Maiden Galaxy

Chapter 21: Footpath Of The Azure Dragon

Chen Mo had such a profound body technique in the Bowl, but it could not compare to an Escape Technique; it was relatively more draining on his stamina. He did not know for how long he had been heaving before he finally came to a stop, crouching against a rock. He lowered his head to look at his ribs. A wound deep enough to show bone was currently gushing blood and exposing his flesh.

Star Weapons were incredible.

His body had gone through Star Energy tempering, and he also had the Yin Yang Qi Gathering to temper his body. He could not be compared to an ordinary person, yet the Two Star Star Weapon brought him in a single stroke an injury more severe than a Qi And Blood Nine Turns warrior's punch.

Chen Mo flipped through his Astral Stone, dismayed to discover he basically did not have any healing medicines. He looked at the long, long trail of blood behind him; it was a very ghastly sight. He feared they would not be willing to leave things at that.

"You escape first. I'll go draw them away." Chen Mo pulled down his bandana and addressed the Snow Fox against his chest.

This Snow Fox was not Feng Xue. It was very large, but they had met before. This was the Snow Fox that left that pearl for him; it was Feng Xue's mother. When the White Snow Fox saw Chen Mo, it recognized him. Its large eyes turned about, containing intelligence and clarity. It leapt from Chen Mo's chest onto the snow, yet it was in no hurry to leave. It circled the ground a few times then stared at Chen Mo.

Her eyes could speak.

Chen Mo felt her concern.

"Want to bring your kids back with me, stay at my home?" Chen Mo wanted to get up, but his wound tore, making his brow wrinkle from the pain. Dammit, this wound is too deep. Right now, my qi and blood are weakened, so it's starting to hurt more and more.

The White Snow Fox gracefully pranced, elegantly trotted over, just like a young woman, making Chen Mo stupefied. The Snow Fox jumped onto his body. Then, it opened its mouth and clamped it onto Chen Mo's wound, sucking on it, as if drinking the finest liquor.

A numb sensation came through the wound, and Chen Mo groaned from the relief it brought.

He looked in astonishment at its actions.

The fox shut its eyes as it sucked his wound. After a while, the white fox let go. Chen Mo was shocked to find that wound had unexpectedly and unbelievably healed.

"You aren't actually Demonkin, are you?" Chen Mo was taken aback.

The white fox's cheeks were somewhat red, full of charm.

Chen Mo's heart was euphoric. Damn, as he felt his belly that was left without even a scar, inwardly exclaiming that this white fox was too magical. Even if it was not Demonkin, perhaps it was already about to cultivate into a pure Demonkin. Powerful Demonkin all had internal pellets, a treasure any cultivator would be after. Chen Mo thought to himself that he actually did not have a true desire to obtain it. After all, as a fine, young youth who struggled for the sake of modernizing the motherland, Chen Mo was unlikely to go so far as to repay debts with complaints.

Chen Mo took out Qi Returning Dew. Seeing that the white fox was exhausted, it appeared that healing him should have consumed much of her vitality. Chen Mo drank a mouthful of the Qi Returning Dew before giving a bit to the white fox.

The scent of the Qi Returning Dew made the weary white fox immediately shudder with energy. Its snow-bright pupils showed a very distinct shock.

The blizzard very quickly covered his bloodtrail. Chen Mo adjusted his breathing. His energy was already beginning to recover to a full state. By the time he opened his eyes, the white fox had already vanished without a trace, leaving at his side a glossy leaf. Contained inside of it was a lot of transparent, white liquid.¹ It had a strange scent and was like snow and ice. It had the same kind of sensation from when the white fox sucked his wound before. Could this be a salve to heal wounds?

Chen Mo carefully loaded it into a bottle then looked over the surrounding environment.

On both sides were towering mountains and precipitous ridges, deep valleys, a snow-white world.

Somehow without his realizing it, he had already fled to the edges of Azure Dragon Mountain's depths. He had never been to Azure Dragon Mountain's depths before. He only heard rumors from the townspeople that Demon Beasts dwelled in the depths. An ordinary Rank One Demon Beast was able to resist a Three Flowers Overhead warrior. Once, a famous Three Flowers Overhead warrior attempted to cross through the Azure Dragon Mountain range. In the end, he was actually discovered to have died miserably at the foot of the mountain. The entire corpse was decomposed, partially eaten. It was very clear the corpse was deliberately dumped at the foot of the mountain, and for a time, Azure Dragon Town was shaken.

Therefore, Azure Dragon Town's hunting parties and warriors did not dare tread there lightly.

Chen Mo felt out a plain and undecorated piece of blue jade from his Astral Stone, the very same that the Snow Fox sent him as repayment. After he returned the first time, Chen Mo spent a long time researching but never spotted a clue. The Casting Scripture recorded millions of spirit stones and ores, but he did not find a match either. This made Chen Mo feel especially bewildered.

Azure Dragon did not produce this kind of jade either, and he did not know what its function was.

Just as Chen Mo put the jade away, at this moment, a layer of dust suddenly peeled off from the jade's surface, reflecting resplendent green light. This light flashed repeatedly.

Chen Mo was stunned. An unfathomable change occurred at the same tome to the ground beneath his feet. The thick snow covering that place the light illuminated melted. A lush green patch of grass rapidly grew at an inconceivable speed. The verdant grass was a glistening green, layer upon layer, like dragonscales, emitting light amidst the white snow.

What's happening?

Chen Mo grabbed a clump of grass, yet it faded from his fingers like sand.

Chen Mo furrowed his brow. He took several steps forward, discovering that green grass grew wherever the jade's green light shone upon. A dozen meters out, the ground formed into a small trail, the grass moving in waves as if from the wind. The wave-like scene and the surrounding snow formed a distinct contract, as if winter was no longer present, on the verge of spring's beginning. Chen Mo thought maybe he was caught in a illusion. 

However, Chen Mo discovered that if he walked towards other places, this change did not occur, and the jade's light vanished. Only when he walked towards the place from before did it glow again, the snow melt, and the grass grow lush.

This kind of feeling was like there was an imperceptible green path, and the jade was like a shining lantern guiding Chen Mo in.

His whole body shuddered, and Chen Mo suddenly recalled three words.

"Azure Dragon Footpath!"

…

Intense hoofbeats galloped, and snowflakes rose into the sky.

Qing Wan's group of four spurred their horses forth. The remaining eight mastiffs were currently sniffing the scent of the bloodtrail. "Can you tell what sort of martial art that man used just now?" Li Xiaxi spurred his horse and asked. He had continued to ponder over this question. Chen Mo faced a one on four, in the end, using "Dui Upper Open" and "Xun Lower Broken" to practically shock the four of them.

To surprisingly make the four of them Qi And Blood Eight and Nine Turns level warriors completely retreat, if it was not for that man's apparently apprehensive manner, killing one of them was not entirely impossible.

Li Xiaxi enviously gnashed his teeth.

He was the noble heir of the Duke of Wei, but he did not have martial arts like this.

All of them placed their gazes on the young woman in the red skirt. As the daughter of Prince Yang, she had much more experience and knowledge compared to everyone. According to his position, the Prince did not lose out to "Lord." In truth, against their opponent's last move, the gale spreading everywhere made Li Xiaxi tumble disgracefully off of his horse. Only Ting Nanyuan was able to maintain her composure. It had to be said that she was very exceptional.

"Nanyuan, I remember that Prince Yang's mansion has a super first-rate martial art, the ‘Dark Yang Finger.'"²

"I am not yet proficient with the Dark Yang Finger, and I have not reached a suitable level. That martial art of his is indeed classified as super first-rate, this much is true. But what are its origins. It is a bit like the Bagua." Ting Nanyuan slightly wrinkled her brow. Her gaze was indeed vicious, to see through the background of Chen Mo's two moves at a glance.

"Bagua?"

"You don't mean ‘Book of Changes,' the one with ‘in the system of change, there is the Supreme Ultimate, the Dual Modes give rise to the Four Symbols, the Four Symbols give rise to the Bagua,' that Bagua?" Li Xiaxi was shaken.

"It should be. His form had the shadow of the Supreme Ultimate. There is no mistake."

They lowered their eyes.

Among Star World's Four Books and Five Classics, the "Book of Changes" was able to develop mysterious and secret cultivation methods that were unrivalled in all the world. Human Star Cultivators that obtained one or two moves and comprehended them were sufficient to move about unimpeded. Furthermore, Earthly Star and Heavenly Star level Star Generals also were very eager for the Book of Changes. The cultivation methods in the Book of Changes even gave them enormous help in comprehension over their "Heaven Earth Dark Yellow, Universe Vast And Desolate"³ techniques. 

The nation-protecting treasure of the current Great Chong Dynasty's Tang Imperial Family, the "Black Turtle Seven Changes" was a single point as rare as phoenix feathers that was comprehended from the Book of Changes' "Four Symbols." But it was this rare point that nevertheless helped the imperial family found their dynasty in the Tail Star Field for two hundred years.

"Azure Dragon Town surprisingly has hidden such an expert, to unexpectedly never have appeared." Qing Yu wrinkled his brow, feeling that matters were very problematic. If the enemy truly was that tyrannical, it would be a bit difficult for the four of them to win against him.

LI Xiaxi's eyes contained a trace of zealousness. He sneered. "That man's Qi And Blood has not reached Nine Turns. Even if he has a super first-rate Bagua, we can take him. He must have some other valuable treasures on him, we can't let him go."

"Xiaxi, can it be you actually want to become enemies with him?" Ting Nanyuan did not have any plans for this at all.

"With things as they are, must we still be friendly? I think that will be very difficult."

The others were silent.

Before they realized it, they had already entered the depths of Azure Dragon Mountain. There was an endless valley, towering mountains and precipitous ridges. From afar, the Azure Dragon Mountain was like a coiled dragon. Before them, the mastiffs suddenly began barking. 

A green area appeared in front of them.

"What's going on here?" Qing Wan was dumbstruck.

In this frozen world, a lush patch of green grass had surprisingly appeared out of thin air on the snowy ground.

This green grass was translucent, emitting light, arranged in layers.

Everyone looked. The grass proceeded to extend towards the forest depths. This kind of feeling was as if someone had rolled out a green carpet over the snowy ground.

"Don't tell me this…" Qing Yu took a deep breath. He felt chills all over.

The group was astonished. They thought of Azure Dragon Town's legend.

In the middle of a blizzard, there was a small footpath that was green all yearlong leading deep into Azure Dragon Mountain. Legend said this arose after the death of the Azure Dragon Mountain, and a Heavenly Spirit Earthly Fiend Purple Rose Treasure Chest was buried at the end of this footpath.

"The Azure Dragon Footpath!!"

Qing Wan blinked hard. Indeed, she was not seeing things.

"How is this possible. I came here before, and this place never had a footpath like this." Qing Yu remembered very clearly. Azure Dragon Mountain had been searched through previously, but never had this strange trail been discovered.

This was honestly too strange. The green trail spread over the pure white snow was like a spring road. 

"Legend says that the Azure Dragon Footpath will only appear every 108 years after the strongest blizzard of the twelfth lunar month. I thought I would have to wait two days, but I never thought it would have already appeared." Li Xiaxi cracked a wide grin.

"This should not be so simple." Qing Wan felt that there should be some other opportunity inside.

Can it be that bare chested man was related to this.

"That man walked this path just now."

"Do you still need to ask, of course we're following this path. The Azure Dragon Footpath, a Purple Rose Treasure Chest. Hm, hm, even a Star General would not have such a fortunate encounter." Li Xiaxi spurred his horse onward, and the Divine Fire Cold galloped over the trail like lightning.

The Wuyang Princess followed close behind. As the heir of the Duke of Wei said, the Azure Dragon Footpath was seen once every century, and unknown treasures were buried at its end. That chest was the relic of an ancient dynasty. Perhaps there was spirit medicine inside it able to heal her Elder Sister.

Qing Yu gravely said: "Little Sister, immediately go tell Father and all of the clan. This man's background is not ordinary, and I fear this Azure Dragon Footpath will not be very simple either. Have the Elder dispatch all disciples here. That treasure absolutely cannot fall into the hands of an outsider."⁴

"Understood, be careful, Elder Brother." Qing Wan nodded, tugging the reins and speeding down the mountain as swift as lightning.

Qing Yu then stepped onto the green trail, gradually vanishing into the blizzard.

1. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Oh, my. ↩
2. 玄陽指 ↩
3. It may be the case I'll have to redefine the "Universe Vast And Desolate" part. The story seems to be building them this phrase up to be like a separate set of Heaven, Earth, Dark, and Yellow Techniques. ↩
4. This is actually a great decision on Qing Yu's part. ↩

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