Chapter 400: Human Forbidden Zone

Jiang Fan pondered for a moment. "Miss Yue, have you not been at your sect recently?" he asked. "Don't you know your sect leader has already put a bounty on me?"

Yue Mingzhu's heart sank. She had just remembered that particular detail. Her cheeks flushed. At the time, she had acted impulsively, partly to keep Jiang Fan there and partly out of pique.

"Um... is it possible that you've misunderstood our sect leader?" Yue Mingzhu stammered. "Perhaps she's not as bad as you think."

*Not bad, you say?* Jiang Fan thought to himself. *She even used Heavenly Mountain Silkworm Thread to deal with me!* But Yue Mingzhu was from the Joyful Union Sect, so it wasn't appropriate to badmouth their leader in front of her. He could only casually respond, "Perhaps."

"Regardless, I can't go to the Joyful Union Sect now. From now on, it won't be easy for us to meet. Farewell!"

Watching Jiang Fan's receding figure, Yue Mingzhu's eyes held a complex expression. Jiang Fan wouldn't come to Joyful Union City, and she couldn't go to Qingyun Sect to find him. The Qingyun Sect's leader and elders would surely recognize her true appearance. How could a dignified sect leader travel thousands of miles just to find a junior disciple? That wouldn't be good for Jiang Fan's reputation.

Realizing all this, she suddenly understood. Just as Jiang Fan had said, their future meetings would depend solely on fate. If their luck was poor, they might never meet again in this lifetime. A bitter pang of potentially losing someone important welled up in her heart.

Watching Jiang Fan's figure about to vanish into the vast crowd, she bit her crimson lip slightly. Then she took a step and chased after him, calling out, "Wait!"

The Joyful Union Sect was fundamentally a place for cultivating the mind. Fulfilling one's every desire was their ultimate pursuit. As the sect leader, this was even more true for Yue Mingzhu.

"Is there anything else, Miss Yue?" Jiang Fan asked with a smile. He had grown accustomed to the girl's unpredictable style.

Yue Mingzhu let out a soft hmph. "You're going to rescue some senior sister, right? Do you need help? The very powerful kind."

Jiang Fan couldn't help but laugh, but he decisively refused. "My senior sister and several other powerful disciples disappeared together, which means they encountered significant danger. I might not even be able to protect myself. If we face peril, I might not be able to look after you."

Yue Mingzhu covered her mouth, barely suppressing a laugh. *Me, a sect leader, needing your protection?* "Rest assured, if we truly encounter danger, it's not certain who will be rescuing whom!"

She suppressed her cultivation level, revealing an aura of a Core Formation second-layer cultivator. Feeling her aura, Jiang Fan was surprised. "You're at the second layer of Core Formation?" He truly hadn't expected Yue Mingzhu to possess such strength.

"Wait, why have I never heard your name before?" he quickly became confused again. Having traveled to numerous sects, he had a general understanding of the top prodigies among the Nine Sects. Someone at the second layer of Core Formation should logically be a chief disciple of a sect, or at the very least, at the second or third tier. They should have a significant reputation within the Nine Sects; it shouldn't be that he had never heard of them at all.

Yue Mingzhu secretly stuck out her tongue. "Idiot, of course you haven't heard of me. Because this name is fake." She said casually, "I've been in seclusion all this time and rarely ventured out. It would be strange if the outside world knew about me."

Jiang Fan pondered for a moment. Although it seemed a bit far-fetched, it wasn't entirely impossible. The Nine Sects were vast; it was plausible that some sects would secretly cultivate one or two exceptionally talented disciples.

"Alright, if you insist on going, then be extra careful," Jiang Fan still said with some worry. "Core Formation second layer, I guess you can barely protect yourself."

Yue Mingzhu glared at him. *Barely protect herself at the Core Formation second layer?* Back in the Joyful Union Sect's main hall, Jiang Fan's full-power strike was only around the Core Formation second layer, wasn't it? "Hmph! Just wait and see how I'll curb your arrogance on the way!" She felt it was necessary to show off a bit and prevent Jiang Fan from looking down on her.

The two rented a carriage and quickly drove out of Giant City. They chatted as they sped towards the northern border of the Giant Sect's territory.

"Hey, Jiang Fan, are you really not considering joining my Joyful Union Sect?"

"No."

"Our Joyful Union Sect leader actually has no ill will towards you; she just cherishes talent. I'll suggest she lift the bounty later, so please don't be angry with her, okay?"

"You have a lot of respect for your sect leader, always speaking well of her. What's so good about her?"

"She... she's beautiful, powerful, lively and cute, kind to others, loyal and righteous, brave in love and hate... Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's the first time I've seen someone praise another so enthusiastically. I've only seen narcissists praise themselves like that."

"You!"

"However, those words actually suit you better."

"Ah... I, I'm not that good..."

The carriage wheels rumbled, creaking as they rolled over the bluestone bricks. The wind stirred the carriage curtains. As they fluttered, a sweet, blushing face appeared intermittently...

Several days later, they arrived at the Northern Frontier. This was the northernmost territory of the Giant Sect. Vast snow stretched everywhere. Layer upon layer of mountains were cloaked in silver, blending with the color of the earth. Only their undulating lines, reaching towards the sky and silhouetted against the clear blue, could distinguish them as continuous mountain ranges.

"Thousands of miles of white snow, not a single path with people," Yue Mingzhu said, standing on horseback and gazing ahead. "It truly lives up to its name as the Northern Frontier, a forbidden zone for humans. Apart from the tenacious demonic beasts, other living creatures struggle to survive here."

Jiang Fan also emerged from the carriage. Looking at the desolate Northern Frontier, nothing but snow, he couldn't help but feel a slight shock. He often heard people say the Northern Frontier was a human forbidden zone. He had always thought it was an exaggeration. Now, with just a glance, he felt an immense sense of oppression. It was hard to imagine how humans could survive on a land covered only by snow.

In contrast to the vast white snow, a small town, bustling with life and wisps of smoke, was embedded in the vast snowy plains like a sesame seed. Yue Mingzhu pointed and said, "That is our human race's last outpost. Sunset City. It was established by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion as a garrison to guard against the demon race. Now, it has become a temporary war command city. A Vice Pavilion Master is personally stationed there."

Jiang Fan could feel the immense pressure borne by this city. Before it lay an endless tide of beasts; behind it, the lands of the Nine Sects. If Sunset City fell, the Nine Sects would face peril!

He nodded and said, "Let's enter the city, gather some supplies, then switch to horses and depart." The icy, snowy expanse ahead was no longer suitable for a carriage. Even riding horses might not be very convenient.

As soon as they entered Sunset City, Jiang Fan immediately felt a distinct sense of grimness. Everywhere, various martial artists with solemn expressions could be seen, many of them injured. They were taciturn and moved with haste. Their eyes occasionally revealed killing intent. An invisible pressure assailed him.

Jiang Fan said in a low voice, "It seems the front-line battles are quite intense."

Yue Mingzhu nodded. "Of course. Elders from various sects have been called up and are rushing here. Even some sect leaders have already been conscripted."

Suddenly, she caught sight of a figure. Immediately, she felt a pang of guilt and slipped back into the carriage. Jiang Fan was bewildered. *Who did she see? To be so flustered?*