Infiltrating Qingyuan Ravine

After their encounter with Wei Xueting, Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing departed Hongshan City that very day. Once beyond the city gates, Su Hanxing summoned his Voidbreaker Skiff. They then sped away on the skiff, their destination fixed firmly on the Qingyuan Ravine.

“Having chosen to explore the Qingyuan Ravine, Hanxing, have you discovered a method for our infiltration?” Chi Qiu inquired, standing by the deck’s edge on the Voidbreaker Skiff, her gaze sweeping over the landscape with an impassive expression.

“An elder of the Heart God Sect is stationed within the Qingyuan Ravine, and evading their detection will be as challenging as ascending to the heavens,” Su Hanxing stated, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon from the ship’s bow.

As a Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivator, the most effective way to survey an area is undoubtedly to unleash one’s divine soul, sweeping through the entire region by borrowing the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth. Given that the Heart God Sect specializes in cultivating the soul, their elders’ abilities in this regard far surpass those of other sects’ elders. This is precisely why Su Hanxing spoke with such certainty.

Upon hearing Su Hanxing’s words, Chi Qiu turned to face him, silently awaiting further explanation.

“However, we can employ a concealment art to infiltrate from this location,” Su Hanxing said, a faint smile gracing his lips as she looked his way. He waved his hand, and starlight immediately erupted, coalescing into a shimmering map that appeared before them both.

The map depicted the general topography of the Qingyuan Ravine. After revealing it, Su Hanxing lightly tapped a long, narrow fissure in the northwest. “There exists an exceptionally long and narrow fissure here, extending hundreds of thousands of li to the west. It is the furthest fissure from the former site of the Qingyuan Sect.”

Chi Qiu followed Su Hanxing’s pointed finger, nodding gently.

“Even if that Heart God Sect elder is permanently stationed in the Qingyuan Ravine, they would undoubtedly reside within the former site of the Qingyuan Sect. This fissure is at least three hundred thousand li away from that old site. No matter how far the Heart God Sect elder’s divine soul can probe, it simply cannot reach this far,” Su Hanxing elaborated, gesturing first to the former site of the Qingyuan Sect on the map, then back to the fissure he had just indicated.

“At that time, I will deploy some small concealment arrays I carry with me to hide our tracks. Then, Little Chi, you will cloak your entire body with Yinglong’s divine power to mask yourself from the Heart God Sect elder’s perception,” Su Hanxing concluded, waving his hand to dismiss the starlight map.

Su Hanxing then took three strides in two, swiftly closing the distance to Chi Qiu. He had, at some point, retrieved a necklace from his storage magic treasure—a piece entirely silver-white, adorned with gleaming jewels—and presented it to her.

“Little Chi, I’ve inscribed array patterns onto this necklace, and its gems function as array flags. Simply infuse it with true qi, and it will activate a small array. This array can diminish the detection capabilities of spiritual senses, ensuring you won’t be discovered by that Heart God Sect elder.”

Chi Qiu accepted the necklace gracefully and placed it around her neck. “Thank you.”

“I should be thanking you, Little Chi, for being willing to accompany me on this perilous adventure into the Qingyuan Ravine.” Su Hanxing let out a wry chuckle at her thanks. He reached out and gently patted her head, his voice filled with undeniable gratitude.

“Why are you being so sappy?” Chi Qiu asked, batting away Su Hanxing’s restless hand and frowning slightly. “When will we reach that fissure?”

“It will take about two more days,” Su Hanxing replied softly, retracting his hand.

The two had previously fled from the edge of the Qingyuan Ravine to Hongshan City in a desperate hurry, pushing the Voidbreaker Skiff to its limits. Now, their destination was even further, and they wouldn’t need to exert the skiff to its full capacity, naturally extending their travel time.

“Then I’ll rest for a while. Wake me when we arrive,” Chi Qiu said, waving a hand and feigning a yawn before disappearing into one of the cabins.

Two days later, before the Qingyuan Ravine.

“Does this fissure truly extend all the way to the former site of the Qingyuan Sect?” Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing stood on the ochre earth, facing a crevice approximately ten chi wide.

“Indeed, this is the place,” Su Hanxing confirmed, his voice resolute as he gazed at the fissure.

To avoid detection by the Heart God Sect elder, the two had disembarked from the skiff half a day earlier and proceeded on foot to this location. A flying skiff, floating in the air and massive in size, could easily reveal their presence. Therefore, they opted for the safer, more discreet method of traveling on the ground.

“This fissure appears to be only two or three zhang wide, yet who would imagine it stretches for hundreds of thousands of li, capable of even housing an entire sect within?” Chi Qiu mused, then stepped forward and leaped into the crevice. The fissure, merely ten chi wide, was also only about thirty chi deep—a negligible obstacle for cultivators like them.

“Be careful,” Su Hanxing cautioned, leaping into the fissure right behind her. He lightly tapped a finger, and the array patterns inscribed on his long robe immediately activated. His aura swiftly receded, becoming almost imperceptible.

Observing Su Hanxing activate his array, Chi Qiu promptly tapped the silver-white necklace around her neck. As true qi flowed into it, the gems on the necklace shimmered, and her aura, too, rapidly vanished.

Let’s go, Little Chi, this way, Su Hanxing transmitted. Chi Qiu nodded gently, then pointed forward.

The fissure descended, gradually widening and deepening. On the rock walls flanking them, massive fracture marks began to appear, hinting at the deep chasm’s ancient origins. They had traversed approximately ten thousand li, yet along this entire journey, they had not encountered any living creatures, nor any disciples or elders of the Heart God Sect.

As they ventured deeper, their surroundings became completely dark. Fortunately, both were already God Concealing stage cultivators, so being in darkness had no effect on them whatsoever.

There are a few abandoned cave dwellings a few dozen li ahead. Su Hanxing suddenly extended an arm to block Chi Qiu. His divine soul was significantly stronger than hers, allowing him to sense the anomaly in the distance far earlier.

Originally, Chi Qiu had intended to deploy her Indigo Flower Sea to probe the Qingyuan Ravine, but she reconsidered due to the mysterious Heart God Sect elder’s exceptionally potent perception. If he were to sense the Indigo Flower Sea, their cover would be blown. Thus, she ultimately abandoned the idea, opting instead for divine soul detection.

Abandoned cave dwellings? That means there shouldn’t be any cultivators there. We can investigate, Chi Qiu mused, nodding softly. The appearance of the cave dwellings was much earlier than she had anticipated, but it was a good sign; perhaps they could glean some crucial information from them.

Indeed, no cultivators. They have been abandoned for many years, Su Hanxing confirmed after another careful observation. In his perception, there were no traces of cultivators remaining within.

Hopefully, some clues were left behind in the cave dwellings. Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing changed direction, heading toward the abandoned cave dwellings.