A Useless Person Awakens to the Eternal Spirit Emperor Technique

Chapter 7 Journey to the Northern Wilderness, A Hidden Enemy Accompanying Us

Ling Chen and Su Qinghe's figures quickly disappeared at the edge of the wasteland north of Wanbao City.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the withered yellow meadow stretched as far as the eye could see. The wind whipped up sand and gravel, stinging their faces with a biting chill. Su Qinghe quickened her pace to walk alongside Ling Chen, her blue skirt brushing against the withered grass with a soft rustling sound.

"Ling Chen, are you really sure you want to go to the Northern Wilderness Forbidden Land?" she couldn't help but ask, her voice trembling slightly in the wind. "I've heard that even Golden Core cultivators have a nine-out-of-ten chance of dying if they go in there, and you're only at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment..."

Ling Chen didn't stop walking. His gaze swept across the hazy horizon in the distance, and his tone was calm but carried an undeniable firmness: "We must go."

He rubbed the storage bag in his palm. Inside, besides the supplies prepared by Wanbao Pavilion, was the black token engraved with the follow-up to the Eternal Spirit Emperor Technique. In his previous life, he had stopped at the Spirit Emperor Realm and knew very little about the specific opportunities in the Chaos Relics. But now, with each step forward, he was one step closer to the truth.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Su Qinghe stopped trying to persuade him. She simply gripped her short sword tighter and scanned the surrounding wasteland warily. Although her cultivation was inferior to Ling Chen's, she had spent many years training outside and was extremely sensitive to danger.

The two traveled north, covering nearly a hundred miles on the first day. At noon, the sun pierced through the clouds, and the withered grass on the wasteland was scorched. Ling Chen stopped, took out a water pouch from his storage bag, and handed a bottle to Su Qinghe: "Rest for half an hour and replenish your strength."

Su Qinghe took the water pouch, tilted her head back and drank two mouthfuls, then took out dry rations from her backpack—dried meat and wheat cakes specially made by Wanbaoge, with a firm texture that could quickly replenish energy. She handed a wheat cake to Ling Chen, only to see him looking down at the rough animal hide map, his fingertips tracing the four ancient characters "Northern Wilderness Forbidden Land," his brows slightly furrowed.

"The 'Wuwang Gobi' marked on the map is just thirty miles ahead," Ling Chen looked up and pointed to a red dot on the map. "There are sandstorms there all year round, and there are also quicksand traps, so we have to take a detour."

Su Qinghe leaned closer to examine it, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes: "You can actually understand these ancient runes? I asked the ancient book expert at Wanbaoge before, and he said that these runes have long been lost and no one can recognize them."

Ling Chen smiled faintly and said nothing more. In his previous life, he had been in charge of the Spirit Emperor's inheritance and was already thoroughly familiar with the ancient runes; this was merely the most basic of the basics.

Just as the two were about to leave, Su Qinghe suddenly raised her hand to signal Ling Chen to be quiet, and said in a low voice, "There's movement."

Ling Chen immediately concealed his aura and quietly spread his divine sense. A moment later, he sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from the grass in the distance—the fluctuation was weak but cold, carrying a familiar and malevolent aura.

"They're from the Netherworld Valley." Ling Chen's eyes turned cold.

He had received the letter from Youming Valley three days ago and knew that they would not give up easily, but he did not expect them to catch up so quickly.

The two quickly hid in the bushes behind a sloping hill, holding their breath. A short while later, three dark figures sped past, skimming the grass. Their black robes were embroidered with dark gold skull patterns, the insignia of the Netherworld Valley disciples.

The leader of the men in black glanced back at the direction where Ling Chen and Su Qinghe were hiding, a look of doubt flashing in his eyes, but he did not stop and continued to chase after Wanbao City.

"They seem to be looking for something?" Su Qinghe asked softly, her palms slightly sweaty.

"Find me." Ling Chen said calmly, a wisp of golden spiritual energy already gathering at his fingertips. "The Netherworld Valley wants the Chaos Jade Pendant, and it's only a matter of time before they catch up. However, they only sent three disciples at the early stage of Core Formation, so they are nothing to fear."

Su Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief, then became worried again: "But what if there are even more people..."

"Then let's fight." Ling Chen said succinctly, withdrawing his spiritual energy. "Let's keep going; the sandstorm in the Wuwang Gobi Desert is coming soon."

The two got up and continued on their way. They had only walked a few miles when they heard a howling wind behind them. Looking back, they saw a yellow wall of sand rising from the distant horizon, sweeping in at an extremely fast speed. The humidity in the air suddenly dropped, and the sand and gravel pelted against them with a crackling sound.

"It's a sandstorm!" Su Qinghe exclaimed.

Ling Chen made a quick decision: "Quick, find somewhere to hide!"

He quickly scanned the surroundings and spotted a natural rock cave not far away. He immediately pulled Su Qinghe along and rushed over. The cave wasn't large, but it was enough for the two of them to hide in. Ling Chen took out a sand-repelling talisman from his storage bag and stuck it to the entrance of the cave. The talisman instantly emitted a light blue glow, blocking the howling sandstorm outside.

The sound of the sandstorm grew louder and louder, and the whole world seemed to be shrouded in a yellow fog. Su Qinghe leaned against a rock, panting heavily, and looked at Ling Chen with more admiration in her eyes. If it weren't for Ling Chen's quick reaction, the two of them would probably have been swept away by the sandstorm, their fates unknown.

"I didn't expect you to even have a sand-avoiding talisman," she said softly.

Ling Chen said calmly, "The supplies prepared by Wanbaoge are quite practical." He paused, then added, "After the sandstorm, the quicksand in the Wuwang Gobi will be more active, so we need to watch our step."

Su Qinghe nodded, took out a night lamp from her storage bag, lit it, and placed it in the hollow. The light was dim, but it dispelled some of the oppressive feeling of the darkness. The two remained silent, quietly waiting for the sandstorm to pass.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of the sandstorm gradually subsided. Ling Chen removed the sand-repelling talisman and peeked out to check. He saw that the outside world was a mess, withered grass was blown into pieces, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of sand and gravel.

"The sandstorm is over," he said, turning back to Su Qinghe.

The two emerged from the cave and continued their journey. The ground along the way became softer, and from time to time, white bones could be seen protruding from the sand. Some belonged to demonic beasts, while others belonged to human cultivators, which made Su Qinghe's heart tighten.

"Someone must have been here before, but couldn't get out," she said softly.

Ling Chen didn't speak, but kept walking, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. He could sense that in addition to the smell of sand and dust, there was also a faint, chilling aura in the air—the aura of the Netherworld Valley disciples, who had been following him relentlessly.

As dusk fell, the two finally emerged from the Boundless Gobi Desert and arrived at a hilly area. On the distant horizon, a continuous black mountain range could be vaguely seen; that was the edge of the Northern Wilderness Forbidden Land.

Ling Chen stopped, took out the map and carefully checked it. After confirming that the direction was correct, he said to Su Qinghe, "Let's camp here tonight and enter the Northern Wilderness Forbidden Area early tomorrow morning."

Su Qinghe nodded and began setting up camp. She skillfully erected the temporary tent and then took out a moisture-proof mat to lay on the ground. Ling Chen went to find a water source nearby and quickly returned with a leather bag of clear spring water.

Night fell, and the night in the Northern Wilderness was exceptionally cold. Su Qinghe lit a campfire, the flickering flames illuminating their faces. She roasted a few pieces of dried meat and handed one to Ling Chen: "Ling Chen, do you think we'll be able to find the Chaos Ruins this time?"

Ling Chen looked at the flickering campfire, a glint of certainty in his eyes: "Yes."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a reassuring strength. Looking into his determined eyes, Su Qinghe's worries lessened considerably, and she nodded: "Then I believe you."

Just then, Ling Chen suddenly raised his hand, a flash of spiritual energy appeared at his fingertips, and shot towards a large tree outside the tent.

"Who?"

A dark figure fell from the tree with a muffled groan; it was a disciple of the Netherworld Valley.

"Young Master Ling has a good eye." The dark figure pulled off the mask from his face, revealing a sinister face. "I am Zhou Tong from Youming Valley. I have come on the orders of the Valley Master to invite Young Master Ling to visit Youming Valley."

Ling Chen stood up, walked to the campfire, and looked at him coldly: "An invitation? Or a kidnapping?"

Zhou Tong grinned maliciously, "Young Master Ling, why say such things? As long as you hand over the Chaos Jade Pendant, the Valley Master will naturally not make things difficult for you and this young lady. Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Before he could finish speaking, two more dark figures darted out from behind Zhou Tong. They were the other two of the three Netherworld Valley disciples who had lost track of them earlier. The three formed a triangle, surrounding Ling Chen and Su Qinghe.

Su Qinghe immediately gripped her short sword, stood up, and stood in front of Ling Chen, her eyes warily fixed on the three of them: "Ling Chen, be careful!"

Ling Chen patted her shoulder, indicating that she didn't need to worry, and slowly took a step forward, golden spiritual energy flowing slowly around him: "I've seen plenty of people from the Netherworld Valley. You think the three of you can stop me?"

Zhou Tong's face darkened, and he coldly snorted, "You're courting death! Attack!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the three disciples of Youming Valley attacked simultaneously, their chilling poisonous spiritual energy sweeping towards Ling Chen. The poisoned blades in their hands gleamed coldly, aiming straight for Ling Chen's vital points.

Ling Chen's eyes turned cold. He stomped his foot, and his figure vanished from the spot in an instant. Circulating his chaotic energy, his speed far surpassed that of cultivators of the same level, easily dodging the attacks of the three. Then, he raised his hand and struck out with a palm, golden spiritual energy surging out like a giant wave, slamming heavily into the three disciples.

"puff!"

The three disciples simultaneously coughed up a mouthful of blood, flew backward, and crashed heavily to the ground, their life force instantly waning.

Zhou Tong's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Ling Chen to be so powerful—a Foundation Establishment Level 6 cultivator who could easily crush three Nascent Soul Stage 8 cultivators. He gritted his teeth, took out a black pill from his pocket, and swallowed it in one gulp. His aura instantly surged, and he broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage 8!

"Ling Chen, don't be so arrogant!" Zhou Tong's eyes flashed with ferocity. "This is an explosive pill from the Netherworld Valley. It burns one's own cultivation to temporarily boost strength. Today, even if it costs me my life, I will take you down!"

After saying that, Zhou Tong flashed forward, carrying a strong and cold aura, and pounced on Ling Chen. The poisoned blade in his hand was condensed with rich poisonous spiritual energy and went straight for Ling Chen's chest.

Ling Chen's eyes were indifferent. He raised his hand and grasped the poisoned blade. Golden spiritual energy instantly enveloped the blade, dissolving all the poisonous spiritual energy on it. He gently twisted it, and with a "crack," the poisoned blade broke in two.

"Is that all you've got?" Ling Chen said coldly, kicking Zhou Tong squarely in the chest.

Zhou Tong let out a piercing scream, and his whole body flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the rocks. Blood kept gushing from his mouth, and it was clear that he would not survive.

The remaining two disciples of Youming Valley were terrified when they saw this and turned to run away.

"Trying to leave?" Ling Chen's eyes turned cold as he gathered two golden spiritual energies at his fingertips and shot them toward the backs of the two men.

The spiritual energy struck precisely, and the two disciples staggered a few steps, fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and then died.

The area around the campfire instantly returned to calm, with only the crackling sound of burning firewood remaining.

Su Qinghe walked to Ling Chen's side, looked at the corpse on the ground, and patted her chest with lingering fear: "Luckily you are strong, otherwise we would have been in danger today."

Ling Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping across the darkness in the distance, and said in a deep voice, "The Netherworld Valley won't just send this many people. The road ahead will be even more dangerous."

He knew that he had only dealt with three minor figures today; the real trouble was yet to come.

Su Qinghe realized this as well, and her expression turned serious: "Then what do we do? Should we find a place to hide and wait for things to calm down before leaving?"

Ling Chen shook his head: "We can't wait. The enemy already knows where we are. The longer we hide, the more reinforcements they will send. We must speed up and get to the Chaos Ruins as soon as possible."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, only by becoming stronger can one survive in this forbidden land of the Northern Wilderness."

After speaking, Ling Chen turned and walked into the tent, took out the black token, and began to cultivate. Golden spiritual energy surged from his body, merging with the chaotic energy, and his cultivation speed was astonishing.

Su Qinghe watched his retreating figure, her eyes filled with admiration. She knew that Ling Chen was not only incredibly strong, but also possessed a determination and perseverance far beyond that of ordinary people. Following someone like him, she was confident that she could persevere no matter how perilous the road ahead.

As night deepened, the outline of the forbidden northern wilderness became increasingly clear in the darkness. A journey concerning both opportunity and life and death had only just begun. And in the shadows, a pair of eyes remained fixed on Ling Chen's figure, a strange smile playing on their lips.

"The successor of the Eternal Spirit Emperor... Interesting, truly interesting."

"Deep within the forbidden lands of the Northern Wilderness, many more surprises await you. Take your time."