Watching Qian Renxue transform into a golden stream of light and streak toward Spirit City, Li Zhexian stood silently by the lake for a long time before finally taking to the sky and departing.
Upon returning to Blazing Fire City, the Dean of Blazing Academy hosted a banquet to welcome him.
After the banquet, Chen Xin, Feng Bailong, and Li Zhexian set off to return to Heaven Dou City.
Victorious troops,
naturally, were welcomed again by the cheering crowds lining both sides of the streets.
Though the Spirit Empire's sudden war against Heaven Dou had been temporarily halted due to Bibi Dong's severe injuries, and things appeared calm on the surface—
however—
troop movements were constant on the Heaven Dou border, Spirit Masters were being stationed along frontier posts, and food and weapons were being stockpiled on a large scale.
All signs indicated:
Heaven Dou had fully entered wartime readiness.
Star Luo Empire was doing the same.
Both empires were even building a rapid-support war route between them
to jointly counter the threat of the Spirit Empire.
But everyone knew…
the true decider of this war would ultimately be the clash of peak-level power.
The Spirit Empire had quieted down for now
only because Bibi Dong and the Slaughter King, both Limit Douluo, were healing.
Once their injuries recovered,
the continent would be plunged into even deeper flames of war.
Therefore,
on the Heaven Dou side,
all Titled Douluo, including Li Zhexian, did not dare relax for even a moment and entered secluded cultivation.
...
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
In the courtyard, beneath the plum tree,
Li Zhexian sat cross-legged in silence, suppressing all aura. Plum petals covered his shoulders and hair.
If a powerful expert scanned the area with spiritual sense at this moment,
they would hardly detect his presence.
Day rose and fell.
Until the last sliver of evening light painted the sky orange—
a surge of energy, like a slumbering dragon awakening, slowly spread from his body.
Phenomena bloomed around him:
starlight descended, ice and flame intertwined, a clear breeze swirled… and the plum petals on his shoulders suddenly lifted against gravity, drifting back onto the branches.
"Hu…"
A long breath left him like a sword cry.
The air several meters ahead trembled with a resonant buzz.
"Level 76."
Li Zhexian opened his eyes slowly and murmured.
Yet there was little joy in his tone.
In his spiritual sea, the lazy Skydream Ice Worm didn't even bother opening its eyes.
"What's wrong, Brother Zhexian?"
"Judging by your tone, you're still not satisfied?"
"At the Spirit Saint level, breaking through one level in three months—that speed is already astonishing."
"This is also because of your ultimate attribute, allowing you to build up momentum after Level 70."
Li Zhexian naturally understood this.
His progress was far from slow.
However—
though the continent seemed peaceful on the surface,
undercurrents surged beneath.
Bibi Dong and the Slaughter King were about to recover, and unusual disturbances were spreading from the Spirit Empire's border.
The flames that would decide the empire's survival could ignite at any moment.
He longed to become stronger—
to protect more lives in the war to come.
"Limit Douluo…"
He recalled the battlefield where Qian Daoliu had clashed with Bibi Dong and the Slaughter King.
Even the lingering energy from the Slaughter King's severed head alone
had been overwhelming.
At the thought of this,
a shadow settled over Li Zhexian's heart.
"With my current strength, I fear no level-95 Titled Douluo."
"But a Limit Douluo… is still far beyond my reach."
As his thoughts churned,
three lovely faces suddenly peeked over the courtyard wall, each with a different charm.
"Heehee, Zhexian, finished cultivating?"
Li Zhexian looked toward Zhu Zhuqing and the other two, gathered his scattered thoughts, and nodded with a smile.
"Mm."
"Great!"
Xiao Wu hopped excitedly:
"Tonight, Yanyan, Lingling, and all your brothers are coming!"
...
In the evening, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Yu Tianheng, and others arrived as promised. They drank heartily until late at night, and many were scattered across the courtyard, drunk.
Yu Tianheng's cheeks were flushed as he raised his cup, eyes hazy:
"Brother Zhexian! When… when the war is over!"
"We'll drink like this every day!"
"And we'll call Brother Buyu, Brother Xiaotian, all of them!"
Li Zhexian paused slightly as he held his cup.
Then he raised his lips in a light smile.
"Alright."
Just as he said this—
he suddenly felt something and raised his head sharply toward the sky.
Screee—!
A sharp eagle cry pierced the heavens.
A snowy-white eaglespreading wings over ten meters wide swept over the courtyard.
With each beat of its wings, fierce winds swirled.
The fallen plum petals on the ground were swept up in a flurry.
Whoosh—
The eagle opened its talons.
A streak of icy blue light dropped straight toward Li Zhexian.
He reached out and caught it.
A biting cold seeped instantly into his palm.
Then—
with a soft pop,
the icy-blue light shattered into drifting snow.
Before him, the flakes reformed into a line of grand, sweeping characters:
—Three days from now, 700,000-year Heavenly Tribulation. Li Zhexian is invited to attend.
Before Li Zhexian could respond,
the Skydream Ice Worm in his spiritual sea flipped over and jumped up, its tiny eyes glittering with excitement.
"Wind-and-snow message!"
"This is the Snow Empress's method!"
"She's going to undergo her 700,000-year tribulation—and she actually invited you, a human, to witness it!"
"The Snow Empress trusts you that much!"
Hearing this, a trace of puzzlement indeed flashed across Li Zhexian's eyes.
Not because he questioned why the Snow Empresss invited him—
but because he was surprised she had reached her 700,000-year tribulation so soon.
"I see…"
His gaze shifted slightly as a guess formed in his mind.
"Before the appearance of the Auspicious Beast, the Snow Empress must have treaded carefully in cultivation, always wary of the 700,000-year threshold."
"But now that the little Yazi protects the destiny of the Extreme North, she can face her tribulation with peace of mind."
"She must have taken some extraordinary heavenly treasure to fully leap her cultivation to the 700,000-year bottleneck."
Li Zhexian looked up
and cupped his hands toward the snow eagle circling in the air:
"Thank you for the Snow Empress' invitation.
This junior will certainly arrive on time."
The snow eagle cried sharply, then spread its wings and soared away.
"Zhexian / Brother Zhexian…"
This sudden event sobered everyone up. They gathered around him.
"That snow eagle is a Extreme North Spirit east—could it be that legendary Snow Empress again?"
Li Zhexian nodded with a smile.
"With war yet to begin, it's the perfect time to visit the Extreme North."
He had already made up his mind:
The Snow Empress had invited him — he could not simply refuse.
Moreover, observing a 700,000-year Heavenly Tribulation up close might greatly aid his own breakthrough.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's worried, beautiful face, he gently ruffled her hair with a smile.
"Don't worry."
"The Extreme North is the Snow Empress' territory."
"There will be no danger on this trip."
With war approaching,
Li Zhexian did not delay further.
After informing Chen Xin, Feng Bailong, and the others, he immediately departed north.
Along the way—
the Skydream Ice Worm chattered nonstop inside his spiritual sea:
"The Extreme North—your Brother Tian Meng is finally coming home!"
"Extreme North Spirit Beasts, hurry and welcome your king!"
"Ah—it's been so many years. I wonder if the Ice Empress still remembers me!"
"A handsome ice worm like me is truly one-of-a-kind—she must have me deeply engraved in her heart!"
"Brother Zhexian, you and Ice Empress are acquainted, right? Make sure to put in a good word for me…"
With the Skydream Ice Worm's endless babbling in his mind,
Li Zhexian rode his Qinglian Sword into the wind,
heading north.
The lush greenery along the road gradually became pine and cedar.
The wind that brushed against him grew colder and sharper.
The Northern Border—he had arrived.
...
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