Five days later.

The grand ship of the Tianxuan Sect docked at the port of the Treasure Instrument Sect on the Arctic Continent.

A white cloud appeared beneath Guo Feilong's feet as he flew towards the cultivation market at the port of the Treasure Instrument Sect.

He was unsure of the current situation in the cultivation world of the Arctic Continent and needed to gather some information.

After all, a demon sect like the Ten Thousand Demons Sect openly occupying a place would inevitably impact the cultivation world of the Arctic Continent.

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The strength of the Treasure Instrument Sect was comparable to that of the Primordial Sect. This sect was skilled in crafting spiritual instruments and sacred treasures, and its disciples were well-equipped, making them formidable in battle.

The Treasure Instrument Sect was adjacent to the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, and both engaged in shipping businesses, making them competitors.

Due to the fearsome reputation of the demon cultivators of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, the shipping business of the Treasure Instrument Sect had recently boomed, with a constant stream of passengers.

This surge also extended to the cultivation market at the port of the Treasure Instrument Sect, where the number of immortal cultivators had increased three to four times compared to before.

Guo Feilong casually entered an inn within the market. Without needing to ask anyone, he simply sat in the first-floor hall, eating and drinking, while listening to the conversations of other cultivators discussing the Ten Thousand Demons Sect and the surrounding cultivation forces.

After listening for a while, Guo Feilong couldn't help but sigh at the ruthlessness of demon cultivators in their pursuit of advancing their cultivation stages.

Ordinary people living within the Ten Thousand Demons Sect's territory faced numerous death penalty laws, and any slight misstep could result in execution, with the convicts becoming sacrifices for the sect's cultivation practices.

Ordinary people over the age of 45 had to pay a hefty tax every year. Failure to pay for three consecutive years resulted in execution, and they would be taken by the sect's cultivators to be refined into elixirs.

Ordinary folk wishing to leave the Ten Thousand Demons Sect and relocate to other cultivation territories found it impossible. They couldn't traverse tens of thousands of miles on foot, with not only ordinary beasts but also more ferocious spiritual beasts lurking in the wild.

Moreover, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had implemented a household registration system, prohibiting ordinary people from moving from one county to another.

Ordinary people were confined to their own county, and traveling to another county was a capital offense.

Merchants were restricted to trading within designated counties and were not allowed to conduct business in unauthorized counties. If caught, they faced the death penalty.

Ordinary people within the Ten Thousand Demons Sect found it nearly impossible to escape.

Even cultivators within the Ten Thousand Demons Sect fled, fearing being captured and refined into elixirs.

In just a month or two, the once-glorious cultivation world within the Primordial Sect's territory had completely transformed into a haven for the demon cultivators of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.

The Ten Thousand Demons Sect wasn't entirely isolated; it engaged in high-quality resource trade with other sects. Cultivation forces with commercial tokens could conduct business within the Ten Thousand Demons Sect and receive its protection.

After spending over an hour in the inn, Guo Feilong learned what he wanted to know from other guests.

The current cultivation world of the Arctic Continent still appeared peaceful, with little impact on other cultivation forces.

The Ten Thousand Demons Sect did not disturb the surrounding cultivation forces, maintaining a "live and let live" attitude, with everyone seemingly coexisting peacefully.

However, Guo Feilong had a feeling that the Ten Thousand Demons Sect was like a lurking beast, ready to reveal its fangs and attack the surrounding cultivation forces one day.

After settling the bill, Guo Feilong left the inn. With a rise of the white cloud beneath his feet, he flew away from the market at the port of the Treasure Instrument Sect.

In a secluded area, Guo Feilong selected a ninth-rank flying spiritual beast from his storage bag and took ten days to traverse the Treasure Instrument Sect, entering the Taiyi Sect.

The Taiyi Sect was a major cultivation force on par with the Spirit Creek Sect, boasting over a dozen Golden Elixir stage cultivators and an Exalted Ancestor at the False Nascent Soul Realm.

Eight days later, Guo Feilong passed through the Taiyi Sect and entered the territory of the Divine Wind Sect.

Once he crossed the Divine Wind Sect, he would reach the Spirit Creek Sect.

However.

On the third day of traveling within the Divine Wind Sect's territory, an unexpected event occurred.

A Foundation Establishment stage cultivator he encountered on the road suddenly slashed at him from a distance.

Swish!

A sword qi, tens of meters long, appeared and sped towards him and his ninth-rank flying spiritual beast like lightning.

Guo Feilong took out a ninth-grade lightning talisman, infused it with several auspicious clouds, and threw it at the incoming sword qi.

In the next moment, a lightning bolt as thick as an arm shot out from the talisman, colliding with the sword qi of the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

The lightning and sword qi simultaneously shattered and dissipated. Guo Feilong directed the ninth-rank flying spiritual beast to descend while asking, "Senior, this is our first meeting, and we have no grievances. Why do you want to kill me?"

He knew that asking was futile and wouldn't change the other's intent to kill him.

In the cultivation world, a higher-stage cultivator could kill a lower-stage cultivator without reason, or for any reason.

But he had to ask, as he was puzzled.

When they first met, Guo Feilong sensed that this Foundation Establishment stage cultivator had no intent to kill him, only the disdainful gaze of a higher-stage cultivator looking down on a lower-stage one.

However, after they passed each other by nearly two hundred meters, the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator suddenly attacked, as if something had abruptly changed his mind.

With over 130 years of experience, Guo Feilong was certain the other had no initial intent to kill him. What had changed the other's mind to want to kill him? He wanted to find out.

The Foundation Establishment stage cultivator said sinisterly, "I didn't intend to attack you, but my ninth-rank treasure-seeking mink sensed a large amount of spirit stones on you, a lot of them. That's why I want to kill you.

Now you have no doubts, right? If not, then die!"

This Foundation Establishment stage cultivator was decisive, wasting no words, and simply stated his reason before controlling his flying sword to attack Guo Feilong.

The opponent's flying sword was merely a top-grade spiritual instrument, not a sacred treasure-level flying sword. With a thought, a golden halo appeared on Guo Feilong's body, and the Golden Body Technique made his body comparable to a high-quality spiritual instrument.

A top-grade spiritual instrument flying sword could harm a body comparable to a high-quality spiritual instrument. After infusing several auspicious clouds, Guo Feilong's body became comparable to a top-grade spiritual instrument.

However, the opponent was not at the Qi Refining stage but a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, one major stage higher, and using a top-grade flying sword, its power was several times greater than that of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator.

Guo Feilong dared not gamble with his life. He infused the Golden Body Technique with auspicious clouds as if they cost nothing, enhancing his body to be comparable to a low-quality sacred treasure, and only then stopped infusing the technique with auspicious clouds.

With a clang, the top-grade spiritual instrument flying sword of the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator struck Guo Feilong's head, producing a metallic clashing sound.

"A body comparable to a sacred treasure, quite difficult to kill."

The Foundation Establishment stage cultivator frowned slightly, not expecting Guo Feilong to have cultivated his body to such a degree.

Even for a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, it was rare to cultivate the body to be comparable to a low-quality sacred treasure.

"Any body cultivation technique in the world relies on the support of mystic power. Once your mystic power is exhausted, your body cultivation technique will collapse on its own, losing its ability to be comparable to a low-quality sacred treasure."

The Foundation Establishment stage cultivator seemed to mutter to himself, yet it was as if he was speaking to Guo Feilong.

With a change in his sword technique, the flying sword, which had been deflected from Guo Feilong's head, circled in the air and slashed towards Guo Feilong again.

Understanding why the other suddenly wanted to kill him, Guo Feilong became excited. He had never killed a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator before.

In the next moment, he took out a talisman from his storage bag, sealed with ninth-grade sword qi, equivalent to a full-power mystic sword qi attack from a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator.

Infusing a hundred auspicious clouds into the ninth-grade sword qi talisman, he felt it would explode in his hand if he didn't activate and throw it soon.

Guo Feilong threw the ninth-grade sword qi talisman at the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.