The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 253 - 238 Xuan You Continent_1

Chapter 253: Chapter 238 Xuan You Continent_1

The holder of another Sword Command was actually Li Yuqing!

Pang Jian’s eyes filled with bitterness as he suddenly felt the Sword Command in his hand become incredibly heavy.

The image of the girl with the enormous silver sword floating behind her at the shattered Sky Fortune site imprinted itself into his heart in an instant.

Back then, through the perceptions of the Sapling, he knew that if the girl truly unleashed a strike...

The vast Sky Fortune Fragment Land might cease to exist.

Great Cultivators of the Spirit Condensation Realm like Jiuyuan, Lou Yunming, and Cao Mang were nothing compared to this beautiful girl with her explosive combat power—the mere thought of it was laughable.

Even now, she remained the strongest Human Race Cultivator Pang Jian had ever seen.

"Why don’t you speak? Feeling guilty, aren’t you?"

Li Yuqing’s slightly cold voice came through: "At the Sky Fortune Fragment Land, a Corrosion Boundary Vine with the power to destroy an entire world emerged. I intended to cut down the tree for good, but it actually claimed to be yours."

It was exactly what Pang Jian had feared, he sighed inwardly and with a bitter face began to explain, "You see, it’s like this..."

"I’ll wait for you to explain in person!"

Li Yuqing hummed, then asked again, "Where are you now?"

"Xuan You Continent, Camel Ridge Mountain, I’ve just arrived here."

Pang Jian obediently replied, without concealing anything.

"Camel Ridge Mountain..."

On the other end, Li Yuqing fell silent for a moment before saying, "Come find me in the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land. Do not contact me again until you’ve reached the Forbidden Land. Also, do not use your identity as Pang Jian for the time being. Qi Qingsong has been called back by the Sword Tower, and they are currently conducting a thorough investigation into your identity."

"Before the Sword Tower makes a decision, do not reveal your identity in the Xuan You Continent, understood?"

Pang Jian responded, "Understood."

"Hmm, take care of yourself."

With that, she took the initiative to cut off the communication.

Pang Jian, who wanted to ask about Luo Hongyan’s whereabouts, seeing that the Sword Command was no longer responsive, reluctantly stored it in his bracelet.

Of course, he knew that it was best not to reveal his identity for the time being.

The Blood Moon, the Star River Alliance, and the Yin Spirit Temple are all headquartered in the Xuan You Continent. Since three Spirit Condensation Realm Elders perished because of him, should any of these three know of his presence on the Xuan You Continent, it was highly likely they would respond immediately.

The Sword Tower recalling Qi Qingsong was probably an attempt to investigate his origins thoroughly, in order to decide whether or not they would absorb him into the Sword Tower, regardless of the feelings of the three great Sects of the Lower Realm.

He had a feeling that once the Sword Tower finished assessing his background, they would most likely extend an olive branch and accept him.

—But that would take time.

"Senior Lei."

Pang Jian raised his head slightly to look towards Lei Kun, who was a great distance from him, and said apologetically, "Senior Brother Qi has summoned me to the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land, so I must bid you farewell."

"The Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land!"

Lei Kun’s eyebrows knotted in alarm, "This vast Forbidden Land, lying between the three great Sects, is mysterious and strange. Luo Yuan, there have been many bizarre incidents in the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land recently, you must be cautious during your visit."

Pang Jian, with a thought, sought advice, "Senior Lei, how much do you know about the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land?"

"I’m a native of the Xuan You Continent, so I do know a little about this most famous Forbidden Land. When I was young, I was taken by the older generation of Individual Cultivators to explore it."

Lei Kun sighed deeply, his voice heavy, "That exploration trip... took the lives of two leading Spirit Condensation Realm Cultivators, one of them at the mid-Spirit Condensation stage. At that time, I was just an Innate Realm Individual Cultivator. I depended on that Cultivator to survive, and I guess I was... under his command."

Pang Jian’s expression changed slightly.

Lei Kun continued, "The Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land was already extremely perilous. The Blood Moon, the Star River Alliance, and the Yin Spirit Temple would explore it each time led by several Spirit Condensation Realm Elders. Recently, I heard that there have been even more anomalies, drawing the attention of powerful forces from all around. It seems even the Sovereigns from the Second Realm have descended there."

He stroked his chin and spoke with an air of secrecy, "The Individual Cultivator I was attached to once told me that the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land of the Xuan You Continent served as a special communication hub between the Alien Tribes and the God Spirits in ancient times. In that era, our Human Race had not yet risen from Purgatory, and the various worlds were dominated by Alien Tribes."

"Many formidable Alien Tribes supposedly had Secret Skills and Sorcery that allowed them to connect with God Spirits whose whereabouts were unknown."

"However, they also needed specific rituals and altars, and had to go through special places. The Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land was one such place suitable for their communication with God Spirits."

"When the Human Race became the masters of the Purgatory World, the once glorious Alien Tribes were either annihilated or expelled to the Fifth Realm, and the Land of Prayer Spirit became Forbidden Land."

"Nowadays, only those who practice Sorcery remain active in the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land."

"The Blood Moon and the Star River Alliance of the three great Sects still occasionally join forces to initiate purges there, to prevent those malicious Different Kinds from growing in power."

"..."

Lei Kun detailed everything he knew.

In conclusion, he said, "Luo Yuan, the way to the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land is not the same route to Cloud Sky City. I won’t be able to escort you there. There are many boatmen below, and I’ll go find you a cloud sail that can take you there in a bit."

"I’ll make my own way over, there’s no need to trouble Senior Lei," responded Pang Jian, shaking his head, refusing Lei Kun’s kind offer. "In the Xuan You Continent, I do not wish to reveal my identity as a disciple of the Sword Tower. You’re a renowned Great Cultivator of the Third Realm, escorting me there would be too conspicuous."

After thinking it over, he added, "Senior Lei, when you bring your son to the Sword Tower in the future, you can also mention my Senior Brother Qi’s name, and... Pang Jian."

"Pang Jian?"

Lei Kun was startled.

"Hmm, I’m on good terms with Qi, and he has a decent relationship with Pang Jian. When Pang Jian goes to the Sword Tower, we’ll be friends too."

Pang Jian, who genuinely wanted to help Lei Kun out, didn’t know how long he could use the identity of Luo Yuan. Worried that Lei Kun would bring his son over in the future and not be able to find anyone by the name of Luo Yuan, he gave out his and Qi Qingsong’s real names as well.

"In that case, thank you very much!"

Lei Kun expressed his gratitude with a cupped-hand salute.

The two went their separate ways from there.

Half a day later.

Aboard a Cloud Sail bound for the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land, Pang Jian continued to present himself with his sallow-faced appearance, mingling among the Individual Cultivators.

"What a coincidence,"

The middle-aged female ferryman, Wang Ying, looked at Pang Jian with a smile and giggled, "I heard that all the Individual Cultivators who went to the Cloud Thunder Forbidden Zone died, except for Qin Le. And yet, you managed to survive."

She clicked her tongue in wonder.

Lately, she had always been appearing in the Black Nether Continent, transporting Cultivators around on this Cloud Sail.

She was aware of the events in the Cloud Thunder Forbidden Zone and knew that disciples from the Demon Sect, Sky Water Swamp, and Black Valley, as well as many Individual Cultivators, had been brutally slaughtered by a sinister White Crane.

She had thought that only Qin Le, whom she transported to the Cloud Thunder Forbidden Zone, survived while the others had all perished.

Unexpectedly, she ran into Pang Jian again on Camel Ridge Mountain this trip.

"I left early and never encountered that White Crane,"

Pang Jian said indifferently.

"You ran fast enough to stay alive. Indeed, that’s the way to survive."

A horse-faced Individual Cultivator, with no hint of mockery in his eyes, said earnestly, "Facing the disciples of the three major Sects from the Upper Realm and the sudden appearances of lightning in the Cloud Thunder Forbidden Zone, being able to resist the greed in one’s heart and withdrawing in time is commendable. I respect that choice, brother; I would have done the same."

He gave a friendly hand gesture and said, "I’m Wang Yun."

"Gao Song,"

Pang Jian blurted out a random name.

He was worried that the name Luo Yuan, which he used while chasing lightning in the Cloud Thunder Forbidden Zone, might spread to the Black Nether Continent, so he combined the names Gao Yuan and Qi Qingsong to make one up.

Sure enough...

"Brother, have you seen Luo Yuan in the Cloud Thunder Forbidden Zone? I’ve heard that this person, also known by the nickname Electric Chaser, is an outer disciple of the Sword Tower. Those from the three major Sects suspect that the sinister White Crane was killed by him, and he stole a bracelet from the White Crane."

Wang Yun moved closer, asking curiously, "What realm is Luo Yuan’s cultivation at? Alone and unaided, he actually managed to eliminate that tough White Crane from the hands of disciples from the Demon Sect, Black Valley, and Sky Water Swamp."

Other Individual Cultivators marveled, "Sword Tower disciples have really risen in prominence lately! With both Pang Jian and Luo Yuan, when the Sword Tower holds its disciple recruitment test next year, many young talents from the Second Realm will likely want to try their luck there first."

"Pang Jian and Luo Yuan are only famous in the Third Realm; that’s not really that remarkable."

"Only if they continue to shine in the Second Realm and outdo the top disciples of Black Valley, Demon Sect, and Sky Water Swamp can they prove their true excellence."

"That’s true. Some Inner Sect Disciples from the three major Sects in the Cloud Thunder Forbidden Zone, like Lu Xiangyi and Ye Fei, are not considered outstanding among Inner Sect Disciples."

"Killing that White Crane does not prove much."

"..."

The views were diverse.

Pang Jian, the person involved, actually fell silent, shaking his head and claiming ignorance regardless of how Wang Yun asked.

"Lu Xiangyi, Ye Fei, they’re not even considered relatively outstanding Inner Sect Disciples..."

Pang Jian looked up at the sky.

Afterward, he pondered the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land from ancient times, those God Spirits communicated by Alien Tribes... where exactly were they from?

Sitting cross-legged on the bitterly cold altar deep beneath Ice Rock Island, that feeling of being in a place of darkness, cold, and nothingness, seemed like an entirely unfamiliar world.

That world seemed to be the realm where the Ice Demon resided.

"Alien Tribes, the God Spirits they communicated with in the Prayer Spirit Forbidden Land back then... were they also from such a world?"

Pang Jian was full of doubts.

...

The familiar Cloud Sail drifted through the high skies of the Black Nether Continent.

This Cloud Sail was bound for the Land of Prayer Spirit, but it would pass by many cities and realms where Cultivators gathered along the way. At these places, Wang Ying would usually make a brief stop, allowing passengers to embark and disembark.

When passing by those vast cities, the Cloud Sail often chose to detour instead of flying directly over them.

Unlike the Unstable Ferry, Heavenly Spirit Tower, and Golden Coach, which belonged to the three major Sects and utilized Flying Artifacts, they didn’t care about the feelings of the people in the cities below and would arrogantly swoop through the air directly above.

"Sects indeed stand above wealthy clans,"

Watching a Golden Coach from Blood Moon fly over a grand city while Wang Ying’s Cloud Sail had to go around it, Pang Jian muttered thoughtfully.

...