A man without foresight and prudence will be beset by worries close at hand.

In the northern part of the Wasteland, where it borders Great Zhen, this godforsaken place supposedly has a boundary, but in truth, there has never been a clear demarcation. To put it bluntly, the uninhabited zone between the two, stretching over a thousand li wide, is all boundary.

Even heading north from the Wasteland into Great Zhen's territory and traveling another thousand li, you might not see many living people.

Chu Ye's flying boat, with its protective barrier raised, hovered in midair, while Mu Zhiqiu stayed close behind him, guarding him closely and ready to respond to any situation that might arise.

After all, this place was very far from Great Qian's territory.

Forces outside Great Qian would be more than happy to see a head of Langya Academy fall.

At this level, a cultivator was far more valuable to Great Qian than just a powerful warrior.

Personal strength, no matter how great, was only personal strength. But a cultivator of this level, having studied Dao cultivation for years, had a broad and deep range of knowledge. Without the interference and limitations of Qi Refining, they actually had an advantage in certain matters.

For example, improving and creating techniques, secret arts, even divine abilities; discovering and crafting new artifact materials; producing better artifacts—things that could be replicated, reduce costs, and yet strengthen the nation's overall power.

To Great Qian, this value far exceeded that of a single formidable expert.

Under normal circumstances, heads of Langya Academy at this level were rarely allowed to leave Great Qian's borders before entering Dao.

"Sir, our whereabouts have been exposed. We must return as soon as possible."

"I know. I've seen enough for now, but I still haven't found what my old brother might have left behind..."

Chu Ye gazed northward through the endless snow and ice.

The wind from the Land of the Far North howled ceaselessly all year, constantly blowing across the western territories of Great Zhen. This region was frozen year-round. Without even needing to dig into ice mountains harder than Black Iron, finding Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Ice was no difficult task.

Even among Great Zhen's own people, few chose to live in its western territories. Almost all gathered in the warmer east.

A mountain range running north-south cut between east and west, and after extending northward, it turned east, acting like a massive windbreak, deflecting the northern winds to slide off to either side.

Add to that the fact that Great Zhen's east bordered Great Li, where warm, moist air currents moved north each year. The collision of cold and warm air in eastern Great Zhen brought rainfall.

Under a series of complex factors, the climate difference between east and west Great Zhen was enormous, and the east was far more prosperous.

It was only because several enormous lakes in western Great Zhen stored heat, and heat from further west also transferred over, that the west wasn't even colder. Combined with its abundant unique resources, the area hadn't become a completely lifeless dead zone.

But now, standing on the flying boat, Chu Ye could already see in the distance a new great river rushing down from the north, flowing from east to west toward the horizon. Steam rose continuously, quickly condensing high in the sky into snowflakes that drifted down.

Judging by the scene, this snow had been falling for a long time.

Chu Ye recorded the changes here. Suddenly, Mu Zhiqiu's expression shifted. He formed a hand seal and reached toward the sky.

A point of starlight flickered in the sky, instantly transforming into a streak of light that fell into Mu Zhiqiu's hand. The light faded, revealing a transparent fish no larger than a palm. The fish swam in midair, opened its mouth, and spat out a scroll, which unfurled on its own in the air.

At the center of the scroll was a large character "Forbidden," surrounded by interlocking cloud patterns that shifted continuously, containing immense power within. It seemed that the slightest misstep would cause it to erupt completely.

Mu Zhiqiu stepped forward, forming a hand seal with one hand while flipping the other to produce a large seal. He stamped it onto the "Forbidden" character. The light faded, and both the character and cloud patterns vanished, replaced by a dense mass of text.

The moment Mu Zhiqiu finished reading at lightning speed, the scroll burst into flames with a whoosh, turning to ash.

"Sir, let's go. Time to return. It's not just the Seventh Floor's spies active in the Wasteland now. Great Li and Great Zhen have both sent people. The news of you being in the Wasteland has been exposed.

Moreover, the refugees fleeing the Wasteland have been flooding into Great Qian, Great Li, and Great Zhen—especially Great Qian. People in the areas bordering the Wasteland are panicking, and evil cultivators have started stirring up trouble.

On top of that, something has happened at Langya Academy. There are matters that require your return."

Mu Zhiqiu urged him again.

"Alright, let's go back." Chu Ye took one last look north. He felt he was missing something. His old brother, even if he had fallen, couldn't have left nothing behind.

Mu Zhiqiu, unaware of Chu Ye's thoughts, breathed a slight sigh of relief. He took out a scroll, wrote down that they were now heading back, and handed it to the transparent fish.

The fish opened its mouth and swallowed. The scroll shrank on its own and disappeared into its mouth. Having received the item, the fish didn't leave but continued circling the two.

"Heh, Zhiqiu, you forgot—this little thing never works for free." Chu Ye chuckled, reminding him.

Mu Zhiqiu's face darkened. He reached to his waist and pulled out a thumb-sized piece of spirit jade, radiating a hazy aura, and tossed it to the fish. The fish swallowed it but still didn't leave.

"Do you really think you can dismiss a Kun You that traveled tens of thousands of li from Great Qian's capital so easily?"

Mu Zhiqiu's face grew even darker, his eyelids twitching. That piece just now was worth a month of his salary.

But this time, Chu Ye was faster. He tossed out a piece of jade, entirely translucent green with patterns inside that looked like natural runes. The Kun You swallowed it, seeming overjoyed. It swam up to Chu Ye, moving up, down, left, and right, as if trying to express something. After a moment, it turned into a streak of light, shot into the sky, and vanished.

Chu Ye's smile faded as he looked east.

"Zhiqiu, let's go. Next time you see a Kun You, be more generous.

These little creatures are actually quite intelligent. They just can't be bothered with you. Don't underestimate it just because it came racing down from the Gale Layer. It knows more than you think.

It just told me that someone from Great Li is heading this way, and there's a powerful figure who can detect it not too far off. It says we should steer clear."

"Is that so?" Mu Zhiqiu was a bit stunned. Aside from knowing that Kun You were greedy and would slack off without payment, he really didn't know this. Normally, no Kun You ever bothered with him, and even necessary messages weren't sent directly to him...

The flying boat remained in stealth mode. Instead of flying straight southeast toward Great Qian, it first headed further west, then turned south to avoid any possible encounter with the Great Li expert.

At the eastern edge of the Wasteland, where it bordered Great Li, a team riding Flame Dragon Horses charged into the Wasteland.

The Flame Dragon Horses had flames sprouting from their hooves, hovering half a foot off the ground as they galloped through the air at tremendous speed. These were Great Li's unique war mounts, said to have a trace of Dragon race bloodline, excelling in endurance and speed.

The team moved like a streak of fire, racing forward at full speed. Suddenly, a shout rang out from within the formation. The team's sprint slowed abruptly, and the flames scattered.

A burly man in armor, also riding a Flame Dragon Horse, spoke in a deep voice.

"No need for full speed. It's pointless now. Great Qian's Kun You has been deployed. There's no way we'll run into our target anymore."

The burly man finished speaking and silently lamented what a pity it was.

If they had the chance, they would certainly not mind killing a cultivator from Langya Academy, and if that person happened to be an academy head, all the better.

Killing one would be a huge gain; afterward, they could present irrefutable evidence and simply deny everything. If that failed, they could shift the blame to Great Zhen—after all, Great Zhen would do the same if given the chance, and they'd probably be even more eager.

When doing something bad, pin it on Great Li, let Great Li and Great Qian fight it out, while Great Zhen watches from the sidelines, reaping the benefits.

Even if Great Qian eventually wanted to strike back or retaliate, they could just keep fighting. Great Li and Great Qian share a border, and in recent years, haven't they fought enough? In the past century, the years without conflict total less than twenty, and only the last two have been relatively peaceful.

Great Qian had just lost one academy head; if another died now, Great Qian would surely quiet down for a while.

Anyway, whenever there was a chance to weaken Great Qian, they wouldn't let it slip.

On the southeastern side of the Wasteland, the man whose divine soul had just been damaged, with more tattoos on his face than skin, rode a black goat larger than a warhorse and stepped into the Wasteland.

He had now figured out who had died earlier: Black Five and Black Eight, one man and one goat, both dropping dead in succession, without giving him a chance to trace the killer.

Black Five had fallen into a trap, set up by someone, and when Black Eight died, he hadn't dared to make a move. It was only through the bloodline bond of Black Eight's kin, the Black Goat, that he learned who had perished.

Putting these clues together, even without secret arts, he could tell who had fallen and where they were before death.

"Can you pinpoint the general direction?"

"No, I only know they died in the Wasteland, body and soul obliterated. But its inner core is still there, giving off faint traces now and then." The black goat beneath Tattooed Face shook its head, a fierce glint in its eyes.

Just as it spoke, the black goat paused, its tone turning somber.

"The trace is gone now. It might have been forcibly refined. Fast work. I think we should be cautious. The opponent is likely strong—maybe a fifth- or sixth-rank expert, though I can't tell which path they walk."

Tattooed Face was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine. Let's handle other matters first. The investigation can wait."

As the Wasteland grew increasingly turbulent, the village still appeared peaceful.

At the village entrance, Old Yang opened his mouth and spat out the black goat's inner core, tossing it into the locust tree forest.

As expected, the core was swallowed by the quicksand-like layer of fallen leaves, its immense power rapidly broken down and dispersed throughout the forest, slowly absorbed and dissolved.

In just the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the locust tree forest fell silent again.

"Old Yang, don't you want that inner core? Wouldn't it be useful in your current state?"

"No need. Another's power is ultimately another's. I only studied it; I've understood what I needed to. The power within that core holds no value for our current situation—only the risk of exposure."

Old Yang's expression carried a hint of worry.

"Besides, you went outside the village yesterday and saw it yourself. The weather out there is getting worse by the day. That means this place isn't safe anymore either."

"The weather?"

Yu Ziqing hadn't felt any drop in temperature inside the village, but outside, the environment was indeed deteriorating. Before coming to the village, it felt like minus twenty degrees Celsius; now, it had dropped at least another ten, with constant heavy wind and snow.

"Not the weather. The people."

Old Yang sketched a few rough lines on the ground.

"These areas are roughly the Wasteland, and around it, Great Zhen, Great Li, and Great Qian. I originally thought they might just send a few scouts and not pay much attention.

After all, to those big shots, the disasters suffered by the common folk don't warrant much concern—at most, they'd discuss relief efforts. And now, the refugees are from the Wasteland; they probably care even less.

But now, An Yue of the Imperial Guard has arrived. I don't believe he'll just finish his trade and return to report.

Core members of the Seventh Floor have come and died in the Wasteland.

Langya Academy will surely send people too. Given the current conditions outside, this is no ordinary winter. It will definitely draw Langya Academy's attention, and perhaps even a major figure will come.

If that happens, Great Li and Great Zhen will dispatch true experts..."

Before Old Yang finished, Yu Ziqing understood.

When that time came, not only the three factions but also other forces mixed in would be present. With existing grudges, anyone could stir the pot and cause a fight. And once fighting broke out, the Jinlan Mine—the only place in the Wasteland with living people and valuable resources—would likely be caught in the crossfire.

They, mere mortals, would truly become the "mortals suffering when gods fight" in that old saying.