Chapter 2280 — The Teleportation Formation

Just as in the past, when it came to Wei Zhao, the great clans had always seemed like lofty, untouchable beings. A single mundane Yu family had once left Wei Zhao in a wretched state! And back when he first learned of the mundane great clans, had Wei Zhao ever imagined that above those clans there existed hidden clans?

Only when Wei Zhao came into contact with the hidden clans and sects did he discover that above them there were still the ancient clans and ancient sects!

It was much like how an ordinary person might go his whole life without ever encountering a cultivator, while those Yellow-Rank experts serving as bodyguards at a rich man's side—if they remained mere bodyguards—might likewise never encounter the great clans or Xuan-Rank experts...

The principle was the same: the higher one stood, the farther one saw!

"That is correct. But whether there are realms even higher than the Heaven-Rank, I do not know either," the Heaven-Rank Spider said. "Human cultivators and spirit beasts are not the same. At the very least, whether any of us spirit beasts have broken through the Heaven-Rank and entered the Heavenly Dao, I am not clear on that..."

"So you mean to say you know about the affairs of human cultivators and the Heavenly Dao?" Wei Zhao asked. The Heaven-Rank Spider's topic held considerable allure for Wei Zhao.

"Indeed. Since you have some connection to that sect of the Upper Vein, I will not conceal it from you. In the Upper Vein, there once appeared an expert of peak late Heaven-Rank, great-perfection strength, infinitely close to the legendary barrier..." the Heaven-Rank Spider said. "And afterward, he went in pursuit of the Heavenly Dao..."

"The contracted master of the Great Fire Lion?" Wei Zhao had heard the Great Fire Lion mention this person.

"You know of him too?" The Heaven-Rank Spider was somewhat surprised; it had not expected the Fire Lion clan to tell Wei Zhao even this.

"Yes. It is said that after he pursued the Heavenly Dao, he vanished without a trace..." Wei Zhao nodded.

"Not vanished without a trace—he went to another place... a place that, according to legend, allows one to break through the barrier of peak late Heaven-Rank great perfection..." the Heaven-Rank Spider said.

"You... know where he went?" Wei Zhao's expression turned grave as he asked.

It seemed the Heaven-Rank Spider knew more than even the Great Fire Lion? What was going on here?

"Where he went, I do not know, but I do know how he got there!" the Heaven-Rank Spider said. "In this matter, our spider clan lent a hand."

"You? Helped him?" Wei Zhao's eyes went wide. "That man was the contracted master of the Great Fire Lion, was he not? You and the Fire Lion clan are enemies, and yet he and you..."

"Is that so strange?" The Heaven-Rank Spider looked at Wei Zhao oddly. "He was kind to the Fire Lion clan, so the Great Fire Lion became his contracted spirit beast. And he was likewise kind to our spider clan, so our relations with him were good as well... much like the relations between you, Mr. Lin, and both us and the Fire Lion clan."

"Mm... I suppose so..." Wei Zhao smiled wryly. He had not expected that the previous man had been in the same situation—no wonder it was nothing remarkable. "Then how did he get there?"

"The teleportation formation!" the Heaven-Rank Spider said. "According to legend, it can reach a place called Cloud-Step Island, and there one may ascend to the Heavenly Dao..."

"Cloud-Step Island..." Wei Zhao frowned. "Do you know the location of this teleportation formation?"

"I do." The Heaven-Rank Spider nodded. "According to legend, there are two ways to reach Cloud-Step Island. One is a secret manual that records the method for constructing a teleportation formation capable of reaching Cloud-Step Island. The other method I am not clear on—it seems to require several people to join forces at a certain place to open something..."

"Construct a teleportation formation? You are not about to tell me that someone once built a teleportation formation here, are you? Right here in this ancient sect?" Wei Zhao was utterly astonished. He had never imagined that this mountain range of Ulonghot, already reduced to ashes, still concealed such an enormous secret!

"That is correct!" the Heaven-Rank Spider affirmed. "This formation was created by the founding patriarch of this sect. According to legend, it can be used three times. He himself used it once, and that man—the contracted master of the Great Fire Lion—used it once. Now... it should still be usable one more time!"

"Hiss..." Wei Zhao drew a sharp breath. Only three times? And he had actually been fortunate enough to discover this teleportation formation?

"Our spider clan was one of the spirit beast clans that aided the founding patriarch in creating the teleportation formation all those years ago," the Heaven-Rank Spider said. "In truth... I was the contracted spirit beast of this sect's founding patriarch..."

"Good heavens!" Wei Zhao felt his brain short-circuit. The Heaven-Rank Spider was actually the contracted spirit beast of this sect's founding patriarch? Then how long had it lived? And it was still at odds with the Fire Lion clan—the contracted spirit beast of the sect's later head?

"Strange, is it not?" the Heaven-Rank Spider said with a laugh. "This secret is known only to me and the Fire Lion clan. Even the later successors of this sect did not know of it..."

"And yet you are still enemies?" Wei Zhao did not quite understand. "In theory, are you not all of one house?"

"I explained earlier—only with competition can everyone's enthusiasm for cultivation be spurred on," the Heaven-Rank Spider said. "Never mind us; even among the disciples within a single sect, is there not competition? Even among the sons and brothers of one clan, does competition not likewise exist? Does that mean they are not of one house?"

"That... is indeed true." Wei Zhao thought of Yu Bing and Yu Shan, of Zhao Qibing and Zhao Qitan—it was indeed so.

"The bottom line between us is this: we may struggle against one another, but we must never take each other's lives," the Heaven-Rank Spider said. "Otherwise, though our spider clan is greater in number, if the Fire Lion clan wished to wipe us out entirely, it would not truly be too difficult! Apart from some trouble in dealing with me, dealing with the other spiders is easy! Even so, many of our spiders have still been wounded! Only, we have our tricks for treating such fire wounds, so we do not end up crippled by them."

"I see." Wei Zhao now understood the relationship between these two spirit beast races. "Then you knew about the annihilation of the sect on this mountain? You did not intervene? After all, you were the contracted spirit beasts of a former head—how could you simply sit by and watch this sect be reduced to ashes?"

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