Chapter 436 - 412: The Forbidden Land and the Plan

Chapter 436: Chapter 412: The Forbidden Land and the Plan

For ordinary Cultivators, entering the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield is extremely dangerous. Not only must they face Demon Beasts and Demons, but also other Exploring Cultivators. Furthermore, a moment of carelessness could lead to contamination from the lingering blood or will of powerful experts, turning them into monsters.

But Zhang Chi had the protection of his Jade Pendant, and his Combat Power was peerless below the Divinity Transformation Realm. Thus, he felt no pressure venturing deep into the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield.

This place was, without a doubt, the most suitable for him.

However, Zhang Chi had no intention of staying in the depths of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield.

The reason was simple: in the depths, the Jade Pendant would have to continuously absorb negative energy. Even with its considerable absorptive capacity, it would surely reach its limit over a long period.

Besides, the central region of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield had already been sealed off by a joint effort from the great powers of the Ancient Wilderness Snowfield.

It was rumored that this central region not only contained all sorts of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, but even a contaminated Tier Five Spiritual Vein.

The great powers would dispatch large numbers of Nascent Soul Cultivators to explore it at regular intervals.

Zhang Chi’s plan was to infiltrate their ranks and use the contaminated Spiritual Vein to break through and become a Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch.

Before that, he could explore the areas outside the central region and gather various resources.

At the same time, the many Immortal Cities on the edge of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield could serve as his trading posts.

Furthermore, since Lan Xuan and Qin Susu lacked the protection of a Jade Pendant, they couldn’t stay in the Ancient Battlefield for long. Therefore, undertaking Cultivation in Seclusion on the fringes of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield was the best choice.

Of course, Zhang Chi could also have chosen the edge of the Demon Abyss as his place for Cultivation in Seclusion.

The Demon Abyss also had all kinds of Demonized Beasts, Demons, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, making it a veritable treasure trove for him.

Moreover, the deepest parts of the Demon Abyss should also contain some contaminated Tier Five Spiritual Veins.

However, the Great Abyss Immortal Cultivation Realm was not prosperous enough, and there were too few High Tier Cultivators.

More importantly, the depths of the Demon Abyss not only had Tier Five Spiritual Veins, but also Tier Five Demons.

Unlike this place, which only had the Spiritual Veins without the Tier Five Demons.

This was because the great powers had long since claimed the central region as their private domain and would naturally not permit the existence of any Tier Five Demons.

Zhang Chi only learned about the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield and chose this place after performing a Soul Search on the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty Cultivator he had killed with a surprise attack, as well as the Primordial Spirit of Master Taixuan he had searched before.

After all, while getting into the central region of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield was difficult, it was far easier than infiltrating the Tier Five Spiritual Veins controlled by the great powers.

According to the Soul Search, the central region of the battlefield opened once every hundred years. Ninety percent of the slots would go to the great powers of the Ancient Wilderness Snowfield, but the remaining ten percent were offered up for fair competition among the countless Cultivators of the snowfield.

This not only enhanced the prestige and income of the great powers but also prevented powerful Loose Cultivators, or even powerful outsiders from beyond the Ancient Wilderness Snowfield, from becoming resentful and causing trouble in secret after being denied an opportunity.

Therefore, Zhang Chi’s plan was to engage in Cultivation in Seclusion here until the central region opened, and then secure a slot to enter.

Securing a slot was, in fact, both very difficult and very simple.

First, one had to spend a large amount of Spirit Stones to purchase the qualification. Then, participants would compete against each other, passing the assessment trials set by the great powers of the Ancient Wilderness Snowfield.

The final victors could then enter the central region for exploration alongside the chosen prodigies of the great powers.

Furthermore, according to the information from his Soul Search, the next opening was in exactly forty years.

By that time, he should have already reached the Nascent Soul Limit in his Cultivation.

Of course, this wasn’t a matter of him getting lucky with his timing. He had learned of the date long ago through the Soul Search and had timed his arrival accordingly.

Arriving forty years early was also to allow for more preparation.

With that, Zhang Chi and the others first scouted the area around the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield to familiarize themselves with the environment and gather some information. Only then did they choose an Immortal City as their base.

This Immortal City was named Xunyou Immortal City, and it was one of the largest around the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield.

It was even backed by the six great top-tier Immortal Cultivation Influences of the Ancient Wilderness Snowfield.

These six Immortal Cultivation Influences were Spirit Wind Tower, Snow Shadow Hall, Silver Wolf Manor, Celestial Fragrance Sect, Dragon and Tiger Sect, and Moon God Valley. Each was a titan in the Ancient Wilderness Snowfield, possessing a Middle Grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, several Low Grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures, and more than one Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch presiding over them.

Fortunately, these Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs were all at the Divinity Transformation Early Stage. Therefore, unless they used their Middle Grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures or attacked him in a group, Zhang Chi had no fear of them.

Nevertheless, before reaching the Divinity Transformation Realm, Zhang Chi still chose to maintain a low profile.

After all, the Immortal Cultivation Realm was vast and full of extraordinary talents. Among the Divinity Transformation and Nascent Soul Peak Cultivators of the Six Great Powers, there was no guarantee that someone with superior Combat Power like his didn’t exist.

In Xunyou City, Zhang Chi directly rented the rights to a cave mansion for one hundred years.

And he managed to select a very quiet and scenic location without spending many Spirit Stones.

The reason for this was that the cave mansion he chose was only Tier Three, so the price was naturally cheap for him.

He wasn’t worried about the lack of Spiritual Qi, because he, Lan Xuan, and Qin Susu would normally be doing their Cultivation inside the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion. The so-called cave mansion was merely a foothold.

However, he didn’t choose a Tier Two or Tier One cave mansion either. Although they were cheaper, they were too small and the environment was relatively poor, which could lead to their Cultivation in Seclusion being disturbed.

As for Tier Four Cave Mansions, they were extremely rare and difficult to rent, more expensive, and too high-profile, making them a poor choice as well.

After renting the cave mansion, Zhang Chi took the two women and, piloting the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion, flew into the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield.

He discovered that this place was indeed sinister. He could even hear voices of unknown origin and meaning.

Without using the Jade Pendant, he would inexplicably experience hallucinations and even feel agitated.

But with the Jade Pendant, all these negative effects would vanish instantly, having no impact on him whatsoever.

Combined with his powerful Divine Thought and his Void Spirit Eye, he moved through this place as if it were uninhabited.

As for the two women, they were clearly affected. It was manageable on the outskirts, but their condition worsened the deeper they went.

Fortunately, Zhang Chi had the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion. As long as the two women stayed inside it, there would be no problems.

On the outskirts, Zhang Chi discovered many Low Tier Demon Beasts, but they were stronger than ordinary Demon Beasts, with blood-red eyes, a bloodthirsty nature, and a cunning disposition.

These Demon Beasts were similar to the Demonized Beasts from the Demon Abyss, but with some distinct differences.

The Demonic Qi here was not as dense as in the Demon Abyss, but it was mixed with a sinister, blood-colored aura and various powerful, twisted wills. Even the moss and some of the plants and vines here were exceptionally sinister.

Venturing a bit deeper, Zhang Chi saw some Demons.

The further he advanced, the higher the Level of the Demons and Demon Beasts. At first, there were only Tier Two creatures, but soon Tier Three became commonplace, and eventually, even Tier Four Demon Beasts and Demons appeared frequently.

As for the Cultivators exploring this place, there were many at the start, but their numbers dwindled further in. Those who could go deep all possessed considerable strength.

Along the way, Zhang Chi couldn’t be bothered to encounter these Cultivators and Demon Beasts, using his powerful Divine Thought to detect them in advance and avoid them.

Only when he spotted a valuable Demon Beast, Demon, or Spirit Medicine would Zhang Chi actually make a move.

But he would always kill them in a single, clean strike.

The Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion flew extremely fast, arriving near the central region in just a few days.

He found that the area was enveloped by a Grand Array and a massive wall, both of which had profound runes flowing across their surfaces.

At the same time, the Grand Array emitted waves of blood-colored mist, shrouding the entire central region.

Zhang Chi could see through the mist and the Array, but he couldn’t see through the wall. His Divine Thought also couldn’t penetrate the Array and the wall, so he was immediately blocked.

’A Tier Five Peak Formation? This probably wasn’t set up by the Six Great Powers of the Ancient Wilderness Snowfield. It’s more likely an Ancient Array they discovered, refined, and took control of. And this wall must be a treasure of some kind. It looks like there’s no way for me to sneak past these barriers.’

After observing it carefully, Zhang Chi was quite astonished. He had no choice but to take the two women and the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion back to Xunyou Immortal City. There, he placed the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion inside his cave mansion and settled in for Cultivation in Seclusion to wait.

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, thirty years passed. In this year, Zhang Chi was 1,040 years old, and his Cultivation had finally reached the Nascent Soul Limit.

By consuming a Soul Condensing Pill and various Spiritual Objects, he could attempt to break through to the Divinity Transformation Realm. As long as he could survive the Divinity Transformation Thunder Tribulation, which all Cultivators face when condensing their Primordial Spirit, he would become a Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch and join the ranks of the top Cultivators in the Immortal Cultivation Realm.

However, he did not do so.

Because not even he was one hundred percent confident in succeeding.

To increase his chances of success, he had to use a Tier Five Spiritual Vein for his breakthrough.

Furthermore, breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Realm required an absolutely secure location. Attempting a breakthrough here was clearly not safe enough. If someone were to sabotage him midway, all his efforts would be for naught.

’Good, I’ve finally reached the Nascent Soul Limit. This part of my training took exactly four hundred years, and I managed to finish just before the central region of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield opens. Otherwise, I would’ve had to wait another hundred years.’

Zhang Chi ended his Cultivation and inspected his condition, feeling quite satisfied and filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Starting from Qi Cultivation, he had been cultivating for just over a thousand years to finally reach this Realm. It had been an incredibly difficult journey.

If not for the help of the Jade Pendant, which led to all sorts of opportunities that he had seized well, he certainly would not have been able to make it this far.

Besides his Magical Cultivation, his Divine Soul, Swordsmanship, Body Refining Cultivation, and skills like Alchemy and Artifact Refining had also reached their limits.

His Body Refining Cultivation, for example, had long reached the limit of Tier Four, just a step away from breaking through to Tier Five.

Then there were Flying Dragon No. 1 and Corpse Puppet No. 1, both of which had also reached the limit of Tier Four.

Lan Xuan had long since reached the Nascent Soul Late Stage, while Qin Susu was even closer to the Nascent Soul Peak.

However, it was certain that neither of them could reach the Nascent Soul Limit before their Lifespan ran out. Lan Xuan would even have difficulty reaching the Nascent Soul Peak, and this was despite possessing the Phoenix Cry Body and receiving Zhang Chi’s help.

Qin Susu, on the other hand, might be able to reach the Nascent Soul Peak, but it was still impossible for her to advance to the Divinity Transformation Realm.

’It’s about time. Time to get moving and register for the selection to win an Exploration slot.’

With that, Zhang Chi rose to his feet, brought the two women with him, collected the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion, and flew toward the center of Xunyou Immortal City.