The Northern Ancestral Vein--Changbai Mountain

Aside from Mount Buzhou, which stood at the center of Heaven and Earth and brimmed with Pangu's oppressive might, each of the four regions of the Primordial Wilderness possessed a representative ancestral land of spiritual veins:

Eastern Kunlun Mountain; Western Mount Sumeru; the southern Undying Volcano; and northern Changbai Mountain.

Kunlun Mountain was the territory of the Three Pure Ones and the Queen Mother of the West;

Mount Sumeru had once been the headquarters of Luo Hou's Demon Sect, but was likely now occupied by Zhunti and Jieyin;

After the Phoenix Race went into seclusion, they had sworn an oath to suppress the Undying Volcano;

As for Changbai Mountain's current state, Bei Ming was not entirely certain. Thus, he employed the Free and Unfettered Journey and hastened toward it.

According to his inherited memories, Changbai Mountain lay in the northeastern region of the Primordial Wilderness, near the border between the North Sea and the East Sea.

Bei Ming's Escape Light tore through the air without rest, weaving above the Sea of Clouds. He crossed countless miles of Heaven and Earth, with mountains, rivers, and seas sweeping beneath his feet.

A hundred years were but the flick of a finger to him.

At last, a towering mountain range entered his sight.

The range rose and fell without end. Between its layered peaks, spiritual mist curled lazily while clouds billowed and glowed.

With a sweep of his Spiritual Sense, Bei Ming had already reached a conclusion:

As an ancestral land of spiritual veins, Changbai Mountain's condition was indeed somewhat better than elsewhere on the Northern Continent.

There was not much Sha Qi here, and some native living creatures still dwelled within;

However, their cultivation was not particularly strong.

The spiritual materials in the mountains had all been affected by the Sha Qi to varying degrees, leaving them somewhat stunted.

By all reason, an ancestral land of spiritual veins such as this should have given birth to some Innate Spiritual Treasures or Innate Spiritual Roots.

Bei Ming searched all the way through, yet found neither. Instead, he discovered traces of several Innate Formations that had been forcibly broken.

Someone must have gotten here first. The traces were still fresh, so it must have happened not long ago.

Not long afterward, Bei Ming arrived at the Heavenly Lake, the core region of Changbai Mountain.

The water of the Heavenly Lake was pure and clear, giving off a gentle radiance and possessing a certain purifying power;

It was precisely because of this lake that the Northern Spiritual Veins had not been completely eroded, barely retaining a sliver of life.

The moment Bei Ming set foot here, his Spiritual Sense spread out. In an instant, he caught the aura of another cultivator—and that person's cultivation was not weak.

Almost the moment he noticed them, the other party also became aware of this Uninvited Guest.

An Escape Light flashed past and landed steadily before Bei Ming, revealing the man's features.

He was a cultivator clad in a dark-blue Daoist Robe, with sharp eyebrows and eyes, an arrogant expression, and an aura as frosty and murderous as winter.

He sized Bei Ming up with cold eyes, his tone hostile. "What petty thief are you?! You dare trespass into This Seat's place of quiet cultivation and disturb my Dao heart!"

Not a ripple appeared on Bei Ming's face. He merely gave the other man a cold glance, utterly disdainful of his claim.

Though the Sha Qi around the Heavenly Lake was imperceptible, a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal could still detect it. What normal cultivator would choose to cultivate quietly in such a place?

Unless his brain was broken.

Even if Changbai Mountain's Sha Qi remained within controllable limits for now, without countermeasures, complete erosion was only a matter of time.

This man had most likely come for the opportunity of the northern Ancestral Vein, harboring a fluke of hope and seeking to pick up what others had missed.

Bei Ming could not be bothered to waste words and went straight to the point:

"I have taken a liking to Changbai Mountain and intend to claim it as my Daoist arena. Leave at once, and you may yet keep your life."

"Hahaha! Arrogant! Since I, Ice Soul Daoist, began walking the Primordial Wilderness, this is the first time anyone has dared speak to me like this!"

Ice Soul Daoist laughed. "You want me to leave? Fine. Leave behind a few spiritual treasures, and I'll yield Changbai Mountain to you."

In his view, Bei Ming would never choose Changbai Mountain as his Daoist arena. Their purposes were likely much the same—he had merely come to loot the place as well.

Before his words had faded, Bei Ming raised his right arm, his five fingers forming a claw;

A Claw Ray suddenly tore through the air and came crashing down upon Ice Soul Daoist!

Ice Soul Daoist's face darkened. With an angry shout, he swept up his Daoist Robe. Spiritual light surged, and an Ice Crystal shield emerged, blocking the Claw Ray.

The shield shook violently, Cold Qi exploding from it, but it barely managed to hold without shattering.

Ice Soul Daoist glared furiously. "Thief, announce your name! This Seat's subordinates do not kill nameless foes!"

Bei Ming gave his right hand a slight shake, and a jet-black Profound Feather appeared between his fingers. He said softly:

"Then remember it well. The one who kills you is named—Bei Ming."

The moment his words fell, his figure vanished, leaving behind only a faint remnant shadow.

The next instant, Ice Soul Daoist saw a flash of cold light behind him. In haste, he activated his art and brought forth his spiritual treasure—the Ice Soul Cold Needle!

Countless silver-white cold needles shot through the air, piercing the remnant shadow into dust;

Yet the strike had missed!

A cold snort sounded beside his ear. Ice Soul Daoist whirled around, only to see Bei Ming already behind him, the Feather Blade drawing lightly across.

"Sshhk—!"

A bloody line appeared across Ice Soul Daoist's neck, blood seeping out.

His expression changed drastically. He hurriedly circulated his magic power to stop the bleeding, but he could only barely suppress the flow; the wound would not heal.

Ice Soul Daoist was enraged. Gritting his teeth to steady himself, he flipped his right hand, and another cold gleam rose.

A razor-sharp sword, ice-blue from hilt to tip and radiating biting chill, appeared in midair.

Bei Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over Ice Soul Daoist.

In such a short time, he had already revealed three Innate Spiritual Treasures.

The Daoist Robe on his body, the needle in his left hand, and the sword in his right;

With his cultivation, so long as he did not meet an untimely end, he would have been able to go to Purple Cloud Palace to hear the Dao. As expected, these Innate Gods were generally quite well-off.

In that brief exchange, Ice Soul Daoist had already made a rough assessment of Bei Ming's strength:

'This man is no ordinary figure. His cultivation runs unfathomably deep; he is absolutely no weaker than I am.'

Still, as fellow Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals, he was not about to be too cowardly.

Yet when facing a fellow traveler of the Fellow Daoist Realm, he naturally could not be as arrogant as he was toward foot soldiers of the Ant Realm.

Ice Soul Daoist was no longer as flamboyant and overbearing as before. His expression eased slightly.

"Fellow Daoist, your cultivation is far from shallow. You truly are formidable!

As fellow Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals, there is no need for us to fight until one of us dies.

It is merely a place for quiet cultivation. I can simply find another place. I shall yield this place to Fellow Daoist as your Daoist arena."

Ice Soul Daoist had come seeking opportunities in the first place, and he had also noticed the Sha Qi faintly leaking from Changbai Mountain.

Since he had already obtained the opportunity, there was no need to remain here.

Bei Ming gave a faint "Oh" and said calmly, "Then hurry up and leave."

Ice Soul Daoist's expression darkened slightly. "Fellow Daoist, after all, This Seat discovered this place first.

Since I am letting you take it as your Daoist arena, you should at least offer some compensation.

Could we divide the water of Heavenly Lake equally? Surely Fellow Daoist is not so overbearing?"

Who cared who had discovered it first? There was no Mountain-Protecting Array covering all of Changbai Mountain—anyone could enter this place!

Hearing this, Bei Ming felt there was no need to keep playing along with him.

Although the water of Heavenly Lake could slowly regenerate, if half of it were taken at once, its effect in purifying the spiritual veins would be greatly diminished.

It was highly likely that it would no longer be able to delay the Ancestral Vein's erosion by Sha Qi.

Once the Ancestral Vein collapsed, it would be like an illness reaching the marrow—beyond saving and impossible to sustain.

Bei Ming replied coldly, "Since Fellow Daoist is so meticulous over every last scrap, then simply leave behind all the spiritual treasures you plundered from Changbai Mountain as well."