Nanjiang City, South County.
Street peddlers were hawking on the bustling street.
A man wearing a Confucian robe stood still in front of a small shop that sold steamed buns. He bought a warm steamed bun and took a bite.
Mo Tianyu ate the steamed bun while holding the banner for fortune-telling.
The early morning light shone on the street of Nanjiang City and burned away the last bit of darkness of the night.
The streets were crowded with a flood of people and horse carriages. Various shops were open for business.
Mo Tianyu found a place and set up a stall.
He specialized in fortune-telling. He would tell people’s fortune on demand.
However, his business wasn’t doing so well.
Mo Tianyu turned his head and looked in the direction of the forbidden area in the distance as though he sensed something.
Holding the steamed bun in his mouth…
He took out a tortoiseshell and three copper coins and started to calculate his fortune.
The copper coins made a clear and melodious sound inside the tortoiseshell. Mo Tianyu turned the tortoiseshell in a blink, and the three copper coins slid out of the shell, spinning on the table.
Mo Tianyu smacked his hand on top of them.
The three copper coins stopped moving and slowly rolled out of Mo Tianyu’s hand, one by one.
“Emm… I’m going to do one for myself. Is it a good moment to enter the forbidden area now?
“Auspicious… Forget it. I can’t go. I can’t go.”
Mo Tianyu trembled involuntarily and finished the steamed bun in his mouth.
Some kids were playing next to his stall. Mo Tianyu didn’t chase them away. Instead, he caressed the three copper coins and watched them with a smile.
After quite some time had passed…
He then looked at the sky.
He felt that it was time to do a second round of reading. He took out the tortoiseshell and copper coins and calculated his fortune again.
Mo Tianyu narrowed his eyes, reading the copper trigram.
“It’s unwise to enter the forbidden area now?”
Mo Tianyu cracked a smile.
He stood up abruptly and packed up the stall. Holding the banner in his hand, he walked to the forbidden area in long strides.
******
Nie Changqing breached the wall of air.
The forbidden area was a place that even made the Young Master feel tense. Nie Changqing wouldn’t dare to joke around either.
Like a tightened string, the Spirit Qi and Qi and blood in his body were at their limits, as if he was ready to start a fierce fight at any second.
Nie Changqing stepped into the wall of air and felt like he was submerged underwater. The sense of coldness made his whole body shiver.
Since the wall of air was not thick as he had expected, it only took Nie Changqing a short time to cross it.
He then felt like he stepped on flat ground.
He suddenly heard the voices of people talking. Nie Changqing could understand what they were saying.
Even though the pronunciations for some words were different, and the tone was more complicated… Nie Changqing could comprehend the basic meaning.
“Someone is here again. Please tell me it’s not some weak sauce in the Qi Condensation Realm this time.”
“I heard it from that old ghost in the city in the Golden Elixir Realm that this passageway was converted from the Origin of the Plane, that is, the Natural Law… It may connect us to a mini world.”
“Hah, that’s so unfortunate that we could go to the other world through the passageway. Otherwise, we could all be immortals and masters in that mini world.”
Nie Changqing heard the chit-chat.
Only now that the view in front of Nie Changqing’s eyes became clearer…
Three young men wearing lavish robes stood in the distance and looked at Nie Changqing with mirthless smiles.
Nie Changqing heard everything they just said to one another.
There was a mini world on the other side of the passageway?
Were they referring to the world he was in? They wanted to be immortals and masters in his world!
Just as he expected… These people were Alien Evil Spirits!
There was a nest of Alien Evil Spirits behind the wall of air!
Finally, someone gave an order. “Grab him and take him back to Wudi City.”
Nie Changqing exerted abundant Spirit Qi, which formed swirls and quickly covered his body.
“Internal Organs Realm…”
Nie Changqing raised his eyebrows.
Nevertheless, Nie Changqing didn’t underestimate his enemies at all. He had to do his best to face the unknown.
He immediately pulled out the Dragon Slaying Knife pinned on his belt.
The black force of the knife split the man wearing a robe, cutting him in half. The blood sprayed on the floor.
“Damn!”
“It’s a big guy this time. Is he in the Foundation Building Realm?”
“No… I don’t think it’s the Foundation Building Realm?! He killed a man in the Foundation Building Realm with one move. He might be in the Golden Elixir Realm!”
The faces of the people wearing fancy robes became grim.
Nie Changqing showed off his knife skill and frightened them.
It was mostly because they had lowered their guards, since the previous intruders were all in the Qi Condensation Realm. The arrival of a strong cultivator took them by surprise.
Nie Changqing’s face was somber. It was not his first time killing someone.
After killing one of them with a single move, Nie Changqing raised his hands.
The Dragon Slaying Knife rose and hovered in the air.
Nie Changqing’s arms stretched out, and the one Dragon Slaying Knife became five.
All five knives dashed forward at full speed…
And killed the rest of the people!
The Dragon Slaying Knife flew back. Nie Changqing wiped off the blood on it and pinned it back to his belt.
Nie Changqing finally loosened up a little bit and surveyed his surroundings.
He realized he was in a shabby temple right now.
There was a Buddha sculpture behind the temple. Nie Changqing glanced at it yet couldn’t put a name to it.
The temple was dingy and ramshackle, and the horizontally inscribed board almost fell on the ground. The words on the board were fuzzy. Nie Changqing only recognized the word “bodhisattva.”
“Is this a temple for bodhisattva?” Nie Changqing muttered.
Even though he didn’t know what a bodhisattva temple was, he understood that he shouldn’t stay here for long.
He had just killed four fighters who were Internal Organs Realm cultivators, which would definitely trigger some kind of response from the enemy.
He rushed out of the rundown bodhisattva temple.
It was snowing heavily outside. A menacing force charged at Nie Changqing like a sharp blade.
Nie Changqing inhaled a deep breath. He pulled out the Dragon Slaying Knife and swung it forcefully.
Bang!
The force of the knife shattered the snow into tiny pieces.
“How insolent!”
“What an audacious trespasser! How dare you kill the disciples of our Wudi City!”
“You deserve to die!”
A furious roar.
The attack penetrated through the snowstorm and dashed against the force of Nie Changqing’s knife. The snow and ice blew up and melted in an instant.
“Heavenly Lock Realm?!”
Nie Changqing narrowed his eyes.
“No… It’s the Golden Elixir Realm.”
Nie Changqing realized something. He focused his eyes on the opponent.
It was an old woman standing in the snow in the distance. She held a strange cane, her clothes blowing in the wind. With an angry bellow, she pounded the cane on the ground as soon as she saw Nie Changqing.
The snow and ice on the ground suddenly transformed into a howling snow dragon that sprang at Nie Changqing.
“Is she in the Golden Elixir Realm?!”
“Young Master once said that the Golden Elixir Realm is the realm of the Alien Evil Spirit… It looks like this place is indeed the nest of the Alien Evil Spirit!”
Nie Changqing’s body tightened.
Nonetheless, he also felt a strong will to fight.
He remembered the age of cultivators in the early ancient times when so many heroes and warriors on his continent died to stop the Demon.
Nie Changqing pulled out the knife and launched a series of attacks. The force of the knife destroyed the snow dragon!
He didn’t know how many enemies were in this place and how many of them were in the Golden Elixir Realm, or even a level above that.
Therefore, Nie Changqing had to end the fight as quickly as possible. He needed to get out of this bodhisattva temple.
Holding the Dragon Slaying Knife, Nie Changqing moved around speedily and nonstop.
He was trying to move closer to the old woman.
He understood his advantage over cultivators in the Golden Elixir Realm. He had more powerful Qi and blood.
He could easily chop an opponent in half once he came closer to the target.
“You’re asking to die!”
The old woman didn’t consider which realm Nie Changqing was in. From what she could see, Nie Changqing might as well be in the Foundation Building Realm.
She tapped the ground with the wooden cane four times. Four snow walls ascended and surrounded her.
The old woman stood inside of the snow walls and chanted something as if she was going to deal a deadly blow.
Nie Changqing concentrated.
He sprinted to the snow walls, eyes sparkling.
Chop!
Nie Changqing held the Dragon Slaying Knife with one hand and was about to chop down.
All of a sudden…
The old woman’s eyes brightened.
Her Spiritual Sense jabbed at Nie Changqing’s mind like sharp needles. She wanted to put Nie Changqing in a trance for a moment.
After all, people in the Foundation Building Realm didn’t have Spiritual Sense and couldn’t defend themselves from her Spiritual Sense attack. The old woman could easily beat Nie Changqing to death with her cane when his mind was injured.
Nie Changqing sensed the danger. His eyes brightened as well.
Their Spiritual Senses slammed together.
Nie Changqing felt dizzy and wobbly.
The old woman shrieked in pain. Nie Changqing seized the moment and swung the Dragon Slaying Knife.
Thwack!
The old woman’s head flew into the air. Blood spurted from her neck!
Gasping for breath, Nie Changqing saw a golden elixir rise from the old woman’s body and suddenly blow up!
Bang!
The snow on the ground melted. All the plants within a one-mile radius withered.
Nie Changqing didn’t expect to meet someone in the Golden Elixir Realm as soon as he stepped out of the bodhisattva temple.
She seemed to be a disciple from Wudi City.
It meant that there were many other people like her.
Nie Changqing didn’t dare to stay any longer. He raised his hand to grab the Dragon Slaying Knife flying back and planned to leave.
However, before he could walk out of the bodhisattva temple…
Several exploding sounds echoed in the sky.
Nie Changqing’s face changed. He raised his head.
He saw people wearing purple robes rushing toward him, tearing apart the snowflakes drifting in the air.
The four men wearing purple robes released their energy while racing forward.
Surprisingly, none of them was weaker than the old woman Nie Changqing just killed.
“Golden Elixir Realm… Four people in the Golden Elixir Realm!”
Nie Changqing inhaled a deep breath.
He felt the pressure.
Even so… He also felt an indomitable will to fight!
Hadn’t he come to the forbidden area to look for pressure?!
He slowly raised the Dragon Slaying Knife. Nie Changqing emitted an exceptionally powerful knife spirit from his body!
The four young men wearing purple robes had solemn expressions.
They were the Golden Elixir fighters from Wudi City. The people in Wudi City detected that the passageway made from the Origin of the Plane was opened in the bodhisattva temple.
Thus, they sent disciples to fend off the intruder.
People in Wudi City didn’t take it too seriously since the trespassers in the past were all in the Qi Condensation Realm.
Yet now, it was someone in the Golden Elixir Realm!
And he had killed the Golden Elixir guard of the outer order with only a few moves.
The disciples of the inner order of Wudi City sensed the danger and hastened to the scene.
Wudi City honored purple as the most esteemed color. Only people in the inner order of Wudi City could wear purple robes.
“Catch him!”
The four people bellowed, releasing the energy of the Golden Elixir Realm.
Nie Changqing didn’t dare to underestimate them.
It was his first time meeting so many people in the Golden Elixir Realm. He couldn’t be reckless.
He wielded the Dragon Slaying Knife. The force of the knife lifted the snow on the ground into the air.
The inky-black blade of the knife thrust downward with menacing power.
“Judging by his energy, he is only a first-level Golden Elixir Realm cultivator. How dare a first-level Golden Elixir cultivator run wild here!”
The four disciples of Wudi City yelled furiously.
They pulled out their weapons as golden elixirs indistinctly appeared above their heads.
They unleashed tremendous energy.
The force of their swords dashed against the force of Nie Changqing’s knife.
Bang!
An explosion.
Nie Changqing’s body trembled.
The four disciples of Wudi City steadfastly stood their ground.
Nie Changqing let out a breath. These four people were too powerful. He couldn’t stay here anymore.
Holding the Dragon Slaying Knife, Nie Changqing turned around, about to make a quick exit.
The four disciples of Wudi City exchanged a glance and chased after him.
Nie Changqing killed an outer-order Golden Elixir fighter. These disciples would probably be punished if they couldn’t capture him.
Suddenly…
Nie Changqing turned around in the middle of running away.
His entire body was blazing.
Roar!
They heard the deep roar of a dragon.
Nie Changqing’s spine twisted like a dragon. His Qi and blood were surging and boiling to the extreme.
A golden radiance surrounded his body.
The Dragon Slaying Knife struck back.
It was a strike full of menacing power and deadly impact.
It was the knife spirit of metal!
One inner-order Golden Elixir disciple of Wudi City hadn’t expected Nie Changqing would dare to turn around.
He was caught off guard and didn’t have enough time to dodge the attack.
The terrifying power of Nie Changqing’s knife almost cut off half of the inner-order disciple’s body.
The Golden Elixir fighter dressed in a purple robe was thrown backward, screaming, and left a long, bloody mark on the snowfield.
Nie Changqing’s offense worked. Ashed-faced, he used the cultivation method to absorb the Spirit Qi and bolted.
“Damn it!”
“Chase him!”
The rest of the three disciples were infuriated.
Four Golden Elixir fighters circled a first-level Golden Elixir cultivator, yet they almost lost one of their own!
Nie Changqing beat a hasty retreat and ran out of the bodhisattva temple.
The bodhisattva temple seemed to be on a snowcapped mountain.
Nie Changqing sprinted nimbly on the snow. He had unleashed Qi and blood and fought with five people in the Golden Elixir Realm in a short period.
The old woman was relatively weaker, while the other four were much stronger.
Nie Changqing reckoned that the Golden Elixir Realm also had a leveling system within.
Just like there were nine levels in the Heavenly Lock Realm, each level was much more powerful than the one below.
“I wonder if this world has people above the Golden Elixir Realm and the Heavenly Lock Realm.”
Nie Changqing was ruminating.
At that moment…
Inside Wudi City, sitting with his legs crossed, Du Longyang opened his eyes slightly.
“Surprising to say, this man’s energy feels familiar to me.”
Du Longyang used his Spiritual Sense and watched the fight in the bodhisattva temple.
His eyes brightened when he saw Nie Changqing strike back and almost kill an inner-order disciple of Wudi City.
“He doesn’t have a golden elixir, yet he is better than our Golden Elixir fighters…”
“What kind of cultivation method is this?”
Du Longyang pondered for a while yet couldn’t figure out why.
Then, his consciousness set off and sent out a spark of his Spiritual Sense.
Outside of Wudi City.
Under the barren mountain, an old man opened his eyes, stood up, and bowed slightly toward Wudi City.
Subsequently, he walked toward the bodhisattva temple on top of the barren mountain.
He soon saw Nie Changqing fleeing from the barren mountain at full speed.
The old man remained calm.
He didn’t take a puny Golden Elixir cultivator seriously.
The three Golden Elixir fighters chasing Nie Changqing jolted in surprise. They stopped running and bowed to the old man.
Apparently, the old man was much more distinguished than them.
Nie Changqing narrowed his eyes when he saw the old man blocking his way.
However…
He couldn’t sense the old man’s energy.
Nie Changqing didn’t have time to hesitate. Alone at the Alien Evil Spirit’s place where Golden Elixir fighters were everywhere, he had no choice but to carve out a bloody path through the enemy with his knife.
The knife spirit surged.
The knife with a golden gleam abruptly came down to chop the old man.
The old man walking through the snowstorm chuckled.
“You’re quite brave.”
Smiling, the old man raised his hand and dissolved the force of Nie Changqing’s knife from afar!
Nie Changqing shivered in shock.
“Master Wudi wants to meet you. Behave and follow me,” the old man said.
He stepped forward and released his energy. The formidable force petrified Nie Changqing, as if he was facing a towering mountain.
He only had a similar feeling when he was facing the Young Master sitting in the White Jade City Pavilion.
A master!
The old man was a true master!
Nie Changqing bellowed. He knew perfectly well that he wouldn’t live long if he was captured.
The tremendous pressure made Nie Changqing pull out his knife. His understanding of the knife unexpectedly increased at this critical moment.
Indeed, they could only progress under high pressure.
Nie Changqing’s knife gleamed brilliantly. The golden radiance made everything else seem dimmer.
The old man cracked a smile. He picked a leaf and flung it out.
The leaf was like a horrifying weapon and crumbled the force of Nie Changqing’s knife.
“Even a pathetic Golden Elixir cultivator dares to show off in front of me.”
The old man smiled slightly.
Coughing up blood, Nie Changqing backed several steps in the snowfield.
He crushed the snow on the ground with each step.
Nie Changqing’s heart sunk. The old man was… too powerful!
He had to be above the Golden Elixir Realm!
No wonder even the Young Master was concerned about the forbidden area. It would be a disaster if these people entered Wuhuang Continent. The catastrophe that happened to the cultivators in ancient times would occur again.
Nie Changqing grasped the knife tightly.
Bang!
Out of the blue, the old man raised a hand.
The wind and snow coalesced and transformed into a giant hand and smacked at Nie Changqing.
The pressure paralyzed Nie Changqing. He couldn’t help but stand still.
Nie Changqing felt unresigned and also powerless in the face of the old man’s power.
Suddenly…
A ray of light shot out of the bodhisattva temple.
It whistled toward him and landed on Nie Changqing’s shoulder.
Stunned, Nie Changqing turned his face and saw a tiny man sitting on his shoulder, arms crossed.
Nie Changqing’s heart palpitated the moment he saw the tiny man.
“Young… Young Master?!”
The tiny Lu Fan remained composed and didn’t speak.
He suddenly exploded.
A figure appeared in the air the next moment. Elegant and graceful, he sat in the Thousand Blades Chair, his robe whiter than the snow.
******
Inside Wudi City.
Du Longyang opened his eyes abruptly. He roared in fury.
The familiar energy and the familiar figure…
That was right!
He was the thief who stole the Heavenly Calamity!
“Da*n thief! How dare you show up again!”
Du Longyang raised his hand, holding the black spear. With unstoppable momentum, he rushed out of the secret chamber and stood at the highest point of Wudi City, gazing in the direction of the bodhisattva temple.
…