Master of Strange Dao

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Blizzards filled the sky, forming a massive vortex as the dense leaden clouds above seemed to be drawn into the swirling motion.

The bone-chilling cold in the air grew denser, and splinters of frozen corpses that fell to the ground were swept up by the frigid winds, shattering layer by layer into powder.

An Lan stood suspended in mid-air, her hand pinching a seal, while the ice spikes, her magical treasure, spun rapidly by her side.

On the ground, Gong Ze was enveloped by blazing fierce flames which now resembled tiny flickers in a cold wind, at any moment about to be snuffed out by the snow and ice that froze everything in this realm.

The colder the weather, the heavier the snow, the stronger An Lan became.

Here, she needed only a fraction of her strength to summon forces double what she could on a normal day. In Daqian, where the seasons were like spring all year round, she was unremarkable, her powers hardly noteworthy, but here, on her home turf, and with the ice spike magical treasure in hand, she was altogether different.

She was immersed in this place, every move she made could effortlessly call upon the power of this realm.

Suddenly, she remembered a time in the past when a heavy-hitter from Dazhen had visited and invited her over. She had declined. If she had gone to an environment in Dazhen that better suited her, she might have gained such power long ago.

Yet, if she had gone there, perhaps she would have missed the trials in Daqian that had made her current effortless command possible.

As she engaged in battle, her concentration wavered unusually.

Snapping back to focus, her eyes hardened with a killing intent, and she pinched a seal. The ice spikes encircling her transformed into a blue-gold streak of light, shooting skyward, and then vanishing into the vast dark clouds.

With a thunderous roar, a hundred li of lightning flashed through the clouds, the blizzard growing fiercer, more violent. Within the snowflakes, slivers of blue-gold thunder light accumulated, eventually forming thunder serpents that danced wildly amongst the leaden clouds.

Gong Ze looked up, his eyes filled with deep shock.

This was definitely not a power An Lan should possess.

They were all cultivators of the same grade, so why the hell was An Lan suddenly so strong?

Even with the advantages of the weather and environment, she shouldn't be able to wield such immense power.

The only explanation could be that incredibly potent magical treasure.

Its power exceeded his expectations; previously, in their clashes, she had overwhelmed him, forcing his panicked escape without ever revealing the true power of the treasure.

Gong Ze took a deep breath, understanding that earlier he had only been defeated, not necessarily doomed to die.

Now, he couldn't escape; his death was certain.

Before Dali could perceive and react, An Lan had enough time to kill him several times over, so she was in no hurry.

All he wanted now, before dying, was to send out a message. A new magical treasure of immense might had appeared in Daqian, something that could connect and even command the forces of heaven and earth.

Such a treasure had never been documented before.

Furthermore, a Qi Refining cultivator at the Divinity Transformation grade could control it.

An Lan was a formidable fighter in Daqian, yet not top-tier. The true powerhouses were steadying forces within their realms, not easily mobilizable. A slight move from them could draw countless eyes and trigger a cascade of reactions.

The same was true for Dali. Gong Ze was the strongest force readily deployable without affecting other areas or drawing too much attention.

Did Dali possess a similar treasure? Yes, and those were even mightier than what An Lan held, but such treasures were strategic assets, deterrents not lightly deployed.

To activate a treasure of that caliber was beyond the power of a typical master.

And lower-grade treasures certainly couldn't affect such a vast area with such ease.

If Daqian had such a potent magical treasure, it likely wasn't the only one. If there were only one, Daqian would probably not dare let An Lan bring it to the Wilderness alone.

This message, he must find a way to send out.

But as the thought emerged, Gong Ze suddenly realized why An Lan had just been pursuing him to kill, destroying his mount, his magical treasures, everything he had, without using the true power of her treasure.

An Lan wanted to prevent him from sending out this message.

And once he was dead, Daqian would have countless ways to prevent Dali from learning the truth.

He had been chased by An Lan, taking advantage of the terrain, right to the end; his True Yuan depleted, and eventually, dying excruciatingly in the snowy Wilderness would all seem justifiable.

Gong Ze's eyes were filled with rage and unwillingness. Unable to send the message, he also didn't know what the treasure really was.

"An Lan, before I die, can you tell me the name of your magical treasure?" he asked.

An Lan stood afloat in the void, her voice indifferent.

"One-day Cold."

Gong Ze, gazing at the black clouds rolling with thunder light, couldn't help but admire it.

"What a name, One-day Cold. After all these years, for Emperor Qian to bestow such a treasure to you, the An Family is finally on the brink of its rise."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a spark of realization flashed through Gong Ze's mind.

An Family...

"Your magical treasure, it's forged from materials provided by the An Family, isn't it?"

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An Lan didn't speak, she simply waved her hand, and from the sky streaked blue-gold thunder, tearing through the horizon, and crashed down with a roar.

The thunder light plowed through the land, where countless crystal-clear, towering ice crystals, some dozens of feet high, burst forth from the ground with a series of loud bangs. As the thunder swept by, the surrounding area for several miles was transformed into a forest of ice crystals radiating waves of biting cold.

Gong Ze charged into the mid-air, observing this scene with a chill over his entire body. In the dark clouds above, more countless thunders impatiently awaited their turn to fall.

He let out an angry roar, and his full suit of armor suddenly shattered, revealing his skin covered in fiery patterns that spread from his heart out across his body, and then liquid fire like his blood poured forth, swirling around him.

A gash also appeared on his chest, where blood, pumped by his heart, oozed out continuously. The blood seemed to fuel the flames, enhancing the might of the crimson fire, causing his aura to surge upwards sharply.

"You may sever your Divine Bridge and shatter your Qi Sea, but it's no use; you won't escape the Wilderness," An Lan said, her mouth proclaiming this while her figure stood still, not daring to recklessly pursue.

Gong Ze's hair had turned into flames, and his eyes seemed to burn as well. In truth, his entire being was ablaze.

Burning all of himself, just to gain a fleeting power far beyond his own strength.

He bared a smile.

"I didn't plan to flee back, nor did I intend to live."

With these words, he suddenly turned into a streak of fire light, instantly appearing dozens of miles away.

An Lan knew Gong Ze was undoubtedly doomed to die. She also didn't plan to press him further, as consumed by flames like this, it wouldn't be long before Gong Ze would combust and be reduced to ashes.

Now, all she needed was to follow from behind at a distance, and to witness Gong Ze's demise with her own eyes.

The wind and snow carried her forward, not as fast as Gong Ze, but she wouldn't lose track of him.

After one incense stick of time, she saw from a distance Gong Ze, transformed into tunneling light, plummet toward the ground.

Gong Ze's feet tread on flames as he looked down at the mountains ahead with an ever fierce determination in his eyes.

He had perused many records and documents, believing that Jinlan Mine was something special on the Wilderness. Even this year, amidst the hazardous changes, with the Wilderness becoming extremely dangerous and various forces gathering, Daqian still hadn't forgotten to come trade Jinlan Ore on schedule.

The person who came was still An Yue.

A distinguished member of An Family's younger generation, likely to take over the family in the future.

Now that An Lan was here too, with a never-before-seen Magical Treasure in hand and a completely different power.

He felt his vague suspicions might be correct. The fools in the Shadow Department were preoccupied with fleeing for their lives and didn't pay attention.

Daqian must have discovered something while researching Jinlan Ore, and it was only here that the largest yield and the most special Jinlan Ore could be produced.

Gnashing his teeth, enduring immense pain, Gong Ze descended from the sky, unleashing all his strength in a blow at the entrance to the mine.

Liquid flames turned into rivers, rushing toward both sides, instantly melting the snow on the ground into steam. The earth itself melted under those terrifying flames, turning into roiling Magma.

Gong Ze didn't stop; he continued to incinerate along the edge of the mine, bombarding as he went.

Here was a special Half-blessed land, with only the entrance connected to the Wilderness. The real entrance and exit were just that narrow spot linked to the Wilderness.

His intention was to sever that connection, to shatter the linking ground, and let this Half-blessed land break away from the Wilderness and plunge into the Endless Void.

He was about to die; his only wish before death was to see if he was right.

If he was wrong, An Lan would surely stand by and watch, unwilling to risk her life in such a situation. If he died, it would mean settling his ridiculous fixations and doubts before death.

But if he was right, An Lan would certainly fight desperately to stop him.

And even if he died afterwards, the people of Dali would definitely find out what he had done just before dying, which might lead them to uncover the truth.

His cheeks had begun to sink in, his entire body thinner; flesh and blood starting to burn.

His fire and pounding had turned the mine's surroundings into a Magma River, shaking the mine, its connection to the Wilderness now unstable…

An Lan, who arrived late, saw this scene, her pupils dilated suddenly, her face showing an indescribable shock and rage.

Then, without any hesitation, she erupted with all her power. From the dark clouds in the sky, streaks of blue-gold thunder, like roaring rivers from heaven, kept pouring down towards Gong Ze's location.

Gong Ze didn't dodge or resist but looked up to the sky with a wild laugh.

He was right; Daqian had always diligently studied every imaginable material, useful or not.

It was just a pity that Dali's Lihuo Institute still fell far short, unable to keep up with the Langya Institute…

Failing to keep pace didn't mean valuing those seemingly useless things; today, Daqian finally found something useful amidst those countless worthless ones, even crafting a new and frightening Magical Treasure.

But it didn't matter anymore. From this day forth, Daqian wouldn't be able to get this material anymore, and he believed the sparse, scattered Jinlan Ore produced elsewhere could never have this effect.

He roared with laughter, watching as the thunder struck him. His body was instantly ripped apart, dying a violent death.

However, as his body was torn asunder, it transformed into flames and merged with the flames and magma below. His blood and flesh made the fire even more vigorous, changing from crimson to a piercing orange-red color.

Visible to the naked eye, the range of Jinlan Mine began tilting downward…