Chapter 296 - 291: I Am Qingxu Tongxuan Guanmiao True Monarch

Upon hearing the terrible news, Jie Yu’s vision went black. A surge of rage assailed her, and she nearly fainted.

Her body swayed noticeably, and she teetered on the verge of collapse before she managed to ask in a trembling voice, "Where did he go?"

Du Youqian wanted to tell her the truth—’I think I ate him’—but he was afraid that would only make her angrier. So, he could only offer a vague reply, "Anyway... he’s just gone."

"I’m asking you, *how* is he gone!" Jie Yu ground her teeth. The look on her face suggested she wanted to tear a chunk of flesh right off Du Youqian’s body.

Du Youqian, startled by her ferocious gaze, explained, "He just suddenly... disappeared."

Jie Yu calmed down slightly. Perhaps it was because Du Youqian hadn’t fled, but had come to face her willingly, that she decided to give him a chance to explain.

"Explain in detail. How did he suddenly disappear?"

Du Youqian’s thoughts drifted back to that day...

On that day, as Du Youqian prepared to leave, the Creation Jade Scroll stirred without any wind and flew right in front of him.

Not wanting to invite trouble, Du Youqian waved his hand, trying to shoo the Creation Jade Scroll away.

However, the thing was absurdly persistent. It took advantage of his gesture, shooting forward and slamming into his hand like a con artist throwing themself at a car.

Du Youqian couldn’t dodge in time. The moment the Creation Jade Scroll touched his hand, he jolted as if he’d been electrocuted.

The next instant, he found he was no longer where he had been.

There was none of the usual dizziness that came with spatial transportation. He had simply, abruptly, appeared inside a palace he had never seen before.

And Little Wukong was nowhere to be seen.

A certain kind of energy swirled like a dense mist inside the palace.

Although Du Youqian had never encountered this aura before, he knew instinctively that this dense, almost tangible substance was Immortal Qi.

For some unknown reason, his Divine Sense, which was comparable to that of a Core Formation Master, had shrunk drastically. He could barely scan the hall he was in, unable to extend it any further.

Du Youqian tried to absorb the Immortal Qi. To his surprise, it was like water flooding a sponge, frantically pouring into his body.

In just a few breaths, his body, with its Body Refining Cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer, felt like it was about to burst.

He quickly stopped and began a full Circulation.

To his surprise yet again, the Immortal Qi seemed indifferent to his Cultivation Technique and the fact that he was a Body Refining Cultivator. It was refined with incredible ease, allowing him to silently and effortlessly break through to the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer, entering the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Moreover, this Immortal Qi seemed to be of immense benefit to his Body Refining.

Using Introspection, Du Youqian saw that his previous advancements hadn’t been perfect. However, during this breakthrough, all the lingering flaws and weak points in his Body Refining were miraculously repaired and perfected.

If he were to return now, he could probably call himself "the greatest Body Refining Cultivator in Momenan in the last eight thousand years."

He estimated that in terms of Body Refining, even the old Core Formation monks of the Great Compassion Temple were now likely his inferiors.

Du Youqian simply sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate, taking advantage of the dense Immortal Qi.

He was actually aware that this place wasn’t real, and that he hadn’t truly arrived here. ’Otherwise, where is Little Wukong?’

Although everything felt incredibly real, with no sense of being an illusion, he had already used his Secret Technique for Eliminating Illusions several times and had found nothing.

But Du Youqian was certain this was only because the creator of this place was far too skilled. Their Illusion Technique was beyond his comprehension, making it impossible for him to see through it.

’But fake is fake, it can’t become real... Uh, then again, maybe what’s fake *can* become real.’

’For instance, back in the relics of the Cyan Yang Sect, weren’t the phantoms of the sect and the Demon Race trying to turn from illusion to reality and enter the present world?’

’For a Great Power, perhaps the distinction between real and fake is just a matter of a single thought.’

’So, what exactly is going on here?’

Du Youqian was eager to test whether the progress in his Magical Power and the breakthrough in his Body Refining gained from cultivating here could be brought back to the real world.

With his current Cultivation, Fasting for several months was no problem at all.

As he cultivated, he didn’t even need several months. In just one month, he broke through from the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer to Foundation Establishment Perfection with unstoppable momentum.

He even had the faint feeling that in a place with such dense Immortal Qi, achieving Core Formation would be astonishingly easy.

But a voice from the depths of his consciousness warned him not to attempt Core Formation here.

Of course, this wasn’t an actual voice speaking, but rather Du Youqian’s own intuition.

After obtaining the Great Divine Ability, "Knowing the Celestial Mandate," this intuition had already helped him countless times.

Du Youqian had great faith in his intuition, so he immediately exited his state of Cultivation and began to explore the palace.

He quickly finished exploring the palace.

The palace seemed to be a reception hall for guests. There was no bed, but there was a low couch one could rest on.

The furnishings were sparse but exquisite, and the patterns on the walls and furniture were of a simple and elegant ancient design.

The palace appeared to be ancient, but it was perfectly maintained, without a single speck of dust.

Every brick and stone in the palace, down to every last table and chair, was crafted from incredibly rare and precious materials.

’Just how precious were they?’

He didn’t recognize any of them, but he could faintly sense that the fundamental nature of these materials was exceedingly high.

It reminded Du Youqian of browsing luxury goods stores on Earth hundreds of years ago.

’Everything was amazing, and he couldn’t afford a single thing.’

Even knowing they were fake, Du Youqian still gathered a few small, rare materials and placed them in his Storage Treasure Pouch.

’But what if? What if he could actually take them back with him?’

It was just like with the Demon Core from the Cyan Yang Sect’s relics. The Demons they had slain were mere phantoms, and the Demon Cores they’d extracted had turned to ash. Yet, the Demon Core given to him by the Vermilion Demon Emperor had become real.

After thoroughly exploring the palace, Du Youqian performed a Divination. Finding no danger, he cautiously stepped out through the only large door.

Outside was a garden. Through the swirling Immortal Qi, he could vaguely make out other palaces connected by covered walkways and winding paths.

The rare and exotic plants in the garden showed signs of being tended by a Spirit Plant Cultivator, but as Du Youqian looked around, he found that this vast space was completely empty, save for himself.

Du Youqian’s gaze fell upon a nearby palace, which seemed to exert a strange pull on him.

’Should I go?’

Trapped in this strange place with no way back, Du Youqian considered his options. After another Divination confirmed there was no danger, he decided to go have a look.

As soon as he drew near the palace, Du Youqian heard the sound of someone speaking.

But when he focused to listen, he couldn’t make out the words. This contradiction made him hesitate.

Normally, with his level of hearing, if he could perceive a sound, he should be able to make it out clearly.

’What’s going on?’

’Perhaps in a strange place like this, many things can’t be explained by common sense.’

’Anyway, my real body isn’t here, so there shouldn’t be any real danger.’

After hesitating for a moment, Du Youqian continued forward.

Before the palace lay a dozen or so steps carved from some unknown type of jade.

’It’s probably Tier Five.’

’If I just dug up a piece of this and sold it back home... oh, right, I wouldn’t be able to sell it.’

’The highest cultivation in Momenan is only Tier Three. They wouldn’t even be able to process Tier Five jade.’

Du Youqian carefully ascended the steps. The moment he entered the palace, he froze.

In the center of the palace sat a figure in bright yellow robes, wearing an ancient crown from which twelve strings of beads dangled. The sight was both solemn and mysterious.

The crowned figure sat at a desk, holding a stylus and writing furiously on something before him.

A neatly arranged stack of Jade Scrolls lay on the desk. Beside them were a Jade Seal and a thin Jade Slab.

Du Youqian felt that the Jade Slab and the stylus looked extremely familiar.

After a moment of thought, realization dawned on him. ’Aren’t those the Creation Jade Scroll and the Spring and Autumn Brush!’

’I’m screwed! The imposter has just run into the real deal!’

’Just what level is a Great Power who can use the Creation Jade Scroll and the Spring and Autumn Brush? I need an answer, like, right now! This is an emergency!’

Du Youqian’s mind was buzzing; he felt that a great disaster was about to befall him.

However, even after a long while, the crowned figure hadn’t so much as glanced in his direction.

Du Youqian was no fool; he quickly figured it out.

’The Ancient Celestial Court has already been destroyed. The Spring and Autumn Brush and the Creation Jade Scroll were shattered into countless fragments long ago.’

’This scene... isn’t it something from tens of thousands of years in the past?’

’I’m merely a spectator.’

In the great hall, the crowned figure was not alone.

Several other people dressed in ancient attire were present. Some stood bowed before the crowned figure, seemingly ready to answer any questions he might have.

Others held large stacks of Jade Scrolls, searching through them.

Still others were dressed as guards, their long swords hanging at their waists, their bearing dignified and imposing.

Du Youqian stood watching for an unknown amount of time before the crowned figure finally looked up. The Jade Algae beads on his crown tapped against each other, creating a crisp, clear chime.

He set down his stylus and said calmly, "That will be all for today."

His voice was cool and resonant, like the striking of metal on stone.

The others all put down what they were holding and backed out of the room.

They passed by Du Youqian, completely unaware of his presence, some even walking straight through his body.

Du Youqian knew they were phantoms, so of course he wasn’t afraid.

Just then, the crowned figure glanced in his direction.

Du Youqian’s heart began to pound.

He quickly tried to reassure himself. ’Impossible. This is a person from who knows how many tens of thousands of years ago. How could he possibly see me across the vast river of time?’

But to his shock, the crowned figure spoke in a deep voice, "Who stands before me?"

Du Youqian shook his head. ’Impossible. He can’t possibly be talking to me.’

He glanced around, but there was no one else there...

"Who are you looking around for? I am speaking to you!"

Du Youqian’s heart nearly leaped out of his throat.

’No way, no way!’

’An ancient fossil from tens of thousands of years ago is talking to me across the river of time! How am I supposed to answer?’

Du Youqian hadn’t cried in several hundred years.

He rarely even experienced intense emotions.

But right now, he really wanted to cry.

’I don’t know if I should answer. I don’t know what will happen if I do... or what will happen if I don’t!’

"Who are you?"

The voice held no trace of impatience, but Du Youqian didn’t dare delay any longer.

At that moment, inspiration struck. He announced in a clear voice, "I am Qingxu Tongxuan Guanmiao True Monarch."