Chapter 50 : The Secret Realm Entrance Reappears in the Present World!
Chapter 50: The Secret Realm Entrance Reappears in the Present World!
In the latter half of the night, Long Tao hurried without pause and finally arrived at the Cloud Vessel Division Plaza of Tiangong Pavilion.
Dozens of cloud vessels of varying sizes were docked across the vast plaza.
His luck was good as well—by coincidence, the disciple on night duty had crossed paths with him several times before, sparing him the trouble of introductions.
“You want to apply to be a maintenance worker for the ‘Lianxing’?”
After hearing Long Tao’s purpose, the duty disciple, out of their slight acquaintance, still could not help but offer a word of advice.
“Long Tao, this job isn’t easy. Maintenance work runs on rotations of at least half a month—inspection, cleaning, record-keeping… tedious and exhausting, and the pay is just so-so. It’s really not as good as staying steadily in the workshop and helping Elder Liu.”
Long Tao forced a practical yet helpless smile.
“I know all that. But with experience maintaining a cloud vessel, my résumé will look better. It’ll also be more convenient if I go out later to take on private jobs.”
“Oh… that’s true.” The duty disciple suddenly understood, patted Long Tao on the shoulder, and his tone carried a trace of sympathy and understanding.
“You kid… looks like you’ve finally accepted that cultivation isn’t your strong suit and have started seriously planning how to make a living, huh? Fine! Thinking like that isn’t bad either.”
He stopped persuading him, flipped open the registration ledger, and spoke as he wrote.
“‘Lianxing’… let me think. Right! A few years ago it seemed to have participated in testing some new coating. After that it’s been parked there without moving. It should be at the most remote berth in the southwest corner. Here—this is its routine maintenance log. It’s empty anyway. Just take it aboard, check in on time every day, and record the situation. I’ll register you here—come press your handprint.”
Just as expected! It matched Long Tao’s prediction almost exactly.
A cloud vessel that had completed a specific experimental task would usually be forgotten in a corner unless it became absolutely necessary to use it again.
A maintenance worker would be assigned symbolically, just to ensure it did not fall into disrepair.
After all, no one wanted responsibility—if something went wrong with that experimental coating during flight, it would be a mess to investigate.
Letting it sit quietly was the easiest choice.
After all, the opening of a secret realm was often separated by decades or even centuries.
A place like the Azurewood Demon Forest, reopening again after only twenty years, was already considered a very short interval.
No one likely imagined that before the Lianxing was scrapped and retired, there would actually come a day when it could be used.
Long Tao solemnly pressed his handprint onto the registration ledger, and a great weight finally lifted from his heart.
With this credential, for at least the next half month, he was the legitimate, officially appointed maintenance crewman of the Lianxing! Unless he quit on his own, no one would be able to easily kick him off this vessel!
After thanking the duty disciple, Long Tao strode across the empty plaza.
By moonlight, he found his target at the most remote berth in the southwest corner—the “Lianxing.”
It was a medium-sized cloud vessel, its design still fairly new, after all an experimental craft produced only a few years earlier.
Neither too large nor too small, it could accommodate roughly fifty people at full capacity—more than enough to transport an elite secret-realm exploration squad and their equipment.
His last concern was completely dispelled.
Because it had been coated with that special Wood-Repelling Lacquer, its hull displayed an indigo-blue tone unlike ordinary cloud vessels.
However, after years of being parked, the scent of the coating had long since dissipated.
Thick layers of dust and cobwebs covered the vessel from top to bottom, exuding a desolate air of long neglect, clearly having received no maintenance.
Long Tao took a deep breath, ascended the gangplank onto the deck, and entered the interior of the vessel.
First, he carefully nailed the blank maintenance logbook to its designated spot on the cabin wall.
Then he took out a pen and neatly wrote on the first page his name, today’s date, and the first task record: Initial Boarding Inspection.
He dared not delay and headed straight for the cockpit.
The power system was of paramount importance—there could be absolutely no mistakes.
This was not merely about duty; anything that could affect the mission was equivalent to gambling with his life.
Fortunately, the spirit stones embedded within the power furnace as basic sustaining energy still retained some residual spiritual power.
He cautiously activated several foundational formations and checked each system one by one.
In the end, aside from slightly sluggish responses in certain areas due to long idleness, there were no major issues.
“Thankfully…” Long Tao let out a small breath of relief and returned to the logbook, faithfully recording the inspection results:
【Power furnace spirit stone reserves retain approximately seventeen percent spiritual power. All core formations respond normally. Note: certain formation nodes exhibit obstructed spiritual energy flow due to prolonged inactivity; follow-up inspection will be conducted when time permits.】
Next, he fetched cleaning tools and began laboriously clearing away the thick dust and cobwebs accumulated on the hull.
The work was monotonous and exhausting, but he carried it out meticulously.
By the time dawn lightened the sky, the indigo hull of the Lianxing finally regained its sheen.
At the very least, it now looked like a cloud vessel still in service, properly tended.
After finishing everything, he leaned against the railing, gazing at the gradually brightening lights of Tiangong Pavilion in the distance, and let out a long breath.
His side of the work was basically done.
Next… it would depend on Dong Jiayuan’s side, and on… destiny.
…
The next morning, after being busy all night, Long Tao was extremely tired.
Still, as a Qi-Refining Fifth Layer cultivator, staying up one night did not exhaust him completely.
As agreed, he went to Dong Jiayuan’s residence near Tiangong Pavilion and found that the other party had already been waiting at the door.
His eyes likewise showed fatigue, yet his spirit was high.
“Looks like you didn’t have an idle night either.” Dong Jiayuan looked Long Tao up and down, taking in his travel-worn appearance and barely concealed weariness, and knew at once that he too had been running around all night.
Without wasting words, he stepped aside to let him in, then overturned a heavy cloth bag onto the floor with a loud clatter.
The glow of spirit stones instantly lit up a corner of the small room!
“I even sold the redwood box itself at a price—I didn’t expect the wood of that box to be quite valuable. Here, all the money from selling your pills and materials is in here.”
When he saw three Nine-Xia Crystal Coins shimmering with gorgeous iridescent light, like works of art, along with a scattered but substantial pile of low-grade spirit stones, Long Tao momentarily felt suffocated, standing there dumbfounded.
Although he had made estimates beforehand, actually seeing this sum—worthy of being called a huge fortune—piled before his eyes still delivered an overwhelming shock.
His heart skipped a beat, and his breathing quickened.
Nine-Xia Crystal Coins themselves were not spirit stones, and the spiritual energy contained within them was negligible.
However, they were the official currency minted by the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect using its unique, extremely intricate formation craftsmanship.
They could be exchanged for standard spirit stones throughout the sect’s sphere of influence and in many surrounding cities and markets.
Their credit was excellent and had never depreciated.
How good was it? Even the rival Wuyi Sect, within its territory’s black markets and on certain occasions, would tacitly allow Nine-Xia Crystal Coins to be used in transactions! Even some large merchant caravans tens of thousands of li away regarded them as one of the hard currencies in circulation! While their status did not reach the level of a “world currency” like the U.S. dollar of his previous life (after all, this world was vast and full of competing powers), in terms of monetary credibility and acceptance, aside from direct spirit-stone transactions, Nine-Xia Crystal Coins could definitely rank in the top three!
Long Tao picked one up to examine it.
Although these three were of the lowest denomination and grade, their surfaces shimmered with flowing light, and complex anti-counterfeiting formation patterns flickered faintly beneath his fingertips.
After all, the sect invested tremendous effort to create these precisely so that people would not have to lug around heaps of spirit stones when trading.
Combined with their high manufacturing cost, they naturally came in large denominations.
“It’s… quite a bit more than I expected.” Long Tao’s voice was hoarse with excitement.
“You really went all out, Old Dong! To pull this off so perfectly in just one night!”
“I burned through all the favors and face I’d saved up.” Dong Jiayuan rubbed his aching temples, his tone still brimming with excitement.
“But now’s not the time to rest. Long Tao, if your information is true, news of the secret realm’s opening could reach the sect as soon as today! We have to hit the markets immediately and sweep up everything on the list! We can’t afford to waste even a second!”
Long Tao nodded heavily, forcibly suppressing his fatigue and the dizziness brought on by seeing such wealth.
Time, at this moment, was the most precious resource!
“We split up! Pills, talismans, specific artifacts, plus special detoxifying agents and protective gear tailored for the Azurewood Demon Forest… memorize the list. Plan the routes to cover different markets and shops as much as possible. Avoid overlapping runs, and avoid buying too much in one place to prevent suspicion.”
The two quickly marked out areas and procurement lists on the map.
Then, without hesitation, they rushed out of the small house, heading in opposite directions.
They both understood that the coming day would be a race against time, with not a moment to spare.
…
And at the very same moment that Long Tao and Dong Jiayuan charged into the various markets of Qixia Town to begin their frantic buying spree—
Far to the southeast, at the ancient forest lying along the border between the spheres of influence of the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect and the Wuyi Sect.
Two patrol squads from different sects almost simultaneously sensed an extremely faint yet exceptionally distinctive spiritual energy fluctuation coming from a certain spot in space!
Both sides were startled inwardly and, without prior agreement, rushed toward the source of the fluctuation at top speed.
In just half the time of one incense stick, they arrived almost simultaneously at a forest clearing that had been ordinary before, but was now suffused with strange spatial ripples.
“Senior Brother! This is…” A young disciple stared at the vortex entrance in the center of the clearing, its form gradually becoming distinct as it twisted the light around it.
His voice trembled slightly with excitement.
The patrol leader was a resolute-faced cultivator at the mid Foundation Establishment stage.
His gaze was sharp as he fixed it on the fully formed secret realm entrance, then warily swept a glance toward the equally watchful Wuyi Sect team not far away.
He made a decisive judgment.
“Junior Sister Qin! Your spirit crane is the fastest! Immediately send the news back to the nearest sect outpost! Report that… the Azurewood Demon Forest secret realm entrance has reappeared in the world!”
“Yes!” Junior Sister Qin did not hesitate in the slightest.
She immediately patted the white crane beside her, mounted it, and soared into the air, transforming into a streak of light heading northwest.
On the opposing team, someone likewise mounted a black-winged giant bird and flew off toward the southeast, clearly with the same intention.
After arranging the report, the patrol leader drew his sword and pointed it straight at the Wuyi Sect cultivators opposite him.
His voice rose sharply.
“As for us! Junior brothers and sisters, form up! Guard this place well! Before the sect’s reinforcements arrive—We must not allow these Wuyi Sect beasts to set foot in the secret realm even half a step!”
“Yes!!”