Chapter 1026: Lucky Divine Authority

During the era of the Ancient Emperor Xuanyou, Wanggu was divided into Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern regions. However, the geographical boundaries were not clearly defined, and Emperor Xuanyou deliberately sought to blur them.

This changed when Xuanyou left Wanggu and the "Remnant Face" descended.

A great calamity enveloped the continent of Wanggu. Myriad races continually faced death and war; some permanently vanished, while others rose against the tide, eventually evolving into five powerful clans. These included the Blazing Moon Profound Sky Clan in the East, the Northern Mandate Royal Clan in the North, the Scarlet Earth Great Luo Clan in the West, the Underworld Abyss Bone Clan in the South, and the strongest clan, which occupied the central part of Wanggu.

These five clans stood firm in Wanggu, becoming the pinnacle of the current era.

Furthermore, because Human Emperor Lixia achieved divinity and, in a single step, reached the divine platform, he led the human race to rise. Forming an alliance with the Blazing Moon Clan, the human race became one of the current six great clans of Wanggu. This made the power of the Eastern region surpass that of the West, North, and South, at one point directly catching up to the strongest clan.

The extent of its power is evident in the current war of the Holy Lands: no Holy Land has descended upon the central region. In the East, the battlefields are contained outside of the formations. However, in the West, North, and South, war rages, with countless casualties on both sides.

Especially in the North, over the past six months, frequent large-scale battles have occurred with the four Profound-tier Holy Lands that have descended there. Even the powerful Northern Mandate Royal Clan has gradually begun to struggle. Consequently, looking across the entire Northern Ice Plains, it is no longer the pristine white it once was; many areas within it have been stained by blood.

It was into this environment that Xu Qing and Er Niu entered the Northern Region. Feeling the cold winds of the Northern Region, gazing at its endless glaciers, and smelling the scent of blood from the countless deaths across the land, even Er Niu became noticeably quieter. The howling of the cold wind resembled a wail, conveying the sense of dying life. Underfoot, the ice plains were mixed with blood, and among the shocking sights were many frozen skeletal remains, turned into ice sculptures. They maintained the postures they held in their final moments.

"Compared to the Eastern Region, this place... is far too tragic!" Xu Qing murmured, looking into the distance.

"So it's best not to go too deep!"

"How about here? Anyway, the place we need is beneath the glacier!" Er Niu's gaze fell on a nearby corpse, and he sighed.

Xu Qing nodded, withdrawing his gaze from the distant sky. He looked at the glacier beneath his feet, lifted his right foot, and was about to stomp down, intending to collapse the ice. But just then, his expression shifted. The howling wind carried sounds that were not of the wind itself, forming a vivid scene within Xu Qing's divine authority.

Someone in the distance... was being pursued. The one being pursued was a middle-aged cultivator with bluish skin, clearly not human. His cultivation was at the first stage of the Return to Void realm. Dressed in luxurious robes and wearing a purple-gold crown, he clearly possessed an extraordinary status. His robes were embroidered with subtle snowflake patterns. As he moved, these snowflakes would form an illusion, encircling his body, drawing in cold air from all directions to create a storm that boosted his speed.

His pursuers were two individuals of similar cultivation, also at the first stage of the Return to Void realm. They wore silver robes, had scales between their brows, tails behind them, and horns on their heads. Their bodies contained a hint of starlight aura. This aura revealed the identity of these two foreign beings: they were not native cultivators of Wanggu but came from beyond the heavens, from a Holy Land.

Their eyes now held killing intent as they rapidly pursued him. While rushing, they formed hand seals, unleashing spells that shimmered with brilliant light, blasting directly towards the middle-aged cultivator. Though pursued and struck, with blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, the middle-aged cultivator's expression remained normal, completely unpanicked and remarkably composed. Relying on his expertise in speed, he constantly tried to create distance.

Even though the effect was minimal, and the two sides grew closer with an increasing barrage of spells, causing him to be struck multiple times and even cough up a mouthful of blood, his expression still showed no trace of panic. It was as if he was completely indifferent to his injuries and unconcerned about the impending death if caught.

This peculiar scene was sensed by Xu Qing, and shortly after, Er Niu also witnessed it.

"This person's attire indicates he's from the Northern Mandate Royal Clan. Interesting... Does he know we're here, or does he possess some other means? Otherwise, how could he be so calm?" Er Niu wondered.

Xu Qing's expression remained calm, his gaze fixed on the three individuals chasing across the horizon. The three soon approached in the sky, but with their cultivation levels, they naturally couldn't detect Xu Qing and Er Niu, who were in a concealed state.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, the moment they neared Xu Qing and Er Niu, the two pursuers from the Holy Land unleashed their killing moves. Amidst the roaring spells, the pursued Northern Mandate Royal Clan cultivator failed to dodge in time; his body shuddered, and blood spurted out. His figure faltered, his path forward blocked, forcing him to head straight for the ice plains below. As the two Holy Land cultivators approached with killing intent, the three actually began to fight directly, just a hundred feet in front of Xu Qing and Er Niu.

Roaring sounds reverberated, and the light of spells erupted. This strange sight made both Xu Qing and Er Niu frown.

"This is too much of a coincidence, they're fighting right in front of us!" Er Niu squinted.

However, judging by their attacks, they were genuinely trying to kill each other, and their expressions clearly showed they were unaware of anyone nearby. So, Er Niu decided to continue observing to see if any of the three would truly die. After all, the appearance of these three was full of coincidences, and coincidences, when they reach a certain level, become uncanny.

But after Xu Qing carefully observed them, a faint light flickered in his eyes. He suddenly raised his right hand and waved. With that wave, the sounds produced by the fighting cultivators' attacks seemed to be cut off, vanishing instantly. Then, an invisible killing force formed and exploded in an instant. Wherever it passed, it became a sound blast. The two cultivators from the Holy Land changed their expressions, looking horrified. It was too late to dodge; they were instantly enveloped by the sonic blast. Amidst booming sounds, their bodies disintegrated, shattered into pieces, and both their forms and spirits were annihilated. Only blood spilled, staining the ground red.

As for the middle-aged cultivator from the Northern Mandate Royal Clan, he was shaken by this sudden turn of events, his mind reeling. He instinctively retreated a bit and swiftly looked in all directions. He perceived nothing. Xu Qing and Er Niu's concealment made it so that in the cultivator's eyes, all directions he looked were empty.

After a while, the Northern Mandate Royal Clan cultivator took a deep breath and bowed towards the empty air. "This junior, Long Jiu, a disciple of the Northern Mandate Royal Clan, thanks senior for the life-saving grace! Since benefactor does not wish to reveal himself, this junior will not insist. However, this kindness will be etched in my heart. In the future, should benefactor visit my Northern Mandate Royal Clan, you may use this token to find me. Whatever the command, Long Jiu will exert his full effort!"

The middle-aged cultivator's attitude was sincere yet neither humble nor arrogant. As he spoke, he took out a shimmering silver-white token and placed it on the ground. He then bowed again and waited for a moment. Seeing no response from his surroundings, he took a deep breath, stood up, and vanished towards the horizon.

A while later, the token Long Jiu had left behind flew up on its own and landed in Er Niu's hand.

"This is somewhat interesting. This token is actually made of ice crystal, and it's of top quality. This Long Jiu... his demeanor suggests he's not ordinary, and his actions just now... he must hold some status within the Northern Mandate Royal Clan! If we ever go to that clan, perhaps this person might indeed be useful! But everything before was still too coincidental. Xiao A'Qing, why did you act just now?" Er Niu asked, toying with the token in his hand.

Xu Qing looked in the direction Long Jiu had departed, and slowly spoke. "This person is indeed not simple. There's a faint ripple of divine authority on him!"

"Divine authority?" Er Niu's gaze sharpened.

"It appears to be an extremely rare form of divine authority... on the verge of blooming. It will still take some time to fully manifest. After we've dealt with Feng Lintao's matter, I intend to explore it."

After speaking, Xu Qing raised his hand and waved; the Sundial rose into the sky. Then, he lifted his right foot and stomped on the ground. Immediately, the vast glacier silently cracked and collapsed over a wide area, and his figure sank down. Er Niu blinked, then also entered the ice cave in the ground. Their figures vanished inside.

Beneath the glacier, within the ice river, they sped downwards. The place they needed to reach was extremely cold, requiring them to radiate no heat whatsoever, as this was a requirement for the inheritance hidden within Feng Lintao's soul. Thus, they had to go to the bottom of this ice river.

Meanwhile, the Sundial above the external ice cave now reversed, and as the power of time dispersed, the shattered glacier ground instantly returned to its original state. The Sundial blurred and vanished.

Time slowly passed in this manner. Seven days went by.

Tens of thousands of miles from where Xu Qing and Er Niu had disappeared, in the Northern Ice Plains, stood a colossal glacier. Compared to other areas, this place had slightly fewer exotic substances, so it was originally a gathering point for many small sects. However, with the advent of war, some were conscripted, others migrated, leaving only the Ice River Sect remaining. This sect was very small, with fewer than a hundred disciples. Their daily lives were difficult, and the arrival of war made them even more so.

At this moment, a figure swept in from the horizon, flying into the sect's main hall and revealing himself. It was none other than Long Jiu, the man Xu Qing had saved! Now, the composure on his face was replaced by smugness. After he sat down in the main hall, a disciple walked in, bowing to him with a worried expression. This was Long Jiu's eldest disciple.

Noticing the troubled look on his eldest disciple's face, Long Jiu raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Master... today, eleven more disciples chose to leave. Now, the entire sect only has thirty-seven people left, and everyone's cultivation resources are severely lacking. If this continues..."

Long Jiu chuckled upon hearing this. "No matter, everyone has their own aspirations. This master is about to succeed!"

Hearing this, the eldest disciple sighed, knowing his master was deeply engrossed and difficult to persuade, so he asked: "Master, what was your harvest from this trip?"

Long Jiu burst into laughter. "Out of ten trips, this master is bound to encounter danger once, and whenever there's danger, a benefactor will appear. This time, my luck surpassed all previous occasions. Throughout my journey, I encountered three groups of benefactors."

Seeing his master's smug expression, the eldest disciple thought of the sect's hard times and couldn't help but plead again: "Master, the disciples don't even have spirit stones for cultivation anymore. How about... we sell one of the tokens? Just one..."

Long Jiu frowned upon hearing this. "Short-sighted. This master is relying on his own luck to gain fame. You must understand, every one of those benefactors who saved me is a powerful figure. When they take my token and sense my extraordinary nature, they will undoubtedly remember me when they pass by the Northern Mandate Royal Clan, and thus mention me to the powerful figures within the clan! At first, the clan's elders might not know who I am! But with more benefactors visiting and mentioning me more often, the elders of the Northern Mandate Royal Clan will naturally be deeply impressed by me, and more clan members will come to know who I am! Moreover, every benefactor is a connection for me. I must repay their life-saving kindness; this is karma. If I make all the powerful figures my benefactors, then tell me, how could I not become renowned? And once I have such a reputation, what could I possibly lack?"

After speaking, Long Jiu glanced at his eldest disciple. Thinking of the hardships his disciple had endured following him over the years, he offered some comfort. "Just wait a little longer. I estimate that once I've given away the remaining seven tokens I have, the time will be ripe. Enough talk, this master needs to rest and recover, then I'll go out again to find more benefactors!"

The eldest disciple fell silent, wanting to say more, but seeing his master like this, he could only obey. However, he mused that his master's luck over the years had indeed been extraordinary. He had encountered many pursuits and life-threatening crises, yet each time, a noble person had appeared to help. This had led his master to conceive such a method for gaining fame...

"I hope it works out!" the eldest disciple sighed.