Ning Cheng only came to know now that Shen Qinyu had tried to contact him more than once.
Should he reveal his identity to Shen Qinyu?
Ning Cheng quickly abandoned the idea. Once he revealed his identity to Shen Qinyu, it would also indicate that he had not perished in the Perpetual Moon Lake. Moreover, Ning Cheng and Shen Qinyu were still not on such familiar terms. However, what made Ning Cheng wonder was how did Shen Qinyu know that he had a unique flame?
Could it be that Shen Qinyu saw the concealed Celestial River Flame in his Domain? If that really was the case, then it also proved that Shen Qinyu had a tenacious Spiritual Consciousness.
Thinking of this, Ning Cheng asked, “I heard that any of the exotic flames found within heaven and earth are very difficult to obtain. Are you sure that your friend has such a flame? Moreover, why would we require such a flame within the Sea of Twilight?”
“I’m sure he has one, and I have seen it before. Both of us came from the Orchid Borough Celestial River. The Orchid Borough Celestial River’s battleship had encountered the starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rat Tide. It was when I was about to escape that I saw him open up a path with a flame. As for why we would need this kind of flame for the Sea of Twilight, it is still something that I am not very clear. I only know about it from the information that I had once obtained, which mentioned that the probability of success would increase if we had such a flame.” Shen Qinyu answered Ning Cheng’s questions truthfully. From this, Ning Cheng could make out that she genuinely had thought things out to cooperate with ‘Ning Cheng’ over a long time.
Ning Cheng also understood that when he made his escape with his flame, Shen Qinyu had also seen him. Moreover, from Shen Qinyu’s words, Ning Cheng also realised that Shen Qinyu had only seen him burning the Spirit Devouring Rats with his flame, and had not seen him use his Twin Wings of the Heavenly Clouds, which made him slightly relieved.
“Okay. I agree to work with you. However, you have to tell me some basic information about the Sea of Twilight, and… By the way, I’d also like to ask you a question or two about other matters.” Ning Cheng seemed to have thought of something and immediately asked.
Shen Qinyu, on hearing that Ning Cheng would cooperate, felt her heart loosen up. Since she could not reach Ning Cheng, it would have been an uncertain endeavour to head to the Sea of Twilight alone.
“Certainly. As long as I know about it, I will definitely answer your questions.” Shen Qinyu replied with a bright tone. Even if Ning Cheng did not choose to cooperate with her, Ning Cheng still saved her life once. As such, as long as she knew the answer to the questions, she would honestly answer everything that Ning Cheng asked.
Ning Cheng then hesitated for a bit before speaking up in an awkward tone, “I am a rogue cultivator, and I don’t have a master to learn from. I’ve been wandering the starry skies for a long time; therefore, there are some issues about cultivation that I do not understand.”
Shen Qinyu, on hearing that Ning Cheng wanted to ask about the issues with his cultivation, smiled before speaking, “It doesn’t matter. Although I do not possess a high enough cultivation, I still had enough contact with different cultivation systems since I was a child. Therefore, although I might not be able to answer any of the deeper questions, I can still talk and explore any of the other questions that you have.”
“Okay.” Ning Cheng no longer remained polite and immediately asked, “After I advanced to the Celestial Shatterer Realm a few years ago, I did not attract any Thunder Tribulation. Do you know what might have happened or gone wrong?”
Ning Cheng did not mention that he had advanced to the Celestial Shatterer Realm inside the Time Wilderness. He believed that even if someone experienced an advancement in the Time Wilderness, it definitely would trigger the Thunder Tribulation.
Shen Qinyu, on hearing Ning Cheng’s question, stared at Ning Cheng for a long time and did not speak.
Ning Cheng could see Shen Qinyu’s eyes flash with some pity and spoke up with some embarrassment, “If you don’t know the answer, then forget I ever asked this question. It’s not a big deal anyway.”
Shen Qinyu, on hearing Ning Cheng’s following words, felt even sadder in her heart. Compared to the cultivation knowledge of the starry skies’ wanderers, one could say that her cultivation knowledge was something lavish and luxurious.
“Do you have very few friends or do you rarely go out for gatherings?” Shen Qinyu’s words turned even softer and gentle.
Ning Cheng immediately felt the change in Shen Qinyu’s tone, which initially had a friendly overtone that then changed to a softer and gentler tone like that of an elder sister.
Although Ning Cheng did not know what she meant by that, he gave out a sigh and spoke, “You can put it that way; I am a starry skies’ wanderer, who moves forward by grasping at anything that comes my way. As for friends, I don’t have many.”
Shen Qinyu looked at Ning Cheng, her gaze and voice turning even gentler and speaking up, “The fact is that there is no thunder tribulation when it comes to advancing from the Celestial Novice Realm to the Celestial Shatterer Realm or the Celestial Shatterer Realm to the Celestial Gatherer Realm. Only when someone at the Celestial Gatherer Realm tries to advance to the Celestial Bridge Realm would it invoke the thunder tribulation. It is the same within the three realms of the Celestial River Realm; in other words, the thunder tribulation would descend only when one tries to advance from the Heaven’s Mandate Realm to the Heaven Seated Realm. Moreover, this is an extremely terrifying thunder tribulation, and there is always a very high chance of falling. However, after advancing to the Heaven Seated Realm, every realm advancement would be accompanied by a formidable thunder tribulation.”
Ning Cheng felt as if countless alpacas were running around in his heart. He finally understood why Shen Qinyu looked at him with those sensitive and soft eyes. Turns out, even a three-year-old child knew such basic knowledge, yet Ning Cheng actually asked such a fundamental and essential question to Shen Qinyu. Ning Cheng felt embarrassed that he did not even know about Thunder Tribulations even after becoming a Celestial Shatterer Cultivator.
“Actually, I think that you are truly amazing. Even without any master to guide you, you still reached the Celestial Shatterer Realm all by yourself. Even geniuses from well-established powers might not compare to you.” Apparently, Shen Qinyu saw Ning Cheng’s deeply embarrassed expression and took the initiative to comfort him.
Similarly, she also understood why Ning Cheng did not have a Celestial Wheel. It absolutely had nothing to do with Ning Cheng mentioning that he had concealed his Celestial Wheel. Instead, it most likely had something to do with the cultivation method that Ning Cheng had figured out by himself. Using a self-created cultivation method and cultivating all the way to the Celestial Shatterer Realm without succumbing to the devilish flames was already an unimaginable fortune, and yet he managed to accomplish this without even condensing a Celestial Wheel, what kind of luck was this?
She felt no doubt about Ning Cheng’s combat prowess. The starry skies’ wanderers anyway possessed a reputation for fearsome combat styles. Moreover, Ning Cheng had also proved his combat effectiveness in the Celestial Forest Arena.
“Then can you tell me more about the Celestial River Realm?” Ning Cheng’s words interrupted Shen Qinyu’s thoughts. Since he anyway had asked a ridiculous question before, it would not matter if he asked a few more.
Shen Qinyu tried to explain these basic concepts very carefully to Ning Cheng, “In the Celestial Scryer Realm, after a cultivator crosses the Nirvana Tribulation, they would experience all of their True Essence converting into Celestial Essence, which one would then condense into a Celestial Wheel. According to the strength and quality of one’s Celestial Essence, this realm separates into three sub-realms, or realms, depending on how you call it. I won’t need to explain this to you since I think you already understood some of the principles.”
“The first major realm of the Celest
ial River Realm’s three realms is the Celestial Bridge Realm. It is when the Celestial Wheel starts to liquefy and transform into a Celestial Bridge. At this point, a Celestial Bridge Cultivator’s comprehension ability and other skills experience a qualitative enhancement. The more powerful one’s Celestial Bridge is, the more formidable support would it provide in the form of Celestial Essence. Within this cultivation ‘realm’, if the body suffers severe damage and can regenerate by itself without any need of external objects, it would mean that one reached the Undead Realm. Cultivators in the Undead Realm also have their strengths and weaknesses; however, even for peak-level Undead Cultivators, they can only regenerate their bodies if a relatively significant chunk of their corporeal body still exists.”
“As for Heaven’s Mandate Cultivators, they might even get the chance to get a short glimpse into their destiny. At the same time, Heaven’s Mandate Cultivators are the highest level of existences within the Celestial River’s Three Realms.”
Chapter 0544 – The Beauty Of Twilight
Translated By – DemonKiller
Checked and Edited By – Livewidsmile
Proofread By – DemonKiller
Please do not host our works anywhere else without our permission.
“What about the Destiny’s Three Realms?” Ning Cheng asked questions like a studious student.
Shen Qinyu also answered patiently, “If a Heaven’s Mandate Cultivator can shed off their mortal shell, and surmount the tribulation successfully, then they could enter the Heaven Seated Realm and become a Heaven Seated Powerhouse. A Heaven Seated Powerhouse then needs to break through the Life and Death Cycle, and understand Yin and Yang to advance to the Life and Death Realm. As for the Eternal Realm that comes after it, I heard a rumour that they have everlasting life and can revive endlessly. However, these are only rumours that I heard from other places and can’t help you verify it.”
Shen Qinyu honestly had a lot of knowledge, no matter what question Ning Cheng asked, she answered it in as detailed of a manner as she could so that Ning Cheng could understand it as quickly possible. Seeing the benefits he received from discussing things with Shen Qinyu, Ning Cheng felt thankful to her.
“Junior Apprentice Sister Shen, are you also participating on behalf of the Orchid Borough Celestial River?” Half a day later, Ning Cheng took the initiative to turn the topic around after he asked all the questions he wanted to ask.
This was not the first time he encountered Shen Qinyu; however, it was definitely the first time that he realised that she genuinely might have an unfathomable background.
Shen Qinyu smiled before speaking, “Not quite, I came to the Orchid Borough Celestial River to enter the Time Wilderness. In fact, there are many other cultivators in this place like me, who came over from other starry skies. This time, I entered the Time Wilderness for two things; out of which, or rather the most important thing, is the Perpetual Moon Time Key.”
Why would she mention such an important and sensitive matter so casually?
Ning Cheng felt surprised as he looked at Shen Qinyu.
Shen Qinyu calmly explained, “The Perpetual Moon Time Key is the most valuable thing within the Time Wilderness. However, the reason why I told you about this is that Time Lake had already turned into ash. As such, it is no longer possible to obtain the Perpetual Moon Time Key. When you were still in seclusion, I went to the Perpetual Moon Lake once to confirm it.”
“What is the value of this Perpetual Moon Time Key?” Ning Cheng asked. It was something that he felt most concerned about, especially since the Perpetual Moon Time Key was inside his ring, while he had no idea about its value or its uses.
Shen Qinyu shook her head and spoke, “I don’t know either. All I know is that it is something left behind by the Perpetual Moon Holy Emperor. Similar to how the Time Wilderness is also a relic left behind by the Perpetual Moon Holy Emperor.”
“Is the Perpetual Moon Holy Emperor’s status the same as Heavenly Emperor Striking Order? Did he control a stronger starry sky?” Ning Cheng asked.
Shen Qinyu showed a faint smile before speaking, “Even if Heavenly Emperor Striking Order cultivated for millions of years, he still would not be able to stand on the same level as the Perpetual Moon Holy Emperor. Even among the fellow Heavenly Emperors, Heavenly Emperor Striking Order would still rank far behind. In the vast starry skies, someone on the level of Heavenly Emperor Striking Order does not matter much. If not for the relatively impoverished lands of the Striking Order Starry Skies, Heavenly Emperor Striking Order’s Striking Order Starry Skies would have long since changed its name.”
After that, Shen Qinyu stood up and spoke, “We need to head to the Sea of Twilight now; if you have any other questions, you can ask me along the way.”
“I know that there are many starry skies outside the Striking Order Starry Skies. After this trial, will the finalists head to the biggest starry skies within the universe?” Ning Cheng still had many questions. Since Shen Qinyu had resolved so many of his issues, he did not feel that he asked those questions in vain.
Shen Qinyu also did not feel even a shred of irritation, and her tone remained soft, “That’s right; the finals will take place in the Grand Culmination Starry Skies. In the plane we are in, the Grand Culmination Starry Skies is one of the four foremost starry skies and is also the central location of the entire Grand Culmination Plane.”
Ning Cheng and Shen Qinyu were not far from the Sea of Twilight. Ning Cheng had still a few questions that he wanted an answer to when Shen Qinyu suddenly stopped.
What appeared in front of Ning Cheng was a magnificent sight, entirely different from the grey gloom that covered the rest of this place. As Ning Cheng stood rooted in his spot, it felt as if he were standing at the seaside where the sun was about to descend below the sea level; a red sunset, just like a rainbow scattering, created an illusion of a bridge that connected the shore to some distant place.
‘
Sublime is the beauty of the sun yet to set; so soon, alas, shall the dusky evening follow
’. A sentence emerged in Ning Cheng’s mind without any reason; however, it aptly described the scene painted in front of him.
“What a beautiful place. Sublime is the beauty of the sun yet to set; so soon, alas, shall the dusky evening follow.” After a long time, Ning Cheng finally spoke up in amazement. He spoke what he honestly thought.
“You also know about the lines ‘Sublime is the beauty of the sun yet to set; so soon, alas, shall the dusky evening follow’?” Shen Qinyu looked at Ning Cheng in amazement.
“I naturally have heard these words, how can anyone not know them?” Ning Cheng looked at Shen Qinyu in doubt. These words, of course, he knew about them as it came from a poem by Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty. “Still day, but lately, my heart is not at ease; to the old plateau, up, in a carriage, I go. Sublime is the beauty of the sun yet to set; so soon, alas, shall the dusky evening follow.” What he wondered was how Shen Qinyu knew about this sentence.
Shen Qinyu explained, “I heard that only if you are trapped in the Sea of Twilight would you be able to understand the meaning of this sentence. However, do not look at the Sea of Twilight as a sunset at sea. In fact, there is not a single drop of water in this place. What you see is something created from the combination of the flowing longevity and time, which are the gaping maws waiting for us to enter this Sea of Twilight. It is very dangerous in this place, and if you are not careful, you will end up trapped within the flow of time, and would never get a chance to live.”
Ning Cheng on hearing Shen Qinyu’s explanation gave a slight frown.
Did he truly want to enter the Sea of Twilight with such conditions? If it were about Time Stones, he already had three, so was it really worth it to take such a risk?
Shen Qinyu seemed to have understood the reason behind Ning Cheng’s frown as she spoke up, “Whether or not you enter this place, you should think about it clearly before we decide to enter this place. Otherwise, onc
e inside, we might most likely lose our way and never get out again.”
Ning Cheng, who initially felt hesitant about entering, on hearing Shen Qinyu’s words, suddenly felt cheerful in his heart once again. He came all the way to this place, was it not to look for opportunities in danger? The vast starry skies had innumerable cultivators; as such, how many opportunities would he obtain without facing any risk?
“Of course, we go in.” Ning Cheng gave a calm smile. Seeking riches in danger, such a phrase was an apt description for the starry skies’ cultivators.
“Okay, we can only extend our Spiritual Consciousness to about three feet around us in the Sea of Twilight. Therefore, we should remain close to each other and try not to get separated.” Shen Qinyu spoke and took the first step into the Sea of Twilight.
Ning Cheng also did not hesitate and stepped in following Shen Qinyu. He quickly discovered that instead of three feet as Shen Qinyu mentioned, his Spiritual Consciousness could extend to a radius of about ten miles around him.
Although he still felt a suppressive effect over his Spiritual Consciousness, it was still many times better than just extending to around three feet. After Ning Cheng understood this point, Ning Cheng felt even surer that his starry skies’ Sea of Consciousness indeed was different from others.
Moreover, he could also feel the endless vicissitude of time that surrounded him, giving Ning Cheng once again the feeling of flowing time he encountered outside the Perpetual Moon Lake. Sensing this, Ning Cheng felt somewhat anxious in his heart. If it indeed was like that, then even before he found the Twilight Sand, he might just end up exhausting his life.
Just as Ning Cheng thought of this scenario, a small soft hand grabbed his hand, followed by Shen Qinyu’s voice ringing in his ears, “Senior Apprentice Brother Wanderer, in the Sea of Twilight, you must never stop moving and must keep on walking. That way, your vitality would not flow out quickly. Once you stop in a place, your longevity will start flowing out at a faster pace.”
The Gate Of Good Fortune c1-905 Page 440
