Astral Pet Store (WN)

Su Ping tried to open his eyes; there was nothing to see but a sandy fog which stung his eyes. He felt dizzy, and his body seemed to be plummeting fast. Although he didn't have a body, he was feeling colder and colder.

Some time passed until he finally saw a gate.

Infinite light was coming from a place beyond from a place beyond the gate, which enshrouded his body. Su Ping immediately felt warm and cozy, just like returning to his mother's arms.

He relished the sensation, but he quickly forced himself to open his eyes once more and examine the environment.

Su Ping found himself lying in space. Familiar people were waiting around him, including Manager Tan and Loulan Feng. In addition, some other Ascendant State experts of the Loulan family were also there. All of them showed relief after seeing him wake up.

"Great! I didn't think that you would make it back," said Loulan Feng with delight and relief.

Su Ping slowly sat up and gradually accustomed himself to his body. Although vigilant, his tone was calm as he asked, "What happened?"

"Something happened in the Sea of Illusions."

An unknown Ascendant of the Loulan family said gloomily, "The Dark Tide came early and burst out all of a sudden. The ones monitoring inside didn't notice anything. Something seems to have gone wrong deep inside the Sea of Illusions. We retreated in time, but some are still lost there…"

Su Ping's expression had a slight frown. He had indeed encountered a dark tide before he left, which made him wonder whether he was still immersed in an illusion or if he was back in reality.

"I sensed that we weren't there for long. Wasn't that the case?" Su Ping asked Manager Tan.

Manager Tan looked much better after seeing that Su Ping was awake. She looked at him, feeling fortunate. "Your perception of time inside the Sea of Illusions is inaccurate. You can hardly discern the flow of time, even if you master its law. You may spend months there, thinking that you just stepped into the gate."

Su Ping frowned. It was true that he couldn't feel time or space accurately while exploring the place. Nothing was perceived, except his willpower.

"Can you tell me what happened after I went in?" asked Su Ping, "Also, how long did I stay inside?"

He quietly constructed a sword with the path of illusion while he posed the questions, but the sword didn't appear. The construction failed.

Su Ping wasn't at all frustrated; rather, he felt relief. It seemed that he had truly left the Sea of Illusions.

The law of illusion being ineffective was an indication that he had returned to reality, because it was impossible for him to make use of that mysterious power outside of the Sea of Illusions. Not yet at least.

Was it possible that its ineffectiveness was an illusion too? That could also be confirmed with the path of illusion. His mind was unassailable when he made use of the path of illusion. Even if it was, his imagination could become real because of the path. Thankfully, nothing happened. So, he was back in reality!

So to speak, I did encounter a black tide back there. It wasn't an illusion. Su Ping remembered what they said and became wary.

"Just as we went in, I felt that the thought I left in your consciousness was torn, which meant that you were in grave danger. Unfortunately my thought was unable to bring your consciousness back, so it must have been erased by the danger you encountered."

Manager Tan seemed calm, but she was actually shocked.

Her heart felt utterly heavy when the accident happened. In her eyes, the top genius she was responsible for—Lord Supreme's disciple, no less—was likely dead!

If her thought failed to protect him, it meant that the danger was devastating for top Star Lords, not to mention that Su Ping was just a Star State ant.

Even though Su Ping was much more talented and determined than his peers, how strong could he possibly be?

After she took out Su Ping's body, she found that his consciousness wasn't there; it seemed to have been trapped, if not erased, in the Sea of Illusions.

However, none of them dared to give him up that fast; they waited with Su Ping's body. If Su Ping's consciousness didn't return by the time the gate was closed, he would truly be dead.

Su Ping would end in a vegetative stateñ only his body would remain alive.

The Loulan family would have to face the fury of his Celestial State master.

The family wouldn't be punished; after all, Su Ping's death was accidental. But still, they would still suffer some losses. Manager Tan, who was responsible for his safety, might have to take the blame.

"Your consciousness stayed there for half a month…" Manager Tan glanced at Su Ping and said, "The black tide has yet to ebb. We were planning to look for you once the tide retreated, but then you surprisingly returned on your own."

The other Ascendants of the Loulan family nodded too, while giving Su Ping weird looks.

He was only a Star State warrior, and yet he had managed to survive for half a month in the Sea of Illusions while the Dark Tide was rampant. It was almost a miracle!

Evidently, Su Ping must have been very important to Lord Supreme.

In their opinion, Su Ping couldn't have survived without the protective treasures Lord Supreme had given him. After all, even Ascendants would have to flee from the black tides and could hardly survive them.

"Half a month…"

Su Ping didn't realize that he had stayed there that long; he felt that it had only taken him one day to understand the law of illusion and hunt the spirits.

I was probably too devoted while perceiving the law of illusion. Su Ping's eyes glittered. He rose and stretched his arms, immediately feeling the difference of his body and mind.

His senses were as keen as those of a machine. He could detect every cell inside his body, and his motor abilities were ten times higher than normal.

Besides, the Ascendant experts such as Manager Tan became clearer in his eyes; he could even vaguely see their golden auras.

It seemed to be some sort of special energy, but it was very feeble, as if everybody was trying to hold it in.

My consciousness has indeed been strengthened… Su Ping seemed calm, but he was feeling quite happy. He had almost been killed in the dangerous trip to the Sea of Illusions, but his harvest was tremendous.

Not only had his mind been strengthened; he had also grasped the path of illusion and found a direction for his second small world.

Su Ping felt puzzled as he remembered how he left the place.

They refer to that thing as the Dark Tide. The illusions I met also call it that way… Was it because my subconsciousness inferred from the Loulan family's files that it was indeed the Dark Tide? The illusions pushed me away as I was leaving. How could my subconscious mind know which way to go if I didn't know beforehand?

Noticing Su Ping's expression, Loulan Feng asked curiously, "What's the matter?"

Su Ping glanced at him and shook his head, not intent on disclosing such details.

After all, it had to do with his subconsciousness. Also, the Sea of Illusions was too weird; certain things couldn't be explained. The Loulan's confidential files didn't have detailed descriptions.

"A lot of people must have entered the place before we did. Have they returned?" asked Su Ping.

Manager Tan looked at the distance and said, "Some returned, but some lost their consciousness there, just like it happened to you. They probably won't be able to come back if special steps aren't taken."

Su Ping looked at the distance, only to see a lot of unconscious people lying around the gate. He was among those lying closest to the gate, which may have had something to do with his identity.

The Ascendants accompanying them were openly showing surprise and delight when Su Ping sat up.

Whoosh!

Another Ascendant quickly flew over, only to be blocked by Loulan Feng and Manager Tan.

"Su Ping, Mr. Su, do you know what's going on in the Sea of Illusions?" The Ascendant State expert was rather excited. Su Ping's return was a sign that others could also return.

Seeing that many Ascendants were looking at him, he calmly said, "The Dark Tide was already rising when I left. Some sort of accident must have happened, as I only came out while riding the blast of the tide."

"There was an accident in the Dark Tide?"

The Ascendant State expert was stunned for a moment, looking rather awful.

The other Ascendants also became gloomy. The Dark Tide was already dangerous enough as it was; wouldn't it be even more dangerous if an accident were to occur?

The explorations inside the Sea of Illusions had thus far been blocked by the Dark Tide; unbelievable things happened when it rose. The most ferocious spirits might also appear.

There were spirits ranging from Class S to Class SSS in the Dark Tide. Even Ascendants could meet their end, as none of their realm could withstand the might of Class SSS spirits!

Someone said with obvious fury just then, "Humph. How did you make it back then?"

The person talking was an Ascendant expert; a mature lady in golden armor and a skirt that showed her long and fair legs. She was indeed beautiful, but she was terribly gloomy at the moment. A Star Lord lay next to her; he seemed to be one of the Divine Lord rankers of a certain star zone.

Once he heard the lady questioning him, Su Ping raised his eyebrows and said angrily, "You have to rely on yourself in order to come back. Why do you care how I made it back?"

"You!"

The lady didn't expect that Su Ping would dare oppose her in public. She was an Ascendant anyway, and Su Ping was only a Star State warrior, even though he had a Celestial State master. She could kill him with ease.

Loulan Feng stepped up and said calmly, "Mrs. Mei Gui, Mr. Su is a friend of my family and Lord Supreme's disciple. It's only natural for him to have a lot of treasures to keep him safe. It couldn't have been easy for him to return… I hope you won't blame other people's misfortune on him."

All the Ascendants of the Loulan family stared at the woman in silence. Even without saying a thing, it was obvious that they would defend Su Ping if she attacked.

Mei Gui looked rather awful. She was only having difficulty holding back her fury because of her utter grief. She looked at Su Ping who was right at the center made by those experts and could only gnash her teeth. "Lord Supreme's disciple is truly proud. You will surely have no respect for other Ascendants when you reach our realm!"

Su Ping narrowed his eyes, as the woman was already trying to rouse people against him.

Before he replied, laughter was heard coming from somewhere far in space. "Even if he disrespects the likes of you, so what? You're just a third-tier Ascendant cultivator. Do you deserve any respect at all?"

After those words were uttered, a brilliant streak of light arrived from the dark universe and stopped right next to Su Ping. Once the brilliance was gone, a magnificent person who stood like a long spear was revealed. He was intimidating, and yet he seemed somehow unrestrained.

Su Ping said in delight, "Brother You Long!"

The person who had arrived was none other than You Long, his seventh senior brother!

You Long turned around and said to Su Ping, laughing, "Master predicted that you would encounter disaster in the Sea of Illusions, so he sent me to rescue you. I didn't expect that you would return on your own. Haha. As expected of my little brother!"

Feeling enlightened, Su Ping said with a smile, "I couldn't have survived without Master's and your blessings."

You Long looked at Su Ping and smiled. "I wasn't fully convinced when Elder Yan said that you were already able to challenge the top ten of the Divine Lord Rank, but it seems that he underestimated you. You've already surpassed your senior brothers; you'll probably claim the top place of the Divine Lord Rank in our star zone soon!"

Su Ping coughed and said, "Senior brother, let's keep a low profile…"

They weren't talking in whispers; You Long's voice was rather loud. His bold statement caused a change of expression in all the Ascendants present; they looked at Su Ping in shock.

He's already this terrifying when he's only a Star State warrior?

It was extremely difficult for those in the Star State to challenge Star Lords; only geniuses could do that. Wouldn't Su Ping become the best on the Divine Lord Rank when he became a Star Lord?

Farther away—Mei Gui slightly changed her expression too. She finally realized why the Loulans had offered such privileges to Su Ping, even though he was only in the Star State. As it turned out, the genius' potential was beyond her expectation. Condensing a small world in the Fate State and rising to the top ten of the Divine Lord Rank while in the Star State were both miracles!

Even some of the Celestials had been unable to achieve that back when they were young!

She suddenly regretted offending such a talent!

"Which star zone are you from? You dared to lay blame for other people's deaths on my junior brother? I'll give you a chance to apologize. If you do, I'll forgive you."

You Long turned his head; the smile he wore when he talked to Su Ping was completely gone.. He looked at Mei Gui casually, giving no place for refusal.