A Sudden Departure

"The Starry Sky Dao Alliance? Interesting," Liang muttered to himself and pondered for a while.

He then slowly walked towards a random stone block on the mansion walls, extending his hand to touch it.

After pulling his hand away, he broke into a smile. And With a flick of his fingers, a Void crack emerged in the air.

From the void crack, a sword emerged, its silver blade shining brilliantly like a glowing star. The hilt and guard were made of black metal, with a serpent engraved upon them. Crimson flames flickered along the sword's grip, giving it an otherworldly appearance.

Liang drew closer and grasped the hilt of the sword, feeling its power thrumming through his veins. It seemed as though the weapon was alive and conscious, resonating with his very soul. With a masterful motion, He swung the sword at the stone block before him and a surge of power erupted from it, reducing the wall to smoke and ashes, revealing a gate.

The gate was made of dark, rough stone and was carved with images of mythical creatures. The heavy doors bore metal clasps shaped like fierce beasts. At the centre of the gate was a circular emblem depicting a sun with rays spreading outward, emanating a vibrant golden light. Despite its impressive appearance, it was sealed shut by some unknown force.

With surprise, he gazed at the gate. Despite obtaining the Old man's memories, the information was fleeting. He only learned of the existence of a secret realm beyond the stone wall, But from the look of it, the gate was the entryway.

Nevertheless, it seemed to be sealed by some sort of power.

Liang murmured to himself inwardly, "Secret realms are created using space power, by sealing an area and shrinking it down to a small size, allowing it to be moved and stored ." He reached out with his empty hand, using his mastery of space and the void to sense what was behind the gate.

In a flash of insight, he realized, "Interesting. The gate itself is another space layer that separates the secret realm. Then Destroying it should be enough." Raising his sword once again, he swung it once more towards the gate. The flames around the sword grew stronger still, morphing into a deep black. As the sword made contact with the gate, an explosive force emerged, shaking the ground beneath Liang's feet.

The gate began to disintegrate under the sheer power of the void energy unleashed by the sword. With one final swing, it shattered into a cascade of fragments.

Liang stepped through the shattered pieces and a new space was revealed to him, It was a garden, but not like any garden he had ever seen before. The sky above was a deep shade of purple, dotted with stars that shone like diamonds. The air was thick with the scent of blooming flowers, their colours radiating with an otherworldly glow that bathed the garden in a warm, inviting light.

The ground beneath his feet was soft and spongy, like walking on moss, and it was covered in vibrant green grass. The trees were unlike any he had ever seen before, with trunks as thick as houses, The stars illuminated their leaves, making them glow with radiant green colour.

But it was the tree in the centre of the garden that truly captured his attention. It towered above the garden, with strong, thick branches stretching towards the sky. The leaves of the tree shimmered like precious stones, catching and reflecting the light of the stars in a million dazzling colours. The trunk of the tree looked ancient, with intricate patterns etched into the bark that shone with gold lustre. It seemed to emanate an aura of power and wisdom as if it had been standing here since the beginning of time.

On top of the tree was a peacock, with its bright and colourful feathers splayed out behind it. The peacock was perched on a branch with its eyes closed, seemingly in a deep and peaceful slumber. Its feathers shone with a charming light, casting colourful shadows across the garden.

At first, Liang thought nothing of it, assuming it to be just an ordinary bird. But as he moved closer, he saw that there was a strange aura surrounding it - a faint, shimmering light that seemed to pulse and throb like a living thing.

As he approached the tree, he could feel the energy emanating from it, pulsing with a steady rhythm. He reached out to touch the trunk of the tree and felt a tingle run through his fingers.

Suddenly, the peacock's eyes opened wide, revealing two piercing green orbs. It regarded him with surprise and curiosity as if it had sensed the intrusion of a foreign presence into its peaceful sanctuary. For a moment, the bird didn't move, its feathers rustling softly in the breeze. Then, with a start, it hopped down from its perch and landed gracefully on the ground in front of him. The peacock cocked its head to the side, studying him intently.

 . ***

In the meantime inside the Jade Lotus Inn.

With a smile, Chang Jin turned to Mi Ling and remarked "Who would have thought that the old monk had a disciple after all these years".

Li Yan's eyes lit up with comprehension. "So, all we need to do is capture the disciple and force the Monk to hand over the Incense."

"Exactly," nodded Mi Ling. "Thankfully, I've already identified him - a Core Formation realm cultivator called Zhang Wei, an inner disciple of a small power called Sipirt Gate Sect."

"But how do we take him without alerting the old monk?" asked Chang Jin quizzically.

With a sly glint in her eye, Mi Ling replied, "We will use Zhang Wei's weakness against him."

Bai Shuan interjected, "What weakness?"

Mi Ling grinned. "He has a wife whom he cherishes. We can use her to our advantage, lead him out of his sect and capture him silently."

Xue Ren shook his head in disapproval. "I don't like the idea of involving innocent people in our plan."

Mi Ling shrugged. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. As long as the boy cooperates with us, We'll make sure they're unharmed, we are so close to getting what we want, we need to do what we must to achieve our goal."

Chang Jin frowned. "But what If the monk didn't come looking for him?"

Mi Ling sneered confidently. "Don't worry he will come ."

Chang Jin nodded. "Alright, let's go over the details of the plan again. We'll need to be precise and coordinated to ensure our success."

All of a sudden, Mi Ling felt something that caused her eyes to widen in astonishment. She promptly stood up and apologized, "Pardon me, there's something I need to take care of."

Bai Shuan asked, "Are you alright?"

Mi Ling replied "It's nothing significant, You guys continue "

Then, in a blink of an eye, she vanished from the inn with lightning-like speed.