Chapter 32: Northern Border’s Starry Sky Cliff

The wind of the Northern Border was like knives cutting against one’s face.

Fang Hao and Lin Wan had been flying on their swords for over half a month before finally arriving at the legendary Starry Sky Cliff. Looking out, ice sealed the land for a thousand miles and snow drifted for ten thousand; only a solitary peak in the distance pierced the clouds. Its summit shimmered with an eerie blue light in the night, reflecting the stars across the sky.

"That is the Starry Sky Cliff." Lin Wan pointed at the solitary peak, her voice trembling slightly in the cold wind. "It is said that one can touch the stars from the summit; it is the place in the Northern Border closest to the heavens."

Fang Hao circulated his Spiritual Qi to resist the severe cold, his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes looking toward the summit. "The Spiritual Qi fluctuations are abnormal; it truly is a sign of a Heaven And Earth Treasure appearing."

The two carefully landed halfway up the peak and found a wind-sheltered cave to rest for a while.

"The higher one goes up the Starry Sky Cliff, the more dangerous it becomes." Lin Wan took out a map of the Northern Border. "Not only are there Bitter Cold Astral Winds, but also elusive spatial rifts. It is said that a Golden Core Cultivator was once swallowed by a rift, leaving not even a bone behind."

Fang Hao nodded. "We should prioritize caution. Senior Sister is familiar with the terrain, so please lead the way."

After resting for a night, the two began climbing toward the summit. The higher they went, the heavier the cold became and the greater the consumption of Spiritual Qi. Fang Hao had to continuously circulate the Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art to absorb the thin Spiritual Qi and replenish his reserves.

On the third day, they reached an Ice Valley. The ice crystals in the valley flickered with breathtaking beauty, but Fang Hao felt a warning sign in his heart.

"Watch out!" He suddenly pulled Lin Wan back.

Almost simultaneously, the space ahead suddenly distorted, and a black rift appeared silently! A terrifying suction force emanated from the rift, and the surrounding ice and snow were sucked into it one after another!

"A spatial rift!" Lin Wan cried out in alarm, hastily retreating.

But the rift expanded extremely quickly, and the suction grew stronger. Lin Wan lost her footing and was sucked toward the rift!

"Senior Sister!" Fang Hao hurriedly threw out the Immortal Binding Rope to wrap around Lin Wan, pulling back with all his might.

However, another rift appeared behind them! Attacked from both front and back, the suction force doubled!

"Junior Brother Ning, let go!" Lin Wan shouted urgently. "We’ll both die like this!"

Fang Hao gritted his teeth and persisted. "No!" He circulated his Spiritual Qi with all his might, and his seven-element Spiritual Root erupted with staggering power.

But the power of the spatial rifts far exceeded his imagination. A larger rift tore open between the two of them, and the terrifying suction force snapped the Immortal Binding Rope!

"Senior Sister Lin!" Fang Hao watched helplessly as Lin Wan was sucked into the rift and vanished!

In the next moment, the ice beneath his feet collapsed, and he was also swallowed by another rift!

His world spun as space distorted. Fang Hao felt as if his body was about to be torn apart and hurriedly sacrificed all his defensive Magic Treasures. The protective Magic Treasure gifted by Liang Ling emitted a dazzling white light, barely protecting his body.

After an unknown amount of time, Fang Hao crashed heavily onto the ice. His entire body was in agonizing pain, his Magic Treasures were all shattered, and his Spiritual Qi was nearly exhausted.

He struggled to his feet, looking around in confusion. This was still the Northern Border, but the terrain was completely unfamiliar; he had clearly been teleported to an unknown area by the spatial rift.

"Senior Sister Lin..." Fang Hao was anxious, but he was powerless. spatial rift teleportation was random, and he had no idea where Lin Wan had been sent.

After meditating for a moment, Fang Hao decided to find a way out first. The priority was to survive; only then could he search for Lin Wan’s whereabouts.

The nights in the Northern Border were exceptionally long. Fang Hao trudged through the ice and snow, relying on his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to avoid the spatial rifts that appeared from time to time.

On the fifth day, he accidentally entered an ice plain and encountered a pack of ice plain wolves. These wolves were entirely snow-white and could blend into the ice and snow environment, making them extremely difficult to detect.

Fang Hao fought a hard battle for a long time, only managing to repel the wolf pack by relying on his newly mastered Seven Absolutes Sword Seal, but he had sustained significant injuries.

The most dangerous moment came on the seventh day when he stumbled upon a sleeping Frost Giant Bear! This bear was thirty feet tall and could shatter an ice cliff with a single paw strike; its power was terrifying!

Fang Hao did not dare to fight head-on and fled with all his might. The giant bear pursued him relentlessly, striking with its paw and causing ice spikes to fall like rain!

In the moment of crisis, a flash of inspiration struck Fang Hao. He integrated his newly gained understanding of spatial laws into the Divine Spirit Steps, his figure flickering in and out of existence, finally shaking off the giant bear.

After hiding in an ice cave, Fang Hao was at the end of his tether. His injuries had worsened, his Medicinal Pills were nearly gone, and worse still, he had completely lost his way.

"I must find the heavenly star grass..." Fang Hao gritted his teeth and persisted. Having paid such a high price, he could not return empty-handed!

After recuperating for a few days, Fang Hao continued his search for the Starry Sky Cliff. Relying on his sensing of the Power of the Stars, he trudged toward the direction where the Spiritual Qi fluctuations were strongest.

On this day, Fang Hao finally saw the familiar outline of the solitary peak. But the sight before him made his heart sink—

The space around the Starry Sky Cliff was extremely unstable, with rifts appearing frequently, making it several times more dangerous than before! Even worse, an exotic beast was perched at the top of the cliff!

The exotic beast looked like a giant eagle, with wings as blue as ice and eyes that flickered like stars. Its entire body emitted a terrifying pressure!

"Ice Star Luan!" Fang Hao gasped. This was a legendary exotic beast of the Northern Border that fed on the Power of the Stars and was comparable to a Golden Core Cultivator!

With this exotic beast guarding it, it was impossible to get near the summit!

Fang Hao lurked in the distance to observe. He discovered that the Ice Star Luan would leave its nest to forage at intervals, but the duration was very short—not nearly enough time to ascend and descend the peak.

"What should I do?" Fang Hao was anxious. The heavenly star grass was likely at the summit, but this obstacle before him was difficult to overcome.

He tried several times, but was forced back by spatial rifts and Bitter Cold Astral Winds. Once, he was nearly discovered by the Ice Star Luan and only escaped thanks to his spatial movement technique.

Days passed, and Fang Hao’s supplies grew scarcer. The environment of the Northern Border was harsh, making recovery difficult, and his condition worsened.

That night, Fang Hao looked at the summit of the Starry Sky Cliff and sighed dejectedly. After working so hard for so long, it was all for nothing.

But just as he was about to give up, he suddenly felt something—the communication jade talisman in his robes was heating up slightly!

It was Liang Ling! She was trying to contact him!

Fang Hao hurriedly took out the jade talisman and injected Spiritual Qi into it. A line of words appeared on the talisman: "Are you safe? Location?"

Fang Hao was overjoyed and immediately replied: "Near the Northern Border’s Starry Sky Cliff. Encountered danger. Senior Sister Lin is missing."

A moment later, the jade talisman lit up again: "Hold on! I have already sent people to rescue you. Do not act rashly!"

Fang Hao A warm feeling welled up in my heart. At the critical moment, Liang Ling was still the reliable one!

With hope restored, Fang Hao pulled himself together. He no longer tried to climb but instead looked for a safe spot to wait for rescue.

Three days later, just as Fang Hao was about to reach his limit, two sword lights appeared on the horizon!

"Junior Brother Ning!" a familiar voice called out.

Fang Hao looked up and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually Li Xuan and Zhu Pang!

"How did you two get here?"

Li Xuan descended from his sword light. "Senior Sister Liang informed us! Luckily, we made it in time!"

Zhu Pang hurriedly took out a Medicinal Pill. "Quick, take this! Your complexion looks terrible!"

It turned out that after Liang Ling received the message, she immediately sent people to search. Li Xuan and Zhu Pang happened to be nearby in the Northern Border on a mission and rushed over immediately.

After taking the pill, Fang Hao’s condition improved slightly. "Senior Sister Lin..."

Li Xuan shook his head. "No news yet. But Senior Sister Liang has already requested an Elder to use a secret technique to track the teleportation path of the spatial rift."

Fang Hao felt a bit more at ease. With the Sect taking action, Lin Wan’s chances of survival increased greatly.

"The heavenly star grass..." Fang Hao looked toward the summit. "It’s right up there, but it’s guarded by an Ice Star Luan."

Li Xuan’s expression changed. "An Ice Star Luan? That’s a Golden Core Stage exotic beast! No wonder Senior Sister Liang said it was dangerous here."

Zhu Pang proposal: "How about we head back first? We can plan this out properly."

Fang Hao hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, "You two go back first. I’ll wait a bit longer for an opportunity."

He couldn’t give up! The heavenly star grass was the key to his Foundation Establishment; if he missed this chance, he didn’t know how many years he would have to wait!

Li Xuan and Zhu Pang couldn’t persuade him otherwise, so they left some supplies and departed. Fang Hao continued to lurk and observe, looking for an opportunity.

However, until his supplies were exhausted, the Ice Star Luan never left for very long. The spatial rifts also became more frequent, leaving him with no opportunity to strike.

Fang Hao was unwilling to leave just like that. This trip to the Northern Border had come at a heavy cost—Lin Wan was missing, and he himself was heavily injured, yet he had gained nothing. The heavenly star grass was secondary; since Senior Sister Lin was missing, he had to stay here to search for her.