Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 734 Hidden Mission 20

Leaving that bizarre and mysterious realm, a bustling world, imbued with a rich spiritual energy, rushes towards you.

After a short rest, Yue Ze found a secluded valley near a waterfall. The murmuring water masked any whispers.

He looked at Yun Chu beside him, whose brows and eyes still bore the weariness of her experience in the secret realm, yet which had added to her resilient spirit. His deep eyes held an unyielding tenderness.

"Yun Chu," he said in a low voice, tinged with barely perceptible tension, as he presented her with a ring as smooth and warm as black jade. "Heaven and earth bear witness, my heart belongs only to you. Though the road ahead may be fraught with peril, and countless tribulations may ensnare us, Yue Ze only wishes to be with you, bound by life and death, walking the path of cultivation together. Would you... become my Daoist partner?"

Yun Chuxin gently traced the subtle array patterns on the black jade ring with her fingertips. She smiled sweetly, the smile reaching her eyes, yet with a hint of serenity than before: "It is my wish, but I dare not ask you. However..."

She looked around the secluded valley and said, “Why not make a vow right here, with heaven and earth as our witness and the flowing water as our proof? That will be enough. There’s no need for elaborate ceremonies or to disturb the surrounding area.”

Yun Chu didn't want to be too high-profile, lest she attract the attention of other mission participants and ruin her mission.

"Okay." He nodded solemnly, and said no more.

The two stood side by side, facing the cascading waterfall and deep pool. No need for grand music or a full house of guests.

Clear spring water, like a ribbon, splashes like jade and pearls, making it the purest gift in the world.

They raised their hands together, their fingertips intertwined, their essence and blood guiding their souls, their primordial spirits touching, and they etched a vow to live and die together deep within each other's souls.

The black jade ring was slipped onto Yun Chu's ring finger, and a strange sense of connection was generated between the two of them, silent yet stable.

Against the backdrop of their plain Taoist robes, the dark jade ring gleamed with understated brilliance, a testament to their unwavering love.

Yueze Zhenjun gazed at Yun Chu, his fingertips gently tracing the corners of her eyes, which were slightly reddened by her vow.

The mist from the waterfall wove a hazy veil between them, and when his kiss fell, it was as gentle as a breeze brushing against flower petals, light and precious.

The moment their lips touched, the array patterns on the black jade ring quietly lit up, and a ray of spiritual light flowed along with their intertwined breaths, completely merging their auras.

Yun Chu responded with her eyes closed, her fingertips gripping his clothes tightly.

After the kiss, Yue Ze led Yun Chu into the Life Space Stone.

As Yue Zeqian stepped into the spiritual spring, the water temperature was just like his body temperature, and the spiritual energy transformed into swimming fish that gently touched his skin. The two sat facing each other, palms touching, and the black jade rings on their fingers resonated and shone.

He channeled his pure Yang energy into her meridians to help her refine the Yin energy remaining in the secret realm; she, in turn, used her Yin energy to nourish and harmonize Yue Ze's overly sharp primordial spirit due to his swordsmanship.

When their foreheads touched, their memories unfolded like a scroll—he saw her earnestness in forging and refining weapons, and she glimpsed the loneliness of his century-old solitude in the Sword Tomb.

As their consciousnesses intertwined, the cultivation technique circulated on its own, with the body's energy cycle three times faster than usual.

Yun Chu was pressed against a white jade stone by the spiritual spring, her plain Taoist robe half-submerged in the water, her black hair spread out like clouds. Yue Ze's fingertips traced the spiritual acupoints on her back, each touch sending shivers down her spine.

He bit his fingertip and used his blood to draw the secret runes of the Hehuan Sect on her heart (Note: This was obtained by Yue Ze during his early travels and is not an evil technique), helping her to completely refine the alien energy she had devoured during the mission.

When their emotions were stirred, their spirits left their physical bodies and transformed into intertwined light and shadow in the void.

At this moment, the cold notification sound of the Yun Chu mission system rang out, indicating that the hidden mission had been successfully completed. Yun Chu blocked the system sound, and only Yue Ze's soul whispered in her mind: "From now on, I will bear the calamities for you."

When the dual cultivation ended, Yun Chu's body shimmered with a glass-like luster, indicating a potential breakthrough. Yue Ze's cultivation also broke through to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage.

"I need to go into seclusion to break through to a higher realm." Yun Chu felt the restless golden core within her body and looked at Yue Ze with a determined gaze.

"I will protect you," Yue Ze said without hesitation.

After leaving the Life Space Stone, Yue Ze created a cave behind the waterfall and set up layers of protective formations outside the cave to isolate it from all external interference.

Inside the cave, the light from the spirit-gathering array illuminated Yun Chu's slightly solemn face.

Cracks spread like a spider web across the golden core in the dantian. Each tremor of spiritual energy was accompanied by excruciating pain, and a blurry yet vibrant infant phantom appeared and disappeared amidst the shattered golden light.

This triggers the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation! The process is extremely dangerous.

The illusions of inner demons attempt to erode the Dao heart, the Yin fire of the earth veins scorches the meridians, and the fierce winds of the nine heavens whip the soul.

Fortunately, Yun Chu possessed a magical treasure capable of protecting her clear mind.

After three months of struggle and transformation, the nascent soul with its eyes closed finally absorbed and condensed the energy of the shattered golden core, and suddenly opened its eyes!

A powerful aura, several times stronger than that of a Golden Core cultivator at its peak, surged into the sky from the cave. Although the array tried its best to suppress it, the pressure unique to Nascent Soul cultivators still made the nearby demonic beasts tremble.

As the calamity dissipated and the clouds dispersed, the cave was left in a state of chaos. Yun Chu opened her eyes, her gaze sharp and piercing, seemingly containing a small world constantly being created and destroyed, her aura stable and refined.

The Nascent Soul has been formed!

"It's done." A tired yet incredibly joyful smile bloomed on her lips.

Yue Ze entered immediately and, seeing that she was safe and sound and had successfully broken through to the next realm, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense for three months, finally settled down, and his eyes were filled with pride. "Congratulations, True Monarch Yun Chu," he murmured with a smile.

Yun Chu smiled upon returning.

After Yun Chu stabilized his cultivation level, the two discussed and chose the Netherworld Mountain Range, which was known for its danger, abundant in Yin-attribute spiritual objects, and frequented by high-level demonic beasts.

Upon entering the inner perimeter of the Netherworld Mountains, the environment changed abruptly. Towering ancient trees blocked out the sunlight, the air was thick and cold, and the air was filled with the smell of decay and miasma. The jagged rocks resembled lurking ghosts.

The roars of the monsters came from near and far, bringing a heavy sense of oppression.

The two concealed their auras and proceeded cautiously, constantly exploring and slaying powerful demonic beasts they encountered, honing their skills and supernatural abilities to reach a new level.

Half a month later, they tracked a group of rare ghost bats deep into a dense forest shrouded in gray mist.

Suddenly, a violent surge of magic energy and a woman's sharp shout came from ahead, followed by the clang of metal on metal and the sound of heavy objects hitting the ground, mixed with a furious roar: "You bitch! You're asking for death!"

Yue Ze and Yun Chu exchanged a glance, then sped away like lightning.

Passing through the thick fog, one could see a scene of devastation on a clearing filled with strange rocks: a young girl dressed in the outer disciple's robes of the Xuanjian Sect, her face ashen, was leaning against a boulder, breathing heavily, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, her left shoulder ripped open, and a deep wound that revealed the bone was gushing blood.

She gripped a mortal longsword riddled with nicks and nicks, its tip dripping blood, yet her eyes were sharp as a wounded lone wolf, fixed intently on the two rogue cultivators ahead.

Not far away, the corpse of a rogue cultivator dressed in tattered Taoist robes lay dead on the ground, his throat pierced by a sword.

"Ji Xi!" Yun Chu recognized the stubborn girl's face at a glance, and her heart tightened. Ji Xi also saw the two who had suddenly appeared, and after recognizing Yun Chu, she said, "Uncle-Master Yun Chu."

"Save him first!" Yun Chu shouted without hesitation. She moved even faster, rushing straight at the male cultivator who was trying to finish off Ji Xi when he was exhausted.

Yue Ze then teleported behind another rogue cultivator, and with a flick of his hand, effortlessly deflected the rogue cultivator's fatal attack on the female cultivator from the Golden Night Sect.

In a short moment, the two rogue cultivators were killed by Yun Chu and Yue Ze.

Yun Chu came to Ji Xi's side and asked with concern, "Junior Nephew Ji Xi, are you alright?" Her gaze fell on the wound on Ji Xi's shoulder, and she handed him a healing pill. "Take this quickly."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master." Ji Xi took the pill and swallowed it.

After Ji Xi's injuries improved, Yun Chu asked what had happened.

Ji Xi slowly recounted what had happened.

Ji Xi broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, so he went out to train, teaming up with three rogue cultivators and two cultivators from the Golden Night Sect.

However, unexpectedly, these three rogue cultivators specialized in killing and robbing treasures.

If she hadn't been so vigilant, she probably would have perished like that male cultivator from the Golden Night Sect.

"Since you're going through this experience, why don't you come with us from now on?" Yun Chu didn't mind bringing the female lead, Ji Xi, along; perhaps she could gain some opportunities by following her.

"Thank you very much, Uncle-Master," Ji Xi said gratefully.

Lu Qiubai, a female cultivator from the Golden Night Sect, spoke up, "True Lord, may I come along?"

Yun Chu looked at Lu Qiubai and said, "Young friend, it's not convenient for you. You should leave the Netherworld Mountains as soon as possible."

Lu Qiubai was surprised that Yun Chu would refuse so directly, and gave an awkward smile.

She then left.

After Lu Qiubai left, Yun Chu checked the storage bags of the three rogue cultivators and gave them to Ji Xi, since the contents were of no use to her.