The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 1676 - 1672: Secret Communication with You Ming

Chapter 1676: Chapter 1672: Secret Communication with You Ming

"What is this?" Gu Hualing activated her Divine Sense to probe the shadows. Yet, the darkness seemed boundless, and her Divine Sense could not reach the bottom.

Shen Luo also activated his Divine Sense, delving into the shadows ahead. At the deepest point of the darkness, he faintly sensed wisps of chilling Netherworld aura, and his conjecture grew firmer.

"It should be a spatial passageway," he said slowly.

"A spatial passageway? Where does it lead?" Gu Hualing, being extremely intelligent, quickly grasped the implication of Shen Luo’s words and asked with a grave expression.

"Examine it closely. At the very bottom of the spatial passageway, you should be able to sense some faint clues," Shen Luo replied, without moving forward. Instead, he turned and began flying upward.

Hearing this, Gu Hualing concentrated her Divine Sense to probe the black shadows again and soon faintly sensed some traces of aura.

"This aura is very similar to the Netherworld... Could it be..." she murmured to herself. Then, realizing that Shen Luo had already left, she hastily pursued him and quickly ascended to the ground.

Shen Luo stood on the ground, gazing toward the depths of the Yinling Mountains as if lost in thought.

"Brother Shen, are you suggesting that this passageway leads to the Netherworld? While the Netherworld is indeed connected to various realms through passageways, those are all opened by the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk. Why does this passageway lack even a trace of the Six Paths’ aura? Moreover, I’ve never heard of such a passageway near Chang’an City," Gu Hualing approached Shen Luo and fired off a string of questions.

"It’s a long story. Let us first return to Chang’an City and meet with Master Yuan," Shen Luo withdrew his gaze and replied in a solemn tone before transforming into a streak of light and flying toward Chang’an City.

Gu Hualing stomped her foot in frustration but had no choice but to take flight and follow.

In just moments, the two had returned to Chang’an City and arrived at the Great Tang Dynasty Government offices.

By now, Shen Luo’s name was renowned within the Great Tang Government, and after asking around, they quickly learned that Yuan Tiangang was in a side hall of the premises.

He and Gu Hualing headed over immediately. Standing outside the hall were two figures: one was a young girl in a yellow dress, elegant and poised like an Immortal of Yaochi—it was Li Shu.

The other figure was a man in a golden robe exuding noble demeanor, someone quite familiar to Shen Luo—it was Zhang Chuan.

Upon seeing Shen Luo, Zhang Chuan’s expression darkened, though he said nothing.

During the recent great battle in Chang’an, Shen Luo’s strength was fully revealed. Although his cultivation was only at the Early True Immortal stage, he had managed to fight the Taiyi-level Jing River Dragon King, far beyond Zhang Chuan’s capabilities.

Li Shu also noticed Shen Luo and her face lit up with joy. She was just about to greet him when she caught sight of Gu Hualing nearby, her expression momentarily freezing.

"Princess Shu, Daoist Zhang, it’s been a while. Is Master Yuan inside?" Shen Luo greeted the two with a nod before glancing toward the side hall and inquiring.

"Master is inside, tending to Duke Cheng’s injuries," Li Shu replied, her expression returning to normal.

"Duke Cheng hasn’t recovered yet?" Shen Luo asked in surprise.

"No. His Grace’s body is still very frail. The injuries he sustained earlier affected his very foundation," Li Shu said, her expression dimming.

"With Duke Cheng’s cultivation level, coupled with Master Yuan’s assistance, he should recover soon. Princess Shu need not worry. I came to see Master Yuan today concerning an important matter. Would it be possible to trouble you to inform him of my presence?" Shen Luo reassured her before making his request.

"Very well. Please wait here for a moment," Li Shu nodded before sparing Gu Hualing another glance and heading inside.

"Brother Shen, are you well-acquainted with this Princess Shu?" Gu Hualing asked with a sly smile.

"We’ve met a few times. Nothing more. Why do you ask?" Shen Luo hesitated before replying.

"I heard from Lu Huaming that you’re engaged to Nie Caizhu from Mount Putuo. Does the Minor Sect Leader know about your habit of winning hearts everywhere you go?" Gu Hualing teased, stepping closer and transmitting her words directly to Shen Luo.

"Winning hearts everywhere? I have no such habit! Princess Shu and I are merely friends. Please don’t say such things, Friend Gu!" Shen Luo was startled and immediately transmitted back.

Having just calmed down Qinglian Fairy’s earlier fury over his dual cultivation with Nie Caizhu, Shen Luo could only shudder at the thought of another round of rumors reaching her ears.

"Oh, truly?" Seeing Shen Luo’s flustered expression, Gu Hualing felt thoroughly vindicated for the times Shen Luo had kept her at arm’s length earlier. Feeling quite pleased, she chuckled mischievously and said no more.

Standing nearby, Zhang Chuan glared resentfully at the two, their interaction stoking his anger further.

He had met Gu Hualing before and even tried to curry favor with her, but she had completely ignored him. Yet now, she seemed to be getting along quite well with Shen Luo.

"Li Shu, Gu Hualing, no matter who it is—why do they favor this freelance cultivator so? Outrageous!" Zhang Chuan silently fumed with resentment.

Still, he consoled himself with the progress he’d made in his own cultivation. Adding to his efforts, the Heavenly Palace had recently provided him with several powerful treasures. Having stabilized his Early True Immortal stage, he believed it wouldn’t be long before he reached the Early True Immortal peak. When the time came, he could attempt a breakthrough to the Middle True Immortal stage and then return to the Heavenly Palace to acquire a few more potent magical treasures. Perhaps then, he could defeat Shen Luo and finally vent his frustrations.

However, as this thought crossed his mind, Zhang Chuan instinctively probed Shen Luo’s cultivation level using his Divine Sense. What he found left him as if struck by lightning, frozen in place.

Surging within Shen Luo’s body was an extraordinary flow of mana, unmistakably at the Late True Immortal stage.

"You’ve reached the Late True Immortal stage?" Zhang Chuan blurted out in disbelief.

Shen Luo, having little regard for Zhang Chuan, glanced at him briefly before withdrawing his gaze and saying nothing.

Zhang Chuan stood there dazed, his expression like ashes.

"Brother Shen, your cultivation has advanced so swiftly. Do you have any secrets to share? Would you be willing to enlighten me as well?" Gu Hualing, who had already noticed Shen Luo’s cultivation changes during their trip to the Yinling Mountains, asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Friend Gu, you are extraordinarily gifted. Surely you have no need for my guidance," Shen Luo replied with a forced smile, shaking his head.

Gu Hualing snorted lightly and was about to tease him some more when the sound of footsteps echoed from inside the side hall.

"Brother Shen, Master Yuan is ready to see you now," Li Shu said as she emerged.

"Understood," Shen Luo quickly replied and stepped inside.

Gu Hualing, biting her lip, followed him in.

Inside the hall, Yuan Tiangang and Cheng Yaojin were seated. Cheng Yaojin’s complexion was pale and clearly far from recovery.

Yuan Tiangang, on the other hand, looked unchanged from before. However, with Shen Luo’s improved cultivation, he could now sense that Yuan Tiangang’s aura was even more vast and boundless, as lofty as the heavens and as deep as the seas.

"Master Yuan, Duke Cheng," Shen Luo stepped forward and gave a bow, followed by Gu Hualing, who also offered a formal salute.

"No need for such formalities. Brother Shen, your cultivation has advanced significantly—excellent, truly excellent," Yuan Tiangang said with a faint smile, his gaze sweeping over Shen Luo and Gu Hualing with a hint of satisfaction.

Cheng Yaojin, still dulled by his injuries, only now extended his Divine Sense to check Shen Luo’s cultivation. His copper-bell eyes widened in astonishment: "Late True Immortal stage? Shen Luo, did you consume some Immortal Pill? It’s been mere days, and you’ve broken through two major realms!"

"It’s a long story. I recently stumbled upon a Celestial Secret Realm in the Western Regions, where I encountered some fortuitous opportunities. That’s how my cultivation improved," Shen Luo said concisely.

The matters regarding the Celestial Secret Realm were far too bizarre and involved too many complications to share in full with Yuan Tiangang and Cheng Yaojin.

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