141: Beiyuan Mountains! Can I call you Sister Yan?

As Ye Hangzhou formed hand seals, spatial fluctuations began to emanate from beneath Li Shengyuan and Yue Xiyan's feet.

With a flash of light, their figures vanished from the courtyard.

After their departure, no one in the entire Shanhai Pass, except for a few individuals, knew of it.

Many of the city's defending generals and powerful cultivators from various sects all believed that Li Shengyuan was in seclusion, attempting a breakthrough.

As long as he was there, defending Shanhai Pass would surely not be an issue.

They were all anticipating what level his strength would reach once he emerged from seclusion.

Li Mu and the others in the courtyard watched Li Shengyuan's departing back for a long time without moving.

Li Mu was the first to recover, smiling at his wife Wenren Qingxuan and the other women, saying,

"Alright, Shengyuan has left, so we should also get busy with our own affairs."

"Don't worry about him. That kid is so strong, I even suspect that a second-rank cultivator wouldn't be his match."

Wenren Qingxuan and the others forced a smile. While his words were true, how could they not worry?

Li Mu didn't try to persuade them further, as he himself felt a bit uncertain.

He cupped his hands and thanked Chief Ye, "Chief Ye, I'll trouble you to control the city's protective array during this period!"

"Mm."

Chief Ye nodded calmly. The next instant, his figure vanished directly from the Li Manor's courtyard.

Li Mu left the women at home and flew towards the city defense tower of Shanhai Pass.

For a time, no beast tide appeared, nor did the Demon Barbarians show themselves.

Shanhai Pass seemed to have fallen into the calm before a storm.

...

At the same time, spatial fluctuations emerged from a certain ice plain in the Far North.

The next moment, two figures, one male and one female, appeared there.

It was Li Shengyuan and Yue Xiyan.

As soon as they appeared, a biting cold wind swept over them, striking their faces like steel blades.

Even though the Central Plains of Great Gan was only entering autumn, the Far North was already covered in ice and snow.

This kind of living environment was simply not suitable for ordinary humans.

Li Shengyuan and Yue Xiyan took out the magic artifacts they had prepared earlier, first concealing their auras, and then shielding themselves from the cold wind.

Ordinary high temperatures and extreme cold could not affect third-rank cultivators, but the cold air and biting wind of the Far North were different from other places.

According to the 'Great Gan Geographical Records':

All the cold air and wind in the Far North erupted from the North Pole. The closer one traveled towards the pole, the stronger the cold air and wind became. At a certain depth, even third-rank cultivators could not stay for long.

Only during the height of summer, due to the presence of the sun, would the cold air and wind emanating from the North Pole weaken significantly.

Staying in the Far North for too long could even affect one's strength.

For example, Li Shengyuan's Pure Yang Qi would inevitably be suppressed and weakened by the cold energy of heaven and earth in this place.

However, the Ice Soul Wolf King and Ice Dragon King that appeared previously would be in their element here, gaining a significant increase in strength.

Therefore, necessary protection was still required.

As he rummaged through the items Chief Ye had prepared for them, Li Shengyuan's eyes lit up, and he said with some surprise,

"This guy Ye Hangzhou prepared quite thoroughly!"

"Besides the magic artifacts for use in the Far North, he actually brought the Locking Demon Tower, and there's also a teleportation array disc. Not bad, not bad..."

The Ice Dragon King in the Locking Demon Tower was nowhere to be seen. Presumably, Chief Ye had already dismembered it for alchemy and artifact refining...

Playing with the teleportation array disc in his hand, Li Shengyuan's face was full of smiles. This was a good item.

Although it was a single-use consumable and extremely difficult to craft, it could instantly transport them tens of thousands of miles away with just one use.

It was an excellent life-saving item!

At this moment, Yue Xiyan also removed the veil covering her face, blinking her beautiful eyes and calmly looking at Li Shengyuan and the array disc in his hand.

After the two divided all the magic artifacts and activated all the usable ones, Li Shengyuan opened the simplified map of the Far North and began to examine it.

As he looked, he frowned, "This guy Ye Hangzhou is so unreliable. He only said he'd teleport us past the Northern Plains Mountains of the Far North, but he didn't give an exact spot..."

The Northern Plains Mountains were desolate ice mountains and barren rocks, inhabited only by some demon beasts and fierce beasts.

They also divided the Far North, blocking the cold winds from the North Pole. To the south were a few scattered Gobi deserts, jungles, and high mountains, but mostly endless grasslands.

North of the Northern Plains Mountains, all the way to the North Pole, was a forest covered in ice and snow.

Only by reaching this area could Li Shengyuan and Yue Xiyan better utilize the terrain to conceal themselves.

The Insectoid Queen they were searching for was located deep within the Northern Ice Plain, a very distant journey.

First, they needed to figure out their current location. They didn't have satellite positioning here...

Li Shengyuan frowned and said coldly, "If we really can't, then we'll find a demon tribe first, and then we'll know where we are!"

At this moment, Yue Xiyan looked at the map in his hand and said calmly,

"When I first broke through to the third-rank, I once came to the Ice Plain Mountains to search for spirit herbs, so I have some understanding of the geography here..."

Li Shengyuan's eyes lit up as he looked at Yue Xiyan, quietly listening to her analysis.

After a moment of contemplation, Yue Xiyan continued, "The ice and snow forest vegetation at the foot of the Northern Plains Mountains is still quite dense. Looking at our current situation, we shouldn't be far from the Northern Plains Mountains..."

"The surroundings are all coniferous forests. If I'm not mistaken... we should be in the territory of the Silverback Bear King!"

"Silverback Bear King..."

Li Shengyuan's eyes lit up as he searched for the Silverback Bear King's territory on the map, and soon his eyes brightened.

"Found it, it's in this position!"

Finally finding their location, Li Shengyuan looked at Yue Xiyan and praised her without reservation,

"Fortunately, Palace Master Yue came with me. It's different having someone familiar with this place to guide us!"

"If it were just me, I wouldn't know how long I'd be stumbling around like a headless fly..."

Yue Xiyan smiled slightly, "Lord Li overpraises me. I'm just guessing, and I don't know if it's correct."

"It's well-reasoned, there's definitely no problem." Li Shengyuan smiled kindly.

"Palace Master Yue, don't keep calling me 'Lord Li'. It sounds strange. We're now comrades-in-arms fighting side by side. If you don't mind, just call me Shengyuan!"

Yue Xiyan hesitated for a moment, then finally opened her mouth and whispered,

"Shengyuan..."

"That's right, that's more like friends!" Li Shengyuan nodded in satisfaction, then looked at her expectantly and asked,

"You're a bit older than me. Can I call you Sister Yan?"

Yue Xiyan looked at Li Shengyuan blankly. This was a very unfamiliar address.

Even though he and her disciple Mengmeng already...

For a moment, Yue Xiyan's heart was a little restless. Finally, she turned her gaze away and nodded gently.

"Mm."

Li Shengyuan smiled slightly, "Alright, Sister Yan, since our location is confirmed, let's head towards our destination!"

"Deep in the Northern Ice Plain, to the northwest..."

Li Shengyuan looked at the map, pinpointing the direction.

Yue Xiyan, however, looked at Li Shengyuan with a somewhat dazed expression.

The next instant, Li Shengyuan suddenly looked up. Yue Xiyan's calm gaze met his for a moment, then she looked away.

For some reason, her earlobes suddenly turned a little red.

It must be from the cold...

Li Shengyuan, on the other hand, smiled slightly at her.

"Time is pressing, Sister Yan, let's set off. We can confirm our position as we go."

"Mm... I'll listen to you..."