Chapter 714: Chapter 281: Unveiling the Desolate Mountain, Creating Heaven with a Single Hand

After patrolling alone for so many years, Fu Manman had finally found a companion, catching Zhuge Hong to ask this and that, and the latter seemed to have a unique curiosity about her as well.

What kind of person could make Master Fan’s heart move?

The two hit it off, leaving Fan Wubing aside. However, he wasn’t in much of a mood for chatting now; he was concentrating, repeatedly deducing the exact location of Luo Qingyao.

The fact that the divination skill combining "Supreme Forgetting Emotions" and "Heart of All Wonders" struggled so hard seemed to confirm that Luo Qingyao’s situation was rather special now. Coupled with the "intuition" of the gold shine within Zhuge Hong, related to Luo Qingyao, Fan Wubing couldn’t help but pay attention.

Step by step, Fan Wubing did not force precise positioning, advancing bit by bit following faint clues.

Three days later, they arrived at the famous Sun-shooting Pass on Sword Continent.

As the battlefront gate resisting the Heavenly Beings during the Heaven-Mortal War back then, the Sun-shooting Pass, viewed from the air, resembled someone drawing a bow to shoot the sun. Unlike other crumbling ruinous, treacherous ancient battlefields, the Sun-shooting Pass, after generations of transformation by the Sword Continent people, had now become a sacred place for sword cultivators to hone their Sword Intent and practice Sword Technique.

"It should be here." Fan Wubing overlooked the Sun-shooting Pass from above.

The fierce Sword Qi soared into the sky, forming a massive natural Sword Qi restriction in the periphery, blocking all energies and Dao intents from entering, not even allowing soul sense to penetrate.

Even with the strength of Fan Wubing’s soul, he could only glimpse a little, like seeing flowers in a mist.

Fu Manman nodded and said, "It seems like a place she would go. Should we go in now?"

"Yes."

Fu Manman glanced at Fan Wubing, sensing his urgency, and just as she was about to offer some comforting words, a beam of light suddenly shot over from afar.

Her heart stirred, and she effortlessly caught it; it was a golden cicada.

"A letter from White Jade Capital?"

Fan Wubing asked, "What’s the matter?"

Fu Manman also found it strange because communication from White Jade Capital to her was usually through the Little Freedom Official’s token. This method... should be one used internally by the Little Freedom Official. She crushed the golden cicada, its contents seeping into her brow, and shortly after, the message became clear.

"They want me to represent White Jade Capital in the Great Prosperity Festival in half a year."

"You seem very surprised."

Fu Manman explained, "The Great Prosperity Festival is the grandest event for the agricultural family, and White Jade Capital usually sends the Little Freedom Official personally to attend. Although I am the Little Freedom Official, in terms of qualifications, as I have yet to shed the Mortal World Executor Dao identity of Wangxian Pavilion, I cannot represent White Jade Capital."

"The fact that White Jade Capital assigns you shows they highly value you; isn’t that just right?"

"I don’t think so. Celestial Venerable Shangli surely has other ideas." Fu Manman thought for a moment, "Well then, let’s leave it at that for now and consider other options if any situation arises."

Back and forth, she forgot what she was going to do previously.

The entire Sun-shooting Pass was surrounded by cyan-golden walls, with every brick comprising the walls crafted from the hard Celestial Tribulation Stone. This type of mineral, which is only produced during a Tribulation Immortal’s crossing of tribulations, contains heavenly power and is difficult for an average Tribulation Immortal to destroy. Back when these walls were built, it was a multitude of Sword Immortals who cut them out, sword by sword.

Sun-shooting Pass has three checkpoints, guarded by the Phoenix Dynasty, Heart Sword Sect, and one of the Five Cities of Daoist Twelve Floors, Pei Palace.

Fan Wubing and his two companions landed, intending to enter from the "arrowhead" of the Sun-shooting Map.

This checkpoint was guarded by the Phoenix Dynasty.

A huge "Phoenix Bathing in Fire" flag fluttered atop the pass city, like a blazing fire touching the sky.

Fu Manman laughed and said, "This imperial flag of the Li Dynasty is indeed imposing. I heard it was personally modified by the Empress."

Since the imperial family of the Phoenix Dynasty bears the surname Li, it is often referred to as the Li Dynasty as well.

Zhuge Hong said, "I saw the Empress when I was little; she was magnificent, the most domineering woman I’ve ever seen."

Fan Wubing did not involve himself in their conversation.

When two women are discussing a third woman, it’s best for a man not to join in.

This was his life experience.

The three of them entered the pass city to process the passage procedures. If he were alone, Fan Wubing would surely skip these procedures and just go right in. But Fu Manman, with her Daoist identity, had to stick to some rules when doing things.

The processing fees were quite considerable—five thousand top-grade Spirit Stones per person, enough to buy a decent Grotto Heaven in Changning City. The high fees directly kept quite a few people outside.

That’s why people say Sword Dao is the most expensive Immortal Dao.

However, it’s been many years since Fan Wubing was sensitive to money. In the early years, he had scrounged up quite a fortune, and since his cultivation did not require the consumption of Spirit Stones, the Qiankun Bags he carried were full of Spirit Stones of various qualities, a casual count reaching several millions of top-grade ones, which he could never use up.

This Passage Decree of five thousand top-grade Spirit Stones was not purely extortionate; essentially, it was equivalent to a Teleportation Talisman.

After entering the Sun-shooting Pass, one had to shatter the decree to exit.

The three paid the fee and obtained their Passage Decrees, just as they were about to proceed; a drunken, unkempt old man walked over with eager eyes fixed on Fan Wubing,

"Young friend, I see that you have remarkable bones and are a prodigy in sword practice!"

Saying this, he opened his right hand, showing several sword manuals, "Great Sun Soaring Sword," "Proud Bone Sword," "Celestial Immortal Sword"...

"I have here several long-lost ultimate Sword Techniques for sale to those destined. Back when some Great Sword Immortal named Li Yuan wanted to buy from me, I ignored him completely. Now it’s fate with you; just five thousand top-grade Spirit Stones, choose any one! How about it?"

This little old man was scrawny, his eyeballs nearly popping out.