"Let’s take a break before we go on," Mu Hanyan said to Jiang Yuzhe.
Then she closed her eyes, gathered all of her ntal focus, and felt everything around her.
Gradually, her ntal state fell into a state of emptiness and clarity. Suddenly, Mu Hanyan’s heart trembled; to the right of the carriage, the power of heaven and earth fluctuated faintly, quietly gathering and forming a vortex that was not easy to detect, converging towards a certain spot on the earth.
Usually, only a Great Swordsman or higher-level expert could draw upon the power of heaven and earth when advancing or making a breakthrough. Ordinary cultivation was not enough to gather the power of heaven and earth in one place.
Could it be that a master was advancing in rank? Soon after, Mu Hanyan negated her own hypothesis. The fluctuation of the heaven and earth power was extrely subtle, and the vortex it ford was almost imperceptible. Had it not been for the repeated humming of the Cold Sky Sword, Mu Hanyan would have been unable to detect it. This was obviously different from the vast and majestic scenes when a master was advancing, with the power of heaven and earth gathering from all around.
Mu Hanyan looked up in the distance. Although she didn’t know exactly what was going on, she was sure that the humming of the Cold Sky Sword was definitely related to this.
Huayue and the others followed Mu Hanyan’s gaze, also unsure of what she had discovered.
"There is an ancient road ahead," Jiang Yuezhe said after looking towards the direction of Mu Hanyan’s sight and then glancing alongside the road ahead.
With his reminder, Mu Hanyan and the others noticed an ancient path hidden among the overgrown grass.
This path was very old and quite wide, but with shrubs growing on the sides and even twisted large trees sprouting in the middle of the road, it was evident that few people traveled it.
"That should be the old trading route to Shangyue Country. There was once good relations between Anyun Country and Shangyue Country. The route was prospering for a ti. However, since the war between Anyun Country and Shangyue Country a thousand years ago, this path has gradually fallen into disuse," Qu Shanling said, looking up.
The war between Anyun Country and Shangyue Country, though it took place a thousand years ago, was so brutal that it still widely circulated among the people. The once brotherly allied nations turned against each other overnight, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides dying on the battlefield. Although the two sides eventually made peace and withdrew their troops, they never regained their forr amicability. The trading route that was closed during the war never opened again.
Of course, this wasn’t the only closed trading route, but it was the most prosperous one, so Qu Shanling knew its history.
"Yu Zhe, go take a look," Mu Hanyan pointed towards the path and said.
Of course, she was not interested in the thousand-year-old ancient trading route, but because the converging point of the heaven and earth power was in the direction that the ancient path extended.
The ancient trading route was built wide enough to accommodate a carriage. As for the bushes on the side and the twisted trees in the middle of the path, they posed no real obstacle to them. The carriage moved almost unimpeded, cutting through the underbrush.
Along the way, they occasionally saw ruins of inns and tea houses, which made it easy to imagine the past prosperity of the ancient trading route. To Mu Hanyan and the others’ mild surprise, they even occasionally encountered so travel-worn Swordsn along the way. Judging by their attire, they seed to be out on a training journey or returning from treasure hunting, their faces all beaming with joy.
Upon further consideration, they no longer found it strange. Anyun Country was located right at the winding base of the Longyan Mountain range, practically surrounded on three sides by mountains. Even Anyun City was built halfway up a mountain, which made the number of swordsn seeking trial and treasure in the Longyan Mountains beyond count. Besides Dragon Whisker City and a few others, which offered direct access to the mountain range, other locales also provided entry points.
However, these places were mostly hidden and sotis perilous, but compared to Dragon Whisker City and the like, the potential rewards were often greater. If they were not mistaken, this ancient trade route was connected directly to one of those secret pathways leading into the Longyan Mountains. Hence, despite being rarely trodden, it had not fallen into complete disuse.
As they progressed, the path beca rugged and narrow, making it impossible for the carriage to continue. Mu Hanyan found a grove of trees to hide the vehicle in, and since the road was scarcely traveled, there was little worry of theft.
Afterward, they continued on foot along the trade route.
Up ahead, the faint sounds of combat could be heard, seemingly mixed with agonized cries. Mu Hanyan’s heart stirred, and she quickened her pace.
Before long, an ancient village appeared within view, its ruined stone walls bearing a strong resemblance to the ruins they had seen earlier along the roadside. If they were not wrong, this village too had flourished due to the trade route, only to fall into decline as the route was abandoned.
Logically, with the trade route having beco obsolete, leading only to vast mountains and expanses of wilderness, there should have been no one living in the town. Yet at that mont, hundreds of ragged villagers ard with swords and knives faced off against a dozen n dressed in the attire of swordsn.
"Rong Tianhai, our Fang Family has been cornered to the brink of desperation by your Rong Family. We’ve barely managed to find a refuge here, and yet, does your Rong Family insist on driving us to complete extermination?" An elderly man cried out in sorrow and anger.
Several young n lay beside him, writhing in pain, their limbs apparently broken.
"Old Sir Fang, it’s not that our Rong Family wishes to annihilate you all. Unfortunately, you’ve just chosen the wrong place. This location has good Feng Shui, and our Family Head has taken a liking to it. Therefore, you’ll just have to find another place to settle," the leading middle-aged swordsman said arrogantly, picking his teeth.
"What good Feng Shui? You’re clearly unsatisfied because of the Fang Family Market and unwilling to give our Fang Family a chance to live!" the old man shouted furiously.
Only then did Mu Hanyan notice a crudely made signpost at the entrance to the village: Fang Family Market.
After a mont’s thought, Mu Hanyan roughly understood the situation: The Fang Family was at odds with the Rong Family, and after being driven into a corner, they had to find a new place to live, settling in this abandoned village. They later discovered that so swordsn seeking trials and treasure passed through here, so they set up the Fang Family Market. The Rong Family, unwilling to give the Fang Family a chance at redemption, had co to attack them once again.
Such affairs were all too common on the Holy Court Continent. If Zhao Family’s mbers had not taken poison and killed themselves, the Mu Family would never have allowed them the chance to rise again. Therefore, Mu Hanyan was not in the mood to ddle.
However, Mu Hanyan could feel the vortex of Heaven and Earth Power converging, ultimately gathering sowhere within this village, so rather than leaving, she stood aside and watched coldly.
"Old Sir Fang, I can’t be bothered to argue with you. If your Fang Family leaves quietly today, I will spare your lives. Otherwise, don’t bla for being ruthless," Rong Tianhai said with a cold snort.
"Heh, leave? The last of the Fang Family’s assets have all been invested into this Fang Family Market. What path to survival would we have if we left?" Old Sir Fang replied with a bitter laugh.
"In that case, don’t bla , Rong Tianhai, for being cruel and rciless," Rong Tianhai said coldly, signaling his subordinates to charge at the Fang Family mbers.
"A Seventh-Order Swordsman!" Mu Hanyan tensed slightly.
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