally entered an area with a crystalline palace compound that stretched far beyond what the eyes could see. A distance away, there were portions of the palace compound in ruins as well as blood that stained the palace walls.”
“Moments after we entered, we quickly felt our bodies invaded by invisible fiendish auras,” explained the duo.
Patriarch Yi instantly confirmed that it was the Ancient Skydragon Palace.
“How did the two of you enter? Do you still remember the route?” Patriarch Yi inquired in detail. In order to find the duo, the Divine Firmament Chapter had already searched the other twelve entrances to no avail.
“We were chasing a fiendish demon under the sea. He was fleeing the entire way and eventually escaped into that region of the sea. It was a strange region. Despite the fiendish demon being right in front of us, we could not fly up to him. After some time, we lost him. Later, Fengqi and I were flying when we felt the scene in front of our eyes change before we saw that extended palace compound, “Yi Fenglai explained.
“Chasing a fiendish demon. You entered the Ancient Skydragon Palace by chasing?” Patriarch Yi frowned. If they were caught up in a fervent pursuit, how could they accurately remember the precise route?
Just a tiny deviation in that region could result in all sorts of possible routes.
It was useless to try doing a carpet search. For example, despite there being a region in front of them that they wanted to search, there would be no way of passing through it!
If it were so easy, the Four Seas Dragon race would have long scoured the entirety of the region that spanned fifteen hundred kilometers.
“Qin Yun found them, but even if he had blindly entered, he would have recorded a detailed path when he exited,” thought Patriarch Yi. “Has he found a new array formation entrance?”