Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Chapter 503 Tianyuan's Doubts

Leaving the square and walking back to Yunqi Garden, Zhao Qingyan whispered, "Sect Leader, it seems that Xuanbing Pavilion intends to form an alliance with us."

"Well, it's not so much about providing help in times of need, but adding to their existing strengths or helping each other out would be beneficial for them," Shen Mo said. "Fairy Ling Shuang may be aloof, but she's not someone who doesn't understand the bigger picture. Elder Leng Yue is also a sensible person. With this ally, at least we won't be completely isolated and helpless among the forces in the Southern Region."

"Su Xiao, keep an eye on the area around Ningbing Academy and see if any other forces are frequently contacting them."

"Yes," Su Xiao replied.

"Sect Leader," Zhao Qingyan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Just now in the square, those people were talking about us..."

"I heard you." Shen Mo continued walking, his voice calm. "There are doubts and disdain, that's normal. We've risen too quickly, and we come from the Southern Region, so it's inevitable that we'll attract attention. What others think and say isn't important. What's important is whether we have the power to shut them up."

He stopped and looked at the inner city area in the distance, which was suspended higher and shrouded in even more intense spiritual light. That was the location of the three holy lands, the Sky Patrol Pavilion, and the most powerful forces.

"It won't be long before they realize that Qingyun Sect's success today has never been due to luck."

His voice was soft, yet it carried a resolute force that sent a jolt through Zhao Qingyan and Su Xiao.

When the three returned to Yunxi Garden, it was already afternoon. In the courtyard, Shi Tie and Wang Hu were practicing together. The shadows of axes and the flash of swords filled the air, and the wind howled. In the rich spiritual energy environment, their moves seemed to have become more agile.

Li Xiaocao was processing medicinal herbs by the spiritual spring, while A Tu was squatting in the corner, staring blankly at a piece of ore he had brought from Wanfa City.

Upon seeing Shen Mo return, everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Get ready," Shen Mo said to Zhao Qingyan and Su Xiao. "I'm going to keep my appointment with the Lieyang Sect. Qingyan, you will oversee the formation, and Su Xiao, you will proceed according to plan. Everyone else, stay in the courtyard and do not go out."

"Sect Leader, be careful!" everyone said in unison, their faces filled with concern.

Shen Mo nodded, changed into a clean blue robe, smoothed his sleeves, glanced at the warm, crimson invitation card, and then, alone, pushed open the gate of Yunqi Garden.

Outside the gate, the sunlight was just right. In the distance, the direction of Liuhuo Courtyard was hidden behind layers of pavilions and towers.

It's time to savor that cup of tea.

When I returned from Liuhuoyuan, it was already getting late.

Shen Mo declined Yan Lie's offer to "have a few drinks" and walked alone on the way back to Yunqi Garden.

The meeting with that prodigy from the Lieyang Sect was neither pleasant nor unpleasant; it was more like an unspoken test and a demarcation of boundaries.

Yan Lie adopted a humble attitude, expressing admiration for Shen Mo's "30-year Nascent Soul" achievement, congratulations on the rise of Qingyun Sect, and a sense of closeness to "fellow Daoists of the Southern Region." He even subtly hinted that if the opportunity arose during the conference, the two families could "communicate with each other" and "support each other."

But Shen Mo could sense that beneath that enthusiastic facade lay a calm assessment and calculation.

Yan Lie was observing him, assessing the value of Qingyun Sect, and also testing his attitude and bottom line.

When Shen Mo remained impeccably composed, neither responding to the topic of "alliance" nor showing the slightest timidity or eagerness, but calmly stating the Qingyun Sect's stance of "being newcomers and focusing on learning, but not afraid of challenges," the fervor in Yan Lie's eyes faded somewhat, and he instead began to chat about some interesting anecdotes from Tianyuan and gossip about various sects.

They no longer mention substantive cooperation.

This is normal. The Blazing Sun Sect is an old Nascent Soul sect with a profound foundation and a strong base in Tianyuan.

For them, Qingyun Sect might be a noteworthy "variable," a potential asset they could "invest in" or "utilize," but it's definitely not someone they should form an equal alliance with. At least, not at the moment.

Shen Mo had anticipated this. He hadn't expected to get any substantial help from the Lieyang Sect. His purpose in coming was threefold: first, to observe; second, to show his stance; and third, to let certain eyes watching in the shadows see that the Qingyun Sect was not isolated and helpless, nor could it be manipulated at will.

Back at Yunqi Garden, everything was as usual. Shi Tie and the others were still reminiscing about what Shen Mo had brought back during the day—the stories about Liuhuo Academy and Lieyang Sect—chatting amongst themselves.

When Shen Mo returned, everyone quieted down, their eyes filled with inquiry.

"It's nothing, just a regular tea gathering." Shen Mo waved his hand, indicating that everyone should not ask any further questions. "Go and rest. Starting tomorrow, according to the previous plan, everyone should cultivate and practice their teamwork. The conference will officially begin soon, and we don't have much time to waste."

Everyone was taken aback and returned to their rooms.

Shen Mo returned to his meditation room. He didn't immediately enter a meditative state, but instead stood by the window, gazing outside.

The "night" in Tianyuan is not true darkness. The huge, slowly rotating array compass phantom hanging high above the city center emits a softer and cooler glow than daytime, like moonlight spreading throughout the city.

In the distance, the floating mountains and palaces were also lit up with twinkling lights, which, together with the simulated stars on the "sky screen" that were clearer and brighter than the stars in the outside world, created a magnificent and dreamlike night scene.

The clouds drifted slowly beneath my feet and around me, their edges softened by the moonlight. The entire Sky City seemed to float truly above the starry heavens, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the world, untouched by worldly concerns.

But Shen Mo's gaze involuntarily drifted downwards.

The window of the quiet room faces the courtyard. Through the thin mist, one can vaguely see the boundless darkness below, a darkness that seems capable of swallowing everything—the Abyss.

During the day, with sunlight and clouds obscuring the view, it's not noticeable. But now, in the stillness of the night, under the moonlight, the abyss reveals its hideous and terrifying side.

It is not pure darkness, but more like a viscous, flowing void, with occasional chaotic, ominous dark purple spatial ripples flashing across its surface before being swallowed by the deeper darkness.

If you stare at it for too long, it feels as if your soul is being sucked into that endless emptiness.

Tianyuan floats above this heart-stopping abyss.

The hundreds of thick, dark gold chains, as large as mountains, gleamed with the cold, hard luster of metal under the cool "moonlight," like shackles cast by gods to bind giant beasts, firmly anchoring this miraculous city at the intersection of reality and illusion, life and death, existence and nothingness.

Why was this city built here? Was it to guard the Heavenly Abyss? Or to draw upon the power of the Heavenly Abyss?

What lies hidden beneath this abyss? Is it a rift leading to another world? The ruins of an ancient battlefield? Or some unspeakable, forbidden existence?

One question after another rose uncontrollably from the depths of Shen Mo's heart. He recalled the faint tremor emanating from the jade slip of Qingyunzi in his arms beside the tributary of the Falling Star Sea.

The aura of this abyss seems to have a certain similarity to the broken and chaotic spatial sense of the Fallen Star Sea, yet it is even deeper and more... terrifyingly "orderly".