Volume 16 Chapter 55: First Encounter
After Zhang Ping obtained the true inheritance from the Immortal Devil Age in Sky Devil Prison Plains, he had previously bowed to that Purgatory Mountain Great Elder as well. However, that obedience and servitude were only an act on the surface. Inside, he merely didn't want that Purgatory Mountain Great Elder to kill him before he completed that armor. Then, he was bound to take the place of Purgatory Mountain Patriarch.
The previous Purgatory Mountain Patriarch only needed another method that could keep him alive when using Sacred Master level strength. However, what Zhang Ping obtained from Sky Devil Prison Plains wasn't only this method alone, but rather everything related to a devil king that had already vanished from the world of cultivators.
This type of fortune was just too shocking. It was completely as if a devil king crossed time and space to descend upon this age. That was why after crossing Thousand Sunset Mountain and returning to Yunqin, Zhang Ping felt like he was just like the previous Purgatory Mountain Patriarch, already someone who completely transcended this mortal world.
However, when he entered this ordinary small town, when he saw that lowly noodle shop owner, he seemed to have seen a mirror reflection of himself. When he saw how much that noodle shop boss cared about that woman, Qin Xiyue's appearance couldn't help but fill his mind again. He wanted to make this noodle shop owner seize that woman, but when that noodle shop owner made a choice completely different from what he expected, he instead understood that he still possessed ordinary emotions, that he still couldn't treat this entire world as his plaything.
He felt a sense of defeat. He burned down the entire street all because of a certain emotion he felt. However, the fact that he left the giant imperial carriage and walked through this small town, this action alone was a message to the world of cultivators. He already didn't need that armor, or perhaps it could be said that his cultivation was already powerful enough. He could ensure that in the time needed to don that armor again, he could ensure his own survival.
His current display made others feel unfairness and disbelief, but it wasn't hard to imagine either.
When Zhang Ping fought against Lin Xi in Central Continent City, he had already broken through into the sacred level. His constitution allowed him to devour two Flame Titans' worth of vital energy in a single go. During these few weeks, he had also devoured the vital energies of countless Yunqin cultivators.
The vital energy stored within every single cultivator's body was accumulated through many years of bitter meditation cultivation, yet it poured into his body just like that. Even though it was only a portion of those cultivators' vital energy, it was equivalent to several years of cultivation for an ordinary person. Who could possibly hope to reach this level of cultivation speed?
This was let alone the fact that after Purgatory Mountain Patriarch and Ni Henian's deaths, there were already no more Sacred Masters in this world. Even if Zhang Ping couldn't quickly break through into the Sacred Master level cultivation, his sacred level cultivation, together with Devil Transformation, was already enough for most cultivators to feel that one on one, no one could defeat or kill him.
...
There were some in Yunqin who began to feel some despair. Some of them began to run and hide. However, Green Luan Academy's greatest achievements in the past few decades were also slowly being brought to light. Many Yunqin people had pride that made them refuse to bow down even in death. A lot of these Yunqin people proudly and bravely felt that there wasn't anything that couldn't be taken down in this world. Even if a massive giant like Tangcang's giant buddha came alive, they still dared to fight against it.
This type of will prevented people who had experienced great glory and disgrace in Yunqin like Hu Chenfu to feel dejected. It was also this type of will that prevented Wen Xuanyu from admitting defeat.
In front of him was a ground surface that flowed with red hot lava, as well as mountains that released suffocating smoke. There were even erupting volcanoes.
His clothes were covered in blood, even more tattered than that of a Great Mang beggar.
In front of him were the Sky Devil Prison Plains.
Even though that day, out of anger and resentment, he was willing to risk it all to kill that Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator, because that Purgatory Mountain obtained a certain unbreakable body technique similar to the Purgatory Mountain Great Elders, his body almost no different from a zombie's, his assassination failed. Instead, he was seriously injured by his retaliation.
However, after barely managing to escape, he instead headed towards Great Mang.
There was no way he could be of any threat by relying on the cultivation methods of the present world. Zhang Ping's strength originated from Sky Devil Prison Plains, the past Immortal Devil Age. There might not be only a single branch of devil cultivators. If Zhang Ping could find astonishing remains in Sky Devil Prison Plains, then he might be able to as well... Even though there was a chance that he would really end up dying in the end, only Zhang Ping alone obtaining a branch of inheritance from Sky Devil Palace, there was also a chance that he might learn about some of Zhang Ping's secrets here, perhaps obtain some methods to restrict him, thus allowing him to defeat Zhang Ping.
That was why Wen Xuanyu wanted to enter Sky Devil Prison Plains... and today, he finally arrived. He finally made his way around the region controlled by Purgatory Mountain, entering the borders of Sky Devil Prison Plains.
Sky Devil Prison Plains was a part of Purgatory Mountain's territory to begin with. Purgatory Mountain had layers after layers of blockades, even having military forces stationed. That was why the region Wen Xuanyue entered Sky Devil Prison Plains from was a place that was extremely dangerous and unfathomable.
This was a journey that truly had low chances of success.
However, when Wen Xuanyu saw this domain of devils shrouded in flames of death, he felt like apart from his own life, there was nothing else he could lose.
That was why he didn't even feel much hesitation, directly walking forward.
...
At the same time, there was a silent coldness in Frozen God Domain.
Behind a frozen great ship like glacier that served as a windstop, between waves of cold air that weaved about like spirits, a flame flickered stubbornly.
Within a tent that could barely allow three people to sit in, Lin Xi, Nangong Weiyang and Qin Xiyue surrounded the fire pan. The fuel inside the fire pan was a strange silvery-white colored powder. It didn't seem like it consumed much oxygen, yet it could release such large amounts of heat, making this entire specially made tent feel as warm as spring.
They had already walked along the trail Gu Xinyin left behind for many days, following it into the depths of Frozen God Domain. The scenery they saw every single day was no different, just that the fine crystals in the oxygen seemed to have increased, the temperature also dropping more and more.
Using the 'below zero' Lin Xi was familiar with to describe this, this was a world that had long dropped several dozen degrees below zero. Lin Xi didn't know just what it was underground or further in that created such inconceivable extreme coldness, but this was precisely the case. The deeper one went into Frozen God Domain, the more it was as if he entered an extreme cryo chamber.
"In the world I knew, this type of cold that only worsens the further in we go is already a supernatural phenomenon."
Lin Xi rubbed his fingers. He looked at Nangong Weiyang and Qin Xiyue whose faces were a bit purplish-red from a lack of oxygen, slowly saying, "If we didn't come with an objective but rather came as tourists, then this place might even have traces of beauty to appreciate."
Nangong Weiyang needed a third more time than usual to process Lin Xi's words. Then, she nodded. "I don't know how much longer we can last."
The three of them didn't need to worry about warmth and food. A small bit of this fuel the academy prepared could last for a long time. There were also specially made pills that could make them feel full, enough to last them several months of time.
Only, the bodies of cultivators weren't made of steel after all. The fatigue from each passing day would accumulate in their bones. No one knew if their bodies would suddenly break down one day and then they'd be done in by fatigue and illness.
"Tomorrow, I will take turns carrying you two. My body is a bit stronger than yours, but the key is also that without someone to talk to in this type of place, no one to encourage each other, one will get even more beaten down, as well as lose one's ability to think even easier. That is why Senior Gu Xinyin's situation is worse than ours. Starting from tomorrow, we will move a bit faster, see if we can quickly catch up to him." Lin Xi said while looking at Nangong Weiyang and Qin Xiyue.
Before Nangong Weiyang and Qin Xiyue replied, a cry suddenly sounded from outside the tent.
Nangong Weiyang and Lin Xi simultaneously shifted from a muddle-headed state to a vigilant one. Two streaks of sword radiance made their way out from a crack by the tent entrance, cutting through the air and arriving.
The cold air that surged in even directly extinguished the fire pan's flames.
Nangong Weiyang and Lin Xi wrapped their bodies in soul force, jumping out first. Qin Xiyue left afterwards.
Under the twisting cold energy, two streaks of sword light already stabbed viciously into the area not far from Lucky.
By this time, Lucky's vigilance and hostility had already disappeared. Its entire body that was still snow-white, surrounded by a powerful aura of ice and snow, already lowered its three tails.
However, the instant they saw what it discovered, Lin Xi, Qin Xiyue and Nangong Weiyang couldn't help but shout out, "What is that thing?!"
Even though their minds were a bit sluggish, the current Lin Xi, Nangong Weiyang and Qin Xiyue were all certain that this was a fiend beast.
There was a bit of surging fiend beast soul force that was dissipating. A white and iron gray liquid flowed out from within that fiend beast's body, not freezing even under this type of ice-cold temperature.
However, this fiend beast's appearance really was a bit too strange.
This fiend beast that was killed by Lin Xi and Nangong Weiyang before it actually faced Lucky actually looked just like a sword! A white sword!
Lin Xi and Nangong Weiyang had encountered many strange fiend beasts in Ancient Witch Forest. However, this fiend beast before them looked just like a giant white sword! This made them even doubt their own eyes.