Chapter 1110: Cloud Gate

Chapter 1115: Cloud Gate

A few days later.

"This Western Region is indeed quite different from the Southern Region."Xu Qing, who had been traveling swiftly across the sky, appeared pensive.

Over the past few days, while searching for a secluded place to heal his injuries, he had twice encountered others who also possessed Quasi-Immortal tokens. The first time, the other party was over nine million miles away and clearly hadn't noticed Xu Qing, so he easily avoided them. However, the second time, almost as soon as Xu Qing sensed the other party through his own Quasi-Immortal token, they immediately sensed him as well. Anyone with such a token detection range must be powerful.

But just as Xu Qing's vigilance rose, the other party chose to avoid him. This was very different from the Southern Region. It seemed that avoiding trouble, or rather, not creating trouble unless absolutely necessary, was a guiding principle for many in the west. Xu Qing encountered this situation once more over the next seven or eight days, which ultimately confirmed his observation.

"Compared to the Southern Region, the Western Region is much less intense. Unnecessary conflicts are largely avoided.""But that doesn't mean people here don't kill."

Xu Qing looked up, gazing into the distance. Ahead of him was a circular barrier, shimmering with light, forming a formation that prevented outsiders from entering. Inside the formation, several cultivators sat cross-legged. Outside, not only Xu Qing stood there, but also dozens of scattered cultivators, spaced some distance apart. Some, like Xu Qing, were passersby who had been stopped, while others had originally been within the formation's boundaries and were now expelled.

"The Cloud Gate Family and the Earth Spirit Clan are about to start a war of annihilation.""These two major families are considered strong clans in this vicinity, jointly occupying the Spirit Dust Mountain Range. Such a war of extermination is normal.""However, both families have other clan territories besides this one. It's unlikely that they'll truly annihilate each other quickly; the battlefront and duration will be prolonged."

Discussions echoed all around. By now, Xu Qing had changed into a coarse linen robe, wore a bamboo hat like a boatman, and had concealed his appearance. Standing in mid-air, listening to the sounds around him, Xu Qing extended his divine sense, covering the area ahead.

This place was originally where he had chosen to seclude himself for healing, based on his map. The continuous mountain ranges, rich in spiritual energy, were, in his judgment, very suitable for recovery. But now, intense fluctuations of combat were reverberating. There were quite a few combatants within that mountain range.

From the surrounding conversations, Xu Qing understood that one family was invading another. Both sides were fighting fiercely. There were powerful figures within, and Xu Qing could clearly sense the might of Rulers. Even token holders were present on both sides. However, it was clear that acquiring each other's tokens was not the main objective; the focus was on gradually eroding and devouring the opposing family. The process was brutal, the methods ruthless, and it was evidently a fight to the death, aiming to eradicate the other completely.

After perceiving all this, Xu Qing gained a deeper understanding of the Western Region."Cultivators here rarely engage in pointless battles; their personalities are mostly laid-back, yet simultaneously, their sense of family is extremely strong. Therefore, conflicts primarily occur between families.""This also aligns with the information recorded on the map: due to the Dao Immortal Sect's indifference and its near-laissez-faire approach to the entire Western Region, the region is densely populated with cultivation families. They grow wildly, and their numbers far exceed those in the other three regions."

Xu Qing pondered, slowly retreating. Tens of millions of miles away, he finally found a desolate muddy swamp. After a brief thought, his body flickered, and he plunged into the mire. Deep within the swamp, he set up a small cave dwelling, reinforced its surroundings, laid down restrictive formations, and isolated his aura. Only then did he sit cross-legged and begin to heal.

Perhaps because of the ongoing conflict between the two major families nearby, many cultivators, upon learning of it, largely left, and those whose original routes would have passed through the area rerouted. Consequently, Xu Qing's seclusion for the next half-month passed peacefully.

Until one day, as the mud pit receded, Xu Qing's figure emerged from within, standing in mid-air. Standing there, he felt a tightness in his chest, and an urge to cough often arose. His brows furrowed in response. Although outwardly his injuries weren't visible, his aura was noticeably weaker compared to before.

"Dao injury..." Xu Qing murmured.

Once cultivation reached a certain level, not all injuries could be healed with medicinal pills. Attacks from powerful experts often resulted in Dao injuries. Xu Qing had not encountered such injuries on the Wanggu Continent, but in this Fifth Star Ring, he felt the difficulty of recovering from Dao injuries.

"My previous estimate of one month was too short.""Such injuries often take several years to heal slowly. Although I have violet crystal, which can shorten this process, abundant spiritual energy would further reduce recovery time."

Xu Qing's gaze darkened as he looked down at the mud pit beneath him, then up towards the Spirit Dust Mountain Range, while simultaneously reviewing the Western Region map in his mind. Although the spiritual energy here far surpassed that of the Wanggu Continent, it was still thinner than in the Southern Region, except in certain special locations...

"However, in my current state, as long as I don't encounter a Ruler, facing a Spirit Wielder and killing them won't impede my recovery."

Combining his knowledge with the map, Xu Qing finally made a choice. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, he took a step forward, and instantly vanished.

Auroras flowed across the sky, and small vortices appeared one after another, growing in number. Unconsciously, a year passed.

Throughout this year, the war between the Cloud Gate Family and the Earth Spirit Clan over the Spirit Dust Mountain Range continued. In the initial large-scale battle, the Cloud Gate Family's patriarch was severely wounded, and the Earth Spirit Clan's patriarch also sustained injuries. Consequently, the conflict thereafter consisted primarily of continuous, localized skirmishes. Moreover, throughout this year of war, the Cloud Gate Family gradually lost territory. Of their original thirty-seven peaks, only eleven remained due to successive defeats. Panic now gripped their people.

At this moment, on the Cloud Gate Family's Ninth Peak, three cultivators sat cross-legged outside a formation. All three were at the third or fourth realm of Spirit Wielding cultivation. As they meditated, they occasionally opened their eyes, looking at the figure within the formation, their expressions unconsciously revealing awe.

Shortly after, one of them took out a transmission jade slip, checked it, and immediately rose, bowing respectfully to the figure within the formation."Venerable Formation Master, information from Spirit Dust City indicates that although the item you described is still not among this batch of supplies...""There is a lead now. The caravan has gone to search for it, and it is expected to appear in the next batch of supplies."

The person's demeanor was respectful, and so were their words. Following his gaze, one could see a person sitting cross-legged within the formation on the Ninth Peak, engrossed in an ancient book. This person appeared middle-aged, yet their hair was greyish-white, their complexion pale, and their body gaunt, giving them a sickly appearance. Occasionally, a cough would escape them. Despite this, the three Spirit Wielders outside the formation dared not show the slightest disrespect.

As guest elders of external lineage to the Cloud Gate Family, the three had initially looked down upon Yan Xuanzi, who had joined a year ago with a cultivation level similar to theirs. However, to their surprise, in the several battles against the Earth Spirit Clan over the past year, this individual's every strike was like thunder, instantly killing opposing Spirit Wielders. Their methods were brutal, striking directly at the throat. In one year, twelve Spirit Wielders had died by this person's hand. Moreover, two of them had even reached the sixth realm of Spirit Wielding, but for this person, it merely meant a few more swings, a few more cuts.

Thus, amidst the Cloud Gate Family's decline, Yan Xuanzi's military achievements were quite remarkable, leading to his appointment as the guardian of the Ninth Peak's formation. He was addressed as Venerable Formation Master.

"Understood." Inside the formation, Xu Qing looked up and spoke indifferently. His gaze then drifted into the distance, and thoughts arose in his mind. "My injuries are almost healed. I was planning to leave soon..."

A year ago, after reviewing the map and realizing that the most suitable place for healing nearby was the Spirit Dust Mountain Range, which he had initially chosen, Xu Qing made a decision. If he hadn't chosen this place and instead gone to other suitable locations, the journey would have taken a very long time. So, Xu Qing simply seized the opportunity when the Cloud Gate Family was at a disadvantage in the war and heavily recruiting powerful cultivators from all directions, choosing to join them.

Although these guest elders of external lineage were unlikely to be fully trusted or gain access to the core operations, mostly serving as cannon fodder, for Xu Qing, all he needed was to enter the Spirit Dust Mountain Range and use its abundant spiritual energy to shorten his healing time. As for his subsequent actions, on one hand, the opponents were inviting death; on the other, the spiritual energy within the formation was denser. Additionally, he learned that a guest elder's privileges included using the family's caravans to purchase special items. Furthermore, his status determined the extent of these privileges. That's why Xu Qing chose to kill a few more opponents, but he kept it within the seventh realm of Spirit Wielding. Killing someone in the seventh realm would have been too conspicuous.

What he wanted to find with the Cloud Gate Family's help was the item that the young man with the birthmark on his face, whom he had met in the Southern Region, had once produced. It was a lump of earth-like material possessing spatial abilities. On that day, the opponent had used this item to congeal the world, consuming it in the process. It was not present in their storage ring.

"A month is still a bit long." Xu Qing narrowed his eyes.

Over the past year, although he, as a guest elder of the Cloud Gate Family, had not gained significant trust or access to their core operations, with his cultivation and discernment, he could still foresee the Cloud Gate Family's unchangeable fate."The Cloud Gate Patriarch is very likely to fall soon, probably in about half a month.""The Earth Spirit Clan's final battle will undoubtedly erupt in about half a month."

Xu Qing's gaze fell upon the sky. The entire Spirit Dust Mountain Range, even under the aurora, was still shrouded in a dense, oppressive darkness, accumulating vast amounts of death qi. Within it, various anomalies occasionally appeared. This scene was difficult to perceive without the combat power of a Ruler.

During this past year, Xu Qing wasn't just healing; he was also cultivating his own methods. Whether it was the Five Elements or Time and Space, his current level of comprehension far exceeded what it was a year ago. This would lead to a more noticeable enhancement of his combat power. Especially Space and Time, which were his primary areas of exploration. Vaguely, he even began to form ideas for the Eighth Pole.

After a moment, determination appeared in Xu Qing's eyes."Never mind. That item containing spatial energy can still be found elsewhere, even if it requires more effort."

With that thought, Xu Qing closed his eyes."In three more days, my injuries will be completely healed, and then I will leave!"