Valleys surrounded them, with cloud-wreathed peaks towering above.
Independent cultivators usually crept cautiously through terrain like this, where enemies could easily hide, afraid of revealing their whereabouts.
Yet the group approaching from the distance flew brazenly at low altitude, the wind whistling around them as they swept forward aggressively, not the least bit afraid of being discovered.
It was not just because their group included seven or eight skilled cultivators in the late Third Realm, but also because their leader was Xue Pinggu, an independent cultivator from Longdu City's Celestial Venerables' Society.
The young man at the very front had a resolute face and a cold gaze. He wore loose training clothes, with a Snake-Head Magical Artifact strapped to his back.
Many outstanding young independent cultivators like him were not actually all that independent. Like the Xiao Family brothers, for example, they had an elder in the family who cultivated and brought them into the fold. Although they could not claim the backing of an Immortal Sect or an established clan, they still had someone to guide them.
Xue Pinggu was one such case. Both his parents were wealthy independent cultivators, so he had enjoyed the conditions necessary for cultivation from childhood. Because of his limited talent, none of Longdu City's first-rate sects had selected him. If he entered a second-rate sect, he would have no hope whatsoever of making it to the Youth Cultivators' Assembly.
After some planning, his family had him forgo joining a sect altogether and make his way through the Independent Cultivator Track instead. Sure enough, he broke through to the Astral Realm at a young age, joined the Celestial Venerables' Society, and received substantial support.
Xue Pinggu had always had something to prove. He wanted to fight his way out of Jiangcheng City's Independent Cultivator