Chapter 644: Departure

"My apologies for keeping this identity from you," Han Li said as he cupped his fist toward Immortal Lord Hot Flame in an apologetic salute.

He had considered altering his appearance before coming here, but that didn't seem like a good idea.

He had resided in the Leisure Valley alongside Immortal Lord Hot Flame for quite some time, and if he were to come here under an alternate identity, there was a very good chance that Immortal Lord Hot Flame would eventually catch on, and that would likely attract him much suspicion from Fox 3 and Shi Chuankong.

Hence, it was better for him to come clean right away to avoid potential misunderstandings.

"There's no need to apologize, Fellow Daoist Li. After all, I hadn't been entirely forthcoming with you, either," Immortal Lord Hot Flame said with a wry smile.

"The fact that we all know each other certainly makes things easier," Shi Chuankong said with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Huo was just telling me about how you and I are both avid wine enthusiasts. Come, let's have a drink before we discuss anything else," Fox 3 said with a wide smile.

Han Li didn't turn down the offer, and he sat down across from Shi Chuankong, where he was handed a silver cup.

Back in the Leisure Valley, Immortal Lord Hot Flame was second only to Daoist Master Jingyang when it came to his penchant for drinking, and it seemed like Fox 3 shared this interest.

Fox 3 was a little loose and lackadaisical in his personality and demeanor, but that didn't bother Han Li.

......

Black Mountain Immortal Region, Origin Turtle Continent, Flowing Cloud City.

The Origin Turtle Continent was situated on the southeastern border of the Black Mountain Immortal Region, while Flowing Cloud City was on the southernmost tip of the Origin Turtle Continent. However, despite its secluded location, it was one of the most prosperous mega cities in the Black Mountain Immortal Region.

The city walls were so tall that they were almost concealed in the clouds, and the city was filled with wide streets and countless tall and majestic buildings stretching as far as the eyes could see.

There were people everywhere, as well as streaks of light whizzing through the sky, presenting an incredibly bustling and prosperous sight to behold.

This was a coastal city, so outside the city was the boundless black sea. The surface of the sea was churning violently, and there were enormous waves passing through one after another.

This sea was referred to as the Violent Sea, and the conditions here were terrible all year round, making for an extremely hostile environment.

Despite the terrible conditions in the Violent Sea, it harbored a vast abundance of the world's origin qi, so it was home to countless demon beasts and precious spirit materials. Hence, countless cultivators flocked to Flowing Cloud City to venture into the Violent Sea in search of treasures, and that was how the city had become so prosperous over time.

The other important reason for the city's prosperity was that it was home to a teleportation array that led to the Black Soil Immortal Region.

The four allied immortal regions weren't separated by primordial lands, but they weren't directly connected to one another, either, and there were some perilous terrains to be traversed between them.

The Violent Sea was the obstacle that stood between the Black Mountain Immortal Region and the Black Soil Immortal Region.

At the center of Flowing Cloud City was a giant white mountain that extended all the way up into the clouds, and there were countless buildings constructed on the mountain.

From afar, the entire mountain resembled a giant beehive, presenting a spectacular sight to behold.

Halfway up the mountain was a three-story white pagoda, hanging above the entrance of which was a plaque that was several dozen feet in size, bearing the words "Flying Immortal Hall."

This was the teleportation hall of Flowing Cloud City, and it was entirely constructed from white jade blocks.

After stepping into the hall and passing through a white corridor, one would arrive in a giant white hall that was several thousand feet in size.

To the left of the hall was a rectangular white jade table, behind which stood several golden-robed Heavenly Court cultivators who were processing documents for the cultivators lined up in front of the table.

To the right of the hall were dozens of teleportation arrays of different sizes, beside each of which stood a jade plaque that denoted the destination of the array.

These teleportation arrays were all buzzing incessantly while occasionally flashing with white light, teleportation cultivators in and out of the city.

Right at this moment, a burst of blinding wind light erupted within one of the teleportation arrays, and around a dozen figures emerged within it.

Among them was a group of four figures, three young men and a white-haired elderly man, and they were none other than Han Li's group.

All four of them had altered their appearances somewhat in order to avoid trouble.

They had traveled here mostly through teleportation arrays, only occasionally traveling by flight instead whenever some trouble arose, and it had taken them over thirty years to finally arrive at Flowing Cloud City.

"We're finally here. Let's go," Fox 3 said as he made his way out of the teleportation array.

"Are we not going to take a teleportation array from here? The Violent Sea is not going to be easy to traverse," Immortal Lord Hot Flame hurriedly asked.

"Taking interregion teleportation arrays is different from traveling on normal teleportation arrays. The checks are very stringent, so we have to make some preparations first," Fox 3 explained through voice transmission.

Immortal Lord Hot Flame gave a slight nod upon hearing this and followed along, as did Han Li and Shi Chuankong.

Fox 3 had spent countless years traveling from one immortal region to another, accruing a tremendous amount of experience as a result, so he was responsible for organizing the itinerary for this trip.

In fact, it was no exaggeration to say that he had played a vital role in getting everyone to Flowing Cloud City safely.

He seemed lackadaisical and unreliable on the surface, but in reality, he possessed impeccable attention to detail and often considered things in a more in-depth fashion than his companions.

The four of them quickly made their way out of the white pagoda, which was situated at quite a high altitude, so the city down below and the Violent Sea outside were all clearly visible from this vantage point.

"So this is the Violent Sea. It really is a spectacular sight," Han Li praised as he looked out at the turbulent sea in the distance.

Bursts of thunderous rumbling were ringing out incessantly from afar, and even teh white mountain was trembling slightly.

"This is nothing. The waves deep in the Violent Sea are far more massive, and that's where the real fun is," Fox 3 said with a smile.

"Oh? Have you ventured deep into the Violent Sea before, Fellow Daoist Fox 3?" Han Li asked with a surprised expression.

"That was a very long time ago. On that occasion, I was also traveling to the Black Soil Immortal Region from Flowing Cloud City. At the time, I decided on the spur of the moment that I would cross the Violent Sea, and it took me several decades to complete the journey," Fox 3 replid with a smile.

"I've heard that not only is the Violent Sea home to all types of demon beasts, there's also a very special race of beings residing there. Not only are they extremely powerful themselves, they can control the marine demon beasts in battle, and with all of the natural hazards present in the Violent Sea to boot, very few people are able to make that journey," Han Li said.

Immortal Lord Hot Flame and Shi Chuankong turned to Fox 3 with intrigued expressions upon hearing this.

"You're a very knowledgeable man, Brother Li. The Violent Sea is indeed a very dangerous place. In particular, that race of sea-dwelling beings that you spoke of are extremely resentful of human cultivators, and very few people can survive an encounter with them.

“I was unfortunate enough to have been pursued by those beings during my journey, and they hunted me for over a decade. In the end, I was only able to escape using a spatial immortal talisman, but I still sustained some injuries in the process," Fox 3 said with a hint of lingering fear in his eyes.

"May I ask what your cultivation base was back then?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame asked in a hesitant manner.

"That was many years ago. At the time, I had just progressed to the High Zenith Stage, so my ego was severely inflated, and that was what led me to do something so foolish," Fox 3 chuckled.

Han Li was astonished to hear this.

He had witnessed Fox 3 in battle, and the fact that he was unable to cross the Violent Sea at the early-High Zenith Stage was sufficient testament to just how dangerous a place it was.

"I've heard that there are Great Encompassment Stage beings among the race of sea-dwelling beings. Even the Heavenly Court couldn't eradicate them, and that was why it had gone to such great lengths to construct this interregion teleportation array," Fox 3 continued.

"I see," Immortal Lord Hot Flame replied with a nod.

"Let's go and find an inn in the city to stay in for now," Fox 3 said, then took flight and departed from the pagoda.

Han Li's trio followed along, and the four of them quickly arrived in a clean and quiet inn, where they booked four rooms.

After setting down some belongings in his room, Han Li made his way to Fox 3's room and asked him what measures they had to take in order to access the interregion teleportation array.

"There's no hurry. It's not every day that we get to come to Flowing Cloud City, so it would be a great pity if we left so quickly. I know of a restaurant in the city that serves exceptional dishes and wine. Let's go have a meal there before discuss anything else."

Instead of answering Han Li's question, Fox 3 began to enthusiastically introduce all of the fine restaurants in the city, much to Han Li's exasperation.

On the way here, whenever they passed through a city, Fox 3 would be sure to explore all of the delicacies that the city had to offer, and at times, they would even stay in a city for half a month at a time, thereby severely delaying their itinerary.

"Did I hear fine wine?"

At this moment, Immortal Lord Hot Flame and Shi Chuankong also entered the room, and the former was immediately enthused upon hearing mention of delectable wine.

"It's been hard work traveling all this way, so it would be good to take a rest," Shi Chuankong said with a faint smile.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Brother Shi. Let's go right away," Fox 3 said in an eager voice as he patted Shi Chuankong on the shoulder, then made his way out of the room.

Han Li could only heave an internal sigh before following along.

He wasn't all that interested in the delicacies that the city had to offer, but it would be rather unbecoming of him to refuse to go along.