Chapter 290: Chapter 285: Arriving at the Blood Soul Empire
Once the revolving wheel of fate began to turn, the road ahead slowly unfolded according to its own rules. Three months slipped by on their journey. Because of their constant conversation over these three months, the closeness between Mu Chen and Wan Xian’Er had grown by leaps and bounds, and Wan Xian’Er found herself smiling more and more.
However, this didn’t mean that Mu Chen neglected his cultivation while talking with Wan Xian’Er. During these three months, Mu Chen successfully used the Primordial Power from those one thousand Fire Attribute Spirit Crystals to advance his Flame Realm to blue. The power of his flames advanced once again. It was no exaggeration to say that the current Mu Chen could defeat any Martial Artist of the same realm using only his Fire Attribute Elemental Power. Moreover, because the Primordial Power he absorbed was pure and abundant, Mu Chen’s Martial Artist Realm advanced consecutively over the three months, unexpectedly reaching the realm of a Seven-Ring Martial Spirit.
It could be said without a doubt that Mu Chen could now rely on his various trump cards to easily defeat a Martial King expert. And with a Combat Skill as terrifyingly powerful as Ice and Fire Burst, not much posed a threat to him in the Senluo Ruins. After all, Martial Artists above the Martial Sect realm were forbidden from entering. Another piece of good news was that Wan Xian’Er had also successfully broken through to the Emperor Realm along the way. From now on, Mu Chen’s team would have two Martial Artists at the Emperor Realm.
"Brother Mu Chen, in a few more hours at most, we’ll reach the territory of the Blood Soul Empire," Xu Fei said, looking at the scene before them and turning his head toward the carriage.
Mu Chen pulled back the curtain, revealing his fair face. "We’re finally here."
Hearing this, Xu Fei laughed heartily. "Brother Mu Chen, you’re mistaken about that. The Blood Soul Empire is the only High-class Empire in our vicinity, and its territory is astonishingly vast. The entrance to the Senluo Ruins is in the Blood Soul Imperial City, which is in the central region of the country. If we continue by Hurricane Horse Carriage, it’ll take another month. By the time you get there, you probably won’t have more than a few days to rest before you have to enter."
"Is that so," Mu Chen sighed, then looked at the dejected Wan Xian’Er beside him and said, "Miss Xian’Er, it’s alright. Since we’ve already reached the Blood Soul Empire, we don’t have to stay in the carriage the whole time. We can stay in a hotel or inn occasionally."
Wan Xian’Er, who had been looking dejected, immediately perked up after hearing Mu Chen’s words. "Really? That’s great! I can finally take a proper bath!"
Mu Chen was already used to this. ’It seems Wan Xian’Er’s greatest hobby is bathing. She’s a girl who loves to be clean...’
As the setting sun cast its rays, the Hurricane Horse Carriage driven by Xu Fei finally arrived at a border town of the Blood Soul Empire—Hurricane Town. A very fitting name, surprisingly similar to that of the Hurricane Horse.
Of course, this was no coincidence. After Xu Fei’s explanation, Mu Chen and Wan Xian’Er finally understood that this town was precisely where Hurricane Horses were artificially tamed and raised. Or rather, in the vast Blood Soul Empire, a place like this could no longer be described as a town. Calling it a Hurricane Horse training ground seemed more fitting, simply because the Blood Soul Empire was so massive.
On the eve of their arrival, Mu Chen had already consulted a map. On the map, the total area of the Blood Soul Empire was a hundred times that of the Fenglan Empire! This behemoth truly surprised Mu Chen. But his surprise was fleeting; he was more concerned with his own Xuanling Empire. ’If the Xuanling Empire could also be this powerful, wouldn’t my family be safer?’
Getting off the Hurricane Horse Carriage, Xu Fei navigated with practiced ease to a parking space. This place seemed to be specifically for outsiders or long-distance travelers to park their carriages. ’A High-class Empire is a High-class Empire, after all. You can see how different it is in every aspect.’
"Brother Xu, you seem very familiar with this place," Mu Chen remarked, seeing how quickly Xu Fei found a rather luxurious-looking hotel after they parked the carriage.
Xu Fei chuckled. "Of course. The Blood Soul Empire is the ruling power over the surrounding empires. As a town representative of the Fenglan Empire, I have to come here every three years to pay tribute. If I weren’t familiar with the place, Elder Lin Xiao wouldn’t have had me escort you here, right?"
Mu Chen smiled. "That’s true."
Low-class Empires pay tribute to Middle-class Empires, Middle-class Empires to High-class Empires, and High-class Empires to the Dynasty. This was the strict hierarchical system of the Extreme Martial Continent. However, because of the power of Martial Artists, this so-called tribute was little more than a ritual for lesser empires to show respect and fealty to greater ones. The actual items of tribute were secondary; no one really discussed how valuable they were.
In less than ten minutes, Xu Fei had already booked their two rooms. The rooms were not far from the lobby, just on the second floor. Since they weren’t staying long, they didn’t choose the higher-tier rooms meant for long-term residents.
"These are your two rooms; the numbers are next to each other. I’ll be staying across from you. I’ve already told the staff to have your dinner sent to your rooms. After you eat, wash up and get some rest. We’ll continue toward the Imperial Capital first thing in the morning."
Mu Chen and Wan Xian’Er nodded and entered their respective rooms. After three months of hard travel, the moment they stepped inside, they felt as if they had entered another world. Sniffing the scent on his clothes, Mu Chen shook his head and chuckled to himself, "After reaching the Martial Spirit realm, sweat no longer has a smell. That certainly makes traveling more convenient."
CLICK. The doors to all three rooms closed simultaneously. At the same time, a middle-aged man in a white robe emerged from a dark corner. He stared at the doors to their three rooms for a moment with a thoughtful expression, then turned and vanished on the spot...
「Central Continent — Zhongling Mountain — Ding Palace」
A man with flowing white hair sat at the highest point of Ding Palace. No, it would be more accurate to call him a white-haired man than an old one, because his appearance was too well-preserved. His fair and handsome face was without a single wrinkle, and he had sharp brows and bright eyes. At first glance, he seemed kind and approachable, but upon closer inspection, one could feel a sharp aura emanating from him. This was especially true of his impossibly deep eyes, which were like black holes, captivating one’s very Heart Soul.
Between the white-haired man’s eyebrows were three vermilion marks, making him look as ethereal as an immortal. At this moment, the white-haired man was gazing at the mist-shrouded mountain peaks before him, lost in thought. His majestic expression suddenly softened, and within that softness was a hint of worry. And this man was none other than the Palace Master of Ding Palace, Wan Xianzhong.
"I don’t know what Father was thinking. Xian’Er has never even been down Zhongling Mountain, and yet he had her leave the Central State to search for some Saint Heir. My poor Xian’Er, I wonder how she’s doing now." Wan Xianzhong muttered to himself, then rose to leave.
But just as Wan Xianzhong was about to leave, the space beside him suddenly fluctuated slightly. He showed no surprise at all; instead, he looked somewhat delighted.
"Palace Master, Sikong has returned."
The voice arrived before the person. After these words were spoken, a huge rift suddenly tore open in the space beside Wan Xianzhong. From the size of this Spatial Rift alone, one could be certain that this middle-aged man named Sikong was anything but ordinary.
"Sikong, you’ve finally returned! Do you have news of Xian’Er?" Even the normally composed Wan Xianzhong was overcome with excitement. After all, she was his only daughter.
Sikong smiled faintly. "Actually, Palace Master, I found the Young Miss not long after you sent me out. However, because the purpose of her trip was to gain experience, I did not interfere with her actions in any way. I merely protected her from the shadows."
"And? How is Xian’Er doing?" Wan Xianzhong asked hurriedly. Her safety was his greatest concern.
"Er..." Sikong was a bit stunned, as this was probably the first time he had ever seen Wan Xianzhong so flustered, but he quickly recovered and said, "The Young Miss is very safe. However, she is too naive. Right after she descended the mountain, she gave all her money, including the ring that held her clothes and travel necessities, to a beggar. As a result, she ran into trouble everywhere and went hungry for many days."
"What?! She gave all her money and travel necessities to a beggar?! Isn’t that just absurd!" Wan Xianzhong scolded with a frown.
"Er..." Sikong said, looking a bit sheepish. "Fortunately, the Young Miss is incredibly clever. She actually found a place to stay on her own and ate Spirit Fruits from the forest every day, so she never went hungry or cold."
Wan Xianzhong continued, "She can find shelter and food for herself? HAHAHA, worthy of being my, Wan Xianzhong’s, daughter! Go on, what happened next? Is she still living in that forest?"
Sikong replied, "Not exactly. She ended up with a young man, and the two of them traveled south together. Along the way, they passed through the Fenglan Empire, then traveled hard for three months, and have now reached the Blood Soul Empire. Seeing that the Blood Soul Empire is a High-class Empire, I borrowed their Teleportation Array to return to Ding Palace and report her safety to you, Palace Master."
Hearing this, Wan Xianzhong froze, his expression darkening. "A young man?! What young man?! What kind of young man?! He dares to get close to Xian’Er! The audacity!! Why didn’t you step in and stop it?"
Sikong couldn’t help but give a wry smile. "This young man is about the same age as the Young Miss, and from my observations, his character is very good. And also..." As he spoke, an unprecedentedly solemn look appeared on Sikong’s face.
Seeing Sikong’s expression change, Wan Xianzhong also grew serious. "And also what? Is there something extraordinary about this young man?"
To his surprise, Sikong nodded emphatically. "Extraordinary? No! That word isn’t nearly enough to describe him. I can say with certainty that on the entire Extreme Martial Continent, you will absolutely never find another person like him."
Wan Xianzhong said, "What exactly is going on? Explain clearly."
Sikong nodded. "Yes. This young man is a Martial Artist with an incomplete body; he only has a left arm. Logically, such a Martial Artist should be completely unable to perfectly circulate their Cultivation Technique to achieve the Five Hearts Facing Heaven absorption method. But for some reason, he managed to cultivate to the strength of a Five-Ring Martial Spirit. The day he first met the Young Miss, she got into a fight with him. The Young Miss’s Martial Artist Realm is at the Peak of a Nine-Ring Martial Sect, with one foot already in the Emperor Realm. She can be called a genius among the geniuses of the Central State!"
Wan Xianzhong nodded. "Naturally. So that kid must have gotten a sound beating from Xian’Er, right?"
"No!" Sikong shook his head. "Quite the opposite. The one who lost was the Young Miss. Although neither of them used any powerful Combat Skills, her every attack was instantly seen through and successfully dodged. In the end, he sent her flying a hundred meters back with a single move. I could tell that the young man didn’t use his full strength at all. In fact... he didn’t even use half of it."
