Chapter 804: First Exploration of Space

Chapter 804: A Preliminary Exploration of Space

Zhao Changhe cleared his throat twice, his gaze lifting to fixate upon the ceiling.

It was the very first time he had been so thoroughly disdained by a partner, and yet the reasoning behind it was so utterly flawless.

Though Ying Wu did not yet know that his intended targets were Jiuyou and Piamiao, he must have guessed that those two were also within the Kunlun Mountains. So long as one acted within Kunlun, there was a chance of crossing paths with them; in fact, based on past experience, Ying Wu would dare to judge outright that the opponents he sought were none other than Jiuyou and Piamiao.

And why would he dare make such a direct judgment? Because they were women.

A closed loop.

If a man like Ying Wu could not resolve the anxieties weighing upon his heart, he would likely sooner abandon this battle than plunge into it blindly.

"Well, Brother Ying, listen to my sophistry... no, listen to my explanation." Zhao Changhe coughed dryly. "I admit to the first part, but as for the business with women, it isn't that they restrain me—it's quite the opposite, you see..."

"Is that so?" Ying Wu said with a stiff, expressionless face. "My Brotherhood's intelligence-gathering capabilities are formidable indeed. To this day, only two women have ever truly stood as your enemies. One is Xiang Simeng, the current Queen of Dali, and the two of you merely vied for a treasure; she never intended to kill you. The other is Zhuque—well, I know not if she ever wished you dead. Given my understanding of her nature, she likely harbored murderous intent, yet she never truly struck, did she? Tell me, then, which woman have you ever truly faced in mortal combat?"

Zhao Changhe countered, "Is that stiff face of yours because Zhuque is among them?"

Ying Wu fell silent.

"Intelligence requires analysis. Shouldn't the conclusion of such an analysis be that even when they were my enemies, they were unwilling to strike the killing blow? Surely that is a uniquely blessed fortune, a stroke of luck that comes from being handsome—one cannot simply envy it away."

Ying Wu nearly burst into laughter. "Yes, yes, quite so."

"Your intelligence gathering is only so-so, after all. Back when I escorted Yangyang, I killed several female assassins with my own hands—how is it that those don't count?" Zhao Changhe sighed. "To tell you the truth, I have come this time specifically for Jiuyou and Piamiao. The place I need your help to find, Brother Ying, is precisely where Jiuyou resides. Do I truly look like a man seeking his own demise?"

"I even know why you have come. I have reports stating that Cui Yuanyang became an entirely different person upon the battlefield and fled," Ying Wu said. "But I still believe you are seeking your own demise. The second and fourth of the Demon Gods, compounded by the fact that it is your wife's physical vessel—you will be bound by fear of harming the innocent. Just how much weight do you carry now, that you would ride out all alone like this?"

"After beating around the bush for so long, you are actually urging me not to go. The so-called 'women' refers not only to Jiuyou and Piamiao, but more importantly, to Yangyang."

"Yes," Ying Wu replied faintly. "The reason I set a three-day deadline was to give you time to consider the matter calmly and clearly. Yet, you still arrived entirely alone. What is truly bizarre is that not a single one of your women managed to dissuade you."

"It is not that they failed to dissuade me; they simply never tried to do so. Every one of them supported my coming. Do you know why, Brother Ying?"

"Why?"

"Because they know that if they were to suffer the exact same fate, I would do the very same for them."

Ying Wu remained silent.

Zhao Changhe swirled the wine within his cup, his gaze turning somewhat vacant. "In truth... I know not if you will believe me, Brother Ying, but if the person needing rescue at this moment were you, I would come in just the same manner. If you were held hostage, I would be equally paralyzed by apprehension. If it must be said that I possess a weakness, it is not a matter of women, but of sentiment—and friendship is no exception."

Ying Wu froze for a moment, then let out a helpless laugh. "Do we possess such a deep bond of fellowship?"

"We do."

Ying Wu narrowed his eyes and regarded Zhao Changhe for a long while, a sharp, fierce gleam flashing faintly within his eyes before he suddenly broke into a bright smile. "Since it is you, Zhao Changhe, who has spoken these words, I believe them."

"Therefore, this weakness of mine has no solution, nor do I intend to seek one, nor do I believe such a weakness to be an evil thing."

Ying Wu spoke with absolute decisiveness: "Then let it remain unresolved."

"Your attitude changes rather quickly, does it not?"

"Because I, too, possess this very same weakness."

The two men stared at one another for a long moment, and both smiled.

Zhao Changhe chuckled. "However, when it comes to illusions and inner demons, that is a weakness that can indeed be remedied. Do you have any guidance to offer on that front, Brother Ying?"

"I do. Though the method is not particularly intuitive." Ying Wu tossed a chain straight across the space between them. "This is the Soul-Binding Chain. It can ensnare an enemy's divine soul. Once entangled, the soul is rendered utterly immobile; even an ancient Primordial Demon God cannot break free, nor can anyone shatter it from without. Apart from the wielder of the chain themselves, it is entirely without remedy—to be precise, I have never heard of any solution. As for whether a powerhouse of Jiuyou's caliber possesses a countermeasure, I cannot say for certain."

Zhao Changhe weighed the chain in his hand, unable to discern its material. He felt only its extreme lightness; it possessed virtually no weight at all. "This object is of little use in actual combat, for no one will stand meekly in place to allow themselves to be bound by you. Furthermore, the divine soul is an ethereal, illusory thing, lacking the concrete form of a physical body that makes for easy binding. If one cannot ensnare the target, discussing whether there is a solution after the binding takes place loses all meaning. It would be far more practical to bind a physical body instead."

Ying Wu smiled. "Splendid. Your combat instincts are indeed formidable. This is an object virtually devoid of flaws, something others would be utterly ecstatic to possess, yet upon a single hearing, you immediately understood that its practical value in battle is negligible; it can only be utilized for a sneak attack. However, who among men of this caliber could ever be caught off guard by a sneak attack? Thus, it is essentially useless. Do you know, then, what purpose it serves in your hands?"

"At any rate, it is certainly not for me to bind Jiuyou with." Zhao Changhe pondered for a moment, then laughed. "It is for me to bind myself. Should my heart grow wild and my thoughts unruly, I shall restrain myself with it, preventing the reins from slipping away, and no outsider will be able to break it."

Ying Wu clapped his hands and laughed uproariously. "As expected of Zhao Changhe."

Without the slightest pretense of courtesy, Zhao Changhe swept the chain into his ring. "Where did this object come from? To be perfectly frank, when used to control a captive, it truly is a treasure without flaw. One must have delved into a tremendously powerful hidden realm to acquire such a thing, and I imagine the casualties were not light..."

"You are mistaken. This was merely purchased within the mortal realm." Ying Wu rubbed his fingers together. "The human world still harbors treasures left behind by antiquity, much like the Four Swords of Mountains and Rivers. So long as they are willing to sell... wealth can still accomplish many things."

Zhao Changhe was left speechless.

That being said, since Ying Wu had even taken his own weaknesses into account, his own preparations must be far more thorough. Zhao Changhe scrutinized Ying Wu once more. "Have you broken through to the Grandmaster Realm? Why is it that when I observe your Qi, you still appear to have not broken through?"

Ying Wu offered a faint smile. "In truth, before the battle in the northern wastes, I had already broken through the threshold. Did you truly believe that someone who had not achieved the Grandmaster Realm could cause such distress to Temur? No matter how formidable the Path of Space may be, it cannot leap across realms to such an absurd degree."

Zhao Changhe uttered, "...So the injuries you claimed to have suffered were not truly that severe either?"

"Indeed. I cast a baited line to resolve certain matters within the Western Regions. It required three days, which is why I requested three days from you."

Zhao Changhe found himself caught between tears and laughter.

Ying Wu sighed softly. "At the inception of the Profound Passways, none can discern another's true strength from outward appearances, and so everyone acts with extreme caution and prudence. Yet upon reaching the level of the Grandmaster Realm, men invariably begin to believe that their own perception has grown keen, that they can judge a person's strength solely from their aura. Once they grow accustomed to this, they lose the caution of their earlier years, resulting in fatal miscalculations. Temur has already suffered for this blunder, yet you have not taken warning."

Zhao Changhe agreed wholeheartedly. "Your reminder comes at a most opportune moment, Brother Ying."

"Shall I teach you the method of concealing your cultivation?"

"I do not particularly enjoy playing the pig to eat the tiger, and given the reputation I bear, I can hardly pose as a pig any longer; it holds little meaning. However, there is another form of cultivation I would like to seek your guidance upon."

"Space?"

"Yes. It is somewhat presumptuous of me; after all, this is the very craft by which you make your living. If you do not wish to teach it, I shall absolute harbor no grievances."

Ying Wu directly tossed a booklet across. "The core techniques I indeed have no wish to teach. Take these introductory matters; how you proceed hereafter will depend entirely upon yourself."

Zhao Changhe was momentarily stunned by his sheer forthrightness. This was truly the man's livelihood, yet he had surrendered it without even a moment's deliberation?

"In truth, it is not altogether impossible for you to have the core techniques as well." Ying Wu leaned comfortably back against the chair's rest, speaking at his leisure. "The reason I do not wish to teach them is simply because the Zhao Changhe of today should no longer learn the arts of others. You require something that is uniquely your own."

Zhao Changhe stared at him for a long while before offering a brilliant smile. "Very well. Give me half a day to rest, and then we shall set forth."

Originally, he had harbored some intention of casting this introductory method into the Heavenly Book, allowing the General Outline page to deduce and evolve its various subsequent applications. Hearing Ying Wu speak thus, he cast that notion entirely from his mind.

With great difficulty, he had finally acquired something independent of the Heavenly Book; would he truly choose to entangle himself with it once more?

It would be far better to entangle dozens of generations of descendants for you instead.

"By 'rest,' do you mean to utilize this half-day to study space?"

"Yes."

"Come with me." Ying Wu drained the last drop of the grape wine in a single gulp and rose to his full height. "It is time to show you the Path of Hidden Realms belonging to our Brotherhood."

...

The first hidden realm lay precisely at the base of this Western Regions structure, taking the form of a desolate mountain. The barren peak had not been fashioned by Ying Wu into any sort of base; it was utterly hollow, containing nothing at all.

Lifting their eyes to look around, the vault of heaven was a uniform, murky gray, devoid of any feature.

Ying Wu introduced the place: "This location is actually a nexus, linking countless different hidden realms all around. Even if two men were to walk shoulder to shoulder, the spaces they would arrive at upon stepping outward would be entirely distinct. It is not, as people speculate, a massive, complete map formed by fitting together pieces of a puzzle. If those ignorant of the inner workings were to invade our so-called headquarters, this place would become a labyrinth to plunge them into utter despair; they could wander for a century without ever finding an exit. We have absolutely no need to deploy defenses or traps; space itself is the greatest snare."

Zhao Changhe nodded. "So that is how it is."

"Furthermore, my subordinates each know only their own specific paths. Those who cannot pierce the secrets of space will never master the core of this place. Even if I were to face betrayal, I need only conceal myself within, and no one would ever be able to find me."

Yet you taught me space so readily... Is this not tantamount to placing your life in my hands?

Zhao Changhe did not give voice to this question. He merely observed his surroundings, perceiving the space.

This was distinct from the time when the hidden realm of Xiangyang had been linked to Kunlun. That had not been a structured link, but rather a state of chaos, a cross-stitching of spaces that did not belong together. Jiuyou, who had brought all of that about, might not have even considered which spaces she wished to connect, or perhaps she had not even done so intentionally; she had merely disrupted the area at random to conceal her own location.

Here with Ying Wu, however, there was no sense of chaos. It was highly methodical; all the interconnected parts adhered to one and the same rule. He knew with absolute clarity what he was doing and where he was going.

“Follow behind me, do not walk abreast.” Ying Wu said, stepping forward to his left, and Zhao Changhe followed closely behind.

No longer was it the sensation of a twist and instant appearance in another space as with teleportation; this time, they truly “walked.”

It felt as if stepping into a bizarre and dazzling void, surrounded by twisted shadows—mountains, rivers, grasslands, trees flickering chaotically, formless and abstract to the extreme. Beneath their feet was a very narrow “single-plank bridge,” equally abstract, and as they slowly crossed it, the scenery around them felt like walking into a movie.

It was as if the incomprehensible process of teleportation had been concretized and slowed down.

Ying Wu said, “If you fall off this spatial linking bridge, the surroundings are all shattered spaces. A person would be torn to pieces, flesh and blood scattered across countless different spaces—head in the grassland, belly overseas.”

Zhao Changhe said, “If this technique were used in martial arts, wouldn’t it be terrifyingly powerful?”

“To unleash such a skill on the spot is not something a human can do… I’m afraid even the so-called first among the demon gods, that unknown entity, couldn’t manage it.” Ying Wu smiled. “Perhaps the Heavenly Dao could… who knows?”

Zhao Changhe nodded slightly. Knowing the principle didn’t mean one could use it; with such power, one could probably destroy a planet with a single punch…

In the brief exchange of two sentences, they had already crossed the bridge and arrived in another space. This space appeared to be a wilderness, with soil quality similar to the previous barren mountain, but when Zhao Changhe looked back at the edge of the space, it was not contiguous with that mountain.

Ying Wu knew what he was looking at: “Actually, it is one piece…”

Zhao Changhe turned to look at him.

Ying Wu said, “A broken mirror is hard to mend, let alone space… After shattering, there must be a great deal of loss in between; it cannot be perfectly rejoined. The missing parts are those twisted currents we just saw. That’s the fundamental reason I said it’s impossible to piece together a large map—there’s no basis for it, and why would I want to piece together a map anyway?”

“So, you built the bridge.”

“Yes. Between any two spaces, even between the celestial realm and the human realm, or spaces far more distant and unknown to us, channels can be constructed. It might be just a hole, or it might require building a bridge—various methods, but they always exist. These are all fragments of the original celestial realm; within the same plane, building a bridge is much simpler… This is actually the foundation of teleportation, and at its peak, it should form a spacetime gate.” Ying Wu said, “Can you teleport? I mean with your physical body, not divine descent—divine descent has few restrictions, it’s different.”

“I can. But only short distances; at most, I can go from the capital to Beimang.”

Ying Wu: “?”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

Ying Wu said expressionlessly, “Good that you can; the foundation is passable. If you want to get started, take the technique I just gave you, combine it with your own perception of teleportation, and you can find the path to entry on your own.”

Zhao Changhe’s heartbeat quickened. This truly touched on his initial wish to return home after his transmigration.

It had only been a little over two and a half years since he began, and by all accounts, that was very fast.

But it had also been only a little over two and a half years, and he hadn’t thought about going back for who knows how long.

Of course, if he could freely traverse, there would be no dilemma—visiting both sides, or bringing people to live on either side, would be fine.

He was lost in thought, and Ying Wu kept his mouth shut, saying nothing. The capital to Beimang, though relatively close, was still a hundred or two hundred li… Unless prepared in advance, even I can’t teleport half that distance on the spot… Who’s teaching whom here?

The two walked through several spaces in silence, each expressionless, and before long, they arrived at a place they had been before.

“The Xuanwu secret realm in the Chaotic Stone Mountain of Yellow Sand Market?” Zhao Changhe looked around with some surprise. This was indeed the space he had given to Ying Wu. The landscape remained, but the jelly was long gone; now it was a space of no value.

But for Zhao Changhe, it held great sentimental value—it was where he lost his virginity…

“Not bad.” Ying Wu smiled. “You’ve found me quite a few good places.”

“There’s nothing useful left here; is it still a good place?”

“I already told you, I only need the space to find its neighbors. This secret realm is a high central point in the celestial realm; through it, I’ve found many adjacent places. Isn’t that a good place?”

So this place was also part of the Kunlun ring. Could this lake, stained with Hong Ling’s virgin blood, be the Celestial Pool of the celestial realm?

Zhao Changhe blinked, wondering if it was still needed now that it had been used. If not, could he ask for it back to keep as a memento? Hong Ling would surely be delighted.

Oh, and by that logic, walking out from here would lead to Yellow Sand Market?

Ying Wu read his thoughts and smiled, “Want to go out and take a look?”

Zhao Changhe said with interest, “Let’s go.”

They rose and left, peering out. To the south, dust rose high, bustling with activity—a new city was under construction.

Today, the Prince of Monan, Batu, was personally inspecting. Zhao Changhe spotted Batu’s large face at a glance.

Ying Wu smiled, “Want to greet the Prince of Monan?”

“No.” Zhao Changhe pulled him back inside and said with a grin, “Space traversal is really interesting.”

Ying Wu smiled, “Since we’re here, we’re almost at the spot. A few more spaces, and we’ll reach the unknown secret realm we newly found. Sharpening the axe won’t delay the woodcutting; no need to talk about resting for half a day. You first meditate—once you’ve mastered the basics of space, we’ll set off.”

“What counts as mastering the basics?”

“Hmm… if you can find the bridge we’ve newly opened in this space on your own, that’s basically entry-level.”

“…Then this test is useless.” Zhao Changhe reached out and pointed at a void ahead: “Is it this direction?”

Ying Wu’s heart skipped a beat: “How do you know?”

“Because this space feels like home to me. Anywhere the aura differs from before, I can smell it with my eyes closed—it’s pure cheating.”

Ying Wu: “…”

This might not be cheating at all.

Does space have an aura? Yes. But this aura isn’t about smell; it’s the unique essence of each space, not as easy to distinguish as scents. Moreover, the essences of adjacent spaces are very similar, making slight differences even harder to discern.

If a beginner could perceive the difference in aura between adjacent spaces, it meant their talent in spatial matters was one in ten thousand.

Rather than cheating, it was a blessed ground. Because of his extreme familiarity with this space, it was easier to guide him in. Once he entered the door, subsequent matters would be much simpler…

“You only stayed here for a while; why does it feel like home? You’ve been in so many secret realms—do you remember every one?”

“Not really.” Zhao Changhe tucked his hands into his sleeves: “Because this is my wedding chamber.”

Ying Wu very much wanted to take back what he had said earlier.

Women were definitely not his weakness—they were his driving force.