The One-Way Gate to the Outer Seas

The burly, richly dressed man and his companions hesitated for a moment after Han Li passed through, then followed.

Seeing all seven of them obediently step into the formation, the cultivator surnamed Qian revealed a hint of a smile. He formed a hand seal, and specks of white light appeared on his fingertip.

“We are privately letting a few fellow Daoists pass through to the Outer Star Seas. You won’t go around speaking loosely about this outside, will you?” He stared at the white light on his finger, then asked in a flat tone.

“Of course not. Seniors are being so accommodating; we are nothing but grateful. How could we be so petty as to do such a thing? Besides, even if we did speak, what real trouble could it cause the two Seniors?” The burly man was quick-witted, immediately putting on an expression of swearing an oath.

“Good. It’s good that you understand this. The two of us are not without status within the Star Palace. Even if our superiors found out, we’d at most receive a reprimand. However, if any rumors spread from the outside, Fellow Daoist Gu and I are not known for being soft-hearted. Also, I heard that you were afraid we might suddenly renege and had all brought Induction Beads with you. Quite thorough of you. But it was unnecessary. The two of us are not about to ruin our reputations over a few spirit stones.” He stared at the burly man, a chill creeping into his voice. His gaze swept over the others as well, but for some reason, it skipped over Han Li.

“Senior is a man of reason. We were being presumptuous to judge a gentleman by a villain’s standards.” The burly man forced a smile, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

“Hmph! Enough idle talk. Take care of yourselves.” The cultivator surnamed Qian seemed unwilling to say more. He flicked his finger, and the faint white spell seal struck the teleportation formation.

Immediately, the spirit stones surrounding the formation flared with intense white light, and the seven people within the formation vanished in a flash of radiance.

“What’s the meaning of this? Weren’t we supposed to give them fake teleportation talismans? The one you used was real. This isn’t what we agreed on at the start,” the bald, burly man said, his expression shifting in surprise as he watched Han Li and the others truly teleport away.

“If I could have given them a fake talisman, do you think I would have held back? That person who gifted us the magic treasures was an old monster at the Nascent Soul stage. The moment we produced a fake talisman, he would have killed us in a fit of rage.” The cultivator surnamed Qian gave a cold snort, his tone sour. He pulled out a silk handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat that had only now appeared on his forehead.

“Nascent Soul stage? Are you joking, Brother Qian? That person clearly only had late Foundation Establishment cultivation,” the bald old man said, stunned, his face turning pale.

The thin, gaunt cultivator who had stayed behind listened, his face filled with bewilderment.

“Brother Gu should know about the spirit beast I keep, the Yannao. It has no other special abilities, but when it comes to sensing another’s divine sense, it is extremely sensitive.” The cultivator surnamed Qian turned over his palm, and a small beast that looked very much like a cat appeared on his wrist.

The beast had ears as long and slender as a rabbit’s. As soon as it appeared, it looked around with bright green eyes, appearing quite adorable.

“The other party’s aura and divine sense were initially concealed very well. Even my Yannao didn’t detect anything unusual. But when we deactivated the teleportation formation’s restriction, the other party secretly used his divine sense to inspect the array. It was then that the beast noticed something was wrong. My Yannao can even measure the divine sense of a mid-Core Formation cultivator and get a rough read on a late Core Formation cultivator. But this time, aside from trembling nonstop in my sleeve, it didn’t give me any specific response. It only told me that the other party’s divine sense was unfathomably deep. This is a reaction I’ve only ever seen when I took it to visit a few of our Elders.” The cultivator surnamed Qian spoke as he gently stroked the Yannao beast in his hand, a trace of lingering fear in his voice.

“So the other party really was a Nascent Soul cultivator.” The bald old man was now sweating profusely.

“Even if he isn’t, he’s at least at late Core Formation. Killing the two of us wouldn’t have taken him much effort,” the cultivator surnamed Qian said with absolute certainty.

“It’s a good thing you were clever, Brother Qian! If we had produced a fake talisman, we would have been walking right into our deaths. I say, this person gave us each a magic treasure so easily, without a hint of reluctance. So he’s one of those old monsters. But sending him to the Outer Star Seas… haven’t we invited a major problem?” The old man, suddenly reminded of something, asked with a pounding heart.

“What major problem could there be? The other party should be a Nascent Soul cultivator among the rogue cultivators. He probably doesn’t want to get involved in the great war between our Star Palace and the Rebel Star Alliance and is just using us as a way to reach the Outer Star Seas. There won’t be any trouble. Of course, we absolutely cannot let our superiors know that a Nascent Soul cultivator passed through our station to the Outer Seas. Otherwise, we will be severely punished.”

The cultivator surnamed Qian said a few words to reassure the old man, but when he spoke of the latter, his refined face suddenly darkened. Then, his malicious gaze fell upon the thin, gaunt cultivator who was still standing by, stunned by what he had just heard.

Meeting the cold glare of the middle-aged man surnamed Qian, the thin cultivator shuddered, suddenly realizing his peril.

He quickly stepped back and stammered in panic:

“I didn’t hear anything the two Seniors just said, and I certainly won’t speak of it. I…”

Before the thin cultivator could finish, a beam of yellow light flew silently from behind him, circled around him with eerie precision, and instantly cleaved him into several pieces.

“Naturally, we can’t have another person knowing about this. Originally, I was going to let you off because of your distant connection to me. Unfortunately, your luck is just too bad.” The bald old man beckoned to the yellow light, recalling his magic treasure, and spoke in a sinister tone.

A fireball then shot from his hand, and the corpse was reduced to ashes in the flames.

Only then did the cultivator surnamed Qian nod in satisfaction, a look of relief appearing on his face.

On the other end of the teleportation formation, Han Li and the other six people appeared in a dilapidated stone room within a flash of white light.

Han Li swept his eyes over the scene and saw a somewhat frail-looking Star Palace cultivator in the corner of the stone room, speaking with a gray-robed cultivator whose face was covered in scars.

As soon as he saw Han Li and the others appear, the Star Palace cultivator frowned and sized them up for a moment, but then lost all interest and turned back to continue talking with the gray-robed man.

“I’ve told you, the regulations are clear. The teleportation formation can only operate in one direction now. You can leave, but you cannot enter. The teleportation talismans on my person have also been recalled by our superiors, so I can’t even go back myself. Pressuring me is useless, Fellow Daoist,” the cultivator in charge of the formation said to the scarred man with clear impatience.

“Nonsense! A few days ago, someone just returned. How is it that it’s become one-way only the moment I get here?” The scarred man shouted back, equally agitated.

“Hmph! I’ve already explained it. Believe it or not. I’m under no obligation to say more.” The Star Palace cultivator shot him a glare, then ignored him, sitting down cross-legged to meditate with his eyes closed.

“You…” The gray-robed man’s face flushed red with rage, but he was helpless.

He certainly didn’t have the nerve to attack the man. He paced back and forth on the spot, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

But then his gaze fell upon Han Li and the others who were walking out of the formation, and a look of joy suddenly appeared on his face.

“Might I ask if a few fellow Daoists have just come from Star City?” He stepped forward, clasped his fist at the burly man who appeared to be the leader, and spoke politely.

“That’s right. We just arrived. Is something the matter, Fellow Daoist?” The burly man looked at the scar-faced man, who was also at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Not daring to be negligent, but already guessing what the other party wanted.

“My name is Xu Yun. I’ve been in the Outer Star Seas for a few years now. May I ask… is it true that a Rebel Star Alliance has truly formed in the Inner Seas, and that war is about to break out?” he asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Seeing the expression on the other’s face, the burly man knew exactly what news the man most wanted to hear. But the reality of the situation would only bring him greater disappointment.

So, he spoke without any concealment:

“It’s true. The Righteous and Demonic Paths have formed the Rebel Star Alliance. The war over there is about to begin. The few of us came here specifically to avoid getting involved. I’m afraid it will be some time before Fellow Daoist Xu can return.”

“How can this be! I finally saved up enough materials to go back and refine a pill for my son. Now it’s all for nothing.” The gray-robed man stood frozen on the spot upon hearing this, his scarred face filled with dejection.

The other seven men were speechless.

They had racked their brains to get to the Outer Seas, and now here was a man racking his brains to go back. What an irony.

“My name is Yi Jing. These here are my close friends. Since Fellow Daoist Xu has been living here for several years, could you tell us about the situation on Strange Abyss Island? We won’t let you do it for free. We are willing to pay some spirit stones as compensation.” After a moment, the burly man’s eyes flickered and he suddenly spoke to the gray-robed man with great enthusiasm.

“Forget the compensation. Since you answered my question just now, consider this a repayment. Fellow Daoist, please feel free to ask whatever you like. I, Xu, will answer anything I know.” The scar-faced man said, forcing himself to muster his spirits, even though he was still dejected.

Everyone behind the burly man, including Han Li, revealed looks of joy.

Arriving in a completely unfamiliar place, having someone explain the local situation was a tremendous advantage.

Han Li watched this scene and smiled faintly. He stood with his arms crossed behind the others, equally eager to hear what the man had to say.