Arrival

The Western Frontier was full of ferocious beasts. Dense old forests sprawled everywhere, with no sign of human habitation. Vicious beasts and birds of prey lurked on all sides, making it one of the most terrifying primordial lands.

Children aside, even a band of adult experts traveling together would struggle to cross it. At any moment, a Primordial Remnant might suddenly charge out and devour them, leaving not even a bone behind.

Little One had keen instincts. He avoided countless terrifying dangers along the way and faced many brushes with death. He had suffered grave injuries more than once, but in the end, he had made it through.

He was only a little over seven years old, yet he had accomplished such a feat!

If anyone learned of it, the news would surely explode across the land, shaking the four corners and spreading far and wide. If a major power like the Deer-Hunting Academy heard about him, they would certainly send experts to find him at once and bring him into the academy.

As for Shi Lin, he had practically bulldozed his way through the journey. The Undying Scripture had boosted his strength by far more than a little—it had given him a great leap forward. At the very least, he had no rival below the Ten-Heavenly-Cave level.

That was the Undying Scripture's immense power.

At last, they spotted a village. Riding the Unicorn, Little One and Shi Lin galloped out of the Great Wilderness.

Once they had left the endless mountain range behind, there were fewer fierce birds and beasts, and it was relatively much safer. Two days later, they reached the vicinity of an important border town in the Stone Kingdom.

The ancient kingdom was truly vast, ruling over an expanse of land stretching tens of millions of miles. Even the fief of a single powerful lord held hundreds of millions of people, or even over a billion, and its territory was boundless.

With a domain so immense, it was naturally difficult to govern every corner. The only option was to build a great central city in each region to keep it in check. If unrest broke out, experts stationed in the city could rapidly deploy and suppress it with thunderous force.

In truth, the Stone Kingdom was flourishing, nowhere near an age when it needed to suppress rebellions. Especially over the past few centuries, the Human Emperor's runes had reached the heavens and his divine might was unparalleled. The kingdom grew more prosperous by the day, and no one dared betray it.

Perhaps only the borderlands were less secure, since foreign races sometimes came knocking at the passes to plunder the human race and devour its people. But to a vast ancient kingdom, a few small battles were nothing.

Chongyun Town could really be called a city, for it had a population of eighty thousand. Its location was crucial: an important stronghold in the west, guarding a strategic pass beneath the central city of the region.

Over the past century, experts from other races had attacked from time to time. But none who passed through here and tried to force their way in on a large scale had ever succeeded.

Along the way, they had gradually come across some people, mostly merchants. They ventured into the primordial forests to buy beast hides, spirit medicines, and other goods from distant tribes. The journey was dangerous, but the profits were immense.

"Mm, we should head back soon. I hear things haven't been peaceful lately. The Wood Clan in the Great Wilderness has been wanting to send out troops. And there's a rumor that a Primordial Remnant has come to the depths of this mountain range and settled here. It'll surely make a show of its might to establish its dominance. It'll probably come stir up trouble in Chongyun City."

Little One listened attentively, eager to broaden his horizons.

Shi Lin looked all around as they traveled. After all, this was his first time seeing such an ancient city.

"Oh no, it looks like a small beast tide! Could that Primordial Remnant have launched an attack early to establish its authority here?" "I don't think so. It's probably just an ordinary Beast King. There aren't that many beasts. Let's run!"

As they continued on, they could already see Chongyun Town in the distance. Its imposing walls stretched across their path like a mountain ridge. Built from a stone called Adamantine Rock, they were pitch-black and gleamed with a fearsome, metallic sheen.

A mass of fierce birds and beasts had gathered in front of the city, blackening the land. They had not gone around the walls, clearly intending to establish their dominance here. Their roars shook the heavens. They were about to attack the city, and the sight made people tremble.

"Run for it! I hope the Sacrificial Spirit can slaughter every one of these fiends!"

The group fled at once, rushing into the distance. They didn't dare enter the city at a time like this, afraid the beast tide would set its sights on them and bring disaster.

Inside the city, close to the gate, stood an earthen hill. A plant grew atop it, reaching four or five zhang tall. It was clearly visible from outside the city, its entire body dark green, with enormous leaves shaped like fans.

This was Chongyun Town's Sacrificial Spirit, a plant whose name even the townspeople did not know for certain. They called it Lord Sacrificial Spirit, or Lord Chongyun.

It gave off a faint fragrance. Between its enormous, dark-green leaves grew three strange flowers, each as large as a millstone. Their dazzling petals shimmered with radiant light: one was wreathed in scarlet glow, one was pure white as jade, and one was veiled in purple mist.

The beast tide had evidently spotted the people outside the city. A group immediately broke off and charged toward them, roaring as they closed in at Extreme Speed.

"Lord Sacrificial Spirit, save us!" the group cried.

Shi Lin and Little One prepared to fight. But just then, scarlet light flashed. On the earthen hill in the city, the flower shimmering with red radiance opened, its petals spreading wide as an astonishing wave of power burst forth.

"Whoosh!"

A streak of red light shot out, wheeled through the air, and slashed toward the group. The dozens of charging fierce birds and beasts fell into chaos. Roars rang out again and again as blood flashed, and the beast tide suffered heavy losses.

The two boys stared in wonder.

The so-called red light was actually a flying sword, bright red all over and translucent as fiery jade.

"A flower with a flying sword inside it?"

Before long, all the dozens of beasts and strange birds lay in pools of blood. Some had been beheaded, while others had been severed in two. It was an utterly savage sight!

"Way stronger than the divine wolf from Bei Village. Even Big Sister Green-Scaled Eagle couldn't compare before she ate Suanni flesh," Little One murmured. The red light had been far too swift. In just a moment, it had brought these vicious creatures to their deaths.

Shi Lin nodded in agreement.

A flash of light passed, and the red sword flew back into the city.

The merchants who had been buying beast hides and spirit medicines were all pale as snow. Once they came to their senses, they bowed toward Chongyun Town, thanking it for saving their lives.

"Oh! So it's the flower's stamen. It really does look exactly like a flying sword," Little One exclaimed in surprise. The flying sword was only a stamen, shaped like a sword. When it returned, it slid between the petals, gleaming with dazzling light. Then the entire flower closed again.

"Lord Chongyun has protected this place for hundreds of years. It was here when this was a little town with fewer than a thousand people. Now the city has over eighty thousand. Its contributions have been immense."

"Lord Chongyun is powerful enough to guard a great city. It would be no weaker than the Sacrificial Spirits there, but it has never wanted to leave."

The people chattered among themselves. Little One was astonished to hear it. This plant really was powerful.

"This Lord Chongyun should be at the Array Formation Realm," Shi Lin murmured to himself.

"This Sacrificial Spirit is extraordinary," a slightly plump middle-aged man inside the city said to himself. He had a pale, clean-shaven face, and his eyes flashed with sharp light.

"It is indeed powerful, and Sacrificial Spirits like this are rare. Why not have Your Lordship approach it and invite it? Perhaps it would join my Rain Clan," said a young man beside him.

The slightly plump middle-aged man shook his head. "Forget it. It wouldn't look good if word got out. We should focus on the matter at hand. I wonder if Miss Xia Youyu has returned. We came to ask for that talisman."

Outside the city, the beast tide did not disperse. Fierce birds circled overhead, lingering there without retreating even after a group of their kind had been killed. Inside the city, the Sacrificial Spirit stood atop the earthen hill, four or five zhang tall and dark green all over. Its three millstone-sized flowers resembled peonies, their radiant light flowing in dazzling colors as fragrance wafted from them.

The more the Sacrificial Spirit did nothing, the more uneasy the beasts outside became. They feared this plant, rooted here for many years. Though they had not retreated, for a time they did not dare attack.

Suddenly, a long cry rang out, its sound like thunder. Leaves came tumbling down from the dense forest. A huge shadow appeared in the sky: a fierce bird fifty or sixty meters long, its body glimmering with dark light and its essence surging. Its silver eyes were as sharp as bolts of lightning, runes flickering within them as an oppressive aura swept down from above.

"Oh! The leader of the fierce birds and beasts has appeared! It's a fierce bird, and what terrifying power!" the people exclaimed.

This beast tide was led by the powerful fierce bird. At its cry, the various beasts on the ground immediately charged forward. Intimidated by its might, none dared disobey.

"Clang!"

In the city, the Sacrificial Spirit atop the earthen hill bloomed with scarlet light once more. The red flower opened, and a streak of scarlet lightning shot up, slicing through the air with peerless sharpness.

"Pfft!" "Pfft!" ...

The first few beasts charging at the front collapsed at once, struck by the red flying sword. Their foreheads had all been cleaved open, and fresh blood poured out, throwing the beast tide into panic and chaos.

It was a plant, yet it could wield such a domineering red sword. The sword-shaped stamens were astonishing weapons, sharp enough to cut through anything. The attacks of all the beasts and strange birds slowed.

With such a powerful Sacrificial Spirit guarding the city, it could stand against a thousand armies. An ordinary beast tide could never shake Chongyun City's foundations. The place was as secure as an iron fortress.

The enormous fierce bird, fifty or sixty meters long, cried out in the sky, its body glimmering with dark light as mysterious ripples spread across it. It opened its mouth and spat out a vast blaze, attacking the plant. It had taken matters into its own hands; otherwise, the beast tide would have scattered.

The red sword flew back. The dark-green plant trembled and glowed all over as a cloud of emerald mist rose and surged into the sky, blocking the great blaze with a sizzling hiss. The flames soon dwindled.

The black fierce bird in the sky had blazing silver eyes. Beams of light shot from them one after another, like enormous silver arrows more than ten meters long, ringing as they streaked toward their target.

"Pop!" "Pop!" ...

The plant in the city trembled, its dark-green leaves shivering as all three millstone-sized flowers bloomed at once. Scarlet, white, and purple light burst forth amid rolling clouds of mist and dazzling auspicious radiance, releasing an astonishing wave of power.

Scarlet light flickered and sword cries rang in the air. The red sword shot up first, soaring into the sky and trailing a blaze of crimson light like the evening glow. Then a flash of pure white brilliance followed, and a white jade sword shot skyward. Purple energy billowed upward next, and a purple sword rang out.

All three flying swords shot up from the ground together, like comets streaking across the sky. Their long tails of light swayed behind them, illuminating the entire horizon. Their brilliance was astonishing, connecting heaven and earth!

The fierce bird circled in the sky like a dark cloud, its ferocious might overwhelming. Silver beams shot from its pupils one after another, but each was cut down in turn.

The three swords rang like clashing metal, their cries shaking the sky as runes spread outward. At last, they scattered the remaining flames and reached the fierce bird.

The bird beat its wings and fought back with all its might. Dazzling runes erupted around it as they clashed fiercely.

Amid a series of ringing clashes, a final "Pfft!" sounded, and the huge fierce bird was split open. A downpour of blood fell from the sky as its head was severed, and its body plunged to the ground.

The beast tide collapsed at once. With its leader dead, the beasts scattered and fled toward the distant mountains. "Attack!"

The city gates swung wide, and a group of experts charged out, chasing after the fleeing beasts. Arrows flew in clusters at a forty-five-degree angle before raining down among the fierce birds and beasts. Blood splattered everywhere, leaving corpse after corpse behind.

In the distance, Little One had witnessed the battle and felt deeply stirred. Sacrificial Spirits came in all kinds, from every imaginable species, and without exception, they were incredibly powerful.

It was only a plant, with three enormous flowers the size of millstones, yet it had nurtured sword-like stamens. Truly astonishing.

The battle had left a deep impression on him. Little Shi Hao murmured, "So runes can be used like this—nurturing a weapon inside the body and launching it in an attack, sharp enough to cut through anything."

He considered whether he should follow suit and use runes to refine a weapon of his own.

Inside the city, the slightly plump middle-aged man watched the battle and murmured, "This Sacrificial Spirit is truly extraordinary. It has actually grown several flying swords. Its future achievements will be limitless."

The three swords were all rare treasures, priceless and tempting to him. But he also knew that no matter how powerful the Rain Clan was, there were some things it could not touch.

"Mm, right. Any news from that dilapidated estate?" the middle-aged man asked, coming back to himself and turning to a steward nearby.

"None. That couple hasn't returned since they left," the steward replied. He was in his forties and had spent many years in the Western Frontier. Usually, he carried considerable authority, but now he bowed and scraped just as he always had.

"Shi Ziling is a dangerous man. The clan isn't at ease and very much hopes he never appears again. Keep a close watch, and report immediately if you hear anything," the middle-aged man said, a vicious glint appearing on his face.

"Yes. At the slightest hint of trouble, I'll report it immediately." The steward put on an air of unwavering loyalty. He had had enough of this barbaric land and longed to earn merit and return to the imperial capital.

"By the way, is that child still alive?" the slightly plump, clean-shaven middle-aged man asked nonchalantly.

The steward hurriedly replied, "He's very frail. He won't live much longer."

The middle-aged man gave a noncommittal "Mm."

The steward's face immediately paled, and he added, "Those old monsters have all passed away one after another. The last one won't last more than a few days, either. That little wretch shouldn't live much longer."

"Don't act recklessly. No matter how dilapidated that place is, it still holds a special significance. If you really cause trouble..." The middle-aged man let out a cold laugh as he warned him.

"Rest assured, Your Lordship. That child might someday accidentally fall into a well, tumble off a mountain, or be attacked by a fierce bird and die. It would look like an accident, without a trace or a flaw."

"Don't get clever on your own!" The middle-aged man glared at him.

"Yes!" The steward hurriedly bowed, not daring to argue.