228: Chapter 226 True Monarch Luoyun

The Third Prince left the city,

and took Shen Yizhi with him, flying straight north.

Neither spoke; their Escape Lights streaked across the night sky like two silent meteors.

Shen Yizhi's health was poor, and his flight speed couldn't keep up with the Third Prince, so the Third Prince slowed down to fly alongside him.

Shen Yizhi wanted to say something; his lips moved slightly, then closed again.

He knew the Third Prince didn't want to talk right now, nor did he need comfort.

He simply followed and kept him company.

They flew for an entire night.

At dawn, the mountains and rivers below gradually became unfamiliar.

The continuous mountain ranges changed from lush green to dark green, and from dark green to grayish-white.

The terrain became increasingly steep, and the trees grew sparser; eventually, there weren't even paths, only bare rocks and perennial snow.

The Third Prince slowed down, looking down at the terrain as if trying to identify something.

Shen Yizhi looked along with him but couldn't make anything out. He wasn't familiar with this area.

"We've arrived," the Third Prince said suddenly.

He descended, and Shen Yizhi followed behind.

Below was a valley surrounded by mountains; they weren't high but were very steep.

The valley was lush with vegetation and towering ancient trees; a stream flowed through it, the sound of water gurgling.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of greenery mixed with the moist breath of soil.

It was very quiet here; even bird calls were rarely heard, only the rustling of wind through leaves and the occasional distant cry of a deer.

The Third Prince landed in the valley, retracted his Escape Light, and scanned his surroundings.

His expression didn't look like it was his first time here, but it also didn't look like he came often.

He took a few steps, stopped,

identified the direction, and then walked toward the largest tree in the valley.

That tree was truly massive, not just ordinary big.

The trunk was so thick it would take seven or eight people to encircle it; the canopy blotted out the sun, and the foliage was so dense that sunlight couldn't penetrate.

The bark was grayish-brown, as rough as an old man's face, covered in moss and vines.

The roots bulged from the ground, gnarled and twisted like pythons lying on the earth.

The Third Prince walked to the tree, stopped, reached out, and pressed his hand against the trunk.

The trunk remained motionless.

He didn't withdraw his hand; with his palm pressed against the bark, he closed his eyes as if sensing something.

Shen Yizhi stood behind him, neither speaking nor moving.

After a few breaths, the trunk suddenly lit up.

It wasn't the whole tree glowing, but the patterns on the bark.

Those patterns, which originally looked like ordinary bark texture, now seemed to come alive, emitting a faint green light.

The light spread from the roots to the canopy; the entire tree body was glowing, like a giant tree carved from green jade.

A door appeared on the trunk.

It didn't crack open or push open; it appeared out of thin air.

An arched doorway, two or three zhang high; inside was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

The Third Prince opened his eyes, withdrew his hand, and stepped inside.

Shen Yizhi followed behind him; the moment he stepped over the threshold, the scene before his eyes changed abruptly.

Inside the tree was another world.

Below his feet was a sea of clouds, and above his head was also a sea of clouds.

Boundless white clouds spread out like a soft velvet carpet, extending all the way to the horizon.

In the distant clouds, several immortal cranes were flying; their flapping wings stirred up fine mist, and their feathers shimmered with a silvery-white luster in the sunlight.

Further away, mountain peaks poked their tips out of the sea of clouds like isolated islands in the ocean, with waterfalls cascading down and the faint sound of water echoing.

The air was filled with dense Spiritual Qi, many times more concentrated than in Qingyao City.

Taking a deep breath, every pore on his body opened up, as if soaking in a hot spring; it was so comfortable it made one want to sigh.

The Third Prince stood on the sea of clouds, looking past the cranes toward the depths of the cloud sea.

There was nothing there, only vast white clouds and occasionally visible mountain peaks.

Shen Yizhi stood beside him, holding his folded fan in his hand, silent.

An immortal crane flew from afar and landed before them. Its feathers were white as snow, with a touch of vermilion on its head; its eyes were golden and round, watching them.

It tilted its head, glanced at the Third Prince, and then its body began to change.

Feathers folded, wings retracted, and its body elongated; within a few breaths, a Young Acolyte in white appeared before them. The boy looked about ten years old, with a delicate face, hair tied with a white silk ribbon, and cloth shoes on his feet.

He bowed to the Third Prince, his movements unhurried and his posture composed.

"Your Highness, you have come," the boy's voice was crisp, like mountain spring water.

The Third Prince nodded.

"I have come to visit True Lord Luoyun."

A look of difficulty appeared on the boy's face. "The True Lord is in secluded meditation, preparing for a Soul Transformation Breakthrough; it is a critical moment. Your Highness has come at an inopportune time, and I fear he cannot see you."

The Third Prince's brow furrowed, and a flash of disappointment appeared in his eyes.

He opened his mouth as if to say something but swallowed it back. He was silent for a moment, and just as he was about to say "Then I shall not disturb him," a voice suddenly came from the depths of the cloud sea.

"Let them in."

The voice wasn't loud, even somewhat aged, but it was clear, as if floating from far away yet also right by the ear.

The sea of clouds surged once, as if vibrated by the voice.

The acolyte was stunned for a moment, then nodded, transformed back into an immortal crane, and nodded to the Third Prince, signaling them to mount. The Third Prince and Shen Yizhi leaped onto the crane's back.

The crane flapped its wings and flew steadily, passing through the sea of clouds toward the depths.

The cloud sea churned beneath them, and mountain peaks swept past on either side.

The wind was strong, making the Third Prince's robes snap loudly, but he sat upright on the crane's back, motionless.

Shen Yizhi sat behind him, squinting as he looked at the depths of the cloud sea drawing closer ahead.

After flying for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the crane began to descend.

The clouds dispersed, revealing a small patch of level ground below.

It was very small, only a few dozen zhang across, like a small clearing carved out of the sea of clouds.

On the clearing was a small thatched hut—truly a thatched hut, not the kind of elegant residence intentionally made to look old, but a genuine thatched hut built of straw and wood, like those lived in by rural farmers.

The thatch on the roof had withered in some places, revealing the wooden beams beneath.

The walls were made of wooden planks with dried grass stuffed into the gaps to block the wind.

An old cloth curtain hung over the door, with several patches on it and faded colors.

In front of the house were a stone table and two stone stools; on the table sat a coarse ceramic bowl with half a bowl of water remaining, a withered leaf floating on the surface.

The crane landed on the ground, and the Third Prince and Shen Yizhi jumped down.

The crane nodded to them, spread its wings, and flew away, disappearing into the sea of clouds.

The curtain of the thatched hut moved slightly, and a person walked out.

The person wore a set of grey coarse cloth clothes, with the cuffs and collar worn and frayed.

His hair was grizzled and casually tied, with a few strands falling loose over his shoulders.

His skin was dark and rough, with wrinkles on his face—neither deep nor shallow—looking like they were weathered by wind and sun.

He was neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin; standing there, he looked like any rural farmer.

If one didn't know him, no one would give him a second glance on the road. The Third Prince stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Master."

True Lord Luoyun glanced at him and nodded. "Come in and sit."

He turned, lifted the curtain, and entered the house.

The Third Prince and Shen Yizhi followed behind.

The room was very simple: a wooden bed, a wooden table, and two wooden chairs. A straw mat was spread on the bed, with a thin quilt folded on top.

An oil lamp sat on the table, a bean-sized flame flickering on the wick.

A wall corner held a few bundles of dry firewood, with a wood-cutting knife beside them. There was nothing else.

True Lord Luoyun sat down on a wooden chair and pointed to the chair opposite him.

The Third Prince sat down, while Shen Yizhi stood behind him.

True Lord Luoyun looked at him, his gaze calm. "Speak, what is it?"

The Third Prince didn't beat around the bush. "Disciple wishes to invite Master to come out of seclusion."

True Lord Luoyun didn't speak.

He lowered his head, looking at the oil lamp on the table; the flame flickered, reflected in his eyes, twinkling.

"The Crown Prince's army is pressing the borders, and Disciple's territory has little left." The Third Prince's voice was calm, but Shen Yizhi could hear the exhaustion beneath that calmness. "Disciple has thought it over, and the only one who can help Disciple is Master."

True Lord Luoyun remained silent for a long time. He looked up at the Third Prince, his gaze containing something indescribable. It wasn't disappointment or heartache; it was the kind of calmness that comes from seeing through the vicissitudes of the world and no longer caring about anything.