Chapter 455: Approaching terror
Translated by: La0o9
Proofreader: Arya
Gu Qing Shan was now more solemn than ever before.
The situation had abruptly changed to become incredibly dangerous.
His enemy knew everything, was extremely calculating as well as being the strongest.
What can I do now?
Gu Qing Shan went silent as he fell into thought.
After a while, he took out two jade tags.
These were the formation jade tags that he had picked out earlier.
Since Gu Qing Shan spent 200 for the System earlier, he only has 803 Soul Points left.
Without hesitation, Gu Qing Shan spent all of it to comprehend everything from the two jade tags.
Warmth flowed from the jade tags into Gu Qing Shan’s body and settled at his Thought Sea.
Gu Qing Shan slowly closed his eyes, seeing the myriads of formation knowledge appearing in his mind.
He had gained a deep understanding of the art of formation.
The most advanced art in the Suspended world’s cultivation civilization was the art of formation.
With his current knowledge, he was already about the same level as Gong Sun Zhi in the cultivation world.
Formations were the highest crystallization of this world’s cultivators’ knowledge.
Shen Wu world and the cultivation world combined couldn’t match up to the level of formation that this world had reached.
But Shen Wu world has superior Smithing techniques, and the cultivation world overflowed with resources, so both these worlds have their own advantages.
A few moments later.
Gu Qing Shan opened his eyes.
Right now, he had barely reached the level of first-rate formation user by this world’s standard.
Being about the same level as Qi Yan, he still can’t unlock and find the world’s coordinates from the formation plate, but he can already control the majority of this world’s formations with ease.
Gu Qing Shan fell silent.
There’s no more going back, and no more delaying.
He has to make sure of certain things right now.
He asked: “Qing Rou, Wan Er, the time I’ve spent in this world is too little, so I have a few questions that I need to be answered honestly, this is related to whether or not we can survive”
Seeing how serious he was being, Qing Rou and Wan Er also put on stern expressions.
Qing Rou spoke: “I will tell you everything you want to know without holding back”
Wan Er also: “You saved us but we still haven’t thought of how to repay you, so I will answer whatever you ask”
“The big sects that escaped this world, did any of them return?” Gu Qing Shan asked.
The two girls were surprised.
This question was completely outside of their expectation.
Carefully thinking about it, Wan Er answered: “I think… no, they didn’t”
“Really? Think very carefully about this” Gu Qing Shan said.
Qing Rou confirmed: “I’m very sure, none of the sects that escaped ever returned to this world”
Shannu couldn’t help but chime in: “After spending so much effort to escape, what sect would want to return?”
“By common sense, they truly should be drifting in the s.p.a.ce vortex, looking for a new world” Gu Qing Shan nodded in agreement.
He then continued to ask: “If no sect ever returned, then what about cultivators? Are there any cultivators that returned?”
“Cultivators…?”
The girls muttered and went into contemplation.
They couldn’t understand the reason for Gu Qing Shan’s questions at all.
Gu Qing Shan then added: “Any cultivator is fine, regardless if their cultivation is high or low, as long as they showed up even once, that could be considered that they returned”
“I don’t think any cultivators returned, about you big sis?”
Saying so, Wan Er looked at Qing Rou a bit unsure.
“Ever since Wan Er and I got caught and brought to this world, I’ve never seen a single cultivator of any sect that left, returned” Qing Rou nodded to Gu Qing Shan, expressing that she was very sure of this.
“Wait a minute, I remember something” Wan Er suddenly exclaimed.
The three people looked at her.
“There was once a Cryptic realm cultivator that said he didn’t feel too sure of bringing his whole sect to escape”
“He wanted to try it first so he went and left by himself, saying that he wanted to scout the way”
“And then?” Gu Qing Shan quickly pursued.
“And then he never returned, having lost him, his sect wasn’t able to fight against their enemy and was quickly destroyed” Wan Er told him.
“After that, people had a theory that s.p.a.ce-time must have been twisted when the realm demon came”
“Once a cultivator leaves this world, they would be brought to places so far away that they couldn’t find their way back”
Qing Rou agreed: “That’s right, this theory was once very wide-spread, almost to be point of becoming a confirmed answer”
“No, that couldn’t be right” Gu Qing Shan spoke in a low voice.
“Why couldn’t it?” Qing Rou asked.
“If that was the truth, how would Qi Yan be able to come and go as he pleases when he found the coordinates of Shen Wu world?”
They were stunned.
That’s right, how would Qi Yan do that?
It’s been so long since this world has found a new world.
Everyone has already forgotten the fixed transportation between two worlds.
Gu Qing Shan slowly spoke: “Having gone to so many worlds, conquering and taking over them, the cultivators of this world should know its coordinates better than anyone”
“They even formed large-scaled tribulation formations within the s.p.a.ce vortex below the world”
“As long as they know the coordinates of another world, the cultivators here can simply create a world warp formation plate to transport themselves over”
“If that’s the case, even after they left, they would keep this world’s coordinates and transport back whenever they wanted to”
The two girls went silent.
Gu Qing Shan’s logic was so sound that they were unable to refute.
And the more he said, the tighter his brows were knitted.
A terrifying conjecture was forming in his mind.
Even though Gu Qing Shan had been through a lot of things, he still couldn’t keep himself calm.
“Normally, even if the majority of the people don’t want to return, there would always be a few peculiar cultivators who couldn’t help themselves from returning and taking a look” he said.
“Gongzi, what do you mean?” Qing Rou asked as she wasn’t able to follow his line of thought.
Gu Qing Shan waved his hand to signal her to stay quiet.
He then took out a high-grade formation plate.
In just a few seconds, he had arranged a small-scaled sound quarantine formation around the secret room.
It wasn’t much trouble for him to set up such a formation right now.
The formation blocked sound from coming out as well as outside sound from going in.
Gu Qing Shan thought for a bit but said nothing.
If my guess really is correct…
Then I had better not speak at all.
He used inner sight to send his voice: “About the sects that escaped this world through flying above orbit”
“I think there’s a problem here, and a very horrifying one as well”
He was suddenly anxious.
He started pacing around the secret room, his steps quickening more and more.
The three girls silently stood there watching him, not saying anything to cut off his thoughts.
After a while.
Gu Qing Shan abruptly declared: “No, we can’t wait anymore, we have to leave now!”
“Gongzi, you still have an oath to adhere to! You have to kill w.a.n.g Hong Dao” Wan Er told him.
“Even then, without a world coordinate, where would we go?” Qing Rou asked.
Gu Qing Shan froze.
His guess was so frightening that he became rushed, unable to remember even those basic problems.
It was very rare for Gu Qing Shan to become this fl.u.s.tered.
Gu Qing Shan sighed: “Cryptic realm… we will lose even if we all went up against him”
Qing Rou took his hand, speaking with determination: “If this really is the only way, I’ll fight by your side”
“Me as well!” Wan Er loudly declared.
Shannu just said nothing and nodded.
“…Then now I need to take some suggestions and work out a measure for that” Gu Qing Shan said.
“But w.a.n.g Hong Dao is at Cryptic realm, any kind of scheme would probably be useless against him” Wan Er dejectedly said.
Gu Qing Shan pointed at her then at Qing Rou: “The two of you are both Tribulation realm great cultivators, figures that used to stand at the top of their worlds, so try and think of something, this is directly related to our survival after all”
“Shannu, you’ve lived for so many years, you should also be an experienced person, think of something as well”
Seeing him like that, the three girls had no choice but to wrack their brains and think of a way out of this situation.
“I suggest we use an airs.h.i.+p to escape” Wan Er said.
“Airs.h.i.+ps are useless” Qing Rou directly dismissed that suggestion, “according to what we know, a Cryptic realm cultivator’s speed is at least faster than an airs.h.i.+p”
“No, an airs.h.i.+p can definitely do it” Wan Er argued against that.
Gu Qing Shan cut her off, saying: “We really can’t use an airs.h.i.+p, because we’ll need at least a cultivator the same level as w.a.n.g Hong Dao to control it for w.a.n.g Hong Dao to not keep up”
“Then I give up” Wan Er lowered her head.
“How about…” Qing Rou went into thought.
Gu Qing Shan silently looked to her to avoid cutting off her line of thought.
Qing Rou was a very smart girl, she might be able to think of an idea that would make your eyes s.h.i.+ne.
“w.a.n.g Hong Dao is a calculating person, but from what we know so far, he’s also someone that treasures his own life” she said
“Continue” Gu Qing Shan urged her.
Qing Rou nodded and continued: “Then how about we think of some way to lower the floating island and get closer to the realm demon, that way we’ll scare w.a.n.g Hong Dao enough that he won’t get close to the island anymore”
Gu Qing Shan just face-palmed and went silent.
“That’s right, he doesn’t need to get onto the island anymore and just give it a slight push downwards” Shannu muttered.
Qing Rou became flushed, seemingly embarra.s.sed because she suggested such a dumb idea.
“Shannu, what do you think?” Gu Qing Shan asked again.
“Gongzi, I’ve been thinking about this very seriously” Shannu said.
“And so? What solution did you come up with?”
Shannu changed the subject and asked very sincerely: “Gongzi, what do you think a sword’s job is?”
“To cut?”
“That’s right, so I decided not to do something like thinking”
“…Fine then”
Gu Qing Shan could only sigh.
Seems like there isn’t any other way after all.
Qing Rou then asked: “Gongzi, do you have any ideas?”
Gu Qing Shan thought for a bit and hesitantly spoke: “Hm, I have a not-so-good idea, so I want to ask you about it to see if there are any other ideas to replace mine”
“What is the idea? Why don’t you tell us” Wan Er asked, intrigued.
Gu Qing Shan then told them.
The three girls went silent.
After a while, Qing Rou finally regained her composure and spoke: “Gongzi, that is… you can’t call that an idea”
Qing Rou also stared at him, mumbling: “You do have any better dumb ideas?”