333: Mad Blade Master

Jiang Donghua stood in the air, his green robe fluttering in the unique gloomy wind of the Ghost Soul Mountain Range.

The treasure seeking ruler in his hand was scalding hot, its tip pointing directly towards the area shrouded in distorted light and shadow deep within the mountain range, humming more urgently than ever before.

For the past half-month, although the ruler occasionally reacted, it only pointed to abandoned mines or ordinary ancient caves that had long since been plundered.

Such intense activity as today was a first.

"This place is indeed not simple."

He muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping downwards.

In just half a day, he had already sensed no less than ten auras of varying strengths passing from different directions, some openly, some stealthily, all converging towards the core area of the mountain range.

Dou Huang auras were common, and there were even a few subtle fluctuations that had already reached the Dou Zong level.

This dangerous place, once inhabited by magical beasts and rarely visited by humans, now seemed exceptionally lively.

The air was filled with a tense feeling, as if a storm was brewing.

Jiang Donghua restrained his aura, descending to a height of several feet above the ground, moving like a ghost through the forest, silently approaching the core area.

The further he went, the more obvious the signs of human activity became.

Some relatively flat valleys or woodlands had already been occupied by various forces, with temporary camps set up.

Banners fluttered, and clothing varied.

He saw a team of people, dressed in unified black and red tight-fitting attire, with a ferocious skull totem embroidered on their chests, exuding a murderous aura; these were the disciples of the local overlord, the Earth Fiend Sect.

The leader was a gloomy-faced old man whose aura had clearly reached Six-Star Dou Zong, presumably the Sect Master of the Earth Fiend Sect.

On the other side, a camp appeared orderly, with disciples all wearing moon-white long robes embroidered with flowing cloud patterns on their cuffs, exuding a cold demeanor.

These were people from the Profound Cloud Sect who were passing through this area.

The leader, a middle-aged beautiful woman, had an indifferent expression, with faint power of wind and thunder circulating around her, and her strength was also around Five-star Dou Zong.

These two forces were clearly the strongest presences on the surface here.

Besides them, there were also many smaller families, mercenary groups who had come upon hearing the news, and some solitary, sharp-eyed rogue cultivators, gathered in twos and threes, full of vigilance and caution towards each other.

Everyone's gaze was focused on the entrance of a valley several miles away.

There, the sky presented a bizarre sight: a huge energy vortex slowly rotated, stirring the clouds, and at the center of the vortex, a blurry but incomparably sharp giant blade-shaped phantom would flash in and out of existence.

Even from a great distance, one could feel that majestic blade intent, as if it could cleave the sky!

"The Mad Blade Venerable's relic is real after all!"

A rogue cultivator whispered excitedly.

"I heard that inside there are not only Earth Rank High Tier Dou Techniques, but also Mad Blade Venerable's insights on breaking through to Dou Zun!"

"Hmph, treasures are good, but you need to be alive to get them. Didn't you see that the Earth Fiend Sect and the Profound Cloud Sect have both arrived?"

The faint discussions confirmed Jiang Donghua's earlier suspicions.

The relic of a Dou Zun was enough to drive the entire northern border region into a frenzy.

Jiang Donghua found a secluded giant rock peak and gazed at the energy vortex from afar.

He could feel a powerful ancient restriction covering the valley entrance; although the power of the restriction had weakened over time, it was still extraordinary and definitely not something an ordinary Dou Zong could forcibly break through.

"It seems everyone is waiting for the restriction to be at its weakest."

He understood in his heart and was not in a hurry, like an experienced hunter, patiently waiting for the opportunity.

However, the tree desired stillness, but the wind would not cease.

His solitary and extraordinary demeanor eventually attracted attention.

Several disciples of the Earth Fiend Sect, led by a Dou Huang Elder, were arrogantly clearing the area, driving some weaker rogue cultivators to the outer regions.

One of the disciples, with a scarred face, saw Jiang Donghua standing alone on the rock peak, composed, and found it very displeasing, so he shouted sharply.

"Hey! You kid! I'm talking to you! This place has been designated as a forbidden area by my Earth Fiend Sect, so all unauthorized personnel, get out immediately!"

As he spoke, he directly sent a palm strike imbued with strong wind from a distance, intending to force Jiang Donghua off the rock.

Jiang Donghua frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in his heart.

He did not turn around, nor did he use his Dou Qi; he merely glanced at the disciple with a faint look.

In his eyes, a trace of Spirit Realm Soul pressure, like a cold needle tip, silently pierced into the opponent's mind.

The disciple's arrogant expression instantly froze, replaced by extreme fear.

He seemed to see a towering deity looking down at him indifferently, his soul trembling!

The palm strike he had sent out instantly disintegrated, and he himself felt as if he had been heavily struck, letting out a muffled groan, his face pale as he stumbled back several steps, falling onto the ground, drenched in cold sweat.

The Dou Huang Elder leading the team was greatly alarmed; he hadn't even seen how the opponent had attacked!

He quickly went forward to help the disciple up, looking at Jiang Donghua's back with suspicion and uncertainty, not daring to offend him further, and quickly retreated with his people, looking crestfallen.

This insignificant interlude, however, fell into the eyes of the Sect Master of the Earth Fiend Sect and the beautiful woman Elder of the Profound Cloud Sect in the distance.

Both of their eyes narrowed, and their gazes towards Jiang Donghua became more scrutinizing and solemn.

"This person is not simple."

The beautiful woman from the Profound Cloud Sect whispered to the disciple beside her.

Jiang Donghua seemed oblivious to the gazes behind him; he still stood there quietly, the mountain wind rustling his clothes.

The treasure seeking ruler continued to heat up in his sleeve, pointing towards the valley where the blade intent soared into the sky.

"Mad Blade Venerable, let me see what you have left behind in your relic."