Chapter 101: The Overbearing Great Power
Demonic beasts had it far harder than humans when it came to cultivation. The trials they had to go through were nothing like what cultivators faced—and even if they made it through, the most they could ever achieve was to take on human form.
"Roar, roar, roar…" Mu Lichuan noticed that as the roars grew louder, the snow showed signs of collapsing. He narrowed his eyes slightly.
In an avalanche, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator—unable to fly—could easily be buried underneath. To get out, one would need enough spiritual energy to sustain them; otherwise, they'd end up entombed in the snow.
Mu Lichuan could have dodged, but as the wall of snow surged toward him, he made a quick decision and chose not to resist. He let the snow bury him.
Beneath the snow, all was darkness. A thin barrier shielded him from the cold and pressure, while the young man emptied his mind. He wanted to see what kind of demon beast this was—or rather, if it had the power to trigger an avalanche, its cultivation had to be considerable. What's more, the beast had locked onto his spiritual sense from the very start, making it clear that he was its target.
Crack… crack… He wasn't sure how much time had passed—maybe just a few minutes, maybe a whole day and night. Mu Lichuan spent it recovering his spiritual power. When he heard the sounds, he opened his eyes at once and focused entirely on the beast that was digging him out.
When he was finally dug out, the first thing that caught his eye was an endless stretch of white. If it hadn't been for the bright red tuft of fur on its head, he might not have been able to tell what kind of beast it was.
He recalled from his readings on demon beasts that they could change their color at will, but certain physical traits were impossible to hide. The fact that it could take on this coloration meant it was a Snow Demon.
The presence of a Snow Demon on Mount Li meant that a sacred object—one that nurtured the spiritual energy of heaven and earth—was hidden here. That was precisely the treasure that had drawn him here. As for why no other cultivators had come for it, that was worth looking into—but he certainly wasn't going to stand by and let the "treasure" stay buried forever. If an opportunity arose, he would seize it without hesitation.
Mu Lichuan never claimed to be a sage. And even a sage, when faced with great temptation, wouldn't willingly hand over a "prize" they had their eyes on. The so-called righteous were only righteous under certain conditions.
"Roar, roar, roar!" The Snow Demon, seeing the "human" rise to his feet, immediately backed away a few steps. Though its entire body blended perfectly with the snow, Mu Lichuan could clearly make out the shape of a "snow beast."
The beast was roughly the size of a lion, entirely white, with a tuft of red fur on its head and even white eyes.
"Ugh…" Suddenly, Mu Lichuan felt a sharp pain in his head—clearly, the Snow Demon was launching a mental attack. Unfortunately for it, that plan was doomed to fail.
In his past life, Mu Lichuan's soul had been refined through tribulation, making his spiritual strength far beyond that of ordinary cultivators.
Realizing its attack was useless, the Snow Demon turned to flee. After all, aside from triggering avalanches and sudden mental strikes, it had no other skills. But as it bolted forward, it slammed hard into a barrier and was thrown back, its entire body sinking into the soft snow.
Mu Lichuan wasted no time. He condensed spiritual energy into a blade and slashed precisely at the Snow Demon's throat. It was likely that this beast had used its abilities to kill quite a few "cultivators" before.
"Roar, roar, roar!" The Snow Demon tried to dodge, but to its horror, it found that its prized mental power was being suppressed. Terror flashed deep in its eyes. Even though it couldn't take human form, it still possessed intelligence—otherwise, how could it use avalanches to kill?
Mu Lichuan said nothing more and finished off the Snow Demon. As for the mental pleas it sent his way, he ignored them entirely. He had no interest in keeping or raising a Snow Demon.
Since this beast had used such tactics to steal cultivators' inner cores, it was clearly a vicious creature. There was no reason to leave it alive to harm others.
After dispatching the beast, Mu Lichuan stored its body in his spatial ring. The inner core of a demon beast was certainly useful, but this wasn't the time to process it—he'd deal with it back home.
He continued forward. Because of the avalanche, the mountain peak had been exposed. Still, without spiritual energy to support you, stepping on the snow could easily cause you to sink in, and getting back out would take considerable effort.
As he advanced toward the "treasure," elsewhere in the capital, several white-haired elders' expressions changed drastically.
"Who is it?" One of them croaked, his voice hoarse and his face grim.
They had set up barriers all over Mount Li. Any cultivator who set foot there would be immediately detected—and the Snow Demon they had raised there would take care of them.
"We're going there now!" They had all sensed the treasure on Mount Li, but none of the four could get close. In fact, every time they tried, they were blasted back by a tremendous force and severely injured.
They had considered sending ordinary mortals to retrieve it, but those mortals would just wander in circles and come back out, as if they had no idea the place even existed.
That meant only a cultivator recognized by the treasure could reach it—no one else.
"Exactly. We've guarded this for over a hundred years—there's no way we're letting someone else take it!" Another elder echoed. In the next instant, the four vanished from their secret chamber.
Mu Lichuan finally reached the place he had sensed earlier. It was a sheer cliff—an ordinary person wouldn't even dare to look down without feeling dizzy, let alone descend.
Since Mu Lichuan couldn't fly, he'd have to rely on ropes and manual effort to go down. That wasn't too difficult for him.
"Xiao Xue, keep watch for me," Mu Lichuan instructed mentally. Though he hadn't sensed any immediate danger, it was better to be safe than sorry—a single mistake could cost him everything.
The Bloodvine replied, "Master, I will—" But before it could finish, an overwhelming pressure descended, causing the entire vine to tremble violently. As its master, Mu Lichuan felt it too.
Mu Lichuan went fully on guard, his eyes fixed ahead. The pressure was so intense it made him want to cough up blood—but he forced himself to hold it in.
When Elder Chen and the other three appeared, they didn't approach Mu Lichuan directly. They stopped a few dozen meters away—not because they didn't want to come closer, but because that range was as far as they could go. They were stuck outside the barrier and could only negotiate from there.
"Young friend, isn't it a bit dishonest to take what isn't yours?" The elder in black spoke harshly, his eyes locked onto Mu Lichuan.
The young man wore casual clothes, his expression calm. His cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage—which surprised them. After all, the Snow Demon was also at Foundation Establishment and had formidable mental attacks. They wondered how this cultivator had managed to kill it.
If they had known that Mu Lichuan's spiritual power was exceptionally strong and that he had dispatched the Snow Demon with ease, they would have been furious enough to spit blood. For cultivators, advancing in spiritual power was far harder than refining the physical body—let alone breaking through to the next level.
Mu Lichuan frowned at his words. "Senior, I don't understand what you mean." So his earlier suspicion had been correct. The reason no cultivator had taken the treasure he sensed was most likely because of these four elders.
The pressure they exerted made his whole body deeply uncomfortable. But even if he was outmatched, he couldn't afford to show any fear—if he did, he'd lose ground and let them have their way.
Every trial came with risks. Even coming to Mount Li, he had prepared thoroughly. He never underestimated his enemies.
"Young friend, you're about to head down there, so why play dumb?" The black-robed elder sneered. If it weren't for the barrier, a Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't even have the right to be so bold in their presence.
He found it strange—how had this seemingly weak young man even learned about the treasure on Mount Li, and why would he risk so much to come for it?
Seeing their attitude, Mu Lichuan asked coldly, "Then what do you seniors propose?" They knew exactly what he was about to do, yet they acted like they owned the place—who were they putting on a show for? If he were truly a sixteen-year-old boy, they might have fooled him. But he had lived a lifetime and could easily handle all sorts of worldly schemes. These people were clearly saying one thing while meaning another.
At his words, the elders actually showed a hint of appreciation for his courage. Anyone else under this pressure would have already collapsed to their knees—yet he stood upright. "We simply want you to leave, that's all." They certainly weren't going to let him retrieve the treasure.
"Leave? What if I refuse? I haven't found what I came for—how could I leave so easily? Or are you saying that what lies below belongs to you seniors?" Mu Lichuan's dark eyes showed no emotion, and his voice was flat and calm, as if discussing something trivial.
"It doesn't belong to us, but this is our territory," the black-robed elder stated on behalf of the others. "If you refuse to listen, young friend, then…" The threat was clear, and they intensified their pressure once more.
"Pfft—" Caught off guard, Mu Lichuan couldn't help but spit out blood…
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