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第五卷 天云十二州 第一千二百三十四章 拜访天巧门

Stroking his embroidered robe, a black object emerged. It was adorned with strange patterns that resembled a broken map.

Xiao Jian lowered his head and concentrated on examining it. As he looked, he turned to survey the surroundings. After a while, he took a deep breath and transformed into a streak of black light, flying forward.

On another side, Lin Xuan left the Thousand Shadow Sect's main hall but did not return to Jiuling Mountain. He had other matters to attend to; his immediate priority was to strengthen the power of the Eagle Nest Pavilion.

Unlike Youzhou, in this vast and boundless Yunzhou region, without an婴期 cultivator, a sect would struggle to survive.

Lin Xuan couldn't keep guarding them all the time, but their disciples' cultivation levels were too low. To prevent power from slipping away, Lin Xuan dared not recruit any婴期 cultivators. So, puppets became the best choice. However, only one sect in Yunzhou could craft infant期 puppets.

They ranked among the Seven Great Forces, though they didn't have the grand reputation of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect; they were the most mysterious.

The Xuanbing Prefecture was located in the northern part of Yunzhou. In terms of area, it was far smaller than Lingyun Mountain's region and counted as one of the least prosperous among Yunzhou’s seventy-two prefectures.

Despite its limited size, this prefecture was extremely wealthy, with countless famous mountains and a population of over ten billion ordinary people. The cultivation world was also thriving here.

In ancient times, there had been a martial artist in Xuanbing Prefecture who achieved the status of Heavenly Dao. According to legend, he heard about the legendary immortal traces on the ice plains and wanted to find the path to immortality. However, after entering, he never came out.

Cultivators were vastly different from ordinary people; no matter if you were a king or a Heavenly Dao expert, in the eyes of cultivators, all were mere ants.

The great snow mountain was the main hall of the Sky Art Twelve States' Seven Great Forces, and the Xuanbing Prefecture.

The so-called immortal traces merely meant that occasionally, some disciples from this sect would appear there.

There were no restrictions on the ice plains; ordinary people entering it was pure suicide.

Not only ordinary people, but even other cultivators of the Sky Art Twelve States had to be forbidden to enter without permission.

However, today in the morning, a dazzling streak of light suddenly appeared above the ice plains. It flew into the area at high speed with no reservations.

After about half an hour, the wind and snow in the ice plains intensified dramatically. What was not ordinary snow but chunks of ice as big as palm-sized. However, the streak of light seemed to ignore them completely, as if nothing had happened. In less than a quarter of an hour, it would fly out of the ice plains.

Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed in his ears.

The figure inside the streak of light frowned as the surrounding light gradually dispersed, revealing a plain-looking young man—Lin Xuan himself.

Of course, though he looked ordinary, this was quite different from his original appearance. The mask given by Meng Ruoyan was indeed useful; after all, the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect's pursuit order had not been canceled yet, and Lin Xuan didn't want to reveal his identity.

Although the mask was made by Sky Art as well, only that sect’s Separation Period cultivator could recognize it. Others would have no idea.

Lin Xuan stopped the streak of light because he unknowingly entered an array formation.

Around him, lightning flashed, and there were hailstones as big as heads… No, they were ice属性 lightning.

The power of this array was enough to kill a condensation期 cultivator; even an early-stage infant期 cultivator would suffer some pain. However, Lin Xuan paid no attention to it at all. A flash of green light enveloped his body, and the Nine Heaven Spirit Shield opened. Lightning or those yin属性 lightning were like ants trying to shake a tree—no effect. A hint of satisfaction appeared on Lin Xuan's lips.

He was quite satisfied with his own powers. Then he waved his sleeves, and five-colored sword qi shot out…

Although Lin Xuan understood array formation techniques, he had no time for detailed studies; he directly broke through the barrier forcefully!

A flash of spirit light, a thunderous explosion echoed in his ears. The nearby several flags vanished, and everything else—lightning and hailstones—disappeared as well, revealing clear skies.

After breaking the array, Lin Xuan was about to continue on his journey when he paused again.

His eyes narrowed as he looked into the distance; several streaks of light entered his vision. This wasn't unusual; after breaking the array, it would naturally attract the attention of Sky Art's patrol cultivators. They quickly approached him.

The leader seemed around forty years old, with three long strands of beard, and had a rather peculiar appearance. His cultivation level was at late-stage condensation期.

Lin Xuan couldn’t help but secretly nod. No wonder they were one of the Seven Great Forces; even their patrol disciples possessed such strength.

Seeing that his sect's restrictions had been broken, the man’s face showed anger. Someone dared to challenge Sky Art—had he grown too old and foolish?

Before he could curse, however, he first used his divine sense to scan Lin Xuan.

After a quick scan, he swallowed his curses and replaced them with respectful expressions: "I am Outer Hall Deputy Director Wei Bo of the Sky Art Sect. I wish you well, Senior. Could you tell me why you came here? Are you looking for friends or family?"

His divine sense wasn’t weak; he immediately recognized Lin Xuan as an infant期 cultivator. Although Sky Art didn't fear a mere great cultivator, there was no need to provoke enemies.

Hearing that Lin Xuan was an infant期 cultivator, the other two remained silent but showed extreme respect on their faces. "I came here not for friends or family, but for business. Do you think we can help?"

Bo Wei was taken aback but quickly understood. Unlike other sects in the Seven Great Forces, Sky Art had a wide range of expertise beyond its cultivation techniques.

The so-called "art" wasn't just a saying; it involved alchemy, crafting, array formations, puppetry—virtually everything.

Sky Art's cultivators were the most numerous among the seven sects because many needed low-rank disciples for tasks like alchemy and crafting. Over two hundred thousand cultivators lived in the great snow mountain.

Tianya Haige was extremely strict with its recruitment standards; so were the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and Liuyao Palace, but Sky Art had different criteria. They didn’t necessarily require good灵根, just proficiency in certain skills.

Of course, these people couldn't go far on their cultivation path and were used as laborers.

Everyone understood this, yet the Seven Great Forces' reputations were so impressive that countless cultivators still wanted to join each year. Even if it was like a moth to a flame, good fortune could turn them into phoenixes.

For example, Sky Art's current sect leader had no outstanding abilities when he first entered; he was assigned to the alchemy room as an apprentice. Later, through chance and opportunity, he caught the attention of a high-ranking figure in Sky Art. After many twists and turns, he eventually rose to his current position.

Such things happened repeatedly over thousands of years, attracting countless cultivators like moths to a flame.

Sky Art had a wide range of expertise but didn't actively engage in business. However, many cultivators from the twelve states came here every year hoping for opportunities.

Whether they would do business depended on specific circumstances—such as the visitor's cultivation level and willingness to pay.

Although Lin Xuan looked unfamiliar, Bo Wei treated him with utmost respect as an infant期 cultivator: "I am the Outer Hall Deputy Director; I only handle patrols. However, guiding you is within my duties. Please follow me."

After a bow, he flew forward slowly, and the other two followed without objection. Lin Xuan smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your trouble." Then he followed the streak of light.

They encountered several minor restrictions, which Bo Wei stopped one by one. The sect’s protective array was too costly to activate in normal times. Soon, they entered Sky Art's core under his guidance.

They were not worried about outsiders; after all, Sky Art was among Yunzhou’s Seven Great Forces with many powerful cultivators. A mere infant期 challenge was like an old man trying suicide—foolish.

Lin Xuan remained calm and composed because he indeed came for business. Moreover, his powers rivaled Separation Period, so self-defense wasn’t a problem.

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