Chapter 1652: Su Hong’s Strength (Part Two)

Having reached this point, Su Hong paused. She glanced at the shocked Li Yan before continuing.

“This is the last thing I need to tell you. Even if you manage to enter a node and suppress your cultivation as you approach the Mortal Realm, the greatest danger isn’t being rejected because you didn’t suppress yourself in time. The greatest danger is the passage itself collapsing, causing you to be utterly annihilated within.”

“When descending, as you pass through different sections of the spatial tunnel, to what extent must you suppress your cultivation? That requires total focus of your Divine Sense, sensing the strength of the local Heavenly Rules every moment. You must continuously decrease your power; ensuring you do not cause the spatial tunnel to fluctuate is the key to safety!”

“For this reason, even though many sects in the Immortal Spirit Realm possess passages to the lower realm, they only send Spirit Transformation or Nascent Soul cultivators. They’ve calculated that this is the best scale; those nodes are most stable when traversed by such cultivators. At that level of power, one doesn’t need to be quite as paranoid with every step downward, fearing a tiny slip in aura might collapse the tunnel.”

“For cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage, the nodes are even more stable, but they lack the ability to survive inside the spatial passage itself. However, that is only under the safest conditions. Even if you were a Tribulation Transcendence old monster, as long as you could perfectly suppress every bit of your aura and keep it at that specific level, you could pass through. It’s just that when humans encounter unexpected events, the most likely reaction is a sudden burst of power, which would instantly destroy the spatial tunnel. Especially since the power a cultivator can exert in the Mortal Realm doesn’t even reach the Spirit Transformation stage. One can only rely on a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Rules to suppress Nascent Soul cultivators. Thus, unless there’s an exceptional circumstance, no one is willing to send anyone above the Spirit Transformation stage down.”

Su Hong’s expression was extremely serious. It was because of these very conditions that her protectors, Ning and Lian, were merely clones. That was the tier of strength that could exert the maximum possible combat power in the lower realm.

Li Yan had searched for years and even asked Chongyangzi for help, but he had never learned these things. Even Elder Hao and Elder Tang were unaware. This was likely due to their cultivation levels before entering the Earth-Truth Realm; though they grew stronger later, they had lost contact with the outside world.

Su Hong had truly revealed secrets of the upper realm—secrets known only to the upper echelons of major factions.

“So, what Miss Su means is that the most terrifying part of going to the lower realm isn’t the rejection of the Heavenly Rules, but finding a spatial node and knowing how to navigate it,” Li Yan said. He realized his previous assumptions were flawed. He had thought that spatial nodes were just the basic link and that law assimilation was the key. In reality, any cultivation level could descend; it was simply a matter of whether it was suitable for the passage. He immediately thought of Dong Fuyi and True Lord Qianchong.

Prompted by Su Hong’s words, Li Yan realized something else and asked, “Does that mean if one has ascended once, it becomes easier to ascend from the lower realm again? Does one still need Immortalization Liquid?”

“That is true. However, if you stay in the lower realm for too long, even though your laws will eventually merge with the Immortal Spirit Realm again upon your return, there will still be a period of intense discomfort for your soul. The duration depends on your adaptability. Usually, one still swallows special pills to shorten or eliminate that process.” Su Hong nodded.

“I have another question. If I want to bring people up during ascension, can I place them in a spirit-storing space?” Li Yan wanted to use Su Hong’s vast knowledge to find answers to several questions.

Su Hong looked deeply at Li Yan. she already understood his decision. Despite her warnings, he was still determined to go to the Mortal Realm. This question clearly implied he wanted to use his own cultivation to bring his family up with him.

“Carrying them secretly is possible. However, having another living being in your spirit-storing space will increase the pressure and danger you face during ascension. As for how much? That depends on the cultivation level of the being you are carrying. If they are already in the Nascent Soul stage, it is better to have them come out and face the dangers of ascension with you! Otherwise, your level of danger might increase several times over. If you perish, the person in the spirit-storing space… well, the result goes without saying.”

After hearing Su Hong’s words, the doubts in Li Yan’s heart actually increased. Many of the things she said were entirely new to him. He had thought of one specific matter long ago but had set it aside due to other pressing concerns. Now, after hearing Su Hong’s explanation, he was even more confused, but he knew he couldn’t keep asking. If he did, he might expose his secrets.

The issue was that within his Earthen Patch, there were Snow Mosquitoes and many Gu-insects. Those beasts were of relatively low cultivation and couldn’t help him much. He had almost forgotten them until he used them once or twice in specific environments. He realized that since these creatures had been with him during his ascension but hadn’t used Immortalization Liquid, why were they still alive?

Clearly, Su Hong’s previous answer couldn’t explain this, but Li Yan had already formed some guesses. He decided not to press further.

“Miss Su, what payment do I need to offer for that spatial node to the lower realm?” Li Yan looked at her with sincerity. From her words, he understood the extreme value of such a node. Even if it wasn’t one regularly used by the Return-Home Trade House, it was undoubtedly a high-level secret. It was better for him to offer payment first.

Under Li Yan’s direct, earnest gaze, Su Hong felt a surge of agitation. That annoying boy had returned at this moment. ‘Even after I’ve said all this, he still wants to descend!’ she thought indignantly, suppressing her frustration.

She thought of the endless longing in Zhao Min’s voice when she had entrusted her with a message. She truly envied Zhao Min for having such a connection…

Her face remained impassive. “I will give you the location of a node, but it will cost one hundred supreme-grade spirit stones.”

“No problem!” Li Yan didn’t even blink. If he could return to the lower realm, he could temporarily set aside the trip to the Sacrificial Nether Realm, which would save him a fortune in stones anyway.

Su Hong hadn’t expected him to agree so instantly to such a staggering price. One hundred supreme-grade spirit stones was not a small sum of mid or high-grade stones; even a Void Refining cultivator would feel the sting of such a payment.

At this point, Su Hong began to hesitate. The safest passage to the lower realm was naturally in the realm where their headquarters was located. Though they were working hard to expand their presence here in the Northern Pastoral Realm, the region was simply too vast.

The Return-Home Trade House collected as much information as possible here, in addition to materials. Nodes leading to the Mortal Realm or the True Immortal Realm were among the types of information they gathered. The Northern Pastoral branch had gathered several possible spatial nodes, though they weren’t many.

Before coming here, Su Hong had organized the information for the Northern Pastoral Realm upon learning that Li Yan was looking for their trade house and a way to the lower realm. Thus, she knew of two nodes with the highest probability of leading to the Mortal Realm.

However, that information was collected over four hundred years ago. Generally, they would re-verify such nodes every thousand years. If a node disappeared, they would try to find a new one. They didn’t find these nodes for trade; the cost of doing so was higher than the profit. Moreover, it would seriously destabilize the balance between the three realms and their own fortune.

Their primary goal in securing such nodes was to have an escape route. For example, if their headquarters met with disaster, they could migrate to another realm or establish a passage there. These were backups they had always maintained, though none had been used to this day.

Since she wasn’t sending him through the safest passage, she wouldn’t take the long way around and lead him across major realms to find other nodes. She planned to tell him about the more stable of the two nodes in the Northern Pastoral Realm, though it was still extremely dangerous.

“I hope Miss Su will not withhold her guidance,” Li Yan said, his eyes burning with intensity. Su Hong could feel the fire rising within him.