The next day, the morning mist had yet to fully disperse. Like a thin veil, it shrouded the unbroken stretch of divine mountains. Clear dew clung to the spirit herbs and divine trees, falling with a rustle as a gentle breeze swept past.
"Fine weather. A good day to travel." Xi Yue's lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. Bathed in the morning glow, she breathed in and out the light of dawn. After years of cultivation, this had become a habit.
"Qing Shuang, I'm leaving." She waved and called to Qing Shuang beside her, lest the hapless girl come out with another earth-shattering remark.
A few days earlier, her mother had sent word that, if she had time, she could visit her mother's clan.
Her mother came from the Lan clan, a fact few outsiders knew.
Although the Lan were a longevity family, they rarely appeared in the world. Apart from a few unfathomable ancient beings, ordinary people did not even know such a longevity family existed.
The Xu Family ruled the Longevity Dynasty. The Dao companions of its emperors throughout the generations had all been peerless prodigies of illustrious standing, hailing from longevity families or ancient Dao lineages.
Her mother's origins were more extraordinary still.
She had been the strongest successor of her generation in the Lan Family, with a rich concentration of True Immortal blood flowing through her veins. Now, she was already a half-step Supreme. Had giving birth to Xi Yue and Yao Yue not delayed her cultivation, she would likely have entered that realm long ago.
"Tsk, tsk. You're improving fast. Father said you opened four cave heavens in succession the moment you entered the cave heaven realm. Impressive."
A girl in a white immortal dress approached with light, graceful steps, her hair dancing in the wind. Her brows resembled distant mountains brushed with dark ink, and her gaze was intoxicating.
As soon as she drew near, she stretched out her wicked hands toward Xi Yue's pretty face. It had almost become an instinct.
Yet the scene she expected did not unfold. Her fair hands hung in midair, unable to advance an inch.
A closer look revealed that an equally luminous, jade-like hand had clamped firmly around them.
Yao Yue was secretly startled. This little girl's physical strength was astonishing. She had only just entered the cave heaven realm, yet she could already contend with her?
"Still..." Her lips curved into a smile with a faintly uncanny edge.
The next instant, her palm and fingers shone, mottled divine light blazing like the sun. An ancient symbol appeared in her palm, instantly suppressing the hand gripping hers.
"You're still a little short." She reached out with her other hand and squeezed Xi Yue's pretty face into the shape of a steamed bun.
"You broke through to the spirit transformation realm?" With her little face being kneaded, Xi Yue's words came out somewhat muffled.
She was slightly surprised, but on second thought, it made perfect sense.
Boundless Heaven offered an environment ideally suited to cultivation. With endless resources at her disposal and her own extraordinary talent, it was only natural for Yao Yue to advance quickly.
Moreover, with the phoenix blood Xi Yue had supplied, she might have undergone a transformation as well.
In truth, Xi Yue had not used her full strength either. Otherwise, she could not have been suppressed so easily.
"Indeed. Your big sister was born divine, destined to reign supreme over an entire era. Becoming an immortal and founding a lineage someday is no empty dream." Yao Yue's large eyes shifted as she spoke with utter solemnity.
"Hah. You only started cultivating a few years before me. If I were your age, I could already have reached the array formation realm." Xi Yue scoffed, her words carrying a pointed implication.
That was a lie!
It was nothing but bragging. Who couldn't do that?
Reaching the array formation realm at ten would truly defy the heavens. One might not find a single such person in all of ancient history.
Of course, that meant starting cultivation from the blood moving realm. Those born as gods or sages did not count. They were cheating and could not be judged by the same measure.
The Lan clan resided in Qingwei Heaven. Like Boundless Heaven, it was rich in vital essence, with divine materials scattered everywhere-a land ideally suited to cultivation.
At the same time, this heaven held many great sects that had endured since antiquity, such as the Mending Heaven Dao and the Severing Heaven Dao, standing transcendent above the world.
Furthermore, the Immortal Academy, one of the institutions known as the Two Academies, was thought to be situated in this heaven as well.
Like Boundless Heaven, this was an ancient continent suspended amid the cosmic stars, vast and steeped in antiquity.
The continent was unimaginably immense, spanning untold billions of miles. Countless stars lay arrayed around it, yet even they were as insignificant as dust beside it.
Realm barriers existed between the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. To reach another heaven or land, one had to break through a great realm barrier, something utterly impossible for ordinary people.
Doing so took far too much time and required tremendous power. It could also easily trigger upheavals in the void, bringing about terrifying disasters.
But as a longevity family, the Xu Family possessed an altar that allowed them to cross the realm barriers and travel safely.
Rumble!
Divine light blazed from the altar as it shook violently. Countless symbols converged, forming a gateway.
A treasure ship passed through the gate of light and traveled along the void passage.
It was an extraordinary artifact, engraved with imperishable formations that could withstand the erosion of turbulent void currents and protect those aboard.
The void passage was pitch-black, with surging chaos energy. Like a gaping abyss, it inspired dread.
In the distance, a few points of light were faintly visible. These were special spatial nodes, leading to unknown destinations.
Soon, the treasure ship passed through the gateway and entered another place.
Towering mountains rose before them, with countless silver waterfalls cascading down. The vital essence was so dense that it almost became liquid, soothing both heart and mind.
"This is Qingwei Heaven. Many great figures established imperishable Dao lineages here, and some mysterious old monsters still lie hidden in this land."
On the warship, a middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back. His long hair stirred without wind as he gazed into the distance and spoke.
He was a sect-master-level expert of the Lan clan named Lan Wu. In terms of family seniority, the two girls had to call him uncle.
"It truly is extraordinary, not the slightest bit inferior to Boundless Heaven." Yao Yue breathed in and out a mouthful of pure essence as she spoke.
Lan Wu chuckled softly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
The warship moved swiftly. With a sect-master-level expert controlling it, they reached the Lan clan's home in less than a day.
This was a divine land, where the terrain rose like dragons and serpents. Clusters of magnificent jade palaces floated in the sky, and silver waterfalls cascaded like hanging rivers of stars, scattering dazzling divine radiance.
On the distant cliffs, many auspicious beasts rose together. Their cries shook the universe as they breathed out auspicious clouds, shimmering mists billowing around them in a scene befitting an immortal abode.
The divine land stretched beyond sight. A curtain of light enveloped the entire domain, with ancient symbols flowing across it like auspicious birds, sacred and serene.
"What grandeur!" Xi Yue covered her mouth. Though she considered herself well traveled and knowledgeable, even she was slightly shocked.
The Xu Family was no less impressive, but she had never truly grasped what that meant. Now, she finally understood.
"Long ago, this was the cultivation ground of an immortal being. During the Immortal Ancient era, it was incomparably glorious, with invincible figures emerging from it one after another. Though the ages have turned and its splendor is no longer what it once was, it remains brilliant and magnificent."
Lan Wu approached, wearing a
smile, and spoke gently.
In a sense, these two were descendants of the Lan clan as well. Half their blood came from the Lan, making them part of the same lineage. Naturally, he felt a greater closeness toward them.
Beyond the mountain gate lay a boundless expanse, blessed with nature's concentrated beauty. Ancient halls stood densely throughout it, emanating an air of antiquity and telling of the vicissitudes of time.
Divine springs and spirit waterfalls could be seen everywhere. Powerful divine birds and exotic beasts dwelled there, radiating immense auras.
More astonishing still, countless spirit medicines and sacred medicines had been planted casually throughout the grounds, their fragrance filling the air as they shimmered with flowing color.
Even the soil in which the sacred medicines grew was extraordinary, brimming with divine substances and glimmering with radiant hues.
If outside cultivators saw such a sight, they would surely be tempted, perhaps even driven mad enough to attack and seize it all.
Such reserves were astonishing. When had anyone ever seen a scene like this?
But they could only entertain the thought. They could never truly act on it, for this was the majesty of a longevity family, and no one could challenge it.