Chapter Fifteen: You Have No Sense of Direction

"I thought my strength was enough to keep me safe, but I was wrong…" Wang Changsheng lay on the ground, murmuring to himself.

Never mind the furious person deep within the canyon—their surging power alone, if one were to draw near, would be enough to crush him by sheer pressure. Even Fang Qinglian’s face had turned pale from the shock. The two of them hadn’t even entered the canyon and were nearly discovered; the person who appeared was not someone Wang Changsheng could possibly match.

"The cultivation world is too dangerous…" Wang Changsheng’s expression was grave.

After a long while, Wang Changsheng slowly stood up and looked at Li Fusheng with a dark, brooding gaze. With a twist of his right hand, the short sword he’d seized earlier appeared in his grip, and he charged straight at Li Fusheng.

Li Fusheng had noticed Wang Changsheng’s movement and immediately retreated.

"Fellow Wang, listen to me… Just hear me out, don’t do anything rash!" Li Fusheng shouted as he backed away.

Bang!

Just as Wang Changsheng reached him, a muffled sound echoed out. In the next instant, a figure was sent flying backward—it was Wang Changsheng.

"Fellow Wang, listen, please, don’t do it!" Li Fusheng continued, his arms flailing wildly. Anyone watching would think he’d lost his mind.

"Speak!" Wang Changsheng clutched his chest, his voice tinged with frustration.

Li Fusheng finally stopped, looked at Wang Changsheng, and said solemnly, "You can’t beat me."

Wang Changsheng was stunned! Even Fang Qing, watching from the side, was speechless.

"Senior brother, what… what exactly is your relationship?" Fang Qing asked hesitantly.

With his sharp eyes, Fang Qing could see immediately that his senior brother was no match for Li Fusheng. He’d wanted to ask how they’d met such an odd fellow, but considering Li Fusheng’s strength, if Wang Changsheng couldn’t defeat him, neither could he. So he changed his words.

Wang Changsheng ignored Fang Qing and glared at Li Fusheng. "Is that what you wanted to say?"

"Exactly!" Li Fusheng replied matter-of-factly. "That’s all I wanted to tell you. Had you listened, you wouldn’t have gotten thrashed!"

Wang Changsheng was speechless.

"Fellow Wang, I told you before, you just can’t beat me!" Li Fusheng’s face bore a look of pride—not arrogance, but to Wang Changsheng, it was insufferably smug.

"If I could beat you…" Wang Changsheng snarled, "would you still be alive today? I’d have pounded you ages ago!"

He’d endured a long time, but today he simply couldn’t hold back. He also wanted to see how wide the gap between them truly was. Who would have thought that, even attacking first, he’d be sent flying with a single blow from Li Fusheng?

His chest still ached faintly.

What was more, Wang Changsheng hadn’t even seen how Li Fusheng had struck. With nothing but wild gestures, he’d repelled Wang Changsheng’s full-force assault.

"Li Fusheng’s strength is probably beyond the Meridian Opening stage," Wang Changsheng guessed.

"Senior Li, shouldn’t you explain what just happened?" Fang Qing cupped his hands towards Li Fusheng. "I’ve been in there a few times—normally, there’s no one around, and it’s fairly safe."

"Nothing happened," Li Fusheng replied with a laugh. "You’ve got guts, kid, going in there several times!"

"But they must have noticed you. Your cultivation is just too low for them to bother with," Li Fusheng continued.

"Yes, yes…" Fang Qing replied quickly. "I’m still the Grand General of the Cloudpeak Empire. This is the royal forbidden ground—surely they’d show me some respect!"

"Cloudpeak Empire? Royal forbidden ground? Grand General? Pfft…" Li Fusheng snorted, head held high. "What of it? Any one of those people in there could wipe out your entire empire alone!"

Fang Qing dared not retort. From what he’d sensed, even their mere aura was almost enough to bring him to his knees. Destroying the Cloudpeak Empire would be a trivial matter for them. But this was still the royal forbidden ground—why would they bother?

"Enough nonsense. Li Fusheng, if you don't explain yourself today, I won’t let this go," Wang Changsheng said coldly.

"Alright, alright, you win," Li Fusheng’s demeanor grew serious. "Honestly, it’s nothing. I just… stole something from them."

As he spoke, a spirit stone appeared in his hand.

"You stole just a spirit stone?" Wang Changsheng’s face darkened.

The moment the stone appeared, the spiritual energy in the entire cave underwent a dramatic change. Wang Changsheng was certain that this stone contained far denser energy than the three he’d acquired before—it wasn’t even on the same level.

Still, life was more important. To nearly lose it over a single stone left Wang Changsheng more than a little vexed.

"Yes, just a spirit stone…" Li Fusheng replied haughtily, then suddenly corrected himself, "No, it’s not a spirit stone…"

"This is an Etherstone!"

"Etherstone?" Wang Changsheng was puzzled. "What’s that?"

"It’s not just some thing," Li Fusheng explained immediately.

He tossed the stone onto the ground.

With a muffled thud, a mysterious aura began to emanate from the Etherstone. Several beams of dazzling light swirled about, gradually outlining the shape of a portal.

From this portal, waves of arcane energy radiated outward, leaving Wang Changsheng feeling stifled.

"What… what exactly is this?" Wang Changsheng reached out to touch the portal.

He didn’t know why, but a desire arose within him to reach for it. Ordinarily, he would never have touched something so unknown, but now, an urge filled his heart.

"Don’t touch it!" Li Fusheng immediately stopped him.

Wang Changsheng withdrew his hand at once, eyeing the portal with unease. It was as if some unseen force was drawing him in.

"What is this thing?" Wang Changsheng pressed Li Fusheng.

"Etherstone—it can be used to construct arrays. This portal leads to a small world," Li Fusheng replied.

"A small world?" Wang Changsheng was even more bewildered.

"Forget it, it’s hard to explain. You’ll understand one day," Li Fusheng said gravely.

With that, he collected the Etherstone.

Wang Changsheng looked at it with longing. He didn’t know what it was, nor what a small world meant, but he was certain it was something extraordinary.

If only he were stronger—he’d have snatched it away.

Alas, the gap in strength was too great.

"Alright, I’m leaving!" Li Fusheng announced. "Those old geezers inside can’t stay out for long—they must have dozed off again. I’ll be off now!"

With that, he strode toward the exit.

"You…" Wang Changsheng wanted to speak, but in the end, said nothing.

"Senior brother, who on earth is he?" Fang Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief once Li Fusheng had left.

Wang Changsheng shook his head. "I don’t know—only that his name is Li Fusheng, and he came down from the Heaven’s Abyss with me."

"If you see him in the future, stay as far away as possible. He’s a walking disaster—he might sell you out at any moment," Wang Changsheng warned.

Fang Qing nodded.

"Wang Changsheng, I heard you talking behind my back!"

Just as Wang Changsheng finished speaking, an angry voice rang out.

Li Fusheng stormed back in, bristling with fury.

"Didn’t you just leave?" Wang Changsheng asked in confusion.

"So you gossip about me the moment I’m gone?" Li Fusheng ground his teeth. "I despise people who talk behind others’ backs!"

"You mean you despise people talking behind your back," Wang Changsheng said indifferently.

Aboard the Cloud Ark, Li Fusheng gossiped about everyone, all day long, yet he claimed to detest such behavior? If that were true, he ought to despise himself most of all!

"Hmph!"

With a snort, Li Fusheng declared, "Let’s go. I’ve decided to escort you out, just in case you get caught by those people."

Wang Changsheng and Fang Qing exchanged glances, then burst out laughing.

In that instant, they understood why Li Fusheng had returned.

He was lost!

"So, the famous Li the Good Samaritan is actually hopeless with directions!" Wang Changsheng sneered.

Escort them out? If Li Fusheng really had the power, he wouldn’t have snuck in to steal—he’d have just barged in openly, no need for secrecy.

"Enough, enough!" Li Fusheng waved a hand. "I’ll admit I’m famous, but I am not hopeless with directions!"

Wang Changsheng and Fang Qing both looked at him with the same expression one reserves for the directionally challenged. Li Fusheng felt no embarrassment whatsoever, and they couldn’t help but admire his thick skin.

"We’re not leaving today," Wang Changsheng said with a grin, turning to Fang Qing. "Isn’t that right, junior brother?"

"Yes, it’s too dangerous outside. I’d rather hide a while longer," Fang Qing agreed, feigning terror. "With their strength, if we’re discovered, we won’t even leave a corpse behind. For the sake of our lives, it’s best to stay hidden."

Afterwards, Fang Qing put on a frightened look, as if he’d been scared witless by the canyon’s powerful denizens.

"You two… this is too much…" Li Fusheng fumed at them. Were it not for fear of attracting attention, he’d have smashed his way out long ago.

"Well, how do we get out?" Li Fusheng suddenly sat down, staring at the two with a look that brooked no argument.