Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 1133 – Ancient Teleportation Array, Members of Formation Immortal Sect

Even now, Qing Shui could still recall how Yu Ruyan was like in the past. She was a powerful woman who had an air of dignity and holiness around her. On top of that, she was also a beautiful woman that was inviolable. She had helped him out quite a lot too. If it wasn’t for the incident that time, Qing Shui wouldn’t have thought of being in such relationship with her, even in his dreams.

Sometimes, one would only know if something would work out after it had happened. The Northern Sea was already within their sight. So much time had passed before he could even realize it.

Over this period of time, Yu Ruyan was like a considerate and delicate little woman. She was acting just like a wife. She knew how to take care of people well in everyday life, including meals and even clothes. Qing Shui had actually been taking care of himself all this time, but he was really enjoying such treatment right now.

The more time he spent with her, the more he had come to realize her wonderfulness. It reminded him of the phrase, ‘elegant enough to show around to guests and skillful enough to make delicious cuisines’. In the bedroom, she was seductive enough to suck Qing Shui’s soul out of his body. However, when she was outside, she was so noble that no one would dare disrespect her.

Most importantly, Qing Shui felt that Yu Ruyan seemed to be younger now compared to before. Rather than physically, this was more like mentally. He was aware that both of them had undergone these changes.

In the past, he had always seen her as a senior because Qing Shui was slightly younger than her in age. However, he had gradually grown mature over all this time. In addition to the breakthrough in their relationship, he felt that they were slowly growing closer to each other in age. Perhaps someday, she would truly become a little woman.

They didn’t stop at the Northern Sea and traversed it with the Nine Continents Steps instead. Qiu Feng had already departed. Qing Shui reckoned that he would most likely be waiting for him at the Lion King’s Mountain!

Qing Shui suddenly remembered Tantai Xuan. That woman said that they would meet when he headed to the other Four Continents. He wondered if she would be alone or be accompanied by someone. He guessed that he would only know by that time.

“Ruyan, what’s your opinion on Qiu Feng?” Qing Shui asked while smiling. He wanted to listen to her intuition.

Yu Ruyan was taken by surprise at his question before she answered with a smile. “My intuition tells me that he is a great man. However, I am not sure how he truly is. Besides, every good and bad persons have their own reasons for being so, or they could be pretending. Sometimes, it is actually not necessary to think if someone is a good or bad person. You should instead see if this person is a good or bad person to you.”

“Oh, what a wise opinion that is, Madam. A union based on interests.” Relationships were also a type of union based on interests. For instance, there would always be a reason behind two people being best friends. No one would become great friends without rhyme or reason. There was a reason behind everything.

“Qing Shui, I am not an influential person. I feel that the only truest thing in this world is familial bond. It is the most sacred. Even for other bonds like love, they are all mixed with some other things like self-interest or schemes. There are always reasons behind good or ill intentions.” Yu Ruyan said softly, seemingly a little uncomfortable.

“That’s true. Affections can be divided into three categories, familial affection, love, and friendship. The feelings between a man and a woman start from friendship to love before they turn into familial affection. The feelings between two people who are in love will turn into familial affection when it reaches a certain extent. Only at this point, they will become selfless. Friendship can also turn into a friendship of life and death, a friendship that is like family. Ruyan, you are my family, my woman.” Qing Shui smiled while lying on the back of the Golden Scaled Dragon Elephant and pulled Yu Ruyan into his arms.

Qing Shui understood what Yu Ruyan was saying. There was no love or hatred without any rhyme or reason. In the end, everything had a reason. Such was human society. Qing Shui felt that going with Qiu Feng to the other Four Continents could at least allow him to become familiar with some things very fast. But of course, the main reason was still because they hit it off pretty well.

For him, he probably wished for Qing Shui to join the Formation Immortal Sect!

In the beginning, there must be some reason for people to become friends. Only with a deepening friendship between them could they take their relationship to another level; to the level of a friendship of life and death or a confidant…….

Qing Shui had no idea how deep the relationship between him and Qiu Feng could grow, how the Formation Immortal Sect was or if the Ancient Teleportation Array would send him to that continent of the other Four Continents. Everything was still uncertain.

However, he’d get his answers as soon as he went there.

……….

Time passed quickly. The Lion King’s Mountain was already in their sight. Everything here still looked the same. It hadn’t changed too much since more than half a year ago, when Qing Shui left there.

The last time Qing Shui left, he had already sensed a wave of ancient Qi. Back then, he was already certain that it was the Qi from the Ancient Teleportation Array. He had the required core ready too.

Qiu Feng had mentioned last time that there were people robbing cores. Some powerful people who were heading towards the other Four Continents would rob weaker people of their cores at the Ancient Teleportation Array.

Even so, Qing Shui wasn’t worried. If anyone was blind enough to try and rob him, he wouldn’t mind wiping them out. Although this kind of people had the strength to hunt for cores, they still choose to obtain them by reaping without sowing. They even relied on their strength to kill and rob. Even if the Main Continent advocated Martial Arts, these kinds of people usually wouldn’t meet a good end.

By the time they arrived at the Lion King’s Mountain, there was still ten days till the activation of the Ancient Teleportation Array. As soon as they entered the Lion King’s Mountain, Qing Shui sensed the undulations of powerful Qi.

Some enormous flying beasts would fly by in the sky from time to time. The cultivators riding on them were basically above 5,000 stars of strength. He wasn’t sure if they were from the other Four Continents or guarding the Ancient Teleportation Array.

There were quite a number of seclusive sects and aristocrat clans in this generation. The Lion King’s Mountain was considered the closest place to the other Four Continents. It was said that due to the teleportation array, the Spiritual Qi of the other Four Continents were drawn towards here. This was the reason why the laws of the Heaven and Earth’s influence here were about 10% less than other places in the Five Continents.

Traversing an enormous mountain range, Qing Shui was startled. An enormous mountain valley came into his view. An oncoming wave of boundless majestic Qi greeted them.

There was an Ancient Teleportation Array in a distance.

On the ground was a totem with a diameter of about 1,000 meters that looked just like a Daoist Yin-Yang Diagram. It was currently glowing. A huge totem pole stood in the center of it.

The totem pole had a diameter of about 100 meters and it towered into the sky. There were flying dragons and dancing phoenixes as well as roaring stone tigers depicted on it…… There were more than a few hundred demonic beasts on the totem pole. Just by looking at the image, each of them appeared to be extremely formidable. That kind of charm was only possessed by ancient demonic beasts.

There were some people a little further away from the Ancient Teleportation Array but there weren’t too many of them. They were also looking at the array. There were quite a few cave dwellings made in the surrounding walls, probably for those cultivators who guarded the Ancient Teleportation Array to live in. Since there were no tents in the surroundings, it seemed like those cave dwellings could also be a temporary shelter for those people who were traveling towards the other Four Continents.

Just when Qing Shui was only on his way over this mountain on his flying beast, two elderly men approached him in midair. They had their fist cupped from afar to Qing Shui, as a sign of respectful friendly greeting.

Qing Shui similarly cupped his fists to return their greetings!

The two elderly men arrived in front of Qing Shui very soon. They had a smile on their face. The loose crystal blue robes they wore were glowing faintly and were particularly dazzling to the eyes.

There were two unsheathed three-feet long longswords embroidered on either side of the blue robes. They smiled at Qing Shui as soon as they saw him. “Young man, both of you are to go to that side.”

That ‘side’ that he mentioned referred to the other Four Continents, although they didn’t explicitly say it. The teleportation arrays were set up here by the people from that side. This was just like a trade. They were doing this to get some people to join their sect. This was also exactly what the people of the Five Continents wished for.

After all, they had no one to look after them since they went there all alone. It was said that the other side was still very dangerous, even for cultivators with powerful strength on this side. Legends said that there were countless of ordinary people there but there are also many powerful cultivators.

“We are going to the other side!” Qing Shui answered with a smile. The two old men gave him an overly incisive feeling. He wasn’t sure if it was due to their clothing or their imposing manner. Perhaps it was a little of the both.

“Come, come. Follow me, both of you. There’s still a cave dwelling here. There’s still ten days till the Ancient Teleportation Array activates. Let’s gather with everyone. We will go there together when the time comes, what say you?” The old man smiled courteously to Qing Shui.

“Old man, I have promised the Formation Immortal Sect that I will go together with them. So, why not next time? It’s not good to break a promise.” Qing Shui declined with a smile.

“There’s still ten days. Didn’t fate bring us together? We can still have some wine and get to know each other, right? Rest assured, I will personally bring you over to the Formation Immortal Sect in a while. What do you think?” The old man chuckled.

Since he had already offered and there were no signs of Qiu Feng yet…. Just when he was about to agree with this old man, a familiar voice came from a distance.

“Brother, you’ve finally come. I’ve been circling around here every day lately.”

Qing Shui saw Qiu Feng who came running up here from the side. He had a very excited look on his face and seemed to be especially happy.

“Big Brother, I’ll have to trouble you.”

“Come, let’s go over there. You must be tired from your journey. Let’s rest over there.” Qiu Feng pulled Qing Shui while he smiled and nodded at Yu Ruyan.

Qing Shui stared at Qiu Feng, seemingly completely ignoring the other two old men in blue robes.

The old men in blue robes snorted before flicking their sleeves and left.

Qing Shui and Yu Ruyan followed Qiu Feng and flew towards another side. There was another enormous Ancient Teleportation Array about 100 li from here.

After he landed, there were also more than ten people here. Similar to the place just now, this was a stone cave too. Needless to mention, the Ancient Teleportation Array didn’t look any different. This made Qing Shui get a hunch that all of the arrays here were created by the same person very long ago.

Coming here, Qing Shui suddenly thought of Tantai Xuan. That woman had mentioned that she would find him when he was went to the other Four Continents and that she would show up. However, he still thought that it was better to ask Qiu Feng to keep an eye out on her.

“Brother, I have a friend who said that she will show up and find me before we go over to that side. Her name is Tantai Xuan. Does her name ring a bell?” Qing Shui asked Qiu Feng.

“Oh, it does. I will tell her that you are here as soon as she arrives.” Qiu Feng gave Qing Shui a look of surprise before he smiled.

He followed Qiu Feng into a cave dwelling and saw the people from Formation Immortal Sect who guarded the teleportation array here. There was a total of fifteen of them. Ten among them were old while the remaining five of them, including Qiu Feng, were a lot younger. Even so, Qiu Feng had the most youthful appearance among them.

Qiu Feng smiled and nodded at those ten people outside from earlier. Qing Shui did the same to them too. Those people were basically old men. It was very rare to see someone as young as Qing Shui. Hence, many of them were very surprised when they saw not just one, but two of them suddenly showing up today.

This was also the reason why the blue robed old man from earlier wished to make Qing Shui and Yu Ruyan stay. For them to reach such heights at their age, their future achievements were immeasurable. Regardless of the time, talented people like these were always extremely rare.

A powerful cultivator could bring about changes to many things, including a clan or even the fate of a sect.