Chapter 168: Soul-Severing Mountain

"Demon Prison?"

Upon hearing the two figures on the city wall mention the Demon Prison, Hua Changxi's expression shifted.

When she had previously unlocked the No. 7 Qihuang Pavilion, the stone walls within had revealed the evolutionary history of the Four Spirits Realm, which included a mention of the Demon Prison.

However, the illustrations of the Four Spirits Realm's evolutionary history were drawn quite crudely and were not fully revealed; thus, she had only known that a place called the "Demon Prison" existed.

The task Eunuch Lin and his group were undertaking would cause the Demon Prison to become unstable—could it be that the Demon Prison was in this vicinity?

Hua Changxi's eyes flickered. Since she had already followed them here, she was certainly going to see the Demon Prison for herself. Moreover, the Divine Hammer that Eunuch Lin and the others were trying to seize must be a fine magical artifact; if her luck held, she might even be able to play the role of the oriole behind the mantis.

The mist here at Qianmen Fort was thicker and more sinister than elsewhere. Seeing that the figures of Eunuch Lin and his group were about to pass out of her range of visibility, Hua Changxi hurriedly followed.

Yet, just as she was moving toward the east side of Qianmen Fort, a sharp, sinister wind suddenly struck from behind.

The attack came suddenly and silently. Hua Changxi dodged it narrowly, and upon turning back, she discovered that the two people who had just been on the city wall were now hovering in the mist, launching another wave of attacks toward the position she had just occupied.

"General, there is no one."

Liu Chengxiong ignored the Assistant Regional Commander's words, staring straight at the direction where Hua Changxi was. Although he could not see anyone, he sensed fluctuations in Qi.

To be able to dodge his attack and quickly suppress their aura again, the intruder was at least a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

Liu Chengxiong's mood fluctuated at this moment. Which family's old monster had come to Jiuyou?

Seeing Liu Chengxiong remain silent, the Assistant Regional Commander, Wan Kun, asked in confusion, "General, what is the matter?"

Liu Chengxiong thought of his own situation. If the intruder could cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage, they must come from a top-tier cultivation family. Coming to Qianmen Fort at this time was undoubtedly aimed at the Divine Hammer. Perhaps he could cooperate with this person.

"Tell me, of those who just passed by, how many do you think will survive?"

Wan Kun was somewhat surprised that Liu Chengxiong was actually concerned about this. The nine major forts guarding the four great array eyes of the Demon Prison had never lacked infiltrators, and in the past, the General had never paid them any mind.

"Recently, it is the peak period for the sinister winds of Soul-Severing Mountain. The winds shave away souls, and the mountain paths are difficult to traverse; I fear those people won't even reach the array eyes."

Liu Chengxiong laughed dismissively, "Do not underestimate the means of cultivators. However, Soul-Severing Mountain is indeed dangerous. In truth, if one wants to seize the Divine Hammer, rather than risking the climb over Soul-Severing Mountain, it would be better to pass through Qianmen Fort."

Hearing this, Wan Kun looked at Liu Chengxiong with a stunned expression. Qianmen Fort was guarded by the Demon-Suppressing Guards, whose purpose was to protect the safety of the array eyes and strictly prevent any infiltrators from crossing.

What did the General's words just now mean?

Liu Chengxiong did not look at his deputy, but said to himself, "In a few more years, my term as General will end." Without the protection of Qianmen Fort, his primordial spirit would dissipate between heaven and earth.

Hearing this, Wan Kun fell silent, saying with some sadness, "General, now that spiritual energy has fully recovered, there must be other ways."

Liu Chengxiong sighed, "I only wish to take one more look at the human world."

Seeing that there was still no response from the mist, Liu Chengxiong's gaze darkened. After a moment of silence, he chose to withdraw, "Let us return."

Although his primordial spirit was powerful, he lacked a physical body. If he were to truly clash with that Nascent Soul old monster hidden in the shadows, and if that monster possessed soul-attack techniques, he would definitely not fare well.

His soul body was already weakening; it was better not to invite unnecessary trouble.

"General, people from the Duke of Xin's Prefecture have arrived again."

Just as the two were flying back to the city wall, more people arrived outside Qianmen Fort.

Seeing this, Liu Chengxiong's expression brightened. He glanced quickly in the direction of Hua Changxi, thinking to himself that letting the hidden Nascent Soul old monster know that the people from the Duke of Xin's Prefecture were also coveting the Divine Hammer might hasten a cooperation between them.

With a Nascent Soul cultivator's help, whether it was finding a suitable physical body or reshaping a new one, it would be much easier.

"General Liu."

"Young Master Gu."

In the mist, Hua Changxi watched as the newcomers flew into Qianmen Fort, her expression shifting uncertainly.

The words of that General Liu just now were clearly meant for her to hear, as if he wanted to make a deal with her, yet she found it all rather confusing.

There was no helping it; she knew far too little.

Hua Changxi glanced at the Young Master of the Duke of Xin's Prefecture, who was already conversing with Liu Chengxiong on the city wall. Having no interest in their affairs, she looked toward the direction where Eunuch Lin and the others had vanished and quietly gave chase.

On the city wall, Young Master Gu had intended to use this opportunity to enter the fort and investigate, but who would have thought that Liu Chengxiong would keep standing on the wall, discussing matters with him.

Liu Chengxiong did not hold Young Master Gu in the same regard as he did the Nascent Soul cultivator who had just dodged his attack.

There was no other reason; although the Duke of Xin's Prefecture was powerful, compared to long-established, veteran cultivation families, it was not worth much.

Liu Chengxiong thought that the Duke of Xin's Prefecture was seeking him out for the sake of the Divine Hammer as well, sharing the same goal as the hidden Nascent Soul cultivator. Discussing it openly was meant to make the hidden cultivator anxious.

Unfortunately, he did not know that Hua Changxi, having guessed that he could detect fluctuations in Qi, had already suppressed her aura and left. Even less did he imagine that Hua Changxi was a complete novice who knew nothing.

According to Liu Chengxiong's thinking, a Nascent Soul cultivator would certainly know more about this world than others and would surely know that the Demon-Suppressing Guards who guarded the nine major forts existed solely because of the protection of the forts, which allowed their soul bodies not to dissipate during their terms.

His words just now had already revealed that he wanted to return to the human world, which meant he wanted a physical body. For this, he could open Qianmen Fort and let people pass.

It was a pity; this was merely his own wishful thinking.

Hua Changxi sped through the mist for a time before a black stone mountain, resembling a skyline, appeared in her sight.

"Whoosh—"

Fierce, sinister winds blew constantly through the mountains, making one feel incomparably cold. But because of the wind, the mist in the air was blown away.

"This must be the Soul-Severing Mountain that those two were talking about."

Hua Changxi condensed a spiritual cloud and rose into the air, intending to fly across Soul-Severing Mountain.

But the moment she entered the high altitude, she shivered, and then, to her horror, she discovered that her body was somewhat out of control.

To be precise, her soul body had been frozen, making it impossible to control the movements of her physical body.

Even more terrifying to her was the discovery that her divine sense was rapidly diminishing.

The sinister wind in this Soul-Severing Mountain could weaken divine sense!

Hua Changxi suppressed her fear and quickly descended on her spiritual cloud. After her feet touched the ground, with a "Boom—", flames ignited around her body to drive away the sinister cold.

Unfortunately, even with flames covering her, it did not alleviate the chill on her soul body, not until she condensed a fire lotus.

Hua Changxi stood at the center of the fire lotus; whenever a sinister wind blew in, a fire bird would fly out, spraying Zhu Que flames.

When the Zhu Que flames collided with the sinister wind, they immediately emitted a sizzling sound, as if something was being burned to ash. ===== CHAPTER 169 =====