Northern Yan Chapter 48 Mysterious Youth

No matter how he urged the small tripod, it simply refused to emerge from his Dantian. He could even sense the spiritual power within his body being slowly absorbed, though fortunately, the sensation was barely perceptible and the impact remained minimal.

From the looks of it, the tripod would likely manifest once it had absorbed sufficient spiritual power. The immediate priority, however, was to track Duan Xiangzi to the rendezvous point where she and Liu Yue planned to jointly acquire the treasure. Mo Hao hurriedly retrieved the map and located the spot marked by Duan Xiangzi.

Along the way, Mo Hao brandished the Blood Star Disk, cautiously flying on his immortal sword. If he were to cross paths with cultivators from the Cold Wind Ridge and unfortunately encounter another otherworldly being, it would spell absolute disaster. After evading numerous demonic beasts and navigating by the map as he drew closer to the target location, Mo Hao slowed his flight. Upon arrival, he exercised even greater caution, for every strange and insidious detail about Duan Xiangzi now surfaced clearly in his mind.

First, she had been controlled by that alluring man, yet the very first thing she did after Mo Hao rescued her was plot to cooperate with Liu Yue—and worse yet, scheme against Liu Yue using overt plots. Therefore, unless forced by absolute necessity, he would not reveal himself prematurely.

The moment Mo Hao reached the appointed place, he realized something was amiss. To his surprise, there stood an old banyan tree here as well. Mo Hao instantly understood Duan Xiangzi's intentions: she intended to rely on Liu Yue's soul power to unlock the contents within this banyan tree. However, this banyan tree was not emitting that peculiar glow, indicating that no one had opened it yet.

Not seeing Duan Xiangzi's arrival, he was in no particular hurry. He simply sat aside and silently practiced the Heavenly Remnant Divine Art. After waiting for nearly two days, he finally spotted Duan Xiangzi. She appeared much more haggard, likely because she had failed to find Mo Hao and Liu Yue waiting at the rendezvous spot by the small river. At this moment, Duan Xiangzi's expression was unsightly, and she muttered curses under her breath, though it was unclear what she was griping about.

Only upon seeing that the old banyan tree was not glowing did her expression gradually soften. Yet right at that moment, Mo Hao overheard a conversation between Duan Xiangzi and another person.

"Why have you returned alone? Where is the soul you spoke of?"

A male cultivator suddenly emerged from the surrounding darkness. If that wasn't startling enough, taking a closer look made his heart tighten further. This appeared to be yet another otherworldly being of the Celestial Star Clan. One could clearly see a starlight necklace around the male cultivator's neck, remarkably similar to the one Mo Hao had refined. That the Cold Wind Ridge maintained such a close relationship with the Celestial Star Clan was something he had not anticipated.

"Don't even mention it. Originally, using the Soul-Fixing Item as bait, even after I revealed that there were Sharp Soul Worms here, that soul-bearer should have arrived according to our agreement. Yet for some unknown reason, when the appointed time arrived, neither the person nor the soul showed up!"

"Could they have been delayed on the way?"

"Impossible. That soul possesses immensely powerful soul strength, seemingly no weaker than the soul of a Nascent Soul cultivator. It's likely parasitically attached to that brat for some special reason."

"Sigh, then we have no choice but to open it ourselves. Did you happen to see that ray of light a few days ago?"

The male cultivator spoke in an indifferent tone. Upon hearing that they intended to open the restriction on the old banyan tree, Mo Hao's interest was instantly piqued. After all, the restriction on the banyan tree over there had already been broken by Mo Hao and Liu Yue, and the stone-like object that had dropped out of it had left both him and Liu Yue utterly baffled.

Hearing the male cultivator say this, Duan Xiangzi nodded as well and said, "Given that it concerns the Palace of Celestial Times, how could I not know? That must have been the first Celestial Time Tree to be unlocked. We must hurry; after all, most of the cultivators entering the Fluorescent Mist Secret Realm have come for this Palace of Celestial Times! There are only nine quotas in total, and one of us must enter the Palace of Celestial Times to secure a ranking!"

"Palace of Celestial Times? A ranking?"

Mo Hao silently repeated the name several times. He truly had no idea what this Palace of Celestial Times was meant for, but hearing that the old banyan tree was connected to it instantly sparked a train of thought.

The male cultivator nodded and said, "There is no time to lose, let us begin!"

"Without the aid of that soul, can you retrieve the item using your Soul-Fixing Item?"

"Hmph, rest assured. If we had that soul to assist, extracting this item wouldn't consume my vital energy. Alas, it seems this endeavor will heavily drain my vitality! However, if that soul and that brat do show up, we can simply deal with them..."

With that, the male cultivator made a throat-slitting gesture, and both Duan Xiangzi and the male cultivator laughed in unison.

***

Witnessing this scene from the sidelines, Mo Hao wore a cold sneer. To think that after saving Duan Xiangzi from the alluring man, not only did she fail to show any gratitude, but she had even invited others to eliminate him.

Yet, why had Jiang Jianfeng never mentioned this Palace of Celestial Times? This caused Mo Hao to hesitate slightly. Even so, the immediate task was to ascertain whether the key to the Palace of Celestial Times was indeed that stone piece. Once he confirmed the stone's function, Mo Hao intended to strike down these two on the spot and unearth the secrets of the Palace of Celestial Times from them.

Silently, he gripped his small bow. This was the very technique Mo Hao had used to slay the sword-wielding Celestial Star otherworldly being. Knowing how much effort it took even for Liu Yue to pull the iron chains out of the old banyan tree, he refused to believe these two could extract them without paying a price. All he needed to do now was wait for the otherworldly being to suffer heavy damage to its vitality, which would inevitably create a massive opening.

As for Duan Xiangzi, he knew she possessed no Soul-Fixing Item; otherwise, she wouldn't have been paralyzed by the alluring man using Soul-Fixing Powder back then.

Before long, the male cultivator retrieved a small pouch from his waist. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a spirit beast pouch capable of holding living creatures. Sure enough, the male cultivator extracted a palm-sized insect. The creature was remarkably docile, lying motionless in his palm. Mo Hao noticed that the insect possessed a bizarre appearance: its body was completely crimson, with six legs, a pair of wings, and what appeared to be a hard horn atop its head.

Upon seeing the insect, Duan Xiangzi instinctively took two steps back. However, noticing that the bug remained obediently in the male cultivator's hand and showed no aggressive intent, she cautiously stepped closer, wanting to tease it.

To her surprise, the moment the insect sensed Duan Xiangzi approaching, it emitted a shrill, piercing shriek. The sound drove straight into the ears, inducing a splitting, agonizing headache. Mo Hao and the male cultivator, however, remained unaffected, as both had refined Soul-Fixing Items. Duan Xiangzi, on the other hand, collapsed to the ground, clutching her head in torment.

Mo Hao watched clearly as, within a mere instant, Duan Xiangzi was reduced to a cultivator devoid of all resistance. Could this be the Sharp Soul Worm that Duan Xiangzi had mentioned?

Only when the male cultivator tapped the sharp horn on the insect's forehead did the agonizing, ear-splitting noise finally cease.

The male cultivator motioned for Duan Xiangzi to step back, then faced the old banyan tree with the insect in hand. Realizing that it was about to begin, Mo Hao tightened his grip on the ultimate bow, ready to strike at a moment's notice!

The Celestial Star otherworldly being held the Sharp Soul Worm in his hand. Seeming to understand that it was tasked with breaking the restriction of the Celestial Time Tree, the insect flapped its two transparent wings and let out a mournful, piercing shriek directly at the ancient banyan tree. The sonic waves converged into a single point, surging straight toward the restriction.

The otherworldly being made no further movements, merely watching quietly as the Sharp Soul Worm broke the barrier.

Mo Hao observed that the Sharp Soul Worm applied itself quite diligently to breaking the restriction. Yet after half a day, it had only managed to clear a small opening. When the aperture reached the size of a fist, the otherworldly being hurriedly recalled the worm, a look of deep heartache crossing his face as he quickly stowed the creature back into its spirit beast pouch.

Yet now, devoid of the Sharp Soul Worm's enhancement, the fist-sized opening began to shrink gradually. Knowing this was no time for hesitation, while Mo Hao and Duan Xiangzi stared with wide eyes, the otherworldly being thrust his hand directly into the aperture. Mo Hao watched in astonishment; under normal circumstances, the restriction would surely sever his palm instantly, making it impossible to pull out the iron chains hidden within the banyan tree.

To Mo Hao's utter surprise, the otherworldly being's hand was not cleaved in two as he had imagined. Instead, the barrier was blocked by a glowing bracelet encircling the creature's wrist. Even so, the otherworldly being wore an expression of intense agony. An entity with such formidable regenerative capabilities was actually struggling to pull out the iron chain immediately.

Now, he was merely waiting for the right opportunity—the exact moment the old banyan tree spat out the small stone. Mo Hao had already formulated every countermeasure, including the flying snow technique. The moment his first arrow severely wounded the Celestial Star otherworldly being, the outcome would be sealed.

"Hah!"

The otherworldly being let out a roar, kicking up surrounding dust with a shockwave. With a mighty heave, he yanked a segment of iron chain out of the tree. The hand pulling the chain was now mangled beyond recognition, leaving only three fingers intact on the limb. The instant the chain was freed, the being hurled it aside, immediately catching the link with his other hand at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

"Help me quickly! We must grab it and leave—once this light dissipates, all the top-tier cultivators will come flocking!"

Duan Xiangzi narrowed her eyes, one hand raised and the other lowered, channeling spiritual energy around her Dantian with both hands. Within three breaths, her gaze locked onto the iron chain, and an invisible giant hand materialized, seizing the chain and pulling it outward inch by inch. Duan Xiangzi, too, was expending immense energy, beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolling continuously down her exquisite long dress.

For a moment, the surroundings fell into a profound stillness, punctuated only by faint sounds of breathing. Suddenly, a muffled click echoed out as a stone dropped to the ground. The Celestial Star otherworldly being was ecstatic; releasing the iron chain, he lunged to snatch the stone. Clutching the stone in his grip, the otherworldly being and Duan Xiangzi wasted no time. Without pausing to recover their spiritual power on the spot, they bolted in the exact opposite direction of Mo Hao, moving at a speed that left Mo Hao dumbfounded.

Mo Hao had not even had time to react. Expecting the pair to stay and recover their spiritual power—which would have been his window of opportunity—he hastily drew his bow, locking his sights onto the fleeing otherworldly being.

Yet before Mo Hao could pull the bow to its maximum tension, he slowly relaxed his grip, withholding both the five-colored divine light and his spiritual power from the shaft.

***

This was not because Mo Hao had given up upon seeing them escape. Rather, before the pair had even cleared Mo Hao's field of vision, a youth dressed in black materialized directly in their path. The youth possessed a dashing and heroic bearing, with clean-cut, delicate features resembling a young cultivator who had yet to step into the secular world. Holding a sword in hand, he stood blocking their way with a cold sneer on his face.

"Hand over the celestial stone."

The youth spoke in a flat tone. The Celestial Star otherworldly being and Duan Xiangzi exchanged glances, both wearing sneers of their own. If this were merely a single human cultivator, the two Cold Wind Ridge cultivators had nothing to fear, especially with an otherworldly being among them.

"Hmph! If you want the item, come and take it!"

The youth's gaze grew increasingly cold. He raised his sword vertically, holding it diagonally across his chest. Seeing this posture, the otherworldly being and Duan Xiangzi heightened their vigilance, hastily adopting defensive stances.

"Slash!"

The youth swung his sword horizontally, unleashing a streak of sword qi. The qi appeared utterly ordinary, lacking any dazzling brilliance. As the slash swept past, the otherworldly being and Duan Xiangzi continued to stare at the youth, yet the sword qi had already pierced clean through their bodies. To their shock, the otherworldly being's notoriously resilient physique was cleaved apart as easily as tofu under the sword qi.

The youth gazed coldly at the two corpses cut cleanly in half at the waist, then stepped forward lightly. Watching the power of that single sword strike, Mo Hao's pupils constricted violently. Yet immediately afterward, he realized something was wrong: a Celestial Star otherworldly being was not so easily slain!

Sure enough, as the youth approached, the otherworldly being swiftly pieced its severed torso back together.

The youth let out a soft exclamation of surprise, asking in a chilling, questioning tone: "An otherworldly being?"

The otherworldly being stared in terror at the youth before him. A single strike—merely one strike—had cleaved them in two. Such terrifying strength rivaled that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Yet within this Fluorescent Mist Secret Realm, even half-step Foundation Establishment power could not be unleashed; how was this possible?!

The otherworldly being abandoned all thoughts of escape, knowing that the word escape was utterly meaningless in the face of absolute strength.

The youth delivered another cleaving slash through the void, cutting the otherworldly being apart once more. Yet after a short while, the creature regenerated once again. The youth struck yet another time. This process persisted for nearly half a half-hour. The pillar of light from the old banyan tree had long since dissipated, yet the youth continued to lash out at the otherworldly being with blow after blow. Mo Hao could detect no trace of fatigue in the youth, whereas the otherworldly being's regeneration grew progressively slower!

Ultimately, the otherworldly being was simply worn to death through the sheer depletion of its vitality. This spectacle left Mo Hao utterly dumbfounded. Vitality represented a cultivator's very foundation; once exhausted, nothing remained!

Seeing that the otherworldly being could no longer regenerate, the youth gently flicked his sword, knocking the creature's storage pouch off the blade tip and into his hand. He extracted the stone, inspected the runes inscribed upon it, shook his head dismissively, and tossed the stone back into his own storage pouch.

Against the otherworldly being and Duan Xiangzi, Mo Hao might still have stood a fighting chance. But facing this youth, Mo Hao truly harbored no confidence of victory—or rather, not even a five-percent chance, let alone any hope of killing him.

Seeing the youth slowly cross his legs to meditate, Mo Hao calculated his chances of fleeing the area and quietly began channeling his spiritual power, preparing to execute the Heaven-Origin Earth-Venerable Art with maximum force.

Yet the instant Mo Hao stood up, he heard the youth utter a single sentence:

"Where do you think you're going?"