After dealing with Ye Yifan and cleaning up slightly, Shang Pei and Shang Pei continued to fly in the northern direction. Only after hundreds of miles did they stop. They arrived at an unremarkable looking village.

“Huh? When did all of you manage to construct a village here?” Shang Xia asked when he saw Fifth Uncle Cen and the others coming out to welcome them.

Shang Pei muttered casually, “A crafty rabbit has three burrows. Haven’t you heard of it? It’s just that we haven’t been here for a long time.” 

As they made their way into the village, Fifth Uncle Cen continued, “Us Eighteen Horsemen of the You Continent have been messing around in the Ji Continent for more than ten years. There will be times when members suffer injuries or would have to deal with their personal matters. They could be planning to retire, they could have grown old, they could even have brought their families over to settle down. No matter the case, we need to find a safe place for them. After some time, we managed to gather enough people to form a village. This is one of the many villages we left behind and it happens to be in the Sixth Pass of the Taihang Mountains..

After they spoke, they arrived at one of the larger courtyards in the village.

“This is Third Sister’s courtyard. In the past, Lady Hai Min and Yuanyuan remained here for quite some time in the past.” Fifth Uncle Cen continued to introduce. Of course, he was basically talking to Shang Xia as Shang Pei didn’t need his explanation. After stepping into the courtyard, a look of reminiscence could be seen on Shang Pei’s face.

Entering the main room of the courtyard, Shang Xia asked, “Are the rest of the members of the Youyan Stronghold alright?” 

“Haha, everything was pretty smooth when we made our way over. Anyway, the things here are pretty simple and crude. If Young Master Shang needs anything, please let me know. We’ll do our best to prepare them.” Fifth Uncle Cen smiled.

“I don’t have any…” Before he could complete his sentence, Shang Xia’s expression changed and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Are you alright?” Shang Pei yelled. She exhausted a lot of inner qi earlier and her countenance wasn’t great, but she wasn’t too heavily injured. Seeing Shang Xia spit out a mouthful of blood came as a shock to her.

Extending one hand, he stopped the two from panicking and muttered a little powerlessly, “It’s nothing serious, just a mouthful of stale blood. I’m much better after spitting it out.

Despite what he said, Shang Pei could vaguely feel that he was still injured and she frowned. “You haven’t fully recovered… Earlier, you pushed yourself too hard in the fight and caused your internal injuries to act up again. You held it in all the way and that’s why you’re vomiting blood now…” 

“What can I do? There were so many people observing us in the dark. The moment we show any weakness, they’ll be on to us like a pack of ravenous wolves.” Shang Xia wiped away the trace of blood flowing down his face and muttered.

Shang Pei nodded slightly before she continued, “Oh yeah. I wanted to ask you earlier, but what was that palm that struck Ye Yifan? It seems a little too tyrannical. Anyone who’s a little less knowledgeable would think that it's a rank four martial intent.” 

Shang Xia brought out an intricately carved flash from his sleeves before downing a mouthful of Hundred Flowers Spiritual Wine before replying. “I came up with it some time ago by accident. I think… I think I’ll call it the Four Constellation Palm. Actually, I was in no state to release a second palm like that earlier.” 

“Four Constellation Palm?” Shang Pei found his naming sense a little weird but she didn’t dig too much into it. She eventually nodded in agreement, “Your Four Constellation Palm might be a lot more scary to the other experts compared to your Valley Rain earlier…”

…

Finally settling down in the village, Shang Xia continued to recover. 

Be it Shang Xia or Shang Pei, they needed some time to restore themselves to their peak state. It was especially so for Shang Xia since he hadn’t fully recovered earlier.

Not only did he have to recuperate, he was also in the midst of developing his rank four martial arts. Luckily, getting over the initial hurdle of creating the outline of his martial art was the hardest. Since the time he started to comprehend the Four Seasons Samsara Art and came up with his first move, Lightning Awakening, all he had to do was to progress down the same path while coming up and refining his other moves.

Shang Xia had to admit that the process was extremely complicated. There were endless trials and tests he had to come up with. However, every time he overcame a challenge, he would definitely progress and improve.

The process might seem slow, but every single improvement he had gave him a sense of accomplishment. Quickly getting addicted to the feeling of improvement, Shang Xia sank deeper into his engrossment with his comprehension. If not for Shang Pei who came over to disturb him in the midst of his cultivation, Shang Xia was seriously capable of hiding in seclusion in the tiny house for the next few years in order to fully complete the refinement of his Four Seasons Samsara Art.

Speaking of which, Shang Xia quickly discovered that it had been more than 3 months since he first arrived at the village. He had been in seclusion the whole time and it was already the middle of summer when he emerged. He could recall that it was barely spring of the 846th year of the Divine Martial Calendar previously and he couldn’t believe how quickly time flew by.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

In the months that passed, Shang Xia not only managed to recover fully, he even managed to gain some insights into his cultivation. He also refined a little more of his Four Seasons Extermination Origins.

Shang Xia had a sneaking suspicion that he couldn’t confirm the whole time. Back in the mountain cave, Shang Xia used the Dao Comprehension Incense as a test to take a look at its effects. It only lasted 2 short hours, but he had a feeling that the effects were still lingering in his body. At the very least, he felt that his smooth cultivation in the months that passed had something to do with the Dao Comprehension Incense.

When he used the incense, he managed to shorten the time it took for him to complete one cycle of inner qi circulation to 7 hours. After that, he continued to shorten the time required.

In the 3 months of cultivation in the quiet mountain village, Shang Xia managed to shorten it once again. Despite the thinner heaven and earth qi in his surroundings, he only needed 6 hours to complete a single cycle.

Every time he shortened the time taken to complete one cycle, it would mean that his cultivation speed had increased slightly.

“Is something the matter?” Shang Xia knew that unless it was absolutely necessary, Shang Pei wouldn’t interrupt his cultivation.

“News came from the institution. They want you to hurry up and return to the You Continent.” Shang Pei hesitated slightly after she spoke and something seemed to be caught in her throat.

Shang Xia didn’t notice the look on Shang Pei’s face, but he understood the meaning behind her words. “Third Aunt, are you not planning to return to the You Continent with me? Is something with the Youyan Stronghold the matter?”

Taking a deep breath, Shang Pei eventually explained the situation. “Yin Wanxiang gathered the Martial Extermination Realm experts of the Sixth pass and created the Five Peaks Alliance. He made many invitations for me to join them…” 

Shang Xia heard about how the Five Peaks Alliance helped Shang Pei when she was hunted down by Ye Yifan and Zhang Luofei. He quickly understood her intentions. “You don’t wish to join them, do you? But you feel like you owe them a huge favor…” 

Shang Pei felt relieved that someone had said it for her, and she sighed softly, “I reported the situation to the institution too. However, their intention is for me to remain here and join the Five Peaks Alliance.” 

Raising an eyebrow in shock, Shang Xia gasped, “The institution is actually planning something? The Abyssal Secret Region has already been destroyed… Could the institution be optimistic about the existence of the Five Peaks Alliance?” 

“Looks like they’re planning for the future. Staying with the Five Peaks Alliance might not seem like a great strategic decision since they won’t be of much help in ordinary situations, but they might actually be a key to victory in case something happens…” Shang Pei muttered softly but she seemed to be mocking herself.

A frown remained on Shang Xia’s face as he maintained an expression of displeasure. After all, he could tell that Shang Pei didn’t want to remain in the Sixth Pass. 

Seeing Shang Xia’s expression, Shang Pei eventually sighed and tried to make the situation a little better. “It doesn’t matter much actually. I’ve been getting used to living freely out here. I don’t have to care about many things and I can do whatever I want. If I were to return to the Tongyou City, I'd definitely feel a little uncomfortable…” Pausing slightly, Shang Pei continued, “... Besides, how well do you think the Tongyou Institution is faring at the moment?” 

Shang Xia nearly gasped in fright as he raised his head to stare at Shang Pei.

“20 years ago, our worlds collided and the battlefield between the two worlds extended to the Shu, Liang, Bing, You, and Qing Continents. The cultivators of the Azure Spiritual World managed to invade us from time to time and the Evil Remnants definitely have a hand in their actions. Because of the Zhu Family’s actions and desire for their ancestor to enter the Martial Dipper Realm, they pushed the destruction of our You Continent even further. More than two-thirds of our continent was dragged into the mess. Of the 5 continents, we suffered the most.” 

Shang Xia nodded slightly. He heard about what happened in the past. Now that Shang Pei was bringing it up again, he knew that she had more to say.

“In the years that passed, the Azure Origin World even contemplated giving up our Continent altogether before sending experts of the Ji and Bing Continents to take over the battlefront due to the lack of resources and experts in our You Continent. If not for Kou Chongxue messing about in the Beyond Heavens Pavilion all these years and abandoning the proper etiquette a Martial Dipper Realm expert should have, our You Continent would have been taken over a long time ago. Because of his actions, everyone had to reconsider the consequences of their actions.” Shang Pei explained.

Shang Xia felt his heart thumping after hearing the explanation. “Is this why Patriarch Kou was injured in the Beyond Heavens Pavilion? Is the situation so bad that the institution would even choose to work together with the Four Great Races of the Liao Continent in the Azure Spiritual World that they had been at loggerheads with for the past 20 years? They even managed to borrow the Lingxuan Space Shattering Claw!” 

Shang Pei nodded. “Even I couldn’t believe that Ji Wenlong managed to get his hands on the Lingxuan Space Shattering Claw. There has to be more than meets the eye, but one thing is for sure. He definitely owed a lot of favors in order to get his hands on that weapon.” 

“What is the reason behind the Azure Origin World wanting to forsake the You Continent anyway? Did Patriarch Kou offend so many people out there?” Shang Xia wondered out loud.

Shaking her head, Shang Pei muttered, “How would someone like me who spent all her time outside the continent know? The only thing I can think of that is most likely the case is the distribution of world origin. That might be something that directly affects the number of Martial Dipper Realm experts in each continent…” 

…

They two of them spoke for quite some time after, and they even managed to exchange the fruits of their secluded cultivation. Eventually, Shang Xia learned the other reason Shang Pei had to join the Five Peaks Alliance.

“So… You haven’t completely refined your second extermination origin and you wish to join the Five Peaks Alliance so you can get access to return to the Cloud Water Gorge? Are you planning to continue absorbing the extermination qi there?” Shang Xia asked.

“Yup.” Shang Pei exhaled a long breath and admitted.

A frown appeared on Shang Xia’s face and he thought out loud, “The Cloud Water Gorge was mostly destroyed because of the battle between Martial Dipper Realm experts. Most of the extermination qi there has scattered. Where are you going to gather enough to complete your second extermination origin? Isn’t there another way?” 

Shang Pei was equally as helpless as she sighed, “Let’s call my second extermination origin the Abyssal Mist Extermination Origin… It’s hard to find to begin with, and I might not be able to find it in other locations. Even if I could, I would need to use a lot of effort to scour through the lands for somewhere with the same type of extermination qi. The Cloud Water Gorge might be damaged, but I passed it a few times in the past. I could feel the presence of some extermination qi. I just need a little time to gather enough… After all, it’s better than nothing!” 

“This… How long will it take?” Shang Xia asked. He knew that Shang Pei used the past two years or so to refine her extermination origin. She might have made great progress, but with the state of the Cloud Water Gorge, her progress was sure to be greatly affected.

Shang Pei wasn’t sure at all. “This… I have no idea. If it’s quick, I might be able to finish it in 5 to 7 years. Otherwise, I might need ten years…” 

There was something else Shang Pei didn’t mention. She could tell that the extermination qi was slowly dissipating from the damaged Cloud Water Gorge and even if she remained there for 10 years, she might not be able to collect all the extermination qi she required. 

In ordinary circumstances, a Martial Extermination Realm expert would need 3 to 5 years to gather enough extermination qi to obtain a single strand of extermination origin. Of course, that only applied to those who had already found a source of extermination qi.

For the others, they would be actively looking out for a source of extermination qi.

In Shang Pei’s case, she managed to complete a greater part of her refinement when the Cloud Water Gorge was greatly damaged. All her efforts were basically wasted as gathering extermination qi was much more difficult than before. Her morale definitely took a great hit now that she was practically at an impasse.

“If only I had some way to gather the extermination qi from the fog quickly…” Shang Pei muttered.

Shang Xia’s eyes lit up when he heard what she said. He seemed to have recalled something and he took out the pearl that was filled with mist. “What about this?”

“What is that?” Shang Pei turned to look at the item in his hand, but she quickly discovered its uses. A look of joy flashed across her face and she yelled, “Where did you get that?” 

Understanding that he might have a solution to her problems, Shang Xia started to talk about how he obtained the pearl and the Dao Comprehension Incense.

“Dao Comprehension Incense?” Shang Pei sank into contemplation. “I seem to have heard of it before. I heard that it’s an extremely precious and rare treasure. However, this pearl seems a lot more important than the incense to me right now.” 

“Is it really useful?” Shang Xia asked.

A look of satisfaction appeared on Shang Pei’s face and she muttered, “I should be able to locate the remnant fog in the Cloud Water Gorge with this pearl. If everything goes smoothly, I should be able to complete the refinement of my second extermination origin in half a year! When that happens, I’ll break through and enter the second layer Martial Extermination Realm. What’s more, this pearl not only possesses the ability to create a sea of fog. It’s something the Abyssal Sect used to gather extermination qi from different types of extermination mists!” 

Heaving a sigh of relief, Shang Xia spoke. “It’s great that it would be of use to you. However, it looks like you will still have to enter the Five Peaks Alliance…” 

Chuckling in amusement, Shang Pei didn’t seem to care too much. Instead, she brought up another matter. “Actually, I also managed to obtain one of those inheritance light balls from the Abyssal Secret Region. The treasure contained within should be useful for you!” 

After she spoke, she handed over a jade plate the size of a palm.

Holding the plate, Shang Xia stared at it in slight confusion. He had no idea what he was looking at.

“You need to use your extermination origins to activate it. Only then will you be able to see its contents.” Shang Pei laughed at the side.

Sending a trace of his Four Seasons Extermination Origins into the plate, Shang Xia felt that it was reacting slightly. A ray of four colored light emerged on its surface and formed rows upon rows of words. The process of the words appearing on the jade plate was mighty similar to how a talisman would be created.

“Abyssal Emptiness Talisman!” Shang Xia gasped in shock. “This… This is a complete set of talisman inheritance!” 

“When I read its contents, I was extremely shocked by how well-recorded it was! You can call this an inheritance for the Abyssal Emptiness Talisman, but it seems to be an entire set of talismans that lead up its creation! It starts from the rank one Abyssal Assistive Wind Talisman, followed by the rank two Abyssal Wind Assimilation Talisman. The rank three Abyssal Qi Resistance Talisman comes next. There’s the rank four Abyssal Void Shattering Talisman next. Finally, the inheritance for the Abyssal Emptiness Talisman that hasn’t actually been created by the person who left this inheritance behind… This is truly an impressive feat!” Shang Pei mentioned.

Shang Xia continued, “That’s not all. Even the types of talisman paper, talisman ink, brush, ink slab, and even the time taken to craft every single talisman in the series had been recorded. Every single stroke of the brush has been analyzed along with every stroke started and stopped… The only thing that can beat this is the Talisman Master holding my hand and guiding me through the entire process!” 

Shang Pei paused for a second before asking, “When I received this, I didn’t look through it properly because I wasn’t a Talisman Master. What exactly does the Abyssal Emptiness Talisman do?” 

“Let’s start from the bottom. A rank one Abyssal Assistive Wind Talisman can allow a cultivator to move a little faster. A rank two Wind Assimilation Talisman not only increases one’s speed, it can also cause a hurricane that attacks their opponent. A rank three Abyssal Qi Resistance Talisman has the ability to allow one to soar through the air like a Martial Extermination Realm expert by using wind resistance. As for the rank four Abyssal Void Shattering Talisman, it has the ability to shatter the void. One can easily travel through mysterious worlds, holy lands, and even secret regions that exist in a separate space. Also, I believe that one can directly tear through the void to arrive at the Beyond Heavens Pavilion if they use the talisman…”

“What about the rank five Abyssal Emptiness Talisman?” Shang Pei asked.

After thinking about it for a second, Shang Xia shook his head and stated as simply as he could, “I don’t know.”