Chapter 644: Ready to Set Off

"Apologies, because of this identity, I had to conceal it earlier." Han Li clasped his fist toward the Flame Immortal Venerable and said.

Before coming here, he had originally planned to change his appearance again, but upon second thought, he felt it was somewhat inappropriate.

He had spent a considerable amount of time with the Flame Immortal Venerable at Wild Crane Valley. If he deliberately assumed a different identity and came again, it would inevitably be seen through, which might easily breed discord. Moreover, with Hu San and the others by his side, it would certainly cause more trouble.

Thus, it was better to be upfront about the identity of "Li Han" from the start, which would avoid many hidden dangers.

"Fellow Daoist Li, no need to be like this. Am I not also forced to live in hiding, constantly in fear?" The Flame Immortal Venerable waved his hand and said with a bitter smile.

"Haha, since we're all old acquaintances, this expedition to the True Word Sect will be much easier." Shi Chuankong said with a smile.

"Indeed, indeed. Just now, Fellow Daoist Flame said you could be my bosom drinking companion. Come, come, let's not worry about other things for now. Let's drink to our heart's content first." Hu San also said with a smile.

Han Li smiled slightly at this and did not decline. He immediately sat opposite Shi Chuankong and began to drink with him.

Speaking of which, back at the Leisure Cloud Valley, besides Senior Jing Yang, the Flame Immortal Venerable was the most fond of drinking. Little did he expect that this Hu San he had just met was also a drunkard.

However, he did not dislike this person's somewhat slovenly and unrestrained character. On the contrary, it stirred up some memories from his time at the Seven Mysteries Sect.

…

Black Mountain Immortal Domain, Yuan Turtle Continent, Flowing Cloud City.

Yuan Turtle Continent was located at the southeastern border of the Black Mountain Immortal Domain, and Flowing Cloud City was at the southernmost tip of Yuan Turtle Continent. Although it seemed remote, it was actually one of the most prosperous and magnificent cities in the Black Mountain Immortal Domain.

Its city walls were towering and almost reached into the clouds. Inside the city, wide streets crisscrossed and extended, with countless tall and splendid buildings standing in rows, stretching to the horizon.

Looking from afar, the city was filled with dense crowds of people, and streaks of light flew across the sky. Its prosperity was beyond imagination.

The city was built by the sea. Outside the city lay an endless ocean, its waters black. The sea surface churned violently, raising wave after wave of giant surges, as if the entire sea were going mad.

This sea was known as the Sea of Turmoil, where waves surged all year round, monstrous billows towered to the sky, the climate was extremely harsh, and it harbored many dangers. Not to mention mortals, even some cultivators of slightly lower cultivation could not survive within it.

Although the climate of the Sea of Turmoil was harsh, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within it was extremely rich. There were many sea beasts, and it abounded in precious spiritual materials. Therefore, despite the Sea of Turmoil being very dangerous, countless cultivators still came to Liuyun City and set out from here to seek treasures, making this city extremely prosperous.

The reason Liuyun City was so prosperous was not only because of those who went to sea to seek treasures, but also an important reason: within Liuyun City stood a cross-domain teleportation array that connected to the Black Earth Immortal Domain.

Although the four alliance immortal regions were not separated by the Desolate Wilderness Domain, they were not adjacent either, with natural barriers lying between each.

Between the Black Mountain Immortal Domain and the Black Earth Immortal Domain lay this Sea of Turmoil.

In the central area of Liuyun City, there stood a towering white giant peak that pierced the clouds. From the foot to the summit, countless buildings were densely constructed, spiraling up the mountain.

Viewed from afar, the entire white giant peak resembled a large beehive, quite spectacular.

Halfway up the giant peak, a three-story white pagoda stood against the mountain. Before the central hall of the white pagoda hung a plaque several zhang in size, on which three large characters, "Flying Immortal Hall," were written in gold powder.

This was precisely the teleportation hall of Liuyun City, built entirely from blocks of white jade.

Passing through the main hall's entrance and walking along a white corridor, the view suddenly opened up into a vast white hall hundreds of zhang in size.

On the left side of the hall stood a long white jade table, behind which several Heavenly Court cultivators in golden robes were processing procedures for cultivators lined up in five or six queues before the table.

On the right side of the hall were dozens of teleportation arrays of varying sizes, arranged in several rows. Beside each array stood a jade plaque inscribed with the name of the destination the array led to.

All these teleportation arrays were humming with activity, occasionally flashing with towering white light, either receiving cultivators into Liuyun City or sending them elsewhere.

At this moment, a teleportation array on the left front of the hall suddenly flared brightly, emitting a towering white light, and a dozen figures appeared within the previously empty array.

Four figures stepped out first: three young men and an old man with white hair—none other than Han Li, the Revered Fire Immortal, and the other two, who had traveled all the way from Wei Que Mountain.

To avoid trouble, the four had slightly altered their appearances and statures.

Along the way, they had mostly traveled by teleportation arrays, occasionally flying directly when encountering trouble, stopping and starting, and after more than thirty years, they finally arrived at Liuyun City.

"We're finally here. Let's go," Hu San said, placing his hands behind his head, and then walked out on his own without waiting for the other three.

"Hey, I say... shouldn't we just take the teleportation array? This Chaos Sea isn't something you can cross casually." Heatwave Immortal raised an eyebrow and quickly asked.

"Taking a cross-domain teleportation array is different from ordinary ones; it requires very strict scrutiny. We need to make some preparations first." Fox Three didn't stop walking or turn his head, but sent a voice transmission to the three of them.

Heatwave Immortal nodded slightly upon hearing this, said no more, and followed.

Han Li and Shi Chuankong followed behind without a word from start to finish, heading out.

Only what the others didn't notice was that when Heatwave Immortal and Fox Three were conversing, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, as if revealing a hint of helplessness.

Fox Three had been roaming various immortal domains for years and was extremely experienced, so he was put in charge of route arrangements and other matters needing attention along the way.

Speaking of which, the group's smooth arrival at Liuyun City owed much to his efforts.

He seemed indifferent to everything and not very reliable, but in fact he was meticulous, considering many things more than others.

Following the outward flow of people, the four soon walked out of the white tower.

The tower was situated on high ground, offering a panoramic view of the city below and the Chaos Sea beyond.

"So this is the Chaos Sea, truly magnificent." Han Li gazed at the turbulent sea in the distance and praised.

Rumbling sounds came from afar, and the white peak beneath their feet trembled slightly.

"This is just the coastal area, nothing special. If you go deep into the Chaos Sea, that's where the waves truly surge sky-high, very thrilling." Fox Three laughed.

"Oh? Has Brother Fox Three been to the depths of the Chaos Sea?" Han Li asked with slight surprise.

"That was a long time ago. I was also heading from Liuyun City to the Black Soil Immortal Domain. Back then, I got a sudden impulse to cross the Chaos Sea, so I spent decades and reached its depths." Fox Three laughed.

"I've heard some records about the Chaos Sea, which say that deep in the sea, besides various demon beasts, there lives a very peculiar race called the Sea Demon Tribe. They are extremely powerful and can drive sea beasts to fight. Coupled with many natural hazards, few can cross the Chaos Sea." Han Li asked.

Heatwave Immortal and Shi Chuankong also looked over with interest upon hearing this.

"Hehe, Brother Li is indeed knowledgeable. The depths of the Chaos Sea are indeed dangerous, especially those Sea Demons. They harbor extreme hatred for human cultivators and will pursue them to the death. Very few cultivators who encounter Sea Demons survive. That time, I encountered Sea Demons in the depths and was chased by them for over ten years. Finally, I relied on a spatial immortal talisman on me to escape by luck, but I was also injured." Fox Three looked at the turbulent sea in the distance, his pupils slightly contracting, as if still shaken.

"Brother Fox's cultivation back then compared to now..." Heatwave Immortal asked hesitantly.

"That was many years ago. I had just advanced to the Taiyi realm and got carried away, which led me to do such a foolish thing." Fox Three laughed heartily, unconcerned.

Han Li was secretly shocked upon hearing this.

He had witnessed Fox Three's strength; even with his Taiyi cultivation, he couldn't cross the Chaos Sea, showing how dangerous its depths were.

"It is said that among the Sea Demons, there are even Great Luo realm giant demons. Even the Heavenly Court can't deal with them, which is why they spared no expense to build this cross-domain teleportation array." Fox Three continued.

"I see." Heatwave Immortal nodded upon hearing this.

"Let's go. This isn't a place to talk. Let's find an inn in the city to stay first." Fox Three glanced around and then shot toward the city.

Han Li and the other two followed. Soon they found a quiet inn in the city and booked four rooms.

Han Li rested briefly in his room, then went to Fox Three's room to ask about the "scrutiny" he had mentioned.

"No rush. We've finally made it to Liuyun City; it would be a waste to just pass through quickly. I know there's a 'Flavor Restaurant' in the city that serves exquisite food, the taste lingering on the tongue for three days. They also have a supreme immortal wine. Let's go try it first, then talk about other things." Fox Three chuckled, not answering Han Li's question but instead introducing the city's delicacies and fine wine.

Han Li looked helpless upon hearing this.

Fox Three, at every city along the way, would seek out fine food and drink, sometimes staying for ten days or half a month, delaying the journey considerably.

"Supreme immortal wine? Really?" Heatwave Immortal and Shi Chuankong had also come over. Upon hearing about good wine, Heatwave Immortal's eyes lit up slightly, and he rubbed his hands together.

"Everyone has been tense and rushing lately; it has indeed been quite exhausting. Resting a bit first is fine." Shi Chuankong said with a faint smile.

"Brother Shi is absolutely right. That's the way to go. Hurry, hurry." Fox Three slapped Shi Chuankong's shoulder hard, then walked out impatiently.

Seeing this, Han Li helplessly rubbed his nose and followed.

Although he didn't care much for fine food and wine, he didn't want to spoil everyone's mood.