Stealing the Sky-Climbing Vine

Though Mo Chen felt no pressure emanating from the other man, he had no doubt that a mere twitch of his finger could annihilate him, body and soul.

There were only two reasons his Divine Sense could fail to discern someone's cultivation. The first was that the person stood an entire realm above him. The second... was that the old man before him really was a mortal.

But Mo Chen was not foolish enough to believe that an old man who could snatch him out of the herb garden from afar was truly a mortal.

Thus, Mo Chen dared not delay. He bowed and fell to his knees.

"Senior, this junior... wishes to live."

"Then you shall perform a task for me!"

"Please give me your instructions, Senior!"

Mo Chen answered on his knees, not daring to raise his head.

"I want you to join Emerging Cloud Peak and steal its mountain-guarding treasure, the Sky-Climbing Vine!"

"There is no need to be greedy, however. Bring me just one section."

Emerging Cloud Peak?

After other cultivators had mocked him for asking about Haiyanhui's origins, Mo Chen had bought a rough Travel Map of the world in Maozhou City.

The Travel Map briefly explained that the Seventeen Sects, all top-tier sects, divided the world among them, and Emerging Cloud Peak was one of them. Its strength was unfathomable. Whatever sort of spiritual treasure the Sky-Climbing Vine might be, stealing a sect-guarding treasure from such a colossus was no different from seeking his own death.

"But Senior, this... Emerging Cloud Peak is one of the great sects of our age, with tight defenses. This junior's cultivation is meager. I fear..."

The old man on the jade bed remained unmoved. "You need only understand that there are two paths before you. Either bring me the Sky-Climbing Vine, or... die here."

With that, the old man slowly lifted his eyes. He regarded Mo Chen as though looking at an ant, sending a chill into the depths of his heart.

"This junior... accepts your command."

In the end, Mo Chen agreed in a trembling voice.

The other man was stronger. He had no choice but to bow his head.

"Good. Bring it to me within three hundred years, or death will still be your only fate!"

Mo Chen was unwilling in every fiber of his being, but the gulf between their strengths was as vast as heaven and earth. Hearing the three-hundred-year deadline made his vision go dark.

You've got to be kidding!

I've spent over two hundred years and I'm still in the Qi Refining realm. How am I supposed to get it for you within three hundred years?

Seeing Mo Chen remain silent, the old man continued, "As a precaution, I must place a restriction on you."

Before his words had faded, Mo Chen saw him raise a finger like a dry twig and point it at him.

Alarmed, Mo Chen tried to retreat, only to discover that an invisible force had locked onto him. He could not move so much as a finger.

Then the old man's lips moved, and an aura that made Mo Chen's heart tremble burst from his body.

At the same time, a complex Spellmark formed before the old man.

"I told you, you have no choice!"

As the old man spoke, two sharp streaks of Sword Qi flew from his sleeve. One pierced his own fingertip, while the other sliced open Mo Chen's.

Without pausing, the old man lightly waved his other hand. Two streams of blood shot from their wounds, twining together in the air before sinking into the Spellmark.

The Spellmark turned black upon contact with the blood. The patterns on its surface began to writhe like living creatures, plainly resembling the methods of Demonic Cultivators.

"Speak! Do you agree to retrieve the Sky-Climbing Vine within three hundred years?"

The old man's voice abruptly grew stern, carrying an authority that permitted no question.

"Yes!" Mo Chen could only answer.

The instant he spoke, the pitch-black Spellmark split in two, becoming two streaks of black light that sank into Mo Chen's and the old man's dantians respectively.

Deeply alarmed, Mo Chen used the Inner Vision Technique and discovered the Spellmark floating in the sea of qi within his dantian, giving off wisps of black vapor.

"This Spellmark will remain within your sea of qi. Should you reveal even a fraction of what happened today, or fail to return before the deadline, it will activate. Your body will burst apart, and you will die."

"Still, the seal is not entirely without benefits. It can shield you from one strike by a Nascent Soul Cultivator."

Though Mo Chen knew he had no other choice, hearing that revealing the secret would also trigger the restriction still sent a chill through his heart.

This completely severed any possibility of seeking outside help.

"Naturally, I will not have you undertake this task for nothing."

The old man's tone softened slightly. "I shall now grant you a wisp of my natal True Essence. Once you refine this Spiritual Power, it will greatly benefit your future breakthroughs into Foundation Establishment and the Golden Core Realm."

With that, the withered old man opened his mouth and exhaled a wisp of Spiritual Power, which sank straight into Mo Chen's body.

Mo Chen felt a warm current enter his dantian and circulate through his meridians, spreading throughout his body.

Before Mo Chen could properly experience it, the old man pointed to one side. A small Teleportation Array appeared on an empty patch of ground, its intricate, exquisite patterns giving off spatial fluctuations. It was simply smaller than the underwater Teleportation Array from before.

"This Teleportation Array can send you into Emerging Cloud Peak's territory. I shall also give you this."

The old man tossed over a token-shaped object, pitch-black all over, with the ancient character for "escape" engraved upon it.

"This is..."

"A Teleportation Token. It can protect you from the discomfort of long-distance teleportation."

As he explained, the old man swept his sleeve, and an invisible force pushed Mo Chen into the array.

Before Mo Chen could steady himself, the old man cast another spell, and the Teleportation Array blazed with light.

The next instant, the sensation of the world spinning around him returned. Fortunately, with the Teleportation Talisman protecting him this time, the discomfort was greatly reduced.

As the dazzling light before his eyes gradually faded, Mo Chen slowly opened them. He discovered that he stood amid a lush mountain forest, surrounded by towering ancient trees and clear birdsong, with the fresh scent of vegetation filling the air.

It had all come and gone so quickly, as illusory as a dream.

The succession of pursuing Demon Beasts and the strange old man might never have existed at all. Yet when Mo Chen looked into his dantian and saw the slowly rotating Spellmark, his heart sank.

Damn it. It wasn't a dream.

Am I really going to be held in his grip for three hundred years?

But then again, the strange old man's cultivation was far too high. He could only comply.

At least this time, the old man had spoken the truth. With the Teleportation Token on him, he really had felt no dizziness.

Mo Chen then took out the Travel Map he had prepared earlier and immersed his Divine Sense in it. To his dismay, he discovered that the Travel Map was far too vague, and he could not determine his exact location within Emerging Cloud Peak's territory.

Looks like I'll have to buy a new local Travel Map.

Besides, wandering alone through the mountain forest without asking anyone for directions would be no different from courting death.

Mo Chen sighed and rose into the air, surveying the surrounding terrain.

Once aloft, he gazed into the distance. Mountain ranges stretched on and on, wreathed in clouds and mist, leaving him unable to get his bearings.

In the end, Mo Chen flew to the highest nearby mountain and only managed to determine his direction once the thick mist had passed.

The one blessing amid his misfortune was a majestic city faintly visible in the distance, its towering walls grand and imposing.

Mo Chen immediately activated the Wind-Riding Technique and flew toward the city.

After flying for just under an hour, while still several miles from the city, Mo Chen felt an invisible pressure descend from above, forcibly pushing him back to the ground.

What a powerful flight restriction!

Mo Chen inwardly marveled. "For it to take effect from so far away, whoever laid this restriction must at least be an expert in the Golden Core Realm."

"This city is far larger than Maozhou City. There must be a Golden Core cultivator stationed within."

Not daring to cause trouble, Mo Chen obediently landed and used the Divine Movement Technique to continue on his way.

After traveling roughly another five li, he finally arrived before the city gate. Above it, three large characters swept across the stone like soaring dragons and dancing phoenixes: Tongwu City.