Chapter 65

Canglan Academy has stipulated that within a hundred miles of the trial route, no tribal warriors are allowed to enter. However, outside this area, all major powerful tribes have dispatched people to monitor the trial zone.

Whether it's message transmission, or the supply of elixirs and weapons, or even secretly mobilizing their young to conduct more effective hunts and ambushes, these powerful tribes spare no effort, racking their brains to exploit loopholes in the rules.

The Su Clan also turns a blind eye to this.

In the wilderness, the weak are prey to the strong. For the tribes to be willing to invest so many resources to snatch a trial iron badge, leading to bloody mutual slaughter, the Su Clan would be overjoyed in their dreams.

Due to these factors, the news that Lou Shiyi, the most promising young man of the Gui Xi tribe, who broke through to the peak of the sixth level of the Tribal Warrior at the age of twelve and had the best chance of advancing to the Rebirth Realm before the age of twenty, was defeated by an unknown young man from the Northern Mountain tribe of Mangya Ridge, quickly spread throughout the Canglan Wilderness.

Ten talisman weapons, any powerful tribe would feel a deep pain at the thought of it.

The Gui Xi tribe was willing to pay such a high price to ensure the safety of one of their young, which also indicates the potential for cultivation of this young man.

However, what the tribes were more curious about was who exactly defeated the young man that the Gui Xi tribe had high hopes for?

The talent of this young man from the Northern Mountain tribe, and whether he could win the title of the New King this time, was something all the tribes were eagerly anticipating.

As for the competition for the trial iron badges and the mystic weapons and armor, all the tribes knew their chances were slim.

Unless a Heavenly Tribal Warrior who has advanced to the Rebirth Realm were to intervene, otherwise, relying solely on the young men participating in the trial, it would be unknown how many casualties would occur before they could snatch the trial iron badges and mystic weapons and armor.

The remaining nearly thousand miles, Chen Xun and his group walked safely to Canglan City.

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"Wow, so big! So tall!"

After crossing the last mountain ridge, they were nearly a thousand miles deep into Tushan, and Canglan City suddenly appeared before their eyes.

Tushan stretches for ten thousand miles from north to south and three to four thousand miles from east to west, serving as the boundary mountain between Yunzhou and the Western Wilderness.

West of Tushan is the wasteland.

The peaks of Tushan, piercing the clouds, are over ten thousand feet high, with glaciers covering the ridges for ten thousand years, making it a forbidden zone for humans. The pure and fierce Heavenly Gales howl without cease, and even late-stage Rebirth Realm experts would be blown to pieces if they ventured in.

Even the most powerful experts above the Heavenly Yuan Realm would have to risk their lives to enter the depths of Tushan; most cultivators and tribes dare only live in the peripheral mountains of Tushan.

However, the Canglan Great Rift is an exception.

Tushan is divided into the Southern Ridge and the Northern Ridge. Between the Southern and Northern Ridges is a huge rift, winding for thousands of miles, which is the only passage for ordinary cultivators to cross Tushan from Yunzhou and enter the Western Wilderness.

Due to the countless fierce beasts and birds in the depths of Tushan, this long, narrow rift embedded in the mountains, although not covered by glaciers and not constantly blown by the Heavenly Gales, is by no means safe.

Canglan City is located at the western entrance of the Canglan Great Rift, and the Su Clan has been established here for a thousand years.

The "Canglan Miscellany" records that Canglan is the first great city of the Western Wilderness. Before crossing the last mountain ridge, Chen Xun found it hard to imagine how large Canglan, a city in the sparsely populated wilderness, could be.

Although there was still some snow on the mountain ridge, looking down from the towering ridge, green grass spread down the gentle slopes on both sides of the road, like a green carpet.

From a distance of a hundred miles, the Canglan city wall, exuding boundless desolation and loneliness, appeared like a black dragon, stretching before them.

"Is this Canglan?"

Zong Ya was also stunned by the sight of Canglan City, turning to look at Chen Xun, unsure.

Chen Xun looked at Ge Yi.

After crossing the mountain ridge, they officially entered the territory of Canglan City. Ge Yi and his group no longer hid, but walked with Chen Xun and the others into the city.

Chen Xun and his group carried the trial iron badges issued by the Hostile Martial Marshal's Office. Anyone who provoked them would be challenging the authority of the Hostile Martial Marshal's Office.

"This is Canglan, the Canglan that the Su Clan has established for a thousand years!"

Ge Yi, who had not returned to Canglan for three to four months, thought of his family in the city, his heart warmed, and he answered Chen Xun with some excitement.

Established for a thousand years?

A four-thousand-year empire, a thousand-year clan.

What kind of deeply rooted place is the Su Clan, which has guarded the Western Wilderness for a thousand years under the reign of Emperor Xi Wu?

Even though Chen Xun had been in this world for four years, he still found it hard to imagine all of this.

Chen Xun, along with Gu Jianfeng, Zuo Qiu, Zong Ya, and others, followed Ge Yi and his group down the hill.

The closer they got to Canglan City, the more the black city wall, with its grand and desolate appearance, left a deep impression.

Walking to the foot of the city wall, Chen Xun confirmed that the black gold stones used to build the city, each one taller than a person.

The stones were all of the same size, layered to form a very steep slope. From the base of the wall to the top of the city, Chen Xun counted a total of forty-nine stones.

Chen Xun silently marveled: the entire city wall, from the foundation to the top, was nearly a hundred meters high!

Chen Xun did not know what kind of stone was used to build the city, but after so many years, there was not a trace of weathering. Instead, some rust marks were visible in the gaps between the stones.

He reached out and touched it, his hand covered in iron rust, thinking that the "Canglan Miscellany" recorded that the city was built by melting tens of millions of pounds of iron and pouring it into the gaps between the stones, and it was actually true!

It was hard to imagine how much manpower and resources the Su Clan had invested in building Canglan City.

Perhaps, this is the world of cultivators, and this is the city built by cultivators.

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"Can you hand over the person now?" Lou Li, suppressing his anger, lightly leaped onto his scaled horse, blocking the city gate, his fierce eyes staring at Chen Xun and the others, wishing he could tear them apart.

Chen Xun did not expect that Lou Li's aura, even before he made a move, was so strong.

The Vajra Mystic Armor he wore also responded, emitting a faint spiritual light to resist the powerful and fierce aura. Chen Xun thought to himself: if Lou Li were to make a move, this seemingly mystical Vajra Mystic Armor might not be able to withstand Lou Li's full attack.

However, facing Lou Li, who was half a step away from the mid-stage of the Rebirth Realm, Chen Xun showed no fear. They had carried the trial iron badges to this point, making them disciples of Canglan Academy. No matter how powerful the Gui Xi tribe was, they still had to rely on the Su Clan to survive. Would Lou Li dare to kill Canglan Academy's disciples at the city gate?

If Lou Li really had the courage to kill them, he would not have waited until they reached the city gate.

No matter how strong Lou Li's aura and killing intent were, Chen Xun was not afraid. He simply glanced at Lou Shiyi, who was tightly bound and carried on Gu Jianfeng's shoulder.

This situation made Lou Li even angrier. He had never thought that he, a half-step mid-stage Rebirth Realm Heavenly Tribal Warrior, could not suppress a late-stage True Yang Realm youth in terms of aura. He really wanted to tear this boy apart.

However, in front of so many people, he could only endure and wait for Chen Xun to hand over the person.

These three days, Chen Xun did not mistreat Lou Shiyi:

Cutting the tendons in his hands and feet was not a serious injury for the Gui Xi tribe, which had several Rebirth Realm experts. Apart from being tied up, Lou Shiyi was well taken care of, with food and drink provided. On the journey, Gu Jianfeng carried him on his shoulder, so he did not have to walk a single step.

As for Lou Shiyi feeling humiliated and wanting to bite his tongue to commit suicide, that was not something Chen Xun could control.

"Ah, that tall guy carrying the boy is the head of the Gui Xi tribe? How pitiful, his hands and feet are tied up like a dog waiting to be slaughtered?"

"The Gui Xi tribe is the strongest in Mangya Ridge, with three thousand tribal warriors, dominating the Northern Plains, and no other tribe can match them. Are you talking nonsense, do you want to die?"

"Even if the Gui Xi tribe is strong, they can't act recklessly in Canglan City. Look, the head of the Gui Xi tribe is like a dog, with his teeth knocked out. Are you still afraid they will bite? Hahaha..."

The crowd at the city gate was packed, like a bustling market.

Canglan Academy recruits disciples every three years, and the young men from the tribes in the wilderness are just one source, accounting for less than a third of the total. However, this year's tribal trial was so bloody, naturally arousing the interest and curiosity of the people in the city, who wanted to know which tribal disciples survived and ultimately obtained the trial iron badges.

Not only was the main road at the city gate crowded with people, but inside the city, countless people were also looking out, eager to see.

Although tens of thousands of tribal disciples participated in the bloody competition for two hundred trial iron badges, everyone knew that the chances of a powerful tribe like the Gui Xi tribe obtaining a trial iron badge were greater.

People like to see underdogs, like to see the underdog rise, and like to see the weak overpower the strong.

This year, the first-time participants from the Northern Mountain of Mangya Ridge, recommended by the Hostile Martial Marshal's Office, were the biggest underdogs and the biggest underdog rise. Who wouldn't be curious about them?

Although many trial disciples had entered the city in the past few days, none of them were as lively as today.

Although the Gui Xi tribe dominates Mangya Ridge, they have no room to act in Canglan City. Everyone wanted to see Lou Shiyi, the head of the Gui Xi tribe, who was so humiliated, and strip him to see what kind of person the Gui Xi tribe had high hopes for, and why he lost so badly this time.

Chen Xun saw that most of the people loudly discussing were those who had a strong dislike for the Gui Xi tribe. Now that they had the chance to humiliate the Gui Xi tribe, they naturally wouldn't miss it.

Apart from the grandeur of Canglan City, which left Chen Xun in awe, the crowd at the city gate mostly wore hemp and ramie clothes, and some wore silk and satin, making him realize how rich Canglan City was, and how the ordinary people of Canglan City were far more knowledgeable than the "wild leopards" from the Northern Mountain of Mangya Ridge.

Chen Xun couldn't help but wonder: as the master of Canglan, why was the Su Clan so eager to expand into the ancient cold lands of the Northern Mountain of Mangya Ridge?

Lou Li did not know what Chen Xun was thinking. Seeing that he did not react and did not hand over Shiyi, and that the surrounding crowd was eager to see the Gui Xi tribe's humiliation, he was extremely angry, but his face became even calmer. However, for Shiyi, such humiliation was like the last straw, threatening to crush his unblemished mind.

Under normal circumstances, Shiyi would have pulled out his sword and killed those who humiliated him without hesitation. Now, he could only close his eyes in shame and try to control himself, not letting the tears of humiliation slide down his eyelids.

"Is that the young man from the Northern Mountain who captured the head of the Gui Xi tribe? He doesn't look that strong!"

"You don't know anything, this is called returning to simplicity, do you understand? Didn't you see the Vajra Mystic Armor he's wearing, with two layers of Vajra Mystic Symbols? Just this armor alone is enough to make you live a life of luxury in the Cangyue Tower. If he can wear this armor, isn't he strong enough?"

"In the Northern Mountain, which tribe can afford a Vajra Mystic Armor? This armor was handed over by the Gui Xi tribe to ransom the head of the tribe..."

"If this young man from the Northern Mountain can capture the head of the Gui Xi tribe with just a piece of scrap, isn't that even more impressive?"

"Of course, this year, among the tribal disciples entering Canglan Academy, even without these two talisman weapons, he would likely be in the top three. Whether he will be the New King of the Academy this year and become a Purple Robe Disciple depends on whether anyone from the Su Clan or other major and minor clans in the city can surpass him."

"Unfortunately, the truly outstanding disciples of the Su Clan are always directly admitted to the Langhuan Academy. The collateral descendants of the Su Clan probably can't compete with this young man. As for the scattered cultivators from Yunzhou, they probably won't have any outstanding talents coming to Canglan to cultivate..."

Lou Li's eyes swept over the crowd, the air so oppressive it seemed to freeze the hearts of the people. He began to lose patience. Chen Xun deliberately delayed handing over the person, not only to humiliate the Gui Xi tribe but also to destroy Shiyi's mind.

Chen Xun, however, calmly bowed to the crowd:

"I am Chen Xun from Wuyang, greeting all the elders and fellow citizens. The Gui Xi tribe organized thousands of people to ambush and kill our Northern Mountain disciples on the White Wolf River, which is a crime against heaven and humanity. We were forced to retaliate and captured the head of the Gui Xi tribe, Lou Shiyi. However, our Northern Mountain disciples are peace-loving. Even with hundreds of disciples killed and suffering from the Gui Xi tribe's tyranny, we still want to resolve the matter peacefully and did not kill Lou Shiyi for revenge. The Gui Xi tribe has sworn that as long as we hand over the person, they will not make things difficult for our Northern Mountain disciples afterward. I ask all the elders and fellow citizens to bear witness..."

"The Gui Xi tribe is shameless. That boy from Wuyang, you should just kill Lou Shiyi and be done with it!" No one watching the spectacle wanted it to end, and immediately there were calls for Chen Xun to kill Lou Shiyi.

Lou Li lightly hummed, saying to Ge Yi, "Mr. Ge, it's time for you to uphold justice."

Lou Li's light hum, though not loud, contained a strange force that struck Chen Xun, exploding in his ears like a thunderclap, immediately shaking his spirit and almost extinguishing it.

Chen Xun's divine essence circulated for a few breaths before he could dispel the strange force that Lou Li's voice had invaded his body. Chen Xun looked at Lou Li with a calm eye, seeing that he was playing such a trick, and inwardly sneered, saying to the crowd, "I will spare Lou Shiyi for now, but if the Gui Xi tribe dares to violate today's oath..."

At this point, Chen Xun suddenly drew his Frost Blade and slashed at the bound Lou Shiyi, the fierce blade energy tearing the animal skin covering his body, revealing his tender and white skin without harming him.

Chen Xun sheathed the Vajra Blade and slowly said, "If the Gui Xi tribe dares to violate today's oath and harm our Northern Mountain disciples, Chen Xun will make sure the entire Gui Xi tribe is shattered like this animal skin, never to exist again..."

Chen Xun's arrogance made Lou Li laugh in anger, saying, "What a lofty ambition, I'd like to see how you will destroy the entire Gui Xi tribe!" He then took off his black robe, covering the naked Shiyi, and handed him to his clan members to carry into the city gate.

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