Jushi City, Sea King Sect's main hall.
As Bi Haitian's form shattered, everything returned to calm.
Inside the hall, Huyan Ji sighed softly, watching the Sea King Sect Master, who was not much weaker than himself, vanish into thin air.
He looked at Tang Zhong, who stood calmly beside him.
Although he had been with his Senior Brother for many years, every time he saw him act, it couldn't help but shake him.
The Supreme Grandmaster Realm was truly an unattainable height.
"Senior Brother, how should we deal with the Sea King Sect next, and how do we explain this to the other Sects?"
Huyan Ji felt a headache coming on with the array of problems that needed to be handled.
Tang Zhong, however, remained expressionless. He simply walked forward and sat down at the head of the hall, speaking indifferently.
"Go call them all over. I will handle this matter."
After speaking, he had already closed his eyes, as if falling into a doze.
Seeing this, Huyan Ji said no more, turning to notify the leaders of the other major forces in the city.
He understood in his heart that first the Tianluo Sect, then the Sea King Sect, both chose to cause trouble at this time. It seemed his Senior Brother was truly a bit angry.
The wrath of a Supreme Grandmaster was not something anyone could safely withstand.
Clearly, Tang Zhong intended to use this Opportunity to give these forces a warning.
Just as Bi Haitian's death caused a huge stir in Jushi City, on the other side...
Northern Land.
In the dense mountain forest, a figure sped past.
Several mountain wolves, gnawing on some unknown creature by the roadside, didn't even notice before the figure had already swept past them, covering a hundred meters.
The mountain wolves cautiously raised their heads, looking at the empty surroundings. Suspicion appeared in their crimson eyes, and soon they resumed their gnawing.
After a while, the figure slowed down.
Lin Sheng's sharply defined face was revealed.
"The Northern Land has been reached. The rendezvous point shouldn't be far."
Lin Sheng looked around. He wasn't familiar with the Northern Land, as he had only been there once before.
However, he still knew the general location, and with a map in hand, he could determine the rendezvous point.
By this time, nearly three days had passed since he left Wanghai City, and he had barely stopped along the way.
Taking out the map, Lin Sheng glanced at it twice and quickly continued forward.
Half an hour later, he appeared at a small mountain path.
"This is Eagle Cry Valley."
According to the message at the time, this valley was the agreed-upon rendezvous point.
Lin Sheng scanned the surroundings but found no traces of human activity. Clearly, Yuan Fang and his group had not yet arrived.
He simply found a large rock by the roadside and sat down cross-legged.
His cultivation had now reached the Peak of Bones Transformation.
He temporarily lacked the subsequent Cultivation Technique for the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture.
Therefore, even though he had accumulated a massive amount of demonic charm, he couldn't refine it.
"Returning to Northern Yan might not be possible in a short time. For the subsequent Cultivation Technique, I can only send a message."
Lin Sheng thought to himself.
In fact, before he set off, he had already written a letter and had Shui Zhi send a message back.
He just didn't know when his cheap Master would respond.
As long as he could step into the Divine Form Realm, his body imprint would be activated again.
Coupled with the strength increase after Breakthrough to Divine Form, his power would definitely see a leap-like improvement.
"I wonder if the demonic charm accumulated during this demonic charm surge can help me Break through to Divine Form in one go?"
Lin Sheng murmured to himself.
This second shedding of the demonic skeleton, due to his increased strength, had allowed him to accumulate much more demonic charm than the previous time.
However, he wasn't very confident about whether he could Break through to the Divine Form Realm.
After all, Divine Form experts were considered high-level Martial Artists and pillars of strength in Southern Qi and Northern Yan.
It could be said that Divine Form was the true watershed for powerful individuals.
Before long, he suppressed his thoughts and began cultivating Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange.
With a readily available Red Fire Bull, and its body attributes being quite compatible with his own.
So, he had already decided that the first target for the Blood Devouring Realm would be the Vatican Red Fire Bull.
As Qi and blood surged, Lin Sheng's skin gradually sprouted fiery red hairs, like a humanoid monster covered in long fur.
The surrounding temperature also rose accordingly.
Time flew like an arrow, and the sun set in the west.
Unconsciously, several hours had passed, and the sky gradually darkened, already reaching nightfall.
The temperature in the valley, however, grew higher and higher, as if the scorching sun was still overhead, burning the earth and making it unbearable.
Lin Sheng's body was covered in thick, long fur, and his entire being was no longer recognizable.
Thump... thump... thump...
But from time to time, a muffled sound like a bell could be heard emanating from his body.
This was accompanied by intense bone-cracking sounds, as if a large number of bones were being ground in a stone mill.
Soon, a night passed, and the sky turned a fish-belly white.
The gentle glow of the morning sun spilled onto the ground.
The muffled sounds that had been continuously echoing in the valley had stopped at some unknown point.
The long-haired monster that had been sitting cross-legged on the large rock had also returned to Lin Sheng's original appearance.
He slowly opened his eyes, moving his neck, producing a series of firecracker-like bone crackles.
"The second Red Fire Bull Blood Pill has been fully digested."
Feeling the significantly more abundant Qi and blood energy in his Dantian, Lin Sheng showed a slight smile.
He then no longer hesitated, directly channeling it into the muscles and skin of his entire body.
Lin Sheng felt the Qi and blood in his body instantly become turbulent and restless.
He understood that his body was refining that pure strand of Qi and blood energy.
"I wonder how much of an improvement there will be?"
Lin Sheng murmured.
It would take some time to completely digest this Qi and blood energy simultaneously.
After moving his body, Lin Sheng looked at the still empty valley, and after releasing his senses to investigate, his brows couldn't help but furrow slightly.
According to the agreement, Yuan Fang and his group should have arrived at this valley yesterday.
But after a night had passed, there was still no one in sight.
After a brief moment of thought, Lin Sheng's figure disappeared into the valley.
To be safe, he decided to move forward and check, to avoid any unexpected situations.
He was well aware of the harsh environment of the route from Northern Yan through the Yellow Sand Desolation to the Northern Land.
Especially with the current intensity of the crackdown on Dark Star within Northern Yan, if they were targeted, it could truly be troublesome.
So, it was better to check the Northern Land border.
*
In the vast yellow sand, a convoy quickly passed through the sand sea.
"We finally got out of this hellhole. I didn't expect the sandstorm to be so widespread. If we hadn't been fully prepared, breaking through would have been a real hassle."
Gong Wei's tight-fitting clothes were now covered in sand. Looking at the green vegetation that had appeared in his sight, he couldn't help but exclaim with emotion.
It was his first time feeling how lovely these common flowers, plants, and trees, usually seen everywhere, truly were.
Yuan Fang, beside him, was not much better off, also covered in yellow sand. Looking at the green plants in his view, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"This trip truly started badly. Who would have thought we'd encounter a major sandstorm in the Yellow Sand Desolation, a sight rare in decades?"
Recalling their experiences in the Yellow Sand Desolation over the past two days, everyone in the group felt a sense of lingering fear.
Despite being fully prepared, two Hidden Star Envoys were accidentally ambushed by Vicious Beasts hidden beneath the yellow sand and dragged into the sand, and even the Blazing Star Envoy didn't have time to rescue them.
"Regardless, we finally brought out the red crystal stone. We're already late for the agreed time, so let's hurry and make good time now."
At this moment, Luo Lie urged them on.
As the leader, he felt quite exhausted after this trip, even more tired than after a major battle with a strong enemy.
But he also understood that now was not the time to rest. After all, they were already two days late. Now that they were out, they naturally had to rush to the agreed location as quickly as possible.
Seeing this, Gong Wei opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he didn't speak.
He had originally wanted to suggest resting, but he also knew that since Senior Brother had spoken, there was clearly no room for discussion. He could only helplessly shake off the sand from his body with his Qi and continue forward with the team.
Before long, the convoy finally entered the Northern Land territory.
Passing through the Northern Wilderness along the way, the desolate scenery shocked everyone.
Clearly, the brutality of the war exceeded everyone's imagination.
"Indeed, when war breaks out, the most suffering are these ordinary people who are powerless."
In the carriage ahead, Yuan Fang threw a few flatbreads to the dirty, half-grown children by the roadside, shaking his head slightly and sighing softly.
"If we hadn't embarked on the Martial Dao, perhaps we would also be like these common people by the roadside."
"Second Senior Brother, we possess top-grade, super-grade Bloodlines, so how could we be without Opportunity for no reason? Even without Martial Dao cultivation, we are definitely not comparable to ordinary people."
Gong Wei looked at the children fighting over a piece of steamed bun, pouting his lips, completely unconcerned.
As someone who had grown up in luxury, he naturally wouldn't sympathize with these ordinary people. In his opinion, these ordinary people were simply not on the same level as him. Having a Bloodline or not made them two completely different kinds of people. Only those with a Bloodline could be considered true 'humans'.
Hearing Gong Wei's words, Luo Lie frowned.
"Third Junior Brother, our ability to reach this point, besides our own talent, is also due to Opportunity."
Being an orphan himself, he naturally understood the helplessness of these ordinary people.
In fact, among ordinary people, there could also be Geniuses with good Bloodline potential, but unfortunately, unless by chance, they would most likely struggle to show their brilliance and live a mediocre life.
Hearing Luo Lie's words, Gong Wei nodded indifferently.
"Understood, Senior Brother."
Seeing his expression, Luo Lie sighed and said no more.
Within many long-standing forces, especially aristocratic families, their views were generally similar to Gong Wei's.
They judged nobility by Bloodline. Ordinary people without Bloodlines were worthless in the eyes of these forces and could be freely bullied or even slaughtered.
Although they wouldn't go too far, such situations still occurred from time to time, and he couldn't change this point.
The convoy continued forward. Perhaps because Yuan Fang had given them food, many war refugees followed behind the convoy.
Unfortunately, the convoy's speed was extremely fast. In just a few breaths, it left the refugees far behind. Many refugees were along both sides of the official road.
Among them, there were not a few bandits lurking.
Seeing the convoy approaching, they immediately urged the refugees to block the road.
As the convoy slowed down, bandits holding weapons immediately surrounded them.
However, before they could even get close, these bandits began to shake, vomiting blood and dying one by one, scaring the bandits who had just rushed out into a daze.
Before they could react, Gong Wei's figure shot out, killing all the bandits.
"These good-for-nothings dare to target us. They're asking for death."
Returning to the carriage, Gong Wei's face was full of disdain.
They had encountered bandits and marauders more than once on this journey, and the result was naturally that all of them were dealt with cleanly.
"Alright, let's keep moving."
Luo Lie didn't care about these things and immediately ordered the convoy to continue forward.
And to avoid further delays, he specifically ordered several Hidden Star Envoys to clear the way ahead, resolving any potential troubles they might encounter in advance.
Half a day passed, and they encountered no further trouble along the way.
However, just as the convoy was passing through a valley, Luo Lie sensed something and immediately shouted in a low voice.
"Stop!!"
The convoy immediately braked. Gong Wei, somewhat confused, asked,
"What's wrong, Senior Brother?"
As he spoke, he looked ahead but didn't see anything amiss.
This valley, apart from the slightly denser vegetation on both sides, had no other abnormalities.
Yuan Fang, however, looked at both sides as if he had realized something.
It was too quiet on both sides, and...
"Second Junior Brother, contact Red Wolf and the other two."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
Yuan Fang immediately took out a black jade stone and held it in his hand, activating it with his Qi.
"Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, what exactly is going on? What have you found!?"
Gong Wei looked at their solemn faces, feeling increasingly bewildered.
"Junior Brother, don't you feel that this valley is a bit too quiet? And from when we entered this valley until now, have you seen a single refugee?"
Luo Lie explained in a deep voice.
"This..."
Hearing this, Gong Wei immediately reacted, understanding what was wrong.
Before, they had basically seen refugees along both sides of the road throughout their journey.
But where was there a single person along the official road inside the valley before their eyes?
At this moment, the jade stone in Yuan Fang's hand also reacted. A faint glow emanated from the jade stone, but it instantly disappeared.
Seeing this, Yuan Fang and the others' expressions changed slightly, becoming solemn.
"It seems Red Wolf and the others are in trouble!"
"Third Junior Brother, you take the convoy back. Second Junior Brother, Qing Shu, follow me to the front to check."
Luo Lie spoke in a deep, solemn voice.
He had originally thought that once they reached the Southern Qi territory, they would be basically safe, but now it seemed he had thought too simply.
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
Gong Wei also understood the urgency of the matter and, without further ado, immediately prepared to lead the convoy back.
And just then, a series of urgent whooshing sounds suddenly erupted from the valley ahead.
Their speed was extremely fast, reaching the convoy in an instant.
"Careful!"
Luo Lie roared, his skin instantly flushed with blood, and he immediately erupted, punching out and sending several flying darts flying.
At the same time, his figure, like a giant elephant, charged into the valley.
His powerful Qi condensed into a phantom of a giant elephant roaring to the sky, crashing into the forest.
Bang!
A deafening explosion rang out from the forest, and several figures slowly emerged.