After Zhang Miaolin made his position clear, he hurried off and plunged back into his world of talismans.
Once Zhang Miaolin had vanished from sight, Wuyu's smile faded. She turned and left as well, strolling across the vast cloudship platform. During that time, she saw Li Shan, a fellow kindred spirit in a certain sense, leaning against the rail in a daze. His thoughts were unsettled, yet his aura remained steady.
She did not disturb him. In the end, Wuyu merely found a quiet, open place. Gazing upon layers of clouds stretching ten thousand miles, her thoughts drifted afar. At last, she lowered her eyes and calmed her heart. Facing the direction the cloudship's prow pointed—north—she slowly bent down and knelt long without rising.
The aura of the Five Dou Three Yuan True One Scripture, which she had cultivated for many years, stirred slightly. Her mind naturally contemplated the stars, forgetting body and form. Guided by the unique methods of Shangqing, it headed straight into the vast heavens beyond.
In ordinary cultivation, her mind should have entered directly into the Dipper Palace. Yet now, before she had even reached "midway," it connected with that overwhelmingly powerful will that was expanding outward. Guided by it, she entered a familiar yet even more wondrous world.
Stars filled the sky, while lofty halls and cloud pavilions rose layer upon layer, forming a magnificent Dao realm. Spirit officials, Star Lords, deities, and immortal adepts came and went in crowds as thick as hemp. Deeper within, there seemed to be indescribably ethereal true bodies seated at the heart of the Dao realm, preaching scriptures and expounding the Law.
Once her mind entered this place, it wholly transformed together with the Dao. Yet at its core, her spiritual clarity remained undimmed, as though she were having