Chapter 1 Obtaining the Jade Seal

Obtaining the Imperial Jade Seal wasn't particularly difficult.

Although Ye Chuxiao didn't have direct control over its safekeeping, as the nominal ruler of Northern Qin, there would inevitably be times when he needed to use it.

For example, when the Chu envoy formally presented their diplomatic credentials.

Ye Chuxiao would need to affix the Imperial Jade Seal to the credentials in front of all the assembled officials, acknowledging their legitimacy.

Before this, Ye Chuxiao had already created a fake replica of the Imperial Jade Seal.

Although Ye Chuxiao couldn't forge magical artifacts, he possessed both a knack for crafting and the Talent of Shaping, so creating a mere hollow imitation wasn't too difficult.

During the court assembly, Ye Chuxiao held the seal and solemnly stamped the Chu Kingdom's credentials with the Imperial Jade Seal made of black copper, acknowledging that he would continue to regard the Chu Kingdom as his suzerain state and would provide tribute as required.

And even with all eyes upon him, Ye Chuxiao, without batting an eye, used the "Heavenly Swap" technique of the Thieves' Guild to replace the real seal, and then placed the fake seal into the jade box for safekeeping.

After the assembly, Ye Chuxiao summoned the Chu envoy, instructing him to make an even bigger commotion, perhaps exaggerating his words even more. At the same time, he gave the Chu envoy another batch of treasured calligraphy and paintings from the imperial palace's collection.

Once the Chu envoy had left the palace, Ye Chuxiao didn't hesitate, directly drawing his blade and killing the imperial guards who had been blatantly confining him during the day.

Then, he changed his appearance and left the palace.

He ran wildly all the way, and after leaving the Northern Qin capital and traveling about thirty or forty *li*, he faintly heard the piercing alarm sound from within the city.

The Beihai Ice Geese, domesticated by the Ming Clan, flew out of the city in flocks, searching for Ye Chuxiao's whereabouts.

"Looks like they've discovered that the Imperial Jade Seal has been replaced."

"But what can they do to me?" Ye Chuxiao had sufficient confidence.

The Xin Dan (heart pill) of the Immaculate Celestial Maiden of the Original Doctrine had the effect of interfering with divination, calculation, and tracking of auras. It couldn't be said to be one hundred percent effective, but at least with the foundation and accumulation of a small place like Northern Qin, it was unlikely that they could mobilize those great diviners proficient in destiny and astrology.

Moreover, as a transmigrator, a portion of Ye Chuxiao's own aura and destiny were protected and concealed by the Ship of Genesis.

With these layers of protection, as long as Ye Chuxiao chose to change his appearance and conceal his tracks, it would be extremely difficult to find him in the vast sea of people.

Leaving the Northern Qin capital, Ye Chuxiao followed the memorized map route, heading south towards the Chu-Liao border, separated from Northern Qin by the Yunbai Mountain Range.

The Yunbai Mountain Range, roughly shaped like the Chinese character for "person" (人), also carved out several countries beyond the Northern Qin peninsula.

Among them, the most powerful and strongest was undoubtedly Chu. All the areas south of the Yunbai Mountain Range were Chu territory.

The Despair Ice City, stretching along the southern foothills of the Yunbai Mountains, was like a giant dragon, coiling and winding across the mountains.

And Northern Qin, on the northern foothills, although bitterly cold, benefited from being a peninsular nation and from the moderating influence of the ocean climate. For a few months of the year, it was warm and pleasant, making life for the people living there not too difficult.

The difficult part was the northernmost region, near the Endless Frozen Earth, the territory of the Liao people.

The Liao people did not have a unified country, but they had a unified faith, worshipping the Lord of the Aurora, the great god of the frozen earth and the polar regions.

The Liao people domesticated a type of long-haired moose, relying on following the grasslands after the ice and snow melted for their livelihood, thus forming one tribe after another, large and small.

Tribes frequently clashed with each other over the struggle for warm and suitable living areas.

The Chu Kingdom built the Despair Ice City on the foothills of the Yunbai Mountains precisely to guard against the Liao people's southward raids.

Unlike the "domesticated" Northern Qin, the Liao people were savage, fierce, and unafraid of death. In order to survive one harsh winter after another, they could sacrifice many lives.

Both failure and victory in war had "benefits" for them.

Successfully breaking through the pass and raiding the Chu border towns could provide the materials to safely survive the harsh winter.

Even if they failed, the large number of deaths could also reduce the resource pressure on the northern frozen earth.

And the purpose of Northern Qin's existence was originally partly to help Chu share the pressure from the Liao people.

As for the Li Imperial Family's treasure, it was hidden in the Liao people's desolate frozen earth.

Climbing over the towering peaks of the northern foothills of the Yunbai Mountains, a biting cold wind swept across the desolate and silent Arctic ice plains, mercilessly whipping Ye Chuxiao's face.

Ye Chuxiao shook out his Yuanyang Treasure Armor, covering his body surface in the form of soft armor beneath his cloth coat.

A warm aura fed back from the Yuanyang Treasure Armor to Ye Chuxiao's body, and the cold, which seemed capable of instantly freezing all the blood, was quickly drawn away.

"What a harsh environment!"

"This level of cold has far exceeded the limits that ordinary people can withstand. Even cultivators, when they arrive in such an environment, would probably have their cultivation levels reduced due to the unfamiliarity."

"No wonder that in my younger brother's description, the Liao people of the Far North Wilderness produce so many heroes."

Stepping on a piece of solid ice, Ye Chuxiao slid down from the smooth mountain ridge.

His figure darted through the wind and snow, while the rolling blizzards and the occasionally collapsing snow layers behind him were like tumbling snow dragons, relentlessly chasing after Ye Chuxiao.

Accelerate! Accelerate! Accelerate!

Ye Chuxiao successively shot out several Gale Talismans behind him. Under the effect of the talismans, the cold wind blowing from the Far North became his most powerful barrier and propelling force.

When the tumbling blizzard stopped behind him, collapsing a small pine forest, Ye Chuxiao leaped over a short hillside and landed in the deep pine snow.

The snow layer here was incredibly thick, easily burying one's head.

Ye Chuxiao had to use lightness techniques and footwork to step on the snow, using the "Treading Snow Without a Trace" style to skim across the snow layer.

"According to the location in that old bastard's memory, go another three hundred *li* or so to the north, and you'll find a place with three pillar-shaped snow mountains in a triangular formation." Ye Chuxiao discerned the direction and continued running.

At this moment, the sky was vast, the earth was vast, the wind and snow were vast, and yet Ye Chuxiao was so small in this world.

Halfway through his run, Ye Chuxiao took out his saber again.

The 'Wind' and 'Snow' stances from the Perfect Chapter of the Saber Lord's Nine Styles were successively executed by him. At first, it was just following the textbook, but gradually, there was a trace of his own unique charm.

The so-called martial arts were originally a process of imitation using tools.

At first, it was imitating animals, then it was imitating some powerful special life forms, such as dragons, phoenixes, and unicorns, etc., which also included imitating the power of heaven and earth.

From the perspective of a beginner, the nine saber techniques in the Perfect Chapter of the Saber Lord's Nine Styles imitated nine powerful forces in heaven and earth.

Only after a deeper understanding would one see clearly that the original intention of imitating nature was to tame nature, to transform the nine forces of nature into the intent of 'me,' to make nature operate in my way of thinking.

The saber technique was like the Dao of Heaven.

The will of Heaven was like a saber… nothing was better at wielding a saber than Heaven itself.

As the practice of the 'Wind' and 'Snow' stances deepened, the other stances in the Saber Lord's Nine Styles were also executed by Ye Chuxiao in succession.

The nine stances were connected, seemingly only nine natural elements, but in reality, when two or three or even more combined together, they would constantly form more elements.

This was another process of simplifying into complexity. From this point of view, the Perfect Chapter's Saber Lord's Nine Styles and the Mature Chapter's Saber Lord's Nine Styles seemed unrelated, but in reality, they were connected by the same vein.

Starting the cultivation of the Perfect Chapter directly without understanding the Mature Chapter was not impossible, but it lacked the direction, ideas, and experience and accumulation given by the Saber Lord, and would take many detours.

From the Basic Chapter to the Perfect Chapter, seemingly each had its own emphasis, but in reality, they only described the different stages of the Saber Lord's perfecting of the saber technique.

They were connected by the same vein. To learn… one had to learn all of them. Learning selectively would not lead to the true meaning.

If the framework was not correct, not straight enough, it could not encompass so much complexity.

And without understanding the accumulation of those complexities, it was difficult to comprehend how the 'simple' was simplified.

"What a powerful saber technique!"

"You must be a saber wielder from the Central Plains!"

"Fight me! If you win, my moose, my tent, my saber, and even my women and children will all be yours."

"If you lose, leave your saber and saber technique to me!" A man nearly two meters tall, burly and strong, wearing a leather coat, shouted at Ye Chuxiao from afar.

Behind him was a small group of about a hundred moose.

Tall long-haired moose pulled the carts, and the carts were also carrying a dozen children, as well as three or four adult women.

Because they were far away, and their faces were all covered with hats, earmuffs, and scarves, it was impossible to see their specific appearance.

But then, a woman wrapped in bulky clothes suddenly stood up from the moose cart and shouted at Ye Chuxiao: "Are you a Chu person?"

"Come and save me! My father is Cao Gui, the Northern Patrol Military Envoy. If you save me, my father will reward you. Whatever you want, my father will give you."

The tall man at the front of the group did not stop the woman from shouting.

He needed this woman to attract Ye Chuxiao to come and duel with him.

Ye Chuxiao ignored the strong man and ignored the woman. He exerted force under his feet, and his figure was already like a wisp of green smoke in the wind and snow, drifting out smoothly and flexibly, continuing to advance towards his destination.

"Coward! You southerners are all cowards!" The strong man said, and then let out a piercing laugh.

Then he said, "If you don't fight me, then I will strip off the clothes of your southern girl in this wind and snow and send her to the God of the Aurora as a tribute."

As he spoke, he made a big leap and landed on the moose cart, grabbing the woman who had shouted earlier.

He reached out to grab the woman's clothes.

Compared to the strong man's figure, the woman was petite and weak like a child.

The woman let out a piercing scream.

At the same time, snow-white skin like ice and snow was revealed from the torn neckline.

After her hat was lifted, her dark and shiny hair danced wildly in the wind and snow, making people unable to help but imagine what kind of beautiful face she had.

Ye Chuxiao did not stop, continuing to run wildly, turning a deaf ear to what was happening behind him.

"Coward! Incompetent southerners!"

"Save me! Save me! Please save me!"

"Whatever you want, my father will give you, and I can also be your concubine…" The arrogant voice and the voice begging for mercy in despair constantly followed the wind and blew towards Ye Chuxiao.

Ye Chuxiao was still running wildly on the road, but if you looked closely, you would find that a huge and manic energy of heaven and earth was turning into a funnel shape above Ye Chuxiao's head.

His 'light' was overflowing, and then he was manipulating these energies of heaven and earth, giving them wonderful spirituality.

The sounds gradually faded away, as if Ye Chuxiao had gotten rid of this sudden challenge.

However, a ghostly figure suddenly窜emerged, blocking Ye Chuxiao's path.

In the blizzard, she was only wearing thin clothes.

The woman with long and slender snow-white legs, which the thin gauze skirt could not cover at all, with only a thread tied at her back, and only a purple Guhuoniao (mythical bird) bodice in front, used her hair to cover half of her face.

The exposed half of her face was charming and beautiful, making people unable to resist wanting to touch it.

"What a cruel man!"

"Seeing this servant beg so pitifully, he is not moved at all." The woman said to Ye Chuxiao, seemingly complaining and scolding.

Ye Chuxiao did not look at the scenery that the woman could expose, but suddenly turned around.

"Snow!"

The 'Snow' stance in the Saber Lord's Nine Styles was executed by Ye Chuxiao.

With one move, it was the momentum of a blizzard. The saber momentum successfully transformed into the environment of heaven and earth, equivalent to borrowing heaven and earth as the home field.

With one saber strike, the huge energy that had been secretly accumulated for a long time instantly transformed into a giant blade of more than ten meters.

The strong man, who was ambushing in the snow, was hit by Ye Chuxiao's saber.

A bronze luster flashed on the strong man's body. His body swelled up a circle, becoming even taller.

The strong man resisted Ye Chuxiao's saber.

He used his body to resist the chopping force of the saber.

But the bone-piercing coldness burrowed into him from the pores and orifices on his body, instantly freezing the blood in his body.

In just one exchange, the strong man, who was not weaker than Ye Chuxiao in terms of realm, was frozen into an ice statue and lost his life.

"What a cold saber!"

"What a cold heart… ah!"

The woman was like a fragrant breeze, fluttering lightly into Ye Chuxiao's arms.

At the same time as she floated over, countless beautiful illusions echoed around Ye Chuxiao.

"Heh! Illusion!"

Ye Chuxiao held his saber in one hand and slashed down with one saber.

Wind!

The saber of wind cut through the wind and snow, and the sharp and cold wind blade cut the seemingly charming beauty in half with one strike.

Blood froze on the ice plains, and the impurity of death was quickly buried by the wind and snow.

The wind blew over half of a broken face, and the face covered by hair was as ugly as a ghost, covered with black scales, and the scales were also engraved with large characters.

Those were the Chu Kingdom's 'tattoos,' and prisoners who were exiled would have tattoos on their faces to remind everyone of their sins.

It seemed that this woman was either a slave exiled to Despair Ice City, or a runaway soldier, or possibly a family member of an official who had committed a crime.

It didn't matter anymore!

She had already died under Ye Chuxiao's saber.

Stepping on the wind and snow, Ye Chuxiao continued to run wildly.

Because of the harsh environment and the sturdy folk customs.

After experiencing three inexplicable fights, Ye Chuxiao finally arrived at the treasure location in the evening of the second day.

Three peculiar pillar-shaped snow mountains stood in a triangular shape on the barren land.

"Finally arrived!"

"Aurora Plate! A magical artifact to chase the aurora, I'm here to take you away!" Ye Chuxiao thought to himself.

Aurora had a special meaning in the Wasteland Fight Realm.

It symbolized death and the place where the dead return to their spirits.