95: Illusionary Mist Spirit Plains

Xu Yinyue placed two fingers against her brow, and a white glow gathered in her eyes.

After a moment, she described softly, "A faint mist, Source Beasts resembling magnificent umbrellas, drifting with long tentacles. In the air float many small, umbrella-like objects emitting different colored lights. There are no trees around, only low-lying grass."

As she finished speaking, the glow in her eyes could no longer be maintained and slowly dissipated into the air.

Hearing that the environment she described was completely unfamiliar, Jiang Nian nearly fainted. "What domain is this? Is my son safe?"

Xu Yinyue gripped the Origin Rune Stone, slowly recovering the expended energy. "Young Master Xiao Yuan doesn't seem to be in any danger yet. The two large snakes beside him are guarding him well."

"Beyond the Border, that place must be Beyond the Border," Chu Qinhui stated with certainty. He then grabbed Jiang Nian's arm with both hands. "Nian, stay here and Guard the house first. I will go to town and inform Father about this. Don't act rashly, wait for my news, understood?"

Tears welled up in Jiang Nian's eyes, and she nodded heavily towards her husband.

Seeing that Jiang Nian was still relatively calm, Chu Qinhui turned his head and hurried down the mountain.

After glancing at her husband's receding figure, Jiang Nian wiped the tears from her eyes, turned toward the ancient tree, and coldly gave instructions:

"Gather all the household servants searching the mountain to this area. Observe the surroundings carefully, and report immediately if there is any disturbance.

Also, send people to tell the Villagers to hurry home and prioritize safety. Since a passage to Beyond the Border has appeared, there might also be a passage from Beyond the Border to our location. If one or two Source Beasts enter, ordinary people won't be able to handle them.

Furthermore, note down all the Villagers who helped today. After this matter is resolved, my Chu Family will thank them individually."

Although worried and anxious, Jiang Nian still arranged everything meticulously, item by item.

The two Guards nearby received the order, discussed it in low voices, and then split up to take action.

In town, Chu Qinhui had just arrived at Medicine Heart Hall when he ran into his father, Chu Jingyu, and his son, Chu Shengfan, who were about to leave.

Seeing Chu Qinhui, Chu Jingyu grabbed his arm and anxiously asked, "What happened? How could Xiao Yuan suddenly disappear?"

Chu Shengfan was equally anxious, staring intently at his father, waiting for his reply. As the elder brother, he was filled with regret; if he had known, he would have checked his younger brother's courtyard when he woke up this morning, perhaps catching the disappearance earlier.

"They say that while Xiao Yuan was playing outside, a crack leading to Beyond the Border suddenly appeared on the ancient tree. A tentacle stretched out from inside and dragged Xiao Yuan in. His two pythons also followed him into the crack." Chu Qinhui quickly described the general situation.

"Who witnessed this scene, and what was the specific time Xiao Yuan disappeared?"

"It was Xu Yinyue. She has an ability to see events that transcend time and space. I haven't had time to tell Father yet,

Xiao Yuan's approximate time of disappearance should be around midnight yesterday."

Too much information was dumped on him. Chu Jingyu, an Uncommon Rank Contract Master, felt momentarily disoriented. He rubbed his temples.

What kind of special ability was this? He had never heard of such a situation. But the most important thing now was to quickly find Xiao Yuan. Regardless of whether the clue was true or false, they had to follow it.

"Assuming what you said is true, did she see where Xiao Yuan is now?"

"The exact location is unknown. Xu Yinyue only saw Source Beasts resembling cloud-umbrellas with tentacles, a faint mist, small umbrellas floating in the air emitting colorful light, and low-lying grasslands."

Chu Qinhui dared not make any changes, relaying the environment described by Xu Yinyue item by item.

Chu Jingyu frowned deeply. He had been to Beyond the Border twice and had never encountered this environment, even when he traveled quite far on his second trip.

Changing his direction from heading home, Chu Jingyu led Chu Shengfan and Chu Qinhui toward another street.

"Father, where are we going?"

"Treasure Pavilion definitely knows more about the surrounding area. We'll go there and ask."

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the interior of the Treasure Pavilion was quiet and deserted. Many stalls were empty, and hardly any businesses were open.

Chu Jingyu went straight to the main counter and glanced at the lazy shopkeeper behind it. "I want to buy some information. Where should I go?"

The Shopkeeper looked surprised at the three hurried figures before him, seemingly not expecting anyone to arrive so early. He then beckoned a young attendant nearby.

"Honored guests, just follow him."

Chu Jingyu nodded and followed the attendant. After walking past the circle of stalls for a while, they saw rows of rooms with open doors.

The attendant pointed to a room with a plaque that read "All-Knowing" and respectfully said, "Honored guests, this is the place."

Chu Jingyu nodded and walked in first.

The room was large, with bookshelves five or six meters high lining the walls. On them were stone carvings, bamboo slips, silk scrolls, books, jade pendants—it seemed every method of recording text could be found here.

On the desks scattered around the room, only one young man was sitting before a table, staring at an Incomplete Manual in his hand, frowning and looking distressed as if deep in thought.

Chu Jingyu walked closer to the young man and spoke, "Your Excellency, are you the owner of All-Knowing? We have some information we wish to inquire about."

Startled by the voice, the young man seemed to snap out of his thoughts. He glanced at Chu Jingyu and nodded. "I am. Let me state upfront: inquiring about information will be charged based on the value of the information.

You ask first. When you finish, I will assess the price. You determine if you can afford it, and then I will tell you."

"I want to inquire about a location Beyond the Border." Chu Jingyu looked at Chu Qinhui, instructing him to describe the environment Beyond the Border again.

After hearing the description, the young man sitting behind the desk rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment,

"The value is three Source Spirit Stone. Do you want to buy it?"

Seeing the young man's confident demeanor, Chu Jingyu said in a deep voice, "Buy."

Saying this, he quickly took out three Source Spirit Stone and placed them on the desk.

The young man's eyes showed some surprise. This price was not cheap, yet the elderly man before him, who was missing an arm and dressed quite simply, showed no hesitation.

"The Source Beast resembling a cloud-umbrella with long tentacles should be the Illusory Light Cloud Mother, a Spirit Rank Source Beast. Combined with your environmental descriptions,

I can confirm that the place you are looking for is the Phantom Mist Spirit Plain."

"Phantom Mist Spirit Plain." Chu Jingyu and the two others silently repeated the unfamiliar name.

"To reach the Phantom Mist Spirit Plain, you must first cross the Chenyue Forest, then head north through the Poisonous Mire Swamp, then cross the Magnetic Profound Stone Mountain, and finally pass the Sinking Sand River."

The young man scrutinized Chu Jingyu and the two generations of his family, then concluded, "Based solely on the walking speed of an Uncommon Rank Contract Master, it would likely take at least three months to reach it.

If you factor in the dangers along the way and the possibility of getting lost, reaching that place is likely impossible for an Uncommon Rank Contract Master."