229: Chapter 229 Forcing its way in

Outside the inn, the snow had grown heavier.

Shen Qingyuan walked slowly north along the main street of Mobei City, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

The snow on the street crunched underfoot, and the cold wind whipped snow particles into his face, yet an invisible force blocked them three feet in front of him, leaving even the hem of his robe completely dry.

Old Turtle followed behind with a hunched back, his cloudy old eyes scanning the ice-covered border town as he muttered to himself: "Sky Wolf Valley... sealing off Snow Wolf Ridge... Could it be that there is something they want inside the Secret Realm?"

Luo Qingyue walked half a step behind Shen Qingyuan, her white clothes standing out starkly against the gray-white snowy landscape, her steps light and leaving no trace on the snow.

She said nothing, her cold, clear eyes occasionally sweeping over the hurried Cultivators wrapped in animal skins by the roadside, though it was unclear what she was thinking.

The three of them exited the north gate of Mobei City and continued along an official road half-buried in snow.

On both sides of the official road lay vast, desolate plains, where occasionally a few withered trees, bent by the ice and snow, could be seen shivering in the cold wind.

The further north they went, the darker the sky became, and the wind grew increasingly bitter.

After walking for about an hour, a checkpoint appeared at the end of the official road ahead.

Several thick logs lay across the middle of the road, carved with dark red runes that pulsed with faint, circulating spiritual energy, sealing the entire road tightly.

Beside the checkpoint stood a stone stele three people high, carved with three large characters— "Sky Wolf Valley"—the handwriting sharp like claws, exuding a savage and overbearing aura.

On both sides of the stele stood over a dozen Cultivators clad in gray leather armor, all with swords at their waists, sharp gazes, and steady auras. Even the weakest among them had reached the Dharma Image Realm, while the two leaders were at the third level of the Void Piercing Realm, standing with their hands behind their backs like temple guardians.

On both sides of the official road, dozens of Loose Cultivators had gathered; some huddled by the roadside in animal skins to escape the wind, while others stood on tiptoe, peering toward the checkpoint, yet no one dared to take a step forward.

Seeing Shen Qingyuan and his group walking straight toward the checkpoint, the Loose Cultivators cast surprised glances and began whispering to one another.

"Three more people with a death wish have arrived..."

"Sky Wolf Valley has been sealed for three days already. Even Loose Cultivators at the Asking Dao Realm have been turned away; these three will likely just be rebuffed."

"Look at that woman in white; she is a beauty, but it is a pity she followed the wrong person."

The lead gray-armored Cultivator saw the three of them from afar. His gaze first fell on Luo Qingyue, a flash of admiration in his eyes, before shifting away to land on Shen Qingyuan's lazy face, revealing a hint of disdain.

He stepped forward twice from the checkpoint and reached out to block their path, his tone impatient: "Sky Wolf Valley has sealed the mountain. Idlers are forbidden to pass; you cannot go any further."

Shen Qingyuan stopped, his gaze sweeping over the stele before landing on the face of the gray-armored Cultivator. His tone was flat: "Move."

The gray-armored Cultivator was stunned for a moment, then sneered: "Kid, are your ears bad or is your brain not working? I said—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly flew backward.

There was no warning, no fluctuation of spiritual energy; it was as if he had been grabbed by an invisible giant hand and tossed aside.

He flew over ten zhang, crashing heavily into the snow, creating a pit half a person deep, sending shattered ice and snow spray flying everywhere.

The area in front of the checkpoint fell instantly silent, save for the sound of the wind.

The Loose Cultivators who had been huddled by the roadside all looked up in unison, eyes wide as they stared at the newcomers.

The dozen or so gray-armored Cultivators nearby were also stunned. The two captains at the third level of the Void Piercing Realm had their expressions change drastically; they abruptly drew the long swords at their waists, the dark red runes on the blades suddenly lighting up and releasing a sharp, murderous intent.

"Who dares to force their way through the Sky Wolf Valley checkpoint?!" one of the captains roared, his figure flashing to block Shen Qingyuan's path.

Before his voice had even faded, a withered, thin palm reached out from the side and slapped him on the shoulder.

The palm strike looked effortless, yet the force was astonishingly heavy, instantly forcing the captain's knees to buckle. He dropped into the snow with a "bang," his knees crashing into the frozen ground and cracking it like a spiderweb.

Old Turtle stood beside him with a hunched back, a kindly smile on his withered face, his voice lowered to a whisper: "My Young Master told you to move. Didn't you hear?"

The other captain's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively reached to crush the communication jade talisman at his waist, but just as his hand touched the talisman, he felt a chill at his neck.

He looked down to see a sword covered in frost resting against his neck, and the owner of the sword was none other than the woman in white.

Luo Qingyue did not even look at him, her cold, clear gaze fixed on the direction of Snow Wolf Ridge ahead, her tone as flat as before: "Don't move."

The captain's entire body stiffened, cold sweat rolling down his temples and quickly freezing into ice beads in the cold wind.

His cultivation at the third level of the Primal Chaos Realm seemed completely frozen at that moment, and even his ability to think slowed down.

Shen Qingyuan did not spare another glance at the two captains kneeling in the snow, nor did he pay any attention to the gray-armored Cultivators who were frozen in place, afraid to move. He simply stepped over the log checkpoint and continued along the snow-covered mountain path.

Old Turtle released his hand and followed behind him, his hunched figure looking like an old, bent bamboo pole in the wind and snow.

Luo Qingyue also withdrew her sword, her white robes brushing past the gray-armored Cultivator, leaving behind a faint scent of tea that was instantly swept away by the cold wind.

In front of the checkpoint, the Loose Cultivators all had their mouths wide open, unable to close them for a long while.

Those two Sky Wolf Valley Cultivators at the third level of the Void Piercing Realm had just been easily subdued, taking no more than a single breath of time.

Yet the two who had acted were merely the attendants beside that young man.

"Who... exactly is that person?"

"Does the Northern Plains have such a figure?"

"I don't know... but this time, Sky Wolf Valley is likely to have kicked a hard wall."

Deep in Snow Wolf Ridge.

At the entrance to the Secret Realm, the wind howled violently.

The old man in gray robes stood with his hands behind his back on a bluestone covered in frost, the wrinkles on his face twisting into deep ravines in the cold wind.

Beside him stood several Elders of Sky Wolf Valley, all with cultivation in the Primal Chaos Realm, yet at this moment, they all hung their heads low, not daring to reply.

"Tell me, how can an outsider Loose Cultivator enter our Sky Wolf Valley's ancestral Secret Realm and manage to find the location of the Legacy one step ahead of our Sky Wolf Valley's direct-line Disciples?" The gray-robed old man's voice was not loud, but it scraped against everyone's eardrums like a knife. "And he even seized the advantage! What are you all good for!"

"Grand Elder, please calm down..." one Primal Chaos Realm Elder spoke up, biting the bullet. "That person's concealment methods are extremely brilliant, and his movement techniques are elusive. We pursued him for two days, but he always managed to slip into complex terrain at the last moment to escape, and we—"

"I do not want to hear your excuses." The gray-robed old man abruptly raised his hand to interrupt him, a flash of crimson-gold light churning in his cloudy eyes. "I want results! All of you, go and find him!"

Gentle Reminder: The website is about to be updated, which may cause reading progress to be lost. Please save your [Bookshelf] and [Reading History] in time (taking screenshots is recommended). We apologize for any inconvenience caused!