Chapter 60: Venturing the Secret Realm Without Qi Plaques?
Outside Hidden Dragon Ridge…
Luo Cheng was heading toward the ridge with a small troop following behind him.
Hidden Dragon Ridge, which didn’t see many visitors, was swamped. At the foot of the mountain, army camps, cold battle armor, and sharp blades were everywhere, and they all glistened intimidatingly. The atmosphere was solemn and bone-chilling.
Lu Changkong sent him to check on the situation at Hidden Dragon Ridge. At first, Luo Cheng didn’t give Hidden Dragon Ridge that much thought.
After all, he was still suspicious about things like Immortal encounter.
How could there really be Immortals in the world?
It was nothing but a fantasy made up by those impostors of Yinyang School.
Although Luo Cheng had followed Lu Fan when he cracked down on the three major aristocratic families, he’d never been on Beiluo Lake Island. As a result, he wasn’t aware of the Spirit Qi storm on Beiluo Lake Island, and was still skeptical about the so-called Immortals.
Luo Cheng was very cautious. So many forces had come to Hidden Dragon City, and this shocked him.
He didn’t ride his horse into the ridge. Instead, he ordered a small team to get off their horses about three miles away from Hidden Dragon City. He commanded one of them to keep an eye on the horses, and the others to cautiously enter the ridge on foot.
Once they entered the ridge, they simply walked along the thick woods.
The more Luo Cheng saw, the more concerned he grew.
“The Mayor of North County… Tantai Xuan and his forces!”
Luo Cheng took a deep breath when he saw an army camped on the bare ground outside Hidden Dragon Ridge.
Moreover, as he hid in the thick woods and scanned the ground outside Hidden Dragon Ridge, he saw even more soldiers and horses.
There were forces everywhere… The number was no less than 10,000.
“South County, Jinyun County, East Sea County…”
Luo Cheng instantly felt overwhelmed, and sweat dripped down his forehead.
No wonder the City Master was taking this so seriously. If all these forces suddenly switched their target from Hidden Dragon Ridge to Beiluo City, it would be a difficult battle to win.
“That is… the Mayor of West County, Xiang Shaoyun?!”
Suddenly…
Luo Cheng saw an incredibly tall, strong man strut out of the tent like a tiger, and just his very presence alone exuded a terrifying, powerful pressure.
Luo Cheng felt as if both his heart and soul had left him.
Below, where Luo Cheng and his men were hiding…
Xiang Shaoyun sensed something, and he turned around and glanced deep into the woods.
“Scouts from Beiluo City? So sad. Even with the Immortal encounter right outside their city, without enough strength, those men won’t be able to get it or control it…”
Xiang Shaoyun shook his head.
He heard that Young Master Lu from Beiluo City was among those who had obtained Immortal encounter, yet now that the Immortal encounter had appeared right in front of his own city, this Young Master Lu didn’t even dare to come. That was just sad.
The corners of Xiang Shaoyun’s mouth slightly curled upward.
He was actually quite interested in this Young Master Lu.
He heard that Tantai Xuan’s army of 50,000 had surrounded Beiluo City and had come very close to taking it.
Yet that Young Master Lu, followed by his three maids, had completely turned the tables.
If Young Master Lu came to Hidden Dragon Ridge, Xiang Shaoyun actually wanted to meet him and see what he was like.
In the tent…
A beautiful, elegant woman emerged. Few in the world could match Luo Mingsang’s beauty. As she gazed at Xiang Shaoyun’s unbelievably strong figure, a smile bloomed across her gentle face.
Xiang Shaoyun felt her gaze on him, and he turned to her with a radiant smile on his muscular face.
“Shaoyun, the timing of this Immortal encounter seems odd. Please watch out,” Luo Mingsang said.
“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.” Xiang Shaoyun smiled, his arm wrapped around her slender waist.
Many people looked their way. The Mayor of West County, who was taking a woman along with him and his forces, was incredibly arrogant and confident, like always.
Suddenly…
From the Hidden Dragon Ridge…
Dozens of scouts from different forces crawled out from the ridge in a frenzy.
They all had looks of fear and excitement on their faces.
Thump, thump!
The scouts rolled over the ridge and fell all the way down to the ground, leaving rolling clouds of dust in their wake.
The scouts’ situation made all the different forces camping at the foot of the ridge become more nervous and stern.
A scout from West County knelt on one knee to Xiang Shaoyun, a surprised look still on his face.
“Report to the Mayor! Refres.h.i.+ng Qi and colorful waves were flowing out of the Immortal encounter Secret Realm,” The soldier hurried to report, his fist clasped in his hand. “It sounded as if some dragon were groaning inside it, and it looked like it was about to open!”
Xiang Shaoyun’s eyes lit up.
“Let’s go.”
Xiang Shaoyun didn’t hesitate. He called upon his men to follow him, and they marched deep into the mountain.
Besides Xiang Shaoyun, all the other forces that had gotten the message also set off.
Of course, because the paths in the ridge were extremely rugged, the major forces couldn’t enter.
Even if battles broke out, they couldn’t happen inside the ridge. After all, there were concerns about miasma and poisonous bugs. If the soldiers got infected, it would cause a lot of trouble for the army.
Xiang Shaoyun’s speed was astonis.h.i.+ng.
He was about two meters tall, and all his muscles bulged as he carried a giant axe and ma.s.sive s.h.i.+eld on his back.
Together, the axe and s.h.i.+eld weighed about 1000 pounds, but Xiang Shaoyun carried them like they were nothing.
All the officers and generals from Western Liang behind him were fired up.
The Conqueror of West County was their role model, and they believed in him with all their heart. He was the top martial arts pract.i.tioner in the martial arts world. In combat, Xiang Shaoyun would charge at the enemy with just his axe, even if he were up against 10,000 men.
It was rare to see him with both his axe and s.h.i.+eld, but today… venturing to the place of Immortal encounter, the Conqueror wasn’t willing to take any chances.
Soon…
They arrived at the “eggsh.e.l.l” of the Immortal spot deep in Hidden Dragon Ridge.
It wasn’t the first time they had seen it, but everyone was stunned.
Under the sun, the “eggsh.e.l.l” of the Immortal spot was glowing with a rainbow of colors like a giant azure gem. It was so stunning that it had to be from another world.
Many noticed that there seemed to be Immortal palaces and splendid buildings inside the Immortal spot.
Regular soldiers had to stop a couple miles back, because if they went any closer to the Immortal spot, its incredibly powerful pressure would force them to their knees against their will.
Xiang Shaoyun’s eyes blazed like torches as he carried the axe and s.h.i.+eld on his back.
Studying the “eggsh.e.l.l” of the Immortal spot, he could tell that the “eggsh.e.l.l” was quickly fluctuating up and down, as if it were going to explode.
Xiang Shaoyun had an “Earth Qi Plaque,” but he didn’t take it out. He wanted to try to enter the Secret Realm with his own strength.
He walked toward it.
His dark and thick hair was like numerous steel needles stabbing the air as they danced with his strides.
Behind him, the officers from West County were all gazing at him with enthusiasm.
From a distance…
Someone was coming toward them on a white horse, and the deafening sound of its hooves against the ground tore through the air.
On the white horse was a young man wearing a black gown, a sword at his waist. He had a casual yet elegant bearing.
A couple of miles away from the Immortal spot, Tantai Xuan, donning his armor, was standing next to Mo Ju, who was slightly waving his feather fan as his eyes glared.
“Mohist… Mo Shougui!” Mo Ju said.
Suddenly, Mo Shougui stood on the back of the white horse and leaped into the air as he executed his top-tier acrobatic skills. He moved across like a dancing dragonfly above the water surface, only occasionally tapping the ground. He followed Xiang Shaoyun very closely.
Xiang Shaoyun glanced at him, yet he didn’t say anything.
Then, he looked away and stared into the distance.
A Confucianist wearing a green gown emerged. Though he was sweating profusely, he was smiling gently, and he carried a bamboo book box on his back. He also stopped about two miles back from the “eggsh.e.l.l” of the Immortal spot.
The others all squinted their eyes at the Confucianist.
Mo Ju waved his feather fan again. “Interesting. Once the Immortal spot emerged, all the heroes made their way here… this one is the grandson of the Confucianism Philosopher. He is also the Philosopher’s second disciple. His name is Kong Nanfei.”
But that wasn’t the whole picture.
Mo Ju scanned the thick woods around Hidden Dragon Ridge.
He could detect Qi and blood. Apparently, there were quite a few strong pract.i.tioners lying low.
“Moo.”
The sound of an ox came.
The thump of hooves followed, and a flute was soon heard.
Mo Ju paused his feather-fan waving and looked into the distance.
A black ox, which was carrying a young man, was walking up at a steady speed. The young man was gentle and elegant. He was playing a long flute and had a wooden sword at his waist.
Mo Ju’s eyes suddenly narrowed when he saw the young man.
“Daoist No. 1, Li Sansi! Even he showed up?!”
Li Sansi gradually got to the “eggsh.e.l.l” of the Immortal spot on his black ox, following the Confucianist, Kong Nanfei.
Within roughly a two mile range of the Immortal spot, only four people managed to keep going despite the considerable pressure.
Interestingly, none of the four had taken out any Heaven Qi Plaques or Earth Qi Plaques.
They were all trying to enter the Immortal spot with their own strength alone.
…
Beiluo Lake Island.
On the patio of the second floor of White Jade City.
Ni Yu had prepared boiled green plum wine. She used a bamboo bucket scoop to cautiously pour a cup, and then handed it to Lu Fan.
“Young Master, the wine.”
Ni Yu’s lovely face was blushed red, and her huge eyes were staring at the chessboard. An inexplicable, terrifying pressure made it difficult for her to breathe.
Lu Fan took the cup from her with one hand, and tapped her forehead with the other. Then, he turned her back around to face the wine.
“Focus on preparing the wine. Don’t look at something you’re not supposed to see,” he said.
“Yes.”
Ni Yu was s.h.i.+vering a bit.
In that moment, she found the Young Master extremely intimidating. He looked at her as if he were an Immortal who was above everyone else. One single look from him made her legs turn to jelly.
Countless lines were intertwining in Lu Fan’s pupils.
A corner of Lu Fan’s mouth curled upward when he saw all the figures gathering at Hidden Dragon Ridge, especially the four figures inside the Spirit Pressure s.h.i.+eld within a two mile range of the ridge.
“Venturing into the Secret Realm without Heaven Qi Plaques or Earth Qi Plaques? Are they seriously ignoring my rules?
“Interesting…”
Lu Fan took a sip of the green plum wine boiled by Ni Yu, and laughed.
“If you want to break the rules, you have to see if you’re capable of doing so.”
A moment later…
He picked up a black chess piece and suddenly placed it down.
Splat.
Lu Fan’s Soul Strength started surging like a flood.
A chess piece fell on the image of Hidden Dragon Ridge floating above the chessboard.
The next second…
Strange things happened in front of Hidden Dragon Ridge.