Slowly, the Higher Realm’s landmass drifted out of sight, and Lu Yin once again saw the sky overhead along with a sea of stars. These were the stars that floated between the Middle Realm and the Higher Realm.
The Middle Realm sat below the stars, and below that was the Lower Realm.
As Lu Yin and Qing Chen made their way down towards the Lower Realm, Long Laogui left the second array base on the battlefield behind the Mother Tree. He was currently making his way to a luxurious location.
This place was still located on the battlefield behind the Mother Tree, but it was surrounded by darkness. It occasionally trembled, but neither the darkness nor the tremors took away from this place’s luxury.
The ground was paved with star essence, and the walls were papered with the Mother Tree’s bark. The lights were actually a sourcebox array while the glazed tiles were formed from the Celestial Frost Sect’s ice-cold pond water. There were fish swimming about, but each fish had the strength of a Hunter. Every single aspect of this place exuded decadence, and such extravagance left Long Laogui uncomfortable.
This was the home of Array Grandmaster Gu Yan. There were countless Array Masters in the Perennial World, but only a select few had managed to reach the level of Array Grandmaster. All such people were peerless existences, and of the few known Array Grandmasters, this person was the first who had come to Long Laogui’s mind.
“Please, you are a distinguished guest. Please help yourself to some tea.” A beautiful maid brought out a tea set, and as Long Laogui helplessly watched on, the woman slowly went through a traditional tea ceremony. It took a full half hour, and each movement that she made demonstrated the essence of tea. She was not merely preparing tea, she was demonstrating a form of culture.
Long Laogui accepted the tea. He was a Semi-Progenitor, and there was almost nothing that he had not seen before. But despite his extensive experience, visiting this particular place always made him feel uncomfortable.
There was star essence under their feet. While such a thing was useless to powerhouses at their level, star essence was still a valuable resource.
When Long Laogui glanced at the table, he saw a delicate set of dim sum that seemed to glow. Each one was very beautiful.
“Brother Long, what wind has carried you here?” A soft, lazy voice spoke up. Long Laogui lowered his teacup, stood, and then turned to look behind a screen.
A man emerged. He had an elegant face and gray hair, though not a single wrinkle could be found on his face. His eyes reflected his years, but they also carried a playful twinkle. Sourcebox arrays revolved around his body, each one carrying an unfathomable energy.
His clothing, if Long Laogui had correctly recognized it, was made from the hide of a very rare creature from the Lower Realm that was known as a Qilong. The creature’s hide was known to be ethereal like air yet also extremely tough. The man’s boots were made from Zaw, another rare creature that was so fast that even Semi-Progenitors found it difficult to catch them. One could only imagine what boots made from the creature could do for a person’s speed.
Long Laogui merely glanced at the man’s outfit before determining that, if a Hunter somehow got a hold of it, they would be able to purchase enough resources to not worry about anything while cultivating all the way to the Semi-Progenitor realm. This was not even taking the man’s jade pendant and cosmic ring into account, both of which were too luxurious.
Even if he just stands there, it’s still enough for him to make a Semi-Progenitor feel helpless! Long Laogui thought.
“Grandmaster Gu Yan, it’s been a long time. How are you doing?” Long Laogui politely greeted the man while remaining standing.
The man did not look old, and yet he had lived for much longer than even Long Laogui. The man casually sat down and waved a hand. “Sit and let’s talk.”
Long Laogui nodded and sat back down.
“Recently, things have not been good. Those monsters have broken into the Tree Realm, and they want me to repair it!” Grandmaster Gu Yan complained. He suddenly touched the cushion that he was sitting on and shouted, “Xiao Cui! Xiao Cui! Change this cushion made of of Meharn’s skin. It’s become deformed after being sat on for so long.”
Long Laogui subconsciously glanced at the cushion that Grandmaster Gu Yan was sitting on, and sure enough, it was indeed made from Meharn skin.
Meharn was another creature from the Lower Realm, and they lived in herds. A single adult Meharn was stronger than an Envoy that had passed three tribulations, but that was only enough to make a single cushion. Just how many Meharn’s had this old man killed? Changing such a cushion periodically was simply far too extravagant.
The maid who had prepared the tea hurried out and helped Grandmaster Gu Yan change the cushion before backing out of the room.
“Cough cough.” Grandmaster Gu Yan coughed twice as he adjusted his buttocks. “Better.”
He then looked over at Long Laogui. “Brother Long, what were you saying just now?”
Long Laogui smiled. “It’s nothing important. I was merely remarking that I have not seen you in a long time. There are some people who are concerned about Grandmaster Gu Yan’s health. They commented that the Tree Realm was only recently repaired, and that old man Gu Yan must be tired and should rest.”
Long Laogui then pulled a book out of his cosmic ring and handed it to his host.
Grandmaster Gu Yan took it, only to be surprised by what he saw. “It’s actually a collection of works from the original Daosource Sect. While it’s not as good as a version written in ancient characters, it’s still very precious. Even during the Daosource Sect’s peak era, such books rarely appeared. Brother Long, what is this all about?”
Long Laogui answered with a smile, “It’s just a toy that I intended to give to Grandmaster Gu Yan to play with.”
Grandmaster Gu Yan laughed and accepted the book without any reservations. “Repairing the Tree Realm is indeed quite exhausting, and I really do need to readjust my condition. Thank you, Brother Long.”
Long Laogui’s smile grew even larger after seeing Grandmaster Gu Yan accept the gift. “As long as Grandmaster Gu Yan is in good health, all of humanity will be blessed.”
“Hahahaha, I haven’t seen you in so many years, and yet Brother Long has become more and more polite. Don’t worry, I’m in excellent health! Does Brother Long have any other matters? If you don’t, I’ll study the sourcebox array and try to add a bit more to each section of the defenses,” Grandmaster Gu Yan said.
Long Laogui’s brows furrowed; was this person trying to chase him out already? Previously, he had heard that this old man was stingy beyond belief and that the grandmaster would never make a move before receiving some sort of benefit, though he had not expected these rumors to actually be true. “Grandmaster Gu Yan, I haven’t seen you for many years. I have to admit, I’m not sure about how many apprentices you’ve accepted so far.”
Grandmaster Gu Yan rolled his eyes. “How many apprentices? Too many. Let me think—one, two, three…”
Long Laogui was rendered speechless. The old man clearly had no apprentices at all! The one disciple that he had originally accepted had disappeared, and after that, the man had never accepted another one. With this, Grandmaster Gu Yan could be considered both stingy and shameless.
“Brother Long, it’s really hard to count them all. It’s a bit too much for the moment, and I’m quite tired,” Grandmaster Gu Yan said in a helpless tone.
Long Laogui smiled. “Since you already have too many apprentices, then you might as well accept one more, right?”
Grandmaster Gu Yan waved a hand. “I can’t accept any more. I just can’t. Each and every apprentice is a piece of my heart and soul! I have to work hard to teach them, you know, and lockbreaking is such a vast discipline that it’s truly difficult to guide an apprentice. Taking even one more would leave me beyond exhausted. I already care for the Tree Realm, Ceaseless Impetus, and all the sourcebox arrays for the array bases. How can I possibly accept even more responsibility? I can’t clone myself after all.”
Just as Long Laogui was about to continue, Grandmaster Gu Yan shouted again, “Xiao Cui! Xiao Cui! The cushion is crooked! Get me another one!”
Xiao Cui entered the room with a new cushion.
Grandmaster Gu Yan sat back down, but he was still uncomfortable in his seat. “No, no. It’s still crooked. Don’t we have anything new?”
Xiao Cui shook her head. “No, we lack the resources.”
Grandmaster Gu Yan’ put on a twisted expression. “We lack the resources? That’s no good! If there are no cushions, then how can I sit? How can I calmly comprehend a sourcebox array or cultivate? How am I to teach my disciples? All of them already lacking and need more guidance from me! I need to go to the Lower Realm right now and catch a few Meharns to bring up. I really can’t believe that I can’t even find a suitable cushion!”
Right after finishing his rant, the old man turned to look at Long Laogui. “Brother Long, just sit here and wait for me to catch a few Meharns so that I can find a suitable cushion. We’ll talk after I can sit down.”
After that, the man simply disappeared.
Long Laogui had not even been given the opportunity to speak, and his expression grew ugly. That shameless old man! Did he just run away? Bastard.
Grandmaster Gu Yan had really just accepted Long Laogui’s gift and then run off, leaving Long Laogui behind. Really, how shameless! It was no wonder why the old man had such a bad reputation or why none of the other Array Grandmasters wanted anything to do with the old man; he was just too shameless.
Long Laogui was furious. He had never felt such rage after becoming a Semi-Progenitor, and he almost wanted to smash the old man’s home apart. But after a moment’s thought, Long Laogui still had his own scruples, and so he left with a sigh. Grandmaster Gu Yan was not an option.
After Long Laogui left, Grandmaster Gu Yan reappeared in the exact same place that he had disappeared from. Long Laogui had simply not been able to sense the old man.
“How lovely. You want me to teach someone from your White Dragon Clan how to lockbreak? Keep on dreaming! Pah.” Grandmaster Gu Yan might have an elegant appearance, but his words were crude, and he even spat on the floor. “Xiao Cui, if that guy ever comes back here again, add something to his tea.”
“Add what?” Xiao Cui asked in confusion.
Grandmaster Gu Yan grinned and pointed at the floor.
Xiao Cui looked at the phlegm that had been spat out. “Understood.”
The next day, Long Laogui returned. He did not want to return, but he had already given out his gift yet received nothing in return. Thus he was extremely resentful.
Xiao Cui silently poured a cup of tea and then prepared to conduct the full tea ceremony, but Long Laogui stopped her. “There’s no need for that. I’ll just drink this.”
Xiao Cui blinked. She felt like her eyes were able to see through the tea cup to what it held. She saw an honest man in front of her, and she struggled with how to react or what to say.
“Where’s Grandmaster Gu Yan?” Long Laogui asked.
Xiao Cui replied, “He took the Bifrost down to the Lower Realm to hunt some Meharns. He claimed that the cushion was too uncomfortable to use.”
Long Laogui did not believe such a story. “Did he really go down to the Lower Realm?”
“Yes, that’s where he went.” Xiao Cui had a sincere expression, and it became increasingly honest as she watched Long Laogui take a sip of tea. Such an expression felt off to Long Laogui, and he could sense that something was wrong.
“What are you looking at?”
Xiao Cui pursed her lips. “Grandmaster Gu Yan asked me to entertain you. What would you like to eat?”
“There’s no need for that. I’ll just wait for him here,” Long Laogui answered in an odd tone, his mood quickly souring.
Xiao Cui grunted and slowly retreated to a corner of the room. As she did so, she watched Long Laogui drink his tea; there was no way it tasted very good.
Just a hundred meters away from Long Laogui, Grandmaster Gu Yan rolled his eyes. That old fart came back again! It’s just a broken old book. Should I give it back? No, that’s impossible. Forget it, I’ll just go down to the Lower Realm for real. It is about time for me to catch a few Meharns to play with anyways. It’s always good to have a few extra cushions prepared.
The old man’s body actually disappeared.
***
After arriving in the Lower Realm once again, Lu Yin stepped onto the massive roots of the Mother Tree and stared off into the distance towards a few powerful roars from creatures who were greeting their uninvited guests.
“This is the sixth region. Each region has different creatures, though there are terror ants everywhere,” Qing Chen explained.
A huge shadow covered the two men, prompting Lu Yin to look up and see a thousand meter neck stretched above them and a head far above them staring at the two humans. Given the length of the neck, the creature had to be at least several thousand meters long. It was truly massive.
Qing Chen looked up as well, and he glared at the beast.
The creature was startled, and it immediately pulled back.
Even in the Lower Realm, a Semi-Progenitor stood at the absolute peak of the food chain.
