Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 146 - 141 Lively Mystery World (4/4)

Chapter 146: Chapter 141 Lively Mystery World (4/4)

It was said that the expedition mounted by the Wind Howl Sect started off extremely smoothly, plowing through like a force of nature, unstoppable, and flattening who knows how many demon beasts. However, the deeper they ventured into that mystical world, the stronger the demon beasts they encountered, until at last they ran into formidable opponents.

——Four Spirit Sea Realm level demon beasts!

The result of the battle was the Wind Howl Sect losing an unparalleled expert of the Spirit Sea Realm!

The Spirit Sea Realm, ah, in the Wind Howl Sect that’s the true status of an Old Ancestor, capable of supporting a corner of the sky, and yet, to think they died aimlessly in a place whose name is unknown!

The survivor from the Spirit Sea Realm, Feng Zige, nearly ripped the four Old Ancestors of the Heavenly Star Sect to pieces on the spot had he not considered their lack of qualification to know about the situation within that mysterious world, he thus restrained himself from making a move.

After all, had he slain those four, the Heavenly Star Sect would definitely be unable to continue to keep the Cold Blue Country’s various sects in check. If the Wind Howl Sect had to send their own experts for assistance, then what would the point be in having the Heavenly Star Sect acting as caretakers?

Even an expert of the Spirit Sea Realm had fallen inside!

This news spread like wildfire, completely confirming everyone’s previous speculations that there indeed was an expert of at least the Nascent Soul Realm who casually annihilated Dayan Sect and then chose that place as his ground for imparting his teachings!

There was at least a Nascent Soul Realm level legacy in that mysterious world!

It was foreseeable that countless people would rush there, even minor warriors of the Gathering Spirit Realm hoping to try their luck. After all, inheritance isn’t always reliant on strength; with good fortune, one might just obtain it.

There are plenty of stories in history about insignificant figures receiving the inheritance of ancient remarkable people, leaping to the peak of power in the current world, and it was this inspiration that drove countless warriors of the Gathering Spirit, Initial Separation, Land Cleaving Realms, and so on to come to the Cold Blue Country to test their luck.

Zhou Heng had originally intended to return to Black Water Hall, but on second thought, there wasn’t anything particularly urgent for him to attend to back there, and staying here meant entering this mystical world to run amok, quickly accumulating cultivation level.

Upon further contemplation, he decided to make a trip back anyway. Both An Yumei and Lin Fuxiang had gone to the East Spirit Immortal Pond. Even though the two women had written letters home, Zhou Heng felt it was his duty to inform them personally.

No sooner had he decided this than Zhou Heng immediately set off and returned to Tianhang City within a few days, meeting with An Luochen.

An Luochen had long received his daughter’s letter and knew that she had gone to the East Spirit Immortal Pond, so he wasn’t surprised to see Zhou Heng return alone. What did surprise him was Zhou Heng’s rapid breakthrough to the Initial Separation Realm.

He could see at a glance that Zhou Heng was already nearing the peak of the Initial Separation’s Second Layer Heaven. Only a few months had passed since his departure, and his son-in-law’s talent on the Martial Path was indeed monstrously extraordinary!

An Luochen was naturally delighted and after encouraging Zhou Heng a few words, he listened to the details of the exploits at Dayan Sect.

Zhou Heng spoke very elaborately but naturally skipped the matters concerning Nangong Yuerong, as that was his private affair, concluding with the demise of a Spirit Sea Realm expert of the Wind Howl Sect in that place.

An Luochen was deeply moved. Although his Open Heaven Realm cultivation easily made him an unparalleled expert in the Cold Blue Country, he was nothing but a pawn in front of those in the Spirit Sea Realm, not even worthy of their direct glance!

And yet such an expert had still perished in that mysterious world!

"I, myself, will not be going!" After some thought, An Luochen declined Zhou Heng’s invitation to explore the mysterious world at Dayan Sect together, "I’ve been stuck at the peak of the Land Cleaving Realm for more than three hundred years, with a great stockpile leading to a thin breakthrough; there is hope in the next ten years of hitting the Second Layer Heaven of the Open Heaven Realm, there’s no need to risk it all for an ethereal Nascent Soul Realm inheritance!"

"As a martial artist, the most important thing is to recognize what you need, not to chase after lofty, unattainable dreams!"

An Luochen’s words also served as a warning to Zhou Heng—while a mighty legacy is certainly covetable, one must know what is out of reach and indigestible, for what good is owning a mountain of treasures if one cannot access it?

Zhou Heng nodded. In truth, while he coveted the inheritance in the mysterious world, he wasn’t too hung up on it, as the Black Sword was his most prized possession, not even comparable to the Nine Mystic Trial Tower!

He ventured into the mysterious world not for the inheritance but for the killing and accumulation of cultivation level. Of course, should he accidentally attain that strong figure’s legacy, he surely wouldn’t shove it out the door.

After staying with the An Family for two days, An Luochen shared his martial arts experience with Zhou Heng without reservation.

In terms of skills, An Luochen was no longer qualified to be Zhou Heng’s master; he himself had yet to grasp momentum. But in martial arts experience, he was more than capable of resolving Zhou Heng’s doubts.

This was An Luochen’s culmination of nearly seven hundred years of experience, and what’s more precious was the insights gathered from his many years of travel around the world, which undoubtedly broadened Zhou Heng’s horizons.

And he finally understood why An Luochen had not been moved by the mysterious world within Dayan Sect.

Places like that existed in several locations across the Xuan Dynasty continent and history had proven them to be unconquerable—but whether that mysterious world could be equated to those places was still unclear.

On Xuanqian Continent, there are four universally acknowledged deadly lands: Death Forest, Flamefire Desert, Poisonous Vast Sea, and Thunder Light Valley.

Legend has it that these four perilous places once belonged to four Supreme Experts of the Divinity Transformation Realm, regions where they transcended the mortal coil. As their powers were nearly godlike, almost at the level of ascending to immortality and becoming undying, their Dao remained even after their deaths, creating these four deadly areas.

Within lie the legacies of the four Divinity Transformation Realm Experts. Since time immemorial, countless individuals have attempted to try their luck, but the result has always been the same—none has come out alive.

In Xuanqian Continent, the Divinity Transformation Realm is almost mythological. But if there could be four such experts, why not five, six, or seven? Perhaps the mysterious world within the Dayan Sect was formed after the fall of a Divinity Transformation Realm Expert.

"Father-in-law, do you mean that the Inner Worlds of Divinity Transformation Realm Experts can actually evolve into real worlds after they die?" Zhou Heng was shocked. "The mysterious world I entered was the Dantian Space that once belonged to that Divinity Transformation Realm Expert?"

"Although the old man has not witnessed it himself, it’s probably so!" An Luochen nodded. "Originally, the Dantian World could not breed living creatures, but after a martial artist’s death, when the Dantian Space overlaps with the real world, it gains the potential to give life to all things!"

Zhou Heng was astounded, but thinking of how bizarre and surreal that world was, it indeed differed greatly from the real world—where could one find such an inauspiciously green expanse?

After staying two more days, Zhou Heng continued his journey to Fengyu City’s Nine Spirit Sect to personally explain to Lin Jianchen the experiences Lin Fuxiang had these past days.

Lin Jianchen dared not neglect him; the former sect member had astonishingly reached the Initial Separation Realm, an existence he had to look up to. His tone was extremely polite and even a bit apprehensive, fearful that he might inadvertently anger Zhou Heng and invite a calamity upon Nine Spirit Sect that could lead to its annihilation.

Zhou Heng couldn’t help but laugh and cry—was he that frightening?

Knowing that Lin Jianchen was afraid of him, he quickly said his farewells and went to see his own father.

Upon learning that Zhou Heng had advanced to the Initial Separation Realm, Zhou Dinghai was naturally overjoyed. If this progress continued, it was likely that within ten years he would see Zhou Heng reach the Spirit Sea Realm, and then he could bring back Zhao Kexin for a family reunion!

After some thought, Zhou Heng gave all four Shadow Evasion Talismans to his father. After all, he had the Nine Mystic Trial Tower and Swift Cloud Radiant Step, so he wasn’t concerned about his safety. However, Zhou Dinghai would not accept them no matter what. After some pushing and shoving between father and son, Zhou Dinghai took three talismans, and Zhou Heng kept one for emergencies.

With the help of the Wind Spirit Fruit, Zhou Dinghai had reached the Initial Period of Second Layer Heaven in Gathering Spirit, and his Bloodline Power had also awakened—Purple Flame. Surprisingly, it was even a notch higher than Zhou Heng’s, attaining the rank of Seven Stars Human Spirit Body.

With the help of Bloodline Power, there should be no great difficulty in breaking through to the Initial Separation Realm.

After chatting about family matters for a few more days, Zhou Heng returned to the Imperial Capital.

Since a Noble Consort that he had forcibly brought was staying inside the Nine Mystic Trial Tower, Zhou Heng did not dare to let An Luochen and Zhou Dinghai enter, as he was quite bashful.

Four days later, he returned to the Imperial Capital.

Having spent more than half a month coming and going, the Imperial Capital was even busier than before, filled with mighty and spirited martial artists. Even Land Cleaving Realm experts, normally a rare sight, now seemed as plentiful as strands of hair.

After feasting well at a restaurant, Zhou Heng arrived at the former site of Dayan Sect.

The mountain gate formation had been broken long ago, and places like the Spirit Herb Garden and Treasure Artifact Pavilion had been cleaned out by Wind Howl Sect prior to anyone else’s arrival. However, people didn’t come here for these things; their gazes were all focused on the mysterious world.

Wind Howl Sect had initially wanted to guard the portal, to monopolize this location, but under the pressure of many powerful families from Bright Moon Country, they had no choice but to open the portal to everyone. However, one would need to pay a hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones to enter.

Some benefit collection was still expected; after all, Cold Blue Country was a subsidiary of Wind Howl Sect, and it was on their turf. Collecting some benefits was acceptable.

A hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones was a trifling sum for some, but for the majority of martial artists, it was more than they could amass in a lifetime, leaving them with nothing but longing. And as for forcing their way through? If one couldn’t even possess a hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones, what right did they have to challenge a colossus like Wind Howl Sect?

Guards now surrounded the portal to the mysterious world, leaving only one passage. One could pass only after paying a hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

Zhou Heng didn’t care about that small amount of money; he paid the Spirit Stones and entered the Golden Light Cover, stepping into the mysterious world for the second time.

Green mountains, green waters, green land, green skies—everything was an eerie shade of green, unchanged from his first visit. However, what was different was that all the giant trees had been chopped down. Only bare mountains remained, along with green stumps scattered all over.

Were those giant trees also highly valuable?

Thinking this to himself, Zhou Heng strode forward. The Demon Beasts here were what he valued most. Now that there was no limit on time, he could keep on killing until he was sick of it, raising his Cultivation Level to the Land Cleaving Realm, Open Heaven Realm, or even the Spiritual Sea Realm, Nascent Soul Realm!

Then he would make his way to Zhao Family in Bright Moon Country and bring his mother home! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com, and your support will be my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)