Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty) Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 1097-1098

AST 1097 Formation Immortal Sect, Barging through the Immortal Obstruction Formation

The Northern Sea City was very beautiful. The Northern Sea was located on the line separating regions of different temperatures. The places on the south side had four seasons, with periods of both hot and cold. On the other hand, on the north side, especially in the far north, the places would have cold winter days all year around.

“We’ll rest and reorganize ourselves here. Let’s stay here for two days before we continue on our way!” Qing Shui and the others landed in a huge square in Northern Sea City. There were many people and demonic beasts around.

The Northern Sacred Lu Continent was very big but the population wasn’t spa.r.s.ely distributed. The World of the Nine Continents was very huge but it was segregated into cities and wilderness. The wilderness was the demonic beasts’ territories where countless of them would gather together in large groups. Other than some adventurers or people who were traveling, there were only demonic beasts.

In the wilderness, large cities would appear. Both the city itself and some of the wilderness around it would be within the city’s influence. Large reinforcing walls would be built around the city. This was primarily because there were countless cultivators in the cities. In order for them to protect their family and their own safety, they would fight against the demonic beasts outside that were thinking of entering the cities. Although they were on opposite sides with the demonic beasts, a lot of what they ate and wore came from demonic beasts.

Humans and demonic beasts had been engaged in battles for countless years and every day, there would be cities drowned by demonic beasts and some new ones created which wandering and homeless people would move into.

Things like these were very common in this world. The population in this world was immeasurable and there could be more than a billion people in each city. After all, the scale of the cities in this world was on an entirely different scale. There were over 100,000 cities in the world and there were also some unique cities which were extremely prosperous.

Although there were many people, the cities were s.p.a.cious enough and thus the people’s standard of living rose gradually. Even ordinary people had strong physical bodies and had a strong value for manual labor.

“Father, let’s go take a look at the Northern Sea later!” Luan Luan was in a very good mood and said this the moment that they landed.

“We’ll have to find an inn first!” Qing Shui planned to stay here for two days, so it was better for them to find a place to settle down first.

“Since we’ll be taking a look at the Northern Sea, why don’t we just find an inn near there? If there really isn’t any there, it won’t be a bad idea to camp on the beach either.” Luan Luan gave it some thought and suggested.

“Alright, we’ll go with your plan.” Qing Shui smiled and answered.

Yiye Tian smiled as he looked at Qing Shui and Luan Luan, feeling very consoled. It was his daughter’s blessing to have met Qing Shui. Additionally, he was very clear about the relations.h.i.+p between Luan Luan and Qing Shui. Yiye Jiange had told him all about it previously. Moreover, he had also seen their interactions during the period they had been together. He felt very much at ease.

Parental love was very great, without any hint of selfishness to them. Therefore, seeing someone else treating his own daughter well made Yiye Tian truly feel happy and thankful. Moreover, the person in question was his own younger brother-in-law.

Qing Shui executed the Nine Continents Steps and the group had appeared in the north parts of the Northern Sea City. Of course, Qing Shui had to adjust the distance to travel or else they would arrive above the Northern Sea.

After arriving, they rented a huge and luxurious horse carriage and headed for the Northern Sea.

They could soon see the Northern Sea from a distance. Right now, they were traveling toward the coast. The coast was several kilometers away from the sh.o.r.es and they could see people along the sh.o.r.es.

“Brother, please stop here!” Qing Shui looked out of the carriage and saw that they had already arrived next to the coast, so he smiled and spoke to the middle-aged driver.

“Alright!”

After paying, the group alighted. The streets here were very curvy, giving rise to a whole different charm. There was a hint of a fishy odor coming from the sea breeze. It wasn’t a nice smell but it wasn’t disgusting either.

There were many inns in the area. Although they might not be directly situated next to each other, there would be one within a hundred meters of another. Because the place was situated next to the sea, many people would come here every day. This was why this line of work was extremely prosperous and would include providing both food and accommodations.

Deity’s Abode!

They hadn’t walked very far when they came across an inn which didn’t seem very big but was of a very high quality. Qing Shui memorized the name right away because it sounded too powerful. Deity’s Abode. Who would dare to use a name like this?

“Let’s see if they still have rooms available here. If there are, then let’s just stay here!” Qing Shui looked at the handwriting on the signboard and felt that the owner must be someone exceptional.

“There are words here?”

Before they reached the entrance, they saw a standing sign with some words written on them.

“This place is profound. Ordinary people shouldn’t enter. Enter at your own risk!”

These few simple words caused many people to depart after stopping only for a short moment. Just then, a voice rang out, “Trying to mislead people with strange ideas. I shall enter and take a look today.”

Qing Shui turned to see a handsome young man with das.h.i.+ng brows and bright eyes. He had a graceful disposition and his figure was slender. He was wearing a battle armor that looked a lot like a hauberk, which made him appear to be very valiant. However, his expression was too arrogant, making others feel uncomfortable.

“Yin`er, stop it. Don’t charge in recklessly. Some time ago, a Martial Emperor expert had attempted to enter. Guess what happened to him?”

A powerful voice rang out and a figure appeared next to the young man. This was an unfl.u.s.tered middle-aged man. He seemed mature and appeared to be gentle. Despite this, he seemed to have great authority and a hint of strictness. This combination made him appear to be very manly.

Some people in the surroundings stopped. After all, this was a prosperous region and many cultivators were very proud and did not know what fear was. However, when some weak cultivators attempted to enter, they would be sent flying out. They would end up being covered in dust, but they wouldn’t suffer any injuries.They would just look very pathetic.

“Third Uncle, what happened to that Martial Emperor?” The young man called Yin`er seemed to be very curious.

“Haha, this inn isn’t open to the public. However, those who can enter will be hosted.The quality here is the best and the place is the safest. It’s just that there are too few people who can enter. The last time, a Early Grade Martial Emperor tried to enter but he came out with heavy injuries not long after. This is a mysterious formation but it won’t kill you. The stronger the person who enters, the greater the damage suffered. Ordinary cultivators would only end up covered in dust with no injuries but those who are powerful could possibly sustain heavy injuries.” The middle-aged man smiled and spoke up.

“Third Uncle, is there no one who can enter?” The young man seemed to not be able to accept this.

“Of course not. Those who excel in formations might be able to enter. In fact, there would be one or two cultivators who would be able to enter this place every few days, or possibly even every day.” The middle-aged man smiled and said.

“Third Uncle. You excel in formations. Are you able to enter?”

“I have never tried. This is the Formation Immortal Sect’s Immortal Obstruction Formation!” The middle-aged man seemed to be mumbling to himself.

“Formation Immortal Sect… So this Deity’s Abode is actually the property of the Formation Immortal Sect.” The young man looked toward Deity’s Abode and exclaimed.

“Formation Immortal Sect?” Qing Shui looked at Yiye Jiange, Yu He, and the other ladies with a puzzled look.

Yu He smiled and said, “Formation Immortal Sect is a very mysterious sect and rumor has it that they are also a terrifying existence in the other Four Continents. The ancient teleportation array which transports one to the other Four Continents is controlled by them.”

Qing Shui was stunned. To think that the Formation Immortal Sect even controlled the ancient teleportation array. He didn’t know if the teleportation array leading to the other Four Continents was a two-way one or just for one-way transportation.

"This Formation Immortal Sect must be considered a powerful influence in the Northern Sacred Lu Continent!" Qing Shui hadn’t seemed to have heard of an existence like the Formation Immortal Sect since he had come to the Northern Sacred Lu Continent.

“Formation Immortal Sect tends to not partic.i.p.ate in the worldly affairs but neither would anyone dare to offend them. They are an extraordinary power and seem to be an existence which is independent from the rest of the world.” Yu He said softly.

“I’ll go try and it out. You guys wait for me here.” Qing Shui smiled and said to the ladies. After knowing that this Formation Immortal Sect was the one controlling the ancient teleportation array, Qing Shui was even more eager to go.

“Be careful.”

They knew that this formation wouldn’t bring him any fatal danger, but they were still concerned.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine!”

With that, Qing Shui entered the formation. The moment he did, he felt that the world had changed. This place seemed as if there were many strong currents while Qing Shui was like a small boat on the huge waves, pressurized by a tremendous aura in the formation. Even his abilities were affected.

Suddenly, a huge mountain cliff appeared before him, coming towards him like a small mountain with a tremendous aura. Qing Shui smiled and struck out with a punch.

Cloudhand!

A mysterious power was sent out, pus.h.i.+ng away this cliff that was like a small mountain. This was what it meant by overcoming a great force with a small one. It was one of the essences of Taichi.

Next, bigger cliffs appeared in greater quant.i.ties. Qing Shui dodged them easily and moved around the waves easily like a lighthearted fish with his Five Elements Steps.

Qing Shui moved around without panicking. He knew that the environment had changed.

This thought had just pa.s.sed by in his mind when the miasma appeared around him. Everywhere around him was filled with extremely toxic stuff, coming at Qing Shui from all directions. This horrible stench would cause one’s stomach to hurl. There was various toxic stuff, including toads that were the size of buildings which were dripping with disgusting venom…

Nature Energy!

Area Dominance!

Faint white smoke appeared around Qing Shui, as if it was purifying the place. The toxic stuff in the surroundings turned into white smoke and disappeared. Where Qing Shui walked, the toxic stuff in that area would disappear.

Qing Shui walked several li and then the world changed again. Several tens of powerful cultivators appeared, each of them like people who lived secluded lives in the mountains. They swung about their huge staffs and dashed toward Qing Shui.

Nine Continents Mountain!

Qing Shui couldn’t be bothered to say anything and sent out his Nine Continents Mountain toward them. Suddenly, the world fell quiet. The formations suddenly flashed and disappeared. Qing Shui appeared in a room which seemed to be like a study. It appeared very rustic but also very dignified. Qing Shui looked toward the center of the room where a man stood, smiling at him. This man also seemed to be middle-aged but at the same time, appeared younger. He was wearing plain white clothes and appeared very casual. However, he gave off a faint divinely aura.

Deity’s Abode… This person’s aura was really a good match with the name of the place.

“h.e.l.lo. I seek your forgiveness for barging in here!” Qing Shui smiled and cupped his fists.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. How do I address you?” The man walked over and returned the greeting with a smile.

AST 1098 – Formation Immortal Sect Qiu Feng, Absorbing the Additional Powers That Came With the Golden Scaled Dragon Elephant

"I'm Qing Shui!" Qing Shui smiled and answered.

"Oh, our names are a little similar. I'm called Qiu Feng." The man smiled and walked up close to Qing Shui.

"That is really such a coincidence. Brother Qiu's formation is very powerful." Earlier, in the Immortal Obstruction Formation, Qing Shui could sense how extraordinary the formation was. Other than the fact that he was sufficiently strong, he was able to get through it because some of his abilities were able to restrain his opponents. In other words, it could be said that his abilities could be used to exercise restraint on many similar existences.

"Brother, you're too humble. I do have some skills in judging people. Since you're able to come here and I've also taken a liking to you, come, let's get you a room." The man smiled and said.

"Brother Qiu, I still have some friends with me who are outside…" Qing Shui recalled that the few ladies, Little Fatty, Yiye Tian, and Lin Zhanhan were still outside.

"They've already come in. Come, I'll bring you to them." After saying that, Qiu Feng took the lead and headed out.

They came out to a s.p.a.cious courtyard. It was a totally different scene from what he had seen from the outside. To think that the formation from earlier was an illusionary one. Qing Shui hadn't taken a good look at it before and thus even he was tricked.

The place was much bigger than it appeared to be when seen from outside. The manor was very big and when seen from the outside, people could only see the smaller manors here. The place was extremely luxurious. There was greenery and water, as well as sculptures placed around, making the area feel like it was a heavenly paradise on earth.

After they had walked out of the door and arrived at the entrance of the manor, Qing Shui saw the others. He smiled and cupped his hands toward Qiu Feng, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Brother Qing Shui, there's no need to stand on ceremony. This is something I should do. Since you have cleared the formation, these are things that we should do for you. Come, I shall bring you to look for a place." Qiu Feng smiled and returned the greeting before heading inward.

When they went deeper in, Qing Shui noticed that although there weren't many people, there were still some around. He was astonished. He knew how powerful the formation was and hadn't expected that so many people could clear it. It went to show that there were still many amazing people in this world.

"Brother Qiu, do the people here stay here often?" Qing Shui asked in doubt.

"This place is free. Those who are able to clear through the formation would be provided free accommodations here. Basically, they'll be able to stay as long as I keep this place running. Therefore, the manors that I've allocated out would basically be the same as having given them out for free. However, they aren't transferable." Qiu Feng smiled and explained.

Qing Shui was stunned. So this was really how it was. Since he had barged through the formation successfully, he could come in at any time. This also showed how generous Deity’s Abode was with their wealth.

Their arrived at a manor not far away. It wasn't very big, but it was more than enough for the group. There were four small buildings, each with three stories.

"Everything inside is brand new and we often have people to clean up the place. Brother Qing Shui, since you guys have just arrived, I shall leave you to settle down first. I'll send you a welcoming meal." Qiu Feng smiled and sent Qing Shui to the manor's door before pa.s.sing him a set of keys.

"These are all the keys. These things actually don't have much use to them." Qiu Feng tossed the keys to Qing Shui and left.

"I'll call Brother Qiu Feng later. Let's have a drink here." Qing Shui said toward Qiu Feng.

"Sounds good!" Qiu Feng lifted his hand and waved.

There were two pink and two silver colored buildings here but they weren’t very big. Entering one of the silvery-white building, they found themselves in a hall with some public facilities in the surroundings, including a bathroom, a kitchen, as well as a small storeroom. This place allowed them to temporarily store some other items.

The higher stories were the bedrooms but with a small living room in the center. The bedrooms on each level were very big but they were in fact split into several rooms, including the study and the bedrooms.

The ladies went to stay in one of the pink colored buildings and the second and third stories were sufficient for them to stay in, leaving two buildings vacant. The rooms were very clean. They could be said to be spotlessly clean without a speck of dust. Everything was brand new.

After the meal was ready, Qing Shui said, “You guys go ahead first. I’ll be out for a moment. No need to wait for me.”

“Qing Shui, would he not come?” Yiye Jiange asked.

” I’m guessing that he’s already prepared and shouldn’t be coming today. You guys can go ahead and eat first. No need to wait for me." Qing Shui smiled and said.

“We’ll wait for a little while. If you guys don’t come, then we’ll start eating.” Yiye Jiange gave it some thought and said.

“Alright. Then if I don’t return after 15 minutes, don’t wait for me.”

…

Qing Shui went to where Qiu Feng was staying. It was a building that wasn’t far away from the entrance. Upon entering, he saw that a feast had been prepared as he had expected. Qiu Feng smiled and invited Qing Shui to take a seat.

Qing Shui said a few polite words and sat down.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. I’m going to say the same thing again. I’ve taken a liking to you as a brother from the moment we first met. No need to stand on ceremony. As the saying goes, it’s easy to get riches, but hard to find a bosom friend.” Qing Shui smiled and said as he sat down as well.

“It’s the same for me. Timing is a very mysterious thing. We seem to be able to agree well with each other, and thus I felt very cordial when I saw you. If you don’t mind, we can address each other as brothers.” Qing Shui said seriously. He really felt that this person wasn’t bad. He was calm, neither arrogant nor anxious, and most importantly, he was strong.

“Alright, alright. I couldn’t ask for anything better. Come, let us brothers have a drink together!”

They drank a few consecutive cups before stopping. Qiu Feng smiled and said, “Brother is such an outstanding person. I wonder which sect or aristocrat clan you came from?”

Qiu Feng spoke very leisurely, making it hard for one to think that he was intentionally trying to find out Qing Shui’s background.

“I come from Greencloud Continent and right now, I take charge of Qing Clan.” Qing Shui smiled and said.

Qing Shui made his words very vague. He knew that it was better to say it this way than choosing any other way. At most, the other party would think of him as someone from a hidden aristocrat clan. After all, he had many secrets on him which he couldn’t share.

“Oh, it seems like brother has strong background. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be someone as outstanding as yourself.”

“Brother, you must be kidding me. I heard the others saying that you belong to Formation Immortal Sect. Could it be that you’re the only person holding the fort for this Deity’s Abode?” Qing Shui felt very puzzled.

“I’m from the Formation Immortal Sect. Formation Immortal Sect is just a branch in the Five Continents. The branch here isn’t fixed. In the other Four Continents, Formation Immortal Sect is a sect. There are many branches in the sect and every five years, there would be an arena exchange compet.i.tion. The branch ranked last would come to the Five Continents to guard over the teleportation array, waiting for the next branch which will lose in another five years to take over the job and Deity’s Abode.” Qiu Feng smiled and said.

The branch ranked last in Formation Immortal Sect would come to guard the ancient teleportation array and also to manage the operations of the Deity’s Abode. The weakest amongst Formation Immortal Sect was an extraordinary existence in the Five Continents. It seemed that even in the other Four Continents, Formation Immortal Sect was definitely also a powerful influence.

“What level can one of brother’s abilities reach in the other Four Continents?” Qing Shui smiled and asked. He was truly curious about this.

“Are you asking about my abilities while in the other Four Continents or in the Five Continents?” Qiu Feng poured wine for Qing Shui and asked.

“Your abilities while in the other Four Continents!” Qing Shui smiled and replied.

“At my age, my abilities can only be considered to be not bad within a certain circle. The other Four Continents are actually very complicated. I’ll go and look for you to tell you about it in the future if you were to go to the Four Continents one day,” said Qiu Feng as he picked up his wine gla.s.s, shook it before Qing Shui.

Qing Shui thought of what Tantai Xuan had said before. It seemed that one could not say excessive things about the Four Continents here. Therefore, he didn’t ask too much and just raised his wine cup and drank it all.

“Brother, I’m planning to head to the other Four Continents this time. Is there anything I would need to prepare for when I pa.s.s through the teleportation array?” Qing Shui put down his wine cup and asked.

“You don’t have to prepare much. Each person would need ten demonic beast’s core of a beast which had a strength of 50,000 stars. The other thing to note is that sometimes, there may be many people heading for the other Four Continents and thus there would be compet.i.tion. And since some people might not have the cores, they might s.n.a.t.c.h somebody else's.” Qiu Feng smiled and said.

Qiu Feng didn’t go into much detail but Qing Shui understood. He smiled and replied, “Thank you, brother. This is still manageable.”

“Of course, I know that this is easy for you. With your abilities and age, you would still be amongst the top when counting people of a similar age in the other Four Continents. I really don’t understand how you can train to such a level here.” When Qiu Feng said this, he felt defeated.

“Luck. I can only say that I’m lucky.” Qing Shui casually answered.

Qiu Feng didn’t probe too much either. They were both intelligent people and knew what they should say and what they shouldn’t. Thankfully, although they didn’t say much, they both gained some new information.

…

By the time Qing Shui returned back, the sky had already turned dark. The ladies had already finished their meal but still remained in the living room. They seemed to be waiting for Qing Shui.

Deciding to head to take a look at the Northern Sea tomorrow, they all went back to rest and Qing Shui also headed into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

He took a casual look around the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal before cultivating. Qing Shui decided to refine the additional strength provided by the Golden Scaled Dragon Elephant after it had gotten stronger…

It was still considered easy for him to absorb the additional four hundred stars strength at his level. Earlier, he hadn’t been able to deal with this. It was only after absorbing the strength did he felt that this surge of power wasn’t that little. It let his abilities increased by quite a lot again.

After breakfast the next day, he headed out after calling on Qiu Feng. There was a special route to take and there was no need to pa.s.s through the formation at the entrance. On the way, Qing Shui was still thinking about Qiu Feng.

Qiu Feng had about 70,000 stars strength here and if he was in the other Four Continents, it would amount to be about 700,000 stars. Qing Shui couldn’t understand why Qiu Feng would come to the Five Continents. Could it be because even someone of his level wasn’t considered anything in the other Four Continents?

Qing Shui thought of how Qiu Feng had mentioned that at Qing Shui’s age, his abilities were already considered to be at the top. It meant that there were people in the other Four Continents who were on par with himself.

That wasn’t right. Qing Shui suddenly thought of one thing. It was impossible for Qiu Feng to be able to know his actual strength, especially when they were concealed very well. For example, he had a 20% chance of doubling his attack power, he had the Nine Continents Mountain… Basically, his strength that Qiu Feng a.s.sessed wasn’t his full prowess.

“What are you thinking about?” Yu Ruyan was right next to Qing Shui and couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m thinking about you!” Qing Shui smiled and said.

Yu Ruyan was stunned and threw Qing Shui a chiding glance before she walked faster, staying further away from Qing Shui.

The beach to the Northern Sea is very close and was only less than ten li away. Therefore, they soon arrived at that faint glittery beach.