Chapter 100: The Man in Black Robes Delivers a Package
Before the words were finished, a dark shadow carrying a chilling aura pierced through the weak point of the outer array of the Marquis's mansion like a ghost, and appeared precisely outside the window of Fang Li's room!
The pressure of a peak Golden Core cultivator was released without reservation, carrying intense killing intent, and was aimed directly at Fang Li in the room and the token in her arms!
"You're courting death!" Ji Qianqiu's roar shook the windowpanes! He had no time to think; his golden armor and protective aura erupted instantly, and like a raging bull, he slammed his body into the door! The heavy wooden door shattered like paper! Instantly, it blocked the astonished Fang Li!
Almost at the same moment Ji Qianqiu burst into the room, a cold sword light shot out like a dragon! Shen Yunzhou appeared outside the window, activated his sword technique, and the sword light condensed into a point of cold light, aiming straight for the black-robed man's vital point in his dantian!
Xie Chen's jade fan unfurled at the same time! The "Nine Palaces Maze Formation" he had set up beforehand was activated instantly! The space inside the room was distorted and folded, the black-robed man's vision blurred for a moment, and he lost his sense of direction. At the same time, several invisible "Disturbing Spirit Talismans" shot silently towards the black-robed man's brow like fine needles!
"Ice Flame Binding Spirit Talisman!" Mo Yun and Ling Shuang coordinated perfectly. The two formed hand seals simultaneously, and a chain of ice shards wrapped around them intertwined with a fiery rope leaping with scorching spiritual flames, coiling towards the black-robed man's limbs like a serpent!
"Roar!" Tie Pan roared! He gripped his heavy shield tightly with both hands and slammed it hard into the ground!
Boom—!
A powerful shockwave spread outwards! At the same time, the shield's spiritual light surged, forming a solid spiritual energy barrier that firmly protected Fang Li, as well as Mo Yun and Ling Shuang, who were casting spells!
Fang Li's heart pounded in shock at the sudden attack, but her survival instincts instantly calmed her down!
She remained calm in the face of danger, circulating her chaotic spiritual energy! Her fingertips flew, outlining several strange gray runes, which she then injected into the key points of the black-robed man's spiritual energy circulation!
Just as the man in black robes was about to unleash his demonic energy to break free from his restraints, the spiritual power circulating within his body suddenly stalled! His aura instantly became chaotic, and his spells became sluggish! He let out a muffled groan, a flash of shock and anger in his eyes!
"Holy crap! A live-action version of The Ring! System! Protect me!" Fang Li screamed inwardly.
[“Host is awesome! Chaotic spiritual power is amazing! It can deal with all that fancy stuff! Interfere with him! Yes! Just like that! Ice Stone Sword is so fast! Xie Fox Formation is beautiful! Ji Hanhan is really tough! Iron Pan Brother's shield is solid! The team is awesome!”] The system’s voice was so excited that it almost cracked.
The man in black robes suffered repeated setbacks and his inner energy was disturbed by the chaotic spiritual power, putting him in a passive position!
Shen Yunzhou's sword was already upon him! He barely managed to turn to the side, the tip of the sword grazing his waist and abdomen, leaving a trail of blood! The Nine Palaces Maze Formation bound him, the ice and fire entangled him, and the mind-disrupting talisman interfered with his sea of consciousness... Under the heavy blows, he groaned, and his aura instantly weakened by more than half!
Seeing no hope of escape and the mission's failure, madness and desperation flashed in the black-robed man's eyes! He grinned ferociously and roared, "The Holy Mountain shines eternally!" A blood-red rune suddenly lit up in his dantian, and violent spiritual power began to compress inward! He was about to unleash the Blood Soul Sacrifice once more! In an attempt to send the coordinates and information of this location back to the Northern Frontier before he died!
Inside the Hall of Oblivion, a cold glint flashed in Ye Wuyang's eyes! A wisp of annihilating sword intent arrived from afar! It directly severed the connection between the blood-red rune and the distant northern border node!
puff--!
The sacrificial ritual was forcibly interrupted! The raging demonic energy instantly backfired! The black-robed man let out an extremely shrill scream, as if his spine had been ripped out, and he collapsed to the ground, his breath extremely weak, on the verge of death!
Just as he fell to the ground, a leather scroll slipped out of his arms.
Xie Chen lightly tapped his jade fan, and a gentle breeze lifted the scroll, causing it to unfurl.
It's a detailed map of the northern frontier! Mountains, rivers, and tribal settlements are clearly marked. On the edge of the sacred mountain area, which is considered a forbidden zone, a hidden valley is marked with a large red X in cinnabar! Next to the red X, a few small words are marked in an ancient and twisted rune.
Ling Shuang's divine sense swept over the dying black-robed man, catching a sliver of his remaining consciousness: "...Black Wolf Priest...Border Army Wolf Fang Battalion...Backup..."
Fang Li's eyes lit up as she looked at the map: "An SSR treasure map! Is this black-robed guy here to kill someone or to give away freebies? System, quickly scan those runes!"
The system responded immediately:
["Scanning... Rune energy attribute: Netherworld! Related keywords: Soul Devourer, Altar, Holy Mountain Passage! Host, it looks like this dungeon's difficulty is about to skyrocket!"]
After the battle ended, Shen Yunzhou sheathed his sword and strode to Fang Li. His cold gaze swept over her entire body, and his voice was slightly tense than usual: "...Are you injured?"
Xie Chen concealed the spiritual light of the array around him, fanned himself as he approached, and said gently, "Junior Sister, you were frightened. Your response this time was quite clever. Perhaps I can try to decipher some of this Soul Devouring scripture."
Ji Qianqiu wiped away the trace of blood from the corner of his mouth caused by slamming into the door and enduring the impact, grinned heartily, and patted his chest: "Junior sister, don't be afraid! I'm here! Even if ten more guys like this come, I'll still beat them to a pulp!"
Just then, Marquis Weiyuan, Shen Qingyue, arrived upon hearing the commotion. His sharp gaze swept quickly over the chaotic battlefield, the black-robed man slumped on the ground, and the map of the Northern Frontier marked with red crosses in Xie Chen's hand.
His expression was solemn, and his voice was low but carried an undeniable weight: "The northern frontier... a storm is brewing. The capital is no longer a place to linger. Gentlemen, it's time to set off."
As if to confirm his words, the black and red token in Fang Li's arms hummed again, and the red light shone brightly. The light seeped through the fabric, the burning sensation intensified, and the pull pointing north became stronger than ever before!
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The atmosphere in the study of the Marquis of Weiyuan's residence was solemn.
Shen Qingyue stood before a massive map of the northern frontier, his gaze deep and thoughtful. The map depicted crisscrossing mountains and rivers, marked with passes, tribes, and perilous terrain, with the sacred mountain region prominently circled in vermilion.
He turned around and handed Shen Yunzhou a stack of travel documents stamped with the seals of the Ministry of War and the Marquis's residence: "These are travel documents. With this document, the northern border will not make things difficult for you."
Then, he took out a tally made of black iron, engraved with a soaring eagle, its patterns ancient and simple. "With this tally, you can go to 'Iron Wall City' in the Northern Border to find Deputy General Zhou Mang. He is a former subordinate of the Shen family and can be trusted. He can provide you with supplies and also obtain the latest border military intelligence." Shen Qingyue placed the tally on the document, tapping it with his fingertip, his expression profound.
"A spirit steed carriage has been prepared in the manor. Its speed and defense are far superior to ordinary carriages." He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Shen Yunzhou's face. His voice grew increasingly solemn: "The anomaly in the Northern Frontier is likely not a natural disaster, but rather a man-made calamity. The Black Wolf Tribe is colluding with the Demonic Sect, and there may be an inside agent within the border army. You must be extremely cautious on this journey."
Shen Yunzhou stood at attention and accepted the order, taking the official document and eagle token with sharp eyes: "Father, rest assured."
In the courtyard, everyone was making their final preparations.
Xie Chen took out an extremely detailed map of the Northern Frontier and spread it out on the stone table. The map clearly marked mountains, rivers, vegetation, tribal settlements, and even strategic locations, complete with tiny annotations—clearly the culmination of years of effort by the Xie family's caravan. "This map might be worth a look," he said gently, pushing it towards the group. He then took out several jade bottles and a pile of gleaming high-grade spirit stones from his storage artifact and distributed them to everyone: "High-grade spirit stones, to replenish your spiritual energy. Antidote pills, just in case."
He then walked to an open space, summoned his refining furnace, and began to concentrate on refining several array plates. The furnace fire leaped, and runes flowed.
Shen Yunzhou carefully inspected everyone's weapons and armor. He distributed several sets of lightweight yet sturdy standard leather armor provided by the Marquis's residence to Mo Yun, Ling Shuang, and other companions who focused more on talismans and spiritual sense, and whose physical defense was relatively weaker. "Put them on." His words were concise and left no room for argument.
After completing the inspection, he silently walked to the side and took out a piece of silver inner armor that shimmered and felt soft to the touch from his storage ring. He silently placed it on the bag that Fang Li had placed beside him, then turned and walked towards the carriage to carefully inspect the shaft and yoke.
Ji Qianqiu then rushed towards the stable. "I'm going to check on the horses!" He circled around several magnificent steeds, deftly replacing their horseshoes with specially made, heavy ones in the style of the Western Wilderness, better suited to the sand and snow of the Northern Frontier.
Then, he laboriously carried over a large package. Opening it, he found several thick, warm wolfskin coats. "The north wind is biting! Wear them all! Don't get cold!" Without another word, he grabbed the thickest coat and shoved it into Fang Li's arms. "Junior sister's thin! Wear more!"
He patted his chest confidently, "Leave the food to me! I recognize the sand dates and cistanche that grow in the sandy soil! You won't go hungry!"
Mo Yun and Ling Shuang joined forces to draw talismans. Their brushes flowed with inspiration, and one after another, "Purification Talismans," "Exorcism Talismans," "Concealment Talismans," and "Early Warning Talismans" were quickly drawn, categorized, and placed neatly, fully demonstrating the professional skills of the disciples of Yi Xing Peak.
Mo Yun drew a few more talismans with slightly peculiar rune structures and carefully handed them to Fang Li: "Junior Sister, these are 'Chaos Gathering Spirit Talismans,' experimental works that may help you recover your spiritual power faster."
Tiepan didn't speak, but laboriously carried the sorted supplies onto the cart one by one, securing them tightly to ensure they were safe. Finally, he slammed the heavy shield against the cart shaft with a dull thud, and said in a deep voice, "I'll keep watch! I'll guard the luggage!"
Watching everyone busy, Fang Li also tried to mobilize the chaotic spiritual power within her body, slowly injecting it into several blank, specially made talisman papers. The talisman papers gradually turned gray, with a slight shimmering light, but the effect was unknown. Perhaps it could interfere with enemies, perhaps it could absorb spiritual power, or perhaps... it would have no effect at all.
"DIY Chaos Blind Box Talisman! System, shall we gamble on whether it's an SSR or fodder?" She was filled with a somewhat eager and experimental mindset.
System: [“Host is awesome! You’ve taken the first step in independent research and development! (Applause) But the results… seem to depend on luck?”]
She then took out the "Thoughts of Home" hairpin and the "Farewell Crane" zither, carefully nurturing them with chaotic spiritual energy to enhance their inner radiance and strengthen their connection with her. During the nurturing process, she vaguely sensed that the protective Daoist aura within the "Thoughts of Home" hairpin seemed to have become more condensed and profound, as if it had been silently reinforced.
"The hairpin... seems to have been upgraded again? Did the Immortal Venerable secretly spend money?" she muttered to herself, a little puzzled.
"VIP exclusive cheat! The love of a repressed pervert!" Tongzi immediately replied.
In the distant Forget-Dust Palace, Ye Wuyang's divine sense swept lightly across the courtyard, lingering for a moment on the few dusty "Chaos Blind Box Talismans," a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.
In a secluded corner where no one was watching, Xie Chen quietly placed the most exquisite and stable "Minor Sumeru Array" array plate he had just crafted next to Fang Li's luggage.
Everything was ready. The crowd gathered in front of the Marquis of Weiyuan's residence.
The steeds were harnessed, their white breaths mingling, their horseshoes gleaming coldly. Supplies were securely bound, and Tiepan stood beside the wagon with his shield. Shen Yunzhou checked the last knot and stood still. Xie Chen stood, fanning himself, his robes fluttering. Ji Qianqiu, wearing a wolfskin coat, appeared even more imposing. Mo Yun and Ling Shuang remained calm. Fang Li gripped the token in her arms.
Shen Qingyue stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the group who were all ready to depart. He said in a deep voice, "This journey is fraught with danger. Be careful in everything you do. I hope you will all return soon."
With the clatter of carriages and horses, they officially set off northward.
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