17: Emperor Zhou recovers, Xiao Feng appears

Not long after Mu Wuchen left, in a secret chamber within the Great Zhou palace.

Emperor Zhou Long of the Great Zhou Dynasty spat out a large mouthful of black blood. In the blood, something seemed to be wriggling desperately, looking extremely ghastly.

“Your Majesty…”

Seeing Zhou Long like this, the Grand Eunuch, who was protecting him, quickly ran over, wanting to help Zhou Long. He was one of the few people in the entire dynasty who knew Zhou Long's cultivation and physical secrets.

Zhou Long waved his hand, disregarding the fact that his golden dragon robe was already soaked with black blood, and burst into laughter. His aura was no longer Huaxu Realm, but a genuine Profound Infant Realm.

And he had not just reached the Profound Infant, but Profound Infant Seventh Layer!

He had originally thought that because he had been poisoned by the Gu worm for too long, his foundation was already ruined. Even if the pill Mu Wuchen gave him could remove the Gu worm and restore him to Linghai, that would be the limit. But he never expected the pill Mu Wuchen gave him to be astonishingly effective!

Sensing Zhou Long's appearance, the Grand Eunuch was startled, thinking it was a final burst of energy before death, and quickly came over to inquire.

“Your Majesty, your cultivation…”

Zhou Long made a shushing gesture, and under his control, his aura slowly decreased. It seemed he wanted to temporarily hide the fact that his cultivation had greatly increased and his vitality had recovered, playing the role of a hidden master.

Zhou Long's eyes held a slight smile as he stroked his disheveled beard, clearly in a good mood.

“Pass down the order. Have Zhou Yao lead five thousand city guards to rapidly head northwest and help the newly arrived lord seize the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire.”

The city guards were the last line of defense for the Great Zhou, and also the elite of the elites. Zhou Long's city guards numbered six thousand, with formidable strength, and Zhou Yao was the commander of the guards, his most trusted confidant. Now, Zhou Long was actually sending out five thousand men directly!

If someone were to harbor ill intentions at this moment, taking advantage of the vulnerability…

“Your Majesty, is this matter not somewhat inappropriate?”

Zhou Long reached out and interrupted his words.

The Grand Eunuch looked at the Emperor's state, knowing that the Emperor had made up his mind, and no longer tried to persuade him, instead going to relay the order.

At the same time, in the northwest of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This was an endless Gobi Desert, with vast yellow sands and rare human habitation. Only some demon beasts suited to this place lived here long-term.

However, in the center of the Gobi, in an inconspicuous place, heavy snow was falling. The snowflakes were larger than palms, and the heavy snow had been continuous for several days, transforming this barren desert into a world of ice and snow.

In the center of the snowy ground, a young man was sitting by a bonfire, happily roasting and eating the beast meat he had prepared long ago. While eating the roasted meat, he seemed to be muttering to himself.

Under normal circumstances, a bonfire should not be able to burn in such a freezing environment, but miraculously, within dozens of meters around the young man, not a single snowflake could fall.

The flame the young man used to roast meat emitted a golden glow. Just looking at it gave a sense of nobility; it was clearly also a type of Heaven and Earth Divine Fire.

“Old Xuan, I really didn’t expect the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire appearing in the Great Zhou this time to be the Heavenly Cold Nether Flame. Heaven truly helps me! If the Divine Fire appeared elsewhere, many people would probably fight for it. Although we’re not afraid, it would inevitably cause trouble.”

The man's name was Xiao Feng.

As he spoke with relish, Xiao Feng took another bite of the roasted meat.

Just then, in front of Xiao Feng, a soul body slowly floated out, forming a blurry human figure.

“Xiao Feng, don’t be careless. Although not many people have discovered this anomaly yet, I’ve sensed quite a few strong auras on my way here.”

The young man, still eating meat, spoke nonchalantly:

“Hmph, with the cultivation method you gave me, plus my Nine Blazing Li Fire, I can fight even if I encounter a Linghai Realm expert. Besides, if I really encounter something I can’t handle, don’t I still have you, Old Xuan?”

The soul body sighed softly and said:

“Xiao Feng, although I can temporarily boost your strength, my power is less than one-tenth of what it once was and cannot be maintained for long. Moreover, letting too many people know of my existence is not a good thing.”

Hearing this, Xiao Feng wiped the oil from his mouth and said:

“Don’t worry, Old Xuan, I understand.”

Only then did Old Xuan feel relieved upon hearing the young man's reply. He transformed back into smoke and returned to Xiao Feng's body.

After eating and drinking his fill, Xiao Feng let out a burp. Then, he seemed to sense something, narrowed his eyes, and flew towards a certain direction.

At the same time, in the icy and snowy world, several waves of formidable auras also began to move, heading in one direction.

Above the sky, Mu Wuchen and the two others sat on the Golden Winged Roc, observing the restless groups of people below.

Although this place was remote, many people still found their way here, including quite a few experts. There were several groups of people with Linghai Realm cultivation, and even several Profound Infant Realm auras appeared, clearly experts from other dynasties who came specifically for the Heavenly Cold Nether Flame.

Who could have imagined that such a remote borderland of a mere lower-grade dynasty would gather so many experts in such a short time!

“Mobilizing the power of heaven and earth, that’s a Profound Infant Realm expert!”

Nalan Yuruo pointed at a powerful White-haired Old Man and exclaimed. The White-haired Old Man was incredibly fast; for a thousand meters in his wake, the white snow retreated and melted.

“There’s another Mystic Infant over there!”

Nalan Yuruo exclaimed again, this time her target was a middle-aged man with flames burning on his head.

She had never expected that such a remote place would attract so many Mystic Infants!

She was from a lower-grade dynasty, where the Linghai Realm was already a top expert. She never expected to see so many experts gathered today in the Great Zhou Dynasty, which was also a lower-grade dynasty, and thus she was somewhat excited.

With such a lineup, if she had come alone, would she truly have had a chance to luckily obtain the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire?

Nalan Yuruo then secretly glanced at Mu Wuchen, finding his eyes as calm as water, without any change, as if he didn't even put those Mystic Infant experts in his eyes.

“Senior Brother Mu, with such a lineup, can we seize the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire?”

Nalan Yuruo was a little unsure.

Mu Wuchen looked at Nalan Yuruo with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot.

“Seize? Why would I go and seize it from them? Isn’t it better to wait for them to decide the victor and both suffer heavy losses, then I can reap the benefits?”

Nalan Yuruo secretly scoffed to herself, calling him shameless, but on the surface, she obediently dared not show it.

Mu Wuchen casually pointed in a direction. There, a young man was rushing desperately, carrying a black giant sword on his back. Golden flames burned around the man, making him appear quite extraordinary; his aura was even superior to many Linghai Realm experts.

“Nalan Yuruo, is that not your former little lover?”

Mu Wuchen's voice came.

Following the direction Mu Wuchen pointed, her former fiancé Xiao Feng was indeed there.