Chapter 1743: The Secret of the Spiritual Tablet

While Chi Yan and Liu Hanyi each encountered their own fortunes, some partners related to Yun Xiao, such as Mo Qing, Xu Hongzhuang, Ling Wan, also had their own encounters.

These partners mostly fought alongside Yun Xiao from the Hidden Dragon Continent; each of them possessed extraordinary cultivation talent and had their own unique traits.

Talented figures like them, even upon reaching Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, the highest plane known to ordinary people, could quickly rise to prominence and catch the eyes of some Holy Rank Great Powers.

It is believed that soon, these names will resound throughout Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, and by then, Yun Xiao will no longer be isolated and alone, only able to exploit openings to destroy some Emperor Palaces.

Of course, currently Liu Hanyi, Mo Qing, and others do not yet catch the attention of those Holy Rank experts in Nine-layered Dragon Cloud. Even the greatest talent requires time to mature.

This all serves to plant the seeds for the future of Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, which might play a decisive role someday, though these are matters for later.

......

Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, Western Regions!

In the dark night, within the dense forest of a vast mountain range, two figures sat on either side of a bonfire, the firelight casting flickering shadows on their faces.

Crackle!

Suddenly, a piece of wood in the bonfire seemed to burn to a certain extent and emitted a burst of crackling sound, causing an expression to flicker across the face of one boy wearing coarse clothing.

These two were naturally Yun Xiao and Xu Qingshan, who managed to retreat whole after destroying Ye City Emperor Palace. The mountain range was already nearly a thousand miles away from Ye City.

On the day when they obliterated nearly all the evildoers of Ye City Emperor Palace, Yun Xiao took Xu Qingshan out of the view of many cultivators, traveling north, using methods to conceal their tracks, so outsiders had no idea where they had gone.

After all, Emperor Palace was backed by the Dragon Emperor Palace. Although Yun Xiao reached Heavenly Realm Late Stage, he, as the former Dragon Cloud War God, knew well that this cultivation was merely bottom-tier in Nine-layered Dragon Cloud.

If those Holy Rank experts from Dragon Emperor Palace were to find him, given Yun Xiao’s current strength, he might not necessarily escape unscathed, so he acted with considerable prudence.

Sensing that they had escaped the crazy spies, Yun Xiao led Xu Qingshan atop this mountain range to prepare for a bit of recovery, yet discovered something obscure and puzzling this very night.

At this moment, there was a touch of sentiment and sorrow on Xu Qingshan’s face as his eyes, illuminated by the firelight, stared fixedly at the black wooden plaque in Yun Xiao’s hand, symbolizing some extraordinary significance.

The black wooden plaque in Yun Xiao’s hand was naturally the one taken from Ye City Emperor Palace Director Liu Wenzong; it engraves the long life name of the Dragon Cloud War God.

What Xu Qingshan didn’t know was that the newly acknowledged grand mentor before him was actually the Dragon Cloud War God inscribed on the plaque, the revered mentor his father risked his life to protect.

Seeing this plaque, Xu Qingshan inevitably thought of his father, the father who lived incognito and ended up dying tragically under the joint forces of Ye City Emperor Palace and Jade Sword Sect.

Yet, when he considered that his seemingly unremarkable father was actually the cherished disciple of the notorious Dragon Cloud War God, Xu Qingshan felt a surge of excitement, as if his own identity had elevated in significance.

But Yun Xiao at this moment wasn’t in the mindset to care about Xu Qingshan’s thoughts. He grasped the seemingly ordinary black wooden plaque, falling into a peculiar state.

"It’s really strange, why does this plaque give me a weird feeling?"

Yun Xiao’s gaze swept over the script on the plaque, a hint of puzzlement flashing through his mind. Moments later, his brow twitched, and formless power of soul surged onto the black spiritual tablet.

"Hmm?"

When the half-step Holy Rank power of soul fully invaded the plaque, a gleam flashed in Yun Xiao’s eyes, and he uttered a startled sound that made Xu Qingshan jump back a little.

Swish swish swish...

The originally ordinary black plaque burst forth with beams of white light, seemingly emerging from those engravings, exuding an unusual mystical aura.

"Former mentor Dragon Cloud War God, in memory of Yun Xiao Gong’s spirit, humble disciple Xu Tongshi respectfully dedicates!"

In the dark night, the white light radiating from the script was so clear, exuding an eerie strangeness that made Xu Tongshi’s mouth open wide, unable to close for a long while.

"Indeed, there is something strange!"

On the other hand, Cloudsmile’s face revealed an expression of ’just as expected.’ It seemed he had foreseen this outcome, but at this moment, he had no idea what this change would bring him.

The white light flickered continuously on the black plaque. After approximately fifteen minutes, the white light finally converged, transforming into a cluster of white light that, like a flash of lightning, returned with the power of Cloudsmile’s soul to the center of his forehead.

At first, whether it was the observer Xu Qingshan or Cloudsmile himself, both their expressions changed. They did not know whether the white light was beneficial or harmful to the physical body, nor whether it had any corrosive effects on the power of the soul.

However, in the next moment, when Xu Qingshan saw Cloudsmile’s slightly furrowed brows smooth out, he relaxed, gaining an inexplicable confidence in this ancestor.

This was not just because Cloudsmile had much higher Meridian Qi cultivation than Xu Qingshan, but also because of the fearless demeanor he displayed when facing the Emperor Canglong Palace and even the Ye City Emperor Palace.

Since the mysterious demise of the Long Xiao Battle God, the actions of the Canglong Palace had become increasingly arrogant. Over nearly a hundred years on the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, few dared to provoke the various city Emperor Palaces, much less kill and obliterate the evidence.

Even colossal entities like the Four Great Families were obliterated after challenging the Canglong Palace, although it could not even be called a challenge—they merely had some questions that needed answers from the Canglong Palace.

Since the eradication of the Four Great Families, there was hardly a whisper against the Canglong Palace on the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud. Over time, the accumulated power of the Canglong Palace had deeply imprinted itself in the hearts of every cultivator.

Yet, during this time of the Emperor Palace’s dominance over the Dragon Cloud for a century, a young man named Cloudsmile emerged suddenly, directly taking Xu Qingshan to destroy the Ye City Emperor Palace. Even the Chief Liu Wenzong was forcibly slain. How domineering was this?

These thoughts flashed through Xu Qingshan’s mind. When he saw the anomaly on the spiritual tablet, his confidence in following Cloudsmile became even firmer.

"So that’s how it is!"

Just as Xu Qingshan’s mind was filled with emotions, Cloudsmile had already unfurrowed his brow, for he had understood what the white light that entered his forehead truly was.

It could be said to be a mysterious power stored within the black spiritual tablet, or some intentionally left information. Naturally, the one behind these actions was Cloudsmile’s former life’s sole disciple, Xu Tongshi.

In those tumultuous days, Emperor Canglong and Lu Qinwan conspired to lure the Long Xiao Battle God into the palace and suddenly attacked him. Afterward, they stripped him of his storage bracelet, a truly despicable act.

After being reborn, although Cloudsmile retained memories of the Long Xiao Battle God’s possessions, treasures like the heavenly materials and elixirs collected back then were no longer in existence.

Fortunately, though the Long Xiao Battle God perished, his disciple Xu Tongshi was quite alert. Once he sensed something was off, he fled far away, living under an alias for years, preserving many things his teacher had gifted him.

Though Xu Tongshi’s talent was average back then, given the identity of the Long Xiao Battle God, being his sole disciple, anything casually bestowed by him could not have been mere mortal items.

The information contained in that white light revealed the locations where these items were hidden. For Cloudsmile at this moment, this was nothing short of a godsend, something that might even alter his plans.

Upon realizing the nature of this information, Cloudsmile was naturally overjoyed. He even felt somewhat fortunate that Xu Tongshi’s talent was mediocre; otherwise, these items might have been somewhat useless to him now.

Although Cloudsmile possessed the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique, there was a limit to how much energy from heavenly materials he could absorb. For instance, those Intermediate to Advanced Holy Rank items, were he to absorb them now, the outcome would be uncertain.

Recalling from memory, Cloudsmile thought of several types of heavenly materials he had given Xu Tongshi back then. These could be immensely beneficial to him now, possibly even helping him break through to the Holy Rank Third Realm.

Initially, Cloudsmile thought he had only found the son of his former beloved disciple, but he had not anticipated such a delightful surprise. However, amidst the joy, a faint sadness appeared on his face.

It seemed he was contemplating the effort Xu Tongshi had to expend to hide these heavenly materials and treasures, and the caution required to avoid being discovered by the Canglong Palace.

"Tongshi, you have thought it through!"

After digesting all this information, Cloudsmile murmured softly, suddenly standing up from beside the campfire, startling Xu Qingshan, who had been watching him the whole time.

"Qingshan, come here!"

Taking a deep breath, Cloudsmile beckoned to Xu Qingshan with a seemingly grave tone, bringing him back to his senses. Realizing the seriousness in Cloudsmile’s expression, he respectfully approached and stood by his side.

Xu Qingshan was not dull; on the contrary, his talent surpassed that of his father. Seeing his master’s serious demeanor, he understood that there were likely matters requiring serious attention.