The "few days" Zhengguan had spoken of turned out to be far more than just a few.
After waiting for over half a month, the time to enter Mount Mijie finally arrived.
On this day, Cave Master Minglei came to the front of Luo Chen's cave abode and waited quietly.
Before long, the cave entrance unsealed, and Luo Chen's unusually tall figure stepped out.
Upon seeing Luo Chen, Cave Master Minglei could not help but speak: "The world truly has changed!"
Luo Chen looked at him and smiled. "You only just realized it?"
Cave Master Minglei gave a bitter smile. "Having grown accustomed to the precarious life of a rogue cultivator, I rarely cultivate when out on my own. Even when I occasionally do, it is merely scratching the surface, nowhere near deep enough to truly feel that sensation. Over the past half month, I tried to enter deep cultivation, only to find my Nascent Soul growing exceedingly restless, fleeing my Purple Mansion before I even realized it. If I hadn't been prepared beforehand, I fear it would have been lost between heaven and earth."
Luo Chen nodded. This experience was practically identical to his own.
The only difference was likely that the barriers of his Purple Mansion far exceeded those of ordinary men; they not only provided formidable defense against the outside world, but could also lock down his own Nascent Soul.
This was probably one of the advantages that gradually became prominent for a cultivator with five spiritual roots as their cultivation grew deeper.
Cave Master Minglei sighed. "In the past, I used to complain that Wind Thunder Gorge's spirit vein was too deficient to sustain my cultivation beyond the Nascent Soul realm. Looking at it now, having a poorer vein has its own advantages!"
"Perhaps that was part of the reason Feng Buyan set his sights on your Wind Thunder Gorge as well?" Luo Chen guessed.
Cave Master Minglei hummed in agreement.
The environment of Wind Thunder Gorge was harsh, its earthly qi chaotic beyond measure.
Although it possessed a spirit vein, it was broken and discontinuous throughout; its sole fourth-order spirit aperture was barely enough to support the cultivation of a single Nascent Soul True Person.
Under normal circumstances, it would be considered an abysmal cultivation site.
Yet in today's Southern Border, amid these drastic cataclysms, it had instead become an exceptional, unaffected haven.
"Let us go," Luo Chen said faintly, heading toward the City Lord's Estate.
The entrance to Mount Mijie was hidden inside the very estate overseen by Daoist Zhengguan.
Cave Master Minglei followed by his side, mentioning some recent developments along the way.
More and more experts were arriving at Jiu'ai Immortal City, in numbers that exceeded expectations.
From the initial six or seven, the gathering had steadily swelled to over a dozen.
Such a terrifying number left people feeling uneasy.
Luo Chen, however, thought nothing of it.
From the Eastern Desolation to the Northern Sea, and then to the Central Plains and the Southern Border, he had seen too many colossal factions.
A lineup of a dozen Nascent Soul True Persons sounded formidable, but in the end, they were nothing more than a loose heap of sand.
Back at Molan Pavilion, when the Moluo Stream and the Canghai Righteous Path Alliance convened, the number of Nascent Soul experts was no less than this. At the height of the great battle at Lingtian Pass, the numbers had far exceeded it.
Not to mention the great sacred grounds.
The truly terrifying element was not the quantity of Nascent Soul cultivators in Jiu'ai Immortal City, but the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance!
If they could unify these experts and twist them into a single cord, then the Southern Border would see the rise of another super-faction—
a super-faction capable of challenging the Gate of Life and Death.
"No, it's still missing something."
Luo Chen pursed his lips. To contend against a sacred ground, one had to possess top-tier combat strength on par with a Soul Formation mighty figure.
Thus, the confidence emboldening the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance to provoke the Gate of Life and Death certainly could not rest solely on these recruited Nascent Soul cultivators.
"Then where does their true reliance lie?"
Harboring these varied thoughts, the two soon reached the City Lord's Estate.
Daoist Zhengguan's disciple, Hu Jin, personally came out to receive them. He guided them through twists and turns within the estate, finally stopping outside an unassuming, ordinary grand hall.
[Chengjun Hall]
Luo Chen gazed at the plaque hanging over the hall and murmured silently.
Only then did he notice the other people waiting outside the hall.
There were thirteen of them in total, every single one a Nascent Soul expert!
Bei Puti, the Left Emissary of the Luo Cult whom he had met before, was also among them.
Right at that moment, Cave Master Minglei beside him bristled like an alarmed cat, his domain suddenly bursting forth.
Another domain, neither purely righteous nor wholly demonic, crashed forward simultaneously.
The instant the two made contact,
the sound of wind and thunder abruptly erupted across the level plaza.
Boom!
Cave Master Minglei staggered back, glaring venomously at the newcomer.
"It's you!"
A white-robed monk adorned with faint specks of blood-red plum blossoms held one hand upright before his chest. Though seemingly placid, his eyes brimmed with feral malice.
"You dare step out of Wind Thunder Gorge?"
As he spoke, that domain—part demonic, part Buddhist—bore down once more.
Cave Master Minglei's expression shifted slightly. Inside Wind Thunder Gorge, he feared no one, but once outside it, he was merely an ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator.
Facing this fiend who was both demon and monk, he was truly no match.
Just as he gritted his teeth, preparing to fight back, a tall figure suddenly appeared before him, shielding him behind.
A single step!
Luo Chen took merely one step forward and blocked it all.
No matter how violently the white-robed monk's domain surged or how immense his aura was, Luo Chen stood like a stubborn reef, planted immovably before the torrential flood.
"Enough!"
The white-robed monk's pupils constricted. "Qi Tian, Minglei conspired with Feng Buyan to ambush me! Are you going to stick your neck out for him now?"
Luo Chen said disdainfully, "Ning Yuzhuo, if you wish to die right now, this lord doesn't mind obliging you."
These words were spoken with immense arrogance, as if taking his life were something he could do on a mere whim.
The spectating Nascent Soul cultivators around them could not help but look at Luo Chen in surprise.
The Nascent Soul domain emitted by the white-robed monk Ning Yuzhuo was exceptionally potent, well above that of an average early Nascent Soul cultivator.
One could see this clearly from how Cave Master Minglei was forced into an immediate disadvantage during their domain clash.
Yet who would have thought that Luo Chen, keeping a low profile, would remain entirely unaffected?
Not only that, but in his speech, he treated the other man as nothing at all.
Just what realm could this black-armored man named "Qi Tian" possess?
Among the crowd, acquainted Nascent Soul cultivators began whispering among themselves.
"The name Qi Tian sounds a bit unfamiliar, yet faintly recognizable."
"With such overbearing arrogance and that disdainful gaze, could he be that rumored Baxiu Qi Tian?"
"The Baxiu who fought the Shadow Reflection Sect's two Nascent Soul True Persons, killing one and sending the other fleeing?"
"It must be him!"
"Rumor has it his body refinement skills are in no way inferior to those of us Nascent Soul experts, and even the Luo Cult's Left Emissary speaks highly of him. Looking at him now, he truly has remarkable attainment!"
"Body refinement? Is anyone still walking that path? Leaving aside how body refinement has declined, after undergoing the Calamity of the Demonic Heart, almost no Southern Border cultivators are willing to refine their bodies!"
The one who spoke this last sentence was the leader of a major sect.
His cultivation was not particularly high, but his knowledge was broad.
After uttering those words, he noticed a gaze sweep over him, yet when he tried to trace it, the presence had vanished without a trace.
Finally, his eyes settled onto Luo Chen.
"Could he have been the one watching me just now?"
"While locked in domain confrontation with Ning Yuzhuo, he actually had the spare capacity to pay attention to our murmurs?"
Setting aside their chatter,
under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ning Yuzhuo found himself in a rather awkward predicament, riding a tiger with no way to dismount.
Across from him, Luo Chen bared his teeth in a fierce smile and was about to take a step forward.
Right at that moment—
*Creak, creak, creak...*
The palace doors, which seemed to weigh tens of thousands of jin, slowly opened.
Daoist Zhengguan's figure appeared before everyone.
At first glance, his gaze fell directly upon Luo Chen and Ning Yuzhuo locked in standoff.
With a flick of the whisk in his hand, a gentle power cleaved between the two, dispelling the tense pressure of their impasse.
Knowing when to quit, Ning Yuzhuo pulled his Nascent Soul domain back into his body like a receding tide.
"Hmph!"
Luo Chen gave a cold snort and did not bother to strike.
Daoist Zhengguan draped his whisk across his forearm and smiled. "If you come to blows inside the city, this poor Daoist might turn a blind eye. But once we enter Mount Mijie shortly, I advise you all not to resort to arms."
The words were spoken with a smile, yet everyone could hear the clear warning behind them.
The crowd voiced their agreement one after another.
"Thank you for the guidance, Fellow Daoist."
"Mount Mijie is overseen by Songyang Zhenren; how could we dare act presumptuously? Fellow Daoist Zheng worries too much."
"We wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare!"
Daoist Zhengguan looked toward Luo Chen with a smile.
The domineering man held his hands behind his back and curved his lips.
"I, Qi, am no reckless brute. Had Ning Yuzhuo not crossed my friend, this lord would not have bothered getting rough with him."
"That is well!"
Daoist Zhengguan nodded, then raised his whisk.
"Everyone, please!"
One figure after another filed inside, passing through the grand doors of Chengjun Hall.
Upon stepping inside,
expressions of astonishment surfaced on their faces.
A vortex-like portal was slowly rotating in the center of the grand hall.
Formation flags all around fluttered noisily, while formation patterns gleamed across the floor and ceiling.
Dense spiritual energy was constantly dragged into it and ground to pieces.
"A spatial pathway!"
With just a single glance, Luo Chen recognized the structure of this swirling portal.
Strictly speaking, it was not a spatial pathway.
It was a spatial rift!
After being modified by a powerful expert using formations, it had been widened just enough to barely permit a person to pass through.
This technique was neither profound nor delicate, falling far short of the teleportation formation used to enter Mingzhaotian in the Land of the Fallen Demon, and likewise inferior to the super-teleportation formation on Mount Cangwu.
Yet behind its crude nature lay raw practicality.
"The Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance has adept formation masters of its own!"
As Luo Chen muttered to himself, Daoist Zhengguan was issuing reminders beside them.
"The Xumi Pathway is not stable, so it can only be opened periodically.
"Upon entry, I will shield everyone with a special magical treasure. However, in case my protection fails to cover you in time, everyone should still do their utmost to defend themselves.
"Once through this Xumi Pathway, you will be at Mount Mijie."
As he spoke, he took out an ordination talisman and channeled a thread of magic power into it. Writing shimmered on the talisman, which then manifested over a dozen large characters for "Protect," descending over everyone.
Though hesitant, the cultivators allowed the spiritual light of the "Protect" characters to envelop them.
All except one.
"Fellow Daoist Qi?" Daoist Zhengguan asked, puzzled.
Luo Chen merely smiled. Then, to everyone's astonishment, he took a step forward and strode directly into the Xumi Pathway.
Once his figure vanished, an uproar erupted in the hall.
"He's seeking death!"
"That Xumi Pathway conceals the power of spatial laceration! Who dares touch it?"
"He didn't even put up a magic power barrier, yet he just sauntered right in like that?"
"Far too arrogant! Even if he has tricks up his sleeve, this old man has never seen someone so flamboyant. How on earth has he lived this long?"
Daoist Zhengguan furrowed his brows and cut them short.
"Let us go!"
Unfurling his talisman, he enveloped the crowd, and together they stepped into the Xumi Pathway.
……
Inside the pathway.
Luo Chen guarded his mind closely, extending his divine sense to its absolute limit.
Not only that, but his Scarlet Eyes and Golden Pupils had long since been activated.
Those people were not wrong: the Xumi Pathway indeed harbored the power of spatial laceration.
Yet compared to the chaotic spatial rifts above the Netherworld Abyss, this was far more orderly.
Surrounded by it, he relied on his past experience studying the emergence and fading of spatial rifts to steer clear of perilous spots, allowing the immense spiritual energy to carry him toward the finish.
Naturally, there were still places he could not catch in time during this transit.
Yet relying on his formidable physique, he was well able to resist the stray wisps of cutting force.
"If I ever have another chance to battle Qingshuang in the future, things like spatial pathways or rifts are my finest subjects to study and counter her.
"So how could I pass up an opportunity to experience it firsthand?"
Murmuring to himself, Luo Chen focused his attention to the utter extreme.
……
Inside the Xumi Pavilion.
A purple-robed Daoist sat cross-legged, his expression wooden.
Inside, however, his thoughts were quite lively.
"I wonder how many fellow Daoists will join the Zombie Alliance this time to wage war on the Gate of Life and Death?
"Hopefully someone capable will show up, not just more small fry and rotten fish."
Nascent Soul True Persons, revered as lofty figures in the outside world, were dismissed as mere small fry and rotten fish in this man's mouth—an appalling claim.
Yet he truly had the standing to say so.
His status as the Supreme Elder of the Purple Blood Cult, his cultivation at the fifth layer of the Nascent Soul realm, and even his battle record of personally slaying a Nascent Soul True Person of the Gate of Life and Death—everything about him gave him cause to look down upon ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators.
This time, having him receive the newcomers was not a trivial chore, but a demonstration of intimidation.
The title of Marquis Ziyi resonated loudly throughout the Southern Border.
While he was muttering to himself, a disturbance suddenly swept through the Xumi Pavilion.
Ripples slowly spread across space.
Marquis Ziyi looked up. "Are they here?"
In the next moment!
The ripples turned into surging waves, rolling in all directions.
*Ch-ch-ch-ch...*
A vast expanse of mountain timber snapped and shattered, the cross-sections cleaved glassy smooth.
Marquis Ziyi's expression changed slightly, and he cursed under his breath, "What is Zhengguan doing? How did he cause such a massive commotion?"
Cursing, he scrambled backward in disarray.
Spatial fluctuations of this magnitude were not something he dared face head-on.
Suddenly.
A figure materialized, twisting into view from the whirlpool.
Thud!
Like a falling meteorite, the figure crashed heavily onto the ground, treating the spatial ripples behind him as nothing.
A pair of eyes gleaming with golden light cast a glance at Marquis Ziyi before turning around and looking up toward the mountainside.
"Is this Mount Xumi?"
What met his eyes was not particularly towering, appearing somewhat compact.
Yet amid the shadowy, overlapping layers, it seemed as if countless worlds were coalescing within.
This was the phenomenon of spatial overlap!
Behind him, Marquis Ziyi's pupils constricted, and he barked sharply, "Who goes there? Why have you forced your way into Mount Mijie?"
"Forced my way?"
Luo Chen chuckled softly.
Before he could explain, faint spatial ripples spread out behind him.
Then, one figure after another manifested.
The moment Daoist Zhengguan landed, he looked straight at Luo Chen.
"Fellow Daoist Qi, are you unhurt?"
The others also looked over with curiosity.
When they saw Luo Chen standing completely unscathed, every single one of them sucked in a cold breath.
Under the protection of Zhengguan's magical treasure, they had passed through the Xumi Pathway safe and sound, yet deep within it, they had still felt the omnipresent danger.
One could easily imagine that crossing the Xumi Pathway personally without the protection of a treasure would surely demand a steep price.
They never imagined that Luo Chen would not have a single scratch on him.
Only now did Marquis Ziyi realize that Luo Chen had not forced his way in; he had merely stepped through ahead of the rest.
The realization left him even more shocked.
"Zhengguan, who is this man?"
Hearing his voice, the others finally shifted their attention to the purple-robed Daoist.
Someone who recognized him blurted out immediately:
"Marquis Ziyi!"
Supreme Elder of the Southern Border's great sect, the Purple Blood Cult!
This identity stirred a collective gasp.
Even an expert of this caliber had quietly joined the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance?
Yet Marquis Ziyi paid no heed to their shock.
He only wanted to know who this man was—this man who had walked out of the spatial disturbance relying purely on the strength of his flesh.
"He is the Baxiu, Qi Tian!" Zhengguan introduced.
Marquis Ziyi's brow twitched, and his wooden face broke into a trace of fervor.
This was truly a powerhouse, a worthy adversary!
Luo Chen, however, paid him no mind, already taking strides toward Mount Xumi.
Chapter 946