Azure Rain Star wasn't too large of a world per se, but its importance couldn't be underestimated.
In the Divine Realm, Azure Rain Star acted as something of a transfer point and hub for trade. Due to its position near the boundaries of the sector, combined with the strength of its inhabitants, it easily became a world most spirit ships stopped by on their travels to other domains.
But this trade hub only existed in the Mystic Continent, the Azure Rain Star's largest continent.
From the far reaches of the Mystic Continent all the way to its center, the cities were always crowded with people. Auctions took place weekly with newly imported items, filling the continent with rare treasures that many coveted.
If it wasn't for the 10 extreme peak 4th class guardians residing on the continent and overseeing its peace, the continent would've likely fallen into anarchy long ago.
When Damien's figure emerged from the void, he was on this very Mystic Continent. The land was luscious and the environment was mostly consistent. At least in the area he was in, there weren't many geographic anomalies.
'After assessing the strength of this world, I can be sure that leaving Jiao Mei here wouldn't be a bad choice. However, it's best if I investigate the world's various powers and conflicts first. I can't just drop her in a den of wolves with no protection or worldly experience.'
About Jiao Mei, Damien didn't know how he felt. It was strange. While they didn't have any major connections, Damien felt the need to give her the best,
In a sense, Jiao Mei was like his disciple. He'd taught and guided her through her comprehension of the lightning element and provided her with his own comprehension to use as a basis for her future progress. It didn't matter if he did it on a whim, in the end, Jiao Mei was still someone taught by him.
In that case, he couldn't allow her to be treated poorly. It was a matter of integrity.
With this thought in mind, Damien continued teleporting until he reached the continent's central zone. After entering the largest city he could find, Damien spent the next few days gathering general information about the world.
'Hmm…the similarities to the Cloud Plane are a bit too much, aren't they?' He thought to himself with a wry smile.
In a similar fashion to Ruyue's homeworld, Azure Rain Star had 4 Palaces and 5 Great Clans.
The 4 Palaces contained a majority of the world's experts and split the world into 4 to rule it, whether this was the Mystic Continent or the landmasses surrounding it.
'Of the Four Palaces, Seeking Lotus Palace and Roaring Thunder Palace are best suited for Jiao Mei. While the latter is more tailored to her affinity, the former will allow her an environment free of distractions to practice…'
'I guess I should visit the Seeking Lotus Palace before making a decision.'
While the Roaring Thunder Palace's qualities were mostly reflected in its name, it wasn't the same for the Seeking Lotus Palace. It was the second most powerful sect in the world, yet it was incredibly secretive. Aside from its location and the fact that it only accepted women, not much was known about it.
This was especially so for its techniques. For years, Seeking Lotus Palace disciples wandered the world and showcased their light, yet, the techniques they used didn't have any sense of cohesiveness.
It was more like every individual was using a technique tailored to their skill sets.
To Damien, this fact sounded more like a rumor. It was simply too much work for a massive sect like one of the Four Palaces to put so much effort into each and every disciple.
If he wanted to confirm this rumor, the only choice he had was to see the sect for himself.
***
'This is going to be quite troublesome…' Damien thought to himself as he stood before the gates to a mystical mountain path covered in illusive fog. This was the presumed entrance to the Seeking Lotus Palace.
He had to wonder whether there was a better way to go about things, but in the end, he shrugged and walked through the gates.
If any problems arose, he'd deal with them at that time.
Immediately upon passing through the gate, Damien felt like he entered a different world. The scenery around him morphed and shifted psychedelically and a strange scent permeated his nose, making him woozy.
'Break!'
In that instant, he poured mana into the All-Seeing Eyes. His irises swirled with mystery, shattering the illusions around him. He once again found himself on the same mountain path, however, he was roughly 10 feet further than he was before.
'This beguiling formation is a work of art. It's rare to find an illusion that can bypass the All-Seeing Eyes' passive perception.'
His eyes became a bit more serious as he continued to walk. Just as he expected, the path ahead was filled with countless traps that became deadlier and deadlier as he continued on.
At first, the formations simply tried to beguile him and lead him away from the sect. But as he got closer, the true killing formations began to activate. Damien was faced with strange attacks from every direction, attacks filled with mana he couldn't identify.
'Strange…this mana shares qualities with the life mana Elena uses, but it seems to be of a higher state of existence. What could it be…?'
As Damien closed his eyes and began feeling the mana around him for clues, a gaze latched onto his body. Naturally, he felt its existence, but he showed no signs of this on his face.
He didn't want to alert those present with his strength and make things harder for him.
'That gaze is from…high-level 4th class…probably around level 360…maybe a Supreme Elder?'
Damien's thoughts wandered as he continued along the path. While evading every trap it contained, he quietly felt the surrounding mana and became deeper entranced in its mystery.
As he got closer to the mana's source, he felt an innate revulsion stemming from the core of his being. It was like his body rejected that mana's presence.
But when he tried to consume it, he did so without a hitch.
'There must be something within me that opposes this mana. The reason I can still devour it without a hitch is due to the Void Physique's abilities…'
But if that was the case, which secret in his body rejected this mana?
Before he could completely answer this question, he found himself standing at the end of the mountain path. In front of him was a large stretch of wilderness leading to the mountain peak, but no signs of the Seeking Lotus Palace.
Damien frowned. He didn't doubt that he was at the right location considering the gaze he felt and the mountain path, but if he couldn't sense it…
The All-Seeing Eyes activated again. While Damien still couldn't clearly see the sect, streams of mana became visible to his eyes.
And along with that, signs of spatial manipulation.
His frown curved back up into a grin. If it was a pocket dimension rather than an illusion, it would be much simpler for him to break in.
His mana spread into the surroundings, starlight converging on his body.
With his current achievements in Dimensional Magic, it only took a few minutes to find what he was looking for.
