Chapter 176: Light Screen

Within the honeycomb-like network of caves, a sound, like chanting, drifted from a distant place, its specific content unintelligible.

Ning Changjiu gazed at the grayish-white, liquid-like light pulsating within the caves, uncertain of what it was or where it came from.

"What is that?" Xue Yujun suddenly shrieked.

Ning Changjiu looked to his right, following the direction of its gaze, and discovered a deeper, more profound area.

The entire space resembled a tree: the cave system was like the dense, intricate branches extending from its crown, while the trunk was a dark, narrow corridor. The walls of the corridor bore linear marks, as if large snakes had slithered over them, leaving scale abrasions. At the far end of the corridor, in the profound darkness, something seemed to be staring back at him.

Ning Changjiu did not immediately enter the corridor. He moved to the side, opened his Sword Eye, and looked into the caves.

To his relief, this space, unlike the hourglass world, seemed to have no restrictions on daoist arts; all his techniques could be employed as usual.

He observed intently for a while, but beyond the grayish-white light, he could see nothing else.

Ning Changjiu retracted his gaze, used his finger-sword to cut off a small strip of his sleeve, and extended it into the light.

"Something seems to be eating it!" the Spirit of the Sword Scripture exclaimed.

Ning Changjiu's lips thinned slightly as he watched the strip of sleeve in the grayish-white cave gradually corrode and disintegrate, until only a tiny corner remained clutched between his fingers.

"This is similar to the original hourglass world," Ning Changjiu said, "both have the law of time."

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture recalled the tragic state of Jiuying's bones and asked, bewildered, "Then why are you alright?"

"Perhaps I possess a divine personality within me that can contend with time?" Ning Changjiu suggested.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture replied, "'Yu' represents space, and 'Zhou' represents time. Both are among the most supreme authorities in the world. What power could possibly resist their existence?"

Ning Changjiu instinctively glanced at the black branch held in his hand.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture frowned. "This dull, black thing couldn't be a divine artifact, could it? If anyone else said it, I wouldn't believe them, but since it's with you, perhaps it truly is something formidable."

Xue Yujun chimed in, "This must be Master Ning's authority, which has fallen to the mortal realm and lost its luster."

"Hmm, it should be the authority of the sun god," the Spirit of the Sword Scripture mused. "Legend says there was a ten-phase lord in the sun, but that lord seems to have vanished."

Xue Yujun shook its head. "I don't think so. I believe Master Ning might be the reincarnation of the great deity who governs the law of 'Zhou'. Perhaps he has coincidentally returned to his own tomb. Otherwise, how could he have remained immortal throughout this journey?"

Ning Changjiu knew he was no reincarnated deity, merely an anonymous seventh disciple of the Unseen Temple. Back then, apart from his master, whom he had only met once, there were six others more powerful than him.

Ning Changjiu slowly extended the seemingly indestructible branch into the light.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture and Xue Yujun both held their breath, their gaze fixed on the churning grayish-white space.

After a long time, Ning Changjiu withdrew the branch, carefully scrutinized it, and cautiously touched its tip. He found no trace of corrosion.

"It truly is a divine artifact!" the Spirit of the Sword Scripture praised sincerely. "To think my true form is just an ordinary ancient book. It seems one truly cannot judge an object by its appearance; true mastery appears unpolished."

Ning Changjiu swept his Sword Eye over the withered branch, uncertainly asking, "Is that truly the case?"

Thinking this, Ning Changjiu tossed the withered branch aside and slowly extended his finger into the light.

"Master Ning, you have three lives in one body, please don't do anything rash!" Xue Yujun pleaded.

Ning Changjiu naturally dared not take too great a risk. He merely allowed a small section of his fingernail to touch it, then withdrew it a moment later.

As expected, without the branch in his hand, he seemed to lose some protection, and the edge of his fingernail was instantly corroded.

Ning Changjiu quickly retrieved the branch.

"So, it's not Master Ning's innate divine power, but this old branch exerting its might?" Xue Yujun marveled.

"What is its origin?" the Spirit of the Sword Scripture also asked.

Ning Changjiu stared at it, involuntarily recalling its first appearance: bathed in moonlight, it glowed brightly like a divine sword emerging into the world, piercing his chest, while a beautiful, dream-like phantom swayed at its far end.

He had drawn it directly from the space before him during his battle with the snow fox possessing Ning Xiaoling, after creating the illusory realm of the Unseen Temple, when a sudden understanding arose in his heart.

"This must have been left in my body by Master after she killed me," he thought.

"But what was her intention in doing so?"

Ning Changjiu turned the withered branch, which could not be infused with spiritual energy, and suddenly his expression changed in surprise. "It… it seems a bit different."

"Different? How different?" Xue Yujun squinted with its distinctive eye, examining it intently.

"It… seems to have brightened a little?" Ning Changjiu said.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture also stared at it. At first, it noticed nothing, but after Ning Changjiu's comment, it indeed felt it had brightened slightly.

A theory formed in Ning Changjiu's mind. He extended the withered branch into the grayish-white, swirling cave again, this time leaving it for a considerable time.

When he withdrew the branch, its tip clearly emitted a pale, lustrous glow.

"It can even absorb time!" the Spirit of the Sword Scripture exclaimed.

Ning Changjiu shook off the temporal residue from the branch's tip and re-examined it, finding that this time it was visibly much more lustrous to the naked eye. If left longer, the branch might become glowing red, like an iron rod in a furnace, but he wasn't sure if he could still hold it securely then.

"What are you waiting for?" the Spirit of the Sword Scripture urged. "Quickly, put it in for a bit longer and see what its limit is!"

Ning Changjiu had the same idea.

Suddenly, he turned his head and looked towards the deep, dark corridor.

"There seems to be a sound," Ning Changjiu said.

"It sounds like… a little girl's voice," Xue Yujun added.

"It's probably a demonic temptation," the Spirit of the Sword Scripture declared. "That path is so dark; nothing good can be hidden inside. If Ning wants to slay the demon, he must first sharpen his weapon! Let's fill this withered branch first!"

Ning Changjiu found some sense in that. He extended the withered branch into the light, gently rotating it.

After a while, he looked towards the corridor again. "She seems to be calling for help."

"Calling for help? Are you dreaming of women? How could there be anyone in a place like this! It must be evil spirits playing tricks," the Spirit of the Sword Scripture said with certainty.

Ning Changjiu couldn't be sure. Then, he felt a stinging pain in his hand.

"That's enough," Ning Changjiu said, pulling the withered branch out. Looking at the lustrous glow on its tip, he added, "Any more absorption would be counterproductive."

With that, he turned and walked towards the corridor.

It was the only exit in this place.

"An excuse!" the Spirit of the Sword Scripture accused. "You must have heard the little girl's cry for help and couldn't resist going to see."

Xue Yujun also worried, "Master Ning, please be careful. Don't let our princess become a widow."

Ning Changjiu was not going because of the sound, but because it was the only path.

He walked along the dark corridor to its end and finally understood what had been staring at him.

At the end of the corridor was a stone wall, and embedded within it was a colossal divine statue. Ning Changjiu rode his sword and flew up a bit higher, finally seeing the full appearance of the statue.

It was a colossal monster clad in imperial robes. The imperial robe resembled tattered banners, and what was embroidered upon it was not a true dragon, but a great python holding a candle in its mouth. Its sleeves extended into fingers that resembled black, root-like tendrils. Behind it, the throne, like black crystal yet also like blades, unfurled in a fan-like shape.

Most importantly, this monster in imperial robes had no head!

"The Headless God?!" Ning Changjiu blurted out.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture commented, "Legend says the Headless God had its head cut off, but from this mural, could it be that the deity was born without a head?"

"Could it be that we've accidentally stumbled into his divine kingdom?" Ning Changjiu speculated.

"Cultivators above the Fifth Dao have the opportunity to enter and exit divine kingdoms," the Spirit of the Sword Scripture explained. "The lord of a divine kingdom, being a main god who guards the world, generally wouldn't restrict such matters too much… If it truly is a lord, we can simply leave later."

"What if it's an evil god?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Silence fell for a moment.

After he spoke those words, the divine statue in the mural seemed to grow eyes, gazing at him through a dark, misty veil.

Ning Changjiu immediately averted his gaze.

More sounds emanated from behind the mural.

It sounded like a young girl's cries.

Ning Changjiu followed the sound and, above the headless god, saw a protruding stone trough. Connected behind the trough was a terrifying head, like that of an Asura or Yaksha, and the trough itself looked like its tongue.

Above the Yaksha head was an inscription. The characters were not obscure ancient script; Ning Changjiu recognized them after two glances: "By its blood, summon my soul?"

Ning Changjiu remembered the scene in the hourglass world where the spirits went mad after seeing blood, and wondered if blood had a special purpose here.

He hesitated, then cut his palm. Clasping his four fingers, he squeezed, and drops of blood fell, flowing into the stone trough.

After a moment, the entire mural emitted a rumbling sound.

The stone trough retracted into the head, and then the entire head split open down the middle, revealing a deep, dark passage. A faint shimmer of water was visible within the passage.

There was only one path ahead, leaving him no choice.

Ning Changjiu inwardly observed his Violet Palace, finding the Golden Crow still asleep, otherwise he could have sent it to scout the way.

Faint, intermittent sounds continued to drift from ahead. The words were indistinct, and he couldn't quite understand them, but in this environment, human voices provided immense psychological comfort.

Ning Changjiu still walked forward.

He held the iron branch horizontally in front of him, fearing that the stone path that had opened within the head might suddenly close.

He walked through the stone path, and everything remained safe and sound.

After he passed, the stone path closed behind him.

Ning Changjiu turned back and realized that this side also had an identical head, extending a long, tongue-like stone trough.

That stone trough was in the very center of the stone door.

Beyond it was the abyss, shimmering with a watery luster.

Ning Changjiu walked forward, then felt his body float upward.

The cries continued to ring in his ears, growing closer and closer.

The end of the path was a curtain-like cascade of silver-gray light.

Beyond that light curtain, vague, stirring shadows were visible.

He pressed his hand against the light curtain, then passed through.