White Wind Plains

“System, there’s still no news from Bai Ling?”

It had to be said, Hei Bai had, in some ways, stimulated Zhong Qing’s urgent desire to take on a Disciple.

“No.”

The System’s reply was concise and to the point.

However, Zhong Qing wasn’t anxious.

No news now only proved that the time wasn’t right yet.

As for the Overlord Body Inheritance in his hand, Zhong Qing needed to consider who to give it to, and then activate the Overlord’s Bond by having them acknowledge him as their master.

And what exactly were the effects of the Overlord’s Bond?

Zhong Qing was quite looking forward to it.

However, just then, two strange fluctuations clearly emanated from the spatial ring Zhong Qing carried.

A puzzled Zhong Qing opened his storage ring and took out the two items that were fluctuating.

Upon seeing these two items, Zhong Qing was a little surprised.

“So that’s it, I was wondering why they looked familiar.”

In his hands now lay two iron pieces.

The two pieces had very similar patterns, and their fluctuations seemed to create a resonance, as if they originally belonged as one.

One of them was precisely the secret realm iron piece he had plundered from Fuguang Cave, which he had casually wiped out a few days ago when he first arrived in the North Region.

At the time, the female cultivator said that this iron piece contained clues to a complete secret realm.

However, after Zhong Qing obtained it, he couldn't discern anything from it at the time, so he temporarily set it aside.

The other iron piece was the one he had bought at the auction in Peng City in the East Region back then. The introduction at the auction also stated that it was related to the existence of an ancient secret realm.

Originally, Zhong Qing wasn't interested in secret realms, but that iron piece had even alarmed the System, which advised him to bid for it at all costs, so he had made a move to compete for it.

But after he acquired the iron piece, the System remained silent, and he himself tried to inject spiritual power but couldn't activate the iron piece, so he put it out of his mind.

It wasn’t until today, when these two iron pieces resonated, that he remembered this matter.

He also never expected that these two iron pieces would actually originate from the same place.

“System, what exactly is the use of this so-called secret realm iron piece, why was it silent before, and now suddenly has a reaction?”

Zhong Qing asked.

“The iron piece is a key to opening a certain secret realm, and it can also draw in Qi within the secret realm, possessing many functions. The more iron pieces obtained, the more one gains.”

“The secret realm is located in a hidden place, concealing itself with the power of heaven and earth, and its entrance only appears at fixed times.”

“Previously, it could not be activated because it was not yet time for the secret realm to open.”

“Now, the opening day of the secret realm is approaching, and its aura is leaking out, triggering the iron pieces’ resonance.”

“The host only needs to inject spiritual power into it to sense the location of the secret realm.”

“This secret realm holds great significance for the host, and it is recommended that the host proceed quickly to avoid missing the secret realm’s opening day.”

Zhong Qing injected spiritual power into the iron piece as instructed, and sure enough, an invisible aura, yet one that could be vaguely sensed, emanated from the iron piece, echoing a certain direction in the distant north.

“So that’s how it is.”

Zhong Qing then asked, “System, what exactly is inside that secret realm? If it’s something very important and good for me, then as you said, the more iron pieces I get, the more I gain, so why didn’t you prompt me when I was near the second iron piece in Fuguang Cave?”

Previously at the auction, the System had uncharacteristically taken the initiative to remind him to obtain it, but for this second fragment, the System had no reaction at all.

And he was indeed curious, what was the origin of this ancient secret realm, and what treasures did it hold, that it could even prompt the System to give a warning?

“For the host, only the qualification to enter the secret realm through the iron piece is needed; the second iron piece actually holds little significance.”

“As for the opportunities within the secret realm, please explore them yourself, Host.”

Zhong Qing didn’t hesitate much and immediately took Hei Bai, preparing to head directly north.

Anyway, there was no clue about Bai Ling for now, and he was originally planning to continue north.

The further north one went in the North Region, the colder it became.

This secret realm was most likely in some extremely cold place.

Therefore, before setting off, he had Hei Bai first fill all his wine gourds in the city.

Of course, for him, the symbolic meaning was greater than the practical meaning.

In the icy and snowy landscape, even if the body was not afraid of cold or heat, the human heart grew colder and colder in the wind and snow.

Strong liquor might not truly warm the heart, but it could at least dispel some of the chill within one’s heart.

Soon, Hei Bai returned with a body full of wine gourds, and the two embarked on their journey north together.

North of Nameless City.

Northeast of the North Region South Border, over a hundred thousand miles away.

Looking down from above, it was an immense mountain range stretching for an unknown number of tens of thousands of miles.

The entire mountain range was covered by wind and snow, draped in silver.

Amidst this ice and snow mountain range, a group of figures was continuously advancing along the ridge.

Ordinary people naturally could not survive or move in such a place; it was clear that these people all possessed powerful cultivation auras, evidently all strong cultivators.

Because the wind and snow above the mountain range were too strong, cultivators with slightly lower cultivation would be blown away by the hurricane and blizzard once they ascended into the air.

Even strong cultivators with profound realms would expend a great deal of energy flying and advancing in this blizzard, making long-term travel impossible.

Therefore, even though this group of people was powerful, they all traveled close to the ground.

However, their feet barely touched the ground; they almost glided just above the surface, moving extremely fast, and in a short time, they had crossed several large mountains.

They were all wearing azure blue robes, and a crescent moon embroidered on the hem of their clothes could be seen, clearly indicating they belonged to the same sect.

At the front of the group, a tall young man with a superior temperament and appearance asked.

“Sect Master, how much further?”

The middle-aged man with a square face, who was leading the entire team, replied upon hearing the question.

“Soon, less than two thousand li to the Mountain Pass.”

“Beyond the Mountain Pass lies the White Wind Plains.”

An old man with white beard and hair on the other side also spoke up.

“We are already late, we need to speed up.”

“We must reach the Mountain Pass before the wind and snow on the White Wind Plains subside.”

“Otherwise, we will fall behind others.”

The middle-aged Sect Master nodded and said, “Our Zhan Yue Sect is on the west side of the South Border, so we are already very far from here.”

“Other sects who have obtained keys have probably already arrived.”

“However, as long as the wind and snow haven’t subsided, even if they arrive early, they won’t be able to enter.”

“Just as the Elder said, we just need to reach the Mountain Pass before the wind and snow subside to catch up.”

“Besides, without our fragments, they ultimately cannot open the secret realm, so there’s no need to be too nervous.”

As they spoke, the group had already crossed more than a dozen more mountain peaks.

It seemed like the last frenzy before calm; at this moment, the wind and snow covering the mountain range appeared particularly fierce and terrifying. The violent hurricane, carrying silver snow, roared overhead, as if thousands of fierce beasts were howling above, causing one’s heart to tremble.

“It’s truly terrifying. We haven’t even reached the White Wind Plains yet, and just the wind and snow in these outer mountains are so terrifying.”

The young man who spoke earlier sighed, “I wonder how terrifying the true White Wind is.”

At this moment, a voice from within the group suddenly asked, “What is White Wind? And what is on the White Wind Plains?”

The Elder frowned, “You’re here already, and you’re still asking these questions. Didn’t you do your homework before setting out?”