The Quest for Immortality

Previously, he hadn’t really thought about attacking this Third Grade Mountain Realm.

But now it’s different. The surrounding Second Grade Mountain Realms have all been conquered. The things he needed to do are basically done.

What’s left is to rely on time to slowly consolidate his territory, gradually build his power, strengthen the foundations step by step, and allow the promising talents to grow slowly...

These times are necessary.

Mo Hua also had to find a way to continue advancing and expanding outward.

The Third Grade Mountain Realm is a hurdle that must be crossed.

Therefore, Mo Hua took this field investigation much more seriously than before.

In the following month and more, he hid his presence while observing, recording, analyzing, and reflecting in the Third Grade Mountain Realm, comparing continuously to gain a relatively deep understanding of the general situation of this Third Grade Mountain Realm.

The more he learned, the more Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart.

This Mountain Realm is the only Third Grade Mountain Realm nearby, and it’s extremely powerful.

Mo Hua initially knew this point.

But now, after a deeper understanding.

He discovered that the number of Golden Core experts, even those in the Late Golden Core Stage, the tribal strength, and the barbarian cultivators’ prowess here were far more and stronger than he had previously estimated after rough observations.

The tribal system is strictly organized, the Barbarian Armor is excellent, the Barbarian Soldiers are robust, and they even raise Monster Beasts...

Because this is the Barbarian Tribes, wearing a ”barbaric” guise, Mo Hua initially regarded them with a sense of disdain, thinking they’re just so-so.

But after two years, having successively conquered five Mountain Realms and over a hundred small tribes, researched the heritages, classics, and writings of these tribes, he had a deeper understanding of the Barbarian Tribes’ foundation and lost that ”filter” of barbarism over them.

Looking at it again now, Mo Hua suddenly realized.

He indeed underestimated this only Third Grade Mountain Realm around Wutu and Black Horn too much.

This isn’t just any strong Third Grade Mountain Realm.

It’s almost a fully inherited, extremely prosperous Peak of Third Grade State Boundary.

The number of Late Golden Core barbarian cultivators within the Mountain Realm is already quite exaggerated.

The middle and higher-level underpinnings are exceptionally profound, it almost serves as the foundation of a Fourth-grade Mountain Realm.

In a sense, inserting a few Feather Transformations here, it could already be called a ”Fourth-grade” Mountain Realm.

An extraordinarily flourishing Third Grade Mountain Realm compared to the surrounding Wutu and Black Horn little Mountain Realms, its strength is an overwhelming difference not even on the same dimension.

This is very illogical.

Completely different from the layout of the Nine State’s state boundaries.

Mo Hua didn’t expect that the Great Wilderness still has such geographical arrangements.

This is almost impossible in the Nine State.

The junctions and transitions of Nine State state boundaries are generally balanced and smooth.

For instance, around the Qian Learning State Boundary, there are Fourth-grade and Third Grade transitioning to remote boundaries where only some small Second Grades exist and with not too large disparities in strength.

Never so abrupt for a ”giant” to suddenly emerge around a bunch of small fishes.

The only exception would be the ”siphon” type of state boundary arrangement.

Some state boundaries weren’t originally so strong; they just forcibly siphoned off nearby weaker state boundaries into ”small fishes”.

Thus, they themselves became giants, and the surrounding state boundaries became ”small fishes”.

That would cause such extremely disproportionate situations.

But here in the Barbaric Wilderness, that’s definitely not the case.

This ”Peak of Third Grade” Mountain Realm has almost no interaction with the surrounding Wutu and Black Horn Mountain Realms, let alone a ”siphon” phenomenon.

Wutu and Black Horn Mountain Realms also couldn’t possibly have any resources for this Peak of Third Grade Mountain Realm to siphon.

That’s very strange...

Mo Hua’s expression was somewhat grave.

The situation deviated somewhat from his original assumptions.

This Mountain Realm is far more complicated than he thought.

Mo Hua became even more cautious, using the Concealment Technique more carefully, fearing being caught by some high-level Golden Core figures.

He continued his investigation for a while, including secretly observing some tribal totems and prominent writings, eavesdropping on some conversations among the barbarian cultivators.

Mo Hua found out that this Mountain Realm is indeed not an ordinary Third Grade Mountain Realm.

The tribes within the Mountain Realm mostly originated from the same ancestor, sharing similar inheritance lines and resembling totems in style.

All these totems are related to fire and birds.

Layering and stitching these totems together reveals a rough outline of a fiery red Divine Bird.

This forced Mo Hua to think of one of the Four Symbols of the Great Wilderness:

”Vermilion Bird”.

Many of the tribe names in the Mountain Realm are also related to ”Vermilion Bird”.

”Vermilion Bird Mountain Realm?”

Mo Hua was quite shocked inside.

But after careful consideration, he felt there was a big issue here.

The Vermilion Bird is one of the Four Symbols, with a supposedly high status, why would it become a totem for a Third Grade Mountain Realm?

Or perhaps, it’s just a branch of the Great Wilderness Tribe that worships the Vermilion Bird deity?

The Azure Dragon is a symbol of the Desolate Royal Family.

What about the Vermilion Bird? What position does it occupy among the tribes of the Great Wilderness?

Is the Vermilion Bird merely a symbol, or is there indeed a Divine Beast Vermilion Bird in this Mountain Realm...?

...

The origins involving the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast of the Great Wilderness are far too mysterious for Mo Hua to yet fathom.

Another problem seems more pressing:

This Mountain Realm is simply undefeatable...

Worshipping the Divine Beast Vermilion Bird, a Peak of Third Grade, a ”pseudo Fourth-grade” Mountain Realm, with over ten tribes, dozens of Late Golden Core experts, and numerous Golden Core Elders...

Mo Hua’s scalp tingled.

How to fight something like this?

There are differences even among Third Grades.