After Yun Hanshuang's spiritual power recovered, he continued on his way toward the Ten Thousand Mile Snow Forest.

Until daybreak, Yun Hanshuang did not encounter any more robbers, which he found somewhat strange. Because when he left the city, Yun Hanshuang had clearly sensed at least five groups of people following behind him, and all of them had shown killing intent toward him. In truth, what Yun Hanshuang didn't know was that after he had flung thirty Explosion Talismans and blasted Liu Mang to death, the people following behind him had already retreated.

Because they suddenly realized that the person they intended to rob had a large quantity of talismans on them. What's more, Yun Hanshuang also carried Explosive Flame Bombs capable of killing Foundation Establishment cultivators. If they provoked him to the point of flinging one or two at them, they would surely be blown to bits, not even dregs remaining. So, realizing this, they all tacitly withdrew back to Moonview City to continue searching for other targets.

Inside a cave, after Yun Hanshuang finished refining and donning the gloves and mage robe, he took out that second-tier spirit saber and dripped blood on it to refine it. An hour later, looking at the black saber radiating a cold gleam in his hand, he spoke: "From now on, I'll call you Rot Spirit."

After putting Rot Spirit away, Yun Hanshuang began to sort through his spoils of war. All five storage rings were under one hundred cubic units in space. The total value of the various pills was less than one thousand Low-Grade spirit stones. The value of the spirit artifacts plus some materials was roughly around two thousand Low-Grade spirit stones. Some cultivation methods might sell for three or four thousand Low-Grade spirit stones. As for spirit stones, they were even more pitifully few; from five people, the total was less than three hundred.

‘Sure enough, killing and looting brings a golden belt. In one night, I recouped five or six thousand Low-Grade spirit stones.’

From this experience of being robbed, Yun Hanshuang deeply realized that the cultivation world was cruel, and that for the sake of fighting over resources, humanity could be completely extinguished.

After putting everything away, Yun Hanshuang took out the map of Marsh Island and checked his current location.

‘At my current speed, reaching the Ten Thousand Mile Snow Forest will take at least half a year. Perfect, I can cultivate Traceless on Snow while traveling.’

Once he knew his current position and had estimated the distance to his destination, Yun Hanshuang began cultivating the Qi Refining chapter of Traceless on Snow, "Butterfly Shadow Layers," while traveling.

* * *

"Ten thousand years ago, a massive block of Profound Ice, like a meteor, smashed onto Marsh Island. After that, within ten thousand li of where the Profound Ice fell, it began to snow year-round. This is precisely the origin of the Ten Thousand Mile Snow Forest."

"You're just making things up! Profound Ice is just a kind of ice-attribute fifth-tier spiritual material. Even if it were larger, it couldn't possibly affect the environment over such a vast area."

Yun Hanshuang poured himself a cup of spirit tea and continued listening to the two middle-aged cultivators chatting at the table next to his. After spending half a year traveling, Yun Hanshuang had finally arrived at Snow Swallow City, built at the entrance to the Ten Thousand Mile Snow Forest. Upon entering the city, Yun Hanshuang wanted to find a place to rest his feet, so he entered this spirit tea house. He had just sat down when he overheard the next table chatting about the legends of the Ten Thousand Mile Snow Forest.

Of the two middle-aged cultivators at the table next to Yun Hanshuang, one had a refined and cultured appearance, while the other looked very rough and rugged. Seeing that the rugged man didn't believe his words, the refined man lifted his teacup, took a sip of spirit tea, and then spoke: "I don't quite believe it either. As you said, Profound Ice couldn't affect the environment. However, Profound Ice Divine Jade could."

"What is Profound Ice Divine Jade?" The rugged man, hearing the refined man's words, immediately asked curiously.

The refined man spread his hands, then spoke: "I actually don't know too clearly either. I only read this one sentence in an ancient text. 'Hundred-million-year Profound Ice can become Profound Jade. Trillion-year Profound Jade may give birth to a divine being. All divine beings can overturn heaven and earth.'"

"That's even more absurd! Even the Spirit Transformation Stage can't change the environment of heaven and earth!" The rugged man, upon hearing this, found it even less believable.

"Believe it or not. Anyway, I only read it in an ancient text." After that, the two stopped continuing the topic of the Ten Thousand Mile Snow Forest.

Once the table next to him had changed the subject, Yun Hanshuang stopped eavesdropping and instead carefully savored the spirit tea in his hand. Just as Yun Hanshuang was about to pay his bill and leave, five young men and women, aged seventeen or eighteen and uniformly dressed, walked into the tea house.

"Isn't that the Five Talents of Emotionless Mountain? What are they doing in Snow Swallow City?" Someone recognized their attire and immediately identified them as the five most outstanding figures of the younger generation of Emotionless Mountain. They were also very puzzled as to why they would come here, because Emotionless Mountain could only be described as impossibly far from Snow Swallow City.

"Yesterday, I think I also saw several princes of Imperial Heaven City."

"The Twin Stars of the Ice Fire Sect have also come to Snow Swallow City."

The onlookers all expressed that they had seen the prodigies of the younger generation from the five major powers arriving in Snow Swallow City.

‘Just what has happened to attract the arrival of these prodigies?’

People were all very curious as to why those prodigies had gathered here.

While people were discussing at the tea house entrance why the younger generation prodigies of the five major powers had come to Snow Swallow City, the Five Talents of Emotionless Mountain had already ascended to the third floor where Yun Hanshuang was. At that moment, Yun Hanshuang also stood up and walked toward the staircase. As he passed the Five Talents of Emotionless Mountain, he briefly sized them up.

The Five Talents had just sat down when Chen Yong, the strongest of the five, looked in the direction Yun Hanshuang had left and spoke: "This person is very special. In the future, if we encounter him, befriend him if possible. If not, do not offend him."

"A person without any spiritual power fluctuations is indeed very special." Zhou Yu, one of the two women among the Five Talents, also agreed with Chen Yong's words.

"I don't see anything special about him. Senior Brother Chen, did the elders say when the people from that power would arrive?" Huang Ying, the other woman among the Five Talents, looked at Chen Yong and asked.

"The elders aren't certain either. They might arrive tomorrow, or it might take a few more years. In any case, they will definitely arrive within five years." Chen Yong repeated the elders' words to the four.

Du Hua of the Five Talents casually waved his hand, and a pale blue light barrier enveloped all five of them before he spoke: "Most people only know that Marsh Island is divided among the five major powers, but they don't know that the ones who truly control Marsh Island are the Yun family of Dusk Cloud Province on the Heavenly Abyss Continent."

"What I'm more curious about is why, this time, the Yun family suddenly released ten more Flying Cloud Tokens, double the usual amount." Lan Tu of the Five Talents voiced his question.

"Who knows? In any case, it's a good thing for us. This way, our chances are a bit greater."

"That's true. This may be our only chance to leave Marsh Island. Now that the Yun family has increased this chance, it truly is a good thing for us." After hearing Huang Ying's words, Lan Tu no longer wondered about the matter of the Yun family suddenly releasing more Flying Cloud Tokens.

After leaving the tea house, Yun Hanshuang casually walked into a spirit artifact shop and woke the drowsy shopkeeper.

"Give me a detailed map of the Ten Thousand Mile Snow Forest."

"Ten Low-Grade spirit stones."

The shopkeeper, yawning, produced a piece of beast-skin and handed it to Yun Hanshuang.

Yun Hanshuang tossed down ten Low-Grade spirit stones, took the map, and turned to leave.