Chapter 481: Near at Hand

The Primordial Profound Ark.

Yun Che sat upright before the stone door, intently staring at the large hole in it. Through this opening, he could clearly see the outside world.

This was the result of his continuous fusion of Ice and Fire over the past six months. After more than six hundred destructions caused by his Iceflame, the hole in the stone door had expanded to be larger than an adult's head. However, despite several attempts, it was still not quite large enough for him to escape... just a tiny bit more was needed.

The Ice and Phoenix Flames in Yun Che's hand once again successfully merged. Compared to his initial attempts, this fusion took a very short time, and the process even seemed somewhat casual. Over six months, with more than six hundred repetitions day and night, the difficulty he once faced when merging Iceflame had vanished. In another sense, his understanding of this reversed law had quietly become more profound during this process.

"This time, I'm sure it will work!" Yun Che murmured, then unleashed the Iceflame in his hand toward the edge of the destroyed opening in the stone door.

The destruction caused by the Iceflame was silent. As the ice-blue, eerie flame dissipated, the width of the hole visibly stretched a small amount. After estimating the current width of the opening, Yun Che took a deep breath. Just as he was about to stand up, his profound veins suddenly surged with profound energy.

"Is this... another breakthrough!?"

Yun Che quickly steadied himself, focusing his mind and slowly guiding the profound energy within his body. Each successful Iceflame fusion consumed a vast amount of profound energy, thus each successful fusion served as significant tempering for his profound strength. By his one hundred fortieth fusion, his profound strength had broken through to the ninth level of the Sky Profound Realm. Now, only four months later, his profound strength was on the verge of another breakthrough.

This breakthrough, like the last, was incredibly smooth and natural. In less than fifteen minutes, the profound energy in his profound veins completely settled, and the aura emanating from Yun Che underwent a distinct change.

Profound energy at the Earth Profound Realm was like white mist, while profound strength at the Sky Profound Realm was thick like white paste. Now, having reached the peak of the Sky Profound Realm, the profound energy in his profound veins was so dense it seemed almost solidified. Red and blue light intertwined, making the entire profound vein space seem like a dreamlike world.

Yun Che opened his eyes, gazed at his hands, and murmured to himself, "It seems I'm not far from the Sovereign Profound Realm... Give me less than another year, and I'll surely become a Monarch!"

Yun Che stood up, fixed his gaze on the large hole in the stone door, and then dove headfirst into it.

As before, his head passed through without any issue, but his shoulders caught on the inner edge, preventing him from passing. Yun Che stretched his neck, straightened his body, strained to pull in his arms, then pushed off with his legs and exerted a mighty force... With a 'thump,' his shoulder, which had been stuck inside, suddenly wedged into the opening.

He... succeeded!!

Although the squeezing was quite painful, Yun Che's face was beaming with joy. He vigorously wriggled his body, straightened his arms, and slowly moved his upper body forward through the opening, grimacing and turning red in the face from the struggle. If the Primordial Profound Ark hadn't been empty, Yun Che would have waited another half a month rather than make such a scene that would damage his image.

"I refuse to believe I can't get out..."

Yun Che struggled for a good part of the day, finally managing to get a little over half of his shoulder out. He glared, took a deep breath, and exerted all his strength.

With a 'rip,' Yun Che's clothes were completely torn, and he shot out of the hole like a cannonball, crashing headfirst into a wall not far in front of him.

Yun Che stood up, clutching his head. Turning back, he saw the stone door with the large hole in it... and this door was now thirty meters away from him!

"I'm out... I'm finally out!!" Although his head throbbed from the impact, Yun Che cheered ecstatically. From what he initially believed was a certain death, to his arduous survival, and now, finally escaping from a place that had trapped him for two full years... it was hard for him not to be overjoyed.

"Don't celebrate too soon!" Jasmine's voice suddenly rang out. "You've only left a small stone chamber! You're still inside the Primordial Profound Ark... Do you know how to get out of *this* Primordial Profound Ark?"

Jasmine's words quickly dampened Yun Che's enthusiasm. He pondered for a moment, then said, "No matter how big this Ark is, it must have an edge. As long as I find the edge, then, just like breaking through the stone door, I can blast it open bit by bit with Iceflame. I'll surely get out eventually."

"Hmph, how naive." Jasmine snorted. "It took you half a year to blast open a small stone door. The outer walls of the Primordial Profound Ark are at least ten thousand times thicker than that stone door, and their toughness far exceeds that of a simple internal stone door. What will you use to blast *that* open?"

"That... I know it's not realistic. But there isn't only one way to leave here," Yun Che continued. "The Primordial Profound Ark appears on the Azure Cloud Continent once every three hundred years. Each time, those who entered are expelled by the Ark's unique aura."

Yun Che spoke with a grave expression, pondering as he did so: "According to past records, the Primordial Profound Ark usually remains stationary for half a year, then opens its door on the last day of that half-year period, expelling everyone who entered at the very last moment. It's now been roughly half a year since the Primordial Profound Ark suddenly stopped. Perhaps that aura will appear soon; as long as I leave this ancient palace and wait for that aura, I can depart."

"What you said is indeed possible," Jasmine said indifferently. "But do you know where the Primordial Profound Ark is currently resting? Since you know it only appears on the Azure Cloud Continent once every three hundred years, then the place it's currently stopped at definitely cannot be the Azure Cloud Continent! If you leave with that aura, you'll have no idea where you'll be taken! On the Azure Cloud Continent, there seem to be no records of the Primordial Profound Ark appearing in other nearby spaces. This means the place you'll be taken to is very likely completely unrelated to the Azure Cloud Continent, extremely far away, a place from which you'll never be able to return!"

"!!" Yun Che's body stiffened abruptly.

"Clearly, this Primordial Profound Ark doesn't just stop in one place like the Azure Cloud Continent. It seems to follow a certain pattern of spatial travel, stopping in a fixed location for a fixed period at regular intervals, on a three-hundred-year cycle," Jasmine explained slowly. "In the vast universe, the chaotic space, there are trillions upon trillions of galaxies, countless star realms, and an immeasurable number of spaces. The Blue Pole Star you were on before is merely one of the most ordinary and inconspicuous among them. The Primordial Profound Ark has undergone eighteen months of spatial travel; this amount of time is enough for it to reach places so remote that you can't imagine or comprehend them. So remote that even if you achieve the Divine Profound Realm and spend your entire life searching, you would never be able to return to the Azure Cloud Continent!"

"...Do I have to wait here for three hundred years, until it returns to the Azure Cloud Continent, and then leave with the aura?" Yun Che remained silent for a long time, then asked dazedly. In truth, he had considered everything Jasmine had said over the past few months, but he found it difficult to accept such a reality.

If he left the Primordial Profound Ark now, he would appear in an entirely different world, perhaps never able to return to the Azure Cloud Continent.

But if he waited here for three hundred years...

With his Dragon God body and the protection of the Great Way of the Buddha, living another three hundred years would be no problem, even without profound energy; he wouldn't even show a hint of aging. However, across both his lives, he had lived less than fifty years in total. How could he face such an immense span of three hundred years? What would the Azure Cloud Continent be like three hundred years from now? Three hundred years later, would the people he cared about—his grandfather, his little aunt, Cang Yue, Yuanba, Qingyue—still be alive? If they were, would they still remember him? If they did, how would he face them...?

Jasmine sensed Yun Che's state of mind and aura becoming somewhat chaotic. She said indifferently, "Forget it, you don't need to be so pessimistic. Give me a few more years to completely eradicate the poison from my body, and then you help me fulfill the four conditions I require to reconstruct my body. No matter where you are, I can take you directly back to the Azure Cloud Continent."

The four conditions Jasmine required Yun Che to fulfill were: becoming a Monarch Profound within thirty years, three profound pellets from Overlord Profound Beasts, seventy jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystals, and one Netherworld Udumbara Flower.

"These items aren't only found on the Azure Cloud Continent. In fact, it seems impossible to find them there. Especially seventy jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystals—hmph, I doubt all the Purple Vein Divine Crystals on the entire Azure Cloud Continent combined would amount to seventy jin. You can go ahead and follow this Ark's aura to the world it's currently resting in; perhaps it will be easier to find what I need in that world."

Jasmine's words immediately cleared the clouds from Yun Che's mind, and he saw a ray of hope. Yun Che had no doubt that Jasmine could take him back to the Azure Cloud Continent after reconstructing her body, as she originally came from a world beyond the Azure Cloud Continent... a world not only incredibly distant but also of an entirely different dimension.

"Alright!" Yun Che nodded slowly, temporarily setting aside all his reservations. "If it really stays in each place for exactly half a year, then the time should be just about right! I'll leave this ancient palace immediately and wait for the aura to expel me... I hope it doesn't send me to a dying world."

With that, Yun Che no longer hesitated. He soared up, quickly found the stone staircase leading down, and leaped directly from its top, landing on the circular stone platform on the first floor of this mysterious ancient palace. Just as he was about to take off again, a voice suddenly reached his ears...

"Please... find her..."

Yun Che's steps came to an abrupt halt. He had heard this voice many, many times since the first day he entered the Primordial Profound Ark and during the past six months while breaking open the stone door. It had echoed roughly every two or three hours.

But this time, it was different from all the previous times.

Before, the voice he heard had always been ethereal and indistinct, almost impossible to discern without focusing intently, as if coming from an extremely distant place.

This time, however, it was right by his ear!