Chapter 430: Chapter 148: A Demonic Servant Arrives at the Thousand-Ren Cliff, a Distant Blade Signals Mortal Peril

The walls of Qing Province City grew distant behind him, eventually disappearing from view, leaving only the line of the horizon.

Endless mountains stretched out, their forests deep and ancient. Towering old trees with dense branches and leaves blotted out the sun, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

"Rise!"

Deep in the forest, Chu Fan’s thoughts stirred. The Wind Seed inside his Dantian quivered softly as he activated the Technique of the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture.

He intended to draw the formless, traceless Wind Spirits from the void and gather them into his body.

But as the Cultivation Technique began to circulate, there was no response from his surroundings. It was like a drop of water on a hot skillet, vanishing in an instant.

His brows furrowed slightly as he immediately understood the reason.

’This Spirit Gathering Array in Qing Province is so tyrannical. It doesn’t just absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism; it even forcefully siphons away the free-roaming Wind Spirits.’

The ancient city was like a colossal beast lying prone on the earth, constantly devouring the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism within a hundred-li radius to sustain the Grand Array’s operation.

The area surrounding the city was no different from a land depleted of Spiritual Mechanism.

With nothing he could do, Chu Fan suppressed his aura, unleashed his Body Technique, and sped south along the rugged mountain path.

His figure flickered through the forest, faster than a galloping horse.

He ran for over a hundred and fifty li in one breath before finally stopping.

Standing atop a mountain peak, Chu Fan closed his eyes and focused his mind, once again activating the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture.

This time, the sensation was completely different.

The joyful Wind Spirits in the void were like schools of fish that had found their home, scrambling over one another as they surged toward him.

Faint wisps of pale green light appeared out of thin air. Though almost invisible to the naked eye, they were perfectly clear in his perception.

These motes of light formed into thin streams, entering his limbs and bones through his breathing and the pores all over his body, ultimately gathering in his Dantian Qi Sea.

Within his Dantian, the newly formed Wind Seed was spinning slowly.

With each rotation, it would refine a bit more of the absorbed Wind Spirits, and the green light upon it would grow a fraction denser.

The Wind Veins connected to the Wind Seed, nourished by the Wind Spirits, were like long-dry riverbeds suddenly met with a spring flood. They were slowly being widened, fortified, and made more resilient.

"This is the place."

Satisfied, Chu Fan nodded to himself.

The Wind Spirits here, while far inferior to the Gangfeng Forbidden Land, were still more than ten times stronger than within Qing Province.

He scanned his surroundings and saw a massive cliff not far away.

The cliff was thousands of feet high, where the Gangfeng howled with a sound like the wailing of ghosts and gods.

The rock face of the cliff had been blown by the wind until it was as smooth as a mirror.

Not far from the cliff’s edge, there happened to be a dry cave deep enough to provide shelter from the rain—a perfect place for cultivation.

’The Gangfeng Forbidden Land is out of the question for now.’

’Since their young lady died at my hands, Medicine King Valley will certainly not let this matter rest.’

Chu Fan was single-mindedly focused on cultivation and didn’t want any more trouble. He was naturally unwilling to show his face in the Gangfeng Forbidden Land and invite disaster.

Cultivating here for a few days until he made some progress in the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture before returning to Qing Province was indeed his best option at the moment.

He had plenty of food and fresh water in his Sumeru Ring, enough to last for several months without worry.

Besides the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture, he could also advance his other Martial Arts here, like the Twelve True Forms Fist and the Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture.

As the thought crossed his mind, the familiar panel appeared before his eyes.

[Technique: Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture (Entry-Level) Progress: (87/800) (Traits: None)]

This Cultivation Technique was still at the Entry-Level, a time for Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Essence by nurturing the Wind Seed and Wind Veins. In terms of offensive or defensive power, it was practically insignificant.

However, the speed it granted was a true, life-saving Divine Technique.

If he hadn’t relied on this Secret Skill to escape that day, he would have long since become another soul lost to the sword of that woman from Medicine King Valley.

’No matter what, I have to cultivate it to the Small Success Realm this time!’

Chu Fan’s gaze sharpened, his mind made up.

By then, when combined with the Wave Riding and Wind Chasing and Fleeting Shadows Traits from his Running Technique, his Body Technique’s speed would reach a whole new level.

Even experts at the Acupoint Realm would probably only be able to watch his retreating back and sigh in frustration!

Chu Fan thought no more of it. He sat cross-legged on the cliff’s edge, palms facing the heavens, and in just a few moments, he entered a state of complete immersion, forgetting both himself and the world.

The fierce winds on the cliff, far from disturbing him, actually became his aid.

Streams of air circled around his body, forming a small vortex that drew in even more Wind Spirits.

「Meanwhile, on a main road over ten li away.」

A woman in red suddenly stopped. It was Mo Yunzi.

She held an ancient Copper Disc in her hand, her fine brows knitted tightly, her beautiful face filled with disbelief.

In the center of the Copper Disc, the faint green dot representing the target of the Blood Curse had been moving south at an indescribably fast speed ever since leaving Qing Province.

She, a mighty expert at the Fifth Level of the Divine Power Realm, was chasing with all her might, yet the distance between them was actually increasing!

"How can this be?" she muttered to herself, her voice tinged with astonishment and doubt.

She was at the Fifth Level of the Divine Power Realm!

Although her Divine Movement was not yet at Great Success, she could still cover several zhang in a single step, and traveling a thousand li in a day was a simple matter.

Her target was a mere ant in the early Spirit Awakening Realm. Even if he were riding the finest Red Cloud Beast, there was no way his speed could surpass hers!

’Could it be...’

A chill ran through Mo Yunzi’s heart as a thought suddenly struck her. ’Is this boy being escorted by a powerful expert?’

This was the only explanation for how a mere Spirit Awakening Realm boy could possess such an appalling Body Technique.

’Perhaps some senior at the Acupoint Realm, or even a higher Realm, is traveling with him?’

At this thought, Mo Yunzi instantly grew more vigilant.

But then she noticed that the green dot on the Copper Disc had stopped moving and had remained stationary in one location for a long time.

"Stopped, have you?" Mo Yunzi suddenly smiled.

She cast aside her doubts, identified the direction, and her figure transformed into a red streak, darting toward the location of the green dot.

Before long, a precipitous mountain peak appeared before her eyes.