Chapter 443: Canglong's Tribulation, White Bone Arrives

The rolling mountains gathered like peaks.

Across a vast expanse of one hundred thousand li, the heavy snow was a vast, blinding white.

A plain, unremarkable low hill, devoid of spirit veins or vegetation, was a rare patch of barren land within the Great Snow Mountain.

In such a place, even demonic beasts couldn't be bothered to cast a glance.

Therefore, for humans, it was actually a safe zone.

In fact, this route was indeed the safe path used by the five rogue cultivators to enter the Great Snow Mountain to harvest fruit and refine elixirs.

Inside a small cave artificially excavated into the mountainside.

An aged figure sat cross-legged, eyes tightly shut, spiritual sense extended as far as possible.

Suddenly!

His eyelids trembled slightly, and he opened those world-weary eyes.

"They're out!"

Muttering to himself, his hands continuously formed seals, and the spiritual power within his body was constantly mobilized.

In the very center of the cave dwelling, a massive compass was clicking as its needle rotated.

Surrounding the compass were spirit stones of at least mid-grade quality, and embedded upon the compass itself were three high-grade spirit stones.

At this moment, as the old man channeled his spiritual arts and the vast spiritual power from the numerous spirit stones converged together.

The compass needle finally came to a halt in one direction.

And that direction was none other than the direction of the Ten Thousand Python Caverns.

"Almost there, almost there..."

The old man suppressed the agitation in his heart and, with the most focused concentration, manipulated the formation beneath his feet.

Suddenly!

He held his right palm vertically before his chest, his left hand supporting his right.

"Formation, rise!"

The next moment!

Beams of light shot up from the ground, a vast might expanding continuously with him at the center.

As for the man himself, as the central beam of light erupted, he was carried out of the small hill and into mid-air.

"Fellow Daoist, please stay... hmm?"

Duan Feng's words came to an abrupt halt.

What met his eyes was a behemoth, three zhang tall with a wingspan of nearly ten zhang, staring at him coldly.

Its white scales, resembling feathers, were tattered and broken, and its formidable flesh was riddled with holes, as if pierced by sharp objects.

Fresh blood, on the verge of dripping, was pulled back by a force of vitality brimming with life.

If that were all, it would be one thing.

But upon his person, within that fiery red escape light, wisps of azure flame lingered.

Such flames, even from a great distance, made one feel as if their body were about to ignite and turn to ash.

A pair of cold eyes, like bottomless pools, stared fixedly at him.

"Fellow Daoist Duan, what is the meaning of blocking my path like this?"

A colorful expression appeared on Duan Feng's face, but looking at Luo Chen's fluctuating aura, he felt a bit restless.

Luo Chen looked at him with a cold sneer, "Could it be that you are colluding with that Seven-Ring Snow Python to bury me here in the Great Snow Mountain?"

"Seven-Ring Snow Python!"

Duan Feng blurted out.

Afterward, he clearly sensed a massive demonic aura rushing toward them from the direction of the Ten Thousand Python Caverns at lightning speed.

If it were just Luo Chen alone, in his current state, if he were to coordinate with the formation...

No!

Luo Chen's escape speed was too fast; to take him down would likely not be possible in a short time.

And if the Seven-Ring Snow Python arrived, he feared even he would be in deep trouble.

Duan Feng's expression shifted constantly.

Especially when he sensed Luo Chen's aura suddenly condense and begin to surge, he finally steadied his mind.

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand!"

"I set up this great formation merely to receive you."

"Fellow Daoist, you have shown me kindness in alchemy; how could I do something that would grieve friends and gladden enemies?"

Luo Chen's expression softened slightly, though it was unclear if he truly believed it or was merely pretending.

He turned his head to glance behind him, his wings fluttering as he flew toward Duan Feng.

Just as the two crossed paths, Luo Chen suddenly stopped.

"Anything else?"

Duan Feng gritted his teeth and tossed over a scroll of animal hide.

"The Great Snow Mountain has changed; the path you came by is no longer safe. This is a map of the Great Snow Mountain I have collected and drawn; I hope it may be of some use to you, Fellow Daoist."

Having said this, he watched Luo Chen cautiously.

Luo Chen gave him a deep look, grabbed the map, and then departed directly.

After he left.

Duan Feng couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

If you strike a snake and don't kill it, you will suffer the consequences.

He hoped this Luo Chen truly possessed the demeanor of the Fire Spirit Lord and, seeing that he hadn't attacked and had even offered compensation, would not pursue this matter.

"Being the oriole is truly not easy!"

Muttering a bitter laugh, the beams of light that had filled the surroundings suddenly merged into one, forming a compass that enveloped Duan Feng.

Then, the ball of light slammed downward, and after sinking into the ground, it vanished in an instant.

It was none other than the most practical of the Five Elements Escape Arts: the Earth Escape Art!

Just a short while after the two had vanished.

A massive, giant python came slithering over mountains and across the land.

It did not use demonic clouds to pursue Luo Chen, but instead used demonic power combined with its physical body to crawl, which was actually faster.

Upon arriving at this spot, it was momentarily bewildered.

But after flicking out its long, forked tongue and retracting it, a fierce light erupted in its eyes.

"Human, you are seeking your own death!"

In the sky.

A fiery red stream of light streaked across the void.

Its speed was extremely fast, drawing gazes.

But in this savage snow mountain teeming with demonic beasts, it was overly arrogant and rampant.

If not for its appearance, which looked like a third-rank Roc-type demonic beast, many of the lurking demonic beasts in the snow mountain would have already struck.

Even so, wherever it passed, it still stirred up waves of commotion.

Luo Chen flew while unfolding the scroll of animal hide.

It was indeed a map!

"That Duan Feng certainly had a good plan!"

"Seemingly not interfering in the battle between me and Madam Yousha and the others, leaving satisfied with the Mingyuan Pill. In reality, he was secretly setting up a great formation outside, preparing to wait at ease and play the role of the oriole."

"The might of that formation, though I only saw the tip of the iceberg, likely possessed enough power to threaten a Core Formation early-stage cultivator."

"If I hadn't revealed my most formidable form from the start, and if there hadn't been the threat of the Seven-Ring Snow Python behind me, I might have truly had a fierce battle with him."

"However, this person is sensible, attempting to turn enemies into friends with a map of the Great Snow Mountain."

Looking at the map, Luo Chen quickly determined his current location.

Then, his gaze swept wildly, and in an instant, he took in the surrounding terrain.

If he were to return along the original path, with his escape speed fully unleashed and assuming there were absolutely no obstructions, he could fly out of the Great Snow Mountain in at most ten days or so.

But this was only an ideal scenario.

In order to harvest the Nine-Veined Snake Saliva Fruit, they had actually already penetrated relatively deep into the Great Snow Mountain.

Over such a long distance, accidents were inevitable.

And Elder Fu Jiusheng had mentioned that the path they came by was no longer safe...

While pondering, Luo Chen quickly decided on three routes out of the Great Snow Mountain, with the specific exits leading toward the Xiaoyue Mountain Range, the Guyuan Mountain Range, and the direction of another small glacier.

The journey here was complex and ever-changing.

But these were already the routes marked on Elder Fu Jiusheng's map that were least infested with high-level demonic beasts.

However, one must always be on guard against others!

Luo Chen not only kept his spiritual sense extended at all times, but his pair of spirit eyes also maintained the Spirit Eye Art, scanning in all directions.

Suddenly!

Luo Chen's figure paused as he looked toward the path he had come from, at a huge mass of demonic clouds surging into the sky.

"An accident, it has truly come."

Is an accident that is expected still an accident?

Luo Chen did not know the answer to this.

He only knew that above that mass of demonic clouds, a huge, protruding triangular snake head was staring fixedly at him.

Furthermore, having refined its transverse bone, it was even speaking in human language.

"Human, you stole my seventh brother's spirit fruit, and you still want to leave?"

"Stay behind!"

Luo Chen's heart sank.

Even though he knew the Great Snow Mountain was the lair of the White Bone Profound Snakes and that there were numerous snake and python-type demonic beasts inside.

He had not expected that these snakes and pythons could still call each other brothers, as if they formed a single clan.

Clearly, snakes and pythons were not even the same species.

Without the slightest hesitation, he vibrated his wings, flew to a higher altitude, and turned his head to fly toward one of the chosen directions.

"Stay behind!"

Suddenly, a large mass of pitch-black light surged into the sky.

A fierce look flashed across Luo Chen's face as he flapped his wings repeatedly.

Large swathes of Blazing Fire Miasma flew out, and the terrifying Earth Fire evil energy contained within collided with that pitch-black demonic light, immediately emitting a sizzling sound.

An indescribable stench permeated an area of several miles.

After the two sides exchanged a blow, blood spilled from the corner of Luo Chen's mouth, and he changed direction again to flee.

Back at the original spot.

A small golden snake was coiled on a tree branch, its vertical pupils staring at the red, fiery figure that had departed.

"Sure enough, such fast flight speed!"

"However, making one move for that guy Seventh Ring is already enough."

"From here on, it's none of my business."

While muttering, the small golden snake crawled down along the tree branch, finally entering the snow layer to continue sleeping.

No one would have expected that such a small snake was actually a third-tier Demon King comparable to the Core Formation stage.

And that casual strike it made just now also possessed boundless might.

With just one blow, it had caused Luo Chen to suffer minor injuries.

Suddenly!

Within the snow layer, the small golden snake crawled out with a rustling sound.

Joy appeared in its vertical pupils.

"Father King is back!"

Carrying a look of surprise, a mass of demonic clouds swept it up and flew rapidly in one direction.

And that direction was precisely the direction in which Luo Chen had departed.

High in the sky, the biting cold wind lashed against his cheeks.

Luo Chen no longer had excess spiritual energy to release a light shield to resist the cold wind, so he could only rely on his formidable demonic body.

At this moment, his heart was already ice-cold.

Several days had passed since the night-long, non-stop flight.

During these few days, he had encountered numerous low-tier snakes and pythons blocking his path, and he had also encountered three third-tier demonic beasts separately.

Two of them had even launched fierce attacks.

Luo Chen had exhausted all his methods to barely escape the opponent's pursuit range.

If it weren't for the Great Perfection third-tier flight spell "Ninety Thousand Miles," combined with the Heavenly Peng True Body, which gave him a flight speed exceeding that of the early Core Formation stage.

Plus the fact that snake and python-type demonic beasts are not known for their long-distance, high-speed travel.

He feared he would have been intercepted long ago.

However, even so, he was nearing the point of exhaustion.

After several strikes, the Blazing Fire Miasma, nurtured with hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, could no longer be activated because the Earth Fire evil energy had been completely consumed.

The spiritual power within his body was even more depleted.

If it were just this, it would be fine.

But unfortunately...

Luo Chen looked back at the wings on his back, which were covered in cracks.

When it came down to it, the Lieyun Wings flight magic tool was only of high-grade quality.

Under such reckless activation, it was almost on the verge of disintegration.

Although he could still activate "Ninety Thousand Miles" by relying on the Heavenly Peng True Body, at that point, he feared his speed would drop significantly.

"No!"

"If this continues, I fear I won't be able to escape the Great Snow Mountain."

A look of despair appeared in his eyes.

But the closer he was to a desperate situation, the calmer Luo Chen became in his heart.

"The reason these demonic beasts can track me, besides my reckless display of the Heavenly Peng True Body, should also be related to them tracking my aura."

"Now, relying solely on speed won't get me out of the Great Snow Mountain, so there is only one other way."

Just as Luo Chen was calculating in his heart how high the probability was of fooling a third-tier demonic beast with that method.

Suddenly!

Crack!

In the clouds, an arc of electricity was about to strike Luo Chen.

Luo Chen did not intend to dodge; flying too high, it was common to be struck by lightning.

This body of his was tempered by the thunder power from a Soul Transformation relic, and it possessed a certain resistance to lightning.

However!

The moment that arc of electricity touched Luo Chen's skin, his expression changed drastically.

"Something is wrong!"

As the arc entered his body, Luo Chen felt numb all over.

His entire body instantly lost control, and he fell uncontrollably toward the ground.

"Rise!"

Seeing the ground getting closer and closer, Luo Chen gritted his teeth, his face ferocious, with veins bulging on his face.

It was at this very moment.

The spine bone on his back, which had been hidden for many years, trembled slightly.

That wisp of electric arc was arduously swallowed into the spine bone.

With the influence of the electric arc gone, Luo Chen instantly regained control of his body.

On a small hill, Luo Chen abruptly stopped his massive body that was about to crash.

Boom!

The wild wind pressed against the ground, whipping up a thousand piles of snow.

Luo Chen looked at the sky in terror.

That arc of electricity was definitely not something owned by anyone; it was born out of thin air between heaven and earth.

But what kind of thing was this, that even his ancient third-tier physique, tempered by thunder power, could not block it?

That was only a tiny wisp of an electric arc!

It was also at this time.

A miraculous sight of heaven and earth came into view!

Above the nine heavens, dark clouds gathered.

Within a thousand miles, spiritual energy poured backward.

A huge, inverted vortex was spinning crazily with a world-destroying posture.

"This is... Tribulation Crossing?"

Luo Chen said in a difficult, hoarse voice.

And it was very obvious that this Tribulation Crossing had already reached the most critical juncture.

The lightning tribulation was about to descend!

The tiny wisp of electric arc he had just been contaminated by was clearly a wisp of lightning tribulation power.

In the world of immortal cultivation, records of Tribulation Crossing are either human cultivators undergoing the Nascent Soul tribulation, or powerful demonic beasts undergoing the fourth-tier transformation lightning tribulation.

And here in the depths of the Great Snow Mountain, where would there be humans...

"Eh?"

With his spirit eyes focused, Luo Chen was able to see the situation a thousand miles away.

In that undulating mountain range stretching for a thousand miles, a castle a hundred feet high was standing there.

The moonlight in the sky ignored the lightning tribulation and was shining brightly upon it.

"This is..." Seeing this peculiar artifact, a term emerged in Luo Chen's mind, "Moonlight Bingbao?"

The town-sect treasure of the Core Formation sect Bingbao, a high-grade magic treasure—Moonlight Bingbao.

It is rumored to absorb the power of cold moonlight and frost, and can suppress the spiritual veins of a region.

"Why would the Bingbao's town-sect magic treasure appear in the depths of the Great Snow Mountain?"

While Luo Chen was puzzled, spiritual power continuously surged toward his eyes, and gradually, the scene of the Moonlight Bingbao was completely reflected in his pupils.

The castle had nine levels.

In each level, a figure was faintly visible, and on the very top level, there was a presence whose back Luo Chen could recognize with just a single glance.

"Fairy Canglong!"

Upon recognizing Fairy Canglong, a shocking thought burst forth.

Venerable Fairy Canglong is undergoing Tribulation Crossing!

Undergoing the Nascent Soul tribulation!

Borrowing the only fourth-tier spiritual land in the depths of the Great Snow Mountain to forcibly break through to Nascent Soul!

"But, does that White Bone Profound Snake not care?"

Just as Luo Chen was filled with doubt.

Someone gave him the answer.

"How bold!"

A sharp voice pierced through the boundless thunder clouds and came rolling from afar.

Just a single sound, separated by a thousand miles, made Luo Chen dizzy and dazzled.

For a time, he could not even see the scene under the thunder clouds clearly.

In his ears, however, another aged voice suddenly sounded.

"Fellow Daoist White Bone, the distance for watching the ceremony ends here!"

(End of chapter)