Chapter 417: Yuan Shen Level Six You Should Thank Meng Chuan

Snowfall Pass, one of the eight major passes of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh." Goose-feather-like snowflakes drifted through the air. Inside Snowfall Pass, people went about their daily lives as usual; the streets were even bustling with activity.

Snow?

The residents of Snowfall Pass were long accustomed to it. As the coldest pass in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, its customs were vastly different from the outside world; ice and snow had long been an integral part of people's lives.

"We've been at Snowfall Pass for over a month, and it's been snowing for most of that time," Liu Qiyue said while eating hotpot in a pavilion. Outside, it was bone-chillingly cold, but inside the pavilion, it was quite warm.

"You'll get tired of it soon enough," Meng Chuan chuckled. "The snow here never melts, all year round."

"At least for now, I find it beautiful," Liu Qiyue admired. "The same houses, the same branches and earth, but with the added ice and snow, everything is completely different. Jiangzhou City is still in summer, yet here it's snowing heavily."

Meng Chuan smiled.

As long as his wife liked it.

His wife had now been reassigned to Snowfall Pass. Among the eight major passes of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Luotang Pass and Sword Emperor Pass were guarded by Venerables. The other six major passes were originally defended by the six strongest Marquis Gods and Demons of their time: Marquis Zhenwu, Marquis Anhai, Marquis White Elephant, Marquis Yanshan, Marquis Snowfall, and Marquis Yanhuo. Among them, Marquis Zhenwu, Marquis Anhai, and Marquis White Elephant had all reached the 'Heavenly Grotto Realm,' while Marquis Yanshan, Marquis Snowfall, and Marquis Yanhuo were all at the peak of the Marquis realm.

As for the other contemporary Marquis Gods and Demons, such as Marquis Donghe, the Master of Yuanchu Mountain, Elder Yi, the Old Ancestor of the Chu family, Marquis Duyu, and Marquis Lyuyue, their strengths were relatively weaker.

Of course...

Presently, while Luotang Pass and Sword Emperor Pass remained crucial, the importance of the other six major passes had diminished.

This was because these six passes could at most allow 'fourth-tier demon monarchs' to enter. Currently, there were hundreds of fourth-tier demon monarchs hiding within the human world; even if two thousand fourth-tier demon monarchs entered, they could not shake the human race's major cities. The demon race also had to consider their legacy and the cultivation of generations of strong individuals. It was impossible for them to send in all their fourth-tier demon monarchs, as that would create a 'generational gap.'

The defenders of the six major passes often rotated.

Guardian divine beasts, awakened ancient gods and demons, and contemporary Marquis Gods and Demons took turns, but it was usually a 'Marquis God and Demon' guarding them, which was why the demon race rarely attacked.

"Qiyue, even with her regular strength, can easily defend a major city," Meng Chuan mused inwardly.

Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue both looked up.

A streak of light descended, transforming into a shadowy figure: it was Venerable Li Guan's primordial spirit clone.

"Venerable," Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue both stood up.

"Eating hotpot on a snowy day? Excellent, excellent," Venerable Li Guan's primordial spirit clone said with a smile as he approached. "Set a place for me."

With a flick of her wrist, Liu Qiyue had everything ready.

Li Guan sat down and handed Meng Chuan a detailed map. "Meng Chuan, take a look at this first."

As he spoke, he picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began to eat.

Meng Chuan looked at the map, which depicted the entire human world. Many places were densely marked, with a very few specifically indicating height and depth—some extremely deep underground, others extremely high in the sky.

"These are the connection points between the world rift and the human world," Li Guan explained. "I spent a month or two traveling all over the world to mark them."

Meng Chuan nodded as he looked. "They're scattered all over the world, including the oceans. When all the connection points are linked up... they resemble two rings encircling the human world."

"The demon race is now at its wit's end; their only trick is to send a batch of fifth-tier demon monarchs through the world rift," Venerable Li Guan said while eating. "To send them in, they first need to identify a connection point on the human world's side, and then pinpoint the corresponding connection point on the world rift's side. Only when these two points align... can a passage route be formed."

"Our first step now is to use these connection points to determine the most likely locations for the demon race to break through," Venerable Li Guan said. "Then, we'll wait for them to come! Meng Chuan, your speed is truly astonishing now. As long as you lie hidden in one spot, the moment the enemy attempts to attack the world's membrane, you can rush there at your fastest speed."

"If you're fast enough, you can engage them before they break through both the human world's membrane and the world rift's membrane," Venerable Li Guan chuckled. "Once Meng Chuan engages them, they're finished."

"Understood." Meng Chuan nodded and then meticulously studied the map again.

"What's the approximate distance you can cover within ten breaths?" Venerable Li Guan asked.

"Five thousand li," Meng Chuan replied.

"That fast?"

Li Guan's eyes lit up. He pointed to a spot on the map. "I need you to reside here often. This location is central, and within a five-thousand-li radius, it has the most connection points. Furthermore, it's in the ocean... the likelihood of the demon race choosing the ocean as their breakthrough point is also very high."

"Alright," Meng Chuan nodded.

"Liu Qiyue, I apologize for constantly separating you and your husband," Li Guan said apologetically.

"Dealing with the demon race is paramount," Liu Qiyue also said with a faint smile. "If the fifth-tier demon monarchs can be prevented from entering through the world rift, then the human race can achieve lasting peace."

In that case,

the demon race would only be able to place their hopes on the 'world entrance,' the expansion of which occurs gradually over time.

Before it surpassed the human race's limit of endurance, the human world would remain peaceful.

It was even possible that the world entrance might begin to 'recede' before reaching the human race's limit, with the two worlds moving further apart... In that scenario, the demon race would lose all hope.

The 'world entrance' depended on luck, and naturally, the three Demon Emperors did not wish to rely on luck.

"Meng Chuan, cultivate diligently and achieve creation realm as soon as possible," Li Guan smiled. "Once you reach the creation realm, you can refine 'anchoring objects' and condense avatars to disperse across various locations."

Venerables could all condense primordial spirit avatars.

Primordial spirit avatars possessed no combat power, but they could be used for emergency communication, making them far more convenient than 'communication tokens.'

However, 'anchoring objects' could only be personally refined after reaching the Creation Venerable realm.

Therefore, many at the fifth level of primordial spirit, such as Marquis Zhenwu, Meng Chuan, and Old Ancestor Huangyao, could not refine anchoring objects or maintain primordial spirit avatars before breaking through to the Creation (Demon Saint) realm.

"I only became a Marquis a few years ago; it's still too early," Meng Chuan said.

"True, with your talent, you might even reach the sixth level of primordial spirit first," Li Guan chuckled. "In that case, you could directly condense a primordial spirit clone."

Whoosh, whoosh.

Marquis Anhai arrived at Yuanchu Mountain.

"Greetings, Master, Venerable," Marquis Anhai respectfully bowed to Qin Wu, Li Guan, and Luotang in the backyard of the Heavenly Grotto Pavilion. Marquis Jianjiu stood by his side.

"You two, follow us."

Li Guan and the other two walked ahead, with Marquis Anhai and Marquis Jianjiu following, a hint of confusion in their expressions.

They arrived at an ordinary house and then walked towards the scroll depicting Ancestor Cangyuan hanging on the wall. Their five figures grew smaller and smaller as they walked, eventually becoming as tiny as dust specks and entering the scroll. Marquis Jianjiu watched the immense painting with an expression of shock, while Marquis Anhai remained relatively calm, having been inside before.

From the scroll, they stepped into a grand hall.

Then, they arrived at a large plaza.

"Why are there three new buildings?" Marquis Anhai asked, somewhat puzzled, as he looked at the newly appeared Star Cluster Building, War God Tower, and Mind Sea Hall on the plaza.

"That's the Star Cluster Building," Li Guan explained, pointing. "It contains precious classics that Ancestor Cangyuan collected during his travels through the River of Spacetime and deemed suitable for future disciples. There are ninety-eight in total, each one incredibly valuable."

"Classics left by Ancestor Cangyuan?" Marquis Jianjiu was excited, but Marquis Anhai was puzzled.

For so many years, how had he never heard of this?

"These ninety-eight classics primarily consist of 'Calamity Realm classics' and 'Emperor-level classics,' along with a very small number of Venerable-level classics," Li Guan continued. "Even these few Venerable-level classics are extraordinary; some, if cultivated to perfection by a Creation Venerable, even offer the prospect of defeating an Emperor of a higher realm."

"Defeating an Emperor of a higher realm?" Marquis Jianjiu and Marquis Anhai listened in disbelief.

"At Yuanchu Mountain, disciples who reach the Dharma Domain realm can choose three classics below the Calamity Realm," Li Guan said. "Once you reach the 'Heavenly Grotto Realm,' you may freely peruse all the classics within."

"Understood," Marquis Jianjiu replied, overjoyed.

Marquis Anhai, however, listened in a daze.

Freely peruse the classics within? Over the years, he had painstakingly obtained only three 'Venerable-level' absolute arts of the time lineage from the demon race, and he had sought an 'Emperor-level' absolute art of the time lineage in vain.

Now, 'Emperor-level' and 'Calamity Realm' absolute arts were available for him to peruse at will?

"Why are you only telling us about this now?" Marquis Anhai couldn't help but ask.

"Because before, Yuanchu Mountain didn't have these," Li Guan said with a faint smile. "You must thank Meng Chuan; it was he who, after enduring hardships, obtained the Star Cluster Building and gifted it to Yuanchu Mountain. Only then did you gain the opportunity to cultivate with them."

A new chapter has been updated while the outline for the new episode is still being carefully prepared. The writing will continue tomorrow.