Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 293 - 281: Crossing the Northern Desolation
From Heavenly Lake Palace to Snow Eagle Sect, there lies a distance of a hundred thousand li.
The Northern Borderlands are immensely vast.
To Luochuan Imperial City, located far in the south, the presence of the Northern Pass might feel insignificant, but the territory of the Northern Pass is by no means small.
On the contrary, compared to the Imperial City or the Prefecture States further south, the Northern Pass is much more expansive.
The land here is sprawling with few inhabitants, especially across the wilderness, where one could often travel a thousand li without seeing a single household.
Traveling from Heavenly Lake Palace to Snow Eagle Sect requires crossing a vast desert.
In addition, there is a huge mountain range.
This mountain range is known as the Northern Ridge. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
The Northern Ridge is the only mountain range in the Northern Borderlands, yet it is grand and imposing, stretching across the land like a natural moat.
Snow Eagle Sect and Heavenly Lake Palace are separated by this Northern Ridge, each overseeing their respective sides.
Qin Qing and Zhuiri Ancestor sat upon the Bodhi Sculpture, which sped along swiftly, capable of covering thirty thousand li in a day.
Moreover, while sitting atop the Bodhi Sculpture, there wasn’t any sensation of wind against the face.
It was as if there was a naturally formed Spiritual Array on the back of the Bodhi Sculpture.
"This world and all its creatures truly possess their own mysteries," Qin Qing couldn’t help but silently muse.
Xiaobai’s injuries were recovering well, and it seemed he had already regained about seventy to eighty percent of his health.
Qin Qing gave him another Qingling Pill and a seed of the Purple Patterned Green Lotus. After rubbing against Qin Qing for a while, Xiaobai obediently closed his eyes and began the refinement and absorption process.
The following day.
They were now nearly fifty thousand li outside Heavenly Lake Palace.
They had just traversed a vast desert, and now they found themselves in a hilly region.
However... though these were called hills, the hills of the Northern Borderlands were scarcely covered by vegetation, appearing like the wrinkles of the earth, densely packed and endless at a glance, majestic and imposing nonetheless.
By the evening of the second day, they were nearing the land of the Northern Spirits.
At that moment, the sun was setting in the west.
The crimson sun slowly descended from the distant horizon. Standing high above tens of thousands of feet in the air, Qin Qing truly experienced the grandeur of the desert mirage standing tall, and the full river at sunset.
Such broad and magnificent vistas could never have been seen by Qin Qing if not for the Bodhi Sculpture, a Golden Core Realm ferocious beast.
This would inevitably bring about a subtle yet profound change to Qin Qing’s mindset and aspirations.
"Buzzing!"
Just then, Zhuiri Ancestor, who was sitting beside Qin Qing, suddenly experienced a fluctuation in the void around him, and a series of Spiritual Patterns began to emerge.
The aura of Returning to Purity and Simplicity permeated the air.
Zhuiri Ancestor’s use of the Secret Technique accelerated.
"Is a breakthrough imminent?"
Qin Qing’s gaze shifted, "If that’s the case, let me lend you a helping hand!"
With a single gesture, a powerful force burst forth from his fingertip, where Soul Power and Spiritual Power merged together, and in an instant, infused into Zhuiri Ancestor’s body.
Zhuiri Ancestor was meditating with his eyes closed, circulating a Secret Technique, mobilizing the rapid movement of Spiritual Power throughout his body. Perhaps due to being weakened, he continually experienced a sense of fatigue while controlling the Circulation Cycle of Spiritual Power.
This was the critical moment of the breakthrough to the Seventh Level of the Nascent Soul Realm.
It would be a great pity to fail due to fatigue at this time.
Moreover, failure would lead to more than just a halt in progress; it could even result in a regression of cultivation.
For Zhuiri Ancestor, there was no more time to waste; he couldn’t afford to continue expending energy.
It was either progress or regress!
Yet... even after pushing his body’s energy to the limit, Zhuiri Ancestor still felt fatigued, and the sensation was only intensifying.
But just then, a surge of overwhelming power flooded into his Soul Palace.
"Roar!"
Inside Zhuiri Ancestor’s Soul Palace, it was as if the sound of a Dragon’s Chant suddenly echoed.
A power that seemed to come from the primordial universe!
Zhuiri Ancestor was overjoyed; the power was like a shot in the arm, instantly dispelling his feeling of fatigue.
Then, he hurriedly used this power to once more fully operate his Spiritual Power, striking at the barrier!
"Boom!"
The next moment, it was as if a floodgate had been opened.
Inside Zhuiri Ancestor’s body, a previously solid barrier was suddenly breached.
Zhuiri Ancestor’s aura, in that instant, soared to a new level!
Nascent Soul Realm Seventh Level!
The Zhuiri Ancestor succeeded!
His vitality was rapidly recovering.
At the same time, the aura of death enveloping him was dissipating at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"Huff..."
A quarter of an hour later, the Zhuiri Ancestor exhaled a breath of turbid air.
The dulled hues previously in his eyes were no longer there, now only sharp brilliance remained.
"Qin Master, my thanks!"
The Zhuiri Ancestor kneeled on one knee, offering a bow to Qin Qing.
If Qin Qing had not lent his aid again moments ago, the Zhuiri Ancestor’s forcible attempt at a breakthrough would likely have ended in failure.
But now, he had succeeded!
Advancing from the Nascent Soul Realm Sixth Level to the Seventh may have been a minor tier, but this was a breakthrough from the middle stage to the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.
One could see that the Zhuiri Ancestor’s Nascent Soul had manifested itself, previously enveloped by six halos of light, and now, it was surrounded by seven.
"Hmm!" Qin Qing nodded slightly, looking at the Zhuiri Ancestor, "Congratulations Ancestor on your breakthrough to the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. Your lifespan has increased by at least another sixty years, hasn’t it?"
A long-missed smile finally appeared on the Zhuiri Ancestor’s face.
He had been living quite wretchedly for some time, every day steeped in anxiety.
With his lifespan running out, and death from old age looming, how could he not feel anxious?
But now, having broken through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, his lifespan had once again increased, adding at least another sixty years.
And perhaps... if he took good care of his health in the time to come, assisting with precious treasures from heaven and earth, living another hundred years was extremely likely.
Most importantly, now shadowing Qin Qing closely, the Zhuiri Ancestor was very confident that the Seventh Level of the Nascent Soul Realm was just the beginning!
While the Zhuiri Ancestor was advancing his cultivation, the Dharma Eagle had already flown over the Northern Ridge.
The magnificent Northern Ridge stretched across the Northern Borderlands like a colossal dragon sprawling over the vast lands.
"Yoyo!"
The Dharma Eagle let out a clear and distant cry, aware that its master had broken through in his cultivation at a critical moment. Happy for him, it flapped its wings with vigor, calling out proudly as it increased its speed of flight...
Qin Qing faced the setting sun, spreading his arms wide.
He was also in high spirits at this time.
Especially during his time in Luochuan Imperial City.
He felt extremely oppressed.
Because of his father, he was thinking every moment about improving his own cultivation, about how to rescue his father, and how to cure his little sister of the Fire Disease.
So, his state of mind was really quite suppressed.
But now, soaring above the heavens of the Northern Borderlands, everything was moving in a positive direction.
The grand and vast scenery entering his eyes also transformed his mood immensely.
"Hmm?"
Just then.
Qin Qing’s gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Ancestor, let Ah Man fly a bit lower."
Qin Qing’s eyes peered down toward the ground.
Even from a thousand feet in the air, with Qin Qing’s eyesight, he could still make out figures moving on the ground.
To be precise, it was an army being ambushed.
The reason Qin Qing wanted to stop was because of the banner this army was flying...
"It’s the Jinyin Army of the Prince of Zhennan!"
After the Dharma Eagle lowered its altitude, Qin Qing could clearly see the unmistakable banner of the Jinyin Army.
"It’s people from the Snow Eagle Sect, they are assaulting this army!" declared the Zhuiri Ancestor.
"Why would the Snow Eagle Sect want to attack the Jinyin Army?" Qin Qing pondered, but there was no time for further thought, as the Jinyin Army was in grave danger.
There was one among them whom Qin Qing had met before, a guard who had accompanied Zhao Tianyin at the Great Qian Martial Institute.
At that moment, the guard had already suffered severe injuries and was on the verge of death at the hands of his enemies...
Just then, a long cry echoed from the sky.
A giant Dharma Eagle glided down from above, and from atop the massive bird, a figure leaped from the sky, descending like a deity!
