Chapter 283: Frost Province
Chapter 283: Frost Province
Suppressing the urge to charge into the Inner Gate had brought Chen Mu some benefits, strengthening his will and clarifying his understanding of the Martial Path. He was determined to push each realm to its limit and forge an unparalleled path to strength!
The Founding Emperor of Daxuan, who had mastered the Heaven and Earth Principle and achieved Blood Replacement, was indeed peerlessly powerful, acknowledged as the strongest of his time. However, even he couldn't challenge half the world on his own and needed to expend significant effort to gradually restore order. It took him over a decade to finally overthrow the mighty 'Great Zhou' and establish peace in the land.
Today, Chen Mu knew a little about the history of the Great Zhou, which was sealed away.
At least, the Founding Emperor of Daxuan, with his unmatched strength and acknowledged as the strongest of his era, couldn't challenge half the world alone. It took him a great deal of effort to gradually restore order, step by step.
Chen Mu didn't dwell on his future; it wasn't time for such thoughts yet. Whether it was about restoring the world or reshaping the Heaven and Earth Principle, he needed to first lay the foundation by advancing through the Martial Realms one step at a time. He wanted to surpass even the Founding Emperor of Daxuan in strength!
Chen Mu gathered his thoughts.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next day, Chen Mu set out with a group from Spirit Profound Peak towards the border of Jade Bell Province.
Among this group from Spirit Profound Peak were many familiar faces, including Shen Lin, Ling Hu Shang, and other former Inner Sect disciples of Spirit Profound Peak. There were also Spirit Profound Peak executives and some older Outer Sect disciples who had left the sect.
Every year, the Seven Mysteries Sect would undergo a generational change. Outer Sect disciples could stay until the age of thirty, but if they didn't enter the Inner Sect by then, they would be sent out to serve in prefectures or border areas like Cold Northern Path.
Inner Sect disciples had until the age of thirty-five; if they didn't reach the Organ Realms by then, they would also have to leave the sect.
"Senior Brother Chen."
"Senior Brother Chen."
Ling Hu Shang and Shen Lin, among others, greeted Chen Mu respectfully.
Chen Mu glanced at this familiar group from Spirit Profound Peak and nodded slightly in acknowledgment, his gaze lingering briefly on Shen Lin and Ling Hu Shang. He couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.
Time continued to flow, and Shen Lin and Ling Hu Shang, who were among the top Inner Sect disciples of Spirit Profound Peak, had now become the peak's defenders, both having advanced to the Organ Realms and assuming executive roles.
Today, Jin Ling'er and others were the new rising stars of the Seven Mysteries Sect. The sect's seven peaks had undergone a massive generational change, and although Chen Mu's progress seemed incredible, he had been in the sect for over four years.
"Senior Brother Chen..."
Shen Lin stared at Chen Mu's back, her eyes revealing a mix of emotions.
Although Chen Mu had always been aloof or immersed in cultivation, ignoring other matters, he would answer when approached for guidance. Compared to some arrogant True Transmitters from other peaks, Chen Mu, the top young cultivator from Cold Northern Path, was relatively approachable, and his extraordinary talent made him admired by all.
She had witnessed Chen Mu's rise, almost like a legend, since he joined the sect. However, the martial world was treacherous, filled with deceit and opportunists, and there were those who resorted to despicable means against Chen Mu.
Most importantly, she had heard about what happened with Chen Mu's wife. He had unhesitatingly used his inner energy to draw the demonic energy into his body. How many others, with their strength in the Martial Dao like a dazzling constellation, would be willing to pay such a price in that situation?
She believed that even the True Transmitters from other peaks, including Zhou Hao, couldn't have done the same.
She felt a mix of emotions: admiration for Chen Mu's wife, who had earned his favor, a sense of injustice for Chen Mu, and hatred towards the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion.
Although Chen Mu was now a renowned expert in the Gale Wind Rankings, acknowledged as one of the top ten, he was still an unreachable figure to her, especially compared to some weaker Grandmasters who had just advanced.
It wasn't just Shen Lin; many of Chen Mu's peers from Spirit Profound Peak shared similar thoughts.
Chen Mu wasn't aware of their feelings, but he noticed their gazes. He didn't feel the need to explain, especially now that he was just one step away from becoming a Grandmaster.
Just as he had been cautious and meticulous during his time in Jade Province, he knew that soon, like the darkness before dawn, his struggles would give way to the shining light of success.
The Spirit Profound Peak's forces were no pushovers; even the weakest among them had perfected their Sinew Transformation, a prerequisite for the Marrow Washing Realm. They arrived at the border of Lang County in no time, swiftly gathering at the frontier.
"They're here."
At the Lang County border, someone was gazing into the distance at Chen Mu and the others from the Spirit Profound Peak.
Stone Zhenyong, Feng Hongsheng, and other elders stood tall atop the city gate, their gazes sweeping over the numerous members of the Spirit Profound Peak. To their side were early arrivals like Mu Ran Yan, Qian Song, and Xu Yang.
The Spirit Profound Peak's group was the last to depart, and within the city gate, individuals from the Great Mystery Peak, Upper Profound Peak, Lower Profound Peak, as well as the Shi Clan of Lang County, the Prefecture Surveillance Office, and the Demon Slayer Bureau had all gathered here.
Although the numbers didn't match the ten thousand-strong Yu Lin Army, those who had arrived at this time were all at the Sinew Transformation Realm or above. Altogether, they numbered in the thousands!
Swish! Swish!
Chen Mu reached beneath the city gate, and with a flicker of his figure, he quietly ascended to the top of the gate.
"Elder Stone, Elder Feng."
Behind him, Chu Jingsi, Meng Danyun, and the others bypassed the side and leaped onto the city from a small gate, while the Spirit Profound Peak's administrators entered through the main gate, maintaining a low profile.
Upon reaching the top of the gate, Chen Mu's gaze swept across to the other side, where the landscape seemed to have undergone a transformation. As far as the eye could see, it was a white blanket, and the ground was covered in frost.
Standing atop the gate, one could almost instantly feel the chill emanating from beyond the border of Ice State.
"Frost Province of Ice State, true to its name."
Chen Mu gazed into the distance at Ice State, sensing the changes in the world. His eyes flickered slightly.
This was his first time at the Ice State border. Initially, he had assumed that the journey from Jade State to Ice State would bring colder temperatures the further north he went, but now that he had actually reached the border, he realized the situation was different from what he had imagined.
The border of Lang County stood tall, and on this side, the world had not yet entered winter, with no frost yet. But once you crossed the border, the temperature dropped sharply, like a cliff-like plunge.
On one side of the city gate, greenery flourished.
On the other side, it was covered in frost.
It was as if they were two distinct worlds!
"Is it the city gate that separates the climates? No, this gate in Lang County isn't like the Cloud Pass in Sha County. There's no sense of array formations or changes in the earth's veins, which means this gate in Lang County was built along the boundary line."
Chen Mu gazed into the distance at Ice State, feeling like his horizons had expanded. Although he possessed the Heaven-Earth Concept and could utilize the Eight Trigrams to understand all things, many aspects of this world contradicted the 'common sense' in his mind.
For example, the higher one went into the sky, the thinner the air should become.
But after mastering Traceless Falling Petals and further cultivating the Heaven-Earth Principle to isolate 'gravity' and walk on air, he had once attempted to ascend into the sky, hoping to glimpse the mysteries of the high heavens. However, the higher he went, the denser and more concentrated the heavenly energy became, making it difficult for even him to continue upward after a certain point.
The scenery in Ice State was also peculiar, similar to Sha County. Although it was a part of this world, it seemed completely separated, almost like a self-contained realm unaffected by other regions.
Just as Chen Mu was carefully sensing the Ice State's world beyond the border.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted slightly, moving upwards to the high sky. In the distance, at the edge of his vision, there was a small, dark figure hovering high above—it seemed to be a demon bird, watching the border from afar.
"..."
A chill flashed in Chen Mu's eyes.
"Moon Slaying Bow! Star Shattering Arrow!"
Mu Ran Yan watched as Feng Hongsheng drew his bow, taking a slight breath. She hadn't expected Feng Hongsheng to bring out this Spirit Armament.
This Spirit Armament was one of the few that could kill at long range. In the Seven Mysteries Sect, it was a rarely used treasure. In the hands of Feng Hongsheng, a renowned Grandmaster, its power was terrifying. If he aimed an arrow at her, even from an extreme distance, she wouldn't be absolutely certain of evading it.
Far above in the sky, the demon bird seemed to sense something amiss. It flapped its wings, attempting to soar higher and escape, but Feng Hongsheng's hand had already released the bowstring. The bowstring vibrated with spiritual light, and an arrow, like a brilliant meteor, tore through the sky. In just a moment, it reached high heaven, catching up to the demon bird and piercing it through!
The demon bird didn't even have time to let out a mournful cry before it plummeted from the sky, falling towards the distant white expanse below.
Hiss!
The arrow, like a dazzling star, after piercing the demon bird, spun nimbly in the air, drawing an arc across the distant horizon before flying straight back towards the city gate, finally landing once again in Feng Hongsheng's hand.
"Good stuff."
Chen Mu couldn't help but glance at the Spirit Armament bow and arrow in Feng Hongsheng's hand. Although he could also throw the Evil Exorcising Thunder Spear to attack from a distance, it couldn't match the true range of a Spirit Armament bow and arrow.
With his current cultivation level, if he wielded this Spirit Armament, he could unleash its power to the utmost. He even had the confidence to strike down a Seventh Rank Venerable of the Celestial Demon Sect from several li away!
"The Celestial Demon Sect's beast taming methods are quite profound. There are many demon birds in Ice State, keeping watch and spying on our movements. This time, I've brought the Moon Slaying Bow, and those demons won't be able to easily spy on us again."
Feng Hongsheng's fingers followed the still-vibrating Star Shattering Arrow until it stopped trembling, and only then did he slowly put away the bow.
...
Meanwhile, more than ten li away from the city gate, a figure with white wings, almost blending into the frost and snow, flew low in the sky above a snowy forest. This figure, with wings but also in human form, was a demon from the Celestial Demon Sect.
If Stone Zhenyong or Feng Hongsheng, or even a Grandmaster from the Heaven Sword Sect, saw this figure, their expressions would immediately darken, as they could recognize his identity at a glance.
Xian Yu Chen, a Seventh Rank Venerable of the Celestial Demon Sect, was not only skilled in concealment but also in flying. He wreaked havoc in Ice State, inflicting numerous casualties on the Ice Extinction Palace, the Seven Mysteries Sect, and even the Heaven Sword Sect. However, they had always been unable to do anything about him.
If the Heaven Sword Sect, the Seven Mysteries Sect, and the Ice Extinction Palace were to choose which Seventh Rank Venerable they wanted to eliminate the most, it would undoubtedly be him.
"The Moon Slaying Bow and Star Shattering Arrow... They're coming for me."
Xian Yu Chen stared at the direction of the city gate, humming softly to himself before turning and flying away.
If Feng Hongsheng had kept this Spirit Armament hidden and waited for the right moment to strike, he might have had a chance to severely injure him. But now that he knew about it in advance, all he needed to do was avoid Feng Hongsheng.
He had never been interested in fighting powerful Grandmasters like Feng Hongsheng or Stone Zhenyong. His targets had always been the disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect, the Heaven Sword Sect, and even the Ice Extinction Palace, those in the Five Viscera and Six Bowels Realms.
After refining the Five Viscera and Six Bowels, they would be a delicious blood meal for him. If he could consume more, his cultivation and demon body would advance. As a Seventh Rank Venerable, with a mature demon body and the strength of a Seventh Rank Demon King, coupled with some Martial Dao skills, his power was slightly stronger than that of an ordinary Grandmaster who had recently broken through. He was roughly on par with the top ten on the Fengyun Rankings.
But if he could fully mature his demon body and reach the Eighth Rank, it would be a different story!
In the entire Celestial Demon Sect, only two had reached the Eighth Rank, and their strength was considered extremely powerful among Grandmasters, almost comparable to the top Grandmasters on the Grandmasters Rankings, within the top 100!
"With the Seven Mysteries Sect gathering so many people at the border, they're probably planning to establish a stronghold in Frost Province."
Xian Yu Chen's eyes flashed with determination.
Come,
Let them all come. The more people, the better. The more chaotic Frost Province becomes, the more opportunities he'll have to find blood meals to refine his demon body. Recently, the Ice Extinction Palace and the Heaven Sword Sect had been working together in groups, making it difficult for him to find opportunities to strike.
(End of Chapter)
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