Chapter 658: The Caravan Under Attack

The Northern Clans were akin to heavy industry enterprises in ancient times, so they naturally weren’t located in ordinary cities. Given their vast size and the need to protect their sword-making skills, establishing them in densely populated cities was extremely dangerous.
Many years ago, the previous clan leaders moved the Sword Forging Hall along with their industries to a snowy mountain, taking advantage of the natural barriers provided by mountains and waters. There, they built a heavily fortified castle—named Heaven-Shaking Fortress—beneath a snow-capped peak, surrounded by vast open spaces. It was quite famous in the martial world…
But because it was located outside the city, the Northern Clans acted like local rulers over a hundred miles around, with rules that were much different from those of ordinary cities.
Within one mile of Heaven-Shaking Fortress, no martial artists were allowed to approach. Otherwise, under the pretext of violating the Northern Clans’ territory, they would face attacks or even pursuit by the clan’s skilled fighters!
Even those who were disciples of the Northern Clans could only move within the outer walls of Heaven-Shaking Fortress and couldn’t enter the core area—the Sword Forging Hall. Only outstanding disciples recognized by the clan truly had this privilege.
Thus!
The outside world was filled with endless curiosity about the inner workings of the Northern Clans, including rumors about the Sword Forging Hall, which was said to produce “divine weapons”!
With the help of a former disciple from the Sword Sect, Happy obtained the clothing of a Northern Clan disciple and sneaked into Heaven-Shaking Fortress by following a caravan going out to collect wood.
Whoosh!!
The bitter cold wind blew like steel knives across the caravan moving through the snow. The dozen or so drivers shrank their necks and wrapped their sleeves around their mouths, blowing steam:
“It’s freezing enough to kill a person today.”
A few drivers sat at the front, chatting and occasionally whipping the horses. Fortunately, the wheels of the carriages were made of sleds, requiring little effort to move.
“We definitely need to drink a few pots of liquor to warm up when we get back.”
“Old Wang, your nephew seems quite frail. Is he really okay?” One of the drivers glanced back at the young man on the rear carriage, whose face was tightly covered, and laughed. “Southerners can’t stand our cold.”
“It’s fine, young man. Bringing him out this time is a good chance for him to get some exercise,” replied Pojun, one of the former Sword Sect disciples, sitting with the people he had bribed.
The young man they were referring to was naturally Happy…

At this moment, Kai Xin was dressed in an extremely exaggerated manner—layered with several cotton-padded jackets and wearing a large hat made of animal skin. Sitting on the carriage frame amidst the howling cold wind, he seemed unbearably hot despite the freezing surroundings. The Nine Yang Divine Skill was operating automatically, making him appear ordinary with no martial arts background on the surface. Yet, even in the coldest conditions, he remained comfortably warm. Now, with such heavy clothing, he felt burdened and uncomfortable from the heat.

But! To stay hidden among the group, disguise was necessary. Sitting in the carriage, curled up, he sensed the changes within a hundred meters around him while pondering how to complete this mission. The ex-disciple of the Sword Sect’s demands were simple: pure revenge. As long as he could steal the Sky Crystal from the surveillance of the Sword Sect, the northern noble clans, and the Nan Gong family, he would have successfully completed the mission. Although the task carried risks—failure could lead to being hunted by the three major sects—Kai Xin felt it was worth taking the chance for the divine weapon, the Sky Crystal.

Especially now… he already possessed eight “Scales of the Fire Qilin,” and his “Sky Silkworm King Ice Hand” had been forged to the 4th level—a mid-tier divine weapon at that! He could also forge a Dragon Slaying Sword, but since he lacked the appropriate sword techniques for now, he decided to keep it aside for now and obtain the Sky Crystal first to forge it to the 4th level. Once this mission succeeded, the lethality of the “Flying Dragon Sword Technique” would be unimaginable! Not to mention against an emperor, even in the face of mythic-level powerhouses, he wouldn’t be completely defenseless. By then, the spiritual beast “Fire Qilin” in the Heavenly Demon Caverns would likely have to avoid him!

…

Just as Kai Xin’s thoughts wandered endlessly, an extremely faint sound reached his ears from afar—like a thin branch falling into the snow, so weak it was hard to detect. Frowning, he instinctively sat up from the front seat of the carriage, uncurling his body silently and entering a state of alert.

This place was some distance away from Han Tian Fort. Though within the territory of the northern noble clans, it was still possible to encounter bandits or similar groups. The sound gradually became clearer—the rustling of clothes and the soft sound of footsteps on snow. Although it didn’t draw the attention of any NPCs in the caravan, Kai Xin, with his keen senses, heard it very clearly. His brows furrowed further…

“This mission isn’t as simple as I thought,” Kai Xin muttered to himself in frustration.

For a mission involving top-tier divine weapons, even the smallest detail is fraught with countless dangers and difficulties. A single caravan attracted the pursuit of no less than three experts at the Wuwei realm and over twenty experts at the Jie Tuo realm.
It seems they must be either from the Sword Sect or the Nangong family!
“Who’s there?”
The caravan suddenly came to a halt!
The people from the Northern Clans in the caravan also seemed skilled in combat. It wasn’t until the enemies closed in to within fifty meters that they finally sensed the unrest around them and shouted angrily, “This is a caravan of the Northern Clans. Brothers in the martial world, keep a close eye!”
The people from the Northern Clans clearly realized that those approaching them were highly skilled. Their tone turned serious as they loudly declared their identity in advance, warning their own people.
As soon as they spoke, a cold wind blew. Three experts at the Wuwei realm gracefully landed in front of the caravan, blocking it in a triangular formation. Their elegant white robes, bright swords like autumn waters, and proud young faces already revealed their identities!
People from the Sword Sect!!
“Haha!”
The young man at the head walked toward the caravan and said, “Don’t be afraid. We are disciples of the Sword Sect and friends of the Northern Clans. We’re just here hoping to hitch a ride and visit your clan.”
On the side of the Northern Clans, there was only one disciple at the Jie Tuo realm in the caravan; the rest were at the Sheng Si realm. Plus, there was a rejected disciple from the Sword Sect who couldn’t show off his skills. Kai Xin immediately found himself in a difficult situation.
Seeing the people from the Northern Clans in danger, Kai Xin also felt speechless and continued to sit shakily in the carriage, watching the situation unfold…
“They’re from the Sword Sect. I can’t act. Don’t move around either. Let’s see what happens. If they try to kill us to silence us, we’ll run!” Po Jun’s voice came from one of the carriages ahead.
Kai Xin felt slightly relieved!