People fight and become emperors in advance

Chapter 262 Heavenly Rank Cultivation Technique, Extraordinary Phenomena of Heaven and Earth!
It's hard to imagine that a sect with a Dou Zun expert in charge only has a total of about two hundred people.

This number is even greater than that of the outer disciples of the Purple Cloud Pavilion.

The interior of Huangfeng Valley is very large, but there are very few disciples, which makes it seem very desolate. Walking through it, you can hardly see any disciples moving around.

After wandering around the valley square for more than ten minutes, an elderly man in a yellow robe who looked like an elder finally appeared in front of Chen Xiao.

"My little friend, please stay."

Chen Xiao looked up and sized up the old man. He was only a two-star Dou Zong, nothing special.

It's quite puzzling that someone could see an outsider walking in the valley without confronting them or being questioned; on the contrary, they seemed quite polite.

The same was true of some of the Yellow Maple Valley disciples we encountered along the way; their lack of vigilance made it seem as if this was not a sect but a trading square, which was truly hard to understand.

If this happened at Zixiao Pavilion, the elder in charge of this matter would be fired.

"I am Han Feiyu. Young friend, you have been wandering around the valley for a quarter of an hour, but you still haven't gone to the Pill Hall. It seems you are not here to seek medicine?"

Seeing Chen Xiao looking at him, the old man pondered and said.

Asking for medicine?

Chen Xiao was even more puzzled.

In his perception, apart from that Dou Zun powerhouse he had never met before, there was no other Spirit Realm soul in the valley.

In other words, there could not be an eighth-grade alchemist.

Alchemists below the eighth rank are not uncommon in the Central Plains, so why would anyone specifically come to a secluded sect to seek medicine?

Moreover, judging from what the other party said, this seems to happen quite frequently.

"It seems that you are not from within ten thousand miles, but have come from afar. The reason why my Yellow Maple Valley has been able to maintain itself to this day is because of accepting alchemy commissions. This is no secret within ten thousand miles. Unfortunately, the alchemy hall is now facing a shortage of talent, and people coming to seek medicine are becoming increasingly rare."

Noticing Chen Xiao's expression, the old man explained.

That's it!

Chen Xiao suddenly realized that although it was hard to imagine a reclusive sect relying solely on alchemy to survive without other means of livelihood, the Dou Qi Continent was so vast and full of wonders that the emergence of such an anomaly was understandable.

"Thank you for your explanation, Elder Han. My purpose in coming to the valley is to meet Elder Duanmu Yang of your esteemed valley. I wonder if you could introduce me?"

Chen Xiao nodded slightly, showing no intention of getting involved in Huangfeng Valley's affairs, and directly stated his purpose.

This trip is solely for the purpose of obtaining the Nine-Colored Raw Stone, in order to complete the subsequent prepayment.

The rest is none of his business.

"Elder Duanmu... sigh, come with me."

Elder Han looked surprised for a moment, then sighed and turned to lead the way.

Chen Xiao was surprised that he could meet people so easily.

Little did Elder Han know that Chen Xiao's ability to enter Huangfeng Valley at this time and remain inactive for so long suggested that he had no malicious intent.

In addition, although Huangfeng Valley is in decline, it still has a Dou Zun-level master in charge. If Chen Xiao harbors any evil intentions, he can easily suppress him.

After all, although he couldn't see through Chen Xiao's strength, judging from Chen Xiao's young appearance, no matter how talented he was, he couldn't possibly have a high level of cultivation.

Following Elder Han through winding paths, they climbed a steep cliffside path and finally arrived at a courtyard built on the cliff face in a valley.

The cliffs here are deeply recessed, and the courtyards are nestled within them, making them difficult to spot when viewed from above.

"Old Yang, someone has come to see you."

After knocking on the courtyard gate, Elder Han led Chen Xiao inside.

What came into view was an elderly man lying on his back in a recliner, nearing the end of his life.

The old man had a gaunt face covered in lividity, and his aura was like a candle flame that might be extinguished at any moment in the cold wind, as if he were about to pass away.

Upon hearing Elder Han's voice, Elder Duanmu Yang struggled to sit up, his cloudy eyes sweeping over.

"Old Yang, you talk to him and see if he's the one you've been waiting for. I'm going to get back to work now."

Elder Han clasped his hands in a fist salute, sighed, and left.

No one paid any attention to Elder Han. A glimmer of hope appeared in Duanmu Yang's cloudy eyes, and his aged voice slowly rang out from his mouth.

"Young friend...do you...do you know Yiqing?"

Chen Xiao didn't understand what he meant, but he didn't try to hide the thoughts of a dying man and shook his head truthfully.

“I don’t know you. I’ve come to see you because I heard that you have a seven-colored raw stone. It is useful to me, so I’ve come to exchange it for you.”

In the entire Yellow Maple Valley, the strongest person is only a three-star Dou Zun, so Chen Xiao is not worried about being overcharged.

If the other party really thinks he's a fool, he doesn't mind using some extreme measures.

Chen Xiao is determined to get the nine-colored raw stone!
Upon hearing Chen Xiao's answer, a hint of disappointment flashed across Duanmu Yang's eyes, mixed with a touch of relief.

He smiled, and withered hand slightly raised, taking out a fist-sized pebble with colorful patterns on its surface.

Without the slightest reluctance, Duanmu Yang lightly raised his hand, and the seven-colored raw stone flew towards Chen Xiao.

"You can't take it with you when you're born, and you can't take it with you when you die. It's just a useless thing, so I'll give it to you, my young friend."

Even after holding it in his hand, Chen Xiao was still somewhat dazed.

I never expected things to go so smoothly!
Unable to confirm whether the seven-colored raw stone was the nine-colored one he needed, Chen Xiao put it into his storage ring.

In an instant, the pre-funded information in my mind was updated.

[The advance payment for the nine-colored raw stones has been completed!]

Seeing the advance payment information refreshed, Chen Xiao no longer had any doubts.

Looking up at the old man opposite him, Chen Xiao bowed slightly.

"I cannot accept a reward without merit. You may make a condition, and as long as it is not too troublesome, I will fulfill it for you."

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Yang shook his head slightly, "I am already old. I originally had about twenty more years of life left, but after using the secret technique last time, my lifespan was exhausted, and I am now a dying man."

"In my life, I started practicing Qi at the age of four, condensed the Qi vortex of Dou at the age of ten, and advanced to the Dou Zong at the age of thirty-six. It took me more than two hundred years to break through to the Dou Zun level. Although I am unwilling, I can still consider it a fulfillment."

The lifespan of a Dou Zong powerhouse is far more than this.

Of course, only a minority of people can live to the theoretical limit of lifespan.

Throughout one's life, battles large and small, the wounds left behind, and even the use of secret techniques when necessary, all affect lifespan.

"To my shame, I have spent my life cultivating myself and have never been involved in any romantic relationships. However, due to an accident, I had a daughter late in life, which made me a laughing stock in Huangfeng Valley."

"That girl, Yi Qing, couldn't stand the strange looks from others. A few years ago, she broke through to the Dou Wang realm and went out to train. She hasn't returned since. Last year, I received a letter from her. At that time, she had already gone to the Northwest Continent. That was the last time I received a message from her."

"A few months ago, the Cangming Sect attacked. I had no choice but to use a secret technique to repel the enemy, but it also exhausted my lifespan."

"On my deathbed, I sent a message to the place where Qing had mentioned in her letter, but there has been no reply to this day."

"When I saw my young friend arrive just now, I was both hoping to hear news of her and worried about hearing bad news. Fortunately, no news is the best news."

After hearing the whole story, Chen Xiao finally understood the emotions in the other person's eyes.

If one were not involved, this would be just one of the countless anecdotes in the Dou Qi Continent.

But experiencing it firsthand now makes one feel a bit more wistful.

"Given my current condition, I am certain that I will never see Yiqing again in this lifetime, and this is probably my only regret."

"Yellow Maple Valley is not involved in worldly affairs. Young friend, you are not from Yellow Maple Valley. If there is even a one in a billion chance that you might meet my daughter someday, please tell her that the uncles and elders in the valley are actually very kind and have never really made fun of her. Please do not... hold a grudge because of this."

Chen Xiao nodded.

Finding someone in a vast sea of ​​people is difficult for others, but for Chen Xiao now, all he needs to do is know what unique things the other person has, and with the help of advance payment, he can easily find them.

However, when Chen Xiao looked up to ask, he found that the old man on the recliner seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength with his words and had peacefully closed his eyes.

A powerful expert at the peak of the Dou Zong realm passed away quietly.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

The long, drawn-out sound of bells echoed through the valley, reverberating endlessly.

Clearly, Huangfeng Valley also has a method similar to the Soul Thunder Tablet for confirming life and death.

The space distorted slightly, and a figure quietly appeared in the courtyard.

This was a middle-aged man who would be easily overlooked in a crowd, giving the impression of a street vendor you might see anywhere in a market.

However, his cultivation level was quite impressive. His identity was obvious: he was none other than the Valley Master of Yellow Maple Valley, a powerful three-star Dou Zun!
The middle-aged man appeared, first glancing at Duanmu Yang, who was no longer alive, and then sighed deeply before turning his gaze to the only witness in the room.

One glance was enough to freeze him in place.

Even though the person was standing right there, with his strength, he couldn't sense him at all. If he closed his eyes, it was as if the place where Chen Xiao was was empty, and no one existed at all.

This situation is completely different from the situation where the cultivation level cannot be sensed by others when using secret techniques; there is only one explanation.

The person in front of him is stronger than him!
Moreover, it's not just a little bit stronger!
"Yi Ziqian greets Senior! I was unaware of your arrival..."

Chen Xiao waved his hand to interrupt, "I've only come here to make a deal with him. You can take his body to make his funeral arrangements. I'll just look around here and won't interfere with anything in Huangfeng Valley."

The Valley Master of Huangfeng Valley dared not ask any further questions, nodded in agreement, bowed respectfully, picked up the old man's body, and disappeared from the spot in one step.

Chen Xiao was the only one left in the courtyard. He shook his head slightly and walked towards the two bookshelves that were clearly visible in the open room.

On that bookshelf were several very conspicuous letters.

The owner of this place has already passed away, and the Valley Master of Huangfeng Valley has also given his consent, so there is no question of invading other people's privacy.

Chen Xiao didn't rush to leave because he wanted to see if he could find any clues about Duanmu Yiqing from the letters left behind.

Since he had already received the benefits, Chen Xiao didn't mind helping him fulfill this small last wish, just to keep him occupied and pass the time.

That night, Chen Xiao put the letters back where they belonged.

From these letters, he gained a general understanding of Duanmu Yiqing's personality and appearance, but unfortunately, he did not find the rare object that could be used to determine her location.

"With the strength of a Battle King or above, it's not difficult to protect oneself in the Northwest Continent as long as one is clever."

Chen Xiao shook his head slightly, temporarily abandoning his plan to continue the investigation.

The release of soul perception revealed a faint sadness permeating the entire Yellow Maple Valley. This showed that although Yellow Maple Valley had fallen into such a state of decline, the atmosphere within the valley was still quite harmonious.

No one bothered Chen Xiao. Occasionally, disciples of Huangfeng Valley would pass by the foot of the cliff, speaking in hushed tones. This behavior must have been due to instructions given by the Valley Master, Yi Ziqian.

Chen Xiao was happy to agree. He took a deep breath and immediately began communicating the pre-requisite information in his mind without further hesitation.

"Shouldn't I be able to directly borrow a high-level Heaven-rank cultivation technique in advance?"

[Ice-attribute Heavenly Rank Advanced Technique "Ice Prison Codex": Available for advance payment.]

[Advance payment follow-up: Read one million volumes and reach the strength of a Dou Sheng!]

【Do you want to advance payment? 】

"Yes."

Chen Xiao had already thought about how to use the advance payment opportunity several times, and seeing the follow-up to the advance payment now, he confirmed it without hesitation.

As soon as the thought crossed Chen Xiao's mind, he felt a stream of information that was both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar flooding into his mind, like old wine in new bottles—the same packaging, but the contents had been upgraded.

It took two or three minutes for the feeling of being 'infused' to completely disappear.

[Advance payment for the follow-up progress of "Ice Prison Codex"]

(72566/1000000)

Looking at the string of numbers in his mind, Chen Xiao was speechless.

Since completing the follow-up to the pre-requisite cultivation technique, although he has maintained the habit of reading scriptures in his spare time, he no longer deliberately collects them in order to complete the follow-up as before.

So much so that over the years, the number has only increased by a little over 20,000.

Chen Xiao silently calculated that now that he possessed the Bodhi Heart within him, as long as he refined it, advancing to the Dou Sheng realm would not be difficult.

So, the follow-up is actually not difficult.

However, it will take quite a long time to complete.

"We've exhausted all three advance opportunities, and it'll be quite difficult to complete the Bodhi Heart and the subsequent cultivation techniques in the short term. We'll have to put more effort into the Tianbei Ruins."

The ability to borrow opportunities in advance is one of Chen Xiao's biggest trump cards. Even if he encounters danger, he can borrow some related things in advance to get through the crisis. Just like when he went to the far north, it was because he had the opportunity to borrow in advance that Chen Xiao was able to act with confidence.

Now that the opportunity has been exhausted, we must be even more cautious if we encounter something like this again.

Having made up his mind, Chen Xiao stopped thinking and focused his attention on the Heavenly Rank cultivation technique he had been longing for.

"High-level Heaven Rank, there should be even more mysteries involved, right?"

With anticipation, Chen Xiao slowly closed his eyes.

After a short while, when he opened his eyes again, the joy in his eyes was hard to hide.

The Heaven-rank high-level "Ice Prison Codex" is worlds apart from the Earth-rank high-level version!

Among the benefits, such as increasing cultivation speed and expanding the 'blue bar', there's no need to elaborate. What satisfied Chen Xiao the most were the two unique features of this cultivation technique.

After this technique was upgraded to the advanced Heaven Rank, it actually allowed him to increase the number of Ice Soul Talismans in his body to a full nine!

In other words, if it comes down to a contest of attrition in the future, Chen Xiao alone is enough to be equivalent to ten people of the same realm who cultivate the same level of techniques!

Even if it is used to self-destruct against the enemy, its power is greatly enhanced!
"From now on, it truly will be a one-man army..."

In addition, this technique has an additional unique feature after it is upgraded to the advanced Heaven Rank.

That is, one can take out the Ice Soul Talisman from the body and leave a trace of intention in it to preserve it, up to a maximum of nine.

These extracted Ice Soul Talismans appear ordinary like regular jade pendants, but when in danger, they can form an external avatar, unleashing 60% of the original body's power, until the Ice Soul Talisman's energy is exhausted before dissipating!

Recalling the introduction to the cultivation technique, Chen Xiao nodded in satisfaction.

Developing a greater number of Ice Soul Talismans, and ensuring their long-term preservation even after extraction from the body, has always been his focus.

The act of storing one's thoughts within it to form an external avatar seems to be inspired by the forbidden techniques in the "Heavenly Wind Soul Codex" and the formation of the Three Thousand Thunder Illusionary Bodies.

As Chen Xiao pondered this, he felt his mind flowing with ideas and inspiration.

After sitting quietly for half the night, Chen Xiao finally came to his senses.

This detached Ice Soul Talisman can only exert 60% of its power, and its duration is limited. It may seem to have little effect, but in fact, it has a lot of potential applications.

Leaving aside everything else, let me just mention one point.

In the future, when Chen Xiao's closest people, such as Yao Yao and the baby in Cao Ying's womb, grow up and want to go out for training, Chen Xiao can give them an Ice Soul Talisman for protection. In this way, Chen Xiao can feel more at ease when they are traveling alone.

Based on this alone, Chen Xiao found it hard to refuse.

Sixty percent of their strength may not seem like much, but it is already terrifying.

Take Chen Xiao as an example. Even if he only uses 60% of his strength, he is confident that he can crush most of the eight-star Dou Zun!
"This is a great treasure! From now on, I'll use this cultivation technique..."

"Let's call it 'Nine Chapters of the Frosty Soul'!"

The advanced Heaven Rank has reached the limit of the Dou Qi Continent, and it is unlikely that it can be improved further.

After a moment's consideration, Chen Xiao quietly changed his name to one that was more fitting for the occasion.

With a slight smile, Chen Xiao stopped thinking about it and sat down cross-legged, forming cultivation hand seals.

As Chen Xiao entered a meditative state, the entire Yellow Maple Valley, along with the vast Golden River it was situated in, shook violently as if an earth dragon had turned over.

One after another, figures, still shaken, soared into the sky, eventually all looking toward where Chen Xiao was.

They could clearly sense that this intense energy fluctuation was emanating from there.

"boom!"

Just as the people of Huangfeng Valley were looking around in surprise and uncertainty, suddenly, a huge crack appeared on the cliff, and then extremely dense, frigid mist spread out, causing the temperature between heaven and earth to drop to freezing point.

The mist rose into the sky, obscuring the sun and quickly concealing the brilliant Milky Way, revealing not a trace of starlight.

At the same time, thick dark clouds suddenly appeared in the sky, and a fierce wind howled and blew incessantly.

The Valley Master of Huangfeng Valley stared in shock, when suddenly he felt a cool sensation on his cheek.

Looking up, I saw snow falling all over the sky, stretching for thousands of miles!
"Snow? It's snowing!"

"How could it possibly snow here, given that we're located in a fire vein?"

One after another, some disciples raised their voices in surprise and doubt.

The Valley Master of Huangfeng Valley was also slightly taken aback by this scene.

After a moment, he seemed to finally realize something, and his gaze suddenly turned to where Chen Xiao was, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"This is an extraordinary phenomenon! A Heaven-Rank cultivation technique has been born?!"

(End of this chapter)