Chapter 211: Chapter 208: Death Mountain Range, Twin Sword Sons

"Who is this Meng Daoyi? Since when did Qing Province produce such a formidable figure?"

"The Fire Cloud Sect has had some truly rotten luck this time. Not only did they lose a Grand Elder at the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm, but over a thousand disciples have fallen as well. Among them were more than ten Spirit Realm Powerhouses, and even several Elders died."

The news was the talk of all of Qing Province.

The Star Sword Sect, in particular, dispatched experts to the Fire Cloud Sect that very same day to investigate the matter.

Meng Daoyi had killed Shangguan Yang, and the Star Sword Sect had been searching for him ever since.

Not long after the two major Sects met again, a wanted poster was officially issued.

Wanted: Meng Daoyi.

The reward on this wanted poster shocked countless Martial Artists. It included not only Spiritual Artifacts, Spiritual Techniques, Spirit Pills, and Spirit Medicines, but also one million Spirit Stones!

One million Spirit Stones. What did that even mean?

It was enough to fund a Low Grade Sect’s operations for ten years.

In Qing Province, aside from the five strongest Sects, the most numerous were the various Low Grade Sects, of which there were at least a hundred.

The moment this wanted poster appeared, it caused a massive uproar among those smaller Sects.

"This Meng Daoyi is truly in a league of his own right now. A bounty of one million Spirit Stones... even I am tempted."

"Qing Province is too vast. Finding him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. That one million Spirit Stones won’t be easy to earn."

"I’d rather not get involved in this mess. This Meng Daoyi is ruthless enough to dare an assault on the Fire Cloud Sect. We’re just a minor Low Grade Sect. What gives us the right to cross him?"

"Indeed. This Meng Daoyi is a dangerous individual. Inform the disciples of the Sect that if they ever encounter him, they must not, under any circumstances, offend him."

All across Qing Province, the various Sects had different reactions to the wanted poster.

Some were swayed by the reward, while others chose to stay out of it entirely.

For a time, undercurrents of tension surged throughout Qing Province.

...

「Yanyue Sect.」

"Should I call you Ning Jiang, or... Meng Daoyi?"

Yue Lianxi leaned close to Ning Jiang, her beautiful eyes fixed on his face without blinking, as if she were getting to know him all over again.

She was a clever woman and had guessed that the Meng Daoyi who had recently been causing such a massive stir in Qing Province was, in fact, Ning Jiang.

"Both are my names, and each holds a different meaning for me," Ning Jiang said calmly. "Since you’ve already figured it out, remember to keep it a secret for me."

"The more I get to know you, the more I feel like I can’t figure you out."

Yue Lianxi said with a hint of resignation. Before, she had held Ning Jiang in high regard, believing he had immense potential and was destined to soar to great heights.

But now, she felt he was shrouded in a mysterious fog.

What kind of secrets were hidden behind that fog?

"Right, the Death Mountain Range is set to open in about a month."

Everyone has their secrets, so Yue Lianxi didn’t press Ning Jiang further. Instead, she changed the subject to the Death Mountain Range. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Oh? What’s that?"

Ning Jiang actually didn’t know much about the affairs of Qing Province.

"The Death Mountain Range is an Ancient Land in Qing Province, dating back to a distant era."

Yue Lianxi then proceeded to explain the details about the Death Mountain Range.

The Death Mountain Range was enormous and filled with all sorts of dangers, but alongside the perils were various fortuitous opportunities.

People had obtained great fortunes within it in the past, causing their strength to increase dramatically.

The most peculiar thing about this mountain range was that it was filled with a chilling, sinister aura, which Martial Artists called the ’death qi’.

If a Martial Artist entered and allowed this qi to invade their body for too long, they could easily suffer a cultivation deviation and die a gruesome death.

This was true not only for Spirit Realm Martial Artists; even the Primordial Spirit of a Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm expert would suffer corrosion upon entering.

To many, it was a forbidden land that could not be entered.

However, for one month each year, the death qi in the Death Mountain Range would become extremely weak. This month was therefore the best time to enter and explore it.

"Every year at this time, the major Sects of Qing Province will send disciples to explore the Death Mountain Range. Not only can you find all kinds of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures inside, but you can also often discover treasures left behind by others who have fallen."

For countless Martial Artists, the Death Mountain Range was a place to strike it rich.

Although the place was dangerous, obtaining a great fortuitous opportunity there could allow one to become a top figure in Qing Province overnight.

"Some of the ingredients in that Pill Formula you gave me happen to be unique to the Death Mountain Range," Yue Lianxi said.

Last time, Ning Jiang had said he was confident he could heal the damage to Yue Wenfu’s Divine Sense. He then gave her a Pill Formula and asked her to gather the ingredients.

Unfortunately, even after mobilizing all of the Yanyue Sect’s manpower and resources, she had only managed to gather eighty percent of the ingredients on the Pill Formula. The remaining twenty percent were nowhere to be found.

If even one thing was missing, the Pill Formula would be incomplete and thus unusable.

"Alright. I’ll make a trip to the Death Mountain Range then," Ning Jiang said.

He didn’t care how dangerous the Death Mountain Range was.

For him, there were only two ways to increase his strength right now.

One was to enter secluded cultivation. The advantage of that was its safety; there would be no danger. The disadvantage, however, was that it would take far too long.

And the one thing he valued most was time.

If he went to the Death Mountain Range to try his luck, he might be able to find some Heavenly and Earthly Treasures that could improve his strength.

More importantly, any powerhouse who wished to reach the peak had to venture into all sorts of dangerous places.

Throughout history, the thing that had claimed the most Martial Artists’ lives wasn’t life-and-death combat or assassination, but exploration. No one ever knew what dangers lurked in an Ancient Land. The unknown was always terrifying, because you could never predict what awaited you in the next moment.

"Besides you, Tang Lin, Zi Yunfei, and a few others will be going as well. Do you want to go with them?"

"Let’s forget about going together. It’s more convenient for me to act alone. With them around, I’d be held back in many situations," Ning Jiang said. He was still used to being a lone wolf.

...

The scene shifted to a mountain range. The sky above was clear and the sun was shining brightly, yet the light within the mountains was exceedingly dim.

"One more day until the death qi weakens. We’ll be able to go in then."

At this moment, one after another, young figures appeared outside the mountain range.

They hailed from the various major Sects, and all had Cultivations at or above the Spirit Realm.

"Senior Brother, there are so many first-tier powerhouses here."

A senior brother and junior sister from a small Sect observed the people all around them, secretly alarmed.

"At this time every year, the most outstanding figures of the younger generation gather here. Even the Young Giants show up. It’s nothing to be surprised about."

The Death Mountain Range held numerous opportunities, and even the Young Giants needed to compete for them. Otherwise, they would be surpassed by others and left in the dust.

As time passed, a black dot in the distant sky rapidly grew larger.

The black dot rushed closer, revealing a figure wreathed in roiling Flames. An oppressive heat radiated from him. His long hair burned like fire, his eyes blazed like torches, and his presence was deeply authoritative.

"A Young Giant has finally appeared!"

The moment this person appeared, a sensation rippled through the younger generation present. Even the first-tier powerhouses watched him with grave expressions.

"Senior Brother, who is he?" the young woman from before asked, blinking her eyes with an innocent air.

"That’s the Young Giant from the Fire Cloud Sect, Yuwen Chi."

"A Young Giant... so impressive."

A hint of envy appeared in the young woman’s eyes. She saw that all the other young people present were staring at Yuwen Chi, who was now the center of everyone’s attention.

Not long after Yuwen Chi’s arrival, another figure tore through the sky and landed in the area.

He had a sturdy, powerful build and piercing eyes, and his entire being exuded a savage aura.

He wasn’t particularly tall—in fact, he was half a head shorter than Yuwen Chi—but facing him felt like confronting a colossal beast, creating a palpable sense of pressure.

"Li Kuangba of the War Elephant Sect."

"It’s said that Li Kuangba’s body is comparable to a War Elephant from Ancient Times. An ordinary Spirit Realm attack can’t even scratch him."

The War Elephant Sect was one of the Five Great Sects, and it was famous for its focus on Body Refining. The Sect had never been large, as cultivating one’s physique was exceedingly difficult, and most Martial Artists preferred not to pursue it.

Of course, while the War Elephant Sect had the fewest members among the Five Great Sects, they valued quality over quantity. Their disciples were all exceptionally powerful combatants, and few dared to provoke them.

"Look, who’s that arriving now!"

Shortly after, the entire crowd erupted in a clamor. The gazes of numerous men turned in one direction, their eyes burning with passion.

"It’s Liu Bingxue of the Floating Snow Hall."

A woman appeared, dressed in robes whiter than snow. She was stunningly beautiful, with an aura as cold as ice. There were quite a few female disciples present, but compared to her, they all felt inadequate.

"Liu Bingxue is one of Qing Province’s most famous beauties, considered even a cut above the widely renowned Cai Qingqiu. Plus, she’s one of the Giants. I wonder who could ever conquer a woman with such a combination of strength and beauty."

Many of the men secretly harbored such thoughts.

But they knew it was just a fantasy. A woman like Liu Bingxue was not someone just anyone could approach.

"The Star Sword Sect sure puts on airs. Are they not coming?"

"The Star Sword Sect is an Upper Grade Sect, after all, and the strongest one at that. They always like to make a grand, high-profile entrance at the very end."

"They’re here."

Two sharp whistles echoed from the distant sky.

Two streaks of sword light, one on the left and one on the right, descended into the center of the crowd at an astonishing speed, their auras incomparably sharp.

They were two young men with similar faces, both dressed in white robes, looking as if they had been carved from the same mold.

"The Twin Sword Sons of the Star Sword Sect have finally arrived."

The moment the two appeared, a grave look entered the eyes of the other Young Giants.

They were a pair of twins, and both had reached the Young Giant Level in strength.

"I’ve heard that because the Twin Sword Sons are twins, they can know each other’s thoughts without even communicating. When they join forces, any single Young Giant is doomed to fall."

"However, the most formidable of the Star Sword Sect’s current younger generation aren’t the Twin Sword Sons, but that one prodigy. Isn’t he coming?"

"Forget about that prodigy. I’m more interested in what the Yanyue Sect is going to do. Heh heh, the Four Great Sects have all arrived. The people from Yanyue Sect are about to be humiliated. They’re the only ones without a Young Giant. I bet the Fire Cloud Sect is going to put them in their place."