164: Chapter 164: The Great Wall of Sword Qi

Three days later.

In front of the teleportation formation at the Eternal Night Demon Sect.

Thirty-two people were packed and ready to go.

Xiao Ran stood at the very front, dressed in a mysterious black robe, standing with his hands behind his back.

Behind him, Patrol Captain Bai Qiushui, Deputy Commander Tie Xiong, Captain Leng Yue, Captain Zhao Wuji, and the others were lined up, their Auras awe-inspiring.

"Depart."

Xiao Ran raised his hand and injected a burst of Spiritual Qi into the teleportation formation.

White light flashed, and the thirty-two figures vanished.

...

Far North Land.

As Xiao Ran and his group stepped out of the teleportation formation, a bone-chilling wind whipped against their faces.

Before them lay a vast, desolate wilderness.

The sky was gray, the ground was gray, and even the air was gray.

In the distance, mountains stretched on, their peaks covered in snow year-round.

Nearby, withered grass covered the ground, with a few crooked trees scattered here and there.

Bare branches pointed toward the sky like withered hands.

"This is the Far North Land?"

Deputy Commander Tie Xiong rubbed his arms, seemingly feeling a hint of the cold.

Captain Leng Yue looked around, her brow slightly furrowed.

"The Spiritual Qi is also much thinner than at the Sect."

Captain Zhao Wuji shouldered his silver spear and looked around.

"This place... do people really live here?"

Patrol Captain Bai Qiushui didn't speak, just quietly gazed into the distance.

His sword heart was trembling slightly; it was a premonition of approaching danger.

Xiao Ran took a deep breath, letting the icy air fill his lungs.

This could only be considered the edge of the Far North Land, as the teleportation formation could only reach this far.

Therefore, the rest of the journey required the group to travel on foot.

"Let's go, head to the stronghold first."

As the leader, Xiao Ran decided on the direction immediately.

He took out a token from his storage ring and injected Spiritual Qi into it.

The token lit up, and a faint light pointed toward the north.

That was where the Eternal Night Demon Sect's stronghold in the Far North Land was located.

"Let's go!"

Xiao Ran transformed into a streak of black light and sped off first.

Behind him, the group transformed into streaks of light, also flying toward the north.

Along the way.

Xiao Ran observed this unfamiliar land.

The wilderness was vast and boundless, but there was little sign of life.

Occasionally, a few low-level Yao Beasts could be seen darting through the withered grass; upon sensing their presence, they immediately scattered and fled.

"The Yao Beasts here are very alert," Patrol Captain Bai Qiushui said.

Xiao Ran nodded.

"Normal. Anything that can survive in this environment isn't stupid."

The Far North Land was near the border of the Yao Race's territory, and the Cultivators and Yao Race here had been killing each other for generations.

So these Yao Beasts could only stay far from the heartlands, fearing they would attract a purge by Human Race Cultivators.

Xiao Ran's group continued flying north for about half an hour until a large river appeared ahead.

The water was murky and the current was swift, with broken ice floating on the surface.

On the opposite bank was a range of low hills.

On the hills, a few old buildings were vaguely visible.

"We've arrived."

Xiao Ran looked at the token in his hand.

The group landed in front of the hills.

In an instant, they looked at each other in disbelief!

"This is the Eternal Night Demon Sect's stronghold in the Far North Land?"

Xiao Ran looked at everything before him in surprise.

Calling it a stronghold, it actually looked more like an abandoned small village.

A few stone houses stood crookedly, with half the tiles missing from the roofs.

Most of the surrounding wall had collapsed, revealing the open ground inside.

On the open ground, several ragged Cultivators were sitting cross-legged in meditation, their Auras weak, mostly at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

How is this a stronghold!

This is just a refugee camp!

A sense of disappointment rose in the hearts of Xiao Ran's group.

The Eternal Night Demon Sect was, after all, the number one demon Sect in the world, a prominent power throughout the entire Northern Territory.

How could they be doing so miserably after coming to the Far North Land?

With doubts in their hearts, the group slowly descended.

"Who goes there?"

At that moment, a Disciple guarding the gate suddenly saw a group of Cultivators appear and jumped up in fright.

Xiao Ran's group hovered in mid-air, their thirty-plus Auras interwoven.

There were seven or eight at the Nascent Soul Stage alone, plus a Soul Transformation Stage powerhouse overseeing them.

In this desolate Far North Land, this formation was practically like heavenly soldiers and generals.

The gate-guarding Disciple's face turned pale as he stumbled inside.

"Elder! Elder! People are here! A lot of powerful people are here!"

A moment later.

A figure darted out from the innermost stone house.

It was a middle-aged man with a weathered face and a chaotic Aura; his cultivation had barely reached the Early Stage of Spirit Severing.

But Xiao Ran could tell at a glance that his Foundation was unstable, clearly having been forcibly pushed up by some external force.

He landed in front of Xiao Ran, his gaze scanning the group before finally resting on Xiao Ran.

"I am Song He, the Deacon of the Eternal Night Demon Sect's Far North stronghold. May I ask who Your Excellency is..."

Without a word, Xiao Ran directly took out his token to reveal his identity.

He had no habit of conducting 'incognito visits' with the person before him; what he wanted was to become the supreme leader of this stronghold from the very start.

Anyone who didn't submit would be beaten down.

"I am the Seventh Demon Son of the Eternal Night Demon Sect, Xiao Ran."

"By order of the Sect, I am taking over the Far North fiefdom."

"From now on, this place belongs to me."

Hearing this, Song He's pupils constricted, and an obscure look flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly hidden as he hurriedly cupped his hands.

"So it is Demon Son Xiao, I have long heard of your name!"

"I failed to welcome you properly, please forgive me!"

As he spoke, he secretly sized up Xiao Ran.

This young man before him didn't look old, yet he was already at the Soul Transformation Stage.

What was this young man's background?

Xiao Ran naturally sensed Song He's unnaturalness, but he didn't look into it deeply because this person was still somewhat useful for the time being.

So he put away the token and said indifferently.

"Deacon Song, there's no need to be formal. Lead us in."

Song He quickly stepped aside.

"Please! Please!"

...

Inside the stronghold, things looked slightly better than the outside.

But the style looked a bit like a mountain bandit's camp no matter how one saw it.

Song He rubbed his hands awkwardly.

"Elder, please bear with us. The conditions here are simple, truly..."

Xiao Ran glanced at him indifferently and said nothing.

"It's fine, I didn't come here to enjoy myself."

"How many people are in the stronghold?" he asked, looking around.

Song He hurriedly replied.

"Including myself, there are forty-seven people in total."

"There is only myself at the Soul Transformation Stage, four at the Nascent Soul Stage, and the rest are Golden Core and Foundation Establishment."

Xiao Ran frowned upon hearing this.

Forty-seven people? One Soul Transformation, four Nascent Souls?

Is this a joke?

This is the entire force of the Eternal Night Demon Sect in the Far North Land?

No wonder the Sect said the conditions here were tough; this is way too damn tough!

Song He seemed to see through Xiao Ran's thoughts and gave a bitter smile.

"Elder, you may not know, but this Far North Land is truly not a place for humans to stay."

"Resources are scarce here, Yao Beasts run rampant, and there are bandits and Loose Cultivators plundering everywhere."

"The Sect has sent many people here before, but they either died or ran away."

"Over time, only those of us with no background who couldn't leave were left."

Xiao Ran was lost in thought.

"Then what do you usually rely on to sustain yourselves?"

Song He said.

"Mainly hunting Yao Beasts, collecting furs and Yao cores, and then sending them to the Sword Qi Great Wall to sell."

"Occasionally we can find some spirit mines, but the large veins are all occupied by those major powers; we can only pick up the scraps."

Xiao Ran: "How far is the Sword Qi Great Wall from here?"

Song He immediately began to explain.

"Traveling at full speed with my flight technique, it takes about three days."

Xiao Ran had a sense of the situation now; it seemed the stronghold was completely away from the power center of the Far North Land!

"Continue introducing the situation!" Xiao Ran ordered.

"No problem. The Sword Qi Great Wall is the largest city in the Far North Land and the center of the entire region."

"All resources, trade, and intelligence converge there."

Song He took a deep breath and said slowly.

"The situation in the Far North Land is different from other parts of the Northern Territory. Here, the influence of both Sects and dynasties is negligible."

Xiao Ran felt it was a bit strange.

"Oh?"