Endless mountains rolled into the distance, peaks gathering like waves.
Across a boundless expanse of a hundred thousand li, pure white snow stretched as far as the eye could see.
On an utterly unremarkable, low hill, there were neither spirit veins nor vegetation—a rare, barren pocket within the Great Snow Mountain.
Such a place was beneath the notice of demonic beasts.
For humans, however, it made for an extraordinarily safe haven.
In fact, this route was precisely the safe passage that the five rogue cultivators had taken when venturing into the Great Snow Mountain to harvest the fruit and refine the pills.
Inside a small, man-made cave carved into the heart of the mountain, an aged figure sat cross-legged with eyes shut tight, pushing his spiritual sense outward as far as possible.
Suddenly!
His eyelids twitched, and he opened his weathered, world-weary eyes.
"He's out!"
Murmuring to himself, his hands rapidly wove hand seals, constantly mobilizing the spiritual power throughout his body.
In the center of the cavern, the needle of a massive compass spun with a dry clacking sound.
Arranged around the compass were spirit stones of at least mid-grade quality, and embedded within the compass itself were three high-grade spirit stones.
As the old man channeled his technique and gathered the spiritual power of numerous spirit stones together, the compass needle finally came to a halt, pointing in a single direction.
That direction was none other than the Myriad Python Cavern.
"He's almost here, almost here..."
Suppressing the agitation in his chest, the old man focused his mind completely to manipulate the formation beneath his feet.
Abruptly!
He raised his right palm upright before his chest while supporting it from beneath with his left palm.
"Formation, rise!"
The next instant!
Pillars of light shot straight out of the earth, radiating a vast, majestic aura that rippled outward with him as the epicenter.
As the central pillar of light erupted, it lifted him from the low hill, carrying him directly into midair.
"Fellow Daoist, please hold—huh?"
Fu Jiusheng's words stopped dead in his throat.
Greeting his eyes was a colossus thirty feet tall, with a wingspan stretching nearly a hundred feet wide, staring coldly down at him.
Its feather-like white scales were battered and torn, and its formidable body was riddled with holes, as if pierced through by sharp implements.
Fresh blood hovered on the verge of dripping, only to be dragged back inward by the vigorous, surging vitality of its blood-essence.
If that had been all, it might not have been so terrifying.
Yet woven throughout the fiery red light of the figure's escape glow were faint, wispy threads of emerald-green flames.
Even from a distance, those flames gave one the terrifying sensation that one's body was about to ignite and be reduced to ash.
A pair of icy eyes, fathomless as abyssal pools, fixed upon him with an unyielding glare.
"Fellow Daoist Fu, blocking my way like this... what do you intend?"
A kaleidoscope of expressions flashed across Fu Jiusheng's face. Yet seeing Luo Chen's fluctuating, unstable aura, a reckless urge stirred within him.
Luo Chen sneered at him. "Could it be that you've colluded with that Seven-Ring Snow Python to bury me here in the Great Snow Mountain?"
"The Seven-Ring Snow Python!" Fu Jiusheng blurted out.
Right then, he distinctly sensed a colossal mass of demonic qi charging like lightning from the direction of the Myriad Python Cavern.
If it were Luo Chen alone in his current battered state, combined with the power of the formation, perhaps...
No!
Luo Chen's flight speed was far too great. Bringing him down would not be something accomplished in a short time.
And if that Seven-Ring Snow Python arrived, Fu Jiusheng would likely end up suffering disaster along with him.
Fu Jiusheng's expression shifted erratically.
Especially when he noticed Luo Chen's aura suddenly condense and begin to climb steadily, he finally made up his mind.
"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand!"
"I laid down this grand formation merely to provide support for you all."
"You have shown me great kindness by refining pills for me. How could I ever do something that would grieve my friends and gladden my foes?"
Luo Chen's expression softened slightly, though it was impossible to tell whether he truly believed it or was merely pretending to.
He glanced back over his shoulder, fluttered his wings, and flew straight toward Fu Jiusheng.
Just as the two were about to cross paths, Luo Chen suddenly came to a halt.
"Is there something else?"
Fu Jiusheng gritted his teeth and tossed over a beast-hide scroll.
"There has been an upheaval in the Great Snow Mountain, and the path we arrived on is no longer safe. This is a map of the Great Snow Mountain that I have compiled and drawn myself. I hope it may be of some use to you."
Having said that, he watched Luo Chen with utmost caution.
Luo Chen gave him a deep, searching look, caught the map, and flew off without another word.
Once he was gone, Fu Jiusheng let out a long breath of relief.
If you strike a snake but fail to kill it, you only bring harm upon yourself.
Hopefully, Luo Chen truly possessed the magnanimous demeanor of the Fire Spirit Lord. Seeing that Fu Jiusheng had not made a move and had even offered compensation, perhaps he would let the matter rest.
"Being the oriole stalking the mantis truly isn't easy!"
Murmuring with a wry smile, the pillars of light radiating in all directions suddenly merged into one, condensing into the image of a compass that enveloped Fu Jiusheng.
The orb of light plunged downward, slamming into the earth, and vanished beneath the surface in the blink of an eye.
It was none other than the Earth Escape Art, the most practical of the Five Elements Escape Arts!
Shortly after the two departed, a massive python came thrashing across the mountains and earth.
It did not ride a demonic cloud to pursue Luo Chen; instead, it combined its demonic power with the physical strength of its slithering body, which made it far faster.
Upon arriving at this spot, it paused in momentary bewilderment.
Yet as its long, forked tongue flickered out and retreated, a savage glint flared within its eyes.
"Human, you are seeking your own doom!"
***
High in the sky, a streak of fiery red light tore through the air.
Its speed was astonishingly swift, turning heads wherever it passed.
Yet across these desolate, beast-infested snow mountains, flying in such a manner was brazenly reckless.
Had its appearance not resembled a Tier 3 roc-type demonic beast, many of the beasts lurking dormant within the snow mountains would have already struck.
Even so, wherever it flew, it stirred up waves of commotion below.
As Luo Chen flew, he unrolled the beast hide.
It was indeed a map!
*That Fu Jiusheng certainly knows how to play his cards!*
*He seemed to stay out of the fight between me, Madam You Sha, and the others, leaving contentedly with the Nether Origin Pill. In reality, he laid a grand formation outside in secret, waiting at his leisure to play the oriole behind our backs.*
*Though I only saw the tip of the iceberg, the power of that formation was likely sufficient to threaten an early Golden Core cultivator.*
*Had I not displayed my strongest form right from the start, and had the threat of the Seven-Ring Snow Python not been looming behind me, I might truly have had to fight a bitter battle against him.*
*Still, he was tactful enough to try making peace by offering a map of the Great Snow Mountain.*
Studying the map, Luo Chen swiftly pinpointed his current location.
His gaze swept rapidly over the parchment, taking in roughly seventy to eighty percent of the surrounding terrain in an instant.
If he retraced his original path, traveling at full speed without any obstruction, it would take at most ten-odd days to fly out of the Great Snow Mountain.
Yet that was merely an ideal scenario.
To harvest the Nine-Pattern Snake Saliva Fruit, they had already penetrated relatively deep into the inner reaches of the Great Snow Mountain.
Across such a vast distance, unexpected mishaps were inevitable.
Moreover, Fu Jiusheng had mentioned that the original route was no longer safe...
As Luo Chen pondered, he quickly settled on three alternative escape routes out of the Great Snow Mountain. Their respective exits led toward the Howling Moon Mountain Range, the Guyuan Mountain Range, and another small glacier.
The terrain along these paths was intricate and treacherous, but according to Fu Jiusheng's map, they were the routes harboring the fewest high-tier demonic beasts.
Even so, one could never be too careful!
Luo Chen not only kept his spiritual sense radiating outward at all times, but also maintained his Spirit Eye Art, constantly scanning in every direction.
Suddenly!
Luo Chen came to an abrupt halt, staring back toward the path he had come from, where a colossal demonic cloud surged into the heavens.
"The unexpected has arrived after all."
Was an anticipated unexpected turn still truly unexpected?
Luo Chen did not know the answer.
All he knew was that atop that demonic cloud, a massive, triangular serpent head emerged, glaring fixedly at him.
Having refined its vocal bone, it even spoke human speech:
"Human, you stole my Seventh Brother's spiritual fruit, and you still think you can leave?
"Stay right here!"
Luo Chen's heart sank.
Even knowing that the Great Snow Mountain was the lair of the White Bone Mysterious Snake and teemed with snakes and pythons, he had never imagined these creatures would address one another as brothers, forming what seemed like a single unified clan.
Snakes and pythons were clearly distinct species.
Without the slightest hesitation, he beat his wings, soaring higher into the sky, and banked sharply toward one of his chosen escape routes.
***
"Stay!"
A vast expanse of pitch-black light abruptly erupted into the sky.
A fierce glint flashed across Luo Chen's face, and he flapped his wings repeatedly.
Broad sheets of Blazing Fire Miasma billowed out. The terrifying Earth Fire Fiend qi contained within hissed violently as it collided with the dark demonic light.
An unspeakable stench blanketed an area several li wide.
After exchanging a single clash, blood leaked from the corner of Luo Chen's mouth, and he altered his direction once more to continue his escape.
Back where the clash occurred, a small golden snake coiled around a tree branch, its vertical pupils watching the retreating fiery red silhouette.
"Truly, what incredible flight speed!
"Still, making one move on behalf of that Seven-Ring fellow is more than enough.
"Whatever happens next is none of my business."
Muttering to itself, the small golden snake slithered down the branch, slipped into the snow layer, and went back to sleep.
No one would have imagined that such a tiny snake was actually a Tier 3 Demon King rivaling a Golden Core cultivator.
Its casual strike just now had carried boundless, staggering power.
A single blow had inflicted a minor injury on Luo Chen.
Suddenly!
The small golden snake rustled back out from beneath the snow, its vertical pupils brimming with delight.
"Father King has returned!"
Filled with excitement, it was swept up by a swirl of demonic cloud, which sped off in a certain direction.
That direction was precisely where Luo Chen had fled.
***
High in the sky, biting, frigid winds whipped against his face.
Luo Chen no longer had spare spiritual energy to maintain a protective light barrier against the cold; he could only rely on his robust demonic physique.
By now, a chill gripped his heart.
He had been fleeing without rest for several days.
Over the course of these days, he had encountered numerous low-tier snakes and pythons barring his path, as well as three separate Tier 3 demonic beasts.
Two of them had attacked him aggressively.
Only by exhausting every measure at his disposal had Luo Chen barely managed to slip beyond their pursuit.
Had it not been for his Great Perfection-level Tier 3 flight spell, Ninety Thousand Miles, combined with his Heavenly Roc True Form—granting him a flight speed surpassing that of an early Golden Core cultivator—and the fact that snakes and pythons were not renowned for sustained long-distance sprinting, he would have been intercepted long ago.
Even so, he was nearly at the end of his rope.
After clashing multiple times, the Blazing Fire Miasma he had spent hundreds of thousands of spirit stones nurturing could no longer be invoked; its Earth Fire Fiend qi was thoroughly depleted.
The spiritual power within his body was likewise almost drained.
If that were the only issue, it would be manageable.
Yet worse still...
Luo Chen glanced back at the wings on his back, which were covered in fractures.
Ultimately, the Lieyun Wings were merely a top-grade flying magic tool.
Under such relentless, desperate driving, they were teetering on the brink of total collapse.
Though he could still cast Ninety Thousand Miles through his Heavenly Roc True Form, his speed would plummet drastically without them.
*This won't do!*
*If this continues, I won't make it out of the Great Snow Mountain alive.*
A flicker of despair rose in his eyes.
Yet the closer he drew to the brink, the calmer his mind became.
*The reason these beasts can track me, aside from my conspicuous Heavenly Roc True Form, is likely because they have locked onto my scent and aura.*
*Relying on speed alone won't get me out of the Great Snow Mountain. In that case, there is only one other way.*
Just as Luo Chen was calculating the odds of that alternative method deceiving a Tier 3 demonic beast...
Suddenly!
*Crack!*
Amidst the clouds, an arc of lightning lashed toward Luo Chen.
Luo Chen made no attempt to dodge. Flying at such high altitudes, being struck by lightning was an ordinary occurrence.
His body had been tempered by lightning power within the Deity Transformation ruins, granting him a degree of innate resistance to electricity.
However!
The instant the arc touched Luo Chen's skin, his expression changed drastically.
"Something's wrong!"
As the arc penetrated his body, Luo Chen went completely numb.
His entire body lost control in an instant, plunging helplessly toward the earth.
"Rise!"
Watching the ground rush up to meet him, Luo Chen gritted his teeth, his expression twisting into a savage grimace as blue veins bulged across his face.
Right at that moment, the spinal bone that had remained dormant within his back for years gave a tremor.
With great effort, it swallowed that thread of electric power.
Free of the lightning's influence, Luo Chen regained control of his body in an instant.
Above a small mountain ridge, he abruptly halted his colossal, falling frame.
*Boom!*
A gale slammed into the earth, whipping up mounds of snow.
Luo Chen looked up at the sky in terror.
That electric arc definitely did not belong to any master; it was an innate manifestation born of heaven and earth.
Yet what on earth was it, to overpower even his Desolate Ancient Tier 3 physique that had been tempered by lightning?
That had been merely a single tiny arc!
Just then, a miraculous celestial spectacle came into view!
High across the nine heavens, dark clouds converged.
Across a thousand li, spiritual energy poured in reverse.
A massive inverted vortex was spinning wildly, carrying the terrifying momentum of world-ending destruction.
"Is this... a tribulation?" Luo Chen rasped with difficulty.
Evidently, the tribulation had reached its most critical juncture.
The lightning tribulation was about to descend!
The stray electric arc that had grazed him moments ago was unmistakably a stray wisp of heavenly tribulation power.
In the cultivation world, recorded tribulations were either human cultivators crossing the Nascent Soul Tribulation, or demon race powerhouses undergoing the Tier 4 Transformation Tribulation.
Yet deep within the Great Snow Mountain, where would a human come from...
"Wait?"
Focusing his Spirit Eye Art, Luo Chen could see across a thousand li.
Amidst the rolling ridges stretching for a thousand li, a fortress a thousand feet tall stood proudly.
Moonlight from the heavens, indifferent to the thunderclouds, shone down upon it with a soft, lustrous glow.
"That is..." Seeing this peculiar structure, a name surfaced in Luo Chen's mind. "The Moonlight Ice Fort?"
The sect-guarding treasure of the great Golden Core sect, the Ice Fort—a high-grade magic treasure known as the Moonlight Ice Fort.
Rumor had it that it could absorb the chilling frost of the moon to suppress an entire regional spirit vein.
*Why would the Ice Fort's sect-guarding treasure appear deep in the Great Snow Mountain?*
Amidst his bewilderment, Luo Chen channeled spiritual power continuously into his eyes, until the scene within the Moonlight Ice Fort was fully reflected in his pupils.
The fortress had nine stories.
On each level, a figure faintly appeared, and on the topmost level stood an individual whose silhouette Luo Chen could identify at a single glance.
"Canglong!"
The moment he recognized Canglong, a horrifying thought burst through his mind.
Master Canglong was undergoing a tribulation!
The Nascent Soul Tribulation!
Using the only Tier 4 spiritual land deep within the Great Snow Mountain, she was forcefully breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm!
*But does the White Bone Mysterious Snake not care?*
Just as the question crossed Luo Chen's mind, someone provided the answer.
"What audacity!"
A shrill voice pierced the boundless thunderclouds, rolling in from the far distance.
A single voice, echoing across a thousand li, left Luo Chen dizzy and disoriented.
For a moment, he could not even make out the scene beneath the thunderclouds.
Yet right in his ears, another aged voice suddenly rang out:
"Fellow Daoist White Bone, your viewing distance ends here!"
Chapter 447