Ling Tian Sword God

The body of the white giant bear split apart, immediately transforming into two clumps of white fog that squirmed frantically, attempting to reassemble.

Upon seeing this, a glint flickered in Ling Chen’s eyes. He waved his palm; a dense mass of sword qi coalesced behind him. It then suddenly turned into a torrential downpour, plummeting towards the two clumps of white fog.

After this rain of sword qi fell, the two clumps of white fog disintegrated, completely smashed apart.

BOOM!

The moment the white giant bear shattered, the entire Great Snow Mountain trembled violently. Peaks tumbled and the ground fractured, triggering a terrifying avalanche.

”Quick, get out of here!”

Ling Chen’s expression changed instantly. The Great Snow Mountain was an illusion; if it collapsed and buried them, they would be in serious trouble, possibly even trapped there forever.

”Brother Ling Chen, get on the puppet’s back!” Ling Yin cried out.

Ling Yin had already appeared on the back of the Dragon Puppet. The other humanoid puppet, carrying the cold iron coffin, was already on the Dragon Puppet’s back as well. At this moment, a pair of silver-white metallic wings extended from the Dragon Puppet’s back.

Without a second thought, Ling Chen leaped onto the Dragon Puppet’s back, landing behind Ling Yin.

Flapping its wings, the Dragon Puppet soared upwards, flying out from the midst of the great avalanche.

The ground beneath them was collapsing rapidly. The instant the Dragon Puppet took flight, the towering Great Snow Mountain also crumbled and disintegrated.

WHOOSH!

Like a silver lightning bolt, the Dragon Puppet pierced through layers of dense fog, finally flying out of Chaotic Mind Canyon.

Ling Chen looked down. The place where they had been was already at the far end of the canyon. There was no sign of any Great Snow Mountain; everything they had just experienced had indeed been an illusion.

Averting his gaze from below, Ling Chen looked ahead towards a vast expanse of ancient land. This was the Nine Provinces Land.

A flicker of deep emotion touched Ling Chen’s eyes. Even though only the Chaotic Mind Canyon lay between them, the Nine Provinces Land and the Five Kingdoms felt like two distinct worlds, separated as if by an immense chasm.

Setting foot on the soil of the Nine Provinces, Ling Chen felt as if he had entered an entirely new world.

The Nine Provinces Land, an endless expanse teeming with countless legends, had, from the distant Ancient Times to the present day, given birth to numerous world-shaking figures.

Human Emperor, Ba Wang, Martial Emperor, Sword Immortal... all these well-known titles were etched into the hearts of later generations. These Supreme Experts had all originated from the Nine Provinces Land. The power they possessed was formidable enough to shake the ancient past and dazzle the present. Their prestige, even after millennia, continued to inspire awe and reverence for this vast land in the hearts of all people.

Within the Nine Provinces Land, established Martial Sects and Aristocratic Families were as numerous as stars in the sky. Every day saw new powers rise and old ones fall. Endless competition pervaded this vast land.

However, in this land glittering with such luminaries, the true rulers were not the Martial Sects, but a colossal entity known as the ”Central Dynasty.”

The entire Nine Provinces fell under the rule of the Central Dynasty, a colossal power said to have governed the Nine Provinces Land for over a thousand years.

The nine great provinces were each controlled by one of the Nine Great Families.

Ling Chen had learned this information from the Cyan-robed Guest while on Green Cloud Mountain. His mother, Liu Xiling, was from the Liu Family—one of the Nine Great Families, also known as the Heavenly Constructor Family. The Family Head of the Liu Family held the position of ”Great Minister” in the Imperial Court, commanding high authority.

Since the Liu Family was one of the Nine Great Families, they undoubtedly controlled one of the major provinces.

Among the Nine Provinces, I wonder which one is controlled by the Liu Family, Ling Chen mused silently.

This place, adjacent to the Cloud Outland, must be Yi Zhou, one of the Nine Provinces.

Ling Chen had not come unprepared. He had spent several days making arrangements, utilizing information available in the Five Kingdoms to thoroughly acquaint himself with the Nine Provinces Land.

Through his research, Ling Chen discovered that many factions in the Cloud Outland had actually migrated from the Nine Provinces Land. Their historical records often noted from which province, or even which prefecture, they had migrated many years ago, with these details clearly documented.

Therefore, it was not difficult for Ling Chen to learn about the Nine Provinces Land.

The so-called Nine Provinces were demarcations made by the Human Emperor after he unified the world, based on the geographical features of the lands. They were Yuzhou, Qing Province, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Liang Province, Yongzhou, Ji Province, and Yanzhou.

Of course, these only encompassed the regions unified by the Human Emperor at that time. Some places, considered ”lands beyond civilization,” such as the Cloud Outland, were not included within the Nine Provinces.

In the eyes of the People from Nine Provinces, places like the Cloud Outland were also called the ”Wildlands”—lands of uncultured barbarians, as they were not included among the Nine Provinces.

”Xiao Yin, fly lower and look for a suitable place to land,” Ling Chen said, turning to glance at Ling Yin.

Maneuvering the Dragon Puppet was mentally taxing. He noticed that Ling Yin’s expenditure of Mental Power was becoming quite significant, making her unsuitable for prolonged flight.

”Mm,” Ling Yin acknowledged.

She lowered the Dragon Puppet’s altitude, and gradually, Ling Chen was able to see the conditions below clearly.

From his vantage point, this land was indeed far more prosperous than the Five Kingdoms. Even though this was merely the border region of Yi Zhou, he could still sense several exceptionally powerful auras in the distance.

Great Master Level Powerhouses, individuals who could dominate an entire region in the Five Kingdoms, were not uncommon here. Ling Chen had already spotted several in unremarkable small towns.

As expected of the central continent, the Holy Land of Martial Arts. Ling Chen sighed and shook his head.

The Dragon Puppet continued its descent. Towards the far end of this boundless, vast region, the Heavenly Earth Energy grew noticeably denser. The clouds enshrouding the sky seemed to be sharply divided, revealing countless colossal mountain ranges, with peaks soaring thousands of zhang high, clustered together. Vaguely, magnificent buildings could be discerned upon these giant mountains.

That should be a Martial Arts Sect in there.

The one ruling Yi Zhou should be one of the Nine Great Families, the Tang Sect. Could it be that this is the location of the Tang Sect’s mountain gate?

A glint flickered faintly in Ling Chen’s eyes. The Tang Sect... that was a behemoth on par with the Liu Family, one of the Nine Great Families. They undoubtedly had a multitude of Experts, and their Family was surely overseen by a powerful Saint.

”That’s not the Tang Sect, Brother Ling Chen. Look, the characters ’Qingcheng Palace’ are clearly written on the mountain gate,” Ling Yin said.

Ling Yin possessed extraordinary Mental Power and even more terrifying eyesight; she could make out the large characters on the mountain gate from twenty li away.

Hearing this, Ling Chen nodded. While the mountain gate before them was magnificent and bore the hallmarks of a major sect, the Tang Sect was one of the Nine Great Families. Compared to them, this place was indeed still significantly lacking.

Hm? It seems there’s a battle happening inside?

Just as Ling Chen was about to navigate around the mountain gate, a crimson pillar of light suddenly erupted from within the sect. Simultaneously, faint screams and the sounds of battle drifted over.