“Little monk has no such interest.”

Daochen Monk declined the challenge from Su Xingyun.

“Buddha’s child, are you afraid?”

Su Xingyun’s words were clearly a bluffing strategy.

“Say what you will, Donor.”

Daochen Monk had no interest in the fortunes within the ancient secret realm. His sole purpose for being here was to accompany Chen Qingyuan and protect his life.

Everything else was unimportant.

“How boring.”

Su Xingyun was in a relatively normal mood today; he didn’t like to force others and didn’t want to stain his hands with blood.

Since Daochen had no intention to fight, Su Xingyun lost interest and had no desire for battle.

Then, Su Xingyun turned his gaze to Chen Qingyuan, whom he hadn’t paid much attention to earlier. “Kid, I see you have an extraordinary aura and can walk alongside the Buddha’s child from the Eastern Land. What’s your name?”

“When asking for someone’s name, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first? Don’t you know such basic manners?”

Chen Qingyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze indifferent.

“Oh?” Su Xingyun’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was rare to encounter someone of the same age with such a temperament. “I am Su Xingyun from Penglai Manor. And you?”

“Northern Wilderness, Chen Qingyuan.”

Chen Qingyuan replied.

“Chen Qingyuan… I’ll remember you.”

Su Xingyun repeated the name a few times, then spoke earnestly.

“I’ll remember you too.”

Chen Qingyuan’s aura was not to be outdone.

Whoosh!

In the next moment, Su Xingyun rode the wind and disappeared without a trace.

Divine Transformation Realm cultivation level.

From Su Xingyun’s ability to break the formation with a single sword strike, Chen Qingyuan could deduce this.

As expected of an evildoer from the Imperial Province, his cultivation level indeed crushed those from the Northern Wilderness.

Among the Ten Heroes of the Northern Wilderness, the only one who had truly stepped into the Divine Transformation Realm was probably Zhangsun Fengye, who was hailed as the first.

A Divine Transformation Realm cultivator under five hundred years old was rare anywhere.

“He was lucky.”

Daochen Monk suddenly said.

“What?”

Chen Qingyuan was taken aback.

“When you were talking to him just now, a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes. Fortunately, he didn’t make a move, otherwise…”

Daochen Monk stopped mid-sentence and recited a Buddhist chant.

A monk should not harbor thoughts of killing.

Sinful, sinful.

Before coming here, the Old Monk had told Daochen Monk that killing those who wanted to kill Chen Qingyuan was not a sin but a merit.

Even so, Daochen still felt uneasy. If he really killed someone, he would certainly chant a Rebirth Mantra for the deceased for free.

“Buddha’s child, we are monks. Peace is precious.”

Chen Qingyuan noticed that Daochen Monk’s killing intent was even stronger than his own, and he was alarmed. He quickly tried to dissuade him.

“To kill one to save thousands, even if it’s a sin, this little monk is willing to bear it.”

Daochen Monk didn’t know Chen Qingyuan’s true background. These words were from the Old Monk and were etched in his heart.

“…” Chen Qingyuan was confused and inexplicably nervous.

These days, it’s best not to provoke monks.

The two stood in the void, surrounded by a sea of towering, thick trees that stretched endlessly.

“I wonder how long it will take to get out.”

If they picked a direction and kept walking, they should eventually find a way out.

So, Chen Qingyuan and Daochen Monk walked for several days and finally saw the edge of the forest. Because they were in an unknown place, they didn’t dare to travel too fast, being cautious and careful, afraid of triggering any dangerous prohibitions.

“Let’s go.”

Chen Qingyuan had gathered quite a few spiritual herbs in this forested area, gaining a lot.

Leaving the dark forest, they were met with an endless wasteland, devoid of any greenery.

“Two extremes.”

Chen Qingyuan frowned, puzzled by the situation.

Perhaps some kind of law influenced this territory, causing such polarization.

Walking through the wasteland, Chen Qingyuan occasionally saw the figures of peers, Heaven’s Pride, flitting through the clouds and mist.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a strange, bone-chilling wind blew, making Chen Qingyuan shiver. Daochen Monk frowned, and the two of them looked in the direction the cold wind came from.

They exchanged a glance, needing no discussion, and quickly headed in that direction.

Before long, they arrived at a glacier.

In the middle of the wasteland, there was a glacier that occupied a vast area, stretching beyond the eye could see.

“There are many people.”

Chen Qingyuan looked at a certain spot on the glacier and saw hundreds of figures.

They disappeared one after another, as if entering somewhere.

“Let’s go take a look.”

They quickened their pace and flashed to the depths of the glacier.

Daochen Monk followed closely behind Chen Qingyuan, silent.

Standing on the ice, a cloud of icy mist surrounded Chen Qingyuan’s feet, and the coldness seeped into his bones.

Ahead was an ice mountain about ten thousand meters high, with an ice cave halfway up.

“Those people all went in.”

Chen Qingyuan muttered to himself, looking at the ice cave.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Qingyuan decided to join the excitement and see what was inside the ice cave.

Whoosh—

In the blink of an eye, Chen Qingyuan and Daochen Monk stood at the entrance of the ice cave.

There was nothing unusual at the entrance, making it hard to gather any useful information.

The only thing Chen Qingyuan felt was cold.

An extreme cold emanated from the cave entrance.

It definitely contained profound laws; otherwise, ordinary cold wouldn’t make cultivators feel uncomfortable.

“Buddha’s child, what do you think this place is?”

Chen Qingyuan asked.

“I don’t know.”

Daochen Monk thought for a moment and shook his head.

“Should we go in and take a look?”

Chen Qingyuan sought Daochen’s opinion.

“Since we are participating in the Hundred Veins Banquet, there’s no reason to retreat or be timid.”

The competition for fortune should not be missed.

“Alright.”

Then, the two stepped into the ice cave.

Once inside, their bodies were uncontrollably sucked in by a force.

When they regained control of their bodies, the sight before them left them in awe.

Inside the ice mountain was a hidden world, with a crystal-clear lake and two waterfalls, each about a thousand meters high, at the north and south ends.

Strangely, the northern waterfall flowed upwards, drawing the lake water into the sky.

The southern waterfall absorbed the water from the sky, and the rushing water cascaded into the lake.

In the center of the lake was a small island with a diameter of about three hundred meters, surrounded by numerous ancient runic symbols, exuding an air of mystery and countless years.

Hundreds of people stood on the island, all Heaven’s Pride who had entered the ice cave.

“Senior Brother!”

A voice filled with surprise came from the crowd.

Chen Qingyuan had just arrived and hadn’t yet looked at the Heaven’s Pride on the island. Hearing the familiar voice, he quickly turned and saw Song Ningyan standing among the crowd.

“You’re here too!”

Chen Qingyuan was quite pleased and immediately went to meet Song Ningyan.

Chen Qingyuan had heard that Song Ningyan would be participating in the Hundred Veins Banquet. The Song Family had even invited him to travel to the Imperial Province on their warship.

However, Chen Qingyuan hadn’t expected to meet Song Ningyan in such a place. What a coincidence.

“Dao Friend is Miss Song’s Senior Brother. May I know your name?”

Just as the senior and junior were about to catch up, a voice came from the side, reaching Chen Qingyuan’s ears.