Chapter 28: The Celestial Immortal Liangqiu

The young man stared at Ji Ning, his eyes filled with longing.

"It has been destroyed," Ji Ning said.

Even if it hadn't been destroyed, the thirty-six stone tablets were completely scattered, and this one had been left behind in the Three Realms for endless ages. The Nine Fang Chaos Kingdom would probably never find it.

"Destroyed? Destroyed, how could it be... Princess, Master, no... no..." The young man finally broke down. He had stubbornly endured the long years of over three chaos cycles because of an obsession in his heart. During these three chaos cycles, even some True Gods had committed suicide due to endless loneliness and hopelessness, yet he, a Celestial Immortal, had persisted until now.

"It's you, you destroyed the Nine Fang Chaos Kingdom, ruined everything for me, ruined everything, no, no..." The young man went mad.

"Die, ahhh!"

Suddenly, hundreds of streams of light appeared on the young man's body, swirling around him. Then a huge, emerald-green sword shadow materialized and slashed directly at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning had been very calm, as everything was under his control, and the one he had chosen was merely a Celestial Immortal. But when he saw the attack unleashed by the other, Ji Ning was shocked. The huge emerald-green sword shadow carried a power that made his heart tremble. How could this be an attack at the Celestial Immortal level? Even among Pure Yang True Immortals, not everyone could be so strong.

"How is this possible? Star Picking Hand!"

Ji Ning dared not hesitate and immediately executed the divine ability, Star Picking Hand.

Boom~~~

A giant palm, a thousand zhang in size and radiating a hazy light, pressed forward. The huge emerald-green sword shadow also slashed over.

"Bang!" The two collided.

The shockwaves swept across the surrounding earth, causing the ground to tremble and faint cracks to appear.

Ji Ning involuntarily staggered back several steps.

The young man remained where he was, his eyes reddened, staring at Ji Ning like a madman.

"How is this possible? You're just a Celestial Immortal, how can you be so strong? Impossible." Ji Ning was completely stunned. This overturned everything he knew. He had used the Star Picking Hand, which was top-tier even among Heavenly Gods, yet in the collision with that sword strike, he had been at a disadvantage?

"Die, die, damn it, go to hell!" The young man was utterly frenzied.

"I'll have to suppress him first to figure this out." Ji Ning erupted fully. "Star Picking Hand!"

It was the same Star Picking Hand technique, but this time, the powerful fourth-level heartforce was also fully infused into it, unleashing its full power. This elevated the might of the Star Picking Hand to a level comparable to a full-powered arrow from a Three Realms archer.

Boom, boom, boom~~~

The giant palm crushed forward with overwhelming power. Just by looking, one could tell it was far stronger than before. When the Celestial Immortal's huge emerald-green sword shadow slashed over, bang~~~ under the collision, the sword shadow directly collapsed, and the giant palm continued to crush forward. The young man tried to dodge, but the giant palm suddenly clenched.

Whoosh.

It grasped the young man, holding him in its grip.

"Heartforce at the fourth level?" The young man looked at Ji Ning, laughing maniacally, but his laughter carried a desolate tone. "What use is heartforce at the fourth level? Such a weak True Immortal."

"Tell me, how can you, a Celestial Immortal, be so strong?" Ji Ning stared at him.

"Hahaha... It's not that I'm strong, it's that you're weak." The young man stared at Ji Ning. "I never imagined that after the destruction of the Nine Fang Chaos Kingdom, this world prison would fall into the hands of such a weakling like you."

"Tell me."

Ji Ning's giant hand held the young man as he said coldly, "Why is a Celestial Immortal so strong? Why do you say I'm weak?"

"Too late, too late. Even if you knew, it would be too late." The young man laughed maniacally. "But I just won't tell you, won't tell you, hahaha..."

Ji Ning frowned. He could sense that the young man before him seemed to have gone mad.

"Tell me, and I will not only spare your life but also give you what you desire," Ji Ning said.

"I want to return to the Nine Fang Chaos Kingdom, I want to get out, I want to see the Princess, see my Master... Can you do that? Can you do even one?" The young man stared at Ji Ning, utterly frenzied. "You weakling, you can't do a single one, you can't."

Ji Ning was taken aback.

He didn't even know where the Nine Fang Chaos Kingdom was. As for letting the other out, he had no means to release him.

"I can't do that," Ji Ning said. "But I can make your life here more comfortable, more enjoyable."

"Hahaha... Enjoy... hahaha... It's over, it's all over... Master, Princess... I waited bitterly for over three chaos cycles, and this is the result? Is this my fate? Hahaha..." The frenzied young man laughed. "Master, Princess, Liangqiu is coming."

Bang~~~

The young man, held in Ji Ning's giant hand, exploded directly, his soul utterly scattered.

"Suicide?" Ji Ning shook his head.

Someone who could endure endless solitude for three chaos cycles was indeed not easily persuaded with a few words.

...

Ji Ning stood to the side, looking at the large pile of items before him.

These were the remains left behind by the young prisoner after his death.

"I hope to find something that introduces the Nine Fang Chaos Kingdom and explains why this young man was so strong." Ji Ning carefully examined them. The first thing he noticed were those emerald-green flying swords. At a glance, there were three hundred and sixty flying swords, each radiating an invisible sword intent.

"This, this..."

Ji Ning was shocked upon inspection.

"Pure Yang top-grade flying swords? All of them are Pure Yang top-grade, a full three hundred and sixty of them." Ji Ning understood clearly that the young man had used these three hundred and sixty Pure Yang top-grade flying swords to form the emerald-green sword light that had clashed with him. "How could he, a Celestial Immortal, simultaneously control so many Pure Yang top-grade flying swords?"

Such powerful treasures were extremely difficult to control.

Even most Pure Yang True Immortals couldn't simultaneously control so many Pure Yang top-grade flying swords.

"Inside here..."

Ji Ning immediately began refining some storage treasures and started exploring.

One treasure after another was discovered by Ji Ning.

This deceased 'Liangqiu' had been a core figure in the Nine Fang Chaos Kingdom. Otherwise, as a mere Celestial Immortal, he wouldn't have qualified to be imprisoned here; he would have been killed outright. Why would they use the punishment of long-term imprisonment? Clearly, even the 'Nine Fang Kingdom Lord' had to be cautious, unwilling to directly offend the sect behind Liangqiu.

Naturally, Liangqiu's treasures were abundant.

"There's even a full set of three hundred and sixty..." Ji Ning was truly delighted.

Apart from the set of three hundred and sixty emerald-green immortal swords,

there was also a set of three hundred and sixty fiery-red immortal swords.

All were Pure Yang top-grade!

Combined, these two sets were far superior to any set of Pure Yang treasures left behind by Sanxiao Daoist. Of course, they were still far inferior to the innate supreme treasure—the three thousand six hundred Star Gold Beads. After all, a single Star Gold Bead was more valuable than a Pure Yang top-grade flying sword, let alone three thousand six hundred of them. That was the innate supreme treasure obtained by Lord Sanqing back then.

"A Celestial Immortal with so many treasures? It's more astonishing than the vast majority of True Immortals in our Three Realms."

"Probably only someone like me, or Patriarch Lu, and other top-tier Heavenly Gods and True Immortals, can compare with him." Ji Ning thought to himself.

After a careful inspection,

the treasures on the deceased young man were mainly Pure Yang treasures, all at the 'Pure Yang' level. It seemed that for that young man, Pure Yang treasures were just common items. However, strangely enough, this young man didn't have a single innate spirit treasure. One must know that figures like Emperor Xia usually had several innate spirit treasures.

"Elixirs, immortal herbs... all destroyed?" Ji Ning looked at some floating dregs of medicine and shook his head. Before his death, the young man had destroyed everything he could. Only the Pure Yang treasures and other items that he couldn't destroy were left for Ji Ning.

"He really didn't want to leave me any benefits. But no matter how unwilling he was, these immortal swords are now mine."

"Two sets of flying swords, each set of three hundred and sixty." Ji Ning sighed inwardly.

What he didn't know was that

one set was Liangqiu's long-term use, and the other was a spare. Apart from offensive treasures, his other items were ordinary. For example, his escape treasures were only at the Pure Yang level, far inferior to the Void Boat.

...

Ji Ning searched through all of Liangqiu's remains but couldn't find a single cultivation method or any record of the Nine Fang Chaos Kingdom.

"That makes sense."

"When a sect teaches techniques, they are recorded in the mind. The scriptures themselves are never carried around." Ji Ning nodded. Whether at the Black and White College or within the Crescent Moon Cave on Mount Fangcun, after learning a technique, the scriptures were either returned or destroyed.

They were never carried on one's person.

Thus, techniques like the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, the complete Crimson Brightness Nine Heavens Diagram, and Houyi's Archery Art... could hardly be obtained through killing. After all, Ji Ning and others wouldn't carry such techniques with them; they were all memorized.

"Yes, that's right."

"Those Celestial Immortals, even Heavenly Gods, probably held low positions in the Nine Fang Chaos Kingdom. They wouldn't carry complete techniques. Moreover, when a sect teaches, there are usually heartforce vows." Ji Ning thought to himself. The more important the technique, the more the sect would prevent its spread. Even soul-searching methods could hardly obtain a complete technique.

"But those of high status are different."

"Those of high status have ways to obtain cultivation methods, even some techniques not from their own sect that they can teach." Ji Ning thought.

In the Three Realms, True Gods and Dao Ancestors could teach certain techniques if they wished.

In the Nine Fang Chaos Kingdom,

probably Ancestral Gods and Dao Ancestors could also do that.

"Among those I sensed with my heartforce, there was an Ancestral God and a Dao Ancestor." Ji Ning nodded slightly. "The Ancestral God should be stronger, and since that Ancestral God looks like a wild dog, he might be easier to persuade."

What Ji Ning most wanted to clarify now was why a Celestial Immortal could be so powerful.

...

Then Ji Ning left Liangqiu's prison, boarded the Void Boat, and flew toward the wild dog-like Ancestral God.

In truth, Pure Yang treasures were of little use to Ji Ning now, and even less to Dao Ancestors and True Gods, who generally used innate spirit treasures or chaos treasures. For Ji Ning, his strongest asset was the Zhutian Star Gold Beads. But with these two sets of Pure Yang flying swords in hand, he could set up the Grand Thousand Sword Formation and give them to his second avatar, providing it with powerful treasures.

The Void Boat carefully wove through the air, avoiding many imprisoned prisoners.

In this hazy world, divine runes densely covered the high sky, exuding a constant pressure. Even flying was much slower than in the Three Realms.

After flying for over three days, he finally reached the location of the wild dog-like Ancestral God.

"Senior." Ji Ning stood outside the formation, and with a surge of divine power, he condensed an avatar. The divine power avatar carried a wooden tray with two jugs of fine wine and plates of rare delicacies. The aroma of meat wafted out, making one's mouth water involuntarily.

"Senior." Ji Ning's divine power avatar called out as it carried the wooden tray through the formation's restrictions and walked toward the wild dog Ancestral God.