Free Web NovelChapter 425: Chapter 412: Clues to the Cloud Country
"What’s wrong? You suddenly sound so unsettled."
Elder Huo was extremely perceptive. Even over the call, he immediately picked up on the dip in his spirits and the change in his tone, asking with concern.
Gu Ming hesitated slightly.
In the end, he chose to briefly explain the situation.
His voice was low as he laid out the whole story about his high school teacher, Teacher Zhang.
Teacher Zhang had been abruptly enveloped by a bizarre black hole in the Cloud Country.
To this day, there was no word from him; it was as if he had been completely erased from the world.
Every month, Gu Ming would diligently call the Zhang Family to ask for news, and he had also asked his own parents.
But his inquiries always vanished without a trace.
Online, there were no updates about the Cloud Country, as if the world had already forgotten the incident.
However, Gu Ming had managed to glean some tidbits of information from current student circles.
But the news was too shocking, and the sources were of questionable reliability. Gu Ming was still unwilling to believe that Teacher Zhang was dead.
Upon hearing this, Elder Huo fell silent on the other end of the line. The atmosphere immediately grew heavy.
Gu Ming had no idea what had actually happened in the Cloud Country.
All related information was now strictly classified and blocked within the country.
Anyone outside the core circles had no way of learning a single detail about the truth.
Elder Huo mulled it over for a long time on the other end before finally letting out a soft sigh. His tone became more serious than ever before.
"You cannot investigate what happened in the Cloud Country. It’s too dangerous there."
"How dangerous?" Gu Ming asked instinctively.
"More dangerous than the inside of the Yichuan Ruins you visited."
Elder Huo’s words sent a chill down Gu Ming’s spine.
He didn’t know how dangerous the Cloud Country was, but he had personally explored the Yichuan Ruins twice.
And in his dreams, he had explored it countless times, only to be defeated by that terrifying dreamscape every time.
And now Elder Huo was saying the Cloud Country was even more terrifying than the Yichuan Ruins. Gu Ming couldn’t even begin to imagine it.
Considering Teacher Zhang’s Star Level wasn’t high, going there was undoubtedly a death sentence.
Elder Huo stroked his beard in contemplation, as if carefully choosing his words. After a moment, he spoke slowly, each word heavy with gravity.
"What the Cloud Country... encountered wasn’t a simple natural or man-made disaster like you might imagine."
"As far as I know, I’m afraid the long-dormant ’Demon Country’... has made a comeback."
He paused, his voice dropping even lower.
"They reawakened in the depths of the Inner World and used some incomprehensible means to devour the entire Cloud Country, forcibly dragging it into that other realm."
"The area surrounding the Cloud Country is now heavily fortified by the Alliance."
"Outstanding fourth-year students from our university, and others, have all been assigned to related military-industrial enterprises to maintain logistical production."
"The ones truly on the front lines, fighting those terrifying existences head-on, are all..."
He stopped abruptly at the most critical point.
It was as if the matter involved some kind of rule, making it inconvenient to say more.
As if just speaking it aloud would trigger a backlash from some contractual vow.
However, even though he didn’t say it, from the system’s perspective, Elder Huo had already shared a great deal of information with Gu Ming.
This was also the first time Gu Ming, through the system, had accessed information from 32 years in the future concerning the Cloud Country’s current state.
「You have, for the first time, glimpsed the truth of the Cloud Country cataclysm from the system records.」
「The fall of the Cloud Country was no accident.
「As early as the Year of Spiritual Awakening, the Demon Fiends of the Inner World had already begun to stir.」
「Demon Fiends are born in the Inner World, the dark reflection of our own. They are the absolute antithesis of all sapient life, and their sole purpose is to annihilate humanity and Pet Beasts.」
「The Cloud Country was not completely destroyed when it was devoured, but instead fell into a domain of the Inner World.
「Some may still be alive, or perhaps everyone has undergone Demonization.」
「The borders of what was once the Cloud Country have now become the front lines of the global Demon War.
「The truth is strictly forbidden from being leaked for a simple reason: to prevent the spread of panic and to stop the Demon Fiends from using ’cognition’ and ’fear’ to anchor themselves to our world’s coordinates and descend once more...」
’Cognition and fear?’
Gu Ming quietly committed those two words to memory. He couldn’t ask for any more details.
And at that moment, Elder Huo ended the call.
Gu Ming returned to the villa with a heavy heart. Elder Huo’s few words about the Cloud Country and the Demon War were like stones cast into a lake, sending ripples spreading through his mind.
He knew full well that with his current Power, he was nowhere near strong enough to get involved in a disaster of that magnitude. Yet, he couldn’t suppress the worry and a growing sense of urgency.
Lu You shot him a concerned look. Noticing her gaze, Gu Ming forced down his turbulent thoughts and waved a hand.
"It’s nothing. Let’s continue our Cultivation."
"One day, we’ll have enough Power to set foot on that devoured land and uncover the whole truth."
That said, now that he knew the Cloud Country might be connected to the "Demon War," he couldn’t help but give it more thought.
He vaguely recalled that either this year or the next, a disaster known as the initial wave of the "Demon War" was supposed to occur.
Its earliest signs were connected to the widely circulated Spiritual Technique, the Cyan Pine Unmoving Technique.
Beastmasters who practiced this technique would suddenly undergo Demonization, taking on terrifying half-human, half-beast forms. They would then command large numbers of Pet Beasts to frantically attack human cities, causing horrific slaughter.
’Should I investigate this ahead of time?’
Gu Ming immediately went online to search for related information. However, after searching for a long time, he found very few valuable leads, as if an invisible hand had erased all traces in advance.
"It seems the real ’Demon War’ hasn’t broken out yet..."
Gu Ming muttered to himself, temporarily pushing aside this concern.
The most pressing matter was still to increase his strength.
Since he couldn’t change the disaster in the distance, he would first solidify his own foundation.
Cyan Treasure had successfully reached its Three-star Evolution. The next goal naturally fell to Ah Kun and Ah Ji.
As a new member, Ah Ji still needed time and accumulation before it could reach its Three-star Evolution.
Ah Kun was different. Its foundation was originally on par with Cyan Treasure’s, making it the most likely partner to break through next.
In the Cultivation Chamber, steam filled the air.
Gu Ming summoned Ah Kun before him, then nodded at Cyan Treasure.
Having already advanced to Three-star, Cyan Treasure calmly swam over to face Ah Kun.
Its aura was harmonious and restrained. It then began to circulate the Green Treasure Breathing Technique, which it had already brought to the Realm of Perfection.
In an instant, a gentle breeze seemed to flow through the room. Wisps of pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, accompanied by a faint, ethereal violet haze, were drawn into Cyan Treasure’s mouth.
Its every breath was in harmony with a certain natural rhythm.
With each inhalation and exhalation, it wasn’t just replenishing itself; it was also clearly demonstrating the complete process of absorbing, refining, and circulating energy and "Qi" for Ah Kun.
Its smooth and natural aura caused the nearby water to ripple in harmonious patterns.
Ah Kun’s round fish eyes widened as it watched with extreme focus.
Its own Devouring Secret Technique focused more on violent absorption and digestion, pursuing Speed and conversion efficiency like a raging storm.
What Cyan Treasure was demonstrating, however, was a long-lasting and subtle finesse, like a gentle spring breeze and a silent, nourishing rain.
The High Tier Technique of drawing "Innate Qi" into its breath was especially what it urgently needed to incorporate into its own Breathing Technique.
