Fishing

Lord Banyan Fire and Lord Ripple Crystal had both assumed that Qing Huan was going to refuse, and they had been somewhat disappointed. Now that they heard him agree, their faces lit up with joy. "Then it's settled. Once the two of us have made some preparations, we'll set off together."

"Mm."

After settling the matter, the two Universe Masters turned and left.

Qing Huan, however, carefully took out a Communication Tablet and asked, "Teacher? Are you there?"

He sent the message, but the Communication Tablet remained silent. It seemed Shi Yan hadn't received his disciple's message.

Qing Huan wasn't in a hurry, though. He continued cultivating leisurely in Black-Veined Stone Pillar Space while waiting for Shi Yan to reply.

Lord Banyan Fire and Lord Ripple Crystal had to return to the Primal Universe to make arrangements for their race. The round trip would take at least a month or so.

With the Time Acceleration in Black-Veined Stone Pillar Space, that would amount to more than a hundred years, so he had plenty of time.

Shi Yan didn't make his little disciple wait that long, though. About half an hour later, Qing Huan received his reply.

"What is it?"

As terse as ever.

Qing Huan, meanwhile, kept to his usual rambling style. "Teacher, where are you now? Is it dangerous? You haven't run into something again, have you..."

Before he could send the message, Qing Huan received another reply from Shi Yan.

"Get to the point, or when I get back, we'll have a real combat sparring session."

"..."

With his teacher's warning hanging over him, Qing Huan could only delete all the useless chatter and get straight to the point. "Teacher, about how long until you get back to the Inner Domain of Universe Boat?"

"About a hundred years." Shi Yan gave him a vague estimate.

There was nothing he could do about it. The dangers in Universe Boat's core region couldn't threaten Guardian Tower, but certain areas designed primarily to trap enemies were extremely troublesome.

Guardian Tower feared none of the dangers within Universe Boat, but even it couldn't ram its way through the vessel, whose structure was extraordinarily sturdy.

At least, Guardian Tower under Shi Yan's control couldn't.

Therefore, in those labyrinths, Shi Yan could only follow their rules, which meant spending a great deal of time.

After all, outside the core region, ten years was enough for a True God to reach any known part of the Universe Ocean.

"A hundred years? That's quite a while, but it should be about right..." Qing Huan mulled over Shi Yan's answer, calculating in his head.

After a long while, Qing Huan sent Shi Yan another message. "Teacher, please try to hurry. Let me know once you reach the Inner Domain."

"What are you up to now?"

Faced with Qing Huan's strange messages, Shi Yan bluntly demanded an explanation.

"Heh heh... Teacher, now that the Blood Orchid Ancestor is dead, don't you want to get back at the God Eye Race? We have to let God Eye True Master know that you and I aren't to be trifled with." Qing Huan sent Shi Yan a long message.

"...Mind your limits. Don't get yourself killed. Once I'm back, there'll be plenty of ways to get revenge on the God Eye Race." Only after a long while did Shi Yan send him this reply.

It would take a hundred years to return to the Inner Domain of Universe Boat. With Guardian Tower's Time Acceleration, Shi Yan was confident he could reach Tenth Order strength before then.

With all his Supreme Treasures, he would have Eleventh Order combat strength. At a critical moment, he could even burn divine power and use "Countercurrent" to unleash several attacks at Twelfth Order.

With strength like that, any of the God Eye Race's True Lords who lacked a Supreme True Treasure of the palace type to hide behind would die the moment they crossed paths with him. There would be no contest.

But the God Eye Race wasn't stupid. If a True God fell, the remaining True Lords would surely retreat into their Miniature Universes at once.

Shi Yan wasn't a World Beast. He had no way to threaten True Gods hiding inside their Miniature Universes.

Shi Yan didn't know what Qing Huan was planning, but he was happy to see the boy draw in a few more of the God Eye Race's True Lords, as long as he didn't go too far and get himself killed.

Qing Huan was also among the top Universe Masters. Shi Yan trusted him to know his limits. Besides, he was countless light-years away and couldn't stop Qing Huan from carrying out whatever plan he had. All he could do was remind him not to go overboard.

Qing Huan readily agreed to Shi Yan's warning. Then he put away the Communication Tablet, a sly smile spreading across his face.

He had no reason to be nice to his enemies.

"Now I just have to wait for Lord Banyan Fire and Lord Ripple Crystal," Qing Huan thought.

Although he had resolved to teach the God Eye Race a harsh lesson, that was all the more reason not to rush.

Above all, he couldn't let the God Eye Race see any obvious hostility.

Fortunately, there had recently been unusual activity in Flowing Cloud Sea, with rumors that a Supreme Treasure had appeared. Lord Banyan Fire and Lord Ripple Crystal had invited him along on their expedition, giving him the perfect opportunity.

"My strength as a Universe Master is the best disguise. I only need to provoke them a little, and some God Eye True Lord will come out to make an example of me," Qing Huan thought with a cold laugh.

Fifth-Order Universe Masters weren't numerous in the Universe Ocean, but neither were they rare. At the very least, they weren't enough to draw the attention of the God Eye Race's seven True Gods. And judging by how the Five True Lords of the God Eye Race had surrounded and killed the Blood Orchid Ancestor, it seemed their True Gods were now quite likely to come out if provoked.

No wonder they couldn't transcend the Reincarnation Era... This was their final Reincarnation Era, and they still hadn't sought a breakthrough. Instead, they spent all day fighting over worthless pride. Qing Huan held the God Eye Race's way of doing things in utter contempt.

After grumbling for a bit, Qing Huan resumed his cultivation and adjusted his state.

A month later, Lord Banyan Fire and Lord Ripple Crystal arrived together. The three of them set off at once, heading for Flowing Cloud Sea.

Flowing Cloud Sea was an extremely dangerous place in the Inner Domain of Universe Boat.

Although its name sounded like some beautiful scenic spot, the "clouds" of Flowing Cloud Sea were actually made of frigid ice mist. Universe Venerables died on contact, and even a weak Second-Order Universe Master wouldn't last long there without a powerful Supreme Treasure to protect them.

All of Flowing Cloud Sea consisted of these "clouds," which was how it had earned the name "Sea of Clouds."

But if that were all, it still wouldn't count as a perilous place for powerful Fourth- and Fifth-Order Universe Masters.

In fact, many small patches of a special, hidden cold qi lurked among the clouds of Flowing Cloud Sea. They were known as "Eternal Freeze Cold Qi."

This Eternal Freeze Cold Qi was invisible and colorless, and extremely hard to detect. If it struck, even Top-tier Supreme Treasures would freeze and shatter.

Ordinary Universe Masters couldn't survive this special cold qi without a Peak Treasure Armor or a Peak Supreme Treasure of the palace type.

Only a tiny number of Universe Masters possessed these two kinds of Supreme Treasures, and most of them were Fourth- or even Fifth-Order Universe Masters.

The rest could only observe their surroundings with intense concentration, so they could spot the Eternal Freeze Cold Qi approaching and dodge in time.

But the Eternal Freeze Cold Qi flowed unpredictably. This meant that without a Peak Supreme Treasure for protection, anyone exploring the place had to remain on high alert at all times.

Getting into a fight with another powerful being there was even more dangerous. If their opponent had a Peak Treasure Armor or a flying Palace Supreme Treasure, they could exploit their immunity to the Eternal Freeze Cold Qi and cling to them relentlessly. It would be a disaster.

That was why most Universe Masters rarely visited places like Flowing Cloud Sea.

But perhaps it was precisely because of Flowing Cloud Sea's unique environment, where even Top-tier Supreme Treasures could easily be destroyed, that all the Supreme Treasures produced there were Peak Supreme Treasures.

So when unusual activity was detected in Flowing Cloud Sea, Universe Masters from all sides could no longer sit still.

After making a few attempts, Lord Jueyun of the God Eye Race, who was stationed in Flowing Cloud Sea, didn't dare keep other races' Universe Masters out. Instead, he contacted his race and urged them to send reinforcements quickly to compete for the Supreme Treasure.

In no time, Flowing Cloud Sea, where powerful beings were rarely seen, became bustling with activity.

"Rong Huo, Lian Jing, let's make one thing clear first. There are many powerful beings in Flowing Cloud Sea now. Even if the three of us work together, we should avoid clashing with others as much as possible and focus on finding the Supreme Treasure," Qing Huan told his companions.

"Of course." Lord Ripple Crystal nodded at once.

Qing Huan had a Peak Treasure Armor to protect him, but the two of them didn't. If they fought other Universe Masters, they would undoubtedly be in great danger.

Everyone was there for the treasure. No one wanted to risk their lives.

None of the three had a particularly good Palace-type Supreme Treasure, so they traveled by flying and teleporting.

Flowing Cloud Sea lay deeper in the Inner Domain than Black-Veined Stone Pillar Space. They would have to pass through many dangerous places on the way.

But ever since Shi Yan had obtained a detailed map of Universe Boat, he had shared a copy with his little disciple.

The map of Universe Boat's Inner Domain in Qing Huan's hands was now extremely detailed. It even showed some very well-hidden routes that could help them avoid many dangerous places.

At first, Lord Banyan Fire and Lord Ripple Crystal had some doubts about Qing Huan leading the way. Before long, however, all they could do was marvel.

"Rong Huo, has Lord Liuyan run into another lucky opportunity? How does he know such a hidden path?"

Lord Ripple Crystal and Lord Banyan Fire quietly exchanged messages.

At that moment, the three of them were flying rapidly through a deep mountain tunnel. Its entrance was a hole many times smaller than a needle's eye, hidden deep beneath a lake.

Under normal circumstances, no powerful being would notice a place like this unless by sheer coincidence. Even fewer would think to enter through the tiny hole and discover a tunnel wide enough for two people to walk side by side, one that let them bypass two dangerous areas.

"Hard to say." Lord Banyan Fire was puzzled too. "But logically speaking, it hasn't even been a hundred years since we last parted ways with Lord Liuyan. Could he really have been that lucky?"

"Maybe he really is. If Lord Liuyan had some kind of lucky opportunity, he certainly wouldn't go around bragging about it," Lord Ripple Crystal speculated.

"What luck."

After discussing it for a while, the two still couldn't come to any conclusion, so they could only chalk it all up to Qing Huan's good luck.