Chapter 305: Where Is the Outer Heaven?

“My disciple is quite mischievous. Though she has cultivated for many years, her heart has never truly calmed down.”

“I hope Mr. Gu won’t hold it against her.”

As she spoke, Daoist Ling Xi gently raised her hand, her slender, fair fingers making a grasping motion toward the sky. Instantly, the clouds above gathered together. With a flick of her fingers, the condensed clouds changed shape as they descended to the ground.

In just the blink of an eye, the clouds transformed into an exquisite tea set along with a table and chairs.

Daoist Ling Xi made a gesture of invitation for Gu Ning’an to take a seat, then conjured a tea canister in midair. Using dewdrops, she brewed a pot of tea and poured a cup for both Gu Ning’an and herself.

The white jade teacups, formed from the clouds, held a pale green tea that shimmered with light. Upon closer inspection, one could even glimpse the cycles of the sun and moon within it.

Clearly, tea that could produce such visions had to come from extraordinarily precious spiritual plants.

Technically speaking, this was Gu Ning’an’s first meeting with Daoist Ling Xi. Yet she had already brought out such rare spiritual tea as a gesture of hospitality, while he had come empty-handed. That did make him feel a little embarrassed.

Lifting the jade cup, he took a sip. A delicate tea fragrance spread from his tongue to his nasal cavity, and the warm tea flowed smoothly down his throat, leaving him feeling utterly refreshed, as if all fatigue had been swept away.

“What excellent tea! This is my first visit, yet I’ve already had the honor of tasting such a precious brew. Coming here empty-handed feels rather inappropriate.”

As he spoke, Gu Ning’an flipped his hand, producing two golden kumquats, which he placed on the table. “These golden kumquats are also spiritual fruits. Please give them a try, fellow Daoist.”

At a glance, Daoist Ling Xi could tell that these two golden kumquats, each about the size of an egg and radiating a faint golden glow, were extraordinary.

Though they showed no particular anomalies, just looking at them made her mouth water, and an intense craving arose within her.

One had to understand—though she had already begun to manifest signs of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, her true cultivation level had yet to fall from the True Immortal realm.

Logically speaking, spiritual plants and fruits should not hold much appeal for her.

After all, what might extend life and fortify the body for ordinary people was, to her, merely something to taste.

Even the treasured tea of her senior brother—the Sun-Moon Tea, which she had just used for brewing—was the same.

That tea grew at the confluence of Half-Sun Island and Half-Moon Sea,¹ absorbing Lesser Yang energy at sunrise and Lesser Yin energy at moonrise. Only two ounces of it were produced every ten years.

For mortals who had never cultivated, this tea was undrinkable. Though its nature was gentle, the spiritual energy within was so potent that even a single drop could burst a person apart!

Take her disciple, Ye Zhiqing, for example. Despite her years of cultivation, when given a cup last year, she had fallen into a deep sleep for three whole months before finally waking up.

Yet now, even this exceedingly rare spirit tea could not pique Daoist Ling Xi’s interest. Why, then, did these golden kumquats stir such a reaction?

Could it be that these fruits were far superior even to Sun-Moon Tea?

“Many thanks, Mr. Gu.”

With that, Daoist Ling Xi put the fruits away, then shifted the conversation.

“Did you attain the Dao in Great Wu?”

Gu Ning’an shook his head. “No, I come from Great Qian.”

“Great Qian…” she murmured before continuing, “Then how did you end up at odds with the Flood Dragon Emperor?”

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “While traveling through Great Wu, I slew one of his subordinates. That was enough to create a grudge.”

“I see…” Daoist Ling Xi nodded. “However, Mr. Gu, your techniques are truly profound. Even against the Flood Dragon Emperor’s Soul Restraining Technique, you remained unscathed—and even managed to wound him.”

“But because of that, you caused my Senior Brother quite a bit of trouble. Once the Flood Dragon Emperor recovered, he went into a frenzy, constantly attempting to cross the border.”

“As a result, my Senior Brother has had to remain stationed at the boundary, ensuring that he doesn’t break through.”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an responded somewhat awkwardly, “It seems I’ve caused you both quite a bit of trouble…”

“It’s not a problem. My Senior Brother has always guarded the border—it’s just that he now has less freedom to leave.”

Gu Ning’an asked curiously, “Speaking of which, has Void Emperor, the other of the Two Sovereigns of Northern Huangtian, shown himself? When I sent a strand of my soul to Northern Huangtian, he seemed entirely inactive.”

Daoist Ling Xi took a sip of tea before smiling. “The Void Emperor rarely leaves Eternal Slumber City. His relationship with the Flood Dragon Emperor appears to be lukewarm at best.”

“Of course, if my Senior Brother and I were to launch an assault on Northern Huangtian with the intent of dealing with the Flood Dragon Emperor, the Void Emperor would certainly intervene.”

“But even then, he has never fought with his full strength. To this day, we have never seen his true form.”

“So it seems,” Gu Ning’an remarked, “that the Void Emperor merely seeks to maintain balance—he doesn’t want you to eliminate the Flood Dragon Emperor, but neither does he want to join the Flood Dragon Emperor’s schemes.”

Daoist Ling Xi nodded. “Exactly. But his stance is actually beneficial; at the very least, it prevents the border from falling.”

“After all, as long as the two of them can hold us back, the countless demons under their command will have a chance to break free. By then, Great Wu will turn into a living hell…”

Gu Ning’an cupped his hands and said, “The two of you guarding the frontier for the sake of the common people—I truly respects that.”

Daoist Ling Xi waved a hand and smiled. “Mr. Gu overpraises us. We who cultivate the path of immortality have all walked the path of mortals. Even after attaining enlightenment, we cannot forget our origins… Since we attained the Dao within the lands of Great Wu, protecting our homeland is only natural.”

Taking a sip of tea, Gu Ning’an changed the subject. “Does Fellow Daoist know of the Outer Heaven?²”

“The Outer Heaven?” Daoist Ling Xi paused for a moment before asking, “What do you mean by that?”

Gu Ning’an pointed upward. “The term ‘Outer Heaven’ is something I came up with myself. In truth, I don’t know what that place really is, but I do know for certain that it houses cultivators of great strength.”

“I once fought with someone from the Outer Heaven in my early years… and the outcome was not in my favor.”

Hearing this, Daoist Ling Xi’s expression grew serious.

In her view, while they were both true immortals, Gu Ning’an’s mystical techniques were clearly superior to her own. If even he found this opponent troublesome, then it was undoubtedly a formidable existence.

She immediately straightened her posture and asked two questions in a row, “What path of cultivation do they follow? And how does one reach the Outer Heaven?”

Gu Ning’an smiled wryly. “To be honest, I have no idea. I only struck him with a sword from across the Outer Heaven.”

“This…” Daoist Ling Xi was momentarily at a loss for words. After a brief pause, she continued, “My Senior Brother has cultivated for longer than I have, but even from him, I have never heard mention of the Outer Heaven.”

“But I will keep an eye out for Mr. Gu. If I come across any information, I will have Zhiqing pass it along to you.”

“I appreciate it,” Gu Ning’an said with a cupped-hand salute. “By the way, did Fellow Daoist have a master to guide you on your path?”

“Naturally.”

“And your master…?”

“Dead.”

Gu Ning’an was briefly stunned before letting out a sigh. “My apologies—I did not know…”

“It’s nothing.” Daoist Ling Xi spoke lightly. “Birth, aging, sickness, and death—no one is exempt. Even after reaching the True Immortal realm, lifespan is not infinite… let alone the Five Decays of Heaven and Man…”