Chapter 117

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 117: Suspecting the Master

Before leaving, Wen Yun carefully met Shen Xinghai to inform him of how to activate various protective formations on the island.

"Actually, it’s not difficult to remember. After all, time is short, and I only set up a hundred and thirty protective formations on Cloud Island."

Shen Xinghai fell silent for a moment after seeing the thick booklet.

Making a sword cultivator practice swordsmanship is fine, but asking him to memorize books is not. To be honest… he doesn’t want to do that kind of work.

He politely declined, "Martial Sister Wen, I am not knowledgeable about formations, I am afraid I cannot take on this important task. Why not entrust this matter to Martial Brother Zhu or Young Master Qing Hong?"

Wen Yun insisted, "No, such important matters of guarding the home must be done by you."

Shen Xinghai puzzled, "Why?"

Wen Yun solemnly said, "A man who can fight enemies and protect the home, Martial Brother Shen is an excellent man, and this task belongs to you!"

Shen Xinghai blushed slightly, feeling happy for Wen Yun’s approval but ashamed for avoiding his responsibilities. He accepted the activation of the formation seriously.

He promised word by word, "I will not let Martial Sister Wen down, I will stay on the island!"

Wen Yun left satisfied.

Of course, she wouldn’t say that to ensure all four remaining on the island could operate the protective formation, she had individually convinced each of them. Even the reluctant little fire dragon, after Wen Yun’s persuasive efforts, obediently embraced a book and started reading.

Now, the three people and one dragon felt like the hope of the whole island.

"Finally, we can rest assured heading down. This group of teammates is not capable enough, lacking strong survival instincts."

Wen Yun walked side by side with Ye Shubai and sighed deeply.

Ye Shubai, feeling resigned, knew that sword cultivators were known for their high mortality rate due to their combative nature. He thought that this generation of sword cultivators was quite cautious about their lives.

However, he chose not to argue with Wen Yun, casually changing the subject, "Let’s go down early and deal with the trouble ahead."

Nodding in agreement, Wen Yun looked up at the clouds floating above her head and asked, "Would you guide us down or shall I ride on you?"

The Cloud Beasts spread out their nimble four legs and quickly transformed from a cloud into about ten small creatures. They floated around Wen Yun and Ye Shubai, nuzzling them with their heads while urging them on with gentle bleats.

Amidst the soft bleating, Wen Yun barely made out their intention, "Do you want us to come closer?"

The Little Cloud Beast nodded.

Wen Yun glanced at Ye Shubai, who was already walking beside her, and leaned towards him, locking their arms together.

"Is this okay?"

The Cloud Beasts flew around the two, shaking their heads and urging them to get closer.

Closer? Then I’ll have to… hug you.

Wen Yun reluctantly looked at Ye Shubai, wondering if he would think it’s improper if she suddenly hugged him.

As she hesitated, the man next to her reached out and embraced her without warning, surrounding her with the scent of white plum. Feeling dizzy, she heard him softly apologize.

The Cloud Beasts were finally satisfied and wrapped the two completely together. Wen Yun felt like she was falling into soft clouds, then started floating up and falling down at a terrifying speed.

The most frightening thing in the depths of the cloud sea are the hidden violent winds. Even those who lived in the Cloud Sea World were extremely careful when flying on their magical instruments or controlling the wind themselves, fearing being torn apart if they fell.

Wen Yun had tried several times to fly down to the bottom of the cloud sea to chase Shang Wuyang, but the further down she went, the more violent the winds became. Under the cloud sea was just a vast white expanse, making it easy to lose direction and hard to find anyone.

She didn’t expect the Cloud Beast that was once captured by Shen Xinghai to come in handy one day.

Wen Yun was wrapped by the soft Cloud Beast, feeling no cold, not even a breeze. She had to press her head against Ye Shubai’s chest and the sound in her ears… was his heartbeat.

At this moment, the atmosphere felt a bit awkward. Wen Yun tried to ease the tension by forcing a laugh and saying, "You seem to be in good shape."

Wen Yun originally meant to compliment Ye Shubai’s strong and lively heartbeat, but it was clear that Ye Shubai misunderstood her intention.

He paused for a moment, feeling uneasy as he awkwardly replied, "Thank you."

Even though Ye Shubai responded normally, his thoughts were connected to Wen Yun’s. In that moment, strange voices flashed in Wen Yun’s mind, but before she could investigate further, Ye Shubai withdrew his thoughts, cutting off her exploration.

Despite this, Wen Yun strained to hear words like "abs" and "chest muscles"…

Wen Yun saved Ye Shubai’s face and suppressed a laugh forcefully.

It turned out that this guy’s mind also went in a different direction, mistakenly thinking she was praising his physique!

After what felt like an eternity, Wen Yun was on the verge of falling asleep when the Cloud Beasts suddenly dispersed, releasing Wen Yun and Ye Shubai.

Previously surrounded by Cloud Beasts and unable to see, the sudden bright blue light was blinding in her eyes. Ye Shubai squinted and shielded the light from Wen Yun’s eyes with his sleeve, whispering, "We’ve reached the bottom of the cloud sea."

With sleeves as cushions, Wen Yun felt much more comfortable.

She looked around, widening her eyes slightly.

Wen Yun had initially thought that beneath the sea of clouds lay a dark and desolate land or perhaps terrifying magma. However, to her surprise, under the sea of clouds was a clear blue water area that resembled the sky. Long water grasses emitted a blue faint light at the bottom of the water. The layers of clouds above looked gentle when viewed from below.

Of course, the most beautiful scenery was still under her feet.

Wen Yun and Ye Shubai were standing on a peculiar island made of Cloud Crystal. Under the reflection of the blue light, the island shone brightly. If Cui Yu and the others were here, they would probably be so excited that they wouldn’t let go of the island.

The Cloud Crystal on this small island could probably produce hundreds of Cloud Crystal swords. As for the Nebula Shuttle, as long as Cui Yu didn’t mind, he could create a magical tool with Cloud Crystal for the next hundred years!

The Cloud Beasts were generous and knew that these items were treasures for practitioners, so they urged Wen Yun to collect all these Cloud Crystals.

They floated on the water surface, calling out to their companions with a long and melodious voice.

Perhaps due to studying the language of dragons, Wen Yun could barely understand the language of the Cloud Beasts.

Listening to what Little Cloud Beast said, this is where the Cloud Beasts live. They stay here for a long time, going to the upper cloud sea for food every few decades, then coming back after they are full. They usually don’t stay in the upper levels for long.

As for Little Cloud Beast himself… It’s clear that he is a playful little furball who ran away from home and got kidnapped to work as a child laborer on the way.

After putting away the Cloud Crystal, the two flew forward following Little Cloud Beast’s footsteps in the air above the water. The place was peaceful and beautiful, with the cheerful calls of the Cloud Beasts should have been relaxing, but Ye Shubai’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

Wen Yun asked softly, "Do you sense that something is wrong here?"

"There is a very strong force of the Law of Death below the cloud sea," Ye Shubai’s voice lowered, his tone becoming more serious little by little. "I don’t know if it has always been like this here, or if it was caused by a Celestial Being later."

The strength of the laws of nature does vary in different environments. For example, the fire laws are particularly evident in volcanic environments, while the water laws are stronger in places with abundant water.

Compared to the common Powers of Rules, the supreme laws like life and death, and space are very difficult for ordinary people to perceive. Only those with deep cultivation or certain special abilities can detect them.

Ye Shubai practices the law of life and death, so he is very sensitive to the taste of death.

Wen Yun waved her dragon bone wand and cast a speed-boosting spell to catch up with Little Cloud Beast ahead. Following Ye Shubai’s words, she couldn’t help but get serious, "Have you sensed the Law of Death on Cloud Beast before?"

"Never."

When Ye Shubai gave his answer, Wen Yun’s heart sank, and she immediately thought of the worst possibility.

"Shang Wuyang!"

Thinking of the ruthless madman without an ounce of humanity, Wen Yun’s heart tightened.

She wanted to call back the Little Cloud Beasts, but at that moment, the Cloud Beasts ahead seemed to see something exciting and dashed excitedly towards the water ahead.

The front Little Cloud Beast plunged into the water with a joyful swim.

Looking in that direction, Wen Yun saw numerous pure white clouds floating on the clear water, swaying leisurely with the ripples, only to realize they were all Cloud Beasts.

As she flew closer, Wen Yun’s smile grew dimmer. Eventually, she could no longer stay calm and had to grit her teeth to stop herself from cursing out loud.

Cloud Beasts were good at hiding and extremely fast, so few were caught by people. Even if hunters caught them, they would be imprisoned and fed Cloud Soil to produce Cloud Crystals. No one would be willing to kill these treasures.

However, the white things in front of Wen Yun now looked lifeless, soft like crushed clouds floating on the water, so light that they couldn’t even sink, because they…

Are all dead.

These are the bodies of the Cloud Beasts, covering this whole water surface.

The Little Cloud Beasts were also shocked by this scene, slowly swimming towards the white area in front of them, trying to lift the Cloud Beasts up from the water. But as soon as they touched them, the white things shattered and dissolved like pure snowflakes in the water, leaving no trace behind.

"Baa…"

The voice of the Little Cloud Beasts trembled as they called out, but there was no response from the dead Cloud Beasts except their companions who were still alive.

Wen Yun sensed something was wrong, and hurried forward with the Little Cloud Beasts, but the more they advanced, the more desperate the cries of the Little Cloud Beasts became. Every few miles, they would come across the bodies of Cloud Beasts – some in small numbers, others… piling up like a small island!

Even Wen Yun found it unbearable to continue looking, let alone the group of Cloud Beasts beside her.

The Little Cloud Beast struggled out of her arms and swam towards its own kind.

After calling sadly for a few times, the Cloud Beasts on the water suddenly moved and one of them stuck its head out.

There’s still one Cloud Beast alive!

Little Cloud Beast was about to eagerly approach, but before it could get close, the surviving Cloud Beast suddenly opened its mouth wide and viciously bit down on its own kind!

"Be careful!"

Wen Yun, who had been alert, reacted quickly, raising her wand to create a barrier in front of Little Cloud Beast, blocking the attack.

The Cloud Beast kept roaring and desperately ramming into the barrier, seeming frantic. But this situation didn’t last long, as it quietly passed away moments later.

Little Cloud Beast watched this scene blankly, its tail hanging down.

Wen Yun lifted it up, stroked its back, and let out a sigh.

Ye Shubai flew down and touched the body of the Cloud Beast, saying in a low voice, "It was driven mad by the aura of violence."

"It’s him." Wen Yun took a deep breath, even she could smell the strong smell of killing in the air now, "Shang Wuyang has been here!"

Dongxuan Sect is a big sect in the upper realm, and Shang Wuyang’s master is said to be one of the three powerful immortals of Dongxuan Sect. It is likely that he gave this disciple a protective treasure, so not dying is normal. It seems that this guy has gone crazy and started using the Cloud Beast to practice!

"The Cloud Beast race is quite mysterious, ordinary methods cannot kill them." Wen Yun quickly analyzed Shang Wuyang’s motives calmly, "For someone like the ruthless merchant who practices through killing, this is an excellent opportunity for cultivation. He will definitely not let it go, he might even comprehend a deeper level of the Power of Rules in this massacre!"

"But we don’t know where he is hiding now…"

Ye Shubai drew the Phoenix Tree Sword at some point, his voice cold, "I will find him."

The white-clad sword cultivator’s two fingers came together as the blade of the sword passed through, a golden glimmer appearing on the tip of the sword, getting brighter and brighter, finally turning into a dazzling phoenix soaring into the sky!

*

In a secluded corner unknown to anyone, hundreds of Cloud Beasts piled up on the water’s surface to form floating islands.

In the center, a dark figure knelt on top, slowly drawing the rich smell of death in the world into his body.

This smell made him feel very comfortable, and the injuries on his body gradually healed.

However, at this moment, another smell arose in the world, although it was very far away, the sense of its existence was very strong, faintly resonating with the Law of Death around him.

A long time ago, he mistakenly thought this smell was from the same kind, this misunderstanding had made him pay a terrible price.

The man suddenly opened his eyes and shouted hoarsely, "He’s coming to find me! He wants to kill me!"

Only those who have experienced death know that fear, every time he remembered the pain of his arm being cut off by a sword, and the fear of the Power of Rules raging inside him, he couldn’t control his emotions.

He quickly patted his own forehead and said, "Master, save me!"

There was silence in the world, and after a long, long time, a semi-transparent figure appeared.

It was a strand of Master’s divine presence, like being enveloped in light, the face could not be seen clearly, soft yet dazzling.

When he fell to the bottom of Cloud Sea World, it was this light that saved his life.

The distracted god looked down at the young man kneeling on the ground, his voice ethereal and faint.

"Wuyang, do not fear, he is your chance, kill him, and your great path will be open."

Shang Wuyang’s breath was slightly unstable, hearing this, his left hand involuntarily clenched.

Though he did not argue, but…

For the first time, he began to doubt the words of his master.