Chapter 5: True Spirit

Ji Ning stood in the wilderness, watching from afar the scene of 'Liu Hechuan and Dongliu Xue fleeing' as time flowed backward, but his heart grew even heavier. Because up until now, everything was exactly as recorded in the book that King Yan had sent him.

“Let’s go to the Nine Curves Sword Sect,” Ji Ning said.

“Alright.”

King Yan understood that Ji Ning wouldn’t give up until he saw it with his own eyes. So the two of them traveled through the void to the Nine Curves Sword Sect in another commandery.

…

Back then, Liu Hechuan and Dongliu Xue had wandered, cautious and careful, spending eight years crossing the vast Huashan Commandery to reach the Nine Curves Sword Sect. Liu Hechuan was skilled with the sword, and during those eight years, he often encountered danger, making even greater progress. His divine demon body had already reached the Zifu Disciple level, so he easily joined the Nine Curves Sword Sect as a disciple. Dongliu Xue entered as a maidservant. In the second year after joining the sect, Dongliu Xue, relying on the spirit pills Liu Hechuan obtained within the sect, broke through to the Zifu Disciple level and also became a formal disciple of the Nine Curves Sword Sect.

“This is where the Nine Curves Sword Sect’s mountain gate used to be,” King Yan said from high in the sky, pointing at a stretch of ruins below.

Seeing the ruins, Ji Ning’s heart sank.

The ruins stretched for tens of thousands of li, and now many monsters had settled there.

“Dongliu Xue and Liu Hechuan, according to the intelligence I gathered, they lived on Flowing Water Peak. Flowing Water Peak was roughly around this spot.” King Yan quickly flew to a patch of ruins and waved his hand, causing the great monsters and demonic beasts lurking nearby to collapse to the ground.

“Reverse time,” King Yan said, reversing the flow of time again.

The scene rapidly rewound, going back several decades.

The surroundings were incredibly beautiful.

The mountains and rivers were picturesque, the spiritual energy rich, and cultivator disciples could be seen everywhere.

“Chuan, you always let me win.” Dongliu Xue and Liu Hechuan were sparring with swords, and Liu Hechuan ended up ‘losing’ again.

“It’s because Sister Xue’s swordsmanship has improved again,” Liu Hechuan said with a smile.

Ji Ning watched this scene and felt a warmth in his heart.

“There are only three years left until that calamity,” King Yan said to Ji Ning from the side. He controlled the flow of time, letting it skip forward. Dongliu Xue and Liu Hechuan had lived happily in the Nine Curves Sword Sect; after all, they had just joined and hadn’t yet gone out for training. It was like a paradise.

Soon, the flowing time reached three years later.

It was a bright spring day, the scenery as beautiful as ever. In truth, the ‘Abyss Gate’ had already entered the Wuqiong World several years earlier, and chaos had already spread outside. But within the mountain gate of the Nine Curves Sword Sect, it remained peaceful and serene as always.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.”

Black sword light flickered and flashed.

Wielding twin swords, Liu Hechuan, who, due to his cultivation of the divine demon body, appeared even more valiant than in his past life, was practicing sword techniques and comprehending the Dao.

Not far away, Dongliu Xue sat watching him with a smile. She understood that her man’s heart was always tied to his homeland tribe, the Liuhe Clan, but they had been worried about the Liebing True Person of the Huashan Immortal Sect, so they had been enduring. Liu Hechuan trained in the sword with exceptional diligence, becoming a standout among the Zifu Disciples of the Nine Curves Sword Sect, having long reached the Dao’s artistic conception.

“Chuan, we will definitely be able to go back,” Dongliu Xue said, also missing her father.

Suddenly—

A group of black-clad figures appeared in the sky, twenty-seven in total. In an instant, they transformed into three enormous black serpents, each a thousand li long, their aura overwhelming. The mountain-protecting grand formation of the Nine Curves Sword Sect activated instantly, and a brilliant light surged.

“Rumble—” Heaven and earth shattered. The grand formation held for only a single instant before collapsing.

“What’s happening?”

“What’s going on?”

Countless weak, ordinary disciples were completely bewildered.

Liu Hechuan instantly dashed to Dongliu Xue’s side and said quickly, “Sister Xue, we—”

Before he could finish, a shockwave swept across the peak. Some Zifu Disciples caught in the direct blast were instantly reduced to dust, without any chance to resist. At the same time, a thunderous roar erupted, and the entire peak began to collapse, with countless rocks falling. Liu Hechuan and Dongliu Xue quickly flew up to dodge.

“Abyss Gate, our Nine Curves Sword Sect has never offended you, why must you destroy our sect?” Figures shot into the sky—the Sanxian, Earth Immortals, and Primordial Daoists of the Nine Curves Sword Sect. They formed a grand formation, each one agitated and anxious.

“Just accept your death!”

One of the three winding black serpents, a thousand li long, spoke in human tongue, then said no more and began to slaughter wantonly.

The surrounding space had already been sealed, making it impossible to escape by traveling through the void.

“Kill.”

“Kill.”

Unable to flee, the Sanxian and Earth Immortals of the Nine Curves Sword Sect led the Primordial Daoists, forming a formation that turned into a dazzling giant sword to fight the three black serpents. But after only a few exchanges, the giant sword completely collapsed. Most of the Sanxian, Earth Immortals, and Primordial Daoists of the Nine Curves Sword Sect died on the spot, and the rest were severely wounded.

“No.”

“Damn it.”

These severely wounded experts of the Nine Curves Sword Sect were soon killed off completely. The black serpents roamed freely, wreaking havoc across the tens of thousands of li of the sect’s mountain gate. The weak disciples of the Nine Curves Sword Sect, trapped and unable to escape, were slaughtered in droves, powerless to resist.

“Sister Xue.” Liu Hechuan held Dongliu Xue and stopped running.

“Chuan, do you regret coming with me?” Dongliu Xue wept.

“These twelve years, I’ve been truly happy. If I had to do it again, I would still come with you, Sister Xue,” Liu Hechuan said with a smile. “We’ll accompany each other on the Yellow Springs Road.”

“Mm.” Dongliu Xue nodded through her tears.

Hum—

A wave swept through, and Liu Hechuan and Dongliu Xue, embracing each other, turned to ash. Their souls, under an invisible attraction, flew rapidly into the sky, where a black gourd was frantically absorbing them. All the souls of the slaughtered were drawn into it, including those of Liu Hechuan and Dongliu Xue.

Ji Ning watched silently from the side.

King Yan said softly, “The Abyss Gate wanted to subdue this commandery, but since they had just infiltrated, few had submitted to them. So they chose some sects to massacre, to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. While killing countless disciples, they also collected souls to cultivate some evil arts. Millions or even billions of cultivator souls are enough to refine very powerful and terrifying evil treasures or divine abilities.”

Of course Ji Ning understood.

“Accept it,” King Yan sighed. “The Abyss Gate spans the Three Realms, and the power behind it is unfathomable. Even your Dao Ancestor master probably can’t do anything about it.”

“I’m very calm,” Ji Ning said softly.

Though he appeared calm,

in truth, the killing intent in Ji Ning’s chest had never been more surging. It was only because his heart force had reached the third level, ‘Dominance,’ that he could maintain his composure. But Ji Ning had already marked the ‘Abyss Gate’ as his greatest enemy in his heart. Even his hatred for the Shaoyin Clan was far, far less than this.

“Abyss Gate!” Ji Ning uttered the words one by one.

King Yan, standing beside him, suddenly felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart. He could vaguely sense the killing intent deep within Ji Ning. For this, he could only sigh. The Abyss Gate… a force sweeping through the Three Realms, not to be trifled with.

“Don’t do anything foolish,” King Yan said.

“Even if my father and mother’s souls have scattered,” Ji Ning said softly, “I will cultivate to become a True God or Dao Ancestor in the future, find my parents’ true spirits from the River of Fate, and revive them.”

King Yan said nothing more.

They both knew that the most fundamental essence of all life is the ‘true spirit.’ Even if the soul scatters, the true spirit returns to the mysterious River of Fate. But finding a true spirit from the River of Fate is extremely difficult. Legend has it that only ‘Nuwa,’ who reached the Pangu God level, could do it. However, if one becomes a True God or Dao Ancestor, they might find Nuwa and ask her to act.

“I need to go to the Huashan Immortal Sect,” Ji Ning said calmly. “To find that Liebing True Person.”

“I’ll go with you. I’ve also gathered intelligence on this Liebing True Person,” King Yan said. “He is now a Primordial Daoist. The Huashan Immortal Sect still exists because it has an Immortal guarding it. That Immortal is also under the command of Dao Ancestor Redbright and is an acquaintance of mine. As long as we find the Huashan Ancestor, he won’t care about the life of a mere Primordial Daoist. The Huashan Ancestor is a very upright and principled man, so the sect rules are strict. But even with strict rules, it’s hard to avoid some rotten elements.”

“I understand. I won’t fight the Huashan Ancestor,” Ji Ning nodded.

The wrongs have their doers, the debts have their collectors.

Ji Ning understood this principle. King Yan had said those words because he was worried Ji Ning would clash with the entire Huashan Immortal Sect. After all, Ji Ning had once single-handedly faced the many Immortals of the Shaoyin Clan and killed two of them. Such strength was far beyond what the Huashan Immortal Sect could withstand.

…

Huashan Immortal Sect.

This was the number one sect in Huashan Commandery of the Wuqiong World. Its founding ancestor was the ‘Huashan Ancestor,’ who was still alive, spreading the sect’s fame far and wide.

“Master.”

“Master.”

“Master.”

A row of maidservants all called out respectfully, while the handsome and elegant Liebing Daoist walked with a smile. Everyone in the Huashan Immortal Sect knew that ‘Liebing Daoist’ was a gentleman, his only flaw being a fondness for beautiful women! But he didn’t steal or rob; having many maidservants around wasn’t considered a major flaw.

“Qiushui, the seven of you, come with me,” Liebing Daoist said.

“Yes.”

Seven of the maidservants immediately responded, but their hearts were filled with fear. Outsiders didn’t know, but they were well aware of how brutal Liebing Daoist was. Some maidservants he tormented died outright. As for those who grew older and lost their beauty, he would kindly send them back to mortal tribes and ensure they lived well, earning praise from many disciples of the Huashan Immortal Sect for his sentimentality.

“Boom.” A figure descended directly.

Liebing Daoist frowned and turned around. Who dared to barge into his place?

“Sect Leader!” Liebing Daoist was startled and quickly bowed respectfully.

The Huashan Sect Leader, his face cold, grabbed Liebing Daoist without a word and vanished into the air with a whoosh.

Liebing Daoist was terrified all the way, because the Sect Leader had brought him to the legendary dwelling of the Ancestor. The ‘Huashan Ancestor’ was the founding ancestor, a Celestial Immortal! In all these years, he had never seen him once. Why would the Ancestor want to see him? He hadn’t offended the Ancestor. Could it be that he valued his talent and wanted to take him as a disciple?

Liebing Daoist saw a yellow-robed man kneeling and trembling.

“Father.” Liebing Daoist was shocked to see his father, an Earth Immortal. His father was his support within the sect.

“Kneel down!” the yellow-robed man barked.

Liebing Daoist fell to his knees with a thud.

After a moment, the courtyard door creaked open, and three people walked out.

“Two fellow Daoists,” said a black-bearded old man with great enthusiasm.

The kneeling Liebing Daoist finally got a look. Though he had never seen the Ancestor in person, there was a portrait of him in the sect. He recognized at once that the black-bearded old man was the ‘Huashan Ancestor.’ But now, their founding ancestor, the Huashan Ancestor, was speaking with extreme courtesy to the other two.

“Who are those two, that they make the Ancestor so polite and humble?” Liebing Daoist wondered.

The Huashan Ancestor glanced at the kneeling Liebing Daoist, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. This damned Liebing Daoist had offended Ji Ning! The Wuqiong World was also under the control of Dao Ancestor Redbright, so naturally, the Huashan Ancestor was a Celestial Immortal under Redbright. Among the Celestial Immortals under Redbright, word had already spread: Ji Ning had single-handedly faced nine Celestial Immortals of the Shaoyin Clan, including the Poisonous Ugly Immortal, and had killed two of them. But he was ambushed, afflicted with karmic fire, and exiled to a death zone.

The news spread quickly, earning Ji Ning the admiration of countless Celestial Immortals and True Immortals under Redbright.

Cultivating for less than a hundred years, at the Return to Void stage, he could fight nine Celestial Immortals and kill two!

“Afflicted with karmic fire and exiled to a death zone, yet he survived and returned. Such a freak is stronger than me in pure strength, let alone his background and immense potential.” The Huashan Ancestor was naturally furious that this disciple had brought a great enemy upon the sect.

“Daoist Ji Ning, our sect has produced such a villain. I am truly ashamed. This Liebing Daoist has been brought here. Whether you want to kill him, dismember him, or torment his soul for a thousand years, do as you please,” the Huashan Ancestor said.

…