Chapter 1361
Cooperative Smuggling, Two-Pronged Approach
Several months later, near the perimeter of the fetal membranes.
Inside the crimson fire cloud, a tiny spatial rift, about the size of a fingernail, suddenly appeared in mid-air.
Then, the spatial rift widened.
Before long, the spatial rift had widened from a tiny crack to the size of a palm, and a bronze-colored spiritual light suddenly emerged from it.
Two bronze insects, each about a foot in size, emerged directly from the crack.
After the two ancient bronze insects appeared, they spread their wings and seemed very excited. After circling in mid-air, they returned to the exit and desperately pulled at the spatial rift.
Before long, several more streaks of light flew out from inside and landed on the stone platform outside.
The light dissipated, revealing three figures.
The young man was dressed in a blue robe, and his face appeared somewhat ordinary.
The spirited young girl not far away was wearing golden armor and barefoot, with two golden dragon horns on her head, which, combined with her big eyes, made her look quite cute.
Beside the golden-armored girl was a beautiful woman dressed in red palace attire, who appeared to be slightly more mature than her.
Having just escaped from the spatial rift, the three of them were pale and covered in fine beads of sweat.
They all looked extremely tired, as if they had just gone through a fierce battle.
These three people were none other than Song Qingming, Ao Xing, and Huo Feng, who had just escaped from the spatial passage.
After helping Ao Xing out of his predicament, the three of them were trapped in the spatial passage and had no choice but to work together to escape.
Fortunately, all three were Nascent Soul cultivators, and Song Qingming and Ao Xing both possessed treasures that could suppress spatial rifts.
With the three working together, it took them several months to finally find the weak point in the spatial passage, break through a spatial rift, and successfully escape from inside.
However, after several months of continuous use of their magical power, Song Qingming and the other two all looked exhausted from excessive use of their magical power.
Fortunately, they have now escaped from the spatial passage.
No longer do we have to constantly face those terrifying space storms.
After glancing around and confirming that they seemed to be safe, the three of them wore relieved smiles, as if they had survived a disaster.
"We finally escaped! Are you all alright?"
"Don't worry, I'm not injured, I just used up some of my magic power!"
"I'm fine too!"
Having just gone through a life-or-death ordeal together, the group managed to escape with great difficulty only through their combined efforts.
At this moment, Ao Xing's gaze towards "Song Qingming" and Huo Feng was no longer as hostile as before, and his tone had also softened considerably.
Seeing that "Fire Phoenix" and Ao Xing both seemed to have suffered some minor injuries, Song Qingming immediately took out two bottles of pills from his person and placed them in front of them.
"This contains high-level elixirs that can help quickly restore mana."
Thank you!
"No need, I have my own!"
Faced with the pills kindly offered by "Song Qingming", "Fire Phoenix" showed great trust and generously accepted the elixir.
Although Ao Xing also looked exhausted, she still instinctively raised her hand to refuse the other party, and then took out a bottle of spiritual liquid from her body and poured it into her mouth.
Seeing this, "Song Qingming" didn't say anything more, put away the jade bottle, and began to sit cross-legged to recover his magical power.
".
After meditating for a while, the three of them gradually regained their normal complexion.
With the help of the incomplete map, Song Qingming recovered his magic power much faster than ordinary people. In just a quarter of an hour, he had already recovered seventy or eighty percent of the magic power in his body.
He then used magic to heal some of the injuries he had sustained while fighting the spatial storm.
Song Qingming got up first and went to the location of the spatial rift not far away.
Song Qingming released his divine sense to carefully cover the vicinity of the spatial rift, and soon he sensed a spatial fluctuation, which was the location of the previous spatial node.
Just as Song Qingming was carefully examining this spatial node, he suddenly sensed a surge of spiritual energy coming from behind him.
When he turned around, he realized that Ao Xing, who had just been sitting on the ground recovering his magic power, had somehow walked up behind him.
"The interface power in this spatial node is much more powerful than I have seen before. If it weren't for the fact that you happened to have the Holy Star Disk with you to help weaken the surrounding spatial interface, it would have been much stronger."
"With just the Heavenly Secret Sumeru Insect, it probably won't be so easy for us to tear apart the spatial rift and escape."
"Fellow Daoist Ao, you're too kind. We were able to escape today mainly thanks to your efforts!"
Seeing that "Song Qingming" spoke to him in a humble tone, Ao Xing waved his hand.
"Fellow Daoist Song, I'm telling you this not to compete for your credit."
Instead, I'd like to ask fellow Daoists what their thoughts are on this spatial node?
Human cultivators have short lifespans, and many ultimately choose to sneak into spatial nodes. Logically, you should know more about this than I do.”
“Fellow Daoist Ao, my Daoist name is Golden Wind True Man. I am a wandering cultivator who travels the world. I am not the Fellow Daoist Song you know.”
If you want to talk to me about this, could you please change how you address me first?
"Oh! So you prefer to be addressed by this Daoist title, Fellow Daoist Song, why didn't you say so sooner!"
".
Seeing Ao Xing looking at him strangely, Song Qingming paused slightly, then turned to look at the still fluctuating "spatial node" in front of him.
"I have read some notes left by senior cultivators that record spatial nodes. Indeed, there are quite a few places in the outer void where spatial nodes exist."
I just checked, and the spatial node here is indeed quite stable.
If a large array could be set up to stabilize it, it should be useful.
However, you've probably already seen what's inside. With our current cultivation level, if we rashly enter, it would be very difficult to reach the Upper Realm safely.
When Song Qingming was invited by "Granny Jin Yue" to set up an array in Lei Yuanhai, he also entered that spatial node and had some understanding of it.
When the three of them escaped from inside, Song Qingming clearly sensed this spatial node, which seemed to be relatively stable.
The conditions were no worse than those of the spatial node he had seen in "Lei Yuan Hai".
Compared to the "Huayang Realm", the power of the two realms in the outer void is relatively weak, and many of those ancestors chose this place when they descended to the lower realms.
The spatial node that his master, Lingxuzi, entered was also near the outer membrane.
In previous years, after obtaining relevant information from "Master Lü Yang", Song Qingming went to many places to explore, and also went to the outer space to look for that spatial node.
The "spatial nodes" are suppressed by the power of the two realms, sometimes disappearing and sometimes suddenly appearing in the surrounding space.
Without a powerful magic array to hold it in place, it is generally difficult to maintain stability for a long time.
The spatial node that "Ling Xuzi" entered has become extremely violent after hundreds of years and is no longer suitable for cultivators to enter.
Over the years, Song Qingming has searched for many places in order to find spatial nodes.
Apart from the spatial node "Lei Yuanhai", most of them are in such an extremely unstable state.
The spatial node in front of him, located in the outer heavens, is the only place he has found that a cultivator can still enter.
Upon hearing Song Qingming's reply, Ao Xing, who was standing still, also looked thoughtful.
"Over the years, I have been searching for space nodes for hundreds of years, and I have also entered several usable space channels."
To be honest, I think the same way you do; I also believe this spatial node is usable.
Having encountered Ao Xing twice in the heavens before, Song Qingming never knew why the other party liked to stay here all year round.
Now that he heard the other party explain, he finally understood that Ao Xing had been searching for "spatial nodes" in the outer sky.
No wonder she searched everywhere for the "Heavenly Secret Sumeru Worm" and the "Sacred Star Plate".
It seems that the other party, like him, had long planned to sneak into the upper realm.
Seeing that "Song Qingming" was looking at him with a strange expression, Ao Xing didn't pretend to hide anything and asked directly:
"Since Fellow Daoist Song and I share the same opinion that this spatial node is useful, I wonder if we could cooperate on this matter?"
As a human cultivator, you should be able to find a way to stabilize this spatial node.
I also have a way to imprison this Heavenly Thunderfire, if the two of us can cooperate.
"If we go in together, our chances of success will increase significantly!"
"To cooperate with you?"
Although it was guessed that Ao Xing was very optimistic about this "spatial node" and must want to enter it in the future.
However, upon hearing that this "True Dragon Clan" had actually taken the initiative to invite him, a human cultivator, to cooperate, Song Qingming's face showed a hint of surprise.
"Fellow Daoist, as a member of the True Dragon Clan, you should have no shortage of companions. Why do you want to cooperate with me?"
"You're right, the True Dragon Clan does not lack Nascent Soul cultivators, but those old guys are busy with other things and have no intention of risking coming here to smuggle across the spatial node."
I'm inviting you to cooperate, not just because you're a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"Having dealt with you so many times, I can see that you possess extraordinary abilities."
Not only do you possess a physical body comparable to that of a true dragon, but you also have numerous powerful spiritual treasures and magical formations on your person. Even if you were a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, I think you would be comparable.
Cooperating with you is much more reliable than going to those ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
Besides that, there's one more thing...
"And there's the Sacred Star Chart, right!"
"Haha, dealing with someone as clever as you is really much less troublesome."
Previously, Ao Xing alone chased him and "Fire Phoenix" all the way to the heavens.
Hearing Ao Xing constantly boasting about her supernatural powers, Song Qingming instinctively became wary and quickly discerned her true thoughts.
The reason the other party went through all that trouble was that they ultimately wanted the Sacred Star Compass in his hand.
Compared to other spiritual treasures, the "Sacred Star Disc" may not be the most powerful, but it is a special treasure that is very effective at suppressing spatial rifts.
This treasure can not only help withstand spatial storms, but also detect spatial rifts and weak points in spatial passages in advance. For cultivators who want to sneak through "spatial nodes," this treasure is far more useful than ordinary spiritual treasures.
Back when he was still in the Nascent Soul stage, Ao Xing had already set his sights on this treasure he possessed.
Hearing the other party boast about his magical treasures, Song Qingming immediately thought of the "Sacred Star Compass" in his hand.
Seeing this, Ao Xing smiled slightly and did not try to hide his thoughts.
"I wasn't very confident about smuggling into the space nodes before, but the situation is a bit different now."
"Fellow Daoist possesses the Sacred Star Disc. Combined with my Heavenly Mystery Sumeru Insect, our cooperation should increase our chances of successfully smuggling into the spatial node by 30-40%."
"A 30-40% chance? Fellow Daoist, you are that confident?"
Seeing Song Qingming looking at him with some confusion, Ao Xing also showed a smile.
“That’s right! If the two of us can work together, we’re definitely 30% to 40% sure of success. I’m not just bragging to you, fellow Daoist.”
Of course, I'm not talking about now.
Currently, both of us are only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and we lack sufficient defensive treasures. Entering the spatial node rashly would likely be extremely dangerous.
However, once our cultivation breaks through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, our supernatural powers and magical abilities will be far beyond what we have now.
"As long as I bring more defensive treasures in the future, my chances of successfully sneaking into the upper realm will increase considerably. I think you can trust me on that!"
"If one's cultivation advances to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, the chances of entering a spatial node will naturally increase significantly."
However, I am still some distance from the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and I don't know when I will be able to break through this barrier.
The "spatial node" is extremely dangerous. Even if a cultivator in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm possesses special treasures, the probability of success is not very high if they rashly enter it.
For tens of thousands of years, those who dared to enter the spatial node to sneak into the upper realm were generally cultivators at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm or above.
Only a very few early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators like "Ancestor Jin Yuan" would risk everything and choose to sneak into the upper realm when their lifespan is nearing its end and they have no other way out.
Upon hearing what Ao Xing said, Song Qingming nodded slightly.
"As a human cultivator, your cultivation speed far surpasses that of ordinary people. I think a few hundred years should be enough for you at most."
This spatial node only appeared during our previous fight, so it shouldn't dissipate so quickly.
If we stabilize it and persist for a few hundred years, I think that will definitely be enough.
To be honest, I have some things that might be useful for your cultivation.
"If you would agree to cooperate with me, I can give you one or two items as payment for your help in stabilizing the spatial node."
"Oh! You're so generous?"
Upon hearing that Ao Xing was willing to give him one or two high-level spiritual items that could improve his cultivation, a glint of light flashed in Song Qingming's eyes.
Before he could speak further, Ao Xing raised his hand and took out a jade bottle, placing it in front of the other person.
"This contains Dragon Jade Spirit Water. You know its effects, so I don't need to explain it to you any further!"
"If you agree to cooperate with me, this item will be a token of my sincerity."
However, I have a small request: regarding this spatial node, I can only cooperate with you, and you must never disclose it to other human cultivators.
Over the years, although Song Qingming had been collecting spiritual items for his cultivation, the results were not satisfactory.
Even though affiliated sects often come to Qingyun Mountain to offer treasures, almost none of them can actually provide anything that is truly helpful to their cultivation.
I've occasionally gone out to attend a few trade conferences, but I've rarely had any unexpected gains.
The Dragon Jade Spirit Water in Ao Xing's hand was a bottle that "Song Qingming" had obtained from her when he had just advanced to the Nascent Soul stage in the Ziyang Heavenly Palace.
This item is of great help to cultivators in the early stages of the Nascent Soul realm. One bottle of spiritual water can save at least a hundred years of meditation and arduous cultivation.
Upon seeing the jade bottle in the other party's hand, Song Qingming's heart stirred slightly.
"If I were to cooperate with you, I certainly wouldn't want too many people getting involved, and I can agree to that!"
However, I also hope that you, fellow Daoist, will abide by this agreement; without my consent, you cannot allow anyone else to interfere.”
"Okay! It's settled then. If anything changes, we can discuss it ourselves."
Faced with Song Qingming's reminder, Ao Xing pondered for a moment and quickly nodded in agreement, then tossed the jade bottle in his hand to the other party.
After receiving the jade bottle, Song Qingming checked that there was nothing wrong with the spiritual object in his hand and put it away with a satisfied expression.
".
The two chatted for a while longer, and then they saw that "Fire Phoenix" had recovered its magic power and was walking over to them.
"Fellow Daoist Ao, why are you staring at me like that? Do you want to start a fight here?"
Seeing that Ao Xing was staring intently at her, "Fire Phoenix" took the initiative to stand next to Song Qingming.
"Haha, the space here is so unstable, I don't want to go in with you again!"
I didn't win this duel, but you can take the Phoenix Blood Immortal Stone with you.
However, I'm warning you, you might not be so lucky next time we meet.
"I have some things to attend to here. If you two wish to leave, please do so as well!"
Farewell!
".
Even if she and Song Qingming joined forces, facing Ao Xing who wielded the "Dragon King's Seal," "Fire Phoenix" knew that it wouldn't be easy for the two of them to defeat him.
Now that they've been missing for so long in the outer heavens, other cultivators from the "True Dragon Clan" might track them down here sometime.
Seeing that Ao Xing had no intention of making things difficult for her, "Fire Phoenix" did not linger with him. After exchanging a glance with Song Qingming, they left the crimson fire cloud together.
Only after the two returned to the outer perimeter of the membrane and confirmed that the other party was not chasing them did "Fire Phoenix" relax a little.
"They really didn't chase after us? What exactly did you and she talk about just now?"
"He didn't say anything, he just studied that spatial node!"
When discussing the smuggling of the "space node" with Ao Xing, the two used private telepathy, and "Fire Phoenix" was unaware of the details.
Upon hearing the question, Song Qingming immediately gave a half-truthful reply.
Upon hearing this, "Fire Phoenix" nodded thoughtfully.
"We were able to retrieve the relics of our ancestors this time, thanks to your help."
"I was also doing this for a fee. Our relationship is different from others, so there's no need for formalities."
"I've been out for quite a while now, and it's about time I head back. If there's nothing else, then let's part ways here."
Seeing the gratitude on "Fire Phoenix's" face, Song Qingming immediately waved goodbye and left.
Watching the other party's departing light, "Fire Phoenix" stood silently for a long time before turning around and flying in another direction.
".
Fuyun Mountain Range, northeast of Qingyun Mountain.
A streak of light descended from the sky, landing in mid-air hundreds of miles away from "Qingyun Mountain".
Taking out the cyan jade shuttle and stepping onto it, Song Qingming lightly patted the "Sacred Star Disc" at his waist, and a voice quickly appeared in his ear.
"I've examined that spatial node. As long as a magic array is set up to stabilize it, it can indeed be used."
With the Heavenly Secrets Sumeru Insect in her possession, plus our Sacred Star Plate, the chances of a successful smuggling trip are indeed quite high.
However, smuggling into a spatial node is no trivial matter. You need to make sure you can trust this person before considering cooperating with her.
The space nodes used for smuggling are extraordinary. If something goes wrong inside and the other party becomes unreliable, it could be extremely dangerous for you.
In comparison, I still think you can trust the one from the Tower of Babel more!
"Compared to her, I would certainly prefer to believe Xia Mo."
"But over the years, I haven't made much progress in cultivating that technique, so it's hard to say whether this method will work!"
"Since you, Brother Qu, also think that spatial node is usable, we should not give up on this matter easily. We should also try to make preparations as soon as possible."
Although he had initially agreed to Xia Mo's idea and planned to cooperate with her to ascend to the upper realm.
However, over the years, Song Qingming has made little progress in cultivating the secret technique provided by the other party, which has greatly reduced his expectations for the plan.
Collaborating with Ao Xing to smuggle space nodes is, while, a possibility.
However, as Qu Bai said, Song Qingming and the other party currently lack trust, and it is hard to say how this matter will develop in the future.
Whether it's cooperating with Aoxing to sneak across spatial nodes, or considering joining forces with Xia Mo to ascend to the upper realm together.
Song Qingming is currently unable to confirm which of these two options will be feasible.
For him, the chances of successfully ascending to the upper realm were slim to begin with, and he could not easily give up as long as there was any hope.
Seeing that Song Qingming already had his own ideas, Qu Bai also spoke up in response:
"You're right. No matter which path you choose, it's best not to place all your hopes on one person. You should prepare yourself in advance."
Once you get back, you can focus on your seclusion.
I will try my best to refine more defensive magical treasures for you; you'll definitely need them when we enter the spatial node.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Qu!"
Nodding to "Qu Bai", Song Qingming's speed increased even further.
Seeing that "Qingyun Mountain" was already close at hand, Song Qingming suddenly sensed that there was also a beam of light coming from not far to the side.
As soon as he probed with his divine sense, he immediately sensed a familiar aura, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.
Before long, the jade shuttle beneath Song Qingming's feet stopped not far in front of the mountain-protecting formation.
He could see a streak of light approaching him rapidly from afar.
“Oh, my husband.”
When did you get back? (End of Chapter)