Nine Yang Alchemy Emperor
Chapter 438 - 448: Ancient Four Real

Chapter 438: Chapter 448: Ancient Four Real

"I beg to differ! Though the Panlong Heavenly Emperor is formidable, Miss Xiong of our Xiong Family is no unknown figure either! Being one of the Eight True Inheritors of the Extreme Cold Cave, even the Panlong Heavenly Emperor himself would have to weigh his options, wouldn’t he?"

Lord Gongsun stood his ground and likewise brought out the backing of his own family.

Hidden inside the carriage, Chu Feng felt a slight shiver. To his knowledge, the Extreme Cold Cave was one of the four most supreme forces on the Divine Martial Continent, which were also known as the Ancient Four Real.

Each of these forces was guarded by peerless powerhouses.

Moreover, they each possessed peerless skills and secret techniques handed down from Ancient Times.

Additionally, the way these Four Great Super Forces recruited disciples was exceptionally selective.

They did not, like the Ten Thousand Sword Sect and the Medicine God Sect—Great Sects—open their doors to accept ordinary disciples, and then let the ordinary disciples compete against each other in a series of selections, finally dividing them into various ranks such as Advanced Level Disciple and True Disciple.

This system was somewhat similar to the military’s talent recruitment.

The Sects of the Four Great Super Forces were shrouded in unparalleled mystery, beyond the knowledge of outsiders. They only recruited the most devilishly talented Heavenly Prides.

For instance, the Extreme Cold Cave only accepted female disciples.

And would only consider those with either Seven-star Sword Veins or Nine Yin Sword Veins.

Furthermore, it was said that even female disciples with these two types of Special Sword Veins, once admitted, could initially only cultivate in dangerous Sealed Spaces.

To break out, they must elevate their strength to a certain level.

Otherwise, they would be condemned to die of old age within those Sealed Spaces.

After breaking out, they would only be considered as just having started. To stand out and become True Disciples required even more arduous cultivation. Only those who excelled in every aspect could possibly be selected as a True Disciple.

From this, it can be seen that the True Disciples of the Four Great Super Forces held a value countless times higher than that of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect.

Each of their True Disciples, if placed outside, stood as an exceptional existence. They undoubtedly had the power to dominate a region and crush other Heavenly Prides and peerless powerhouses.

Xuanyuan Wudi’s expression changed upon hearing that Miss Xiong was actually one of the eight True Inheritors of the Extreme Cold Cave.

"Search! Hurry up and don’t disturb the goods!"

Xuanyuan Wudi was bold but did not dare to court disaster for his own master.

Offending the Xiong Family to death could lead to very grave consequences.

Therefore, Xuanyuan Wudi made concessions as well and reluctantly accepted the two conditions Lord Gongsun proposed.

Xuanyuan Wudi’s subordinates, over a dozen Sword Gods, received the order and began to conduct a thorough inspection of each and every carriage and merchant team member.

Inside the carriage, Lord Gongsun gestured to his men, who promptly passed him an incense stick.

Crack!

Lord Gongsun broke off a quarter of the incense from the base and lit it.

"The burning time of a full incense stick is an hour, and here we have a quarter left. It will burn for a quarter-hour."

"Once time is up, the caravan must set off immediately!"

Finished speaking, Lord Gongsun handed the incense to his subordinates to place it in a prominent location.

There were roughly over a hundred carriages in the merchant team, with hundreds of people. To complete the inspection within a quarter-hour without disturbing the goods was extremely difficult.

This was also Lord Gongsun purposefully providing cover for Chu Feng and his companions, minimizing the chances of them being discovered.

At this moment, Chu Feng couldn’t help but worry about Pu Li and Elder Hei Dimo.

If they were discovered, their situation would be quite dangerous.

Moreover, it would implicate Xiong’s merchant team, provoking General Xuanyuan Wudi and others to conduct an even more thorough search.

Time seemed to freeze, every minute and every second felt exceptionally long. Hidden in the seat box, Chu Feng instinctively held his breath, daring not to make any sound.

All his breath was tightly concealed, not letting out the slightest trace.

During the agonizing wait, nothing untoward happened. Lord Gongsun’s voice rang out again, "The incense has burned out, time is up!"

The dozen or so subordinates of General Xuanyuan Wudi stopped their inspections and returned to General Xuanyuan Wudi’s side to report.

"General, no suspicious individuals were found!"

They had checked every carriage and cargo compartment thoroughly.

General Xuanyuan Wudi’s expression was unspeakably grim; he always felt that such a large merchant convoy was undoubtedly the perfect cover for Chu Feng and others to flee the city.

"General Xuanyuan, all the other carriages have been inspected. This carriage of Gongsun Housekeeper, however, has yet to be checked!" A sinister voice sounded, it was Chu Feng’s fifth disciple, Ma Quanzi.

This evil disciple, having narrowly escaped death, felt an even deeper fear of Chu Feng.

Having witnessed the gruesome ends of Gu Zhe and Chen Yuanyuan, Ma Quanzi surely could not find peace. As long as Chu Feng was alive, he could at any time be purged by Chu Feng like Gu Zhe and Chen Yuanyuan.

Ma Quanzi was not willing to miss any opportunity to kill Chu Feng.

Only by killing Chu Feng could he truly be at ease.

The Lost City was already the last line of defense. Once Chu Feng escaped the city, it would be a case of the sky’s the limit and the vast sea for fish to leap, making it very difficult to stop Chu Feng.

Ma Quanzi was very clear that if Chu Feng reached Ten Thousand Sword Sect on Divine Martial Continent, the Panlong Crown Prince could no longer do anything to Chu Feng.

Then, what awaited Ma Quanzi would likely be an endless nightmare until death.

General Xuanyuan Wudi’s eyes glinted as he fixed his gaze on Gongsun Housekeeper’s carriage and personally came over for inspection.

He lifted the curtain, leaned in, and examined the interior.

There was no discovery to be made; the items inside were self-evident, with only Lord Gongsun present.

General Xuanyuan Wudi, still not convinced, with a gloomy face, focused on the three rows of seat boxes.

"Does General Xuanyuan suspect that the person you’re searching for is hiding in one of these seat boxes?" said Lord Gongsun with a cold expression, looking quite displeased. "I have been in the carriage the whole time and have not left. In addition, there have always been numerous guards patrolling and on alert. Unless the fugitive you seek can perform magic, it’s impossible for them to have snuck in without my noticing!"

The convoy’s guards also voiced out one after another, saying they did not see anyone enter Lord Gongsun’s carriage.

"Checking will at least put the mind at ease!"

General Xuanyuan Wudi was reluctant to take their word for it; he was still intently staring at the rows of seat boxes.

"Fine, I will open them to let General Xuanyuan see! However, to be clear in advance, if there is no one inside and only some of my personal belongings, I ask that General Xuanyuan immediately clear the way and not delay our journey any further," said Lord Gongsun.

After speaking, Lord Gongsun personally opened each of the three seat boxes, one by one, for General Xuanyuan Wudi to inspect.

Although it was just a glance through the carriage window, the inside of the seat boxes could clearly be seen at a glance.

The first seat box contained some food. The second seat box held books, spirit-refreshing incense, and other items. Only the last seat box remained, which was also the one Gongsun Housekeeper sat upon.

Upon opening it, a full view of clothing and autumn quilts was revealed.