168: Chapter 168 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (116)

Recently, having nothing to do, Chu Shi had specifically gone to the Scripture Pavilion on the main peak to flip through some ancient books recording the history and culture of the various Holy Lands.

He discovered that, unlike the Great Sun Holy Land and the Four Seasons Holy Land, which were Sects primarily based on Revered Master-Disciple legacies, the Ice and Snow Holy Land in the Far North was essentially a hereditary power controlled jointly by the Ice and Snow Families.

Thinking of this, Chu Shi's thoughts drifted far away.

"Come to think of it, that old geezer, my Revered Master, back then, choosing not to be a perfectly good Young Lord of the Li Family and insisting on running away from home—was it likely just to go find Aunt Xue?"

He rubbed his chin, and the more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

"And how did Aunt Xue end up in Canglan City within the territory of the Great Sun Holy Land? And coincidentally, she became childhood sweethearts with my Revered Master and grew up together."

"Could it be internal strife in the Ice and Snow Holy Land?"

"The Ice and Snow Families were fighting for power, and the faction Aunt Xue belonged to lost influence, was hunted down, and luckily escaped to the south, growing up in Canglan City under an assumed name?"

"Then, due to some accident, the two of them, out playing, suddenly encountered danger."

"Aunt Xue, to protect the old geezer, had an Awakening of her Legacy Physique, her aura leaked, and that was how people from the Ice and Snow Holy Land found her?"

Chu Shi's eyes lit up; the plot he was imagining became increasingly dramatic.

"And then? And then it's the classic melodramatic trope, right?"

"Childhood sweethearts, innocent and pure, perhaps even having secretly pledged their lives to each other, and they were about to get engaged."

"Suddenly, the woman's Family kills their way in, saying something like, 'You are not worthy of our Young Miss,' and forcibly takes her away."

"Then the young old geezer, who was also the Young Lord of one of the three great families in Canglan State, certainly wouldn't accept it."

"He would definitely clench his fists, eyes red, and shout: 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; do not bully the young into poverty! Xue'er, wait for me, I will definitely go to the Ice and Snow Holy Land to find you!'"

"As a result, he returned home to ask the Family for help, but was instead scolded by the Elders, told he was disregarding the big picture for a woman, and was threatened with confinement."

"In a fit of anger, he packed his things overnight, snuck out of the Li Family, and thus ran away from home."

"Then it was one youth, one sword, venturing alone into the snowy plains."

"After enduring thousands of hardships and surviving near-death experiences, he finally reached the mountain gate of the Ice and Snow Holy Land."

"But he didn't even get to see Aunt Xue before he was beaten out, and secretly placed under a kill order."

"Finally, seriously injured and dying, he collapsed in some corner of the snowy plains and happened to meet Elder Jin, who was traveling nearby."

"Elder Jin, being kind-hearted, saved him, discovered he had an Awakening of the Lieyang Physique, and brought him back to the Great Sun Holy Land."

"Then he bided his time, cultivated diligently, made a comeback, and eventually became the martial arts giant who now shakes the region, Peak Master Lieyang, Master Li Er."

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Chu Shi couldn't help but click his tongue, a playful smile appearing on his face.

Perfect, the logic is closed.

I have to say, if this old geezer's life experience is really as I imagined, it truly has the makings of a protagonist in a storybook.

It's just a pity I don't know if he shouted that classic line when he was beaten out of the Ice and Snow Holy Land back then.

"Hum!"

Just as Chu Shi was getting carried away with his imagination, a vast and incomparable humming sound suddenly resounded through the heavens and earth.

This sound seemed to come from ancient times, carrying a vast and mysterious power of time, making people's eardrums buzz, and even causing their Divine Soul to tremble slightly.

Chu Shi instantly regained his focus, collected his thoughts, and looked up.

He saw four figures rising into the air simultaneously, suspended in mid-air.

Leading them was the lead Elder from the Four Seasons Holy Land; his expression was gentle, and his aura was as warm as jade.

Standing beside him were three people: one was Elder Zhang from the Great Sun Holy Land, still with that smiling look, but his eyes were exceptionally grave at this moment.

One was a young man in white from the Ice and Snow Holy Land, with a cold expression, the very Elder leading the Ice and Snow Holy Land this time.

The last one was a middle-aged man wearing a black dragon robe, with a majestic face, dignified without being angry, surrounded by a faint Dragon Qi; he was Prince Yun, representing the Tianwu Dynasty.

The four glanced at each other and nodded slightly.

The next moment, four distinct yet equally vast and majestic blood energies shot into the sky simultaneously!

Golden Lieyang blood energy, cyan life-force blood energy, white ice blood energy, and black imperial blood energy.

The four-colored blood energies intertwined in mid-air, operating according to an extremely profound trajectory, and finally converged into a huge ceremonial Formation.

The Formation slowly descended, shrouding the area in the center of the valley that was covered in clouds and mist all year round.

The clouds and mist churned, as if some ancient existence was Awakening.

A moment later.

"Boom!"

With a loud explosion, the space at the entrance of the valley suddenly twisted.

A vortex-shaped portal made of ethereal clouds and mist slowly opened.

The interior of the portal was filled with Chaos, making it impossible to see anything, only allowing one to feel an ancient aura from the depths of the river of time rushing towards them.

Subsequently, the green-robed old man from the Four Seasons Holy Land took a half-step forward, standing on the clouds with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping lightly over all the Disciples, his voice clear and carrying undeniable majesty.

"The rules have likely been explained by your respective families, so I will not repeat them. How long you can stay depends entirely on whether your Physical Body and will can withstand it. Inside, there are Opportunities to help you hold out longer; the martial path is inherently about competing, so rely on your own abilities. If you can't hold on, squeeze the jade talisman; don't force it. Proceed in the original order."

As soon as the words fell, Elder Zhang beside him waved his large sleeve.

A gentle but irresistible force swept up the twenty-two Disciples of the Great Sun Holy Land, and they instantly appeared beside the cloud-mist portal.

At the same time, the leaders of the Ice and Snow Holy Land and the Tianwu Dynasty also made their moves.

The four teams, totaling one hundred Disciples selected for the Secret Realm, stood neatly in front of the portal.

Just then, Chu Shi felt a slight weight in his bosom.

He touched it with his fingertips without changing his expression; it felt cold and hard—it was a small golden Storage Pouch.

Chu Shi looked up slightly and happened to meet Elder Zhang's gaze.

The old man was smiling warmly at him, with a hint of "you know" in his eyes.

Chu Shi understood in his heart.

So that's it, he thought. Previously, neither that old geezer, my Revered Master, nor Elder Zhang had mentioned anything about pure gold. It turns out they were waiting to give it to him here.

This had been prepared for him long ago.

The corners of his mouth curled up imperceptibly, and he quietly tucked the Storage Pouch deeper.

Everyone stood still, and the green light before the cloud-mist portal became increasingly gentle.

The Disciples of the Four Seasons Holy Land moved first.

Their footsteps were light and slow, their robes fluttering in the wind, and they merged into the vortex like swimming fish, without even causing a ripple.

Halfway through the procession, one figure suddenly paused, turned her head, and looked in the direction of the Great Sun Holy Land.

It was Chen Lingxi.

She looked towards Chu Shi, her fair fingertips raised slightly, and she waved at him, her eyes carrying a trace of imperceptible concern.

Chu Shi nodded slightly in response.