Chapter 715: Taking Down Frost Country

Pure Nine-Lotus Treasure Lamp

Chen Mobai felt the chill sword intent and was slightly surprised. With his extensive combat experience, he instantly realized he had only a few ways to counter this particular sword intent. However, few did not mean none. Chen Mobai's eyes lit up, and as he raised his right hand, a splendid five-colored current of energy swirled in his palm. His Primordial True Qi was about to be unleashed.

At that moment, Shen Shanqing, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly rose. The chill sword intent, which had just surged into the Plum Blossom Chamber and reached his back, stagnated an instant later before dissipating into thin air. Seeing this, Chen Mobai lowered his right hand, and the splendid five-colored Primordial True Qi vanished from his palm.

"Thank you, Sect Master Chen, for the wine. May I ask its name, and would you be willing to sell it to our Heavenly Meal Pavilion?" Shen Shanqing bowed respectfully to Chen Mobai. His spiritual sense, thanks to these three cups of wine, had broken through a long-standing bottleneck and reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. He had been stuck at this bottleneck for nearly thirty years.

"Fortunately, Chief Chef Shen awoke. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for me to explain things to the True Person next door." Chen Mobai said with a smile. Shen Shanqing and the others dared not respond, and an awkward silence immediately fell.

"My apologies." A moment later, Ye Qing's voice spoke, and the door to the Bamboo Chamber opened. He walked over and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Chen Mobai.

"It was merely a misunderstanding. May I ask your esteemed name, Daoist brother?" Although Chen Mobai hadn't probed Ye Qing's cultivation, the chill sword intent he'd just felt made it clear that Ye Qing's cultivation was superior to his own, so his demeanor remained friendly.

"Ye Qing, of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect!" Ye Qing stated his name without hesitation.

Chen Mobai's expression immediately shifted to one of shock. Even in the remote Eastern Barrens, the name of a Holy Land Daoist Scion was renowned. After all, the Eastern Barrens possessed considerable resources, and many powers, similar to the Heavenly Meal Pavilion, had established branches and merchant guilds there. As they conducted business, they also brought with them information about the major forces across the Six Realms of the Eastern Domain.

After taking control of the Divine Wood Sect and formulating a plan to unify the Eastern Barrens, Chen Mobai had also turned his attention to the entire Eastern Domain. He had sent people to gather information on the most critical entities: the Four Great Holy Lands, True Monarchs of the Spirit Transformation Stage, Venerables of the Nascent Soul Stage, Daoist Scions, and Saintesses. Ye Qing's name, in particular, had left a deep impression. Among the Four Great Holy Lands, True Monarch Profound Heaven of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect was renowned as the foremost figure in the Eastern Domain. As a disciple personally nurtured by him, Ye Qing was even hailed as possessing the potential for Spirit Transformation. This immediately caught the attention of Chen Mobai, who also possessed the potential for Spirit Transformation. He had never expected such a prominent figure to visit the Eastern Barrens.

"I've long heard of your esteemed name!" Chen Mobai rose and returned the gesture to Ye Qing, who nodded before turning and returning to his Bamboo Chamber.

"Sect Master Chen, I will go greet True Person Ye. Please allow me to cover today's meal." Although Shen Shanqing was eager to inquire further about Chen Mobai's third-tier spiritual wine, Ye Qing's presence was clearly more important. He could only apologetically call Lan Youxiang, who was outside the door, to take over the hospitality in his stead.

"Chief Chef Shen, please feel free. I'll leave once I'm finished." Chen Mobai's primary reason for coming was to find out the identity of the newly arrived Core Formation cultivator. Now that he knew it was the Daoist Scion of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect, his objective was fulfilled. While he remained very curious, he did not press for more information regarding Ye Qing's purpose. However, considering the reputation of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect, he could infer a good part of the reason. Were there demonic cultivators in the Eastern Barrens?

Realizing this, Chen Mobai thought of Hong He, who had left the sect a long time ago, and wondered how he was doing. He was a fine fellow disciple; had he not cultivated demonic arts, he might now be a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator within the sect, ready to prepare for the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill. Besides Hong He, there was also Tu Daohua, whom Grandma Ming had mentioned. He was undeniably a Core Formation cultivator, and a demonic cultivator of the ghostly path at that. Could Ye Qing have come specifically to eliminate him?

As Chen Mobai left the Heavenly Meal Pavilion, his thoughts raced, leading him to think of his disciple, Luo Yixuan. Although she did not cultivate demonic path techniques, her Core Formation was based on Yellow Spring spiritual energy, which was considered an unorthodox and potentially sinister path. To prevent her from being noticed by Ye Qing, Chen Mobai immediately ordered her to hand over the task of developing Blackwater to Yin Qingmei. The reason given was that demon beasts in the Cloud Dream Lake were surging again, with numerous third-tier demonic auras appearing. To prevent Windy Rain Dock from falling, she was to immediately go and provide support.

Luo Yixuan had always regarded Chen Mobai's words as divine commands; if he told her to go east, she would never go west. So, upon receiving the order, she didn't question it. She immediately handed over the Blackwater development task, packed her belongings overnight, and prepared to depart.

Originally, the fastest route for Luo Yixuan would have been to depart from the Rainbow Kingdom, cross the Eastern Barrens Plateau, and pass through North Abyss City to utilize the teleportation arrays of the major markets. However, Chen Mobai also instructed her to return to Giant Wood Ridge first, then lead ten Foundation Establishment cultivators and five hundred Qi Condensation cultivators from the Wood Lineage to provide support. To ensure Luo Yixuan understood the gravity of the situation, Chen Mobai had Qi Rui, who delivered the message, inform her that Ye Qing of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect was in North Abyss City. He instructed her that after reaching Windy Rain Dock, she was to request Zhou Shengqing to come and oversee matters in North Abyss City. Upon hearing this, Luo Yixuan, who had initially planned to detour through North Abyss City to see her revered Master, could only reluctantly abandon the idea. As her Core Formation was achieved with Yellow Spring spiritual energy, while not as reviled as outright demonic cultivation, it was still something that should ideally not be exposed to righteous cultivators. The last time Gu Zhiqin, a Core Formation cultivator from the Star Heaven Dao Sect, came to provide guidance on cultivating Great Sun Purple Rice, Chen Mobai had also arranged for Luo Yixuan, who was in the Rainbow Kingdom at the time, to avoid him.

Due to Ye Qing's unexpected arrival, Chen Mobai had to once again assume command in North Abyss City. Meanwhile, E Yun had also uncovered the background of the elderly cultivator who accompanied Ye Qing and his junior sister. He was Yu Hai, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator and an elder from Bathing Sun Sea responsible for their operations in the Eastern Barrens. East Yi and East Earth are connected by a large teleportation array, allowing direct travel between the two domains. This convenience is precisely why Golden Crow Immortal City, managed by Bathing Sun Sea, is undeniably the foremost Immortal City in East Yi. Many unique elixirs, magical artifacts, spiritual materials, medicinal herbs, and even cultivation legacies from East Earth can be acquired there. Ye Qing and his companions had arrived from East Earth. Although their reason for coming to the Eastern Barrens was unknown, he was certainly unfamiliar with the region, which was why he brought Yu Hai along.

"Sect Master, should we invite Yu Hai for a meeting?" E Yun asked, but Chen Mobai shook his head. "Wouldn't that obviously be an attempt to pry into Ye Qing's purpose for coming? Yu Hai certainly wouldn't hide such a meeting from Ye Qing afterward. It's better not to make gestures that could be misunderstood."

"Sect Master, if we could establish a connection with the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect, it would undoubtedly make it far easier to open markets in East Earth after unifying the Eastern Barrens in the future..." It was E Yun's first time encountering a legendary Holy Land successor, and a renowned Daoist Scion at that, which seemed to cloud his judgment.

"Some matters are not as beneficial as they appear." If he had his way, Chen Mobai would prefer that forces from East Yi, East Earth, and similar regions stayed away from the Eastern Barrens. He wished to unify the region quietly and develop it for a while, ideally only engaging with the outside world after he had formed his Nascent Soul. The Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect's presence must be related to demonic cultivators, and for Ye Qing, a Daoist Scion, to personally undertake this mission, the target must be no ordinary figure. That was why Chen Mobai wanted Zhou Shengqing to come.

Until Ye Qing proactively stated his purpose, Chen Mobai decided to maintain a calm demeanor and first resolve another pressing matter. "Xie Yuntian and Quan Shanlin have completed their tasks, haven't they? Send them to the Frost Kingdom battlefield." "Also, Zheng Deming. Now that Xuan'er has gone to Cloud Dream Lake, the Five Elements Sect's strength there is sufficient. Have him go and assist Jiang Zongheng." "To prevent Kong Lingling from engaging in dishonorable combat, please ask Senior Brother Fu to also leave seclusion and help oversee the army."

Chen Mobai's strongly worded letter had received no response after being sent to Blown Snow Palace, leaving him feeling deeply humiliated. What further infuriated him was that Yu Lian, the one who delivered the letter, had also gone missing. This immediately made Chen Mobai, who had originally intended to proceed slowly, unable to remain still. Yu Lian, possessing good talent, was already at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. In the entire Eastern Barrens, only Blown Snow Palace and Reverting Heaven Valley had the capability to apprehend him silently. The primary suspect was now Blown Snow Palace. Under these circumstances, if Ye Qing hadn't been in North Abyss City, Chen Mobai would have personally gone to confront Kong Lingling. However, since he could not leave, he could easily raise a powerful army of cultivators, capable of annihilating Blown Snow Palace, by mobilizing forces under his authority as Sect Master. Meng Hong had been dispatched to the front lines by Chen Mobai on the very day he learned of Yu Lian's disappearance. It was a pity that Mo Douguang was in seclusion, attempting to break through to the perfected Core Formation stage. Otherwise, he alone, with his sword, could have annihilated all resistance from Blown Snow Palace on the battlefield.

As soon as Chen Mobai's orders were issued, the vast Wood Lineage of the Five Elements Sect immediately sprang into action. Within just half a month, Fu Zongjue, Meng Hong, Xie Yuntian, Quan Shanlin, and Zheng Deming had all gathered under Jiang Zongheng's command. By this time, the army had amassed two Core Formation cultivators, four peak Foundation Establishment cultivators, twenty-seven ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, and hundreds of Qi Condensation cultivators. The third-tier grand array, established by Blown Snow Palace and relying on advantageous terrain, finally collapsed after half a month of arduous resistance, breached by Jiang Zongheng's army of cultivators. With the array broken, the Frost Kingdom was swiftly invaded by the Rock Kingdom army, led by Duan Shuyu. In just two months, they had breached twelve cities and advanced directly into the royal capital.

After the conquest of the Frost Kingdom, Jiang Zongheng once again led his army south. The cultivators of Blown Snow Palace, led by Sect Master Zhu Jinyu, comprising twenty-four Foundation Establishment cultivators and twelve hundred Qi Condensation cultivators, occupied the medium-sized spirit stone mine on the border. There, they set up an Ice and Snow Grand Array, intending to engage the Five Elements Sect in a decisive battle.

"True Person Fu, our Blown Snow Palace shares a lineage with the Ice Heaven Palace in East Earth. Are you not afraid of Old Ancestor Bingyun's wrath once she learns of this?"