Chapter 182: The Highland Road
Volume 5: The Unseen Anvil Shakes the World
The biting wind of the northeastern highlands swept through the narrow granite valleys, carrying the dry, metallic scent of iron ore and cold stone. The landscape here was entirely different from the fertile green forests of Rivercloud Country or the damp, reed-choked marshes of Lotus Lake County. Here, the earth was rugged and unyielding, dominated by towering cliffs of dark grey granite and deep stone ravines where nothing but stubborn, thorny brush could survive. The sky above was a pale, clear blue, and the air was thin and cold, freezing the breath the moment it left the lungs.
Along a rocky mountain path that wound between two steep stone cliffs, a youth walked with slow, measured steps.
He appeared to be around twenty years in bone age, with a broad-shouldered, sturdy frame and a rugged, simple face tanned by the wind and sun. He was dressed in a durable, coarse grey-green robe bound tightly at the waist and wrists with thick leather straps, typical of the wandering martial artists and body cultivators who roamed the outer regions of the continent. On his back, secured by a heavy leather harness, hung a massive black broad sword. The weapon was thick and wide, resembling a heavy iron door plank more than a refined blade, and it carried no decorative carvings or spiritual runes.
This youth was Fang Lin, now traveling under the disguised identity of Mu Tie.
In his dantian, the three Perfect-Grade cores—Frost, Life, and Death—rotated in quiet, flawless balance. The colossal spiritual tremor that had rippled across the Demon Immortal Continent during his breakthrough had forced every grand sect to deploy their search fleets, but here in the rugged highlands, he was completely invisible. The Yin-Wind Concealment Cloak, now seamlessly merged with his outer robes, perfectly suppressed the hum of his Tri-Core cultivation. Not a single thread of Frost, Life, or Death Qi leaked from his form.
Instead, he only allowed the passive physical vitality of his Nine Nether Phantom Body, tempered to the small mastery of the Asura Flesh stage, to circulate through his meridians. To any observer, he was nothing more than a Peak Spirit Foundation body cultivator whose muscles and bones were packed with heavy, raw strength.
"The wind in these highlands carries a natural gravity," Fang Lin murmured to himself, his voice sounding deeper and more gravelly than his true voice. He adjusted the leather strap of the heavy broad sword, feeling the passive resistance of the high-altitude air. "The earth-affinity energy is dense here. It is no wonder Black Tortoise Mountain chose this region for their sect."
For the past three weeks, he had traveled across the changing counties of the continent, keeping a low profile and avoiding any major cultivation hubs. His target was Black Tortoise Mountain, the major power known for its defensive arts and artifact forging.
The Mansion Spirit could have teleported him directly near Black Tortoise Mountain, but he insisted on travelling by himself.
The clue of the old vitality leaf—which carried a dense, unique vitality that strongly resonated with his grey seed—pointed directly to this sect. According to the records he had extracted from Black Mountain Gate, the leaf originated from Black Tortoise Mountain's restricted resource areas. To investigate the leaf's source without raising suspicion, he needed to enter their ranks, and the best way for a body cultivator to do so was through their forging halls.
As he rounded a sharp bend in the path where the granite cliffs pressed close together, the quiet howls of the wind were suddenly cut by the sharp ring of clashing metal and the furious growls of wild beasts.
Fang Lin stopped, his eyes narrowing. He moved silently to the edge of a rocky ridge, peering down into the deep ravine below.
A small merchant caravan, consisting of seven wooden wagons loaded with heavy, dark logs, was trapped in a narrow granite pass. The wagons were marked with the simple emblem of a three-legged iron cauldron, representing a local merchant family. A dozen guards dressed in dusty brown leather armor were clustered in a defensive circle, their steel swords and spears drawn as they faced a pack of eight beasts that had ambushed them from the surrounding rocks.
The beasts were Stone-Skin Wolves, creatures native to the northeastern highlands. They were the size of young bulls, their muscles thick and heavy, and their slate-grey fur was matted with dirt. Their shoulders, heads, and backs were covered in thick, natural plates of grey stone armor that grew directly from their flesh, protecting them from ordinary attacks. Their eyes burned with a wild, hungry red light, and their massive claws left deep grooves in the hard stone path as they circled the wagons.
"Hold the line!" an elderly man in a dusty blue robe shouted from the center of the wagons. He was the merchant manager, his face pale with fear as he clutched a ledger to his chest. "Protect the Iron-Spirited Wood! If we lose this cargo, the Tuo Clan will have no tribute for the city!"
A massive Stone-Skin Wolf lunged forward, its heavy paws crashing against the shield of a guard. The force of the impact sent the guard flying backward, his steel shield denting with a loud screech. Another wolf snapped its jaws, biting clean through the wooden shaft of a guard's spear before dragging him to the ground.
"Our blades cannot pierce their armor!" a guard captain shouted, his forehead covered in sweat as his sword bounced off a wolf's shoulder plate with a shower of bright sparks. "We need to retreat!"
"We cannot retreat in this pass!" the manager cried out. "The beasts will hunt us down one by one!"
On the ridge above, Fang Lin assessed the situation calmly. The guards were mostly in the Qi Conjunction Realm, with the captain only at the Early Spirit Foundation stage. Their weapons were ordinary iron, completely ineffective against the natural stone armor of the wolves. Posing as Mu Tie, this was the perfect opportunity to test his physical strength in the outside world and secure a natural entry into the nearby city.
Without drawing his Night Burial Sword, Fang Lin reached behind his shoulder and grasped the hilt of the heavy black broad sword. The weapon was heavy, but in his hands, it felt as light as a willow branch.
With a single step, he leaped from the thirty-foot cliff, descending like a falling boulder.
He landed with a massive crash right between the guards and the lead Stone-Skin Wolf. The impact of his landing shattered the loose stones beneath his boots, sending a small shockwave of dust and dirt outward. The sudden descent silenced the beasts and the guards alike, all eyes turning toward the rugged youth who had appeared from the sky.
The lead Stone-Skin Wolf growled, its red eyes locking onto Fang Lin. Sensing the heavy vitality radiating from his body, the beast lunged, its massive jaws opening to tear his throat.
Fang Lin did not use any spiritual Qi. He did not execute the Frost Trace Sword Art or the Moonless Shadow Step. He simply planted his feet, his muscles tensing beneath his grey-green robes as the Asura Flesh vitality hummed inside his muscles.
He swung the heavy black broad sword in a simple, horizontal sweep.
The flat of the massive blade collided with the side of the lunging wolf's head. The force of the blow was immense, carrying the raw, unyielding weight of his physical body. A loud, bone-cracking sound echoed through the ravine as the wolf's stone headplate shattered into fragments. The beast was sent flying sideways, crashing heavily into the granite wall of the canyon before collapsing into the dirt, its body twitching once before going completely still.
The remaining guards gasped in disbelief, their eyes wide as they looked at the shattered stone armor of the dead wolf.
"What physical power..." the guard captain muttered, his hand trembling as he held his sword. "He didn't use a single thread of Qi."
The remaining seven Stone-Skin Wolves, enraged by the death of their leader, growled in unison. Three of them lunged at Fang Lin simultaneously from different angles, their sharp claws tearing through the air.
Fang Lin remained calm. He stepped forward, his movements deliberate and heavy. He drove the heavy broad sword downward like a massive hammer, the blunt force smashing into the back of the first wolf. The stone plates on the beast's spine disintegrated under the pressure, and its body was pressed flat against the granite path.
Without pausing, Fang Lin pivoted on his heel, using the momentum of the swing to sweep the heavy blade upward, catching the second wolf in the chest. The impact shattered its ribs, sending it crashing into the wooden wheel of a wagon. The third wolf managed to reach his side, its sharp claws dragging across the sleeve of his grey-green robe.
A sharp, metallic scraping sound echoed as the claws scraped against his skin. Thanks to the Netherskin and Asura Flesh tempering, his skin was as tough as refined iron, and the wolf's claws failed to leave even a white mark on his arm.
Fang Lin reached out with his left hand, his grip like an iron vise as he caught the wolf by its throat. With a simple, cold squeeze, he lifted the massive beast and slammed it headfirst into the stone path. The granite cracked, and the wolf went limp.
Within a few breaths, the remaining wolves fled into the dark crevices of the canyon, terrified by the monstrous physical strength of the lone youth.
The ravine fell into a profound silence, save for the howling of the wind and the heavy breathing of the guards. Fang Lin quietly sheathed the heavy black broad sword on his back, his expression calm and his breathing entirely steady, showing no signs of exhaustion.
The elderly merchant manager was the first to recover. He hurried forward from the center of the wagons, his dusty blue robes rustling as he bowed deeply to Fang Lin, his hands trembling with gratitude.
"We thank the young hero for saving our lives!" the manager spoke, his voice filled with sincere respect. "I am Tuo Feng, the manager of the Tuo Clan's merchant caravan. If not for your timely intervention, our caravan would have been destroyed, and our lives lost to these beasts."
Fang Lin clasped his hands in a simple, rugged martial gesture, adopting the persona of a rough body cultivator. "Do not be polite, Manager Tuo," Fang Lin replied, his voice carrying the deep, gravelly tone of Mu Tie. "I am Mu Tie, a traveling body cultivator from the western ridges. I was simply passing through this canyon on my way to the city when I heard the commotion."
Tuo Feng looked at the massive broad sword on the youth's back, and then at the shattered stone armor of the wolves, his eyes reflecting deep admiration. "To possess such terrifying physical strength without even relying on spiritual Qi... Brother Mu must have cultivated a supreme body-tempering art. Are you traveling to Black Tortoise City?"
"I am," Fang Lin nodded. "I heard that Black Tortoise Mountain is holding a public recruitment trial for outer disciples in the highlands, and they are looking for talented body cultivators and blacksmiths. I wanted to try my luck and see if I could enter the sect to learn their forging arts."
"Ah, the public recruitment trial!" Tuo Feng's eyes lit up, and a warm smile appeared on his weathered face. "The timing is indeed perfect. The recruitment registration begins in Black Tortoise City in three days. However, the city guards have tightened the security due to the massive influx of rogue cultivators, and the entry tax for independent travelers is quite high. Furthermore, independent applicants face strict questioning regarding their origin."
Fang Lin frowned slightly, playing his part. "Is the entry that difficult?"
"For a rogue cultivator, yes," Tuo Feng explained, before gesturing toward the wagons of Iron-Spirited Wood. "But our Tuo Clan is an established merchant family in Black Tortoise City. We have a regular permit to transport resources for the sect's outer divisions. If Brother Mu does not mind, you can join our caravan as a hired guard for the remainder of the journey. I will cover your entry tax and register you as our caravan's guard. That way, the guards at the gate will not question your identity, and you can enter the city without any trouble."
Fang Lin pretended to hesitate for a moment before nodding slowly. "That would be of great help, Manager Tuo. I accept your offer."
"Excellent!" Tuo Feng smiled, clearly relieved to have such a powerful body cultivator guarding their cargo. He turned to the guards, shouting orders. "Clear the path! Help the wounded, repair the damaged wheel, and prepare to move! We must reach the city gates before sunset!"
For the next two days, the caravan traveled slowly along the winding highland roads. Fang Lin walked beside the lead wagon, occasionally chatting with Tuo Feng and learning more about the city.
He learned that Black Tortoise City was a massive metropolis built entirely from the local iron-black granite, serving as the commercial and administrative hub for the sect. The city was dominated by the culture of earth cultivators, body-tempering martial artists, and weapon smiths. The sound of hammers clashing against anvils was said to echo through the streets day and night.
Tuo Feng also confirmed that the upcoming recruitment trial was indeed competitive, attracting thousands of talented rogue cultivators from all over the northeastern highlands, all hoping to catch the eye of the sect's forging masters and elders.
On the afternoon of the second day, the caravan rounded the final mountain pass, and the vast northeastern highlands opened before them.
In the distance, sitting at the base of the massive, flat-topped Black Tortoise Mountain, stood the towering silhouette of Black Tortoise City. The city's walls were built of massive blocks of iron-black stone, stretching for miles across the rugged plain like a sleeping dark beast. Above the city, the heavy, stable pressure of the sect's defensive arrays could be felt even from miles away, making the earth itself seem thick and unyielding.
"We have arrived," Tuo Feng said, pointing toward the massive iron gates of the city where a long line of carriages and cultivators were waiting to enter. "That is Black Tortoise City, Brother Mu."
Fang Lin looked toward the massive stone walls and the flat-topped mountain peak rising behind them, his eyes calm beneath the hood of his grey-green robe. His journey toward the secrets of the Old vitality leaf had finally begun.
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