After finishing his small business in Moon Town, Fang Wei wasted no time and headed straight for the Ascension Mountain range in the far north.
Xi Xuan Province, a neutral region, was bordered to the west by Zi Wang Province and to the south by Hei Nan Province. The Ascension Mountain Range stretched across the northern boundary, while the eastern region was dominated by the Dark Forest, a vast expanse teeming with demonic beasts. The western part of Xi Xuan Province boasted fertile land and a hospitable environment for hundreds of thousands of mortals.
Meanwhile, demonic cultivators had covertly established their sects somewhere near the Dark Forest, successfully remaining hidden from major sects for centuries.
Together, Xi Xuan Province, Zi Wang Province, Hei Nan Province, and the Ascension Mountain Range comprised the Country of Han.
"System, show me my status," Fang Wei called out to thin air.
----
[Name: Fang Wei]
[Lifespan: 12/275]
[Spirit Root: Five Profound Roots]
[Technique: Evil Mantra]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining (Late)]
[Physique: None]
[Heavenly Treasures: Supreme Soul of the Sword Sanctum]
[Skills: (Culinary), (Archery), (True Fire), (Sword Qi), (True Demon Qi), (Divine Sense)]
----
Gazing at the status screen and especially the increased lifespan, Fang Wei smirked with delight.
With each breakthrough in his cultivation, his vitality continued to rise, whether through small or major advances.
The blissful sensation of extending his lifespan was something he could never get enough of.
I have to find a better place to cultivate after dealing with those ants. The Dark Forest lacks strong beasts beyond Rank 3, and using the bodies of demonic beasts for cultivating the Evil Mantra is less effective than using cultivators... He thought.
As he pondered while moving rapidly towards the north, many groups of independent cultivators, who were actually demonic cultivators, glared at him with evident evil intent. These were the ambushers and bandits who cultivated their strength by eliminating others. One common trait among them was that they never acted alone and always seemed to work together while ambushing, cornering their prey with numbers, and even killing each other for the spoils.
Fang Wei didn't stop, having no interest in wasting his time. He released his bloodlust outward without restraint and continued forward. As he did, everyone around him dispersed immediately as if they had seen an expert from a major Demon Sect, mainly because of Fang Wei's suffocating bloodlust.
Since the journey to the Eternal Sect would take at least a week, Fang Wei had no desire to use his Evil Mantra on these small group of demonic pests. Instead, he planned to hunt all of them down himself later to enhance his cultivation. Of course, once he'd dealt with Fang Rui and Luo Tian.
...
The grand highlands at the edge of the Ascension Mountain Range were partially covered in snow, with various low-ranking beasts roaming freely across the glistening surface.
Due to the cold temperatures, many cultivators who practiced frozen arts and snow-related cultivation techniques had settled in this region. Not only did it boost their cultivation speed, but it also helped their bodies to hold vast amounts of frozen Qi.
For certain reason, frozen Qi could only be cultivated by female cultivators, as it had an entirely opposite effect on male cultivators, harming their bodies instead. Frozen Qi contained a high amount of Yin energy, which was extremely harmful to males except for those with special physiques.
Thus, nearly a thousand years ago, the Frozen Palace was established. It was a sect where only female disciples cultivated in seclusion. Furthermore, the Sect Ancestor decreed that no male cultivator should ever step foot in their palace.
The Ancestor of the Frozen Palace was actually the sister of the previous Sect Master of the Eternal Sect. This was the main reason why the Eternal Sect never interfered with the disciples of the Frozen Palace. Instead, the Eternal Sect even bestowed a portion of its territory to the Frozen Palace for cultivation, though the reasons for this remained unknown.
Six days had passed in the blink of an eye, and Fang Wei had reached the edge of the Ascension Mountain range. The journey had been uneventful; no righteous cultivators dared to offend him, and no demonic cultivators attempted to ambush him. Likewise, whenever his divine sense detected any demonic beasts ahead, they would shudder and flee without a second glance.
The strongest demonic beast Fang Wei encountered on his journey was at the peak of Rank 2, while most of the weaker ones were only at Rank 1. He gauged their strength by examining the demonic energy lingering around them with his divine sense.
These small yet practical insights were gained from torturing those who had attempted to kill him in the Dark Forest.
The original Fang Wei, being a mere mortal, had limited knowledge of the cultivation world. Despite being the legitimate heir of the Bamboo Merchants, a powerful organization from Hei Nan Province, he lacked crucial understanding of both cultivation and worldly affairs.
It was evident that his family had indulged him excessively, leading to his pathetic state.
As a demon and a short-lived king from Ellinor, where strength was paramount, Fang Wei despised weakness more than anything. Even though the original Fang Wei was a mortal with no personal strength, he still couldn't help but disdain his lack of intelligence.
As he moved swiftly toward his destination, Fang Wei's divine sense suddenly detected something intriguing. He immediately vanished in that direction.
----
Some distance from the Ascension Mountain range lay a vast plain covered entirely in snow.
On this frozen expanse, a group of crimson-robed individuals surrounded two female cultivators, cornering them in the center.
It was clear at a glance that the female cultivators were the ones being targeted.
"Hehe, brothers, why don't we have a little fun before killing them? It would be rude to Heavens if such beauties died with their virginity intact..."
"Hahaha, sure, sure... Fellow brother would have done it anyway. There was no need to ask..."
"Slurp* Such great beauties. No wonder those bastards from the Sky Demon Sect desired them so much..."
"Tch! Tch! Do whatever you want. I'm not like you bastards..."
"What? Are you trying to hide that you're inexperienced? Hahaha!"
"Hahaha..." ×15
"Cough* As a senior brother, I hope juniors won't mind if I go first."
"We don't mind, hehe..."
Listening to the disgusting and shameless words of the demonic cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect made Su Yan and Su Qingyi shudder with extreme fear.
Both were Inner disciples of the Frozen Palace and had ventured out to hunt demonic beasts to practice their frozen arts. Unfortunately, on their way back, they were ambushed by the Blood Demon Sect disciples and surrounded with no way to escape.
Su Yan looked at her younger sister, Su Qingyi, with a warm expression and resolved to create a path for her using a secret and deadly technique of the Frozen Palace. "Sister Qingyi, as soon as I open a path for you, promise me you'll escape!"
"No! I want to stay with you... I don't want to live without you!" Su Qingyi replied, her voice filled with determination.
Su Yan wanted to say something harsh to make her leave, but upon seeing her determined eyes, she couldn't bring herself to utter a word. Instead, she sighed and nodded. "Alright, sister. You know the secret art as well, so activate it when I give the signal. At the very least, we'll take them all down before we die."
Su Qingyi heard her sister's words and nodded without hesitation.
Yet the next instant, just as one of the demonic cultivators, who called himself a senior, was about to move forward, he suddenly froze. His eyes widened in horror as his divine sense detected an overwhelming aura approaching at an extremely fast pace, nearly making him soil himself. "Run!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.