Chapter 124

The caravan entered the mountains and continued forward along a small path. Along the way, Zhan Chen felt that the surrounding Yin Qi was getting heavier, even forming a grey mist. The temperature was gradually dropping, and there seemed to be traces of evil cold Qi drilling into the cracks of his bones. His body began to shake uncontrollably, and he exclaimed in his heart, "Such heavy Earth Spirit Qi, how can it be so heavy!"

He felt that the density of the Earth Spirit Qi here was far beyond the normal range. There must be some reason that caused it to gather here.

He turned his head and looked at the people of Marat Sect beside him. Sure enough, each and every one of them revealed a carefree expression, and some even moaned exaggeratedly, "Such Earth Spirit Qi, I haven't felt this good in a long time!"

Thus, he asked the person beside him, "Senior, I want to ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"Why is the Earth Spirit Qi here so thick?"

Hearing Zhan Chen's question, the person smiled and said, "You just arrived, so you don't understand the mystery here. Our Marat Sect's location is very meticulous. This place is Qian Yan Mountain Range. When Sect Master first came here, he was shocked by the layout of the mountains here. Don't be fooled by this continuous mountain range. At first glance, it looks messy and disorderly, but it secretly conforms to some kind of heaven and earth principle. Therefore, Qian Yan Mountain Range is a natural formation. "

"Oh, there's actually such a mystery. Then, what is the use of this formation?" Zhan Chen looked at the mountain peaks and didn't feel anything special because the amount of formation he came into contact with was too little. "

The person smiled mysteriously, "In a while, when we arrive at the location of the sect, you will know. Our sect is built at the center of this natural formation!"

"Oh?" Zhan Chen couldn't help but look at the road in front of him curiously.

After walking for a short distance, their eyes suddenly opened up. They came to an incomparably wide valley, and in the center of it, there were 11 incomparably tall mountain peaks. And within a radius of dozens of miles around these 11 mountain peaks, there were no other mountain peaks. This valley seemed to have been carved out by someone.

Seeing this, Zhan Chen suddenly understood what the person beside him meant. From the mountains around this big valley, there was a steady flow of Earth Spirit Qi that gathered at the base of these 11 mountain peaks. The Earth Spirit Qi was so thick that it actually formed many black spirit clouds. Looking from afar, these 11 mountain peaks seemed to be floating in the sky.

However, the strangeness of this place did not stop there. As the saying goes, when things reach an extreme, they will move in the opposite direction. The place where the spiritual energy of the earth gathered was also the place where the spiritual energy of the sky was the densest. The peaks of the mountains were covered by milky-white spiritual clouds.

These mountain peaks were like pillars supporting the sky, standing between heaven and earth, forming the most magnificent scene.

At this moment, he heard the person beside him explain to him, "The beauty of this natural formation is that it can gather all the Earth Spiritual Qi and Sky Spiritual Qi in the mountain range within a radius of thousands of miles to this center point. Thus, this place has become the place where the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi converges. The Earth Spiritual Qi is heavy and sinks below, while the Sky Spiritual Qi floats in the air, forming this wondrous scene."

The man then pointed at the center of the 11 peaks and said, "Do you see the tallest peak in the center?"

Zhan Chen nodded.

"That is called Invincible Peak. It was named by our Sect Master Yan Xuehai himself. The most important organizations of our Marat Sect are also concentrated on that peak. It is the place where Sect Master Yan lives and practices in seclusion."

"Invincible Peak. This Yan Xuehai is really overbearing. He thinks he is invincible in the North Sea." Zhan Chen sneered in his heart. At least among the experts he knew, Master Huiyuan's strength was definitely much stronger than Yan Xuehai's.

"Look at the other 10 mountain peaks. They are like stars surrounding the moon around the Invincible Peak. One of them, Holy Maiden Peak, is where our master lives. The other nine mountains are guarded by nine of the Ten Great Elders. Of course, the Deputy City Lord of Moruo City, Yuan Yinshan, is also one of the Ten Great Elders."

"The cultivation of the Ten Great Elders is the same as our Holy Maiden. They have all reached the Martial Sage Realm. They are the mainstays of our Marat Sect! Together, they assist our Sect Master to unify the world! "

"Then, where do the ordinary disciples live?" Zhan Chen asked with concern. If he really had to stay in a place filled with Earth Spiritual Qi for a long time, it would be unbearable!

"Brother, you are really lucky to be able to live directly on Holy Maiden Peak, even though your cultivation is only at the Martial Master level."

That person clicked his tongue and praised, "To be able to become a disciple of our Saintess, for someone of your low cultivation level, it's a great fortune."

"Holy Maiden is different from the other Elders. If you were to be a disciple of another peak, you are destined to start from the lowest rank as a non-staff disciple. Only a small portion of non-staff disciples can live at the foot of this mountain. The rest have to live in Moruo City or be directly sent to other places to be on duty."

"Non-Staff disciple?"

"That's right. Our Marat Sect calls Martial Masters like you, who have not reached the Martial Venerable Realm, as non-staff disciples. There are more than a million such disciples!"

"A million Martial Masters?" Zhan Chen was stunned.

"That's right. Furthermore, there are a million middle and high-level Martial Masters. Martial Masters who are too weak can't join our Marat Sect."

"Our sect doesn't care about non-staff disciples at all. We don't care if they live or die. It's just a simple registration. To become an outer disciple of Marat Sect, one must at least have the cultivation of a beginner Martial Venerable. To become an inner disciple, one must have the cultivation of a King Wu. To become an elite disciple, one must have the cultivation of a King Wu Great Perfection or even a beginner Emperor Wu."

"Any higher cultivation and you can apply to become an ordinary Elder of our sect," the man said to Zhan Chen.

Gradually, a rough structure of Marat Sect appeared in front of Zhan Chen.

As Yin Xuehai was still in seclusion, the welcoming ceremony was simple. Yin Meiru only made a symbolic trip to the Invincible Peak and then returned to his Saintess Peak.

Zhan Chen followed them up the mountain. At first, the Earth Spiritual Qi on the mountain path was dense and gloomy. However, Zhan Chen still noticed that there were many Yin-attributed Spiritual Flowers and Spiritual Herbs growing on the side of the mountain path. He could only vaguely identify a very small part of them.

However, halfway up the mountain, the scenery changed dramatically. The Sky Spiritual Qi suddenly became abundant, firmly suppressing the Earth Spiritual Qi below. The two sides of the mountain path suddenly became gloomy, filled with the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers.

Zhan Chen felt as if he had returned to the Golden Elephant Sect of the Later Yan Kingdom. The closer they got to the peak, the thicker the Sky Spiritual Qi became. It actually formed into a spiritual fog that lingered around them, making them feel refreshed and full of energy.

Zhan Chen felt as if he was in the ninth level of the Cultivation Tower of the Golden Elephant Sect. His eyes shone brightly as he thought to himself, "I didn't expect the Sky Spiritual Qi on Saintess Peak to reach such a level. According to what the servant said just now, I'm afraid I'll have to stay on this peak for a long time. This way, I'll just have to find a secluded place on this mountain and I'll be able to cultivate easily!"

However, at the same time, a question arose in his mind, "Marat Sect is obviously a demonic sect. Isn't cultivating in a place with such dense Sky Spiritual Qi going against their cultivation method? It seems like there's some mystery here. Only when I settle down here can I find out the secret. "

They continued to go up the mountain path and reached the peak. The Sky Spiritual Qi gradually reached its peak! It actually formed pieces of scattered Sky Spiritual Clouds. At the place where the Sky Spiritual Qi was most concentrated, there was even a fine and dense Sky Spiritual Rain falling.

When the Sky Spiritual Rain fell on people, it made them feel moist and comfortable. However, when the Sky Spiritual Rain fell on their bodies, a portion of it penetrated their bodies through their skin, while the majority of it quickly evaporated into the air.

Zhan Chen couldn't help but lower his head to look for traces of the Sky Spiritual Rain, but he couldn't find anything. As such, his astonishment had reached its peak. He had never seen such a shocking spectacle!

After walking for another few hundred meters, the view before them suddenly became clear. They had finally reached the peak of the mountain. The peak was an open land, with a radius of several hundred feet.

The palace where Yin Meiru lived, the Saintess Palace, was located on this peak. It occupied almost half of the entire peak, and the palace walls outside the main hall were towering. There were many buildings in the main hall, with the tallest reaching tens of meters. Under the reflection of the sunlight, it looked dazzling and mysterious under the layers of Sky Spiritual Clouds.

Obviously, in order to satisfy his daughter's preferences, Yin Xuehai had used the best materials in the construction of her temporary imperial residence.

Under the escort of everyone, Yin Meiru entered her palace. She stepped on the main road and went straight to the main hall. Along the way, there were already hundreds of maids and attendants standing neatly on both sides of the road, welcoming her.

After entering the main hall, she sat on the phoenix chair in the middle and crossed her legs, revealing her snow-white thighs. However, she looked down at Zhan Chen from above and called out, "Chief Steward An Ru!"

"Your servant is here!" From the side, a beautiful woman dressed in a gorgeous palace dress walked out and bowed to her.

Yin Meiru said to An Ru, "This little Martial Master is a lowly slave that I took in when I went down the mountain. You can arrange a job for him on the mountain … and remember to report back to me."

"Your servant obeys!"

A trace of surprise flashed in An Ru's eyes. She looked at Zhan Chen behind her with a face full of suspicion. She thought to herself, "That's not right. The Holy Maiden's attitude towards this person is somewhat abnormal! In the past, not to mention Martial Masters, she wouldn't even care about King Wu or Emperor Wu. Why did she specially bring back a little Martial Master from outside this time?

Moreover, the Holy Maiden's attitude towards him is also very worth pondering. It seems to be very belittling and disdainful, but which sentence at the end is worth pondering? She wants me to report back to her. When has the Holy Maiden ever cared about the life and death of a servant? In the past, the personnel arrangements in the hall were basically all done by me alone. Could it be … "

A woman's rich imagination made her think of something in an instant. However, she laughed at herself and thought, "How could it be possible!"

At this time, she heard Yin Meiru say, "Alright, I'm tired. Yingfeng, go and arrange my dormitory. The rest of you can leave."

Thus, everyone began to leave the hall one after another. Meanwhile, Zhan Chen could only stay where he was, not knowing what to do.

At this time, An Ru walked up to him and asked, "You're called Zhan Chen?"

Zhan Chen did his best to appear respectful and replied, "Yes, Senior."

"On the Holy Maiden Peak, don't call me Senior. Call me Lord Steward, understand?"

"I understand."

"Alright, follow me. I'll be responsible for arranging your specific job."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Steward."