The Last Three Dark Clouds

Staying in this lifeless distant sea was indeed a boring affair.

But with Hua Wuyan, a Guardian, to help, Chen Yi could actually go wherever he wanted without any restrictions.

For instance, since the Ascension Path wouldn’t appear for at least another year, staying here was meaningless.

Moreover, no one could fly from the mainland to this location within a year.

Even a Martial God would need three years to cover the distance, and a year if traveling through the starry domains.

So, after everything was settled, Chen Yi put all the survivors into the Cauldron Realm and had Hua Wuyan take them back to the mainland.

Everyone came out of the Cauldron Realm and went their separate ways.

Their hearts were all surging with emotion.

There was relief at surviving the battle against the Ancient Remnants.

There was reverence from witnessing the prowess of so many Martial Gods.

And there was excitement from seeing a path to ascension appear before their eyes.

After so many people returned, the revelation of the Ascension Path was no longer a secret.

Many elder martial artists, who had long regarded ascension as a legend, began heading toward the northern end of the North Sea.

Some flew on their own, while others sought passage through the starry domains.

Those below the Martial King realm, who couldn’t fly but were intensely curious about the Ascension Path, simply set sail by ship.

A ship journey would take years, and many might spend their entire lives on the road.

Even so, at the shore of the North Sea, ships set sail northward every day now.

These weren’t ordinary vessels but specially crafted spiritual ships, built for long voyages and greater speed.

Some used advanced flying boats.

The coast bustled with a constant flow of people.

The sparsely populated northern border had become one of the most prosperous regions on the mainland thanks to the Ascension Path.

Chen Yi returned to the Chen residence in Baiyun County, resuming his peaceful, carefree days.

In his daily life, he either delved into crafts like artifact forging, alchemy, and formations with specialized skill sets,

or improved his proficiency in Heaven-grade martial arts, aiming to master all his techniques fully.

When he felt bored, he’d take to the skies wherever he pleased.

One day he’d sunbathe by the sea at a holy land, the next he’d test his martial power on stars in the starry domains, and a day later, he’d visit Sword Master for tea and conversation.

Meanwhile, he kept an eye on the aftermath of the Ancient Remnants—how the Blood Moon Organization’s undercover agents across various factions were being handled.

All major forces were now conducting internal investigations.

Though some discoveries were made, Chen Yi knew these were far from all.

More Ancient Remnants would forever remain hidden in the human realm.

These people faced two choices: forget their origins and integrate into humanity,

or harbor hatred and bide their time for revenge against the Ancient Secret Realm.

The former could be ignored as they assimilated.

The latter couldn’t cause much trouble, as they’d be crushed the moment they surfaced.

The Blood Moon Organization, which had slaughtered Chen Yi’s family, marked the beginning of the story, and served as the puppeteer behind many secrets—vanished into history along with the destruction of the Ancient Secret Realm.

Many mysteries had been resolved, but three clouds still hung over them.

“Who helped the Dragonmen stabilize the passage?”

In the fifth simulation, the Dragonmen’s undersea spatial passage was opened with human assistance.

Whoever helped was no ordinary figure—at least a Martial God.

Were it the five city lords like Yi Chengsheng?

No, because Hua Wuyan had said they never left the Ancient Secret Realm.

Had they left, a new Martial God appearing in the world would have been instantly sensed by Hua Wuyan, the Guardian.

The simulation never mentioned such a thing, so it wasn’t them.

What about the last Ancient Soldier?

No. He was one with the Ancient Secret Realm and couldn’t leave it.

“Where did the Seven Luminaries Immortal Formation come from?”

In the fourth simulation, before her death, Li Lingyue handed the Seven Luminaries Immortal Formation to Chen Yi.

She said it was given to her by her master, Hua Wuyan.

Chen Yi believed Li Lingyue couldn’t lie to him.

But here’s the issue.

Simulations are extensions of real time.

Despite the butterfly effect causing major differences due to earlier events, some things were bound to happen.

Why did Hua Wuyan possess the Seven Luminaries Immortal Formation in the fourth simulation but not in the fifth?

No matter the simulation, Chen Yi and Hua Wuyan had almost no interaction in the early and middle stages, which shouldn’t have affected her experiences.

“Where did the Heaven and Earth Sword go?”

The Five Elements Root Implements could resonate with one another, especially over short distances.

But when entering the Ancient Secret Realm, the Heaven and Earth Mirror, Nine Provinces Cauldron, Sun and Moon Tower, and even the Mountain and River Armor on Hua Wuyan sensed nothing of the Heaven and Earth Sword.

Intuition told Chen Yi these three issues had nothing to do with the Blood Moon.

Verifying this was simple—power up in the next simulation, sway Yi Chengsheng and the others, and extract all intelligence on the Blood Moon.

In a peaceful state, Chen Yi’s abilities weren’t at their peak, so he couldn’t sway the souls of Martial Gods the way he did in the fifth simulation with force and the Myriad Soul Banner.

Time flew by.

A year later.

The Ascension Path appeared again at the northern end of the North Sea.

Though martial artists had entered a “Great Voyage Era,” no spiritual ship could reach the distant sea within a year,

so the area remained empty, lit only by the sacred rainbow light cast by the Ascension Path.

Chen Yi, Hua Wuyan, and Sword Master arrived together.

This was the first time Sword Master experienced Hua Wuyan’s world teleportation; he marveled at it.

“Is this the power of a Guardian?”

Hua Wuyan smiled.

“With privileges come responsibilities.”

“So, you don’t plan to leave the human realm? I’ve heard the Guardian’s status can be passed on voluntarily.”

“I could pass my identity to someone else, but that would be too reckless. Besides, I’m old—what could I achieve in the Real Realm?”

Not far away, Shen Yang stood beneath the Ascension Path, surrounded by texts, ink, brushes, various materials, worn-out tools from failed experiments, and so on.

Over the past year, Shen Yang had only returned to the starry domains once, then asked Hua Wuyan to bring him back here.

By now, he had separated from Shen Qingshan.

His current body was the fragile shell of his former self.

Despite his poor health, his passion for studying the Ascension Path hadn’t wavered.

“Old Shen, found anything?”

Shen Yang didn’t even bother to see who was speaking, simply slipping into a discussion as if by instinct.

“Some insights. The Ascension Path seems to have divine engravings, but they’re buried deep. I suspect these divine engravings are not from the Real Realm; they might have been brought up by the Human Ancestor!”

This Old Shen could unearth major discoveries just by casual studying.

He finally looked up and noticed Sword Master.

“A Martial Saint level will struggle greatly on this path.”

Sword Master spoke in frustration.

I actually wanted to wait a few more years to see if I could break through to Martial God, but Brother Chen Yi told me there was no need to wait, as I would not be able to break through in the next eighty years. Brother Chen Yi indeed possesses a certain ability to see the future, so...

A Martial Saint failing to break through to Martial God does not mean he lacks effort or talent. Sometimes, it’s just that elusive sliver of opportunity missing.

Since the Sword Master is determined to venture into the Real Realm, of course, it’s best to do so while he still has ample life force left. What meaning would there be in going when he is old?

Minor plot holes don’t need to be worried about—everyone can interpret them as they wish (for example, blaming everything on the Blood Moon). As for major ones, I think only the three mentioned in this chapter remain, right? Everyone can discuss here if there are any other major plot holes that still need to be filled, to help Liu Zi jog his memory.