The Gate Of Good Fortune

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“What about the Destiny’s Three Realms?” Ning Cheng asked questions like a studious student.

Shen Qinyu also answered patiently, “If a Heaven’s Mandate Cultivator can shed off their mortal shell, and surmount the tribulation successfully, then they could enter the Heaven Seated Realm and become a Heaven Seated Powerhouse. A Heaven Seated Powerhouse then needs to break through the Life and Death Cycle, and understand Yin and Yang to advance to the Life and Death Realm. As for the Eternal Realm that comes after it, I heard a rumour that they have everlasting life and can revive endlessly. However, these are only rumours that I heard from other places and can’t help you verify it.”

Shen Qinyu honestly had a lot of knowledge, no matter what question Ning Cheng asked, she answered it in as detailed of a manner as she could so that Ning Cheng could understand it as quickly possible. Seeing the benefits he received from discussing things with Shen Qinyu, Ning Cheng felt thankful to her.

“Junior Apprentice Sister Shen, are you also participating on behalf of the Orchid Borough Celestial River?” Half a day later, Ning Cheng took the initiative to turn the topic around after he asked all the questions he wanted to ask.

This was not the first time he encountered Shen Qinyu; however, it was definitely the first time that he realised that she genuinely might have an unfathomable background.

Shen Qinyu smiled before speaking, “Not quite, I came to the Orchid Borough Celestial River to enter the Time Wilderness. In fact, there are many other cultivators in this place like me, who came over from other starry skies. This time, I entered the Time Wilderness for two things; out of which, or rather the most important thing, is the Perpetual Moon Time Key.”

Why would she mention such an important and sensitive matter so casually? Ning Cheng felt surprised as he looked at Shen Qinyu.

Shen Qinyu calmly explained, “The Perpetual Moon Time Key is the most valuable thing within the Time Wilderness. However, the reason why I told you about this is that Time Lake had already turned into ash. As such, it is no longer possible to obtain the Perpetual Moon Time Key. When you were still in seclusion, I went to the Perpetual Moon Lake once to confirm it.”

“What is the value of this Perpetual Moon Time Key?” Ning Cheng asked. It was something that he felt most concerned about, especially since the Perpetual Moon Time Key was inside his ring, while he had no idea about its value or its uses.

Shen Qinyu shook her head and spoke, “I don’t know either. All I know is that it is something left behind by the Perpetual Moon Holy Emperor. Similar to how the Time Wilderness is also a relic left behind by the Perpetual Moon Holy Emperor.”

“Is the Perpetual Moon Holy Emperor’s status the same as Heavenly Emperor Striking Order? Did he control a stronger starry sky?” Ning Cheng asked.

Shen Qinyu showed a faint smile before speaking, “Even if Heavenly Emperor Striking Order cultivated for millions of years, he still would not be able to stand on the same level as the Perpetual Moon Holy Emperor. Even among the fellow Heavenly Emperors, Heavenly Emperor Striking Order would still rank far behind. In the vast starry skies, someone on the level of Heavenly Emperor Striking Order does not matter much. If not for the relatively impoverished lands of the Striking Order Starry Skies, Heavenly Emperor Striking Order’s Striking Order Starry Skies would have long since changed its name.”

After that, Shen Qinyu stood up and spoke, “We need to head to the Sea of Twilight now; if you have any other questions, you can ask me along the way.”

“I know that there are many starry skies outside the Striking Order Starry Skies. After this trial, will the finalists head to the biggest starry skies within the universe?” Ning Cheng still had many questions. Since Shen Qinyu had resolved so many of his issues, he did not feel that he asked those questions in vain.

Shen Qinyu also did not feel even a shred of irritation, and her tone remained soft, “That’s right; the finals will take place in the Grand Culmination Starry Skies. In the plane we are in, the Grand Culmination Starry Skies is one of the four foremost starry skies and is also the central location of the entire Grand Culmination Plane.”

Ning Cheng and Shen Qinyu were not far from the Sea of Twilight. Ning Cheng had still a few questions that he wanted an answer to when Shen Qinyu suddenly stopped.

What appeared in front of Ning Cheng was a magnificent sight, entirely different from the grey gloom that covered the rest of this place. As Ning Cheng stood rooted in his spot, it felt as if he were standing at the seaside where the sun was about to descend below the sea level; a red sunset, just like a rainbow scattering, created an illusion of a bridge that connected the shore to some distant place.

‘Sublime is the beauty of the sun yet to set; so soon, alas, shall the dusky evening follow’. A sentence emerged in Ning Cheng’s mind without any reason; however, it aptly described the scene painted in front of him.

“What a beautiful place. Sublime is the beauty of the sun yet to set; so soon, alas, shall the dusky evening follow.” After a long time, Ning Cheng finally spoke up in amazement. He spoke what he honestly thought.

“You also know about the lines ‘Sublime is the beauty of the sun yet to set; so soon, alas, shall the dusky evening follow’?” Shen Qinyu looked at Ning Cheng in amazement.

“I naturally have heard these words, how can anyone not know them?” Ning Cheng looked at Shen Qinyu in doubt. These words, of course, he knew about them as it came from a poem by Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty. “Still day, but lately, my heart is not at ease; to the old plateau, up, in a carriage, I go. Sublime is the beauty of the sun yet to set; so soon, alas, shall the dusky evening follow.” What he wondered was how Shen Qinyu knew about this sentence.

Shen Qinyu explained, “I heard that only if you are trapped in the Sea of Twilight would you be able to understand the meaning of this sentence. However, do not look at the Sea of Twilight as a sunset at sea. In fact, there is not a single drop of water in this place. What you see is something created from the combination of the flowing longevity and time, which are the gaping maws waiting for us to enter this Sea of Twilight. It is very dangerous in this place, and if you are not careful, you will end up trapped within the flow of time, and would never get a chance to live.”

Ning Cheng on hearing Shen Qinyu’s explanation gave a slight frown. Did he truly want to enter the Sea of Twilight with such conditions? If it were about Time Stones, he already had three, so was it really worth it to take such a risk?

Shen Qinyu seemed to have understood the reason behind Ning Cheng’s frown as she spoke up, “Whether or not you enter this place, you should think about it clearly before we decide to enter this place. Otherwise, once inside, we might most likely lose our way and never get out again.”

Ning Cheng, who initially felt hesitant about entering, on hearing Shen Qinyu’s words, suddenly felt cheerful in his heart once again. He came all the way to this place, was it not to look for opportunities in danger? The vast starry skies had innumerable cultivators; as such, how many opportunities would he obtain without facing any risk?

“Of course, we go in.” Ning Cheng gave a calm smile. Seeking riches in danger, such a phrase was an apt description for the starry skies’ cultivators.

“Okay, we can only extend our Spiritual Consciousness to about three feet around us in the Sea of Twilight. Therefore, we should remain close to each other and try not to get separated.” Shen Qinyu spoke and took the first step into the Sea of Twilight.

Ning Cheng also did not hesitate and stepped in following Shen Qinyu. He quickly discovered that instead of three feet as Shen Qinyu mentioned, his Spiritual Consciousness could extend to a radius of about ten miles around him.

Although he still felt a suppressive effect over his Spiritual Consciousness, it was still many times better than just extending to around three feet. After Ning Cheng understood this point, Ning Cheng felt even surer that his starry skies’ Sea of Consciousness indeed was different from others.

Moreover, he could also feel the endless vicissitude of time that surrounded him, giving Ning Cheng once again the feeling of flowing time he encountered outside the Perpetual Moon Lake. Sensing this, Ning Cheng felt somewhat anxious in his heart. If it indeed was like that, then even before he found the Twilight Sand, he might just end up exhausting his life.

Just as Ning Cheng thought of this scenario, a small soft hand grabbed his hand, followed by Shen Qinyu’s voice ringing in his ears, “Senior Apprentice Brother Wanderer, in the Sea of Twilight, you must never stop moving and must keep on walking. That way, your vitality would not flow out quickly. Once you stop in a place, your longevity will start flowing out at a faster pace.”

“Thank you.” After answering with the two words, Ning Cheng tried pulling his hand back, only to find that Shen Qinyu still held on to him.

At the same time, Shen Qinyu once again spoke up, “You should not let go of my hand for the time being. You have not yet adapted to the Sea of Twilight. Once you let go of my hand, we are likely to lose each other.”

Ning Cheng did not reveal to Shen Qinyu that his Spiritual Consciousness could already extend to a range of ten miles, and let Shen Qinyu guide the way.

After the two of them walked for an hour within the Sea of Twilight, Shen Qinyu was about to let go of Ning Cheng’s hand when she heard Ning Cheng speak, “There seems to be a Time Stone in front of us, I kind of sense the time flowing......”

In fact, Ning Cheng’s Spiritual Consciousness had already located the Time Stone long ago. Moreover, it was much smaller than the three Time Stones that he had obtained previously. However, Ning Cheng felt sure that it definitely must be a Time Stone.

Hearing Ning Cheng’s words, Shen Qinyu immediately tightened her grasp on Ning Cheng and spoke, “Senior Apprentice Brother Wanderer, quickly follow the position you sensed the time.....”

As she reached this point, Shen Qinyu suddenly felt shocked. She never thought that Ning Cheng would unexpectedly be able to sense the Time Stone’s flowing time. One had to know that she had been in the Time Wilderness for almost three years, yet she had never obtained a single Time Stone.

Ning Cheng quickened his pace, and in just a few breaths reached next to the Time Stone. Just as Ning Cheng was about to bend down and pick up the Time Stone, a sense of extreme crisis welled up within his heart. Ning Cheng did not think of anything and immediately grabbed Shen Qinyu before flying back.

“Don’t fly.....” Just as Ning Cheng heard Shen Qinyu’s scream, he saw a ray of light suddenly blooming at the place he had just stood at a moment ago. If he had been even a moment late, that blooming light would have most likely swallowed him up.

However, without waiting for Ning Cheng to react, he felt a tearing pain rampaging through his body due to a blade of light, which he could not resist, brushing past him. A powerful pulling force surrounded him immediately following it.

“Swish” Ning Cheng clearly heard Shen Qinyu’s robes tearing apart with a faint scent of blood. The same powerful force seemed to have also surrounded Shen Qinyu, intent on pulling her away.

Ning Cheng felt shocked. He did not know what was going on. He quickly put Shen Qinyu over his back and tried to land back on the ground.

However, this formidable force did not allow Ning Cheng to do anything he wanted. While Ning Cheng tried to fend off the endless barrage of those tearing blade lights, another terrorising force swept over him. Before he could even think of using the Twin Wings of the Heavenly Clouds, this force pulled him away without any power to resist.

Shen Qinyu’s weak voice entered his ears, “These are the Time Blades and the Time Vortex. Do not use Celestial Essence to resist; not only can you not stop it, but it would also end up increasing the power behind it even more.”

Ning Cheng immediately stopped trying to resist, and the raging force quickly carried Ning Cheng and Shen Qinyu away. At this moment, Ning Cheng could not even bring out his Spiritual Consciousness.

“Bang.....” A sudden impact force erupted, and Ning Cheng felt his entire body smash into the ground. However, it also allowed him to realise that he had finally landed on solid ground.

“We finally came down. This Sea of Twilight sure is filled with danger.” Ning Cheng called out with a sigh.

Shen Qinyu’s spoke up with a trembling voice, “We can’t get out anymore.”

“What happened?” Ning Cheng’s Spiritual Consciousness stretched out only to find that his the range of his Spiritual Consciousness had shrunk from ten miles to just about ten feet.

“This is the deepest part of the Sea of Twilight. No one can ever come to this place by himself or herself. The only way for any cultivator to come here is through the Time Vortex; however, it is absolutely impossible to get out again.....” In Ning Cheng’s view, Shen Qinyu spoke in an unceasingly trembling voice, unlike her usual calm self. It betrayed her fear of the deepest part of the Sea of Twilight.

Ning Cheng gently pulled up Shen Qinyu, who currently sat on the ground shaking. Looking at the scraps of clothes barely covering her body, he spoke up with an apologetical voice, “I’m sorry, I did not know that we cannot fly.”

Shen Qinyu tore off a piece of her already-torn robes and tied one end to her wrist and the other end to Ning Cheng’s wrist before speaking, “In this place, we can only rely on our eyes, while our Spiritual Consciousness is just useless. If not connected to each other, I’m afraid that we would soon scatter.”

With that, she finally looked up at Ning Cheng. Suppressing her fear, she spoke up in a relatively calmer tone, “You don’t have to feel guilty. It was my fault for not making things clear while encouraging you to come. In this place, where we can’t get out at all, maybe the two of us talking and walking together might just ease up the pressure of death.”