Chapter 38: The Three-Leaf Realm

Ji Ning left the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons in high spirits and returned to the Inner Domain World.

“Eh?” Ji Ning looked at the two figures before him. The white-robed, silver-eyed man was imposing, but in the Inner Domain World of the Origin Ground, there were already some incredibly formidable Dao Lords, so Ji Ning remained calm.

But when he saw the figure draped in black gauze with a graceful form, Ji Ning was greatly startled.

Though the distance between them was very close, Ji Ning felt as if he were looking at flowers through a mist, unable to see clearly what she looked like. He only sensed an endless chill spreading out, penetrating deep into his heart, causing him to tremble.

“Which great power is this?” Ji Ning was shocked. “Even Mu Hua Palace Lord of my Sword Palace cannot compare to her.”

The graceful black-gauze figure was looking at Ji Ning.

Examining Ji Ning.

Her eyes seemed to see through Ji Ning completely! Ji Ning vaguely sensed her gaze. He knew she was looking at him, but he could not see her clearly.

“Is it you?” The black-gauze figure suddenly spoke. Her voice was as cold as expected. Suddenly, she waved her sleeve.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning vanished into thin air.

According to the rules of the ‘Divine Punishment Court’, fighting was forbidden in the Origin Ground. Such forcible abduction was also prohibited. The Dao Lord beside him watched helplessly but dared not speak: “Even if the Lord of the Divine Punishment Court knew, he probably wouldn’t say anything.”

One of the Three Ancient Star Lords, ‘Venerable Dan’, even if she went on a killing spree in the Origin Ground, so what?

…

After taking Ji Ning, Venerable Dan said indifferently, “You may leave.”

“Yes.” The silver-eyed man beside her immediately replied respectfully, then quickly departed.

Venerable Dan, however, looked up, gazing dazedly at the corpse of the burly man standing there, leaning on a huge azure sword. She forgot the passage of time, silently watching.

He was dead, dead for a very long time, but his corpse was as it was in life.

“Venerable Dan.” Suddenly a voice sounded.

“Hmm?” Venerable Dan’s black gauze robes fluttered. Her breathtakingly beautiful eyes swept over. In the distance, a Daoist in a deep blue robe with a tall crown was approaching.

“Fu Bo.” Venerable Dan’s voice was cold. “I heard you have some skill and even refined a ‘Lifebound Dao Talisman’?”

Emperor Fu Bo was startled. His greatest achievement in the Dao of Talismans, the ‘Lifebound Dao Talisman’, was known to very few. Among Eternal Emperors, only the ‘Lord of the Divine Punishment Court’ and ‘White Emperor’ knew of it. But now Venerable Dan, one of the Three Ancient Star Lords, also knew.

“Venerable Dan is indeed well-informed.” Dao Lord Fu Bo said. “Then you should guess why I have come?”

“Want to reverse time and space to revive your disciple?” Venerable Dan said.

“If we talk about achievements in reversing time and space, I’m afraid in this universe, Venerable Dan, you are number one.” Dao Lord Fu Bo said. “The Lord of the Divine Punishment Court and White Emperor ask too much. I have no other way, so I wanted to ask if you have a method to revive my disciple?”

“I cannot save your disciple, but the Lord of the Divine Punishment Court can.” Venerable Dan said coldly.

“Cannot save?” Emperor Fu Bo was stunned.

“Reviving a being whose true spirit has been extinguished by reversing time and space goes against the Dao of the entire universe.” Venerable Dan said slowly. “The universe continuously evolves toward the future. Reversing time and space defies the mighty force of the entire universe.”

“The Lord of the Divine Punishment Court, with the help of the power of the universe’s origin, can withstand the backlash of the entire universe. I cannot.” Venerable Dan said.

Emperor Fu Bo showed disappointment.

“Didn’t you say before that reviving beings below Eternity by reversing time and space is much easier?” Emperor Fu Bo said, somewhat anxious and pained.

Venerable Dan cast a cold glance at him.

Emperor Fu Bo’s heart trembled.

A very, very long time ago, Venerable Dan was already at the pinnacle of this universe. At that time, there was no Lord of the Divine Punishment Court. The strongest were the Three Ancient Star Lords.

Venerable Dan once tried everything to reverse time and space to revive her elder brother, but ultimately failed… Under the backlash, she nearly perished.

At that time, she said despairingly to the other two Ancient Star Lords: “Reviving beings below Eternity by reversing time and space is much easier. Reviving those who have achieved Eternity is too difficult, too difficult…”

Since then, Venerable Dan left alone and disappeared for a very long time, until later when the Lord of the Divine Punishment Court rose and unified this universe. The Lord of the Divine Punishment Court invited the sixteen Star Lords to gather at the Divine Punishment Court, and only then did Venerable Dan reappear.

“Do not attempt to reverse time and space to save your disciple. No one can do it except the Lord of the Divine Punishment Court.” Venerable Dan’s voice was cold. “As for me, I cannot revive anyone.”

Emperor Fu Bo knew he could not ask further. The person before him was the only woman among the Three Ancient Star Lords, with unfathomable strength. Moreover, the three Ancient Star Lords had deep bonds. When Venerable Dan wanted to revive her elder brother, the other two Ancient Star Lords had also worked hard and sacrificed much.

Revival by reversing time and space was actually a taboo for Venerable Dan, not to be discussed lightly. It was only because he, Emperor Fu Bo, also had someone he wanted to revive, sharing the same plight, that Venerable Dan was willing to say so much.

“Earlier, I sensed your arrival and found that you had taken a little one.” Emperor Fu Bo said with a smile. “Is that little one the successor of your elder brother?”

“Fu Bo.” Venerable Dan glanced at Emperor Fu Bo. “I warn you, don’t meddle in the affairs of the younger generation.”

“Of course I understand. If you have any matters, just instruct me. I will do my best to help.” Emperor Fu Bo smiled and took out a strange jade talisman mottled with black and white. “This talisman is a gift for that little one.”

Venerable Dan glanced at it, the corners of her mouth slightly lifting. She waved her hand and accepted the jade talisman.

“No need to see me off.” Venerable Dan said and drifted away.

Emperor Fu Bo watched her figure disappear into the distance and revealed a smile: “That Sword Dominator, after endless ages until now, this should be his first successor.”

When that Dominator died, he had set up a restriction.

From the outside, one could not detect changes in the number of treasures… But if one could see through the formation restriction, one could spy on how many treasures were inside the formation.

Venerable Dan, in the very distant past, first became famous for ‘alchemy’, hence she was honored as ‘Venerable Dan’. In this universe, Venerable Dan has always been recognized as the number one in alchemy, never surpassed. In formations and restrictions, she was naturally better than her elder brother. She could see through at a glance.

Emperor Fu Bo, the number one in the ‘Dao of Talismans’ in this universe, was also slightly better than the deceased Dominator in formations and restrictions.

Both of them could see through the formation restriction to discover the number of treasures inside, but they dared not forcibly take the treasures, as that would provoke the resistance of the entire ‘Inner Domain World’ of the Origin Ground. The Inner Domain World was where the universe’s origin resided, and the counterattack would wield the power of the entire universe, with unimaginable might.

…

Ji Ning was in a cave world, only a few hundred li in radius, with no way to escape.

“Why did she capture me here?”

“Is that great power benevolent or malevolent?” Ji Ning hadn’t expected that just after becoming a nominal disciple of that Dominator and obtaining his treasures, before he could be happy, he was caught by a great power.

In the Inner Domain World, a great power dared to act?

Probably only an Eternal Emperor.

“If it’s a blessing, it’s not a curse; if it’s a curse, it can’t be avoided.” Ji Ning also understood that against the great power who had taken him without any resistance, he had no ability to resist at all.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning felt a massive force envelop him, and then his vision cleared.

“This is?” Ji Ning looked ahead. It was endless darkness, with a strange five-colored void bridge. Apart from the five-colored void bridge, everything else was endless darkness.

Ji Ning now stood on this five-colored void bridge, and beside him was the graceful black-gauze figure.

“We have left the Ancient Domain and will soon reach the Three-Leaf Realm.” The black-gauze figure beside him said. The five-colored void bridge beneath their feet continuously extended forward into the darkness.

In an instant, countless billions of li passed, many times faster than Prince Qinghuan’s spatial travel.

“Left the Ancient Domain?” Ji Ning was stunned. Weren’t they just in the Origin Ground? They had spent nearly ten thousand years crossing the Ancient Domain to reach the Origin Ground. How could they leave the Ancient Domain so quickly? He felt it hadn’t even been the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. This speed was too fast.

“May I ask, Senior, where is the Three-Leaf Realm?” Ji Ning asked.

“My place.” Venerable Dan said indifferently.

…