Stay behind? Nie Pinlan looked at her husband. At this moment, she was basically no longer making decisions. To use her own words, she had already done her best to save her husband and her stepson. After the Golden Ruins appeared, her husband’s son might no longer be safe, so the rest was up to her husband to decide.
Zhu Kuanzhen was very resolute. “Let us go together.”
Hearing this, Shen Qingcheng, who was standing to the side, looked at her mother. Lu Xingyun replied gently, “If we go back like this, can we even go back? It is better to settle things here.”
Actually, for this group of people, apart from Yu Qing and his two martial brothers, no one truly wanted to get gold and go out to make a fortune. After knowing this place was the Golden Ruins, their minds were already in chaos. They were purely blindly following the three martial brothers because they could not make a choice.
Seeing that everyone’s opinions were unified, Ning Chaoyi suddenly blurted out, “Actually, those of us here have not been exposed to the mastermind behind the scenes.”
Everyone looked at the golden coffin. That was right. Apart from the deceased, the others were indeed not exposed…
Xiao Hei had fallen asleep again, entering sleep recovery mode. As his father, Wu Hei covered his son with his clothes once more.
Yu Qing guarded beside the coffin, leaning his back against it, seemingly dozing off as well.
Most of the others were also sitting with crossed legs in meditation.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie were the ones whose minds were the hardest to calm. Old Fifteen had thrown caution to the wind, and they could not persuade him to stop. They were in no mood to sit with crossed legs and meditate, so they simply stood further away to keep watch for everyone, which inevitably involved some whispering.
Nan Zhu, in particular, had a lot of complaints. However, when he turned his head and saw a certain someone leaning against the coffin, he could not help but sigh softly. “I wonder what kind of fate the people of Linglong Temple have. Why is there not a single one who can have a happy ending with a woman?”
Mu Aotie casually replied, “Those who could have a happy ending are all outside the temple and have not returned.”
“…”
Nan Zhu turned his head and stared at him, completely speechless.
After a long while, he let out another sigh. “Qiao Qie’er had issues, so how do you explain the incident at Qiao Manor on Mati Island?”
Mu Aotie said, “A honey trap. It was a way to get close to Old Fifteen.”
Although Yu Qing had not told them what Qiao Qie’er said to him before her death, they had already guessed something.
Nan Zhu looked worried. “That is not what I meant. I am wondering why they could set up a trap and wait for us on Mati Island. It is understandable that someone discovered us leaving Youjiao Port, but how could they know we would stop at Mati Island?
Could it be that someone was tracking us from the sky and we did not even notice? Moreover, tracking is unrealistic. With so little time to run back and forth, there was not even enough time to deliver a message. If we were not being tracked, how did they find us in such a short time and set up such an arrangement? Unless the other party knew our target route in advance, predicted that we would stop at Mati Island, and coordinated preparations everywhere at the same time.”
Mu Aotie’s expression became solemn, and he remained silent…
After daybreak, the group set off again. There was one less person in the crowd, and one more coffin, which Yu Qing was carrying on his shoulder.
As they walked, large patches of pure white clouds appeared in the sky ahead. At first, no one in the group paid it any mind. It was not until the sun came out that Ning Chaoyi suddenly stopped and shouted, “There is something inside the clouds.”
Something? Everyone stopped one after another and looked at the clouds together. Yu Qing also put down the coffin he was carrying.
However, after everyone observed carefully, they did not see anything. Nie Pinlan could not help but ask, “What did you see?”
Ning Chaoyi shook his head slightly. “I did not see clearly what it was either. Just now, it seemed like I saw a golden flash inside the clouds.”
Hearing him say this, everyone immediately stared at the clouds again, all suspecting in their hearts, could it be the Immortal Palace?
It could also be said that they all held expectations in this regard. After all, Wu Hei had once said that the Immortal Palace was sometimes in the sky…
Among the thousands of mountains and ravines, a group of people following in the dark also had to stop.
After observing for a while, the man with an iron mask asked strangely, “Why did they stop there?”
The Rat Old Woman beside him pondered and said, “They seem to be staring at the sky. I do not know what they are looking at.”
Hearing this, this group of people also stared up at the sky…
Yu Qing and the others stared and observed carefully for a while longer, but still did not see anything in the clouds.
Nie Pinlan asked, “Could you have seen some flying bird?”
Such suspicion was not unwarranted. After entering the Golden Ruins, they had not only seen golden mosquitoes and golden giant snakes on the way, but also golden flying birds. It was very normal for some flying bird at high altitude to reflect light after being illuminated by the sun.
At this time, Ning Chaoyi did not give any answer. Instead, he raised his hand and pointed at the clouds. “It has appeared again. Look.”
He had seen the flash before, so he knew which part of the clouds to stare at, and he was the first to spot the flash again.
Everyone looked in that direction, and sure enough, they saw a flash indeed appearing in a thinner part of the clouds. However, the clouds in the sky were actually drifting all the time, and the flash was quickly blocked by thicker clouds again.
There was indeed something there, but they could not see clearly what it was.
Even though they could no longer see it, everyone continued to stare and watch closely, hoping that when the clouds in the sky changed again, they could catch a glimpse of its true appearance.
Hard work pays off. The change they hoped for really appeared later.
After a large patch of clouds, thin in some places and thick in others, shifted away entirely, a clear golden reflection appeared in the sky. As the gap that shifted away grew larger and larger, the outline of the golden reflecting object finally revealed itself. It was a mountain!
It was a part of a mountain, a golden mountain!
Everyone immediately widened their eyes, their gazes full of disbelief.
Yu Qing quickly asked, “Mr Wu, is that riding the clouds and mist the Immortal Palace?” His form of address became increasingly respectful.
Wu Hei looked surprised and slowly nodded. “It should be!”
It was his first time seeing it too.
Everyone stared carefully, wanting to see it more clearly. However, the reflection was somewhat glaring, making it difficult to perceive the entire outline.
No one dared to be completely certain, including Wu Hei. Could the Immortal Palace really be found by them so easily?
At this very moment, the man with an iron mask and his group on the other side also saw the situation inside the clouds in the sky due to the reactions of the people over there.
“What is that?” Jiang Shan pointed and exclaimed.
The Rat Old Woman shaded her eyes with her hand and looked into the distance. “Could that be the Immortal Palace that can float in the sky, as mentioned by that dishevelled man?”
The man with an iron mask looked at the movements of Yu Qing’s group and said with a somewhat excited voice, “Nine times out of ten, I am afraid it is!”
Bai Lan was surprised and doubtful. “Found it just like that?”
The Rat Old Woman said, “We will know once we verify it.”
The man with an iron mask immediately said in a deep voice, “Gao Yuan, reveal your true form and carry me up to take a look.” After he finished speaking, there was no response from behind.
Several people turned their heads back almost at the same time and found that Gao Yuan, who had been among them just before, was gone.
A person shrouded in a black cloak behind them said, “Sir, he just left.”
Jiang Shan, who was quickly looking around, suddenly waved his hand and pointed high into the sky. “Look!”
Everyone immediately looked over and saw a giant eagle with a white head already flying towards the sky, gradually turning into a black dot as it rushed towards the clouds high above.
Jiang Shan, Bai Lan, and the Rat Old Woman looked at each other. Not knowing if Gao Yuan had other intentions in leaving alone to investigate, they all carefully looked at the reaction of the man with an iron mask. However, that man wore an iron mask, so no one could see his expression clearly. They only saw his hands slightly clenched into fists.
After his clenched fists relaxed, the man with an iron mask said in a deep voice, “Rat Old Woman, use your cane to send me up there.”
The Rat Old Woman said cautiously, “Sir, I am afraid my flying insect cannot bear this heavy burden.”
The man with an iron mask suddenly turned his head and stared at her, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
The Rat Old Woman quickly explained, “Sir, these clouds seem not high, but they are actually very high. They seem to drift slowly, but their speed is actually not slow. At least my flying insect cannot keep up with that speed. If it were not so high, my flying insect carrying one or two people to catch up would be no problem. At such a high altitude, it is already not easy for my flying insect to carry one person up there, let alone catch up with the speed of the drifting clouds. It really will not work. Unless…”
The man with an iron mask asked, “Unless what?”
The Rat Old Woman looked at the clouds. “Unless we accurately predict the direction the Immortal Palace is floating, and then rush to the route ahead to take off, only then might my flying insect be able to deliver a person to the supposed Immortal Palace.”
Hearing these words, the coldness in the eyes of the man with an iron mask gradually dissipated. He looked at the clouds again. “Let us wait a little longer and see if Gao Yuan will come back!”
The Rat Old Woman bowed slightly to show her obedience…
“That flying eagle is not golden. Look, it has flown past.”
Ning Chaoyi pointed at the sky and shouted.
Everyone concentrated and looked carefully, seeing the flying eagle. They immediately looked around, wanting to find out where the flying eagle had taken off from. They all suspected it was a subordinate of the mastermind behind the scenes. Unfortunately, they had all been focused on staring at the sky just now and had not noticed.
Yu Qing currently did not know that Bai Lan and the four demons had also entered. Otherwise, he would definitely be able to guess who that flying eagle was.
The gap between the clouds grew wider and wider, and a corner of the golden mountain in the sky was clearly revealed. It could be confirmed that it was indeed a corner of a golden mountain floating high in the sky.
It really was the Immortal Palace!
The crowd fortunate enough to witness it was still in disbelief. They had not even properly started looking, and it just accidentally floated right in front of their eyes?
The group did not know whether they should feel fortunate. If Yu Qing and the others had not insisted on staying behind to dig for gold, everyone would definitely have missed this Immortal Palace. If they had really started searching everywhere as soon as they entered, they were afraid they would not know when they might see it.
However, the fate of witnessing it was very brief. About a quarter of an hour later, thick clouds pushed in again, completely covering the golden mountain in the sky.
Yu Qing immediately asked Wu Hei, “Can you go up?”
Wu Hei shook his head. “It is too high. My cultivation cannot jump that high. It requires cultivators at the High Profound realm, with their flying skills that traverse heaven and earth.”
Yu Qing looked around. This man’s father had gone somewhere unknown again. In this vast world, it was probably not so easy to meet him again.
Nie Pinlan asked, “Mr Wu, are we just going to stare at it without being able to get our hands on it?”
Wu Hei said, “As long as the traces of the Immortal Palace are discovered, under normal circumstances, it cannot run away. We just need to keep following it, and it will land.”
Nie Pinlan asked, “Then when will it land?”
Wu Hei shook his head. “I do not know. Logically speaking, it will land sooner or later. All the golden animals here are in a state of the survival of the fittest, imitating the food chain of the outside world. Insects and ants absorb the evil energy from the earth and vegetation, flying birds eat them to absorb the evil energy, and then there are those that eat the flying birds, in various forms and so on.
For animals that have absorbed enough evil energy, the Immortal Palace will give them a chance to metamorphose, or rather evolve, granting them a more powerful body. The Immortal Palace will continuously travel throughout the entire Golden Ruins, continuously landing in each area, giving the animals in each area the opportunity to enter the Immortal Palace and advance.”