The following morning, by Dingbo Lake.
Sect Master He Yuzhou personally stood at the entrance to the mountain gate to see them off.
Elder Sang Yanping and Chu Jinyun stood at the front, with the disciples traveling to Tianbao City gathered behind them.
Chen Qing, Nie Shanshan, Yan Yaoyang, Li Wang, Li Lei, and other core disciples of the Wutai Sect were all present, along with six late-stage Embracing Dan Strength disciples whose auras were deep and steady.
Shi Ziyi, Fang Rui, and the others from Xuanjia Gate stood nearby as well, everyone fully equipped and ready to depart.
More than a dozen extraordinary steeds bearing the bloodline of exotic beasts stood proudly with their heads raised, exhaling scorching white vapor.
These horses were far larger and sturdier than ordinary steeds, their muscles sleekly defined and their coats glossy and smooth.
Most remarkable of all were their eyes, which faintly gleamed with intelligence, while the small tuft of mane on their foreheads was a distinctly different color.
These were Biyun Cong, purchased by the Wutai Sect from northern ranches at great expense. It was said that their ancestors carried a trace of the thin bloodline of the exotic Banshan Rhino. Thus, their endurance was astonishing; they crossed mountains and rivers as though walking on level ground, and could travel two thousand li a day without showing fatigue.
The disciples each held their own mounts, excitedly yet carefully stroking their horses' necks.
Li Wang gazed fondly at the magnificent Biyun Cong beside him, but when his eyes drifted to the snow-white steed beside Shen Xiuyong ahead, intense envy could not help but surface in his eyes.
"Uncle Shen, your Tread Snow is truly magnificent! Compared to it, my Biyun Cong is practically a nag," Li Wang sighed.
Chen Qing also gave