Ning Zhuo slightly opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he never got the words out.
In the end, he turned his gaze towards the distant sky where the Cloud Whale hovered.
It was so colossal, occupying a corner of the sky; compared to it, Ning Zhuo was like an ant.
After a moment of silence, Ning Zhuo asked, "Such a massive Cloud Whale, was it once a small cloud seed?"
Song Fuli laughed softly, "Yes, exactly."
"It's hard for outsiders to imagine, isn't it?"
"That's the magic of cloud seeds."
"They are born from the Myriad Images Cloud Sea. Once they mature to a certain extent, they automatically separate from the cloud sea, drifting with the wind."
"During this drifting period, they absorb the essence of the sun and moon, drawing in various astral energies from the sky, encountering countless rays of light and colorful clouds."
"The cloud seeds absorb these, continually growing, eventually transforming into various types of Cloud Beasts with unique characteristics."
As Song Fuli finished speaking, he too looked at the Cloud Whale on the horizon.
He continued, "This Cloud Whale wasn't something I cultivated from a young age."
"I came across it halfway through, and by a stroke of luck and the help of a benefactor, I was able to claim it as my own."
"From our estimations, this Cloud Whale must have, in its cloud seed stage, swallowed a large breath of vast atmosphere and encountered a long-term cloud mass."
"In this cloud mass, it hibernated for many years. Thus, it became enormous, with extensive storage space, and a gentle, very mild temperament."
"This temperament has its pros and cons; on one hand, it's easy to control, but on the other hand, its combat strength isn't very ideal, even though it's Nascent Soul Level."
At this, Song Fuli looked at Ning Zhuo, "Flying Cloud Country has quite a few specialties, especially various types of cloud energy. It's so diverse that even I get dazzled and can't know them all."
"When you return someday, you can experience it."
"Touching different places and types of cultivation resources has a significant impact on cultivation itself."
"Master Ning Zhuo, your mechanical techniques are remarkable. New materials can inspire your creation of many mechanical artifacts."
Ning Zhuo instinctively nodded, feeling a surge of excitement. But when he thought of the Magma Fairy Palace, the excitement quickly faded away.
Ning Zhuo kept staring at the Cloud Whale, "I've heard that every Cloud Beast has its own lifespan limit, the stronger the Cloud Beast and the larger its size, the shorter its lifespan?"
Song Fuli nodded, "Yes, that's indeed the case."
"So, our Cloud Whale is actually quite old."
"In a few years, we'll have to assist it in returning to the Myriad Images Cloud Sea."
"Every Cloud Beast, sensing its end is near, will fly back to its birthplace—the Myriad Images Cloud Sea."
"They are born there, and they will die there as well, like a cycle."
"No matter how humble or how brilliant its past was, it will return to where it came from, and all achievements will be buried with the wind."
"The past is buried, but new hope will be nurtured. Such a Nascent Soul Level Cloud Beast will give birth to a massive number of new cloud seeds."
"These newly born cloud seeds will naturally drift away. Eventually, they may become various types of Cloud Beasts. With luck, some might even become new Cloud Whales."
At this, Song Fuli sighed, "The life of a Cloud Beast is remarkably similar to ours, isn't it?"
"Cultivators of Flying Cloud Country have always been closely connected with Cloud Beasts."
"Many cultivators start by obtaining and raising cloud seeds early in their cultivation."
"By investing all sorts of cultivation resources, cloud seeds are nurtured into various forms of Cloud Beasts."
"Massive Cloud Beasts are our home as we travel, our personal Immortal Palace."
Song Fuli looked towards the mountain peak, knowing that the Magma Fairy Palace was there.
He said to Ning Zhuo, "In a head-to-head, even our Cloud Whale couldn't match the Magma Fairy Palace."
"But in terms of size and storage space, the Cloud Whale is much larger than the Magma Fairy Palace."
"The Cloud Whale also has other advantages, such as being easy to maintain."
"It mainly feeds on the cloud energy and spiritual energy in the heavens and earth, and can self-repair and heal naturally."
"Whereas repairing the Magma Fairy Palace isn't that easy."
Suddenly, Ning Zhuo thought of something and his expression changed slightly. He couldn't help but ask:
"Senior Song, from what you've just said, it seems that cultivators of Flying Cloud Country generally cultivate cloud seeds. So, does everyone have cloud seeds?"
Song Fuli nodded and said, "Almost everyone has a cloud seed, but truly cultivating it isn't that easy."
Ning Zhuo asked anxiously, "I have a question! My mother was from Flying Cloud Country, but I didn't find any cloud seeds or Cloud Beasts among her belongings."
Song Fuli replied solemnly, "May I have the honor of knowing your mother's full name, Master Ning Zhuo?"
Ning Zhuo said, "My mother's surname was Meng, and her name was Yaoyin."
"Meng Yaoyin?" Song Fuli heard this and showed a look of puzzlement, "This name sounds somewhat familiar."
Ning Zhuo couldn't help but feel curious and nervous, "Why, Senior Song, do you know my mother?"
Song Fuli frowned and thought for a while before shaking his head lightly, "It just sounds familiar, I can't recall anything specific."
"However, even though there are many people in Flying Cloud Country, there aren't many with the surname Meng. One branch of the Meng family is quite remarkable, with extraordinary background."
Ning Zhuo pressed further.
Song Fuli explained to him, "The Myriad Images Sect of Flying Cloud Country is a super large sect, basically overseeing the Myriad Images Cloud Sea."
"The Myriad Images Sect has twelve peaks, and one of these peaks has long been held by the Meng family."
"This Meng family built their fortune on mechanical techniques, and were once very strong, but they've declined in recent decades."
"The Meng family…" Ning Zhuo murmured softly, keeping this information in his heart.
He hadn't forgotten about the Cloud Beasts and continued to ask:
"Even though my mother has passed away, I found no Cloud Beasts or cloud seeds among her relics."
"If these Cloud Beasts still exist, where would they be?"
Song Fuli shook his head, "That's a tough question for me."
"Cultivating a cloud seed requires a lot of resources, especially to reach the Golden Core level, often requiring a long period of hibernation."
"But as far as I know, your mother was a Foundation Establishment Stage mechanism cultivator, so it's almost impossible for her to have a Golden Core level Cloud Beast."
"And Cloud Beasts of the Qi Refinement Realm and Foundation Establishment Stage aren't very strong; it's likely that they've dispersed along the way."
Ning Zhuo sighed without comment.
At this point in their conversation, one of the caravan's subordinates came to report to Song Fuli, "Leader, all the Explosive Flame Monkeys have been counted, and there are no discrepancies in quantity or quality."
After confirming this, Song Fuli laughed heartily and took his leave of Ning Zhuo.
Before leaving, he paused slightly and turned to hand Ning Zhuo a talisman.
"This is a talisman made from the cloud mud on the Cloud Whale."
"You can think of this as a ticket."
"As long as you carry it, you can enter the Cloud Whale's body and travel to other places."
Ning Zhuo quickly cupped his hands in thanks but also stated that even though he had this ticket, he might not necessarily accompany Song Fuli back to Flying Cloud Country.
Song Fuli waved his hand, "We aren't returning to Flying Cloud Country immediately either. Next, we'll be traveling around the Southern Bean Country, and if business goes well, we might continue south."
"This talisman isn't only valid within the Cloud Whale; it's also a certificate."
"In the future, if you encounter other Cloud Merchant caravans, you can use this to prove your good relationship with us."
"With this talisman, you can still board other Cloud Merchant ships and Cloud Beasts."
The practicality of Song Fuli's talisman exceeded Ning Zhuo's expectations.
Ning Zhuo thanked him again, watching as Song Fuli took his Explosive Flame Monkeys and flew back into the Cloud Whale.
A large number of mechanical monkeys were transported into the Cloud Whale, where the caravan's cultivators facilitated the handover.
"We leave it to you from here!"
"Checked and accounted for. The numbers all match up."
"Alright, open the warehouse doors, and we'll place these goods inside."
The doors of the storage warehouse quickly dissipated like clouds.
Then, from the warehouse, one by one, Cloud Beast Octopuses flew out.
These octopuses floated in the air, extending their tentacles to grab the Explosive Flame Monkeys, lifting them into the air, and slowly drifting into the warehouse.
The vacant number 188 warehouse was very spacious.
The warehouse was empty, without even a single shelf.
The cultivator in charge of managing the warehouse came to the wall, took out his identification token, and placed it on a key spot on the wall.
He activated his mana, infusing it into the token.
The token emitted a faint yellow light.
The yellow light quickly spread, seeping into the cloud-like walls, rapidly flowing out, turning into a web of array patterns.
These patterns rapidly covered the entire wall.
The next moment, the wall morphed as if enveloped in mist, then quickly coalesced, forming a giant shelving unit that adhered closely to the wall and ceiling.
The octopuses floated up, placing the Explosive Flame Monkeys into the compartments of these shelves.
Evidently, these compartments could be adjusted freely. For now, the space was just enough to put one Explosive Flame Monkey in each.
Under the labor of hundreds of Cloud Beast Octopuses, even though there were many mechanical monkeys, they were all neatly arranged in about as long as it took for a cup of tea to brew.
After a final check, the caravan's cultivator stored away all the Cloud Beast Octopuses and left.
Once he left, a large cloud of mist slowly appeared, then quickly condensed, forming a solid wall that replaced the door.
And so, the number 188 warehouse was now empty and very quiet.
Suddenly, a ripple appeared in the air.
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu emerged from one of the Explosive Flame Monkeys.