564: Meteor Ancient River

Inside Listening Waves Pavilion, the aroma of tea curled in the air.

Ye Xuan and Yue Xuan sat opposite each other. Outside the window, the lights of Tianxuan Ancient City reflected on Yue Xuan's cold side profile, adding a touch of hazy beauty.

"You seem to already have a plan for the Eye of Guixu?"

Yue Xuan broke the silence, her voice exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Ye Xuan's fingertips lightly tapped the tabletop, his gaze drifting toward the starry sky outside the window, as if he could pierce through infinite distance to see the Meteorite Ancient River.

"It's not much of a plan. The Big Dipper Star Palace spared no expense to bid for that page of the Remnant Chaos Beast-hide Scripture, and they've shown extraordinary interest in the Eye of Guixu. There must be a connection between the two."

"What is recorded on that remnant scripture is likely a secret related to the Eye of Guixu, or perhaps even the path into its depths."

Hearing this, Yue Xuan's brow furrowed slightly as she spoke.

"You want to get that remnant scripture from the Big Dipper Star Palace?"

"Not exactly."

Ye Xuan withdrew his gaze and looked at Yue Xuan.

"Taking it by force is the worst option; it's easy to alert the enemy and we might not get the complete information. Since they have already set out, we only need to follow behind them."

Yue Xuan understood his meaning instantly.

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. You want them to scout the path first, and even endure the dangers of the Eye of Guixu first?"

"They took the initiative to gather information and are hurrying there, so they must have a scheme, and they likely went prepared."

"By letting them go a step ahead, we can observe if there have been any recent changes in the Eye of Guixu, and also see exactly what the Big Dipper Star Palace has mastered."

Ye Xuan's tone was flat.

"If they truly manage to gain something, we can take over then, which saves us a lot of effort in searching."

"But if they successfully obtain their goal, we might lose the initiative or even fall into a passive position. That would be unfavorable instead."

Yue Xuan said with a frown.

Ye Xuan smiled slightly, his smile carrying absolute confidence: "In the face of absolute strength, there is no essential difference between having the initiative or acting later. Besides, isn't there still you?"

He looked at Yue Xuan and continued: "Your understanding of ancient matters and regions of space-time disorder far exceeds anyone in this world. With you here, many dangers of the Eye of Guixu can be avoided in advance. In fact, if I weren't afraid of trouble, I could take you directly into it."

"Even if there are some dangers, I can handle them perfectly. It's just that I don't know where the specific item is. Trying to find it would take at least several years, which is too much of a waste of time."

Yue Xuan was silent for a moment, a trace of complexity flashing in her cold eyes: "My memory is still fragmented. Regarding the Eye of Guixu, I only have some scattered pieces."

"That place seems to be some ancient land of endings, as well as a land of rebirth. Space-time twists there, and fragments of the past, present, and future are interwoven."

"The so-called ghost ships and sacrificial sounds are likely projections from different timelines, but I cannot predict all the specific dangers."

"No matter."

Ye Xuan said indifferently: "Knowing this is already enough. We don't need to know every danger; we just need to know a little more and be a little more prepared than those walking ahead of us."

He paused and then added: "Before we set out, there's one more thing to do. There is no definite news yet regarding the ten thousand year nether flower, but the Big Dipper Star Palace has been entrenched here for many years. Perhaps there will be clues in their treasury or intelligence network."

"Even if there aren't, they will surely be well-prepared for their trip to the Eye of Guixu and will certainly carry many rare treasures with them."

Yue Xuan looked at him: "You're going to the Big Dipper Star Palace to take them?"

"Not now."

Ye Xuan shook his head.

"After they leave Tianxuan Ancient City and head for the Meteorite Ancient River, we'll just go to another place and wait."

"Where?"

"Black Wind Gorge."

Ye Xuan spat out those three words.

"Those few Loose Cultivators mentioned that the place where they obtained the beast-hide fragment, though only on the periphery, might hold something interesting. We can verify the authenticity of that fragment and also get an early feel for the aura at the edge of the Meteorite Ancient River."

"Fine."

Yue Xuan nodded; she had no objections.

The two said no more, each regulating their breathing to adjust their state to its peak... The next morning, as the sky just began to turn fish-belly white, Ye Xuan and Yue Xuan had already left Listening Waves Pavilion and exited Tianxuan Ancient City, turning into two inconspicuous streaks of light as they sped toward the Meteorite Ancient River.

The Meteorite Ancient River was not an actual river, but a death zone spanning several Star Domains, composed of countless shattered stars, ancient meteorites, and violent energy flows.

Viewed from afar, it looked like a turbid long river composed of dim starlight and chaotic gases, lying across the cold Universe, emitting a heart-palpitating aura of Chaos and destruction.

This was the favorite place for all treasure-seeking Cultivators because here, they could find some supreme treasures passed down from the Primordial Era.

These supreme treasures were either complete or damaged, but without exception, they could bring great benefits.

Black Wind Gorge was located at a certain spot on the outermost periphery of the Ancient River.

The space here was relatively stable, but it was perennially swept by a bone-chilling black baleful wind that could erode spiritual power, hence its name.

Many Cultivators who lacked sufficient strength but wanted to try their luck at the edge of the Ancient River often chose to operate in such relatively safe areas.

Following the rough map provided by the elderly Loose Cultivator, Ye Xuan and Yue Xuan quickly found Black Wind Gorge.

It was a deep canyon located in the crevice between two giant meteorites. Black winds howled within the canyon, kicking up gray-black dust that filled the sky. Even probing it with Divine Sense caused bouts of stinging pain and obstruction.

The two propped up their protective divine lights and stepped into the canyon.

The cold wind was like knives, making a whistling sound. Even a powerhouse of the Quasi-Emperor Realm would likely find it hard to endure for long here.

Inside the canyon, the light was dim and jagged rocks abounded. The ground was scattered with skeletons that had long since weathered and decayed Magical Artifact fragments. From time to time, storms swept through, shredding the space of this place, speaking of the dangers and the passage of time here.

Yue Xuan's gaze slowly swept over the surroundings.

She extended a lily-white finger and lightly brushed a pitch-black rock covered in holes. Her fingertip was stained with an extremely faint, greyish-white aura.

"There are traces of soul-eroding netherwind remaining here, mixed with the black baleful wind. No wonder that Loose Cultivator said the remains had weathered until only a skeleton was left."

"The soul-eroding netherwind can dissolve flesh and blood and erode the Divine Soul. It is a sinister thing found only in the depths of the Ancient River, yet it has actually appeared on the periphery."

Yue Xuan said in a low voice.

"This means that something in the depths of the Ancient River is spreading outward, or someone has brought it out."

Ye Xuan analyzed.

"Perhaps, though it's also hard to say if the Ancient River's encroaching power is growing stronger."

Yue Xuan shook her head.

The two continued deeper. The canyon was longer than expected; after walking for about half an hour, a relatively open rocky beach appeared ahead.