Bei Ling Territory, Mu Territory.
Inside a courtyard, a handsome young man sat cross-legged on a bluestone, holding his breath and calming his mind. Between his palms, several Spirit Seals flickered with a faint light.
The young man's name was Mu Chen, the son of Mu Feng, the Lord of Mu Territory in Bei Ling Territory.
He was once fortunate enough to be selected to enter the Spiritual Road, but because he single-handedly caused the "Spiritual Road Blood Calamity," which resulted in the deaths of too many people, he was expelled.
The young man thus lost an opportunity to enter the Five Great Academies, causing many to sigh with regret.
The Great Thousand World is vast and boundless. The Bei Ling Territory is merely a remote, small place. The Lord of Mu Territory, seemingly in control of a territory, is actually no different from an ant on the roadside in the eyes of those truly great figures.
For these small forces without ancient inheritances, sending their children to an academy is a good choice.
The Bei Ling Territory has Nine Territories. Besides the Nine Territories, there is also a force that cannot be ignored, and that is the North Spirit Institute. The North Spirit Institute holds a transcendent position within the Bei Ling Territory; even the Lords of the various territories cannot offend it.
They send their age-appropriate children to the North Spirit Institute for cultivation, with the biggest goal being the hope that their children can obtain one of the quotas the North Spirit Institute possesses for entering the Five Great Academies for cultivation.
Therefore, being expelled from the Spiritual Road and losing the opportunity to enter the Five Great Academies would undoubtedly be a huge blow to anyone else.
"Alas, why was Young Master expelled from the Spiritual Road?"
"Shh... don't talk about this. Although Young Master says he doesn't care on the surface, who knows what he truly thinks? Gossiping will not end well for us if we're discovered."
Two guards whispered to each other.
Mu Chen was not disheartened, or rather, he was mentally prepared for punishment before he did what he did on the Spiritual Road, yet he still did it.
For this, he had no regrets.
It was merely losing an opportunity, losing a chance for a Spiritual Road anointing. The path to entering the Five Great Academies is not just the Spiritual Road.
If he had to do it again, he would still do the same.
As the scene of that beautiful girl, who looked as if she had stepped out of a painting, bidding him farewell, appeared in his mind, Mu Chen subconsciously clenched his fists.
North Azure Soul Institute... I will definitely go!
"Xiao Mu, come with me. Your father wants you to go to the council hall." A slightly rough voice sounded.
"Alright." Mu Chen finished his Spirit Array cultivation and stood up.
Upon arriving at the council hall, he saw the five City Lords of Mu Territory and gave a slight bow, acknowledging them.
"Young Master." The five also bowed with a smile.
Mu Feng pressed his hand down, and the living room immediately quieted: "According to the intelligence from our scouts, Liu Territory has already set off for the Black Underworld Abyss. We also need to take action."
Liu Territory is also one of the Nine Territories in the Bei Ling Territory. Liu Qingtian, the Lord of Liu Territory, has always been at odds with Mu Feng.
"Black Underworld Abyss..." A City Lord frowned: "What are they going there for?"
Mu Feng glanced at Mu Chen and said: "This matter is thanks to Xiao Mu. He killed the Blood Butcher, who was being hunted by Liu Territory, in the Bei Ling Plains and obtained this item."
As he spoke, he took out an ancient copper piece. As a powerful spiritual energy was injected, a ray of light burst forth from the copper piece, forming a light screen in mid-air.
Within the light screen, in a dangerous mountain forest, a giant black bird let out a long cry towards the sky, and an overwhelming black flame permeated the area.
The giant bird seemed to have been severely injured for some unknown reason, rapidly shrinking in the flames, transforming into a giant egg that soared into the depths of the mountain forest.
"This is... a Nine Nether Bird?" Although it was only an image, everyone present could feel the boundless might emanating from that giant black bird.
"The people of Liu Territory actually set their sights on it?"
In the mainstream cultivation system of the human race in the Great Thousand World, it is divided into the Sensing Stage, Spirit Movement Stage, Spirit Wheel Realm, Divine Soul Realm, Three Heavens Stage, Supreme Realm, and so on. Among them, the Divine Soul Realm is considered the first watershed stage.
In this realm, cultivators can refine the essence of spirit beasts for their own use, gaining special abilities and significantly increasing their combat power.
The more powerful the spirit beast essence refined, the greater the benefit to oneself.
In the world, there is a "Ten Thousand Beast Record." This record is divided into Heaven and Earth rankings, on which countless spirit beasts in the world are recorded.
Among them, the super spirit beasts on the Heaven Ranking are also called Divine Beasts. Even those true magnates who dominate a region dare not provoke them casually.
It is said that a hundred years ago, the Ten Thousand Beast Record underwent a change. A mysterious race called "Worm of Spirit" went from being unknown to becoming the number one on the Heaven Ranking, a terrifying existence that made countless strong individuals pale at the mention of it.
Although the Nine Nether Bird cannot compare to such an existence, it is not to be trifled with either. It ranks eleventh on the Earth Ranking, and if it has enough opportunities, it can even evolve its bloodline and leap to become the Nine Netherworld Sparrow, a famous Divine Beast on the Heaven Ranking.
Mu Feng smiled: "If the Nine Nether Bird were in its prime, Liu Territory would naturally not dare to make a move. But now that it is severely injured, with only an egg left, there is an opportunity to exploit."
Zhou Ye, Mu Feng's right-hand man, said: "We absolutely cannot let Liu Territory obtain the Nine Nether Bird, otherwise it will be a huge threat to us."
Mu Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping across:
"This matter is of great importance. I will personally lead the team with Zhou Ye. You two will guard Mu Territory, and the other three will accompany us.
"Even if we cannot obtain the Nine Nether Bird, we cannot let Liu Territory's scheme succeed."
After gathering their forces, the group immediately set off, heading towards the Black Underworld Abyss, the location shown in the image.
The Black Underworld Abyss is located in the southern part of the Bei Ling Territory. Its environment is perilous, its terrain treacherous, and it is home to many powerful demonic beasts, making it rarely visited by humans.
This place is some distance from Mu Territory. When Mu Feng and his group arrived at the Black Underworld Abyss, it was already three days later.
Mu Chen also participated in this operation.
An endless primeval forest appeared in a dark hue, and gray miasma permeated the black forest.
Even before truly entering, one could feel the strong aura of death and a Fishy smell from the Black Underworld Abyss.
"The people from Liu Territory should have arrived, but they are not coming from the same direction as us. Everyone, be vigilant. They know that the copper piece fell into our hands. If we encounter them inside, they will definitely play dirty tricks," Mu Feng said with a solemn tone.
"Heh, I've long been annoyed by those scoundrels from Liu Territory. It's a good chance to kill them," Zhou Ye sneered.
Mu Feng first distributed a detoxification pill to everyone, then waved his hand: "Let's go."
Nearly a hundred skilled individuals selected from Mu Territory entered the forest under Mu Feng's leadership.
Their speed was not slow, yet they moved silently, demonstrating extremely high combat proficiency.
The light suddenly dimmed, and a chilling sensation came from all directions. It seemed as if countless gazes were cast through the air, making one's hair stand on end.
Mu Chen's gaze cautiously scanned the dim surroundings, appearing somewhat uneasy. He always felt as if someone was watching him.