Chapter 184: Yang Longevity

Blade-like mountains pierced the sky, obscuring their view. As they pressed forward, the steely blue rocks turned black. A rustling sound, like a flock of bats, echoed in the low air. Creatures, clinging to the rock face like rust, kicked off their limbs and fell in an entangled mass. Their bellies were shriveled, like long-starved ghouls, showing no fear even when facing a butcher's blade.

This was unlike being in a dark ghost prison; the intertwined figures of other royal cultivators gave Shao Xiaoli an unspeakable sense of strength and courage.

As the fierce spirits fell, Shao Xiaoli's mind went blank for a moment before the many spells and sword techniques she had learned flooded back into her memory and muscles. With a swift movement, she drew her sword, a murderous intent appearing on her face that she had never shown before. In a single stroke, her sword pierced and cut down a monstrous corpse, felling it to the ground.

Pus splattered, and a bloody stench filled the air. Shao Xiaoli briefly held her breath, intensely concentrating her spiritual energy.

When the first monsters attacked, the crowd quickly dispersed. Everyone felt like a hunter, their footsteps rapidly pounding the grass. They and their deities were like harpoons, their sharp points thrusting deeper.

The valley was extremely wide, and monsters continuously poured down from the mountainsides like waterfalls. The entire Abyss-Traversing team advanced rapidly amidst the slaughter. While they needed monster blood to fill their bronze miniature swords, the greatest glory lay in being the first to plant a flag on the ice plain.

Shao Xiaoli killed three monsters in quick succession. Her mind was highly tensed, feeling surrounded by enemies lurking in the darkness. Her sword-wielding hand trembled slightly, and her steps became a little slower.

In her mind, the techniques of the Beiming Divine Sword were circulating at their peak. This was the thrill of confronting danger. She had never felt so perfectly in tune with this sword technique; the monsters seemed like mere kindling before her sword, easily cut down.

Yet, for some reason, the surroundings were eerily quiet. The sounds of the team's battle were also somewhat distant, echoing in her ears as if they were hallucinations.

The true essence of the Beiming Divine Sword rolled through her mind, word by word. Shao Xiaoli concentrated, sniffing out every trace of danger in the darkness. However, for some reason, the monsters around her seemed to have vanished without a trace, like clay oxen sinking into water. Her steps slowed, and all her strength accumulated in her arms and blade. She felt her next sword strike could shatter anything.

A faint rustle, like wind through grass, entered her ears like a vibrating string.

Shao Xiaoli's expression tightened dramatically, her cold face filled with intense murderous intent. She roared, raising her sword, as if a giant fish from Beiming had emerged, flapping its colossal fins to strike down.

The clash of swords suddenly rang out, and Shao Xiaoli's sword hand went numb. The power of that strike was instantly shattered, as if her Beiming great fish, nurtured for over a decade, had just leaped out of the water and, before it could transform into a roc and spread its wings, had its head chopped off and was served at the dinner table.

"What kind of monster is this? Why is it so powerful…"

"Old... Boss! Help me!" Shao Xiaoli had been so focused earlier that she had completely forgotten about Ning Changjiu, only now crying out for help.

Then, her head was held by a hand. Shao Xiaoli thought the demon's claw would crush her skull the next moment, but the hand merely patted her head and said, "What are you yelling for? Catch this."

It was Ning Changjiu's voice. Shao Xiaoli's tensed nerves immediately relaxed. Listening to Ning Changjiu, she instinctively reached out, and the sword that had been taken from her was returned to her hand.

Shao Xiaoli then realized, and said shyly in a low voice, "Boss... it's you."

Ning Changjiu glanced at her, thinking that her previous sword strike had good momentum and potential, but she was a bit foolish.

Shao Xiaoli explained, "I thought you were a monster..."

Ning Changjiu said indifferently, "Let's go."

Shao Xiaoli said, "But there are still so many here..."

Her words stopped halfway. Ning Changjiu conjured a string of fire. By the firelight, Shao Xiaoli looked around, her body stiffening, her hairs standing on end. She gazed around in utter astonishment, seeing countless monster corpses piled haphazardly in a circle around her in the dark deep valley, thousands of them, like a vast swathe of drowned ants.

It took Shao Xiaoli a long time to catch her breath.

The corpses, strewn across the field around her, formed a neat circle. Only by her side were three scattered corpses.

"This..." Shao Xiaoli looked at the corpses covering the ground, then glanced at the three at her feet. She thought, "I was just comprehending sword art and thought I was making progress, but these monsters were all killed just like that? No wonder it's so quiet..."

"Did you kill all these...?" Shao Xiaoli still swallowed nervously, asking the obvious.

Ning Changjiu hummed in affirmation and walked towards the other end of the valley.

Shao Xiaoli quickly followed, saying sincerely, "Boss is too amazing..."

"It seems I wasn't wrong. Boss is indeed a monster... the biggest and most powerful monster!"

Ning Changjiu said blandly, "Don't call me 'Boss' when we're outside. It wouldn't be good for you if others heard."

"Mhm, mhm, Bo..." Shao Xiaoli nodded vigorously, swallowing the rest of the word.

Keeping close to Ning Changjiu, she suddenly felt that her earlier earnestness seemed a bit comical.

The rest of the journey was smooth sailing.

Shao Xiaoli trotted along behind Ning Changjiu. The few monsters she did kill were intentionally left for her by him, lest she feel she had nothing to do.

Shao Xiaoli felt that Boss was truly more formidable than she had imagined. Forget the ice plain, he could probably slaughter his way to the end of the world.

Ning Changjiu's sword strikes indeed didn't expend much effort. The monsters outside were much weaker than he had imagined; they were merely Mountain Ghouls of the Profound Realm. He still had strength to spare as he cut his way through.

After passing through the deep valley, Ning Changjiu slowed his pace. He casually glanced around, noticing that the entire team had long dispersed, many having vanished from sight. The young man with the spectral eyes as his spirit continued to leap forward. That spectral eye was like a gaping maw, and all flesh within its gaze was killed and rapidly decayed.

"Grandpa Ning! Let me out to complete my mission!"

From within the broken sword, Bloodfeather Lord wailed, watching Ning Changjiu kill all the monsters with the new sword. He was still yearning to finish killing a hundred monsters soon, so that when he met Lu Jiajia later, he could ask for a body as majestic as his previous life's.

But Ning Changjiu never drew the broken sword. He had his own considerations; he wanted to test if this new sword harbored any hidden secrets or other concerns.

However, no matter how much blood this sword was stained with, it remained pure and flawless, and it grew sharper with every kill. This sword was even of a higher grade than the Immortal Sword Minglan before it decayed!

The more it proved itself, the more uneasy Ning Changjiu felt. He decided to abandon this black sword once he found another one.

"Grandpa Ning, say something!" Bloodfeather Lord was still trying to persuade him.

"Stay put, or I'll throw you directly off the cliff. If someone picks you up decades later, it might even be a lucky encounter for them," Ning Changjiu replied coldly.

Bloodfeather Lord immediately shut up.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture said, "These outside creatures are nothing but trash. What's the point?" Ning Changjiu had read records of creatures outside the city in the library. Along the way, he had already encountered dozens of documented life forms, and many dangerous creatures were still hidden in the darkness, waiting for their chance. However, they should not be able to break the sword domain he casually set up.

What concerned Ning Changjiu most were the legendary Heavy Years and the Night Vanisher in the deep valley.

He didn't know what kind of beings they were. Time and fate were inherently profound concepts. But he couldn't understand: could someone with such supreme abilities not leave this world?

He suddenly thought of ascendants.

Ascendants ascended to the Immortal Court, then used the Immortal Court as a springboard to travel to the wider universe.

Could this place also be a world unto itself, requiring an opportunity to "ascend"?

They continuously advanced through the deep chasm of the rift valley. Shao Xiaoli followed alongside, holding her sword, trying to match Ning Changjiu's rhythm, attempting to make it look as if she was controlling him with her spiritual power. However, after trying for a while, she realized that no one seemed to be paying attention to her at all...

As they continued along the mountain path, the colossal, axe-blade-like mountains on both sides relentlessly pressed down in their vision, as if they would never end.

Soon after, they reached the first fortress point. It was a relatively open field, with intricate magic formations set up nearby. Within these formations, many vegetables were grown with ease, like using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken, including large patches of what Shao Xiaoli called "Azure Dragons."

Some people who were injured after crossing the valley stayed in the stone fortress to help with construction and accumulate merits. Stronger individuals, however, continued to advance, slaughtering their way forward.

From birth, the royal family bore the mission of leading all the city's inhabitants out of this barren world.

Ning Changjiu and Shao Xiaoli crossed the dark, deep chasm. Then, a long gray line appeared in the world before them, resembling the Red River that stretched beyond the Southern Wilderness.

However, this gray line was not a river; it was an extremely pure gray that painted all the rocks and vegetation it passed, stretching into the distance like a miracle.

In the earliest days, people stopped before this gray line, hesitating for who knows how long, afraid to cross, fearing it was a curse laid down by deities.

Now, more and more people crossed this gray line, venturing further.

The entire world visibly transformed.

The vast mountain rock walls turned a deeper color. The entire canyon looked as if it had been scorched by endless flames, stretching into boundless charred blackness as far as the eye could see. The surrounding temperature also dropped, and the wind felt like a stinging burn on the skin.

"Boss... people have died up ahead, be careful," Shao Xiaoli whispered a reminder.

Ning Changjiu nodded and led her into the deep chasm.

The rock walls on both sides looked as if they had been split by a giant axe, standing quite close together. Looking up, the already dim sky now revealed only a murky gray-white sliver.

Beneath this deep chasm of black cliffs were countless strange, coal-like rocks. These rocks were remarkably lifelike, rolling as if alive, but they only rolled occasionally and were not harmful.

The divine creatures within these black cliffs had also transformed into venomous snakes covered in fiery scales. They hid in numerous cracks, choosing their victims for attack.

After Ning Changjiu killed a few fiery-scaled venomous snakes, Bloodfeather Lord suddenly shouted, "Pick out the souls of these snakes for me! This fire is of the same origin as me and can help me recover my cultivation realm sooner, making me Grandpa Ning's capable right-hand man!"

Ning Changjiu did not refuse. He killed a few more venomous snakes, extracted their souls, then drew the broken sword and fed them to Bloodfeather Lord.

After Bloodfeather Lord consumed these fiery souls, it let out a few contented cries. It flapped its slightly brighter colored wings, then burrowed back into the decaying sword.

"This..." Shao Xiaoli was startled by the scene before her. "What is that bird?"

Ning Changjiu said, "A demon chicken."

"So it's a chicken!" Shao Xiaoli relaxed a little, thinking that Boss had been carrying a divine beast all these days. She asked, "Can this chicken lay eggs?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "It's a rooster."

"Oh..." Shao Xiaoli replied, disappointed.

Bloodfeather Lord was furious, roaring, "If you're so capable, find me a hen to mate with!"

Ning Changjiu merely glanced at it. Bloodfeather Lord felt that Ning Changjiu might actually go find an old hen for it, so it immediately changed its tone, saying it was just joking.

This black cliff wasn't very long. There were only about six or seven types of creatures that had attacked them, a mere handful. Most of these creatures carried a fiery aura, which allowed Bloodfeather Lord to feast.

After eating its fill, Bloodfeather Lord also wondered, "This kind of fire should at least be from shallow geothermal magma. Why does it appear on such low-level creatures?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Perhaps because this is inherently an underground world, and the other end of this canyon might be a sea of magma."

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture nodded and said, "The scales of those strange snakes are also helpful for your swordsmanship."

As they spoke, Ning Changjiu also saw several cultivators hunting these fire snakes and putting them into storage bags.

Shao Xiaoli was somewhat afraid of snakes and silently followed beside him.

Beyond the black cliff, there was another line.

This line was much longer than the previous one, and its color was darker. It blended with the surrounding environment, making it hard to distinguish much difference.

The two crossed this line and continued to advance further.

During this time, they had visited a stone fortress to get some water and food. Several cultivators who had arrived earlier were very curious about Shao Xiaoli, and some deliberately asked about the color of her bronze miniature sword now.

Upon hearing this, Shao Xiaoli clutched the seemingly brand-new miniature sword at her waist, remaining silent.

This bronze miniature sword could sense the spiritual fluctuations of every cultivator.

People from Broken Realm City were born with extraordinary spiritual power. When killing, spiritual fluctuations would exist at a special frequency. Whenever the bronze miniature sword sensed this, it would absorb the blood of the monsters killed by that spiritual force, causing its color to deepen.

The miniature swords at the waists of the Abyss-Traversing members who had arrived here were all a bluish-black.

Shao Xiaoli also felt wronged, thinking, "Boss is too powerful; he doesn't give me any chance to act. What can I do?"

She pouted and said, "Why do you care?"

The others understood. Many in the royal family secretly liked Shao Xiaoli, and perhaps it was their protection along the way that allowed the young girl to reach this point safely.

Someone sneered, "Xiaoli, why don't you let me marry you and take you home as my wife? I'm telling you, that Kui Yuan is just a fame-seeker. I will definitely be the first to step onto the ice plain today. Don't regret it then."

Shao Xiaoli ignored him, looking like a cold, arrogant little beauty, an ice queen.

She drank some water and ate a little.

She secretly glanced at Ning Changjiu. Ning Changjiu shook his head, indicating he didn't need food or drink.

Outside the stone fortress, Shao Xiaoli and Ning Changjiu went to a quiet, deserted valley. Shao Xiaoli suddenly secretly took out some food from her sleeve, then handed it to Ning Changjiu along with the water bottle at her waist.

Ning Changjiu indeed didn't really need food or drink, but he didn't disappoint Shao Xiaoli's kind intentions. After eating the dry rations, he took the water bottle, idly twirled it, and then took a small sip.

Shao Xiaoli watched his small movement, pouting her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"If this is an inner-earth world, then how much time must have been spent to forge such a vast domain?" During their rest, the Spirit of the Sword Scripture couldn't help but sigh.

Bloodfeather Lord, full of vigor after devouring many souls today, sneered, "You old book, you usually boast about your erudition. Don't you understand the principle of a mustard seed containing a world? If this place is a divine kingdom, then everything before us can be explained."

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture sneered, "Divine kingdoms require divine pillars to support them. Where are these divine pillars? Moreover, divine kingdoms are all transcendent, outside the world. How could they be so dilapidated?"

Bloodfeather Lord said, "It means the lord of that kingdom died, then."

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture retorted, "If the lord of the kingdom died, the foundation of the divine kingdom would collapse, leaving only the top-tier powers in the upper realm to sustain it. This is also incorrect."

Bloodfeather Lord knew very little about these matters and didn't know how to respond.

Ning Changjiu suddenly had a thought and asked, "Could this be one of the twelve main deity divine kingdoms?"

"Absolutely impossible!" both said in unison.

How powerful were the main deities? Their divine kingdoms would certainly not be so dilapidated. And the supreme lords of divine kingdoms could not possibly be killed.

Ning Changjiu also extinguished this thought.

They continued to advance. Before long, the vast cliffs disappeared, and the ground became sticky, like a dense swamp. The trees in the swamp were all a deathly gray, growing incredibly tall, their canopies obscuring the sky, very similar to the Undying Forest outside the imperial city that day.

Just as Shao Xiaoli was full of confidence, intending to push straight to the ice plain, another anomaly occurred.

Behind them, thick smoke suddenly billowed.

The two turned to look.

The towering thick smoke looked like poison spewed by a giant serpent, standing out starkly among the mountains.

"The beacon tower has been lit!" Shao Xiaoli immediately realized. "Something has happened at the royal city!"

Just as Shao Xiaoli was startled by the sudden lighting of the beacon tower, a sword hum suddenly resonated in her ears, causing her whole body to tremble violently.

Beside her, Ning Changjiu had already drawn his sword. The sword and the man lunged forward almost simultaneously, thrusting towards a sudden black shadow behind them.

The sword made no sound after being drawn; all sounds were strangely swallowed. In the deathly gray forest, two shadows, one black and one white, separated after colliding. Ning Changjiu's figure flickered and returned to its original spot.

Shao Xiaoli stared in surprise at the black shadow that had suddenly appeared in the gray forest.

There was a fresh sword wound in the black shadow's abdomen, a wound that pierced through its body. But in the blink of an eye, as if time had flowed backward, the wound healed as good as new, leaving no scar.

Ning Changjiu frowned, his hand silently pressing on the branch at his waist, which he had named 'Beiming'.

However, the other party made no further moves.

Behind the black shadow, a pair of black eagle-like wings were folded. The entire black shadow was covered by a black robe, revealing only a point of vermilion pupil. Within the black robe, it seemed not to contain real flesh and blood, but rather to be filled with black mist.

The black shadow did not speak. It emitted discontinuous sounds that carried no murderous intent, seeming more like an invitation.

Ning Changjiu stared at it, searching for related records in the library of his mind, but found none.

Shao Xiaoli, even more frightened, took two steps back and hid behind him.

After a brief calm, the black monstrous bird suddenly lowered its body. It prostrated itself on the ground, and its black wings, folded behind its back, burst open with a roar, like two springing blades.

"It... is it telling us to get on?" Shao Xiaoli asked.

Ning Changjiu was not afraid, for within him, the Golden Crow was already eager to test itself.

Ning Changjiu had long discovered that, except for Nine Feathers, the Golden Crow had an inherent strong suppression over all other demon birds and evil creatures.

"Let's go and see," Ning Changjiu said, walking forward and climbing onto the back of the black eagle.

Shao Xiaoli timidly followed, also sitting on its back, then immediately grabbed Ning Changjiu's clothing from behind.

The black eagle extended a pair of sharp talons from its tightly wrapped robe. After a forceful push off the ground, it ascended defiantly, the wind from its wings destroying large areas of surrounding trees.

The previously insurmountable canyon rapidly approached in their sight.

Ning Changjiu sat on the black eagle's back, long sword in hand, unmoving. Shao Xiaoli held his waist with both hands, glanced down, and then immediately withdrew her gaze.

The black eagle changed direction.

All obstructions vanished, and their view suddenly became wide and clear.

Ning Changjiu opened his sword eyes, gazing into the distance, even seeing the vast, boundless snow-white ice plain far away.

The immense canyon transformed into an undulating plain in their view. They also saw the world beyond the canyon, but there was no surprise: beyond the great mountains were still more mountains. They pierced the sky, obscuring sight, connected together like an iron plate studded with nails.

The black eagle circled downward, diving and gliding from high above.

The mountains receded in their view.

Suddenly, the long-absent wind and snow assailed them.

On the cliff walls on both sides, white snow piled thickly like moss, and the black eagle soared through the valley. The howling winds carried large clumps of snow, yet not a single one struck them.

The black eagle broke through the snow, and wherever it passed, its wings stirred up a long, violent band of wind and snow.

Ning Changjiu narrowed his eyes.

From a distance, he could see a raised banner, flapping fiercely in the strong wind, like a menacing dragon with bared fangs.

Beside the banner stood a man of unparalleled handsomeness. Divine radiance flowed in his eyes, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

"Night Vanisher," Ning Changjiu said, stepping off the snow eagle and directly calling out his name.

The man, handsome and elegant like a divine son, smiled faintly and said, "Welcome, two guests."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Is this how you usually receive guests?"

Night Vanisher shook his head, smiling. "I've always been quite idle, so in the past, I would set up clever mechanisms to subtly guide my chosen guests here. But now that smoke has been lit over there, I had no choice but to send it to find you. The method was a bit direct, please don't laugh."

Ning Changjiu continued, "What do you want with me?"

Night Vanisher smiled faintly. "Among all the guests I've seen, you are the one whose time is most valuable. I wish to discuss a transaction with you."

Ning Changjiu's expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Valuable? How valuable?"

Night Vanisher, maintaining his seemingly unchanging gentle smile, said, "I haven't observed closely enough to draw a conclusion yet."

Ning Changjiu's hand rested on his sword as he said, "Then, sir, please take a good look first."

Night Vanisher smiled calmly, not standing on ceremony. He quickly opened his eyes. In his left pupil, divine radiance poured forth like moonlight, and words rotated ceaselessly within it.

A moment later, the divine radiance in Night Vanisher's eyes extinguished. His eternal smile suddenly vanished, replaced by an unspeakable look of astonishment. He asked, word by word, in shock: "How is this possible? Why do you have less than twelve years of life left?!"

The fiercely flapping banner shattered the wind and snow.