Da Xuan Martial Saint

Yu State.

Endless mountain ranges, majestic and magnificent.

Both Chen Mu and Meng Danyun, who each grasped the Xun Wind Artistic Conception and were existences of the Five Viscera Realm, had extremely quick footsteps, and within just a day, they left Yu County. On the tenth day, they arrived at the very center of Yu State, the 'Yu County.'

The Yu State Government Office was located here, and the entrance to the Seven Profound Sect's mountain gate lay within the mountain ranges to the north of the Yu State Government Office, less than a few hundred miles away.

Chen Mu and Meng Danyun kept traveling continuously, without many stops or encountering any impediments. At this moment, they had already reached the front of the 'Seven Profound Mountain Range,' and upon lifting their heads, they could clearly see that expanse of towering mountains.

In sight.

The mountains were shrouded in misty clouds, with peaks of green standing tall as if an immense dragon were coiling within the earth and sky.

As they drew closer, Chen Mu followed beside Meng Danyun, looking up at the stretching mountain range with each step that fell, faintly feeling as if he was gradually nearing a tremendously vast Earth's Veins.

"… The Seven Profound Sect is led by Great Profound Peak, with the other six peaks having no ranking order. Furthermore, regardless of which peak one belongs to, it doesn't affect the disciples' status within the sect, including the disciples under Great Profound Peak."

As Meng Danyun ran beside Chen Mu, she explained while looking towards the gradually nearing entrance of the Seven Profound Sect's mountain gate.

"…"

Chen Mu surveyed the nearby mountain range, his gaze carrying a slight gravity.

Noticing Chen Mu's expression, Meng Danyun smiled and said, "Do you feel the immense power of the Earth's Veins?"

"Mhm."

Chen Mu nodded slightly, his senses telling him that the further forward he went, the thicker the power of the Earth's Veins became. Beneath that stretch of towering mountains, it seemed as though a true dragon of the Earth's Veins was being suppressed, far more terrifying than the Earth's Veins beneath the rivers he had encountered during the flood disaster.

"This is the center of Yu State; this mountain range is the Dragon Vein of this state. Hundreds of years ago, the founding Sect Master subdued it with the 'Qiankun Lock Dragon Formation' and established the Seven Profound Sect's mountain gate here."

"With this formation, a part of the power of the Earth's Veins can be harnessed. Even a Grandmaster of the Marrow Cleansing Realm who dares to come near the foot of our Seven Profound Sect's mountains will be crushed into dust in an instant by the power of the Earth's Veins invoked by the formation."

Meng Danyun spoke while looking at the mountain range, and then glanced at Chen Mu, "Junior brother, you have cultivated the 'Kun Earth Artistic Conception.' After ascending the mountain, remember not to try to invoke the power of the Earth's Veins. However, the entire mountain gate is covered by the Qiankun Lock Dragon Formation. Except for special 'formation points,' the Earth's Veins power is isolated by the formation and generally cannot be invoked."

"Thank you for the warning, senior sister."

After listening to Meng Danyun, Chen Mu replied with a more solemn gaze.

In fact, even without Meng Danyun's reminder, he wouldn't dare to attempt such dangerous acts. He hadn't even ascended the mountain yet, and the force of the Earth's Veins was already making him feel oppressed. Let alone being inside the Seven Profound Sect's mountain gate – with his current realm, to touch such landforms and Earth's Veins was almost akin to seeking death; he would be crushed instantly.

Meng Danyun had said that even a Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, who dared to act wildly within the gates of the Seven Profound Sect, would be ground to dust under the power of the Earth's Veins mobilized by the formation. He did not doubt the truth of these words in the slightest.

How could human strength contend with the might of heaven and earth?!

A Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Marrow Cleansing Realm was still a human, not an immortal or a Buddha.

Even if this so-called "Qiankun Lock Dragon Formation" only mobilized a very small part of the Earth's Veins' power, it was still not something that a mortal body could withstand, and perhaps even a being in the Eighth Realm of Blood Exchange would have difficulty facing its edge directly.

This was the foundation of a Great Sect that truly possessed the territory of a state!

For a sect like the Seven Profound Sect, even if there was a break in the generation of Blood Exchange Realm cultivators, relying on this mountain gate and the Earth's Veins, they could still close off their mountain for decades without fear of external enemies, waiting for changes in the outside world, or for someone within the sect to break through and step into the Blood Exchange Realm.

Of course, such a formation and Earth's Veins also had their limits. Like the Hao Ran Sect and the Green Lotus Sect that he knew of, most likely also occupied such Earth Vein formations, but in the end, they collapsed under the assault of the North Garrison Government and had to abandon their mountain gate and leave.

Continue forward.

Chen Mu could sense that the momentum of the Earth's Veins below was terrifying, yet it was serene and not turbulent, as if something suppressed the key points, like a sleeping dragon vein, merely giving people a sense of oppression but not wildness.

In the distance, a cluster of rural villages was gradually coming into view. Calling it rural was somewhat inappropriate, as the town around the mountain gate of the Seven Profound Sect was very extensive and thriving. Apart from the absence of towering city walls, its scale was not inferior to that of the Prefecture City of Yu County, and at a glance, there were at least, at least, several millions of households living together.

"This is Seven Profound Town."

Meng Danyun led Chen Mu closer to that cluster and explained, "The gate of the Seven Profound Sect is here. Because of the Qiankun Lock Dragon Formation suppressing the Earth Pulse's momentum, the area within hundreds of miles has good weather without major droughts, floods, or other natural disasters. Plus, with the presence of the sect, this is the safest place in the entire Yu State... It's said that a long time ago, this was only a scattering of small villages, but now the number of households living here is no less than that of the State Government Office."

"It's indeed prosperous."

Chen Mu followed Meng Danyun, weaving through the outskirts of Seven Profound Town. He noticed that there was almost no chaos like that in the Outer City of Yu City. Every household lived and worked in contentment; even the children wearing patched-up old clothes or the elderly often had smiles on their faces, unlike the numbed expressions of the citizens outside Yu County.

With the mountain gate of the Seven Profound Sect here, there indeed was no need to worry about any issues with public order. Throughout the entire Yu State, no miscreant would dare to cause trouble or create chaos here as it would be akin to seeking death. Moreover, with the favorable climate and no natural disasters, there was no need for city walls. It was quite logical for it to develop into such a flourishing scene.

Arriving here.

Chen Mu suddenly had a very strange feeling.

It was as if he had stepped from a chaotic age right into a period of great prosperity!

Of course.

He knew this was just an illusion.

Perhaps in the entire Yu State, only this Seven Profound Town was such a prosperous sight - an oasis of tranquility amidst a turbulent world, existing solely because of the Seven Profound Sect. The rise or fall of Seven Profound Town was inexorably linked to the fate of the Seven Profound Sect.

Beyond Seven Profound Town lay a stretch of rolling mountains, where the actual gates of the Seven Profound Sect were located.

Before the mountain.

An expansive road led into the heart of the mountains.

Chen Mu arrived here and could feel the colossal power of Earth's Veins beneath his feet, deep under the mountain range. Yet compared to farther places, the Earth's Veins here were more gentle and stable.

"That is the mountain gate of our Seven Profound Sect."

Meng Danyun led Chen Mu forward, and they finally saw a huge stone stele standing by the mountain path.

The stele bore characters gilded in gold.

Seven Profound Sect!

With just a glance, Chen Mu felt an overwhelming, majestic momentum rushing toward him, as if it connected heaven and earth, a single stele occupying all of Qiankun Myriad Phases.

"Was this mountain gate stele also created by the hand of the first Sect Master?"

Chen Mu quickly came back to his senses, calming the waves in his heart, and asked Meng Danyun.

"Mm."

Meng Danyun nodded slightly and said, "It is said that there was originally a small mountain here, which was leveled by the one with the sword, leaving behind this monument to stand here."

As she spoke, she couldn't help sighing, "The first Sect Master cultivated the Kun Earth Artistic Conception to the third step. The stele was carved with his sword. Even after hundreds of years, the remnants of the Artistic Conception have not dispersed, almost like an Artistic Conception Map. Every time I pass by here and see this stele, I can't help but feel turbulence in my heart."

Blood Exchange Realm.

The third step of Kun Earth Artistic Conception.

Indeed, that was almost reaching the pinnacle of Martial Arts, a supreme being who could dominate the Da Xuan Dynasty. Shaping mountains into paths, carving rock into steles, using formations to suppress the terrain of hundreds of miles of mountain ranges for personal use; these were all awe-inspiring feats of strength.

In Chen Mu's heart, ripples likewise surfaced as he took another deep gaze at the stone monument. Then, following Meng Danyun, he continued forward, crossing a large section of the mountain path, until the view suddenly opened up before him.

Before his eyes.

The stretching valleys were dotted with countless wooden huts and bird dwellings.

On the peaks of various mountains, various architectures were faintly visible. Among them, the seven tallest peaks seemed to correspond to the Big Dipper in the sky, with cloud-wreathed summits where one could vaguely see some golden, splendid great halls.

"Past this bend, the first mountain is Spirit Profound Peak. I'll take you to meet Master first..."

Meng Danyun glanced at Chen Mu, her eyes quickly shifting, as she spoke to him.

I wonder what state Master is in right now.

She murmured in her heart.

"Alright, thank you, Elder Sister Meng."

Chen Mu responded to Meng Danyun.

Meanwhile, after Chen Mu had entered the mountains with Meng Danyun, two figures, dressed in the attire of Seven Profound Sect protectors, were watching from a distance on the remote mountain path. One of them was Chu Jingsui, who had followed Chen Mu and Meng Danyun all the way and, after reaching Seven Profound Town, had sped up to bypass the two and return to the Sect ahead of them.

"Brother Chu, this is a bit unscrupulous of you. Elder Qi asked me to welcome the new junior brother, so he could choose a peak to join. By doing this, aren't you depriving the other peaks of a chance?"

Shi Bian, the Right Protector of Great Profound Peak, rolled his eyes at Chu Jingsui.

Chu Jingsui patted Shi Bian on the shoulder, laughing heartily, "After all, Elder Qi said to choose any peak except yours. He won't be joining Great Profound Peak, so what difference does it make to you which peak he goes to? Besides, this junior brother is already on good terms with Junior Sister Meng, so he is most likely to join Spirit Profound Peak. You don't need to worry too much, I'll treat you to a drink in a few days."

"It had better be top-quality liquor."

Shi Bian huffed lightly.

Chu Jingsui smiled and said, "Of course, of course."

After laughing, he looked once again at the retreating figures of Meng Danyun and Chen Mu and sighed in his heart. Actually, the most glorious period of Spirit Profound Peak was only second to Great Profound Peak, and especially the current Peak Master of Spirit Profound Peak, Qin Mengjun, had been among all the Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters of Seven Profound Sect, the most likely to step into the Blood Exchange Realm.

However, thirteen years ago, when trying to step into the Blood Exchange Realm, she had been ambushed by villains. She was disrupted at a critical moment, causing her Qi-Blood to flow backward, leading to severe consequences.

Although a Supreme Elder from the Blood Exchange Realm helped her stabilize her Qi-Blood, it damaged her Heavenly Spirit, causing her to be in a state of intermittent confusion and clarity. Furthermore, as time went on, the situation didn't improve, and her lucid moments gradually became fewer while her confused states increased. The Supreme Elder from the Sect seemed unable to remedy this.

Because of that.

The disciples of Spirit Profound Peak had been declining generation after generation.

On one hand, when recruiting disciples, those with the best aptitudes went to other peaks. On the other hand, since that incident, Qin Mengjun, the Peak Master, spent most of her time sitting idly at the peak, barely involving herself in the affairs of the peak.

Nonetheless.

Even then, Qin Mengjun remained one of the most formidable Grandmasters of the Cold North Path, having cultivated the Qian Heaven Artistic Conception nearly to pinnacle perfection. She used to be consistently in the top five ranks and even now would not fall out of the top ten.

As far as he knew, Chen Mu cultivated the Three Phases of wind, thunder, and fire, and given his aptitude, was likely to attempt Qian Heaven Artistic Conception as well. The current Qin Mengjun, even though she rarely left Spirit Profound Peak and fluctuated between clarity and confusion, could still guide Chen Mu in his cultivation during her lucid moments.

It just remained to be seen how far Chen Mu would go in the future.