At the Roulian campground, the Roulian cultivators gathered around a bonfire as they drank wine and feasted on meat. They showed no indication of invading Liang Province.
Karol stepped outside and looked at the skies. His eyes gleamed coldly as he murmured, “Karran… I’ll be able to avenge you soon.”
At night.
The forest was quiet.
After a day of traveling at full speed, Yu Shangrong planned to stop for a rest.
Ji Liang’s performance had exceeded his expectations. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Ji Liang should be able to take him across Heaven’s Moat.
Heaven’s Moat was somewhere beyond the forest. It was the name of the mountain range that towered up into clouds between Great Yan and the western regions. To cross it, one’s cultivation base had to be profound. Otherwise, one would need to travel by flying chariot. There were soldiers patrolling the borders all-year-round near Heaven’s Moat to guard against the invasion from the Other Tribes. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult to cross Heaven’s Moat.
After the great disturbance in the Divine Capital, Wei Zhuoyan had recalled his troops. The area seemed slightly desolate now.
Yu Shangrong glanced at Heaven’s Moat outside the forest. Aside from the stars, he could not see anything. Then, he looked at the unconscious Yu Zhenghai whom he had propped against a tree trunk and said, “Since you hate Lou Lan so much, why didn’t you take them down when the Nether Sect was at its strongest? You could even conquer the Divine Capital.”
Yu Zhenghai did not answer nor could he answer.
“Back then, the two of us fought with master and lost… After master left, if I didn’t hit you with that final palm strike, perhaps, Liu Gu wouldn’t have been able to sneak up on you. So… that death was on my hands, but I never regretted striking you. The enmity between the Noblemen and Wuqians shouldn’t be placed on our shoulders alone, don’t you think?”
In the quiet forest, Yu Shangrong spoke to the unconscious man.
“Since Lou Lan took your life… I’ll take theirs and give them to you… We’ll call it even. What do you say? Just tell me what you think… I’ll take your silence as a yes, then.”
Yu Shangrong said no more.
Neigh!
Ji Liang replied instead.
Yu Shangrong noticed that Yu Zhenghai’s life aura was weakening. He drew his Longevity Sword. When another scarlet light shot into Yu Zhenghai’s body, he returned it to its scabbard.
“If we keep this up, we’ll both die.” A gentle smile appeared on Yu Shangrong’s face as he said, “However, I don’t think the heavens will let us die so easily.”
Yu Shangrong suddenly lifted his Longevity Sword out of its scabbard with his thumb.
Zing!
His Longevity Sword suddenly shot past a tree in the distance.
Swoosh!
His Longevity Sword accurately impaled the cultivator hidden behind the tree. The sword absorbed a faint red energy before it flew back into its scabbard.
As though nothing had happened, Yu Shangrong said with a smile, “This is the first one.”
Then, he stood up and carried Yu Zhenghai onto Ji Liang. The two men and one horse flew out of the forest.
Yu Shangrong had just left when another person sat down limply behind another tree, breathing heavily. “Is that Great Yan’s Sword Devil? General Karol wants us to intercept him? I have to tell the general quickly!”
He barely finished his sentence speaking when a voice rang from above. “My friend.”
“Hm?”
“My apologies. You won’t be able to send that letter.”
When the man looked up, he barely had the time to focus when the Longevity Sword that was wrapped in energy shot toward him.
“This is the second one.”
The sword returned to its scabbard.
Yu Shangrong flew back onto Ji Liang’s back.
Ji Liang continued flying to Heaven’s Moat.
Heaven’s Moat was an unbroken and towering mountain range that extended 10,000 miles; separating the western regions and Great Yan. Its unique height deterred many from conquering it.
Many cultivators would rather take a detour from the northwest to reach the lands of the Other Tribes. However, that would mean a longer journey and was a waste of time.
When Yu Shangrong returned to Brackish Mountain, he spent close to five days traveling with his Eight-leaf cultivation base before he reached the Melilot Graveyard. Taking a detour was not a recommended option. Moreover, he was trying to save Yu Zhenghai who was in imminent danger. How fortunate that he had Ji Liang.
Ji Liang seemed to be compatible with Yu Shangrong. No matter what he did, Ji Liang would instantly understand what he wanted.
Ji Liang flew upward with no fear of heights, unlike cultivators who had a limit to how high they could fly.
The forest was huge. Many who mastered flying would wildly test the limits of the heights.
The strange thing was when cultivators reached a certain altitude, they would run out of Primal Qi. Since that discovery, cultivators no longer tried to fly at too high an altitude.
Heaven’s Moat was not as tall as the limit.
When Ji Liang was halfway up the mountain, the temperature dropped suddenly. The cold was biting.
It seemed like a snowstorm was upon them.
Yu Shangrong activated his protective energy that enveloped Ji Liang and Yu Zhenghai.
“I heard Old Fourth calling you Ji Liang… You suit me very well. If it’s possible, what do you say to staying with me after this?” Yu Shangrong asked as they climbed higher.
Neigh!
Ji Liang replied as he continued to fly higher.
“That’s great.”
Neigh! Neigh!
“There’s no need to worry about master. He has many mounts. He won’t be missing you,” Yu Shangrong said.
Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!
“Here it comes.”
At this moment, the snowstorm above Heaven’s Moat intensified.
Yu Shangrong smiled faintly and said, “Follow me…” He pushed away from Ji Liang’s back lightly and shot into the air as he summoned his avatar.
Whizz!
A lotus-less 90-foot avatar kept the snowstorm at bay after it raised its hands.
Yu Shangrong shook his head and said with a sigh, “A Golden Lotus would’ve come in handy at a time like this…” Regardless, his expression remained calm as he flew into the avatar. Then, the shining golden avatar shot toward the highest point of Heaven’s Moat.
At this moment, the garrison soldiers near Heaven’s Moat and the civilians staying around the mountains stopped what they were doing and looked up at Heaven’s Moat. It was as though a sky lantern was slowly rising into the dark skies above Heaven’s Moat.
On the western region’s side, the soldiers guarding the borders were spurred into the action by this sight. They mobilized their troops toward Heaven’s Moat!
Yu Shangrong was focused on the skies. The snowstorm obscured his vision and blocked the golden radiance. Countless snowflakes fell on his avatar, covering its glow. However, his determination did not waver.
“Open.” Seven shining golden leaves appeared and spun around the avatar as it flew upward.
The accumulated snow on the avatar was instantly swept away by the lotus leaves, and it shone brightly again!
Boom!
The avatar pushed the snowstorm away and left a huge ring of light in the sky!
Ji Liang synchronized its movements with him as it followed closely behind.
They were finally past the most difficult part of Heaven’s Moat and landed on a peak.
The cold wind raged on and on!
When Yu Shangrong retracted his avatar, his hair, eyebrows, and robes turned white from the snow! He formed a barrier with his energy to keep out the raging cold wind.
Ji Liang neighed. With Yu Zhenghai on its back, it landed beside Yu Shangrong.
The man and the horse stood on the peak of Heaven’s Moat, nested between Great Yan and the western regions, and looked down at the hazy lands.
The roar of the wind filled their ears. The mountains were hidden by snow. The boundless western region was lost in the darkness.
“… When I just reached the Eight-leaf stage back then, I’ve been here on my own. Now that I’m back, it seems boring.”
Neigh!
Yu Shangrong turned to look at Yu Zhenghai on the horse’s back and said, “Eldest Senior Brother, you’ve never been here… You can’t enjoy the exquisite scenery from this vantage point.”
He looked down the mountain again. He knew this was not the time to be enjoying the scenery. Moreover, it was extremely dangerous for him to continuously waste his Primal Qi on this raging storm.
He leaped onto Ji Liang and pointed at Lou Lan. “Ji Liang, shake off those cultivators at the border.”
Neigh!
Ji Liang leaped into the air again. When it reached a suitable altitude, it adjusted its direction and maintained its altitude. It kept flying at lightning speed.
Inside Dazheng Palace, in the Imperial city of Great Yan’s Divine Capital.
The palace was quiet at night.
After two days of meditation, Lu Zhou had recovered some of his extraordinary power. Just when he was about to stop meditating, he could hear faint footsteps approaching…
“Shh, this is the Imperial city. Our mission this time is to investigate and not assassinate!”
“Evergreen Palace, Dazheng Palace, the inner warehouse… Search every inch of this area. We must find the box. The Divine Capital is in disarray right now. We won’t have another chance after this.”
“Understand!”
“We’ll meet here in an hour! Move out!”