Chapter 1261: Have You Forgotten Who

Even if the next habitable planet was only a light-year away, Lu Yang would still need to fly for several years.

"Fairy, do you have a way to make me fly faster?" It was too late to learn flying divine abilities, so Lu Yang, desperate, asked the immortal for guidance.

"Of course," she replied.

Lu Yang's spirits lifted; he had asked the right person, and there truly was a way.

"You just need to self-detonate your entire body, leaving only your head."

"The blast wave from the self-detonation will send your head flying incredibly far with a whoosh. Then your head will regenerate,"

"return to human form, self-detonate again, and regenerate again."

"You can use this method with complete confidence; I guarantee you'll fly faster than Immortal Yingtian!"

Lu Yang decided he wasn't quite *that* desperate for speed.

He sighed inwardly, regretting not having traveled with Senior Sister and Mengmeng.

He had previously rejoiced at the freedom of not being under Senior Sister's watchful eye, free to do as he pleased. He had celebrated too soon.

"Oh, right, Grandmaster Hanhai has the Spatial Dao Fruit; he might have a solution."

Lu Yang decided to retrace his steps.

However, returning the way he came remained a significant problem. It had taken him over ten days to fly from the cultivation world to this desolate location, and flying back would consume another ten-plus days—a considerable waste of time.

"I've got it!"

A sudden flash of inspiration struck Lu Yang.

"Trace Source!"

He activated the nascent Trace Source Dao Fruit, aiming to revert his position to its original point.

The Immortal Fairy sensed the nascent Trace Source Dao Fruit attempting to influence her. After a moment's thought, she ceased resistance, allowing the nascent Dao Fruit to affect her.

The surroundings shifted, and in the next instant, Lu Yang and the Immortal Fairy found themselves in the position they had occupied one day prior.

"That's a clever idea," the Immortal Fairy remarked, having been traced back along with him.

"It actually worked!"

Lu Yang was overjoyed; this method made returning far more convenient.

Though he could only trace back to his location from one day prior, it wasn't an issue; he simply needed to activate the nascent Dao Fruit a few more times.

"Trace Source."

"Trace Source."

Lu Yang successfully returned to the cultivation world.

"Time to find Grandmaster Hanhai," he declared, heading directly for the Wen Dao Sect.

At the Wen Dao Sect, behind Tianmen Peak.

"Master must have been kidnapped," Qinghe complained to True Immortal Zhuiyue. "Not a single person remembered to invite me when they went to the universe."

She rarely left her quarters, but this one time, for just a couple of days, she happened to miss Lu Yang emerging from seclusion and heading straight to the Imperial City with the Immortal Fairy to break the seal.

True Immortal Zhuiyue kindly comforted her, using the Seven Emotions Dao Fruit to soothe Qinghe's sorrow: "Don't worry, I believe they're merely delayed by something. Just as Guiyuan and the others would never forget me, they certainly won't forget you."

"As long as you wait here at the Wen Dao Sect, they will surely come for you."

Mid-flight, Lu Yang abruptly changed his course, deciding there was a higher chance of finding Grandmaster Hanhai at the Dragon Palace.

"Old Dragon King." Given Lu Yang's privileged status, he didn't need to be announced by the shrimp soldiers and crab generals; he could directly seek out the Old Dragon King.

"Little friend Lu Yang, why are you back so soon? Have you caught our sea creatures breaking rules again?" The Old Dragon King was startled to see Lu Yang, assuming his aquatic subjects had caused more trouble.

"No, not at all. I was just wondering if Grandmaster Hanhai is here."

The Old Dragon King pointed overhead. "At this moment, Senior Hanhai and Ancestor Ao Ya should be on the island above the Dragon Palace," he said.

Lu Yang hesitated. "Is this a convenient time for me to see them?"

"They shouldn't be… openly engaging in any impropriety," the Old Dragon King said, though his voice lacked conviction.

Lu Yang, agreeing it was unlikely, bid farewell to the Old Dragon King and flew to the island, where he found the two seniors blissfully envisioning their future.

The two seniors sat on the grass, Dao Lord Hanhai with one arm around Ao Ya, pointing towards the sky.

"Xiao Ya, I plan for our wedding to be held in the universe, with the countless stars as our witnesses. Just as the stars are eternal, my love for you will never change."

"Oh, stop it," Ao Ya murmured, her cheeks flushed as she shyly averted her gaze from Dao Lord Hanhai.

Lu Yang feigned not noticing them, glancing around exaggeratedly before calling out loudly, "Is Grandmaster here?"

Hearing the commotion, the two quickly rose.

"Grandmaster, so you're here! Greetings, Senior Ao Ya."

Dao Lord Hanhai cleared his throat. "Ahem, weren't you off exploring the outside world? Why are you back so soon?"

Lu Yang explained the predicament he faced, and Dao Lord Hanhai had a sudden realization. "So the universe is so vast that even basic travel is troublesome?"

"Grandmaster, you specialize in the Way of Space. Can you directly teleport me dozens or even hundreds of light-years away?"

"I cannot. I can only teleport you to locations I've already visited. I haven't ventured beyond this realm, let alone hundreds of light-years away."

"Alright," Lu Yang said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"However, you could go to the Falling Money Merchant Guild and find Grandmaster Thief. He possesses the Speed Dao Fruit, so he might have a solution."

Lu Yang slapped his forehead. He had been so preoccupied with finding Grandmaster Hanhai that he completely forgot about Thief King and Grandmaster Thief, two half-immortals renowned for their speed.

"Goodbye, Grandmaster! And congratulations on your upcoming wedding!" Lu Yang exclaimed before immediately fleeing, eliciting a roar from Dao Lord Hanhai.

"You little rascal, you clearly heard everything we said!"

After Lu Yang departed, Dao Lord Hanhai embraced Ao Ya, lost in thought.

"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking, if even Lu Yang finds travel troublesome, wouldn't it be an even greater burden for weaker cultivators in the Fusion and Tribulation Crossing stages?"

"Perhaps I could venture outside this realm and establish a few spatial teleportation points to help them save days of travel time."

"But if even you find travel cumbersome, then those in the Fusion and Tribulation Crossing stages must face even greater difficulties."

Ao Ya, herself in the Tribulation Crossing stage, indignantly tackled Dao Lord Hanhai. "Today, I'll show you that the Tribulation Crossing stage is stronger than a half-immortal!"

Lu Yang arrived at the headquarters of the Falling Money Merchant Guild in Imperial City. The place was far more bustling than during his previous visit, teeming with cultivators in the Fusion and Tribulation Crossing stages. They were exchanging and trading information, discussing their recent explorations, with the White Horse Dynasty being the most frequently mentioned topic.

"There's no spiritual energy outside, and the White Horse Dynasty doesn't even have cultivators. Doesn't this suggest that the outside world isn't as formidable as we imagined?"

"Still, it's better to err on the side of caution."

"Look, this is the White Horse Dynasty's Imperial Astronomy Bureau's 'Star Chart.' I think if we head this way, we might encounter a habitable planet."

"The direction you're pointing has very few stars. I think we should go this way instead; there are more stars over here."

"Stop arguing, everyone. I consulted someone from the Tian Ce Sect, and they said there's a high probability of a habitable planet in this direction."

This place had clearly become a temporary trading hub. Someone recognized Lu Yang, and whispers of the legendary cultivator spread through divine sense, their eyes filled with envy.

"Little Lu, over here!" Lu Yang heard someone call out to him.

Lu Yang looked over and was surprised to see Grandmaster Guiyuan. Three other individuals were with him, seemingly on good terms with the Grandmaster.

"Grandmaster Guiyuan, what are you doing here? And who are these three seniors?"

Heavenly Venerable Guiyuan chuckled. "We're preparing to travel outside this realm together. Before we set off, we came to the merchant guild headquarters to see if there's any useful information."

"Little Lu, you must have heard of these three: he is Tian Kui of the Five Elements Sect, he is Zheng De of the Suspended Temple, and that one is San Chi of the Suppressing Prison Sect."

Lu Yang was filled with awe. Mr. Tian Kui, Master Zheng De, and Heavenly Venerable San Chi — these three were all founders of immortal sects!

He had heard from Old Meng that they were still alive, but this was his first time meeting them in person.

Master Zheng De fingered his prayer beads and exclaimed, "Guiyuan, you are truly blessed! Not only did your sect produce Hanhai, then Yunzhi, and now you have Lu Yang as well."

Such fortune was beyond words, something one could only admire.

Lu Yang subtly counted the individuals, itching to point out that there were five immortal sect founders in total. Was someone missing?