Chapter 950: The Tianjue Ruins
“General…General, Sir…Something’s wrong…”
The tribune’s expression was full of panic as he stuttered. Unless he had guessed incorrectly, that young man was a powerful individual in the Primordial Soul Realm. He was someone that the general and the entire vanguard could not afford to offend, let alone a tribune.
Even though the army was powerful, a powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm was already beyond the mortal realm. No matter how many men they had, they would not be able to threaten him. Killing a million men in their army would be a piece of cake for powerhouses in the Primordial Soul Realm. They could kill anyone they wanted.
“Why are you panicking?”
Hu Hong frowned slightly. The air in the army tent froze, and a killing intent spread throughout the place. The temperature dropped sharply, and it became freezing cold.
The tribune shook. His shaking body froze when he sensed the killing intent. He did not dare to shake. He calmed himself down instead, although he felt extremely anxious.
“What’s the matter?” Hu Hong asked lightly.
“Lord Marshal, it’s like this…”
The tribune recounted everything that happened in Xu village. Even though there were many events which the tribune found ridiculous, there was withoutno doubt that they had offended a terrifying entity.
“A powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm? Are you sure that the young man has such a cultivation level?”
Hu Hong narrowed his eyes slightly, and his expression grew grave. He was shocked when he heard his subordinate say that the young man was likely to be a powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm. Any cultivator in that realm was a high and mighty entity in their minds. They were not someone an ordinary army could afford to offend. However, Hu Hong had decades of experience. He had seen a few powerhouses, and was not frightened to hear of one.
Furthermore, his subordinate was just a warrior in the Embryonic Breathing Realm. It was a good way from the Primordial Soul Realm. He might not have an accurate gauge on the other party’s cultivation levels. After all, to the tribune, there was not much of a difference between an ordinary martial arts grandmaster and a being in the Primordial Soul Realm.
Perhaps the young man was a slightly more powerful martial arts grandmaster. The world was so big, and there were many such geniuses around. As for a young powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm…Could they really run into meet such a character, just like that?
“That person named me and wants to see me?” Hu Hong asked.
“Yes.” The tribune lowered his head, not daring to look at Hu Hong.
“Since he wants to see me, I am afraid I have to go see him. Considering his behavior, he is probably fearless and has a significant background.”
Hu Hong stood up and left the army tent. The man had named him specifically. If he did not go, the matter would not be resolved. Furthermore, he wanted to see who this person was to act so arrogant.
Peace had returned to Xu Village. However, the villagers all hid in their homes and did not dare to go out after the shock they had previously received. As for the Fengyu soldiers, they were all thrown out of the village by Mo Wen. They were suspended on the trees outside of the village.
Mo Wen stood atop a tree with his hands behind his back. He waited silently.
Soon, the sound of rustling wind could be heard. It was none other than the commander of the vanguard, Hu Hong, as well as his tribune.
“Sir, you wanted to see me?”
Hu Hong saw Mo Wen from far away, and, also, recognized him immediately. He did not need the tribune to point him out. Hu Hong walked on air and traveled several dozen miles in the blink of an eye. He was very fast, and the three-hundred-mile journey took him only 10 minutes.
As a general of Fengyu, Hu Hong’s cultivation level was not low. He was already in the second martial arts grandmaster realm, and was just a step away from the third grandmaster realm.
“Are you the commander of the Fengyu vanguard?”
Mo Wen raised his eyebrows and lightly continued, “Come here. I have something to ask you.”
“You sound very serious. I wonder what Fengyu has done to wrong you for you to come here so aggressively?”
Hu Hong landed on a branch across from the youth. His eyes glinted brightly as he stared at Mo Wen, unblinking. He also wanted to know if the young man’s cultivation level was really at the Primordial Soul Realm. If he were really a powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm, Hu Hong would not dare to do anything that would defy the young man’s will. He would do everything the young man said. However, if not, he was a general of Fengyu. He had 100,000 men in his troops. He was not someone to be trifled with.
“In this world, the strong prey on the weak. The words of the powerful are the rules. The weak serve the strong. Just like how you hurt the people as you wish. So why can’t I just step on the head of Fengyu?”
Mo Wen said this lightly. He did not have a good impression of such troops and their commander. He was strong enough for them, which was why he could stand there and say such things. Otherwise, he would have been killed long before by this army that could not be reasoned with.
“Are you looking down on Fengyu?”
Hu Hong narrowed his eyes slightly. The hundreds and thousands of miles of land that belonged to Fengyu had stood strong and had not fallen for centuries. It was not a place at which anyone could turn up their noses. Even among powerhouses in the Primordial Soul Realm, few would say such a thing. Fengyu Country was not so easily bullied.
“My eyes are on my head. If I want to look down on Fengyu, I will look down on it. But you, on the other hand, talk too much. Don’t blame me for being impolite.”
Mo Wen glanced at the commander of the vanguard. Suddenly, a terrifyingly powerful aura burst forth from him. Hu Hong felt as if a mountain had appeared in the air out of nowhere and smashed down forcefully on him. He exhaled sharply, and could no longer stand on the tree branch. He fell onto the ground, mud spraying into his mouth.
That terrifying pressure was everywhere. Hu Hong struggled a bit, but could not get up from the ground.
The pressure alone was forcing him onto the ground, and he could not move. What kind of cultivation level was this? It occurred to Hu Hong that the young man did not seem like a powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm. After all, he was too young. Furthermore, he did not have the spirituality of a person in that realm. Instead, he looked very ordinary.
However, powerhouses in the Primordial Soul Realm all had very powerful spiritual light. It was a special attitude that was the absolute highest one and came after a complete transformation. The young man did not have that, either. He guessed that the young man was, at most, a martial arts grandmaster- and, perhaps, he might have a strong backer. That was why he did not think too much of him at first.
However, this pressure was terrifying. Who else but a powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm could do that?!
“Are you a senior powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm?” Hu Hong asked as he looked at Mo Wen, somewhat flustered. The Donghe Prefecture, where Fengyu was located, was just a small and remote prefecture in the Qu State. There were not many powerhouses in the Primordial Soul Realm there. But he knew of all those who had the slightest bit of fame. Yet, he had never heard of this young man.
Mo Wen waved his hand. A force brought Hu Hong up to him. It was no different from what had happened to those soldiers earlier. Hu Hong floated in the air and could not move. It was embarrassing for him to be in this state in front of his soldiers, for he was a commander.
“I have a few questions for you. You just have to answer them. If your answer satisfies me, I will not make things difficult for you. However, if you dare to lie, don’t blame me for being ruthless,” Mo Wen said coldly.
“Sir, could you let me down? You can ask all the questions you want. I will tell you everything you want to know,” Hu Hong said with some embarassment. His soldiers were all around them. He was the commander of the army, and his current predicament was completely devoid of any respectability. However, Hu Hong had no choice at the moment and could only plead with Mo Wen.
“Hmph. Let me ask you – where is this place?”
Mo Wen waved his hand, and the power that restrained Hu Hong disappeared. It allowed Hu Hong to stand on the tree branch and speak with Mo Wen.
“Sir, we are in the Donghe Prefecture of the Qu State. This is the center of thr country of Xiping. To the North is the country of Fengyu. To the South are the legendary Tianjue Ruins. The West meets up with the Wangluo Forest, while the East is the territory of the country of Guda.”
Hu Hong had considered for a moment before immediately answering the question. He explained in detail the area around them. He did not dare to slight a powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm. At the same time, he also wondered to himself: could it be that this powerhouse in the Primordial Soul Realm was not from Donghe Prefecture, ore even from Qu State? No wonder. He had never heard that there was such a young powerhouse of that realm in Donghe.
“The Tianjue Ruins. What are those?”
Mo Wen raised his eyebrows and asked this while he mulled things over. He was sent here for no reason. He did not know which direction his hometown was in. But, now that he thought about it, his hometown was in a rather special place. There were almost no humans there. If he had been sent out, then he should not be too far from where his hometown is. However, he did not know much about where he used to live. He only knew that there was a large snow plain, and there was the sea…
“The Tianjue Ruins are a primeval, age-old land left behind from ancient times. It is very mysterious and dangerous. It is said that the Tianjue Ruins are enormous. They are much larger than the entire Qu State. There are many ancient beasts living there, and they are filled with hidden dangers. There is a legend that says that not even cultivators in the Supreme Profundity Realm dare to go too deep into the Tianjue Ruins.”
Hu Hong gave Mo Wen a somewhat odd look. The Tianjue Ruins were one of the three major ruins in the world. They were extremely famous, and almost everyone knew about them. This young man might not be from Qu State, but how could he not even know of the Tianjue Ruins?
“There are Supreme Profundity Realm powerhouses here?” Mo Wen was shocked. So, there were Supreme Profundity Realm powerhouses here in this world. That meant that the civilization’s cultivation was very advanced. The grand palace lord and deputy palace lords of Huatian Palace were just in the Supreme Profundity Realm.
“Powerhouses in the Supreme Profundity Realm are just a legend. No one in the entire Donghe Prefecture, including myself, has seen one. However, the powerhouses of that realm in the legends include the Ruler of the Purple Sea, the Heavenly Snow Queen, and the Leader of Fuyao Mountain…Legendary stories of them have been passed down for generations. Some of them have even been told for thousands of years. They are probably real.”
Hu Hong shook his head. The Supreme Profundity Realm was just a legend. It was too far away from them. However, the world was really big. He believed that someone in the Supreme Profundity Realm existed. After all, the experiences of those powerhouses were all recorded in history books. Such books were most particular about facts; they would not make things up.
“How much do you know about the Tianjue Ruins?” Mo Wen asked.
“Everything that I know about the Tianjue Ruins is from ancient books. I do not know much about them personally. To the south of Xiping are lands forbidden to humans. No one dares to just enter the Tianjue Ruins. It is said that there was once a famous powerhouse in the Supreme Profundity Realm who tried to reach the depths of the Tianjue Ruins to find out the secrets that lay within. However, he never returned. I know that the outermost area of the Ruins is a large primeval forest. There seems to be an even larger, ancient desert further in. I don’t know anything else.”
Hu Hong shook his head. He did not know why the young man was so interested in the Tianjue Runs. However, he truly did not know much about them.