Chapter 1412: Sneaking into the Star Shattering Sect's Territory (3)
Rumble~!
As the young man from the Frozen Wastelands was left frozen on the spot filled with fear after gazing up at the towering sword embedded into the frozen ground, the sword in question began moving ever so slightly, causing the ground around it to crack open-
"I-I-I have to get out of here!"
And as a result, finally woke up the frozen young man from his stupor, as he realized just how dangerous his current situation was.
Although he was fully confident in the blood red shield protecting him from the blizzard outside, he had no confidence when it came to possibly defending against such a terrifying sword. Especially so considering that he had by now realized that this snowstorm wasn't a natural phenomenon but was instead a massive formation of some kind.
Given the fact that the sword in front of him had only now started moving, it was not hard to guess that what he had encountered so far was just a passive effect of the formation intended to ward off the weaker demonic cultivators. The true might of the formation he had unknowingly walked into should come from the terrifying sword in front of him!
Whoosh-!
With that in mind, the young man used all of his strength in the True Demon Realm, causing his harmless form to undergo an earthshaking change, as he instantly grew over five meters tall and had a single menacing horn sprouting on the left side of his head together with a pair of large black colored wings
In a split second, he had changed from a normal human to a terrifying demonic creature. Showing off his demonic cultivation realm for the first time since he had ventured into the blizzard, something he hoped to avoid if possible. Understanding that entering the territory of the Star Shattering Sect in such a form would almost certainly catch the attention of this sect.
Even though he did not think that much of the Star Shattering Sect given the fact that it was only a sect that had risen over the past few years, he also understood that for them to establish themselves in an already contended area meant that they would at least have some strength.
Doubtful as he was about the presence of someone in the Earth Immortal Realm (Dao Seed Realm) in such a sect, he also understood that there was a high chance of the sect being in close contact with the Blue Sea Empire given that their front base facing the Frozen Wastelands was located in the Ony Empire right next door.
RUUUUMBLE-!
Returning back to the current situation at hand, the young man, who had now turned into a five-meter-tall demon still protected by the blood red shield created through the power contained inside the talisman, suddenly felt the ground beneath him trembling with far more power compared to before… And turning to glance back in the direction of the terrifying sword that he had already dashed past, he was horrified to discover that the sword was now hovering a dozen meters above the ground.
Even worse, it was slowly tilting slightly to point directly towards him, as he was escaping with all of his strength-
Rumble~!
And to make the situation worse than it already was, he heard a similar sound as the sword freeing itself from the ground a bit further away. Signaling to him that this sword behind him was not the only one hidden inside of the blizzard, but was only one of many that should make up the formation he had ended up wandering into.
SWISH-!
However, before he had time to worry about any of the other potentially terrifying swords that might join the one behind him, the sword in question made the first move, as it locked onto his position and tore through the air at a terrifying speed far above what a True Demon Realm demonic cultivator like himself could muster.
BAAANG!
Not a second later, the terrifying sword collided with the blood red barrier protecting him, causing the barrier that had remained unmoved so far to start shaking slightly.
Demon Lord Realm! This is definitely Demon Lord Relam strength- And not just any Demon Lord, but a Late Stage or possibly Peak Stage Demon Lord!
Seeing the changes in the blood red barrier that managed to successfully protect him, the demonic young man wasn't the slightest bit relived but was instead filled with fear as he calculated the strength behind the attack just now.
Even though the barrier guarding him hadn't been destroyed and was still strong, the attack still ended up draining over 5% of the energy he had left!
BAAAANG!
And the sword didn't show signs of stopping after the first attack, but instead continued attacking relentlessly without any signs of stopping. Instantly draining another 5% of the energy left in the protection talisman-
Swish-!
BAAANG!
Not just that, but a second sword finally reached him at this moment. Crashing into the barrier with a terrifying momentum that launched the demonic young man flying into the distance, something he was more than happy about. Taking advantage of the situation to increase the distance between himself and the two terrifying swords now hovering in the air behind him.
What kind of formation is this!? Even a Pseudo Saint Realm Formation Master would struggle setting up something this powerful capable of continuously launching such terrifying attacks again and again. Not to mention, the formation is still not fully activated, as there are still countless more swords rapidly approaching- Don't tell me… Is this perhaps a legendary Saint Realm Formation? Designed to kill someone in the Demon King Realm!?
Faced with the terrifying power of the unknown formation he had walked into; the demonic young man could not stop his thoughts from wandering as he desperately escaping in the direction of the Star Shattering Sect's territory. Fearing that he might have accidentally ended up stepping foot in a legendary Saint Realm killing formation, a formation that even those Demon Kings he feared would not dare approach.
Chapter 1413: Sneaking into the Star Shattering Sect's Territory (4)
As the demonic figure of the young man used all of his strength to dash through the blizzard before those terrifying swords behind him got the opportunity to further weaken the blood barrier protecting him, the small figure of the rabbit demon beast poked up from the snow. Unaffected by the surrounding blizzard, as it remained fully focused on the escaping demonic cultivator.
Squeak?
However, different from the young demonic cultivator desperately escaping, the rabbit demon beast had the chance to observe the situation currently taking place inside of the blizzard… And to put it in simple terms, it was far from being as terrifying as that young demonic cultivator thought it was.
Instead, it clearly saw how all of the power of the formation was slowly concentrated towards the two terrifying swords currently cutting down at the young demonic cultivator relentlessly.
The rest of the swords that had stirred earlier in the distance remained silent following the first movement, as the power contained inside of them flowed towards the two swords attacking.
Far from being a formation capable of killing someone in the Demon King Realm, the blizzard formation was currently using all of its power to escape the young demonic cultivator. Soon enough getting to the point where the rabbit demon beast could clearly feel the strength of the blizzard weakening because of it.
If the young demonic cultivator knew about this, he probably wouldn't have been terrified like he was at the moment, but he would likely still continue to run for his life. After all, the strength of the formation was still far above what the young demonic cultivator could resist against, as he was still only someone in the True Demon Realm.
Swish~!
Deciding to not think too deeply about the strength of the formation that had been set up by its master, the rabbit demon beast soon jumped forward in pursuit of the young demonic cultivator. Not intending to let him out of sight and end up failing the mission that had been assigned to it by its master.
After all, at this point in time, it had still not managed to figure out just what this demonic cultivator was up to, outside of wanting to enter the territory of the Star Shattering Sect.
If not for the fact that it had already been informed by its master about the danger of the young demonic cultivator, it wouldn't have wasted any time continuing to discreetly follow after him like this and would have instead just rushed over and beat him up before asking him in person- Hm… Maybe not in person, but at least through one of its now numerous human subordinates back in the Iron Sky Kingdom…
Dashing after the young demonic cultivator, the rabbit demon beast soon disappeared from view as it similarly began moving in the direction of the Star Shattering Sect's territory on the other side of the blizzard.
As for worrying about any damage that the young demonic cultivator might end up causing after reaching the territory of the Star Shattering Sect? The rabbit demon beast wasn't the slightest bit worried, as it had already informed its master about the situation.
It was likely that its master was already monitoring the situation on the other side of the blizzard. Ensuring that he could keep an eye on the young demonic cultivator the moment he stepped inside the Star Shattering Sect's territory.
Of course, given that there was still the danger of powerful talismans and other protective artifacts, the rabbit demon beast guessed that its master should be trying to keep a distance from the young demonic cultivator in case the special talisman given to him by the Demon King of the Frozen Wastelands detected him.
Although he guessed that he would be noticed even with this, there was nothing much to do about it considering that the Frozen Wastelands was essentially located right next to the sect itself. Only separated by the former Azure Sky Kingdom that was now under the control of the Ascendant Frost Hall.
The only hope Xuan Hao had for avoiding any detection by the other party would be if they couldn't accurately pinpoint his location and just thought the other party was in the nearby Onyx Empire. After all, it was already well known through this part of the Frozen Wastelands and the surrounding kingdoms and powers, like the Star Shattering Sect, that there was an ancestor from the Blue Sea Empire present in the Onyx Empire to guard against a potential attack aimed to push closer to the Blue Sea Empire.
Even if there ended up being two such people, it wouldn't be that surprising considering that the last time only one Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator was left guarding the border, he ended up being ambushed.
….
Sitting at the peak of a small mountain while enjoying a refreshingly warm cup of tea in what should have been freezing temperatures, Xuan Hao curiously looked in the direction of the barrier he had placed at the border between the Star Shattering Sect and the Frozen Wastelands. Soon enough, focusing his powerful divine sense on a five-meter-tall demonic figure barreling through the blizzard at terrifying speed while being chased by two massive swords.
Even from a glance, it was obvious that the demonic cultivator stood no chance when faced with the two terrifying swords that kept attacking him and could only helplessly continue to run.
The only thing that ensured his continued survival being a blood red barrier that covered his body perfectly. Absorbing all the damage from the two massive swords constantly slashing down at the young demonic cultivator.
Of course, the blood red barrier didn't have an infinite source of qi available and was already starting to show signs of breaking, as countless tiny cracks had already started forming at the surface of the barrier.
However, even with this, it still managed to hold off the continued attacks of the two massive sword that had the combined might off two cultivators in the Late Stage of the Dao Seed Realm, a strength far beyond that of a Half Bloom Stage Earth Immortal.
"The energy I left to keep that barrier running for years to come..."
Similar to the blood red barrier protecting the young demonic cultivator, the two massive swords that seemed to be filled with an unending strength. Showing no signs of slowing down their offensive, was similarly running out of energy.
Although it would be after the blood red barrier, it still made Xuan Hao rather depressed, as he understood that he would have to pay another visit to the barrier in the near future to ensure that it could keep functioning according to its original purpose…
"So… That is the demonic cultivator who noticed me at the border?" Shaking his head as he threw the troubling thoughts of having to work on the barrier between the Frozen Wastelands and the Star Shattering Sect's territory again, Xuan Hao instead decided to focus his attention on the demonic figure desperately trying to get out of the blizzard as fast as possible.
Peak True Demon Realm, only a single step away from reaching the Demon Lord Realm.
This was his assessment of the other party's strength.
As for the different artifacts and talismans he might be carrying… Just from the blood red barrier that was perfectly protecting him against the combined assault of two Late Stage Dao Seed Realm swords, it was obvious that he was indeed a dangerous individual.
Even though his cultivation realm was far lower than his own, Xuan Hao didn't dare be the slightest bit careless dealing with this demonic cultivator.
It was also for this reason that he had decided to move to a remote mountain peak close to the Star Shattering Sect's territory with the Onyx Empire after hearing about the blood child of the Frozen Wastelands Demon King trying to enter the territory of the Star Shattering Sect.
Hopefully, he wouldn't cause any trouble in the Star Shattering Sect's territory with the Onyx Empire right next door. Giving Xuan Hao and the rabbit demon beast an opportunity to figure out what he was up to.
"Huh?! My… My divine was cut off?!"
However, just as Xuan Hao was about to sit down and relax while keeping an eye on the young demonic cultivator, he abruptly stood up with a shocked expression on his face as he felt his divine sense observing the young demonic cultivator being cut off by some kind of terrifying power that had briefly erupted from the young demonic cultivator as far as he could tell.
"Another protective talisman or treasure? And one that blocks the prying eyes of others…" Muttering this to himself as he glanced in the direction of where the young demonic cultivator was currently located, Xuan Hao could not help frowning to himself. Realizing that he had still ended up underestimating the protective measures put in place by the Frozen Wastelands Demon King.
Chapter 1414: Sneaking Through the Star Shattering Sect's Territory (1)
"At the very least its only divine sense that is blocked, communication talismans still work, though, it looks like I will have to rely on the rabbit demon beast to get information on the development of that blood child of the Frozen Wastelands Demon King after he enters the sect territory…" Muttering this to himself while looking in the direction of the Frozen Wastelands, Xuan Hao ultimately shook his head before ignoring his surroundings and focusing his attention on the tea in front of him. Glancing down at a small formation stone he was using to practice drawing the formation symbols required for the teleportation formation.
Considering that he couldn't really do much more about the situation with the young demonic cultivator without putting himself in danger, he decided to just leave the situation to the rabbit demon beast. Having it report to him in case something ended up happening.
Of course, given that the demonic cultivator would likely not want his identity as a demonic cultivator to be exposed. Potentially causing a reaction from the nearby Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestor of the Blue Sea Empire. It was unlikely that he would cause any problems inside the territory of the Star Shattering Sect.
At least, if that did end up happening, it shouldn't be too much damage with the Star Shattering Sect's main sect being out of reach for a demonic cultivator in the True Demon Realm with the protection of the chaotic qi formation.
…
At the same time Xuan Hao sat back and turned his attention away from the Frozen Wastelands, the young demonic cultivator who had been chased by the two terrifying swords managed to successful breakthrough the edge of the blizzard located at the edge of the Star Shattering Sect's territory with an exhausted smile plastered all over his face.
"Hahaha! I'm out!" Laughing loudly filled with happiness over having managed to successfully escape from those two deadly swords that had stopped chasing after him the moment he left the blizzard, the five-meter-tall demonic figure of the young demonic cultivator soon shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye before once again turning into the young man from earlier. Showing no signs of being a demonic cultivator, as he knew that it would be bad news for him if anyone ended up finding out he was a demonic cultivator.
Not just because it would present a dangerous situation where he might get chased down by the Blue Sea Empire, but also because there was a very real chance that news of him would end up reaching those treacherous demon kings.
Although the people from the Blue Sea empire were bad, he considered those demon kings from the Frozen Wastelands far worse.
After all, the Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators from the blue Sea Empire wouldn't show up immediately with news of a True Demon Realm cultivator, it would only be those Earth Immortal Realm (Dao Seed Realm) cultivators who would come chasing after him at first.
The demonic cultivators finding out on the other hand would immediately result in several Demon King Realm demonic cultivators coming to kill him.
The best thing would be that no one ended up noticing him, as that would allow him to proceed smoothly with the next part of his journey that involved him reaching the border areas of the Blue Sea Empire.
Entering the Blue Sea Empire itself was still for the future, something that he would do his best to not think about at the moment, as he understood full well that entering the Blue Sea Empire with the current war between them and the demonic cultivators would be close to impossible without being extremely skilled in the Dao of Space.
"For now, I should try and assess the situation of this Star Shattering Sect before making any reckless movements. After all, I have no idea whether or not they are related to the terrifying formations. If they are related… They might be one of those legendary ancient sects that survived from the ancient times.
At the very least, if they are one of those ancient sects, they shouldn't care too much about me unless I do something that ends up hurting them…" Muttering this to himself as he looked towards the mountain range that appeared not too far away from him, the young demonic cultivator quickly analyzed his current situation before taking a step forward to slowly approach the mountain range in the distance.
The moment he had left the blizzard, he had already noticed that there was a sect inside that mountain range but considering that it might be a subordinate sect to the Star Shattering Sect, he decided to go around it to avoid any problems. Even if the strongest person in that sect was only in the Domain Lord Realm.
After all, if the Star Shattering Sect was an ancient sect, there was a very real chance that they were already observing his every move.
Any mistakes he made would definitely end up alerting them. Especially so if he ended up hurting one of the subordinate sects under them.
So, with that in mind, he decided against his first thought that was to use his blood arts to absorb the qi and blood of those cultivators to recover his strength and instead decided to slowly recover his strength without resorting to massacring anyone. Fearful of what might happen if he ended up doing that.
All of this was a rather odd situation for a demonic cultivator. Even more so one that had only ever lived inside the Frozen Wastelands where things like killing and absorbing others were a normal occurrence.
In a sense, it was a complete break for the normal day to day life for the young demonic cultivator and was a rather difficult thing to do considering it went completely against what he had been doing in his life so far.
However, he understood the importance of adapting properly to his current circumstances. Understanding that if he didn't do that, he might very well end up dead.
Demonic cultivators and these cultivators from the central part of the continent were different from each other.
Although he had no idea why this was, as nobody had ever explained it to him, he understood that these people living away from the Frozen Wastelands despised him and other cultivators from the Frozen Wastelands… And no matter how unwilling to change, he did so. Soon enough, causing his outside appearance to take a starkly different look compared to before.
Changing from a demonic looking young man, into a weak looking scholar who had just departed for the imperial examinations.
Though not satisfied with this new look of his, it was definitely far better at hiding his identity as a demonic cultivator compared to his normal outward appearance…
Squeak?
Observing all of this from a few thousand meters away, the rabbit demon beast tilted its head in confusion for a few seconds before a look of understanding appeared on its small fluffy face.
Even though it didn't look too smart most of the time, it was rather smart when it came to understanding its opponents. Understanding a disguise the moment it saw one.
Of course, it still had no idea about the purpose behind the young demonic cultivator, so it still followed behind him as he made his way into the mountain range. Informing its master about the recent developments along the way to ensure that he stayed informed about wha was happening with the demonic cultivator as he made his way into the territory of the Star Shattering Sect.
Luckily, things ended up going like Xuan Hao had expected, as the young demonic cultivator didn't end up causing any problems and instead focused his attention on keeping a low profile while travelling. Not interacting with anyone along the way as he seemed set on leaving the Star Shattering Sect's territory as fast as possible.
As a result of this, after only two days of travel, he found himself at the borders of the old Azure Sky Kingdom and also the place that could be considered the core territory of the Star Shattering Sect.
Though… It was at that moment something unexpected that not even Xuan Hao could predict ended up happening, as the young demonic cultivator ended up running into a group of elders and disciples who were heading back from the border that the demonic cultivators were attacking.
Wasting no time after seeing the weak looking young man who seemed like an ordinary scholar in the eyes of both the disciples and elders of the sect, they offered him a helping hand in getting to the city he was heading towards for examinations to try and get an official position. None of them understanding that they ended up taking a demonic cultivator at the Peak of the True Demon Realm along with them as they headed back towards the sect. Planning to stop by the city mentioned by this young scholar along the way.
Chapter 1415: Sneaking Through the Star Shattering Sect's Territory (2)
As the group of elders and disciples made their way deeper into the sect's territory without encountering any problems along the way, while also giving an opportunity to more accurately examine the strength of the Star Shattering Sect and potential give the demonic cultivator a chance to learn that the Star Shattering Sect was far from as dangerous as he might have first thought, the group soon enough reached the city that the young demonic cultivator had casually pointed towards earlier on while explain where he was going.
Luckily for this group of elders and disciples, he didn't have the time to fully examine their strength during their short time together and had instead been fully focused on observing his surroundings to ensure that he wasn't being chased by one of the demon kings who should have been watching over him during his time around the borders of the Frozen Wastelands.
Although he was indeed worried about the Star Shattering Sect and potentially getting noticed by them, he was still far more worried about the demonic cultivators behind him to worry about something like that at the moment.
The main reason for this being that he just happened to overhear the group of elders and disciples of the Star Shattering Sect talking amongst each other about an unusual movement from the side of the demonic cultivators a few days earlier.
A timing that matched up with the time that he had begun taking his first steps on setting his escape plan into action….
No matter how little he believed one of those demon kings to have noticed his disappearance already, the information from the cultivators of the Star Shattering Sect did end up making him nervous enough that he didn't even bother examining the group. Instead, just allowing them to leave without a second word, as he soon began making his way inside the relatively large trading city that he had been dropped off at.
Given that he had already established his identity as a weak wandering scholar, he at the very least had to keep up appearances. Luckily for him, it just happened that there was indeed a kind of examination for new position in the city management taking place in the city. Allowing him to escape any suspicion about him that the people from the Star Shattering Sect might have had about him.
After all, even though part of him already suspected the Star Shattering Sect to be some kind of ancient sect and that they might already be watching over him, it wasn't something he was completely convinced about either. Especially so considering just how rare those ancient sects were, as even his beloved father, the legendary Demon King of the Frozen Wastelands, had only encountered one such ancient sect in the past. Showing just how rare and hard to encounter these mysterious ancient sects were under normal circumstances.
With that in mind, the young demonic cultivator ultimately ended up going through the local city official examination with a bunch of scholars who looked not much different from himself at the moment.
Of course, he was still someone in the True Demon Realm and could be considered far smarter than these young scholars who had barely lived for twenty or so years at this point in time. Making the entire examination rather simple for him to ace if he so wanted to, but… To ensure that he could leave the city without getting any unwanted attention in the process, he made sure that he just barely failed the examination. Placing just two spots from the lowest accepted scholar.
Only after he had managed to successfully leave the city by on a carriage and acting like a distraught scholar who had just failed the most important exam in his life now returning home disappointed, did the young demonic cultivator slowly start continuing to make his journey deeper into the territory of the Star Shattering Sect.
In the process of doing this, he also made extra sure to take the long way around the Shattered Star Peaks, as he had absolutely no intention of accidentally getting involved with the Star Shattering Sect. Even more so considering that he had clearly noticed someone following him silently since he had left the city where he had taken the examination for an official position.
Although he couldn't exactly pinpoint the location of the one following behind him, he was still sure of his feelings that someone was following him closely or at the very least keeping an eye on.
Unfortunately, after he had used all of the energy stored inside the protective talisman given to him by his father, he had no way to pinpoint potential enemies like he had done in the past.
At the very least, there was one positive thing to the entire situation, as it was rather clear at this point in time that the person following after him shouldn't be related to one of those traitorous demon kings.
After all, if it had been one of them or one of their people, he was certain that he would have been attacked by them long ago.
Instead of that, he had feeling that it was most likely someone from the mysterious Star Shattering Sect who had come to keep an eye on him… And given the fact that the other party could easily hide themselves from someone like him at the Peak of the True Demon Realm, he guessed that the other party should at least be someone in the Earth Immortal Realm (Dao Seed Realm).
Not to toot his own horn, but within the True Demon Realm and Soul Ascension Realm, he had no opponents and was confident that he would have noticed the other party if it was someone in the Soul Ascension Realm or True Demon Realm.
In the end, this caused him to feel more certain about his earlier thoughts that the Star Shattering Sect was a hidden ancient sect.
After all, the location where the Star Shattering Sect was located along with how it had just suddenly emerged a few years ago from information he had gathered, it was far too strong to just be a newly emerged sect. Especially so when it came to having cultivators above the Soul Ascension Realm, as his father had long since taught him that cultivators like that only emerged in the core region and almost never appeared outside the core regions.
Any such cultivators that did end up appearing would almost immediately be snatched up by the closest major power.
The only exception being some powers who had decided to hide themselves from the world for several different reasons, one being the fact that they were a non-human species like the Half Spirit Race, fearing the potential outcome if the larger human race learnt about their existence, or it could be an ancient hidden sect.
No matter which of these the Star Shattering Sect ended up turning out to be, the young demonic cultivator understood that it would be for the best not to mess with them… And if they did indeed just intend to keep an eye on him as he passed through their territory, he would be more than happy with such an outcome.
His goal was after all not the Star Shattering Sect, but instead the Blue Sea Empire.
Although the Blue Sea Empire being destroyed might affect other forces located along the edges of the Frozen Wastelands, if the Star Shattering Sect was truly a hidden ancient sect, there was a high likelihood that they would not care about the fall of the Blue Sea Empire.
The reason why he thought so highly about hidden ancient sects was rather simple, as the hidden ancient sect that his father had encountered was not on friendly terms. In the end, a powerful elder from that hidden ancient sect had directly gone to the core of the Frozen Wastelands and fought his father before ultimately sealing him in the core of the Frozen Wastelands for over a thousand years…
Just thinking about this was more than enough to make the little blood child understand that hidden ancient sects were not to be messed with under any circumstances.
At the same time, he had also learnt that the hidden sect his father had encountered seemed to not care the slightest bit about the situation on the continent. Instead preferring to lay low for some unknown reason.
He had a feeling that his father knew something about it, but decided not to ask him, as it was clearly not something that would be good for him to know about with his strength back then.
In the end, because of all this, he ended up wholeheartedly ignoring the Star Shattering Sect as he traveled through their territory without causing any problems along the way. Soon enough finding himself at the edges of the Iron Sky Kingdom that marked the last kingdom under the Star Shattering Sect.
After going through the Iron Sky Kingdom, he would officially be outside the territory of the Star Shattering Sect and would once again have the ability to breathe without worrying about the presence that seemed to be constantly following him and keeping an eye on everything he did.