FVN Chapter 634 The Great Grassland! The Third Prince, Zhao Jin!
Chapter 634 The Great Grassland! The Third Prince, Zhao Jin!
"That's enough," Zhao Ying finally spoke, her voice booming.
He stepped forward, blocking Chen Fan and Song Tianren, his gaze sweeping over them both. He said in a deep voice, "You two are here to participate in the Hundred Sects Conference, not to fight. If you have any personal grudges, you can fight however you want after the assessment is over and you return to the capital. I will not interfere. But within my territory, during the Hundred Sects Conference, if anyone dares to fight amongst themselves, don't blame me for not giving them face."
Song Tianren stared at Zhao Ying for a moment, then gave Chen Fan a deep look, a cold smile slowly curving his lips: "Very well. Chen Fan, I'm not in a hurry. The arena at the Hundred Sects Tournament is unpredictable; I'll have plenty of opportunities to personally twist your head off. By then, I'll see if your mouth is still so stubborn."
He turned and walked back to Duan Wuliang's side, his black robe fluttering in the wind!
Chen Fan didn't look at Song Tianren again, but simply cupped his hands in greeting to Zhao Ying: "Fifth Prince, it's getting late, we should set off."
Zhao Ying nodded and led the three of them toward another teleportation hall of the Military Formation Division.
The First Prince's men followed closely behind, and the Fourth Prince's and Third Prince's men also caught up. The three groups were divided into three columns, maintaining a delicate distance from each other.
The teleportation hall is located at the deepest part of Zhenhai Pass. It is built entirely of black iron stone, and a fifth-level long-distance teleportation array is engraved inside.
The array patterns were more than ten times more complex than ordinary teleportation arrays, operating with dozens of top-grade spirit stones as the array core, emitting a soft spiritual light.
"This teleportation array is a dedicated passage between our East Coast Army and the Southern Frontier Army, directly connected to the grassland border town." Zhao Ying stood in front of the array and said to Chen Fan and the other two, "Third Brother is already waiting in the grassland border town. Someone will meet you as soon as you arrive. Elder Chen, Elder Han, Elder Ouyang, be careful in everything you do on this trip north to the grassland. The methods of Gu cultivators are more unpredictable than those of demonic cultivators, especially their Gu poison. The three of you must be extra vigilant."
Chen Fan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said no more.
The three teams stepped into the teleportation array at the same time. A flash of light, space tore apart and then closed up. When the white light in front of them dissipated, they found themselves in a completely different world.
The vast desert grasslands, the northernmost border military town of Zhao—Beifeng City.
The moment Chen Fan stepped out of the teleportation array, he was stunned by the scene before him.
As far as the eye can see, there is a vast grassland that seems to have no end.
The grass here is not the lush, tender green of the heartland of the Zhao Kingdom, but a rugged, desolate dark green. The grass blades are coarse and stiff like needles, with serrated edges and rustling in the wind.
Scattered across the grassland are a few low mounds, barren of grass, their exposed yellow earth crisscrossed with gullies by the wind.
The sky was incredibly high, with a bright sun hanging overhead. The sunlight was much more intense than in the Zhao Kingdom, causing a faint heat wave to rise from the grassland.
Northwind City is built against a low mountain range. The city walls are not high and are made entirely of black iron stone, a specialty of the grasslands. The walls are engraved with dense defensive array patterns.
Most of the cultivators entering and leaving the city gate wore leather robes unique to the grasslands, with insect cages or Gu bags hanging from their waists, and their bodies emitted a faint herbal scent.
Occasionally, one could see a few border soldiers dressed in Zhao Kingdom attire patrolling the city walls, their faces stern and their eyes scanning the depths of the grassland with vigilance.
"This is the vast desert grassland," Han Cen said, stroking his beard. "I've lived for hundreds of years, and this is the first time I've ever been to such a remote place. Even the wind on this grassland carries a sense of desolation."
Ouyang Ye squatted down, dipped his finger in the yellow soil at the city gate, and smelled it: "There is the scent of insect eggs in this soil, extremely subtle. If I hadn't dealt with array patterns for many years and had a fairly keen sense of scent, I probably wouldn't have been able to detect it. This place is full of traces of Gu cultivators."
Chen Fan did not speak, but his divine sense had already spread out under the blessing of the Fixed Word Technique, taking in all the aura within a radius of several hundred feet.
Under his perception, there was a faint, strange fluctuation in the air. The fluctuation was so subtle that he probably wouldn't have been able to detect it if he hadn't cultivated the Fixed Word Technique.
That was the aura of Gu worms, not just one or two, but thousands upon thousands, scattered throughout every inch of soil and every blade of grass on the grassland, as if the entire grassland were a giant Gu cage.
He withdrew his divine sense, his face remaining calm, but inwardly he became more vigilant.
This grassland may seem peaceful on the surface, but it is actually fraught with danger at every turn.
Just then, a hearty laugh came from inside the city gate.
"Hahaha, my distinguished guests have finally arrived!"
A young man dressed in black iron armor strode out of the city gate.
This man appeared to be in his thirties, with a resolute and upright face, and an air of battle-hardened ruthlessness between his brows.
Late Nascent Soul stage cultivation.
What's most striking about him are his eyes!
This person's gaze was like that of a hawk on the grassland, sharp and profound, seemingly able to see through people's hearts at a glance.
Zhao Jin, the third prince of the Zhao Kingdom and the garrison commander of the southern border.
"Greetings, Third Prince!" The three teams bowed in unison.
Zhao Jin laughed heartily, glanced at Song Tianren and the others, then turned to Chen Fan and the other two, cupping his hands in greeting, "Elder Han, Elder Ouyang, I have long admired your names in the Southern Frontier. As for this one..."
His gaze fell on Chen Fan, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "This must be Elder Chen. His feat of single-handedly venturing into Demon Abyss Island in the Boundless Sea and slaying Li Jiuyuan is something I've heard about even in the Southern Frontier. Seeing him today, I can see his extraordinary bearing."
Chen Fan returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Your Highness is too kind."
Zhao Jin stepped aside and gestured for them to enter: "Gentlemen, you have come from afar. I have prepared a banquet in the city to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey. Please!"
The city lord's mansion of Northwind City is built on the highest point in the center of the city. It is a three-story stone fortress built with black stones from the grassland. The outer walls are simple and unadorned, but the interior is quite spacious.
Several long tables were set up in the main hall, covered with felt unique to the grasslands, and filled with roasted whole lamb, mare's milk wine, and various kinds of special grassland delicacies. A fire was burning brightly in the center of the hall, dispelling the chill of the grassland night.
Zhao Jin sat in the main seat, raised his wine bowl, and said loudly:
"Gentlemen, I have hosted this banquet today for two reasons: first, to welcome you all and to discuss the details of this Hundred Sects Conference. All who come are guests, and I treat everyone equally, whether they are from the eldest brother's faction or the fourth brother's faction."
Everyone took their seats.
The eldest prince's troops sat on the left, and the fourth prince's troops sat on the right, separated by a huge furnace, clearly indicating their division.
The Third Prince's men sat scattered on both sides, looking relaxed, clearly not as concerned about the outcome of this assessment as the First Prince and the Fourth Prince!
After several rounds of drinks, Zhao Jin put down his wine bowl, his smile slowly fading, and his expression becoming solemn: "You all must have already learned about the content of this assessment from my eldest brother and fourth brother, but what I want to say is that the scale of this Hundred Sects Conference is larger than you imagine. Not only will we be fighting against the Gu cultivators from the grasslands, but people from other first-level cultivation countries will also be present."