Chapter 446: Chapter 165: Snow Abyss Mountain! The Ice-sealed Chi Dragon Hall!_3

“An Innate Martial Artist… from the East Cloud Sect?”

Su Changkong understood in his heart that the only one capable of blocking thousands of people outside must be an Innate Martial Artist, and he had heard from the discussions of others that this white-haired old man belonged to the East Cloud Sect.

The East Cloud Sect was quite famous in Central State, located atop the renowned East Cloud Mountain. Given the conditions of East Cloud Mountain, it nearly birthed strands of Innate Qi every few years. Consequently, the number of Innate Martial Artists in the East Cloud Sect was extremely large, far surpassing the Spirit Taoist Sect.

According to what others said, many from the East Cloud Sect had arrived; the rest had already entered the valley. The purpose of this white-haired old man’s vigilance here was to prevent others from entering and seizing the fortunes!

Many martial artists had the self-awareness to leave early, but still, thousands of martial artists who had come from afar and gained nothing refused to depart. They lingered outside, hoping for an opportunity.

Su Changkong did not rashly make any movements. Instead, he observed for a while, and about half an hour later, a faint sound of the air breaking suddenly rose. Some people weren’t willing to just wait outside and wanted to go into the canyon to find out for themselves.

“Swoosh swoosh swoosh!”

Three figures dashed out from three different directions as if they had coordinated their timing, trailing after-images as they attempted to burst into the crevice of the valley, from which a chill was emanating. These three people were all incredibly fast, displaying highly skilled maneuvers.

“Sigh!”

The white-haired old man’s closed eyes slowly opened, revealing a hint of helplessness. His sleeves fluttered as he waved his hands.

“Bang bang bang!”

The three martial artists who attempted to bypass the white-haired old man felt as though they had crashed into a layer of clouds that were, however, extremely elastic. All three were rebounded at the same time, sent flying backward and crashing into the snowy ground.

Although they were uninjured, the fall was quite embarrassing.

“Another few have hit the wall,” remarked some of the other martial artists on the scene in a low chuckle. Waiting here was tedious, and the rare sight of someone attempting to force their way in only to be repelled by the white-haired old man provided them with some schadenfreude—an amusing diversion.

“Sigh… As I’ve said, the chill in this canyon goes to the bone. Ordinary martial artists who venture in will only end up frozen to death. That’s why this old man stands guard outside. If someone has the strength to break through my barrier, it surely means their cultivation is deep, and they do not fear the severe cold within the canyon.”

The old man sighed as he spoke, and yet he was not entirely deceiving them.

The other martial artists from the East Cloud Sect had asked him to stand guard outside partly because they feared too many people going in would cause trouble, and partly because the severe cold in the canyon was far worse than elsewhere in Snow Abyss Mountain. Even martial artists with strong physiques would be frozen to death if they entered.

Thus, the old man stood guard outside. If someone had the capacity to break through his blockade, they most certainly wouldn’t fear the severe cold of the canyon, but those who couldn’t would only be seeking death by entering.

The three martial artists who had hit the wall, despite showing faces of frustration, retreated back into the crowd and did not attempt to force their way through again. They were well aware that the old man, seated cross-legged and immobile, had repelled them all singlehandedly, his cultivation unfathomable.

“Within that chilled canyon, the experts of the East Cloud Sect have entered for two or three days without emerging—it must hold great treasures! I’m not asking for much, just a strand of Innate Qi. Why not go in and see for myself?”

Su Changkong, who had been observing the scene from within the crowd, thought to himself.

There was no point waiting here. It would be better to take initiative and explore the valley.

If the East Cloud Sect mobilized on such a scale, it could mean there’s not just one or two strands of Innate Qi, but perhaps other treasures or opportunities. Su Changkong’s aspirations weren’t that lofty; he could forego the rest, act within his means, and if he could obtain a strand of Innate Qi to help him step into the Innate Realm, that would be his greatest goal for this venture!

“Let’s go!”

Su Changkong stepped out from the crowd and silently headed towards the entrance of the canyon. There, the white-haired old man sat cross-legged, his eyes slowly opening.

“Is someone else trying to force their way through?”

Many eyes turned to watch, full of interest, wanting to see this ordinary-looking young man face embarrassment.

“Young man, step back!”

The white-haired old man opened his eyes and spoke in a deep voice, his sleeve sweeping out.

Whoosh!

The howling wind carried with it a visible twist, and within the air, a thick surge of force formed a wall that seemed to be made up of white clouds, rolling towards Su Changkong with the intent to blast him away just like the previous three martial artists.

Swoosh!

Standing still, Su Changkong didn’t move, but as the wall of force bore down on him, he suddenly took a step forward. His body twisted like a spinning bird, evading the turn with ease. The pliant energy wall pressed down on nothing, and he himself charged into the fissure in the valley.

“Hmm?”

The white-haired elder was slightly surprised. He swung his sleeves continuously, sending wave after wave of intangible yet material Soft Cloud True Qi to obstruct Su Changkong’s path.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

However, Su Changkong was one moment like a bird soaring, the next like a Spirit Deer darting through the forest; his movements between the shadows were elusive and untraceable!

The force unleashed by the white-haired elder brushed past Su Changkong, and in an instant, he had already crossed the seated elder, rushing into the fissure of the valley like an arrow!

“Interesting!”

The white-haired elder was surprised and then chuckled with a shake of his head. His aim was to stop those who lacked the ability to enter and merely sent themselves to their deaths. The exceptional demonstration of Qinggong by Su Changkong had proven his strength and his qualification to enter.

“Someone made it through? He broke past that high-level expert from the East Cloud Sect!”

“What masterful Qinggong… I didn’t even catch a clear glimpse!”

This scene caused ripples of unrest among the crowd, with some martial artists showing envy. The identity of the unremarkable black-clothed man was not known, but just the Qinggong he displayed was impressive to the point of being unattainable, leaving many to wonder who he might be.

“Within this valley… it’s highly possible that it’s the relics left by the ‘Chi Dragon Hall’ that vanished three thousand years ago. I just hope the Deputy Sect Master and the others will navigate it safely,” the white-haired elder thought to himself. The Innate Qi that recently appeared in the Snow Abyss Mountain actually flew out from this valley, and it could very well be a matter of great significance. His East Cloud Sect might not be able to monopolize the benefits within, only to eliminate the meddlesome riffraff!

As the white-haired elder was pondering, he looked up with a puzzled expression to see the crowd becoming restless again.

Looking towards the source, there were three figures approaching from afar. These three were distinctive because they all wore black robes, not even a single strand of hair was exposed, and they each wore masks made of bone.

To the left stood a man tall and powerful, towering over two meters, like a small giant. To the right was a man both fat and short, resembling a meatball. The one in the middle, of average height, wore a dark red bone mask, intricately engraved with fine patterns.

Among the three, it was clear that the man in the dark red bone mask was the leader; the other two lagged half a step behind him as they walked.

The aura exuded by these three was extraordinary. Wherever they passed, the martial artists along the way felt a chilling sensation, as if these three were some sort of ferocious beast, unconsciously clearing a path for them to pass through.

“Who are they?”

As for the white-haired elder, his eyes revealed a trace of solemnity, instinctively feeling a terrifying sense of danger emanating from these three figures in black robes.

The white-haired elder, who had been sitting cross-legged until now, stood up, and his beardless face was full of gravity!

“Gentlemen, there’s no problem entering the valley, but why the secrecy?” From a distance, the white-haired elder spoke gravely, wanting to ascertain the identities of the three black-robed men who posed a significant threat to him. If they were to enter the valley, they could potentially be formidable adversaries to the East Cloud Sect.

“Hong Xiang, I give you ten breaths to deal with him,” the man in the dark red bone mask said slowly, his voice androgynous yet unmistakable in tone, as the three black-robed figures briefly stopped in their tracks.

“Yes!”

The man known as ‘Hong Xiang’, towering over two meters, nodded respectfully in agreement.

Looking down at the white-haired elder, the eyes revealed through his mask sparkled with a readiness for battle. His slightly bloodshot eyes gave off a sinister vibe as he grinned and said, “Three breaths will be plenty!”

(Note from Qidian Chinese Network: Next chapter will be updated at 22:00 on the 13th.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Madara Web Novel