This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable-Chapter 1600 - 53: The Fish Leaps Into the Sea

Tens of thousands of miles in the sky.

This kind of altitude surpasses the clouds, a place devoid of human presence.

Yet, in such a perilous location, a gigantic entity breaks through the clouds today.

Longevity Whale.

Although a fish, it can also be a bird, possessing the ability to migrate above the azure sky.

Where it passes, the air and clouds form a tornado, appearing like waves behind it, continuously rolling, layer upon layer.

Even though the Longevity Whale is vast and boundless, at such a height, looking up from the ground, nothing can be seen except clouds and the sky.

Because the Longevity Whale is "swimming" above the clouds, with the clouds as its water.

Lu Qingshan sits cross-legged on the brow of the Longevity Whale, between its golden eyes, guiding its direction.

......

After setting off from the desolate land of Qingqiu and traveling for nearly half a day, the Longevity Whale finally stopped at Lu Qingshan's signal.

Lu Qingshan rides his sword upward, descending vertically.

Below is a valley hidden within deep mountains, flat yet profound.

Someone is already waiting here.

A tall figure, donned in a gray robe, with hair interwoven with black and white.

Qi Butian.

"I've been waiting for you for a while," Qi Butian said, looking at Lu Qingshan.

"Pavilion Master Qi." Lu Qingshan clasped his hands in salute.

Qi Butian slightly nodded at Lu Qingshan, then slightly moved aside to reveal a formation behind him.

A gigantic formation.

This is a cross-domain teleportation formation established by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion in the Southern Territory.

The importance of the cross-domain teleportation formation was undeniably revealed during the battle in the Central Spirit.

Clearly, the cultivators of the Taoist sect did not realize the significance of the cross-domain teleportation formation only at this moment, let alone easily allow others control over it.

Hence, besides the teleportation formations openly belonging to the Great Xia, located in major state cities, various Taoist sects also discreetly arranged teleportation formations leading to the other six domains, hidden in secret for emergencies.

These cross-domain teleportation formations have a striking feature: they are extremely concealed.

Like the one before us.

"The people originally stationed here, I've already relocated them," Qi Butian said.

"Thank you, Pavilion Master Qi."

"Is the Longevity Whale above?" Qi Butian pointed upwards.

Lu Qingshan nodded, "Its size is too massive; apart from the sea and the Heaven's Vault, there are few places in the world that can bear it, so it must wait above the azure sky."

The sheer size of the Longevity Whale is equivalent to a domain of a state, making it nearly impossible to land on the earth—it would be like a mountain falling with the force of world destruction.

"Indeed worthy of being the legendary spirit beast," Qi Butian marveled.

Even he had never seen a Longevity Whale before, only read a few records in the classics.

This is an extremely rare, powerful, yet low-profile spirit beast.

The Longevity Whale before us is very likely one of the only two in the world.

"Shall we begin?" Qi Butian inquired for Lu Qingshan's opinion.

Lu Qingshan gave a slight nod of approval.

Qi Butian did not hesitate any longer, suddenly looking up.

In an instant, his strands of hair moved without wind, wildly dancing.

At this moment, the cross-domain teleportation formation behind Qi Butian suddenly radiated a dazzling golden light.

This light swiftly traveled along the formation patterns of the teleportation formation itself, spreading outward.

Within moments, not just the cross-domain teleportation formation, but the entire valley's ground also glowed with golden ripples.

At this time, Qi Butian pressed his fingers together, brushing his brow, and spiritual light immediately overflowed between his two fingers.

Then, he pressed his fingers downwards, and the spiritual light shot out, integrating into the valley ground.

It was as if a heavy object had descended from the sky, causing all the stones and dust on the ground to jump upwards.

At this moment, the originally carved ripples on the ground were activated by the spiritual light, as if coming alive.

They violently shook upward, detaching from the ground, beginning to float upwards.

The height rose from Qi Butian's feet and hips, continuing upwards until suspended above his head, forming a magnificent formation map shining with golden light, radiating brilliance and intricate profundity.

Soon after, Qi Butian stomped the ground forcefully, his figure rapidly rising upward.

And the formation map, the size of the entire valley, suspended above his head, rose along with Qi Butian's ascending figure, staying ever suspended above him.

Sailing straight upwards.

Qi Butian led the formation map upwards, reaching the altitude of tens of thousands of miles, arriving at this place of absolute cloudiness.

The clouds were all rendered into a golden light by the formation map.

Qi Butian finally beheld the true appearance of the Longevity Whale.

Shaped like a giant bird, covering the sky, like a floating island in the air, silently hanging before him, another like a hanging cloud, its back spanning unknowable tens of thousands of miles,

at a glance, it seemed boundless, making one instantly feel their own insignificance.

Even Qi Butian, upon seeing the Longevity Whale, felt his eyes contract, his heart utterly shaken, as if his chest was about to burst open, feeling the boundless vastness of heaven and earth.

This is the instinctive reaction of humans upon seeing a gigantic being.

But... precisely because the Longevity Whale's size is truly enormous, reaching beyond the bounds of reason, a problem arises:

There will be no teleportation formation in the world capable of accommodating the passage of the Longevity Whale.

Therefore, theoretically, the option of "walking" is the only one left to reach Heavenly River City, as no suitable "transportation tool" exists.

Heavenly River City is at the border of Sky Dome Heaven.

Even using a teleportation array, Lu Qingshan took several days to travel from Yumen Pass to Heavenly River City.

Relying solely on "walking" would be a journey of tens of thousands of miles, unrealistic.

Even if success in reaching Heavenly River City was achieved, who knows how many years it would take—Sky Dome Heaven's vastness spans unknowable tens of thousands of miles.

Therefore, Lu Qingshan approached Qi Butian, the most powerful Spiritual Cultivator of the Human Race.

......

"Pavilion Master Qi, it's your move," Lu Qingshan offered his thanks.

Qi Butian's gaze flickered slightly.

Even though he was mentally prepared, seeing the Longevity Whale in person, Qi Butian still felt immense pressure.

"I can only send you into the space rift; afterward, I'm unable to help further," he hesitantly confirmed, "Traveling through space rifts may be a shortcut, but it carries many challenges....

"In space turbulence, there is no direction. Without special means, you'll only get lost in it, and escaping from space turbulence will be another challenge."

"I understand, Pavilion Master Qi, rest assured, I have my own way," Lu Qingshan affirmed, already having a solution to the dilemma Qi Butian mentioned.

Seeing Lu Qingshan so confident, Qi Butian finally said no more.

No one would joke around with their own life.

"Then let's begin," Qi Butian said with a light shout.

The Formation Map began to serve its purpose and started operating.

Spiritual light continuously surged from Qi Butian's fingertips, orderly flowing between the formation patterns of the Formation Map, triggering special spirit art effects.

A mass of pale golden light emerged above the Formation Map, forming a specific vortex shape as guided by the formation patterns.

At this moment, above the Heaven's Vault, where the vortex of golden light spread, it suddenly twisted.

As it twisted, the entire space seemed to melt and then dispersed instantly, like a passage revealing the vastness and deep mysteries within.

"Lu Qingshan, in the entire Sky Dome Heaven, perhaps only I, this old man, can accomplish this," Qi Butian murmured softly, stepping forward.

After taking this step, the aura he emitted was entirely different, as if transcending the mundane.

Qi Butian took a deep breath. The task ahead was not easy, even for him, requiring all his effort and a significant price.

He suddenly raised his right hand, spiritual light glimmering, sending forth a profound dharma seal that landed on the Formation Map.

"Heavenly Secret Spirit Art: Xun."

Diligence of Qian, compliance of Kun, trembling of Zhen, entry of Xun, trapping of Kan, brightness of Li, cessation of Gen, joy of Dui.

Xun signifies entry.

With a single word, heaven and earth roared.

The immense form of the Longevity Whale became nebulous, seeming to shrink countless times yet also as if the entrance of the passage had expanded exponentially.

Ultimately, the passage was wide enough to accommodate the Longevity Whale's entry.

"Go!" Lu Qingshan's eyes lit up as he directed Gu.

Gu trusted Lu Qingshan deeply and immediately leaped, flying straight into the passage.

The passage roared as the Longevity Whale traversed inside.

Endless space turbulence rushed forward, tearing through space and forming numerous horizontal and vertical lines.

The Longevity Whale halted steadily within the void.

Lu Qingshan, still seated at the center of Gu's brow, couldn't help but glance back.

The space passage had already closed, leaving only the endless profound void in sight.

Profound and vast.

Amidst the vastness, the Longevity Whale raced forward, swimming through the space turbulence.

The rampant spatial cracks and turbulence swept over Gu's physical body yet inflicted little harm.

However, the Dragon Slaying Island on its back was unable to withstand such attacks.

Trees were uprooted, the earth fissured, mountains collapsed, rocks scattered, turning to dust upon meeting space turbulence.

An apocalyptic scene.

In this vast space turbulence, the Longevity Whale seemed as small as a mustard seed. Yet Gu experienced a sense of freedom akin to a fish returning to the sea, swimming without constraints or concerns, filled with immense joy.

"Go there!" Lu Qingshan lightly patted Gu's brow, pointing the way.

At this moment, a distinct point of light shone brightly in Lu Qingshan's deep and sharp eyes.

The direction he indicated was where that light point resided.

That was... the Peach Blossom Mark.

[Indestructible]: Upon activating this Divine Skill, you can inflict a Peach Blossom Mark on the enemy upon causing damage.

The Sword Master has the ability to sense the location of the Peach Blossom Mark across unlimited distances.

This is Lu Qingshan's navigation, impervious to being obscured even in the environment of space turbulence.

In the void, there was no wind, yet as the Longevity Whale advanced, ripples spread outward.

The vastness swirled and flew past.

Lu Qingshan stood atop the Longevity Whale's back, focusing his senses to guide the direction.

He could clearly feel the distance between himself and the Peach Blossom Mark rapidly decreasing.

In a spatial discontinuity, all distances become compressed and folded.

A journey that would originally take days or even months in the outside world might be reduced to mere moments in the spatial discontinuity.

The journey through the spatial discontinuity is destined to be the fastest.

Yet, few dare to venture into it recklessly, for not everyone possesses clarity in the spatial discontinuity, and not everyone is capable of breaking through spatial barriers to return to the human world.

Thankfully, Lu Qingshan possessed both abilities.

........

Boundless Heavenly River Sea.

Suddenly, a mass of golden clouds with mystical patterns swept across the sky, stretching down to the horizon, spanning south to north, covering an immeasurable distance, even obscuring the sun.

Following this, an indescribable long howl echoed across the world.

The golden cloud layer suddenly plummeted downward.

The visual impact was like the sky collapsing.

In the Heavenly River Sea, Sea Demons looked up in shock as the golden cloud threatened to press down, suffocating them, forcing them to dive quickly.

The golden cloud drew nearer, eventually crashing onto the boundless Heavenly River Sea.

The Heavenly River Sea surged with towering waves.

The rapping of scales against the sea, the stirring of three thousand waters.

Yet upon hitting the water, the golden cloud ascended once more.

In the blink of an eye, it shrank countless times.

Under such circumstances, the Sea Demons barely discerned the contour of the golden cloud.

It turned out to be a large fish.

An exceptionally large fish.

In an instant, the fish magnified rapidly in their sight.

Only then did they realize, just a moment ago, it was a casual upward leap of the fish.

Like a joyous carp playfully leaping in the water.

As the fish descended rapidly, clouds and winds descended together.

A mighty wind arose as the clouds billowed.

When the fish leaps, this is the sea!