62: Descending upon the northern wilderness, a land of barbarity

The Northern Desolation, as the name suggests, is a desolate and wild land located at the extreme north of the continent.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here is violent and chaotic, making it unsuitable for ordinary Cultivators to practice, yet it breeds countless powerful and bloodthirsty Yao Beasts. The harsh environment has also forged the ferocity and savagery of the Human Race in this region.

Here, there are no Laws of a Dynasty, nor are there the etiquettes of noble families; the only rule is the Law of the jungle. Might makes right.

At this moment, on a vast Gobi desert at the border of the Northern Desolation and the Central Plains, several dark-skinned tribal Cultivators in tattered clothes were engaged in a tragic and fierce struggle against a massive Tier 3 Yao Beast, a "Ground-Rending Lizard."

"Hold on! Father, the right side!" A young-looking boy, holding a bone spear, thrust it with all his might into the flank of the Ground-Rending Lizard, only for it to be deflected by the hard scales, causing his hand to bleed from the shock.

The middle-aged man addressed as Father possessed a cultivation at the eighth level of the Qi Gathering Realm and was the strongest member of this team. He held a massive bone saber, each swing carrying the sound of the wind, but when it landed on the Ground-Rending Lizard, it could only leave a shallow white mark.

"Damned beast, its hide is too thick!" the middle-aged man roared, his face full of anxiety.

They had been entangled with this beast for half an hour, and the tribesmen had suffered heavy casualties. If this continued, they would likely all perish here.

Just as everyone was falling into despair, the sky suddenly darkened.

It wasn't the kind of darkness where dark clouds block the sun, but an absolute darkness as if a hole had been poked in the sky, and all light was being swallowed into it.

A terrifying pressure, indescribable in words, descended from the heavens.

"Aow—!"

The Ground-Rending Lizard, which had been incredibly fierce just moments ago, let out a shrill wail and collapsed directly onto the ground, shivering uncontrollably as it lost control of its bowels; its Yao Core had actually been shattered by pure terror.

The tribal Cultivators fared even worse.

They slumped to the ground one by one, feeling as though their Souls were about to be crushed by this pressure, lacking even the courage to look up at the sky.

"The... the gods are angry..." the middle-aged man's lips trembled, his eyes filled with the most primal fear.

Crack—

A rift opened within the darkness of the sky.

Nine ferocious black giant dragons, dragging a mysterious ancient bronze coffin, slowly descended.

That world-destroying aura was precisely what was radiating from them.

The middle-aged man and his tribesmen's minds went blank. The strongest person they had ever seen in their lives was merely that Foundation Establishment Stage priest who occasionally appeared in the tribe; when had they ever seen such a mythological sight?

Under their terror-stricken gazes, a figure slowly descended from the ancient bronze coffin.

It was a young man dressed in green robes, with black hair falling to his shoulders and a handsome face, his gaze so indifferent it was as if he cared for nothing in existence.

As he landed, the terrifying pressure that forced all things into submission vanished instantly without a trace.

The phenomenon of the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin in the sky also quietly faded away, as if it had never appeared.

Chu He landed, his Divine Sense sweeping across the Gobi.

"The Spiritual Qi is chaotic and Demonic Qi fills the air; it really is a place with little to offer," he frowned slightly.

Immediately, he activated the "Eye of Investigation" and scanned the tribal Cultivators still slumped on the ground.

[Name: Wu Tu]

[Appearance: 35]

[Physique: Mortal Physique]

[Cultivation: Qi Gathering Level 8]

[Offspring Potential: F]

...[Name: Wumeng]

[Appearance: 45]

[Physique: Mortal Physique]

[Cultivation: Body Tempering Level 6]

[Offspring Potential: F]

...After scanning over a dozen people, they were all F-grade, without even a single E-grade.

Chu He understood in his heart.

It seemed that women with high Aptitude were indeed rare resources that could be sought but not easily found. Every member of his harem was a treasure.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at Wu Tu, the middle-aged man with the highest cultivation.

"In which direction is the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda?" His voice was not loud, yet it entered everyone's ears clearly.

Wu Tu jolted, struggling to crawl up from the ground and prostrating himself before Chu He, saying in shaky, broken Central Plains dialect: "Respected... Lord God! This lowly one... this lowly one knows! The Heaven-Reaching Pagoda is... is in the center of the Black Wind Plain!"

He did not dare to hide anything; the person before him was definitely a legendary powerhouse capable of moving mountains and filling seas, who could wipe out their entire tribe with a single thought.

"Black Wind Plain?" Chu He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, My Lord! If you go straight north from here and cross the three-thousand-mile Blood-Colored Marsh, you will reach the Black Wind Plain! That is the most dangerous place in the Northern Desolation, but also the place with the most Opportunities! Every time the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda appears, it is there!" Wu Tu poured out everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube.

He wanted to say more, such as the dangers of the Black Wind Plain, the powerful Yao Kings and cruel tribes entrenched there.

But Chu He had already lost interest.

Having asked what he wanted to know, he turned to leave.

After taking two steps, he stopped again and looked back at the Ground-Rending Lizard that was already dead.

He gave a casual wave of his hand.

A golden light flashed, and the indestructible scales of the Ground-Rending Lizard were instantly stripped away, revealing the fresh meat inside. The Yao Core in its head also flew out automatically, hovering in the air.

"The meat of this beast belongs to you. This Yao Core shall be the payment for the directions."

As his voice fell, Chu He's figure had already disappeared from the spot.

Leaving only that Tier 3 Yao Core, radiating pure energy, spinning in the air.

Wu Tu and his tribesmen stared blankly at the Yao Core, then at the massive corpse of the Ground-Rending Lizard; it was only after a long time that a sky-shaking cheer erupted.

"A miracle! This is a miracle!"

"A reward from the Lord God!"

Wu Tu was so moved that old tears streamed down his face. He carefully cupped the Yao Core; the value of this core was enough for their tribe to exchange for a massive amount of cultivation resources, perhaps even nurturing a Foundation Establishment Stage powerhouse!

He kowtowed heavily three times in the direction where Chu He had disappeared.

"Lord God, the Wushi Tribe will never forget your grace!"

...Chu He's figure moved rapidly across the wilderness.

He did not use a flying sword but walked in a seemingly casual manner, yet with each step, he covered hundreds of yards, his speed being several points faster than a Golden Core Cultivator flying at full power.

This was the preliminary application of the Law of space by the Nascent Soul Stage, known as Shrinking the Earth into Inches.

"Three-thousand-mile Blood-Colored Marsh... Black Wind Plain..."

As he traveled, he used his Divine Sense to investigate this unfamiliar land.

Along the way, he encountered many powerful Yao Beasts, including no shortage of Tier 4 and Tier 5 existences, equivalent to the Human Race's Golden Core Stage and Nascent Soul Stage.

But these Yao Kings, who were powerful enough to rule as overlords in the Northern Desolation, upon sensing the faint, terrifying aura on Chu He, all tucked their tails between their legs and hid in their Immortal Caves, shivering and not daring to show their faces.

Chu He didn't bother to pay them any attention.

His goal was clear: the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda.

In less than half a day, a vast, dark-red marsh appeared at the edge of his vision.

Above the marsh, a layer of blood-colored miasma lingered, containing deadly poison that would kill a Golden Core Stage Cultivator upon contact.

Chu He didn't care at all and stepped directly inside.

The poisonous miasma, capable of corroding Magic Treasures and eroding the Divine Soul, was automatically purified by an invisible force when it came within three feet of his body, dissipating into nothingness.

He walked through the Blood-Colored Marsh as if on level ground, strolling leisurely.

His Divine Sense swept through, and deep within the marsh, several Tier 6 Yao Beasts with exceptionally powerful auras were lurking, comparable to the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

One of them, a "Blood Flood Dragon" lurking deep in the mud, seemed attracted by Chu He, the "food" that had intruded into its territory; its massive body moved slightly, preparing for a sneak attack.

Chu He's footsteps paused, and he glanced indifferently at that patch of mud.

"Begone."

A single word, plain and unremarkable.

But when it entered the mind of that Blood Flood Dragon, it was no less than a strike of Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.

That was suppression originating from the deepest part of its Bloodline! It was the irresistible fear of a lower life form facing a higher life form!

"Puff!"

Deep in the mud, the Blood Flood Dragon's massive body jolted violently, and it spat out a large mouthful of essence blood, its huge eyes filled with horror.

A Dragon! It was the aura of a True Dragon!

And it was a Ancient Dragon God with a Bloodline purity so high it was unimaginable!

It no longer dared to have any disrespectful thoughts, burying its massive body deep within the mud and even stopping its breathing, for fear of attracting that terrifying existence's attention again.

Chu He gave a cold snort, ignored it, and continued forward.

Soon, he passed through this deathly Forbidden Ground that made Northern Desolation Cultivators turn pale at its mention.

At the end of the marsh was a plain swept year-round by black gales.

The wind was mixed with spatial fragments that could tear the Divine Soul; not a single blade of grass grew on the ground, which consisted only of black sand and stone.

And at the very center of the plain, a giant tower so tall it was indescribable loomed, as if connecting heaven and earth.

The Heaven-Reaching Pagoda had been reached.

And here, countless experts from all directions had already gathered.