285: Chapter 284 Western Desert

Deep within Ice Sword Mountain, in the Forbidden Ground of the Mystic Ice Sword Sect, Jiang Hanzhou did not have the qualifications to enter.

He stood on the ice steps outside the Forbidden Ground, watching the stone door carved with ancient runes slowly open. Teng Qinghan's white figure disappeared into the darkness behind the stone door. Sealed within the Forbidden Ground was the dao seed source that the Mystic Ice Sword Sect had guarded for generations, as well as the core of the teleportation Formation left in the Northern Territory by the Innate One Qi Sect. That was a secret the Mystic Ice Sword Sect had never revealed to outsiders for a thousand years; only successive Sect Masters and their designated heirs were qualified to enter.

Teng Qinghan had received Perfected Lord Bingxuan's permission to enter the Forbidden Ground and retrieve the core rune of the Northern Territory's teleportation Formation.

Jiang Hanzhou waited for three days and three nights.

He did not leave the ice steps, simply sitting cross-legged on the cold rock with the tiger soul saber across his knees, using Pure Yang True Intent to resist the bone-chilling wind. His cultivation had already stabilized at the Late Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm. After reaching the seventh rank of his fate, his control over the four types of True Intent had become more harmonious, and the power of his Dao-Slaying Blade Intent had also risen to another level. But he knew this was not enough. Dragon Slaying True Person's thousand-year term was drawing closer, and the dao seeds across the five regions were maturing one after another. He had to collect the cores of the five teleportation Formations as quickly as possible to completely close off Dragon Slaying True Person's path to Rebirth.

At dusk three days later, the stone door of the Forbidden Ground opened once again.

Teng Qinghan walked out from behind the stone door, her face pale and a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of her mouth. Her white robes were covered in ice shards, and there was a wound at the cuff of her left sleeve torn by some kind of power, through which a golden light could be seen faintly flowing. In her hand, she held an ice-blue rune the size of a fist. The rune was hexagonal, its surface engraved with dense ancient Seal scripts that flickered slightly in the twilight, emitting a ghostly cold ice-blue light.

Jiang Hanzhou stood up, walked to her, and took the rune from her hand. The moment the rune touched his hand, an indescribable power surged from it, flowing along his Meridians into his Dantian and resonating with the Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu Mother. The Gu Mother trembled slightly in his Dantian, letting out a low hum as if welcoming a power from the same source.

“Senior Sister Teng, you're injured.” Jiang Hanzhou took out a healing Medicinal Pill from his sumeru pouch and handed it to Teng Qinghan.

Teng Qinghan took the pill and swallowed it, a hint of color returning to her pale face. She looked at Jiang Hanzhou, a faint smile touching the corners of her mouth. “The Seal in the Forbidden Ground was stronger than I imagined. I suffered a bit of backlash while retrieving the rune. It's no matter.”

She took out a Jade Slip from her sleeve and handed it to Jiang Hanzhou. “Perfected Lord Bingxuan asked me to pass this to you. It contains the Mystic Ice Sword Sect's thousand years of research on the teleportation Formation cores, as well as the method to sense the five cores. Once all five cores are gathered, using the power of the Divine Soul to activate them simultaneously can completely close Dragon Slaying True Person's path to Rebirth and also allow free travel between the five regions.”

Jiang Hanzhou took the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense. The Jade Slip was densely packed with records of the Formation's structure, the arrangement of runes, the paths of energy flow, and the frequencies at which the five cores resonated with each other. He spent a full hour committing all that information to memory.

Then, he put the ice-blue rune into his sumeru pouch, turned around, and looked toward the ice plains beneath Ice Sword Mountain.

“Senior Sister Teng, how is the East Sea now?”

Teng Qinghan was silent for a moment before she spoke slowly, her voice carrying a hint of gravity. “After Wei Wuya fled back to the East Sea, he used the power of Dragon Slaying True Person's remnant soul to seize control of Dragon Abyss Palace with lightning-fast methods. He consolidated the remaining followers of Heavenly Sword Peak and colluded with the Southern Border branch of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect. Using the dao seeds as leverage, he forced the Elders of various Peaks to submit. Elder Master Xue Mu and Great Elder Xuanjizi have been hindered at every turn; although they are still resisting, they have already lost control over most areas of Dragon Abyss Palace.”

She paused and said word by word, “Elder Master Xue Mu has been looking for you. He sent people to search every island in the East Sea, infiltrated the Silver Wing Family's territory in the Storm Kingdom, and even risked entering the Ten Thousand Gu Sect's Southern Border branch. But he doesn't know you are in the Northern Territory, much less that you have already cracked the dao seed and your cultivation has recovered to the Late Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm.”

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils contracted slightly. He didn't speak, only tightening his grip on the tiger soul saber at his waist. The dark golden patterns on the blade flickered slightly in the twilight, and the sentience within the saber transmitted a feeling of worry, as if asking him, 'Master, are we going back to the East Sea?'

He did not answer.

Because he knew now was not the time to return. Wei Wuya had control of Dragon Abyss Palace, and Master Xue Mu and Xuanjizi were being hindered; the East Sea had become Dragon Slaying True Person's territory. If he went back, he would only be walking into a trap. He needed to first collect the cores of the five teleportation Formations, completely close Dragon Slaying True Person's path to Rebirth, and then return to work with Master Xue Mu from the inside and outside to kill Wei Wuya and destroy Dragon Abyss Palace's dao seed source.

“Senior Sister Teng,” he spoke, his voice calm, “how strong is Dragon Slaying True Person's remnant soul now?”

Teng Qinghan shook her head. “I don't know. But with her Peak Spirit Communication Realm cultivation, Perfected Lord Bingxuan sensed that the Seal in the Northern Territory's dao seed source is rapidly loosening. She said that if Dragon Slaying True Person's remnant soul fully awakens, he will be at least in the Supernatural Realm, or possibly even higher. At that time, no one in the five regions of the world will be able to stop him.”

Jiang Hanzhou fell silent.

The Supernatural Realm. That was a Realm that stood above Dragon Elephant Mutual Harmony, the threshold where Mortals touched the divine. With his current cultivation, he wouldn't even be able to withstand a single blow from Dragon Slaying True Person in the Supernatural Realm.

But he felt no fear, only a quiet, unshakable determination.

“How many of the dao seeds in the five regions have matured?”

“Perfected Lord Bingxuan says at least thirty percent of the dao seeds in the Northern Territory have matured.” Teng Qinghan's voice carried a hint of ill-concealed worry. “The situation in the Southern Border and Western Desert is even more serious; it's said to have exceeded fifty percent. The Central Plains has the dragon pulse of the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty suppressing them, so the dao seeds there are maturing the slowest, but even so, it's around twenty percent. I'm not clear on the situation in the East Sea, but since Wei Wuya dared to take control of Dragon Abyss Palace, it suggests the maturity of the dao seeds there shouldn't be low.”

Jiang Hanzhou nodded. He took out the dark red Jade Slip he had scavenged from the Black Witch Cult's headquarters, probed it with his Divine Sense, and brought up the map of the five teleportation Formation core locations recorded by Master Kurong.

The East Sea's core was at the bottom of the Dragon-Locking Abyss in Dragon Abyss Palace. The place where he had once fallen, the deepest part of that abyss covered in Formation Plate fragments.

The Northern Territory's core was in the ice-blue rune within his sumeru pouch.

The Southern Border's core was at the Ten Thousand Gu Sect headquarters.

The Western Desert's core was at the Esoteric Sect's Great Leiyin Temple.

The Central Plains' core was at the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty's Ancestral Temple.

Of the five cores, he already had the one from the Northern Territory. The East Sea's core was at the bottom of the Dragon-Locking Abyss, the place where he had fallen, so he knew its specific location. The cores of the Southern Border and Western Desert were in the territories of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect and the Esoteric Sect; with his current cultivation, the risk of infiltrating those places to seize the cores was immense. The Central Plains' core was in the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty's Ancestral Temple, a Forbidden Ground guarded by the Great Qi royal family for generations that outsiders simply could not approach.

He needed to choose his next target.

He couldn't return to the East Sea. Wei Wuya must also be searching for the core at the bottom of the Dragon-Locking Abyss. If he went back, it was highly likely he would run into Wei Wuya's people or even fall into a trap.

The Southern Border was too far, and the Ten Thousand Gu Sect was too strong. With his current cultivation, infiltrating the Ten Thousand Gu Sect headquarters held almost no possibility of survival.

The Central Plains was suppressed by the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty's dragon pulse, and the core was heavily guarded; outsiders simply could not get near it.

The Western Desert. The Esoteric Sect's Great Leiyin Temple. The martial arts system of the Western Desert was different from both the East Sea and the Northern Territory. The Buddhist cultivators of the Esoteric Sect followed a path of 'Body Refining, Mind Cultivation, and Attaining Fruition,' which was distinctly different from the spiritual opportunity and True Intent of the East Sea or the blood-qi witch-martial arts of the Northern Territory. However, the Esoteric Sect had origins connecting it to the Innate One Qi Sect, and it was highly likely that the core rune of the teleportation Formation was hidden within Great Leiyin Temple.

Moreover, the Western Desert was relatively close to the Northern Territory. By crossing the ice plains west of the Mystic Ice Vast Sea and then traversing the Flame Mountains of the Western Desert, he could enter the Esoteric Sect's territory.

“Senior Sister Teng,” he spoke, his voice calm, “I am going to the Western Desert.”

Teng Qinghan's brows furrowed sharply. “The Western Desert? The Esoteric Sect's Great Leiyin Temple? You're going to take the Western Desert's core?”

Jiang Hanzhou nodded. “I must gather all five region cores. I cannot return to the East Sea, the Southern Border is too far, and the Central Plains is too strong. The Western Desert is the only choice.”

Teng Qinghan was silent for a long time. Then, she took out an ice-blue jade talisman from her sleeve and handed it to Jiang Hanzhou.

“This is a communication talisman of the Mystic Ice Sword Sect; it can directly contact me and Perfected Lord Bingxuan.” Her voice was cold, yet it contained an indescribable concern. “The Western Desert is not the Northern Territory. The Buddhist cultivators of the Esoteric Sect are extremely wary of outsiders. Going alone is too dangerous.”

Jiang Hanzhou took the communication talisman and put it in his sumeru pouch. “I will be careful.”

Teng Qinghan looked at him, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn't speak. She simply turned around and walked toward the Mystic Ice Hall on Ice Sword Mountain.

After a few steps, she suddenly stopped and said without turning her head, “Junior Brother Jiang, Yuzhi is waiting for you in the East Sea. She has been looking for you and has never given up.”

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils contracted slightly. He didn't speak, only nodding his head.

Teng Qinghan's figure disappeared at the end of the ice steps.

Jiang Hanzhou stood on the ice cliff, looking at the boundless Mystic Ice Vast Sea beneath his feet. On the ice plains, the blizzard was howling, and the frozen sea surface reflected a ghostly cold light in the twilight. In the distance, the outline of the Permafrost Mountains was faintly visible; deep within the mountains, the ruins of the Black Witch Cult's headquarters had already been covered by ice and snow, leaving no trace.

He took out the ice-blue rune from his sumeru pouch and held it in his palm. The rune flickered slightly in the cold wind, emitting a low hum. He probed the rune with his Divine Sense, resonating with the power of the Northern Territory's core.

The rune lit up, its ice-blue light illuminating the entire ice cliff as if it were day. Within the light, a series of images slowly emerged: at the bottom of the Dragon-Locking Abyss in the East Sea's Dragon Abyss Palace, a crimson-gold rune lay dormant in the deepest part of the abyss; in the gu pool of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect's headquarters in the Southern Border, a dark purple rune was entwined by countless Gu insects; at the top of a Buddhist pagoda in the Western Desert's Great Leiyin Temple, a golden-yellow rune slowly flowed within Buddhist light; and in the dragon pulse spring of the Ancestral Temple of the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty in the Central Plains, a verdant green rune was interwoven with the power of the dragon pulse.

Five cores, five pillars of light, interwoven in the image into a vast Formation map. In the center of the map, the phantom of Dragon Slaying True Person sat cross-legged, five-colored radiance flowing around his body, his eyes tightly closed as if sleeping, yet also as if waiting.

The image dissipated.

Jiang Hanzhou put the rune back into his sumeru pouch, gripped the tiger soul saber, and turned to walk down Ice Sword Mountain.

His pace was steady, each step on the ice steps producing a crisp sound. The tiger soul saber at his waist vibrated slightly, the dark golden patterns on the blade flickering in the twilight as if guiding his way.

He walked down Ice Sword Mountain and stepped onto the ice plains of the Mystic Ice Vast Sea. The blizzard howled around him, and ice crystals struck his face, leaving fine scratches. But he did not stop, simply pushing his Pure Yang True Intent to its limit to isolate the cold from his body, walking step by step toward the Western Desert.

Teng Qinghan stood on the ice steps in front of the Mystic Ice Hall, watching that figure grow more distant on the ice plains, silent for a long time. Perfected Lord Bingxuan walked to her side and stood with her hands behind her back, no expression visible on her aged face.

“He will return.” Perfected Lord Bingxuan's voice was calm. “The fate within his body ensures he is not destined to die in the Western Desert.”

Teng Qinghan did not speak, only watching the figure disappear into the blizzard.

On the ice plains, Jiang Hanzhou's pace grew faster. Wave-Treading Step left a string of shallow footprints on the ice, which were quickly covered by the blizzard, leaving no trace.

He crossed the ice plains on the western side of the Mystic Ice Vast Sea and traversed the Flame Mountains that bordered the Western Desert and the Northern Territory. The Flame Mountains were year-round covered in volcanic ash, the air filled with the smell of sulfur, a stark contrast to the cold of the Northern Territory. He walked for seven days and seven nights in the Flame Mountains, hunting two fire lizards at the Early Stage of the Soul Condensation Realm, using their essence blood to temper his Heavenly Fire True Intent and allowing the intent to find new vitality in the scorching environment of the Western Desert.

Ten days later, he stood on the border of the Western Desert, looking at the boundless yellow sand and Gobi desert ahead.

The Western Desert was not just a desert, but a land where the Gobi and oases were interwoven. On the Gobi, nothing grew, only weathered rocks and dried-up riverbeds. Within the oases, life flourished with clear spring water and dense euphrates poplar forests. Scattered between the Gobi and the oases were countless Buddhist temples and pagodas, the cultivation grounds for the Esoteric Sect's Buddhist cultivators.

Great Leiyin Temple was in the deepest part of the Western Desert, said to be the place where the first ancestor of the Esoteric Sect attained Buddhahood, and it was the Holy Land for Western Desert Buddhist cultivators. Jiang Hanzhou did not know if the teleportation Formation core was there, nor if the Buddhist cultivators of the Esoteric Sect would allow him to enter Great Leiyin Temple. But he had to go, for it was his only hope.

He stepped onto the Western Desert's Gobi and walked toward Great Leiyin Temple.

The pass at the southernmost end of the Mystic Ice Vast Sea was the dividing line between the Northern Territory and the Western Desert.

Jiang Hanzhou stood on the rocks of the pass, taking one last look at the ice plains behind him. The cold wind of the Northern Territory blew from the depths of the plains, carrying the scent of ice and snow into his collar. The distant Permafrost Mountains were faintly visible in the twilight, the snow on the Peaks reflecting a piercing silver-white light under the last rays of the sun. At the foot of the mountains, the White Deer Tribe's camp had shrunk to a blurry little dot; he couldn't see the tents or the cooking smoke, only the white flag in the center of the camp snapping in the wind.

He had stayed in the Northern Territory for nearly two months. In these two months, he had gone from a stranded Cultivator with sealed cultivation and life-threatening injuries to once again standing at the Peak of the Late Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm. He had found the core rune of the Northern Territory's teleportation Formation, destroyed the Black Witch Cult's dao seed cultivation base, killed Master Kurong, made a deal with the Ice Flood Dragon King of the Vast Sea Dragon Palace, and gained the trust and support of the Mystic Ice Sword Sect through Teng Qinghan.

But all of that was in the past. The road ahead was his true battlefield.

His right hand pressed on the hilt of the tiger soul saber at his waist, the dark golden patterns on the blade flickering slightly in the cold wind. The sentience within the saber transmitted a calm emotion, not tense as it had been in the Northern Territory, but a steady, quiet waiting for the moment to be unsheathed. It knew its master was going not to an ice plain or a snowy region, but to a completely foreign land.

The Western Desert.