Chapter 141: Spells, Sky-Filling Snowfall

Chapter 141: Spells, Sky-Filling Snowfall

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Accompanied by the deafening thunder, Chen Qiu's Lightning Summoning Art shot into the Year Beast's body, a split second before several spirit sense attacks that were slightly faster than his. The other cultivators' attacks hadn't even landed on the Year Beast when it was instantly reduced to a bloody rain and died on the spot!

A single strike, instantly killing a Year Beast at the Sixth Stage Golden Core Realm!

Without the 'Unity of All Spells' keyword, he could still have killed this Sixth Stage Golden Core Year Beast, but not at such a rapid speed.

After all, being enveloped by tens of thousands of lightning dragons and having them explode within was significantly different.

"You dealt 93% damage to the third stage Year Beast and obtained a 'Virtuous Defense Token'."

"You delivered the final blow to the third stage Year Beast and obtained a 'Virtuous Attack Token'."

"..."

Chen Qiu looked at the two tokens that appeared in his Heavenly Dao Ring, almost identical in appearance, but with different inscriptions—one for defense and the other for attack.

Both were single-use.

Their effects were straightforward.

Activating the Virtuous Defense Token would provide invincibility for one hour, consuming virtue points based on the strength of the attacks deflected. If the virtue points were depleted before the hour, the token would shatter.

Alternatively, the token would automatically shatter after one hour.

The Virtuous Attack Token was even simpler and more brutal. Depending on the virtue points consumed, it could launch an extremely powerful attack. The strength of the attack was directly proportional to the virtue points spent.

After one use, it would shatter.

Chen Qiu's virtue points...

His expression gradually turned peculiar as he looked at the virtue points leaderboard. With an astonishing 9.8 billion virtue points, he stood unchallenged at the top of the leaderboard. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would likely take thousands of years for anyone to surpass his rank.

With nearly 10 billion virtue points, the activated Virtuous Defense Token made him virtually invincible for one hour. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would likely struggle to defeat him within that time.

If he were to activate the Virtuous Attack Token with those virtue points, he felt he could potentially wipe out several states of Great Xia, or even more...perhaps the entire Great Xia?

"I really want to experiment with this."

He sighed regretfully, knowing that the tokens were single-use, and his virtue points were not infinite. He couldn't afford to waste them, as these two items would become his trump cards.

One for absolute survival.

And one for a devastating attack.

This Year Beast had come at the right time.

It had given him two Superior Heavenly Dao Retrace Talismans, equivalent to two additional keywords, and they were for the Golden Core Realm, which was usually dominated by yellow and blue keywords.

He had never seen blue or yellow jade slips being sold in Great Xia.

Perhaps such items were so rare that they never appeared in auctions.

The value of a Low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrace Talisman for Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't compare to that of a Superior one, as the selectable keywords were on entirely different levels.

Additionally, he had obtained a Heavenly Dao Escape Talisman for long-distance escape and a Heavenly Dao Treasure.

And those two virtue tokens.

It was all worth it.

Just then—

As all the cultivators were about to disperse, thinking the event had concluded, a lion enveloped in dense flames leaped down from the dark clouds. It landed heavily on the ground, revealing a cultivation base at the Seventh Stage Golden Core Realm!

There was another hidden Year Beast!

This Year Beast's strength was evidently much stronger than the previous three, and its Spirit Qi fluctuations were more frenzied. The Seventh Stage Golden Core Realm cultivation base intimidated everyone present.

Chen Qiu, who had just recovered his Spirit Qi and was also preparing to retreat, saw this and his eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he channeled all his Spirit Qi and used his Spirit Sense to lock onto the beast. A thunderball shot out, hitting the flame-like lion Year Beast directly!

"Boom!"

Just like before.

The Flame Lion Year Beast was almost instantly struck by this near-fatal attack before it could even land. However, being a hidden Year Beast with a Seventh Stage Golden Core Realm cultivation base, it was significantly stronger than the previous three.

Tens of thousands of heavenly thunders exploded within its body, instantly turning its skin into a mess of wounds, and even half of its head was gone.

But even so.

It didn't die immediately. Instead, it fell to the ground, on the brink of death.

The surrounding cultivators, who had already dispersed, witnessed this and their eyes instantly turned red. This was the perfect opportunity to strike—the last attack of the hidden Year Beast. The reward for this would be immense.

But the very next moment!

Everyone froze in their tracks, as they all felt Chen Qiu's Spirit Sense locking onto them, an unmistakable threat.

However, there were always those who didn't believe in evil.

Or perhaps, some thought that there was safety in numbers.

A cultivator from the Hundred Nations, with an exotic appearance and a flushed face, held a flying sword and transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the dying hidden Year Beast! He shouted with a deliberately altered voice:

"Fellow Daoists, let's charge together! With so many of us, how could Chen Qiu possibly kill us all?"

However.

Before this exotic cultivator from the Hundred Nations could reach the dying hidden Year Beast, the beast suddenly let out a mournful howl and then collapsed, dead.

He stood there, stunned, and subconsciously turned to look around.

To his surprise, not a single person had responded to his call. He was the only one who had charged forward. In his imagination, everyone would have rushed in together, creating a chaotic situation where it would be impossible to tell who delivered the final blow.

But he never expected the cultivators from Great Xia to be so timid, not a single one followed him.

Even his fellow countryman had disappeared without a trace.

"

The Xia Kingdom cultivators watching from a distance glanced at the Hundred Kingdoms cultivator standing awkwardly in the center of the clearing, their lips twitching slightly. They must not have seen enough of Chen Qiu's shadow recordings.

If you had watched a few more, you might not be so eager to rush in.

At the very least, you wouldn't be able to claim that the crowd is blameless.

They were almost certain that if they dared to charge forward, as many as charged, that many would die here.

If you have the courage, then go ahead.

They, however, didn't dare to take the risk.

Even the fellow countrymen of the Hundred Kingdoms cultivator quietly withdrew from the crowd and fled without looking back, not understanding why their friend suddenly became so brave, although they knew he was always courageous.

But next time, could he please inform them beforehand?

The several Golden Core cultivators standing among the crowd also looked on expressionlessly at the foreign cultivator who had rushed to the center of the plaza with his sword, sighing inwardly and remarking that ignorance truly is bliss.

Their Golden Core spirit sense attacks were no faster than his Foundation Establishment sword attack, right?

Guess how fast their spirit sense attacks were, and why they didn't make a move?

That was no heavenly treasure.

It was the Grim Reaper's scythe.

Who would dare to touch it?

Even these Golden Core cultivators didn't dare to approach it, but this Foundation Establishment cultivator rushed in so quickly. Such a temperament was indeed suitable for cultivating immortality, fearless and relentless, but... not so suitable for longevity.

Chen Qiu's expression remained calm as he glanced at the male cultivator standing awkwardly in the center of the plaza. Without lingering, he held the Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella, his clothes fluttering in the raging storm, and turned to walk towards the back.

Fei Long also hurriedly turned and left.

Only the scholar looked on with emotion at the male cultivator, saying softly, "Sword cultivation isn't played like this."

His index finger trembled slightly, and a flash of green light vanished in an instant.

When he turned to follow Chen Qiu, the male cultivator's pupils had already started to dissipate, his body collapsing weakly to the ground. After a few breaths, a red line gradually appeared on his neck, and blood flowed along it, gradually forming a pool.

Upon returning to the highest peak of Pingzhou, Chen Qiu looked towards the panel floating above his Dantian, hidden within the clouds.

"You dealt 100% damage to the hidden Year Beast, obtaining the upper-grade Golden Core spell 'Sky-Filling Snow' and an Enlightenment Stone."

"You delivered the final blow to the hidden Year Beast, obtaining the 'Heavenly Dao Light Wind Boots'."

"A new spell?"

Chen Qiu's eyebrows rose as he gazed at the upper-grade Golden Core spell 'Sky-Filling Snow' before him, sensing it with his spirit sense. This spell was a product of the Heavenly Dao, and thus, upon mastering it, he would immediately reach the Great Perfection realm.

Even the Enlightenment Stone was ready.

He would directly attain the Great Perfection realm.

With his current wealth, he could learn many spells, but he rarely purchased spells from the Heavenly Dao Mystic Realm, mainly because he felt it unnecessary, as even at the Great Perfection realm, those spells wouldn't surpass his Lightning Summoning Art.

Why would he learn spells weaker than his Lightning Summoning Art?

The biggest drawback of the Lightning Summoning Art was that it was only suitable for dealing with large numbers of weaker opponents. When facing stronger enemies, it lacked power. But now, with the 'Unity of All Spells' attribute, even this drawback was gone.

One doesn't need many spells, just specialize in a few.

He always felt that he could use the Lightning Summoning Art until the day he died.

But now, he suddenly felt that he could also learn this 'Sky-Filling Snow' spell.

This was an auxiliary spell.

Not an offensive one.

The spell's effect was simple: it could cause snow to fall in a small area, roughly the size of a village. The falling snowflakes would freeze the enemy's spirit energy, slowing their internal spirit energy flow.

This would weaken the enemy's spell power, casting speed, spirit energy absorption rate, and even their movement speed.

As the snowflakes accumulated on their body, they might even freeze in place.

It was a small-scale group control spell.

However, this was only for ordinary people.

Chen Qiu smiled lightly, placing the 'Sky-Filling Snow' spell jade slip in his embrace, intending to make it his third formal spell. This spell was a proper spell for Spell Cultivators.

It was a spell learned by many Golden Core Spell Cultivators.

In other words, this was his first proper Spell Cultivator spell.

With the effects of 'Double Casting', 'Tenfold Casting', 'Real and Illusory', and the vast spirit energy within him, if he exerted his full strength with this spell, it could probably cause a blizzard within a few hundred li.

Time to experience some winter romance.

Afterward, he turned his attention to his other reward, the Heavenly Dao Light Wind Boots.

It was also a Heavenly Dao treasure.

The effect was excellent, significantly enhancing his movement speed and allowing him to shrink space over longer distances and teleport faster.

So far, he hadn't found a satisfactory Spell Cultivator escape technique.

On the day he witnessed the Spell Cultivator guarding the forbidden sea, the golden light beneath the elder's feet impressed him. He planned to find a similar spell for himself in the future.

Although the scholar's speed was faster,

it wasn't his own, and using it had many drawbacks.

Now, with this new Heavenly Dao treasure, he had three Heavenly Dao treasures, thereby activating the first set effect—

"The power of the Lightning Summoning Art will be enhanced."

Excellent.

The next set effect would only appear when he possessed five Heavenly Dao treasures, so that was out of the question for now.

After tallying all his gains, Chen Qiu didn't return to Feicheng but instead found an inn in a nearby city in Pingzhou.

Half an hour later,

Chen Qiu smiled lightly at the snowflakes dancing on his fingertips, his third spell, 'Sky-Filling Snow'. Its offensive power was insufficient, but it had excellent control effects.

Under the effect of the Enlightenment Stone, this spell had reached the pinnacle of perfection.

However, Zhang Mo felt that his future battles might be quite lively. When he fully unleashed the Lightning Summoning Art, it would stir the might of heaven and earth, causing dark clouds to gather, heavy rain to pour, and finally, a sky-filling snowfall.

It would be a mix of rain and snow, accompanied by howling winds.

The battle scene would indeed be quite spectacular.

He planned to find a more secluded place to test the full power of this spell. After all, Pingzhou had too many mortals, and although this spell had little offensive power, it was still unleashed with the full force of his Fifth Stage Golden Core cultivation.

If mortals came into contact with the snowflakes, they would fall severely ill, or even die on the spot, if they didn't find shelter from the snow in time.

Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged in the inn, turned his head to look out the window. The sun was directly overhead, marking the noon hour.

He prepared to go downstairs to eat something first.

Then, he would head to the Endless Snow Mountain to test his new spell.

If there was a place to test the full power of the Sky-Filling Snow spell, it had to be the Endless Snow Mountain. There were naturally no living creatures there, and it was covered in snow all year round.

Perfect.

"Shopkeeper, take our order."

Fat Dragon examined the menu and called over the shopkeeper who was all smiles, "No need for the Wuwei smoked duck, Jinghu vinegar fish, or Dong'an chicken. Bring everything else in double portions."

"Did you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

The shopkeeper's face was filled with a pleasing smile as he carefully took the several spirit stones that Fat Dragon handed over and tucked them into his chest. This was even better than a big business deal.

However, just as Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon had arrived at the best inn in the city and were about to sit down for a good meal, a voice once again sounded in the ears of everyone in Daxia.

-

"Celestial Mandate Scroll": Great conflicts are about to arise. The 'Snow Clan Invasion' will take place west of the Hundred Countries, at the Endless Snow Mountain.

The heavens will collapse, and the earth will shatter as the Snow Clan emerges.

-

Fat Dragon listened to the voice with a slightly speechless expression, then looked up at Chen Qiu and sighed, "Brother Qiu, what do you think? Should we still eat? Isn't the Celestial Mandate Scroll being a bit too active today?"

"Didn't the Year Beast just appear this morning?"

"It's not even noon yet, and the Snow Clan has already invaded."

"Let's eat first."

Chen Qiu didn't seem to mind. He casually said, "We'll go take a look after we finish eating. There's no rush."

He had originally planned to go to the Endless Snow Mountain to test the power of his new spell anyway, so it was on the way. Moreover, he had already guessed that there would be a 'Snow Clan Invasion', as the invasions had occurred in the east, south, and north, leaving only the west untouched.

It was only natural for the west to be invaded as well.

However, he wasn't as eager about this Snow Clan invasion as he had been for the Year Beast. Whether it was the Demon Clan, the Evil Clan, or the Sea Clan, he hadn't received any rewards after resolving the crises.

At most, the Celestial Mandate Scroll would mention him, praise him, and encourage the people to follow his example.

And that was it.

This made him less urgent about the Snow Clan invasion compared to the Year Beast. Unlike the Year Beast, he was still in Fat State when it appeared, and he had rushed over from far away.

Soon—

The dishes were served, nearly a hundred plates in total.

Each dish looked, smelled, and tasted delicious, stimulating one's appetite.

"Let's eat."

Chen Qiu looked at the others who were waiting for him to start and smiled as he picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. After cultivating for so long, he had almost forgotten the flavors of the mortal world. This entire table of food only cost three spirit stones.

Of course, it might even be cheaper.

He hadn't asked about the price and had directly given three spirit stones to Fat Dragon. Judging by the shopkeeper's expression, it seemed like the price was more than enough, maybe even a little too much.

He tasted a few bites of each dish.

The flavors were indeed excellent.

The mutton soup from Fat State and the liangfen from Yuncheng were both delicious in their own ways.

He was at the Golden Core stage, so these foods were already broken down and expelled from his body before even entering his stomach. It was purely to taste the flavors, and even if he ate everything, he wouldn't feel any bloating.

At the Golden Core stage, he had, in a sense, completely transcended mortals.

With a lifespan of five hundred years.

After finishing their meal, Chen Qiu stood up and called for the scholar to accompany him to the Endless Snow Mountain. Along the way, they saw many Golden Core Cultivators riding their swords towards the western snow mountains, clearly preparing to participate in the battle against the Snow Clan invasion and seek any opportunities.

They didn't see any Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

After all, the journey was too far.

They would have to pass through the Hundred Countries, and with the Foundation Establishment Cultivators' spirit power, it was insufficient to cover such a long distance. Even if they forced their way through by taking Spirit Qi pills, by the time they reached their destination, the Snow Clan invasion would have long ended.

All the Golden Core Cultivators they met along the way were restrained and didn't release their spirit sense, clearly not eager for a fight.

Because of the distance, they couldn't see each other's faces clearly.

Even though the scholar had set off later than most of the Golden Core Cultivators.

He still arrived at the Endless Snow Mountain faster than most of them, thanks to his incredibly fast sword and the bloodline attribute. There were very few people in the world who could match his speed.

In just half an hour.

Chen Qiu had crossed the Hundred Countries and arrived at the Endless Snow Mountain. Standing at the foot of the mountain, he looked up, and the endless mountain range stretching as far as the eye could see seemed to block the entire world!

The peaks disappeared into the clouds, and his spirit sense couldn't reach the summit.

The entire mountain range from the middle slopes upwards was covered in thick snow, giving off a palpable chill, and the air was refreshingly cool.

It wasn't snowing at the moment.

The snow on the middle slopes was accumulated over thousands of years and had never melted, forming thick layers over time.

"So, this is the Endless Snow Mountain."

Standing at the base of the mountain, Chen Qiu felt the majesty of heaven and earth, and suddenly, he felt a sense of insignificance. It was said that humans could overcome heaven, but how much cultivation would it take to shake this endless mountain range stretching tens of thousands of miles?

Chen Qiu, proud of his Lightning Summoning Art, could unleash its full power and blast open a giant cave in this mountain range.

But to the mountains, it might be like an elephant being poked with a toothpick, completely insignificant.

The mountains seemed to stretch endlessly, their peaks hidden in the clouds.

Standing here, for the first time, he felt an intense sense of imprisonment. This feeling was weak within the Great Xia Kingdom, as the vastness of the kingdom and its ten provinces provided ample space to roam. But when one stood beneath the Endless Snow Mountains, the sense of powerlessness was truly overwhelming.

However...

"Where is the Snow Clan?"

Chen Qiu quickly calmed his mind and scanned the surroundings with a puzzled look. He hadn't forgotten his mission—he was here to deal with the Snow Clan's invasion, not to marvel at the grandeur of the Endless Snow Mountains.

Wasn't the Snow Clan supposed to be invading?

Up until now, not a single member of the Snow Clan was in sight.

Below the Endless Snow Mountains, many people had gathered, mostly Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Cultivators from the Hundred Countries, with only a handful from the Great Xia Kingdom. Naturally, the Hundred Countries were more proactive since they would bear the brunt of the Snow Clan's threat.

But at that moment—

"Boom!"

A deafening thunderous sound suddenly reverberated through the air above the Endless Snow Mountains. Then, a snow layer that had remained frozen for thousands of years on the mountainside suddenly collapsed, sliding down to the base.

"No way," Fat Dragon exclaimed, his eyes widening in horror as his mouth twitched slightly.

Immediately after!

One piece, two pieces, three pieces! Countless snow layers that had been frozen for thousands of years began to slide down from the peaks of the Endless Snow Mountains, which stretched for tens of thousands of miles.

An avalanche!

And not just any avalanche, but a simultaneous one across thousands of miles of snow-capped mountains! The snow on these mountains had not melted for countless years, and this intense and exaggerated avalanche could engulf dozens of countries from the Hundred Countries!

Fortunately, only a few thousand miles of the snow-capped mountains, which stretched for tens of thousands of miles, experienced the avalanche. Unfortunately, even this limited avalanche was enough to cause countless casualties in the Hundred Countries.

This was a natural disaster.

It was beyond human control.

"Let's go!"

Chen Qiu prepared to turn and leave, intending to reach the nearest country from the Hundred Countries as quickly as possible. Escape was out of the question; the speed of these ordinary people couldn't possibly outrun such a catastrophic avalanche.

However, finding a place to hide might offer a chance to survive and wait for rescue after the avalanche subsided.

He couldn't stop it.

This was a natural disaster, not something humans could prevent.

Perhaps a Nascent Soul Cultivator could withstand it, but he knew that a Golden Core Apex Great Perfection Cultivator like himself couldn't stop this calamity. This was not a crisis that a Golden Core Cultivator could resolve.

He had initially thought that the Snow Clan's invasion was similar to the Sea Tribe's, a monster invasion. He never expected it to be a natural disaster.

But just as he was about to turn and leave—

"Brother Qiu, look!"

Fat Dragon stood in place, his face filled with shock as he pointed towards the mountainside.

They witnessed the snow from the avalanche, mixed with flying snowflakes in the air, transform into human-like figures. A chill swept over the crowd at the mountain's base, and the snowmen, holding ice swords, charged towards them.

It wasn't an avalanche.

The snowflakes had formed snowmen, a creature they couldn't comprehend. They weren't even sure if snowmen existed, as they usually blended seamlessly with the snow on the Endless Snow Mountains, living and thriving there.

Or perhaps, after the "Snow Clan invasion" began, the snow started to transform into these snowmen.

But Chen Qiu understood one thing.

The overwhelming force of the avalanche, carried by the snow, disappeared as the snow transformed into snowmen. Instead, they charged down the mountain towards them.

If it were an avalanche, he would be powerless.

But if they were snowmen, he didn't need to flee.

Chen Qiu faced the countless snowmen rushing down from the mountains and halted his steps. His spiritual energy surged within him as he unleashed the spell "Flying Snow Everywhere" that he had recently learned.

In an instant,

Fluffy snowflakes covered hundreds of miles.

The sudden snowfall caught many cultivators off guard, but as they felt the freezing effect on their spiritual energy, they quickly realized it wasn't real snow but the spell "Flying Snow Everywhere."

Many recognized the spell, as it was a signature technique of Spell Cultivators.

However, the cultivators looked towards Chen Qiu with complex expressions. They had never seen a Spell Cultivator cast this spell with such a wide range, covering hundreds of miles.

Chen Qiu hovered in the air, teleporting and recovering his spiritual energy while observing the snowmen's reactions to the snowfall.

He wanted to test it.

To see if "Flying Snow Everywhere" would have any effect on the snowmen, and indeed, it did, albeit weakly. The effect was barely noticeable, as the snowmen were composed of snowflakes and naturally had high immunity to such attacks.

Nevertheless,

The experiment was complete.

Chen Qiu scanned the hundreds of miles covered by the fluffy snow, his expression satisfied. The spell's range was indeed impressive, primarily due to him casting it multiple times.

A typical cultivator's casting range wouldn't be as vast.

The snowflakes were dense and visually appealing.

It was just not the right time to use it.

This spell could only last for three hundred breaths before dissipating.

After three hundred breaths, Chen Qiu's spiritual energy was fully replenished, and it surged uncontrollably within him.

Dark clouds suddenly appeared in the sky, but they were only as high as the mountainside, much lower than the Endless Snow Mountains.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end