Chapter 231 – Ancient Cloud Realm (2/2)

Soon after the runicle’s departure, the cultivators that had been hiding nearby all came out from the shadows at once, flew towards Qing Mu’s villa as if their lives were depending on it.

Ever since Qing Yao showed interest in Ye Wei, Qing Mu the Spiritualist had ordered some of his followers to watch the initiate’s movements. After learning that Ye Wei was frequently visiting Qing Yao, the Spiritualist’s envy and frustration grew, he required his surveillance team to report everything they saw and heard.

“Spiritualist, Ye Wei is heading the the Ancient Cloud Realm!” the first of Qing Mu’s followers to arrive kneeled down as soon as he entered his leader’s living room, reporting respectfully.

“Pfft, that means he’s still a condensed prime Warrior. He must not be a good one either, who needs to use a stone to breakthrough these days!” Qing Mu adjusted his jade hairpin and chuckled disdainfully, trying to cover his fear of the initiate catching up with him. ‘I never thought it’s possible but he could defeat returned prime Warriors while still being at condensed prime level…’

“We cannot let him.” Said Qing Mu with an evil grin on his face. His cold glance fell onto his followers. “Shi Kun, Qian Dao, Zhou Huan, you three are going on a mission. Go to the Ancient Cloud Realm, stop that kid from getting his hands on a stone.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Don’t worry about it Spiritualist, he will not get hold of one under our watch!” Shi Kun stepped forward and declared.

“Get a move on!” Qing Mu waved and sent them away.

‘Ye Wei beat Jin Kui but his victory was marginal, I don't think this damn newbie will be able to handle three returned prime Warrior at once…’ The Spiritualist thought to himself as he watched his followers flew away, tried to relax and trust his men.

Within a minute after the brief meeting, a runicle came and picked up the trio from Qing Mu’s doorsteps.

“He’s already gone in.” The trio arrived on a flat peak sat on the edge of the palace, all they could see was a runic array and nine tall crystal pillars. With no sign of Ye Wei on the flat mountaintop, they flew through the glinting monuments towards the array’s center.

“Are you guys ready?” Shi Kun asked the other two and rushed towards the warp gate as soon as his colleagues nodded.

“What are you three doing here? You are already three-star returned prime Warriors.” One of the array operators knitted his brows, asking with confusion.

“Just do your job, you are here to assist us with the teleportation array, not to ask useless questions. You should keep your nose out of Qing Mu the spiritualist’s business.” Shi Kun grunted and said with great pride.

“Qing Mu the spiritualist?” The official’s face changed, nodded to the trio and activated the teleportation array.

Since the low clearance operators were aware of Qing Mu’s influence in the palace and in the Helian family, they knew better than to cross the talented youngster. Not quite sure what they just witnessed, they frowned, looked at each other then started chatting once the trio left.

“They have no reason to go to the Ancient Cloud Realm, something's not right.”

“That’s what I thought as well, let’s report it to the elders just in case.”

The gate guards quickly wrote a small note and sent it to the Helian elders with a teleportation rune sequence.

***

Ye Wei could not see or hear anything, since the moment he entered the teleportation array he could not feel his own weight and simultaneously became disorientated.

However, having used a similar teleportation array once before, he was aware that the strange, pulsing sensation he felt came from the friction between him and the dimensional barriers which separated a physical realms from one another.

He could not quite quantify the amount of time he spent travelling uncomfortably through the warp, he was relieved when he felt a drop of warm sun on his skin. When Ye Wei could see again, he found himself on a desert island.

‘I am in the middle on the ocean?’ A sobering salty smell and the sound of waves breaking awakened Ye Wei’s senses.

With every wave of sea breeze slapping his face, Ye Wei regained a bit of consciousness. He gazed to all direction and the only thing he could on the edge of the horizon was water and clouds.

The clouds were suspending just meters off the ground and sea level, making it hard for Ye Wei to visually navigate the area.

“I guess I should go there…” After a few minutes of looking around, Ye Wei spotted a palace floating on top the sea behind the cloud.

The structure was glittering like gold and transparent like jade. Ye Wei could not figure out what material it was made of, but he could vaguely feel a vortex of energy from the direction of the palace.

Outside the entrance stood hundreds of large golden golems, they were surrounding the tightly shut gate. Ye Wei tried to reach into the palace with his will-force but the energy he sent was quickly rejected by the runic shield around the structure.