107 The Ancient City in the Sky

The young couple had only been home a few days when a signal came through from the research institute.

[Lo Yu and Qin Yue had once again put on a show of mysticism, striking an agreement with the other party: the two would provide research samples and serve as technical consultants; meanwhile, the institute formed a specialized research team codenamed “The Other Shore,” appointing a young man named Zhuang Feitao as the leader.

In the following days, the couple basically spent all their time in the base’s research lab, collaborating with members of the Other Shore team, guiding them in the development of soul detection devices and capturing soul wavelengths. They also revealed some knowledge about soul bodies, such as the fact that soul bodies possess meridians and organs similar to those of the physical body. Because soul bodies are inherently fragile, they automatically absorb yin energy to solidify their essence, which is why they can physically interact with samples—otherwise, souls would dissipate like smoke.

However, when it came to spiritual power, divine perception, and magical force, the two clenched their teeth and refused to disclose anything no matter how much the other side pressed. When cornered, they put on a show and said, “Everything has its own laws and methods; one must not act rashly—this is true even in the pursuit of scientific research.”

This was not due to stinginess but fear that they would soon discover more superpowers and develop ways to use them. Spiritual power, divine perception, magical force—each is formidable. If one nation’s military strength far surpassed others, it could easily trigger a third world war. Even with yin energy, Lo Yu did not dare reveal too much or guide them in detecting its fluctuations. The difference between having guidance and not is like night and day—like knowing a friend lives in a city but having no way to contact them, leaving you completely at a loss.

Some still remembered the two “elixirs” from last time and tried to fish for information indirectly. Lo Yu had no choice but to give them some low-tier health pills like Clear Spirit Pills, considering their contributions to the country. The lead researcher, Dr. Fu, who had liver, heart, and kidney issues, unexpectedly recovered completely after taking two pills and breaking out in a sweat. Once this news spread, higher authorities issued various orders demanding the formula. Lo Yu stroked his fake beard and repeatedly said only one thing: “The secrets of heaven must not be revealed.” Unable to get anything from him, they could only glare helplessly.

The seed was sown, and having said almost everything needed, the two assigned a subordinate with good divine perception to monitor progress from the shadows and then resumed their hands-off approach.

The couple indulged in sweet dual cultivation for over a month. Lo Yu repeatedly requested to take the offensive, but Qin Yue always declined with the excuse that cultivation was paramount. Lo Yu buried his dissatisfaction deep in his heart, cooperating diligently with his wife and hoping that one day his longstanding wish would be fulfilled. With their passionate union, Lo Yu finally reached the mid-Golden Core stage on a bright spring day.

By then, Lo Li had already entered the late Golden Core stage, and although Qin Yue’s cultivation had not increased due to frequently transmitting spiritual power to Lo Yu, her meridians had grown stronger than a month prior.

Though the timing was not ripe, Lo Yu, now fully grown and no longer sensitive to pain, was eager for immortal herbs and proposed another expedition to the Heavenly Court. This time, having learned from past mistakes, he forged several teleportation arrays—carrying two each time, one to teleport to Lo Yu’s location and another back home—no longer fearing separation.

Upon reentering the Heavenly Court, the three quickly reached the first cloud platform. The flight-restricting formation, once dismantled, had somehow restored itself to its original state.

Lo Yu glared at the formation they had already broken once and, rolling up his sleeves, destroyed it again in moments.

Passing the Jade Bridge, the three carefully bypassed four guards and avoided the Kunlun Mist to decipher the prohibition formation. Some runes remained incomprehensible, and they inevitably triggered a trap.

Having gained preliminary understanding of the mysterious formations, the siblings deduced that the prohibition formation was still located on the outer eighteenth layer. Unsurprisingly, they found themselves retracing their steps.

With experience from dealing with the Five Elements Formation, the trio persevered and, after returning home to regroup twice, finally broke through the prohibition formation and stealthily slipped inside.

After passing through a stretch of spiritual fog, the view suddenly opened: a vast golden barrier resembling a planet appeared before their eyes. Within this “planet,” a grand cluster of palaces shimmered under sunlight; now and then, a gigantic white jade bridge arched like a rainbow, half-hidden in the sea of clouds, faint and ethereal. It felt like an incredible dream, silently suspended in the air, stirring awe in their hearts.

Lo Yu’s eyes gleamed: “Damn! This is incredible!”

Lo Li jumped on tiptoes, shouting, “Wow! The City in the Sky! A three-dimensional City in the Sky!”

Qin Yue, though composed, gazed with burning intensity: “Let’s begin dismantling the formation.”

Lo Yu calmed his excitement, nodded, and eagerly rushed forward to investigate the formation.

This formation also contained some new runes, though few in number. Having deciphered most of their meanings in previous attempts, Lo Yu wondered why they didn’t simply use all new runes for safety. Why not complete the rune set? The formation’s completeness suggested it wasn’t hastily made due to sudden downfall. Perhaps the creator learned only a fragment from somewhere else.

Setting aside his doubts, Lo Yu focused on the formation. It was a high-intensity defensive array with functions to gather spiritual energy, lock souls, and isolate natural aura. After decoding the new runes, the formation posed little challenge, and within days, he dismantled it.

With excitement, the three entered the barrier. As soon as they stepped in, they were greeted by abundant spiritual energy, and their bodies relaxed—here, warmth akin to spring filled the air, the purest quality of air they’d ever experienced, utterly free of pollution. Only then did the true face of the Heavenly Court become clear: it resembled a massive hollow jade disc. On the jade disc, palaces sprawled in numbers corresponding to the thirty-six Heavenly Spirits and seventy-two Earthly Fiends—a total of 108 palaces—surrounded not by walls but by barriers, with only four heavenly gates to the east, west, south, and north.

After a quick survey, they cautiously floated toward the nearest Southern Heavenly Gate.

Legend held the Southern Heavenly Gate half-hidden in mist, supported by ten towering spiritual jade pillars carved with primitive patterns reminiscent of the Sanxingdui era. These majestic pillars formed ten towers, creating nine layers of gates. Above the three main gates hung curved plaques shaped like half walls, pure white and flawless, inscribed in heavenly script with the three golden characters “Southern Heavenly Gate.” Nine golden dragons coiled atop. Below lay jade steps and vermilion terraces, similar to those at the Nine Heavens Palace, icy and lustrous with silver veins.

At this moment, the Southern Heavenly Gate was silent, but two figures clad in golden armor sat cross-legged and motionless on the floor. The three hid in the clouds and peeked. Lo Li thought them puppets; Lo Yu insisted they were cultivators. Finally, Qin Yue confirmed: “They are two corpses.”

Lo Yu’s eyes widened: “Did you probe their divine perception?”

Qin Yue nodded.

Lo Yu muttered, “That’s bold. If they were alive cultivators, their divine perception would be stronger than ours and surely detect us.”

Qin Yue was unfazed: “All cultivators above Nascent Soul stage have perished. Those below Nascent Soul wouldn’t have survived until today.”

Lo Yu sighed, “Better safe than sorry.”

Reassured, the trio eagerly approached. Indeed, the two were cultivator-like corpses, having sat there for countless years. Their weapons lay nearby: a long halberd and a spear.

Lo Yu was overjoyed, picking up the weapons for inspection. “These are magical treasures, really sturdy! The material looks the same as what’s used for puppets! Standard issue equipment, no doubt!”

Qin Yue, recalling being overwhelmed by puppets before, wasted no time and began stripping the armor off one of the corpses.

Lo Li glanced around, suddenly brightening and pulling something from the other corpse. “What’s this?”

The two turned to see Lo Li holding a thin cord with a non-metal, non-jade waist token. Lo Yu took it, eyes lighting up: “A pass!”

Qin Yue hurriedly searched the other corpse and found another token.

“Aha!” Lo Li smiled, “Now we can safely enter!”

Lo Yu grinned fiercely: “Finally, some real gains! With these two sets of armor, all our previous hardships were worth it!”

Lo Li scoffed: “Too easily satisfied. Young eyes should look further ahead, you know?”

Like bandits, the three stripped the corpses bare. The armors were magical treasures too, but having been previously refined, they retained imprints of their former owners’ minds and some lingering spiritual energy that could never dissipate. Each one’s spiritual energy was unique like a fingerprint. If refined again later, they wouldn’t function as smoothly as new treasures and their effectiveness would be diminished.

Therefore, despite their high quality, the three decided not to spend time on refinement and temporarily used them as magical tools—any cultivator above Golden Core could wield them since their original owners had perished.

Finally, Qin Yue insisted that Lo Li and Lo Yu wear the armors. She took a waist token herself and gave the other to Lo Li. The armor was indeed advanced, adjusting to fit perfectly and ergonomically without any discomfort.

Lo Yu happily bowed before the two corpses and murmured, “Thank you, esteemed predecessors. You have transcended and become Buddhas; please no longer concern yourselves with us. Amitabha!” Then he exhaled a ball of Nirvana True Fire, incinerating both corpses completely.

After wrapping up, Lo Yu noticed Qin Yue still not wearing armor and felt uneasy. Dragging the two around the east, west, and north gates, he collected six jade tokens and armors from other guards.

Fully equipped, the three finally relaxed and excitedly stepped onto the long cloud path beyond the heavenly gate.

With the waist tokens protecting them, they passed safely through various formations and gradually entered the palace cluster. The architecture was strikingly unusual, a far cry from traditional classical styles. It seemed based on the simple grandeur of the Shang Dynasty but fused with elements from Greek, Egyptian, and Mayan architecture. Beyond exquisitely detailed ornamentation, the structures conveyed a sense of weight and used many geometric shapes. The flawless and polished building materials even hinted at an indescribable ultra-modern style.

Author’s note: Today’s update is a bit short—please forgive me.

“Friend’s Immortal Cultivation Chronicles” Chapter 107: Ancient City in the Sky is now complete!