Da Xuan Martial Saint

Deep within the Seven Profound Mountain Range, Chen Mu practiced in a secluded valley as usual.

"Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal!"

With a low chant, he did not wield a blade but instead swung his fist directly forward, releasing a Fist Seal. In an instant, the might of heaven and earth converged into a single Qiankun Seal, which he thrust forward.

Accompanied by a buzzing sound, right in front of Chen Mu, centered on his fist, a line was obliterated into a void in an instant. Whether it was shrubbery, ancient trees, or even rocks, all were crushed into dust, creating a hollow passageway nearly thirty meters long!

The most terrifying part was,

beyond that, not a trace of energy had spilled out. One could see in the center of a thick ancient tree, where the hollow had passed through, turning the insides to powder, yet it did not cause any damage to other areas, allowing the ancient tree to still stand there.

"Having cultivated the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal to the fourth layer, I can indeed freely control twenty portions of the power of heaven and earth. Coupled with my current nearly four portions of Yuan Gang True Essence, under full force, I can perfectly control nearly twenty-five portions of heaven and earth's might."

Chen Mu slowly lowered his fist, showing a trace of satisfaction.

If you say that six months ago, he had just reached the threshold of the Wind Cloud List in terms of strength, then now, after cultivating the Imperial Qi Gathering Technique, the Abyssal Ground Shrink Technique, and the fourth layer of Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal, he had truly entered that domain!

What concept is the Wind Cloud List?

It wasn't just a listing of rising talents, limited to the young generation under thirty, but it represented the most elite existence below the Grandmaster level, all well-known individuals, each of whom had, more or less, the capability to confront or retreat from a Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster.

Chen Mu was the same now. Having mastered the Abyssal Ground Shrink movement technique and enhanced his control power over heaven and earth's might, even if he faced an ordinary Grandmaster, he could at least escape, and against the lower-ranked experts of the Wind Cloud List, he could fight. Even the top-ranked ones he could still retreat from, with few capable of catching him.

"At last, I have some self-protection capability."

Chen Mu exhaled lightly.

Having been in the Seven Profound Sect for almost a year and a half, he had finally reached the heights of the Wind Cloud List. Of course, the experts on the Wind Cloud List were all extraordinary. Although a battle against someone like Yan Jingqing would still be unpredictable, at least now, he no longer feared anyone at that level and could walk freely across the eleven states of Cold North Path.

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And now, even though his cultivation had not yet reached the Six Viscera Realm, once he entered it, his Yuan Gang True Essence would increase a lot more, and his strength would be further enhanced then.

Whoosh!

Chen Mu drew out his Flowing Fire Blade, swinging it casually a few times.

Several lingering trails of blade qi swept across, destroying all traces of his practice in front of him.

Then, Chen Mu left the cliff bottom, rapidly traversing through the mountain forest. With each step, the ground beneath his feet seemed to shrink significantly, allowing him to cover nearly ninety meters in one stride!

Abyssal Ground Shrink!

Of course, this technique didn't literally shrink the ground to inches—that would not be Martial Arts but Divine Skills. The effect, which seemed like shrinking the ground, was actually the cumulative power of the Eight Phases of Qiankun, integrating the person with nature during movement, hence creating this visual illusion.

Chen Mu did not use the Abyssal Ground Shrink technique to run for too long. As he gradually approached the mountain gate of the Seven Profound Sect, he slowed down, walking at a normal speed until he returned within the Seven Profound Sect, then he headed back to Spirit Profound Peak.

However,

along this journey, he vaguely noticed something amiss.

The Outer Sect Disciples who usually could be seen everywhere at the base of Spirit Profound Peak, were visibly fewer, and as he climbed up the mountain, many Inner Sect Disciples who lived in the Lower and Middle Peaks of Spirit Profound Peak were also missing.

"Has something happened?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

A thought flashed through Chen Mu's mind.

While the Inner and Outer Sect Disciples of Spirit Profound Peak often went down the mountain to handle matters, such as chasing bandits in Yu State or slaying some emerging monsters, or even taking care of some trivial matters in Seven Profound Town, this time was clearly different. Approximately half of the disciples from Spirit Profound Peak had been dispatched.

Over the past year in the Seven Profound Sect, although he had primarily focused on cultivation, he had also spared some attention to the happenings in Yu County and even the broader issues in Cold North Path, at least being fully aware of the major events.

Especially in the past six months, with chaos arising everywhere in Yu County, the arrival of the four sects in Yu County was just the beginning. The turmoil in the eleven counties of Cold North Path was only escalating, not subsiding.

Therefore, he wouldn't be too surprised by any major event happening now.

"Brother Chen?"

As he was walking along the mountain path, a female disciple saw him and called out to him.

Chen Mu stopped in his tracks, recognizing the person. It was the Inner Sect Disciple, Shen Lin, who was among the early entrants into the sect and only a year younger than him. She had now reached the peak of Bone Tempering and had also cultivated an Artistic Conception.

"It's Sister Shen, what's happened?"

Chen Mu looked towards Shen Lin, asking her.

Shen Lin did not delay, summarizing the situation in a few words: "…That's the situation. Protector Chu and Protector Meng have each taken a group of disciples and headed to Sha Prefecture."

Sha Prefecture.

One of Yu County's seven prefectures, and even more remote compared to Yu County.

Because the entire Sha Prefecture was located at the far western edge of Yu State, almost more than half of it was comprised of the Gobi and deserts. Even further west beyond the borders of Da Xuan, there still lay a sprawling desert, scarcely populated.

For this reason, Yu State was almost unique among the border provinces as it was scarcely troubled by attacks from the barbaric Xiongnu tribes beyond the border, all thanks to the vast desert separating them.

However.

Since much of it was desert and Gobi, Sha Prefecture experienced a natural disaster every few years that other provinces did not, known as the "Sand Catastrophe." This calamity brought whirling sands that blotted out the sun, and was often accompanied by a large scale upheaval by demonic beasts that used the sandstorms to assault the cities of Sha Prefecture.

As for the quantity of demonic beasts, Sha Prefecture actually had the most, because aside from dispatching manpower during such disasters, the Seven Profound Sect normally wouldn't send people deep into the desert to slay these creatures. While the desert was barely livable for humans, it scarcely affected the beasts; thus, when the sand catastrophe arose, it brought severe demonic upheaval that the local forces alone could not handle.

"A sand catastrophe, I see."

Chen Mu nodded slightly and continued to climb up the path.

Shen Lin watched Chen Mu's retreating figure, hesitated for a moment, and still decided to ask cautiously, "Brother Chen, are you going?"

As a true successor of the sect, if one was at a critical juncture in their cultivation, they could decline some of the sect's orders, a privilege that even a Sect Executive or Protector did not possess.

"I am."

Chen Mu left behind only a voice that drifted back as his figure disappeared along the mountain path.

If it had been during his early days at the Seven Profound Sect, before he had mastered the Qiankun Artistic Conception, during crucial moments of cultivation, he likely would not have gone. After all, there were countless individuals in the Seven Profound Sect stronger than him, and for a large-scale demonic upheaval, one more or less made no difference.

But now, having mastered the Imperial Qi Gathering and the Abyssal Ground Shrink techniques and having reached the fourth layer of the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal—further cultivation was incredibly slow. To hasten his progress, he needed to delve deeper and simulate the Qiankun Artistic Conception several more times.

"The sand catastrophe…"

"All catastrophes are part of the transformations of heaven and earth. For me, now capable of the second step of the Qiankun Artistic Conception, facing a calamity of heaven and earth might provide more experiences and insights than secluded contemplation of the Artistic Conception Map."

Chen Mu quickly returned to his bamboo hut.

After packing a few essentials including his Flowing Fire Blade, the Evil-Breaking Thunder Spear, and wearing his Treasured Artifact Armor, taking the Qian Heaven Seal refined by Qin Mengjun, and changing into lighter clothing, he stepped out of his door.

Chu Jingsui and Meng Danyun had already taken a group of disciples to Sha Prefecture, leaving behind those who were new or unsuitable to go. He did not plan to take more people; after all, the demonic catastrophe in Sha Prefecture was not just a concern for Spirit Profound Peak but for the entire Seven Profound Sect, and other peaks were also deploying manpower; thus, it was unnecessary for Spirit Profound Peak to empty itself.

"Sha Prefecture."

Chen Mu walked down the mountain while the map of Sha Prefecture surfaced in his mind.

The Seven Profound Sect naturally had a detailed map of the entire Yu State, and he, with his photographic memory, had reviewed it long ago. Just a slight recollection was enough to bring the map to his mind, eliminating the need for a guide.

"Brother Chen!"

Just as Chen Mu was descending the mountain, a hurried voice chased after him from behind.

It was Shen Lin, who had somehow changed her attire and was jogging to catch up, holding a map of Sha Prefecture and speaking as she approached, "Brother Chen, wait for me. I haven't told you yet that of the seven key passes in Sha Prefecture, our Spirit Profound Peak is assigned to defend Yunlu Pass."

"Yunlu Pass…"

Chen Mu glanced at the map in Shen Lin's hands, and another map surfaced in his mind.

With its peculiar environment, the west of Sha Prefecture was mostly desert and uninhabited. And due to its sparse resources, it wasn't dotted with remote villages or towns like in Yu County; instead, settlements were more concentrated.

The map showed several intermittent mountain ranges and a series of passes that formed an arc, dividing Sha Prefecture into two; the inside part was inhabited, and the exterior was a vast expanse of desert.

On this stretched arc, there were seven strategically marked passes, the borders of Sha Prefecture, with one close to the north side being Yunlu Pass, the area Spirit Profound Peak was responsible for this time.

"Alright, thank you for letting me know, Sister Shen. I'll be going ahead."

Chen Mu looked at Shen Lin, nodded slightly, then sped up, quickly disappearing into the distance.

"Chen…"

Shen Lin watched the swiftly disappearing figure of Chen Mu, opened her mouth, but found herself speechless on the spot.

Brother Chen was far too fast!

She had stayed behind on Chu Jingsui's orders, specifically to wait for Chen Mu, thinking she finally had a chance to travel with him.

Although it was no secret that Chen Mu was married, as the only successor in this generation of the Seven Profound Sect to rival Zhou Hao in talent and comprehension, he was greatly admired, including by her.

But Chen Mu had always been elusive like a dragon, immersed in cultivation all year round and indifferent to women, making it impossible for many sisters in Spirit Profound Peak to even get acquainted with him.

Apparently, Chen Mu seemed uninterested in all the junior sisters. It was said his spouse was also two years older than him, so did Chen Mu actually prefer senior sisters?

In that case, she really stood no chance.

But neither did other, lesser girls.

Comforting herself, Shen Lin looked at the map in her hand and followed out of the mountain gate.