Chapter 1958: Fading Lights, The Sea

The Immortal Astral Continent, the Immortal Race's Five Prefectures and Seventy-two States, occupy more than fifty percent of the entire Immortal Astral. Of the remaining nearly fifty percent, four-fifths belong to the Ancient Race's Thirty-six Commanderies, and the final one-tenth is the Boundless Sea that separates the Ancient and Immortal.

This body of water is the largest sea in the Immortal Astral, constantly turbulent with waves and covered by obscuring mist. Mortals cannot cross it, and even Cultivators, unless they possess extremely high cultivation, cannot traverse this great sea.

This sea has become a natural barrier, making it difficult for the Immortal and Ancient to reach each other's territory.

Bordering this sea is the Immortal Race's Northern Prefecture. Within that land of ten thousand miles of ice, the northernmost state of the Northern Prefecture is named Hanmeng State. This state is not large and is almost entirely covered by snow.

Most Cultivators living in this state are accustomed to this weather and climate, and the Cultivation Techniques they practice are all of the Ice Lineage. Mortals are scarce here, especially the closer one gets to the north.

To the north of this state is the vast sea. If one looks down upon Hanmeng State from above, they can clearly see that the entire Hanmeng State resembles a giant ice block, floating at the edge of the great sea, constantly battered by the seawater day and night, yet never melting.

One can even occasionally see newly condensed layers of ice floating far away on the waves in the sea bordering the state.

Within a million-mile radius surrounding this border area, there is no sign of life. Even Cultivators rarely set foot here, as the Cold Qi of this place is truly too intense. Cultivators are also flesh and blood; here, their internal blood would turn into ice water, making prolonged survival impossible.

The wind and snow whined and roared, spreading across the heavens and earth, causing the large flakes of snow to spiral high up before slowly scattering with the wind and drifting down to the ground.

Amidst this endless wind and snow, the land stretched boundlessly, yet faintly, three figures could be seen walking step by step across the distant snowscape.

Of the three, the one leading was wearing a straw raincoat, with white hair mixed with many snowflakes. A thick layer of snow also covered his raincoat, shedding with his steps while new snow accumulated.

The two behind him consisted of one man who looked like an old man, but upon closer inspection, resembled a middle-aged man. This man was covered in white snow, shivering from the cold, constantly blowing white breath onto his hands held near his mouth, and occasionally casting glances filled with jealousy at the other person beside him!

On this man’s shoulder was a Small Snake, though its appearance was like a Dragon. It was currently lying there languidly, and whenever it sensed the man was about to freeze, it would breathe out a puff of air, allowing the man to persist.

The last person was a large man. More accurately, perhaps he was not a large man, but a thin young man who looked extremely bloated after wearing layer upon layer of cotton-padded jackets. When he walked, he swaggered, and after stepping deeply into the snow, he had to laboriously lift his foot.

Despite the cold, sweat appeared on the young man's forehead, emitting puffs of white steam, which was quite amusing.

The crunching sound of footsteps on the snow was swallowed by the whining wind, unable to travel far. Only three lines of fading footprints could be seen in the snow, existing briefly before being erased, yet the occasionally echoing human voices seemed impossible to swallow, carrying forth.

"Your Grandpa Xu is still the smartest! It was like this in the Immortal Cave Realm, and it's still like this here on the Immortal Astral Continent. Jinbiaozi, if you want to compare yourself to your Grandpa Xu, you couldn't catch up even if you rode a horse!" The young man wearing layers of thick cotton-padded jackets wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking smug and boastful.

"So hot! It's so hot today, I can't stand it, it's too hot! Jinbiao, aren't you hot? Why am I so hot?"

The man beside him was Liu Jinbiao. He glared fiercely at Xu Ligou, but just as he was about to speak, a cold wind blew past, making him shiver immediately, and his face even turned slightly blue.

"Huh, Jinbiao, why are you still shivering on such a hot day? Could it be that you're cold? Ah, stop pretending, it's boring, you can't fool me. Your Grandpa Xu has seen everything these past years in Ancestral City. I've gotten plenty of treasures, enjoyed the best food and drink, and even had Little Peach Blossom, Little Peach Red, Little Peach Blue, and others to warm the bed. Don't even mention how happy I was! Jinbiao, how have you been these past few years?" Xu Ligou forced a friendly expression, but the smugness in his eyes made Liu Jinbiao feel like rushing up and fighting him.

"Ah, I'm wearing too many clothes, and the weather is too hot. I say, Jinbiao, you really seem cold. It's okay, your Grandpa Xu and you are good brothers, so I'll give you…" Xu Ligou glanced at Liu Jinbiao and then deliberately paused after saying this.

After Liu Jinbiao was momentarily stunned and showed a look of surprise, Xu Ligou chuckled and spoke again.

"I'll introduce you to how precious these clothes of mine are! After you listen, fantasize about it in your mind, and maybe you won't be cold anymore! Aren't you a Dao of Deception practitioner? Go deceive yourself! Deceive yourself and tell yourself that you are wearing countless pieces of warm clothing—wouldn't that solve it?" Xu Ligou looked quite emotional, shaking his head and rocking back and forth while touching his clothes.

"This garment is a supreme treasure! It was woven from Heavenly Cotton and can generate warm Qi on its own. Your Grandpa Xu snatched it from the Chen Family!"

"This cotton-padded jacket is also a supreme treasure! Wearing it feels like hugging a ball of fire. Your Grandpa Xu instigated the Prince to snatch it from the Zhao Family!"

"This one…"

"And this one…"

"And this one…" Xu Ligou introduced them one by one, but before he could finish, Liu Jinbiao roared.

"Xu Ligou!!!"

"What is it, calling your Grandpa Xu? In front of Master, are you trying to forcibly snatch something? Hey, come on, come on! You little Jinbiaozi, you've gotten bold!" Xu Ligou glared, immediately wanting to roll up his sleeves, but his clothes were too thick. After rolling up one layer, there were countless more, and he couldn't finish rolling them up for a while.

"Master… look at him… I… I…" After glaring furiously at Xu Ligou, Liu Jinbiao immediately looked at Wang Lin, who was walking ahead and completely ignoring the two of them, and pleaded.

"Master, don't pay attention to him. He was the one who wanted to exercise his body and improve his cultivation. Master, please walk slowly, the ground is snowy and slippery. Don't mind us, it's fine, Little Xu can handle himself." Xu Ligou quickly put on a fawning expression, hurried a few steps behind Wang Lin, and as he walked, he raised his hand and began kneading Wang Lin's shoulder through the straw raincoat. He even turned back smugly and glared fiercely at Liu Jinbiao a few times.

"You want to compete with your Grandpa Xu for status in Master's heart? Bah! You little Jinbiaozi aren't qualified yet! When your Grandpa Xu started following Master, you were probably still nursing somewhere!" Xu Ligou transmitted his Divine Thought.

"You…"

"What about me? I was the one who suggested to Master that since our cultivation isn't high enough, it would be best if we walked through this cold Northern Prefecture using our own cultivation. This way, we can not only strengthen our will but also slightly improve our cultivation through constant circulation—it's a good thing!

I said it, so what! My cultivation, Xu Ligou's, isn't as high as yours, and I don't have that Stupid Dragon helping me. I'm afraid of the cold, so why are you angry that I'm wearing a cotton-padded jacket? If you had one, you'd wear it too." Xu Ligou snorted.

Seeing that the two were about to continue arguing, Wang Lin frowned. They had been constantly arguing ever since they appeared on this journey.

"Enough, Liu Jinbiao. If you can't hold on, I can send you into the Storage Space." Wang Lin paused his steps and looked back at Liu Jinbiao, who was shivering from the cold.

"I absolutely cannot give Xu Ligou the chance to be alone beside Master. That guy will definitely badmouth me!" Liu Jinbiao gritted his teeth and immediately shook his head.

"Master, I… I can still hold on!!" Liu Jinbiao shivered, his voice trembling.

"Xu Ligou, take off a few pieces of clothing and give them to Liu Jinbiao." Wang Lin could see through the intentions of these two at a glance, and he turned and walked toward the distance.

Xu Ligou reluctantly took off a few cotton-padded jackets and threw them to Liu Jinbiao. Liu Jinbiao quickly put them on. The two exchanged fierce glares again, cursed each other with their eyes, and immediately followed Wang Lin's footsteps.

Time flowed by. Wang Lin was not in the slightest hurry, walking slowly across the northernmost part of the Immortal Astral Continent, heading toward the vast sea. Gradually, the Cold Qi here grew heavier and heavier. After even Xu Ligou could no longer bear it, Wang Lin flicked his large sleeve, swept the two up, and took a step, disappearing.

When he reappeared, he was already at the edge of Hanmeng State. Before him was a turbulent, dark sea, with large amounts of ice blocks floating on the surface, occasionally colliding and emitting loud booming sounds.

"After crossing this sea, it will be the Ancient Race…" Wang Lin casually waved his right hand, placing Liu Jinbiao and Xu Ligou into the Storage Space. He stood there alone, silent for a moment, then swayed forward. When he reappeared, he was standing on a gigantic ice block.

Standing on the ice block, Wang Lin looked back toward the Immortal Race's Land.

As he looked, scenes from the past since he first arrived at the Immortal Race flashed before Wang Lin's eyes. These memories, like the cold sea wind at this moment, stirred his white hair and faded away amidst the fluttering strands.

The ice block beneath Wang Lin's feet rose and fell with the waves, slowly drifting into the distance. Gradually, he moved farther and farther away from the Immortal Race's Land, and slowly, in Wang Lin's sight, the Immortal Race's Land seemed to blur.

He stood there, watching the distant Immortal Race amid the blurred world. Faintly, he seemed to see many familiar faces. Those faces also seemed to dissipate and become unclear as he moved farther away.

"Madman… when I return again…" Wang Lin did not murmur the rest of the sentence; instead, his eyes revealed determination and resoluteness!

He didn't know how much time had passed, until Wang Lin could no longer see the Immortal Race's Land, seeing only the vast, rolling sea. In the distance, the setting sun slowly sank, revealing a fiery red expanse. This red glow seemed to escort him until the world turned dark, at which point Wang Lin turned around.

"Master Xuan Luo… Disciple has arrived." Wang Lin's eyes flashed. He took a step, his body swayed, and he vanished from the ice block without a trace.