It was just as Li Wei had assessed: his clansmen had now become terrifyingly cautious.
This was because they knew with absolute certainty that Venerable Tian Xing would, without a doubt, pay any price to retaliate for what had happened.
However, it was also precisely because they remained constantly on guard against Tian Xing that they were also continuously growing stronger.
[Year 265]
In this year, Li Kuanghua, leading the forty-three individuals who had survived the battle at that Mountain, arrived at a bizarre and unfamiliar land!
This was the edge of the Northern region, and also the coldest region in the entire Azure Dynasty.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but vast, white snow, a land that could not have been more pure.
Back when the twelve border cities were ceded to the Wu Clan, the initial thought of the various major factions had been to migrate to these Northern regions and establish a new "pure land" for themselves.
However, the location they had envisioned back then was nowhere near as far as Li Kuanghua and her group had now traveled...
"Legend has it," Liu Wuhuan said, "that if you go even further north from the edge of the Northern region, you'll find a cold so intense that not even cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage can withstand it. And if you venture deeper still, even those at the Golden Core stage must constantly expend their spiritual power just to resist it. There are also snow beasts in these parts; they fight the moment they see you."
Previously, Liu Wuhuan had only ever heard about other lands from the pages of books. Yet, since leaving Azure Cloud, he had, without even realizing it, already traveled to a great many places. And though their stays were often for no more than two or three days at a time, he had truly come to feel the vastness of the world.
Gazing out at this world that seemed to consist of nothing but endless snow, even though his cultivated body felt none of the chill, he still couldn't help but let out an involuntary shiver.
"Sister Kuanghua," he asked, "is a place like this where we'll find the Five Elements Absolute Grounds?"
"Mm."
Li Kuanghua gave a slight nod and took out a compass.
"This compass was given to me by General Wang," she explained. "He came to the Five Elements Absolute Grounds back when he was on a campaign with the Grand Tutor.
It is the finest place for body refinement; my own Master also came here to train in those days. Here, we should be able to escape the notice of Tian Xing's eyes, and at the same time, all of you will be able to cultivate in peace, waiting for the day, one hundred years from now, when we will march on Eternal Sun Prefecture together!"
"Alright!" The Azure Cloud group did not say much more.
They had already learned from the Li family that if Tian Xing was not eliminated, there would come a day when no one from Azure Cloud would be left alive.
After all they had experienced, and after having learned of Tian Xing's past deeds, they had no reason to doubt the truth of the Li family's words.
Soon, they came to a halt in the middle of a vast snowfield. And in the sky above, a seven-colored aurora shimmered and danced!
Liu Wuhuan came to an abrupt halt. He narrowed his eyes, sensing that ahead of them... the Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi was terrifyingly dense. As he tentatively stretched out a hand, his expression suddenly underwent a drastic change.
His spiritual power flared to protect him; for though there was clearly nothing ahead, a seven-colored, rosy light abruptly materialized, threatening to devour his outstretched hand!
"This... is the Five Elements Absolute Grounds?"
The members of the Azure Cloud group cried out in unison.
Even Li Wei, who had arrived after receiving the report, was taken aback by the sight.
[The Five Elements Absolute Grounds]
[A place that Grand Tutor Lin Jiu once stumbled upon by chance during a great battle with a mighty figure of the Demon Race. He entered to search but came away with nothing.
This land is permeated with the power of the Heaven and Earth Great Dao, which is extremely aggressive in nature.
The further one ventures inward, the more potent this power becomes. The weak will have their bodies torn asunder, making this a natural cultivation ground for body refinement specialists.
The Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi here is far denser than in other places; however, the environment is exceedingly harsh, snow beasts appear frequently, and thus it is a place where human tracks are rarely found.]
"There's not much in the way of entertainment out here," Li Kuanghua declared.
"So, how about this: let's play a game. We'll all enter the Five Elements Absolute Grounds together. Whoever covers the least amount of distance... is a total wimp."
Li Kuanghua shot the crowd a wide grin. With her Buddha-Demon Disc floating behind her, she strode into the Five Elements Absolute Grounds. In that very instant, the aggressive power of the Heaven and Earth Great Dao began to assail her.
...
The members of the Azure Cloud group collectively rolled their eyes; not a single one of them moved a foot.
Many of the male cultivators among them exchanged glances and came to a final, unspoken decision: if no one went in, then no one could be called the "wimp."
Compete with Li Kuanghua? They had all witnessed her great battle against Lai Teng that day.
She was, without a doubt, the most powerful body refinement specialist they had ever seen!
And this Five Elements Absolute Grounds was certainly worthy of the "Absolute" in its name; a mere cursory exploration was enough for them to understand the terrifying nature of this place.
This godforsaken place was a demon's den that lured people in, step by treacherous step. The deeper one went, the denser the Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi became, yet...
"Sister Kuanghua."
They were, after all, family. Liu Wuhuan called out worriedly to Li Kuanghua, "Don't venture in too deep! Once you get entangled by the power of the Great Dao within, it's like a mortal trapped in quicksand—it will be incredibly difficult to get back out."
Upon hearing his warning, Li Kuanghua paused in her tracks and shot Liu Wuhuan a mischievous smile. "You should all be more worried about yourselves," she said.
"What..."
Just as he was about to ask what she meant, the faces of the entire Azure Cloud group darkened.
From outside the bounds of the Five Elements formation, they heard the howling of wolves, and through the driving wind and snow, pair after pair of scarlet eyes fixed upon them.
Li Kuanghua paid no mind to the group behind her.
She knew with certainty that those snow beasts were not yet capable of truly harming them.
As she ventured deeper into the Absolute Grounds, she allowed the power of Heaven and Earth to relentlessly assault her body.
She gently caressed the Buddha-Demon Disc floating behind her, which was now radiating a brilliant black and white light.
"Kuangshi, Kuangcai," she murmured softly, "when the time is right, I will take you all home."
"I will take our brothers and sisters, and all our descendants, home together."
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