Chapter 561: Tracking the Peng Emperor

Inside the cave mansion's main hall.

Gao Fang, Zhao Hongxiu, and Venerable Qing Gu were extremely respectful.

"I'll be going out for a while soon," Meng Chuan said calmly. "I will leave a primordial spirit avatar to guard Qianshan Star, but from today onwards, none of you three are permitted to leave Qianshan Star."

"Yes," Gao Fang, Zhao Hongxiu, and Venerable Qing Gu obediently replied, not daring to disobey in the slightest.

Meng Chuan nodded slightly.

His primordial spirit avatar, utilizing Qianshan Star's array formations, held an absolute geographical advantage. Even several 'Fifth-Tribulation Realm experts' working together wouldn't be able to break through Qianshan Star. However, outside of Qianshan Star, his primordial spirit avatar would be weaker. This was because Meng Chuan had only refined one world secret treasure so far, which was carried by his external true body. The cost of refinement was simply too high; one such treasure consumed over three thousand units of external origin crystals.

For physical body tribulation realm experts, the greatest expenditure of external origin crystals was on their own bodies! Cultivating one's body to rival a powerful secret treasure cost more than ten times that of refining a secret treasure.

For primordial spirit tribulation realm experts, the highest cost was for 'world secret treasures'.

For Fifth-Tribulation Realm physical cultivators, cultivating an incredibly powerful body could cost as little as two to three thousand units of external origin crystals, or much more. Meng Chuan, whose foundation was based on the Emperor's ultimate technique, cultivated directly by absorbing 'Origin Stones'. All in all, his home true body and external true body combined had consumed over five thousand units. With each true body averaging just over two thousand units, his expenditure was considered low.

Figures like Old Ancestor Heilong, for instance, had taken many detours and paid a high price to cultivate their powerful bodies.

"Although Fifth-Tribulation Realm experts are practically immortal, losing an avatar comes at a huge cost," Meng Chuan thought to himself.

Regarding his external true body: his physical body, primordial spirit secret treasures, the Seventh-Tribulation Realm secret treasure 'Thirteen Universal Orbs', several Sixth-Tribulation Realm secret treasures like the Blood Blade Disc, a piece of flesh and blood from a Seventh-Tribulation Realm Dark Peacock, thousands of units of external origin crystals, void teleportation talismans... all combined, if he were to die in battle once, the loss would amount to approximately twenty thousand units.

However, it would be difficult for enemies to kill him.

As a dual cultivator of both physical body and primordial spirit tribulation realms, and possessing treasures from Ancestral Master Cang Yuan's trove, Meng Chuan was undoubtedly among the top Fifth-Tribulation Realm experts in terms of life-preserving capabilities.

"I'm leaving."

Meng Chuan had already left Qianshan Star and soon entered the River of Spacetime, heading directly for the Snow Jade Palace first.

A moment later.

Meng Chuan arrived at the void where the Snow Jade Palace had been, looking at the empty expanse before him. "The Snow Jade Palace is gone. Did the Snow Jade Palace Master leave with the cave mansion?"

"It seems, just as I suspected, the Snow Jade Palace Master has left the Three Bay Galaxy with Emperor Peng and her other subordinates." Following the karmic sensing, Meng Chuan pinpointed Emperor Peng's location. "They've reached the Yu Fang Galaxy?"

His figure moved.

He immediately traversed the River of Spacetime, heading towards the Yu Fang Galaxy.

More than half a year before Meng Chuan became a Fifth-Tribulation Realm primordial spirit, the Snow Jade Palace Master had already arrived within the Yu Fang Galaxy of the Divine Maiden River Region.

In a silent void, two figures stood side by side.

The Snow Jade Palace Master wore a light blue robe, her face was cold, and a natural chill emanated from her, permeating the surroundings. Beside her was a hunchbacked elder with gray eyes, grinning, though an invisible black mist emanated from him, spreading around.

Most Venerables and Emperors possessed their own domains! As Fifth-Tribulation Realm physical body experts, the Snow Jade Palace Master and the hunchbacked elder also had their own domains.

Just as when Meng Chuan cultivated to become an Origin Emperor, his Chaotic Hole Domain evolved into the stronger 'Origin Domain'.

This was how it worked for physical body cultivators: their bodies were like the core of a world, naturally radiating influence in all directions to form a domain. An Emperor's domain typically extended for a thousand li, while a physical body tribulation realm expert's domain ranged from several thousand to tens of thousands of li. For example, Ancestral Master Cang Yuan's domain was only sixty thousand li. The range was relatively small.

The 'primordial spirit world' of a primordial spirit tribulation realm expert was usually much larger in scope.

"Brother Xue Yu, you didn't miscalculate the cave mansion's location, did you? We've been waiting here for half a month, and there's nothing," the hunchbacked elder frowned slightly, holding a broken token and carefully examining the surrounding void.

"I've calculated it at least ten times; it can't be wrong," the Snow Jade Palace Master said calmly, full of confidence.

"Then why can't we find the cave mansion?" the hunchbacked elder asked.

"This cave mansion travels through different spacetime dimensions and only manifests here at specific times," the Snow Jade Palace Master calmly stated. "The cave mansion will appear soon and will remain here for a full year. We just need to wait patiently."

Upon hearing this, the hunchbacked elder couldn't help but smile. "Brother Xue Yu, you truly are impressive."

The Snow Jade Palace Master bothered not to respond.

Had the other party not also obtained half of the token, he wouldn't have allowed them to join at all.

As both parties waited patiently, a figure suddenly appeared in this void and flew towards them.

"Hmm?" The hunchbacked elder and the Snow Jade Palace Master's expressions subtly changed.

"Did you leak information?" the Snow Jade Palace Master frowned, staring at the hunchbacked elder.

"No, we both made an agreement. How dare I break my promise?" the hunchbacked elder quickly said.

The Snow Jade Palace Master's brow furrowed.

At their level of cultivation, they cared more about karma. Once a promise was made, it would never be easily broken.

"We're hidden in this void; he won't find us," the hunchbacked elder said.

No sooner had he spoken, a tearing sound echoed.

The mysterious person broke through the obstruction and flew directly towards the hunchbacked elder and the Snow Jade Palace Master.

This mysterious person was rather slender and flew straight over.

"Why are you two here?" The mysterious man seemed puzzled. Spotting the broken token in the hunchbacked elder's hand, he suddenly realized, "Did you two happen to put together a complete token?"

"Who are you?" The Snow Jade Palace Master and the hunchbacked elder stared at the mysterious man.

The mysterious man smiled slightly, but behind him, a massive phantom of a blood-red exotic beast appeared.

"From the Asura Realm?" The Snow Jade Palace Master and the hunchbacked elder were secretly astonished.

The Asura Realm was one of the higher worlds.

Even within the River of Spacetime, higher worlds were incredibly rare, as each had historically given birth to an Eighth-Tribulation Realm expert.

The physical body cultivation system of the Asura Realm, known as the 'Asura Lineage', was among the top physical body systems in the River of Spacetime. Lineages like the 'Asura Lineage' and 'Starry Sky Lineage' had the advantage of being universal, providing detailed guidance from the weakest stages all the way to the Tribulation Realm. Meng Chuan's Chaotic Hole Realm and Origin Realm seemed more powerful, but they were based on ultimate techniques and thus not universal.

"Since you two could find this place, it means you have a connection with it," the slender man said calmly. "After entering the cave mansion, how much you gain will depend entirely on your individual abilities."

The hunchbacked elder and the Snow Jade Palace Master exchanged glances and nodded slightly.

Facing a Fifth-Tribulation Realm expert from the Asura Realm, and having no certainty of defeating him, they could only tolerate it for now.

As for background, the hunchbacked elder and the Snow Jade Palace Master didn't care too much. Given their strength, they had naturally long joined top forces within the River of Spacetime, and Tribulation Realm experts from higher worlds held no deterrent power over them.

"This is the Snow Jade Palace Master, and I am known in the outside world as 'Old Demon Heifeng'. May I ask how to address you?" the hunchbacked elder grinned, looking at the mysterious man.

"Me? Just call me Ta Gu," the mysterious slender man said casually. "After I leave the cave mansion, I will depart from the Divine Maiden River Region. Perhaps we will never meet again."

The Snow Jade Palace Master remained indifferent, the mysterious man 'Ta Gu' had little more to say, and even the enthusiastic hunchbacked elder could only fall silent.

This wait lasted for more than half a month.

"Whoosh."

This void was somewhat distorted. If one's cultivation realm was high enough, they could glimpse a large azure door through the distorted space.

"It's appeared," the Snow Jade Palace Master and the hunchbacked elder's eyes lit up.

The mysterious man Ta Gu remained calm; he had long since confirmed the exact time the cave mansion would appear here.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

After a brief inspection, the Snow Jade Palace Master, the hunchbacked elder, and the mysterious man 'Ta Gu' all passed through the distorted void, flying towards the large azure door.

More than half a year after the three of them entered.

Meng Chuan, who had been tracing karma, also arrived in this void.

The outer realms were boundless; finding a small patch of distorted void was harder than finding a needle in a haystack. However, because Meng Chuan was tracing Emperor Peng's karma, he had tracked it all the way to this area.

"Hmm?" Meng Chuan flew here, feeling slightly puzzled. "I clearly sensed Emperor Peng's karma in this area, but why can't I find it? Is there a hidden void around here?"

With a thought, his primordial spirit world permeated all directions, and the vast scroll-like world enveloped this place, including the distorted void.

"What's that?"

Meng Chuan's figure flickered. He looked at the distorted void before him, his primordial spirit world even sensing a hidden azure door.