"Alright, kid, stop driving the chariot. Go inside and rest. I'll take over."
"That won't do!"
Horse King said anxiously, "You are the Great Old Master, how could you drive the chariot? Let this humble one handle it."
"I told you to rest, so rest. I want to wander around by myself for a bit."
Horse King was a bit confused. "Great Old Master, if you're wandering by yourself and I'm resting, then who will drive the chariot?"
"Drive my ass."
Gu Qingfeng waved his hand. There was no flash of light, no wondrous radiance. Horse King didn't even know what happened. By the time he realized it, he had inexplicably arrived in a strange space.
Not just him—the chariot pulled by the Nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers, including Gu Qingfeng, was there too.
"Great Old Master, this is... what place is this?"
Horse King looked around, lifting his head. The space wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either. It was piled high with all kinds of fine wine, more than one could count. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something. "Is this the space inside a storage ring?"
"Something like that, but it's not a storage ring's space. It's a mustard seed, vast as the universe space."
"A mustard seed, vast as the universe space?"
Horse King had heard of it, but only heard. He knew it was a Buddhist supernatural power.
Gu Qingfeng was a man who loved fine wine.
When it came to brewing wine, he might not know much.
However.
He had some experience and insights into the art of nurturing wine.
Previously, in the Fengyue Minor World, he had bought quite a lot of fine wine.
To store this wine, he had specially opened up a mustard seed, vast as the universe space. Not only that, to make the wine taste more refined and pure, he had tinkered around, setting up many formations. It was no exaggeration to say that the spiritual energy here was even more abundant and pure than that of the Minor Luo Secret Realm, or even the floating island manors of the Fengyue Minor World.
"The spiritual energy here is passable. You, kid, cultivate here for a while. If you need anything, just call me."
Although Horse King's cultivation wasn't high, he could tell that the spiritual energy here was both abundant and pure, making it an excellent place for cultivation.
If he cultivated here, he could definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Just as Gu Qingfeng was about to leave, he seemed to remember something. He glanced at Horse King and said, "Almost forgot. You've been following me for so long, running around before and after, not easy."
"Great Old Master, you looking favorably upon this humble one is a blessing accumulated over eight lifetimes. Being able to follow you is this humble one's honor."
Horse King was no fool. As for what kind of person Gu Qingfeng was, he might not know, but after witnessing Gu Qingfeng's many incredible methods, Horse King knew Gu Qingfeng's existence was beyond his imagination. Being able to follow such a great figure made Horse King genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart.
"Just for those words of yours, I can't treat you poorly."
Gu Qingfeng walked over and slapped his palm onto the crown of Horse King's head. Horse King's physical body instantly turned to dust, scattering into points of starlight.
Gu Qingfeng clenched his five fingers, and the points of starlight gathered again, forming a ball of radiance.
"I'll help you with a bit of enlightenment, and while I'm at it reshape your physical body for you. Take this opportunity to cultivate properly. How far you can go in the future depends on your own fortune."
Patting his hands, Gu Qingfeng then looked at the Nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers. "You all too, cultivate peacefully here for now."
The Nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers roared at Gu Qingfeng—roars of excitement, roars of gratitude.
Because back in the Liusha Minor Secret Realm, Gu Qingfeng had already opened their minds. Not only that, he had bestowed upon them the courage a king of beasts should have, the majesty a king of beasts should have, the domineering aura a king of beasts should have.
For the Nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers, this was absolutely a heaven-defying fortune. Their future achievements would definitely be limitless.
After leaving the mustard seed, vast as the universe space, Gu Qingfeng returned to the Great Desolate.
He took out the Star Chart and examined it carefully. Only after memorizing the route to the Qianji Celestial Domain did he put the Star Chart away. Picking up a jug of wine, he lifted his foot and began strolling through the vast, boundless Great Desolate.
One step out, and he was already a thousand miles away.
Another step out, and he was ten thousand miles away.
One more step, and he was a hundred thousand miles away.
The current Gu Qingfeng was neither an Immortal, nor a Buddha, nor a demon or monster. He had no cultivation whatsoever throughout his body. To call him a mortal wasn't quite right either. What kind of existence he was now, even Gu Qingfeng couldn't explain clearly.
However.
He had long since transcended the Great Dao, merging into this heaven and earth.
In other words, the current Gu Qingfeng, as long as he was willing, could do anything—ascend to heaven or descend to earth.
Therefore.
With each step he took, it could be large or small, near or far, entirely depending on his mood.
And so, Gu Qingfeng, all alone, drank wine, admired the scenery along the way, and strolled through the Great Desolate.
Said to be admiring the scenery.
But what scenery was there in the Great Desolate?
The only thing worth admiring was the myriad realms that resembled stars in the night sky.
The key was, looking at this thing occasionally was passable; it could even cultivate one's sentiments. But one couldn't keep staring at this damn thing forever. Looking at it too much became boring. Even mortals in the secular world hadn't heard of anyone who would stare at the stars in the night sky.
At first, Gu Qingfeng didn't find it anything special. But as time went on, he began to feel somewhat bored.
If you asked him to do nothing but bask in the sun alone, he might not find it boring.
But traveling alone in this empty, desolate Great Desolate was truly boring to the extreme.
Fortunately.
In the Great Desolate, one could sometimes see people traveling in groups of three or five, or a team of spirit beast-drawn chariots traversing the Great Desolate.
Not only that, one could also see massive Profound Heaven ships sailing through the void.
In the Great Desolate.
When going out—for example, to a trading world to do business, or to some secret realm for training—one could generally use teleportation arrays for transport. Whether it was a Profound Heaven Secret Realm or a blessed land of caves and heavens, they almost all set up teleportation arrays in frequently visited places. After all, these things were both convenient and fast to use.
Of course.
If going to an unfamiliar place where no teleportation array was set up, one could only travel in groups. Everyone knew the Great Desolate was filled with all sorts of dangers. Having more people when going out made it easier to look out for each other.
But if going on a long journey, one could no longer rely on magical treasures or flying swords for travel. Sword flight consumed one's own Immortal power. If the journey was long, relying on one's own meager Immortal power simply couldn't reach the destination. If Immortal power dried up midway, in this dangerous Great Desolate, it would be an absolutely terrifying thing.
Therefore, for long journeys, most people would choose to ride spirit beast-drawn chariots. It saved both worry and effort, and preserved one's own strength. Even if encountering danger, one could respond promptly.