Chapter 534: Winds and Sands
Chapter 534: Winds and Sands
"Elder Qin, are you saying that what you mentioned earlier about Solitary Peak Mountain being occupied by the Star Feather Sect and having to go through Snake Maw Ridge to be safe is false?"
Facing Ling Fengjing's questioning, the youth named Qin let out a mocking laugh.
"Junior Sister Ling, that person has already left and is out of my spiritual sense range, so I might as well tell you the truth. It's true that Solitary Peak Mountain is occupied by the Star Feather Sect, and it's also true that our sect members are guarding the area near the Celestial Grassland. However, Snake Maw Ridge can't be considered safe either. High-level cultivators from our two forces often clash near Snake Maw Ridge."
"As for this Chu Ning, if he really intends to pass through, even with his pseudo-dan realm cultivation, humph!"
Upon hearing this, Ling Fengjing's face paled slightly.
At a time like this, if a stranger were to stumble into an area where high-level cultivators were battling, or if they were discovered trespassing when the high-level cultivators were not fighting, the consequences would be dire.
"Elder Qin, that Chu companion just showed mercy. Why are you..."
"Junior Sister Ling!" Ling Fengjing had only spoken a few words when she was abruptly cut off by Elder Qin's cold rebuke.
"Don't forget your identity. You are a cultivator of the Celestial Palace! This person dared to humiliate our Celestial Palace cultivators in the Celestial Grassland. If word of this gets out, what will become of our sect's prestige? The fact that I didn't send a message to the sect for a Golden Core senior to intervene was already giving you face."
At this moment, Elder Qin would never admit that he had been intimidated by Chu Ning.
Hearing his words, Ling Fengjing fell silent. After a moment, she let out a soft sigh and asked, "Elder Qin, then which direction in the southeast is safe for traveling?"
"Safe?" Elder Qin scoffed. "The southeast is the main battleground between our Celestial Palace and the Star Feather Sect. There's no such thing as a safe place there."
After saying this, Elder Qin fixed his gaze on Ling Fengjing. "Junior Sister Ling, you wouldn't be thinking of going to inform that outsider, would you? Come, let's return to Celestial City. It's best if you stay indoors these next few days."
Facing Elder Qin's obvious hostility, Ling Fengjing glanced in the direction where Chu Ning had left before reluctantly flying back toward Celestial City.
A hundred miles away, Chu Ning continued his flight, his brow furrowed in thought.
"If the southeast direction is unsafe due to the conflict between the two major forces, does that mean I have to detour from another direction? But which direction would be suitable?"
Neither Ling Fengjing nor Elder Qin was aware that their conversation had been overheard by Chu Ning, whose spiritual sense was exceptionally powerful.
When Elder Qin had first spoken, Chu Ning had sensed that something was amiss, so he had discreetly extended his spiritual sense to listen in.
And indeed, he had learned some troubling news.
However, this information was far from favorable for Chu Ning.
For him, the southeast direction was the most suitable route to leave the Celestial Grassland.
Chu Ning's primary goal on the Celestial Curtain Continent was to find cultivation techniques, especially a spiritual cultivation method.
Locating the Northern River Country and the Xuanling Sect, the sect that had produced the Divine Dream Master, would likely grant him access to the desired cultivation technique.
The Northern River Country was located in the northeast corner of the Celestial Curtain Continent, just southwest of the Celestial Grassland.
"I should still head southwest from the Celestial Grassland. With my spiritual cultivation prowess, it won't be difficult to avoid cultivators. If it's truly impossible to leave from this direction, I can try to detour from another route. As for the location, I'll choose Solitary Peak Mountain. Even if the two sects have Nascent Soul cultivators guarding it, it won't be a problem for me to pass through. On the other hand, if high-level cultivators from both sects are clashing at Snake Maw Ridge, it would be more inconvenient for me to appear there."
With his decision made, Chu Ning continued his swift flight while carefully examining the jade slip that Ling Fengjing had given him.
When he had first received it, his primary concern had been the location of the Northern River Country, so he hadn't paid much attention to the rest of the information.
Now, Chu Ning focused his attention on the introduction of the Northern River Country once again.
However, as he read through it carefully, his brow furrowed deeply.
"This map doesn't mention the Xuanling Sect at all. Could it be that the map is inaccurate, or has the Xuanling Sect's lineage been severed over the years?"
As he thought of the latter possibility, Chu Ning's expression turned grim.
He extended his spiritual sense once more to scrutinize the contents of the jade slip, paying close attention to the major sects and powers.
The Celestial Curtain Continent was dominated by nine major forces, known as the Four Sects, Three Gates, and Two Palaces.
Among them, the Celestial Palace, which ruled over the Celestial Grassland, was one of the Two Palaces.
Remarkably, the Star Feather Sect was one of the Four Sects and also governed the Northern River Country as the leading cultivation force.
On the Celestial Curtain Continent, not every region was governed by a country. Many areas were under the jurisdiction of sect powers.
Only in places with a significant mortal population would cultivation sects establish countries and royal families to oversee the mortals.
The Northern River Country was one such example, maintained by the influence of the Star Feather Sect throughout the years.
As for the true strength of the nine major forces on the Celestial Curtain Continent, such as the number of Nascent Soul cultivators they possessed, this jade slip provided no such details.
Of course, the Celestial Curtain Continent was renowned for its thriving cultivation world, and in addition to the nine major forces, there were countless large, medium, and small sects.
Most of these sects were scattered outside the influence of the major powers, but some existed within their territories.
For example, within the Northern River Country, in addition to the Star Feather Sect's rule, there were also a number of small and medium-sized sects.
Many of these sects were dependent on the Star Feather Sect, while others were simply too insignificant for the Star Feather Sect to bother with the spiritual resources they occupied.
Chu Ning spared no effort in investigating each and every one of these sects, big or small, that was mentioned.
After perusing the entire contents of the jade slip, he had gained a general understanding of the Celestial Curtain Continent.
However, his face remained devoid of any sign of relief or satisfaction.
It wasn't just the Northern River Country; Chu Ning had searched through all the sect forces on the Celestial Curtain Continent, and yet he still hadn't found any trace of the Xuanling Sect.
"Either their lineage has been severed, or they've changed their name. I won't know for sure until I get to the Northern River Country and investigate further."
At this thought, Chu Ning heaved a silent sigh.
It seemed that the goals he had set for himself upon entering the Celestial Curtain Continent wouldn't be easily achieved.
After flying for a while, Chu Ning increased his altitude, no longer revealing his Foundation Establishment cultivation base. He hid among the clouds and accelerated his flight.
With his current speed, even though the Celestial Grassland was vast, it only took him a few days to reach the outermost southeastern edge.
"According to the map, there's about a thousand miles left until I reach Solitary Peak Mountain.
Hmm, there's an array up ahead, and some cultivators on patrol.
This must be the outpost set up by the Celestial Palace to block cultivators from approaching Solitary Peak Mountain."
Since he had already discovered the outpost, Chu Ning didn't want any unnecessary trouble, so he simply detoured around it.
He intended to bypass the outpost and then make his way to Solitary Peak Mountain.
He flew in this manner for nearly three hundred miles before resuming his original course.
After flying another eight hundred miles, he could sense that Solitary Peak Mountain was now within range.
Indeed, there was only a single, solitary peak, but it was massive, comparable to the main peak of the Everlasting Sect that Chu Ning had seen before.
Outside the mountain, yellow sand filled the sky.
"According to the information on the jade slip, the edge of the Celestial Grassland is filled with endless winds and sand.
It's said that cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage will have difficulty flying through, but with my current cultivation, it shouldn't be a problem.
I wonder what level of cultivators from the Star Feather Sect are guarding Solitary Peak Mountain. It's better to just bypass it and avoid any unnecessary trouble."
With these thoughts in mind, Chu Ning flew past Solitary Peak Mountain and entered the area filled with yellow wind and sand.
As he sent his spiritual sense forward, he also activated the Spirit Concealment Technique to block others from detecting him with their spiritual sense.
"I wonder what caused this yellow wind and sand. Aside from obstructing one's vision, it also greatly affects spiritual sense.
My spiritual sense, which usually has a range of four hundred miles, can only reach about forty miles in this environment—a reduction of nearly ninety percent.
And the force of this violent wind is indeed powerful. It's comparable to the violent winds in the Snow Mist Valley, minus the snow and mist.
Ordinary Golden Core cultivators would indeed have a hard time dealing with this."
As he marveled at the power of the winds, Chu Ning's heart filled with caution. He dared not linger in this environment and maintained a steady course in one direction.
Even after flying for half a day, he still didn't sense an end to the winds and sand, causing his brows to furrow slightly.
Fortunately, according to the jade slip, while the area was vast and the winds were strong, there didn't seem to be any other special dangers.
As he continued on his way without incident, he gradually relaxed.
However, just then, Chu Ning's eyebrows twitched slightly.
His spiritual sense had picked up another cultivator flying directly toward him.
Chu Ning could sense that this person was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and they were approaching at a rapid speed, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
In a normal situation, Chu Ning would have chosen to detour to avoid any unnecessary conflict.
But now, with his spiritual sense restricted by the sandstorm, he didn't want to change his course unnecessarily.
After a moment's hesitation, he decided to maintain his course.
At that moment, he sensed another cultivator pursuing the first one, wielding a treasure that allowed them to fly even faster than the first. The distance between the two was rapidly decreasing.
In just a short while, the two flew into view not far ahead of Chu Ning.
Chu Ning moved to the side to give them room to pass, his position still relatively close but enough for them to get by.
The fleeing cultivator in front hadn't detected Chu Ning with his spiritual sense earlier, but now that he saw him, he shouted, "Get out of the way!"
As he spoke, he swung his hand, sending a white crane-shaped attack toward Chu Ning.
(End of Chapter)
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