Chapter 316: No-Thought

In the suburbs of Yujing, inside a small courtyard.

What Ning Qing practiced first was "No-Thought."

The "thought" here is different from thought in a medical sense; relative to contemplation, it refers more to longing.

Longing is also one of the important emotions of humanity.

In the past, she knew she possessed the ability to long for someone, and she knew the torment and unbearable nature of longing—she had experienced it deeply during her seclusion—but she did not know that when a person lacks the ability to "long," it is also painful.

At this moment, she stood alone in the courtyard, and she did not know how long it had been.

She did not know what she was thinking about; it was as if thousands upon thousands of indescribable and inexpressible thoughts were surging up at once, but when she tried to grasp them carefully, there was nothing there.

Her heart felt empty and hollow, as if a piece were missing.

It was as if she had forgotten some important matter that she hadn't done, but when she thought of what that matter might be, she felt it wasn't it.

Only then did Ning Qing realize—

To lose longing is to lose memory.

Those people who separated, those who left your side, simply vanished from your life.

Yet you have not lost your memory.

And so, you still occasionally remember.

What an important person that was, what happy times were spent together; even now, when thinking of it, one cannot help but reveal a smile, but why, just because they left one's side for a time, does one no longer long for them?

At this moment, a massive sense of loneliness surged into her heart.

A sense of guilt.

Her heart felt sour, her brows tightly furrowed.

She could not speak.

Something very important had been discarded, yet it could no longer be picked up.

No wonder when so many people part, they repeatedly remind each other to keep one another in mind; it turns out they are afraid that while the other person hasn't forgotten, they will no longer think of them often.

"Qingqing."

A light, soft, and sweet voice came.

Ning Qing subconsciously turned her head.

The little girl was wearing a pair of light camel-colored shorts that only covered half of her thighs; the shorts were wrinkled and had many pockets, revealing two thin, white legs below, while on her upper body she wore a very loose, worn-out short-sleeved shirt, and she was wearing a baseball cap. She was looking at her sister with a very serious face:

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"You've been standing here all morning, from eight o'clock this morning until now..." The little girl frowned, took out her Mobile Phone to check the time, her tone that of someone thinking this Qingqing really didn't let her younger sister worry less, "... it's almost twelve o'clock now."

"Mm."

"I ordered breakfast, and I ordered lunch... if you really can't be a sister, you don't have to be; let me be the sister."

"..."

Qingqing had no mind to argue with her; she just followed her to the stone table and sat down. Even looking at the three different potato dishes and two portions of copper-pot potato rice on the table, she still had no mind to argue, only silently picking up her chopsticks and tearing open the plastic wrapping.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing..."

"Oh."

The little girl had only asked casually, then immediately asked the question she truly cared about: "Is Brother-in-law in the Forbidden Land?"

"He is..."

"When did he go in?"

"The day before yesterday."

"Is Brother-in-law safe now?"

"I don't know."

"You didn't guess?"

"I didn't guess."

"Then guess."

"The Forbidden Land, I cannot guess."

"..."

The little girl's brows gradually furrowed, and she asked again: "Then when can Brother-in-law come out?"

"Not sure."

"Approximately."

"Approximately... two or three months, perhaps."

"That long."

The little girl's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

Looking at the little girl's expression at this moment, Ning Qing fell into hesitation—she had originally thought longing brought loneliness, but it turned out that longing also dispelled loneliness.

"Longing day and night..."

She muttered to herself, facing the sunlight, looking up at the sky.

Inside the Forbidden Land, a scorching sun rose.

Taking advantage of the moment the other's figure was obscured by the scorching sun, Chen Shu decisively fled.

Under the effect of the Ascension Pill, the Spirit Power within his body increased significantly. Under full operation, it erupted with an extremely strong Spirit Repulsion force along with the wind, pushing him to sweep rapidly over the treetops of the forest, escaping from here.

The scorching sun had not yet vanished, but his figure was already gone from the scene.

This is the fifth day since arriving at the Forbidden Land.

The Divine Power in this place is indeed dense, which is of great benefit to cultivation, but the drawbacks are also very obvious—

Seven-Tier Cultivators are truly too hard to handle.

They are different from the Fifth or Sixth Stage Martial Artists outside.

The Seven-Tier Cultivators within the Forbidden Land are at the very least inheritors of ancient great sects, among whom there is no shortage of inheritors from top-tier sects, and their talent is extremely high; those with low talent, or those from small sects, are unable to reach a High-Tier level in an ancient environment.

In these few days, Chen Shu has already encountered several Seven-Tier Cultivators, and based on their offensive and defensive methods, he can distinguish which sects they come from.

The advantage of sects has greatly diminished, and the advantage of talent has also greatly diminished; instead, there is a fundamental and massive gap between High-Tier and Intermediate Stage existences, a gap so large that even though Chen Shu is a Spirit Cultivator of the Modern Spirit Sect and possesses a Double Spirit Sea, and even after taking an Ascension Pill, he still cannot compensate for it.

Even if he goes all out, he can only flee.

Yet, for thousands of years, there is no telling how many Seven-Tier Cultivators have come here seeking opportunities, died here, and subsequently become bound by the rules of the Forbidden Land.

Therefore, Chen Shu is discovered by different Seven-Tier Cultivators almost every single day.

And then comes the chase.

These cultivators also vary in strength; when encountering weak ones, he can extricate himself relying solely on his own abilities, but when encountering strong ones, he must use the Spirit Bead provided by his sect.

After a few days, Chen Shu has actually gained experience in running away.

He starts off with the Small Blazing Sun Art, exploding with full power to cause blindness, using it like a flashbang, then quickly flies toward the edge of the Forbidden Land; if the opponent doesn't catch up, he stops, and if they do catch up, he leaves the Forbidden Land directly and enters again from a different location.

Running away has become increasingly effortless.

This is also fine.

After finishing his cultivation, he originally had to use the exhaustion method to drain his Spirit Power; he had always injected his Spirit Power into a Crystal, which was convenient and quiet, but here, he had to struggle every day over whether or not to drain his Spirit Power completely. Now it is fine, no need to struggle; the Forbidden Land has helped him make the choice.

"Whoosh!"

Chen Shu's figure flashed past rapidly.

In the distance, there were faint sounds of fighting.

Chen Shu looked closely and saw a Demon Race genius being chased and pummeled by a Seven-Tier Martial Cultivator; it looked like they were about to be unable to hold on.

Both parties were like him, one flying at a low altitude, the other dodging and defending in the forest using the terrain, looking exactly like a hawk chasing a rabbit; however, the Seven-Tier Martial Cultivator flying in the air would occasionally blast a few punches downward from the air, and that member of the Demon Race was also blocking with great difficulty.

"..."

Chen Shu pondered for a moment, and while the medicinal effect of the Ascension Pill had not yet worn off and he still had plenty of Spirit Power remaining, he pushed his palm forward.

Over a hundred invisible streaks of light flew out instantly.

Like invisible anti-aircraft missiles, there were over a hundred of them at once, yet they all had the same target.

The Martial Cultivator was very alert and dodged rapidly.

But the streaks of light pursued him relentlessly.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The Martial Cultivator's figure was instantly submerged by the explosions.

"This way!"

Chen Shu reminded her to change direction.

About a few minutes later, the person and the demon stopped at the edge of the Forbidden Land.

"I am a tiger demon from the Yaoguo."

The woman with a fit physique looked at Chen Shu, cupped her hands, and spoke in Chinese: "My Chinese name is Huang Chu. Is fellow Daoist a person from the Xia Kingdom?"

"Dayi, Chen Shu."

"Many thanks for your help, Fellow Daoist Chen."

"You're welcome." Chen Shu glanced at her quietly, "Dayi and the Yaoguo have always been friendly, and besides, since we have come here, helping each other is only right."

This tiger demon looked very young; because the Xia Dynasty of China had had intimate contact with the Demon Race, the Yaoguo was heavily influenced by the culture and aesthetics of the Xia Dynasty, so most demons, after their Transformation, would take on the appearance of people from Dayi, and this tiger demon was no exception.

It was just that her appearance was a bit hard to describe.

A petite and cute face, white skin, and a pair of round ears shaped like eyes on top of her head, yet her physique was extremely robust; her thighs were as thick as Chen Shu's waist, her arms were also knotted with muscle, yet her waist was very thin—it looked strange no matter how one looked at it.

Chen Shu saw a tiger-head mark on her exposed arm... her upper arm.

A descendant of the Tiger God?

Chen Shu guessed.

While Chen Shu was sizing up Huang Chu, Huang Chu was also staring at Chen Shu.

Huang Chu had stayed at the Fifth Stage Peak for a long time and had already been attempting to break through to the Sixth Stage for over a year, but to no avail; this time, invited to come to the Dayi Forbidden Land, she quickly realized that the opportunity for her advancement had arrived.

The personality of a tiger demon is often somewhat contradictory: naturally cautious, yet fond of adventure, and highly curious...

The interior of the Forbidden Land is very dangerous?

How dangerous is it?

Must go and see.

How would one know without going to see?

Not seeing it makes one feel itchy inside.

Huang Chu entered the Forbidden Land on the very first day, and her luck was good; she quickly found a great tomb, hid inside, and with the help of the Divine Power, she attempted to break through to the Sixth Stage.

Just the day before yesterday, she had succeeded.

After spending two days stabilizing, Huang Chu had just come out of the great tomb when she was targeted by this Seven-Tier Cultivator.

At that moment, she, a dignified tiger, was actually being hunted like a rat.

It was truly infuriating.

As for this person before her, judging by the strength he just displayed, he was likely at least at the Sixth Stage Peak!

To have advanced to the Sixth Stage so early, and to be able to repel a Seven-Tier Martial Cultivator in one go...

As expected of a person from the Xia Kingdom!

"Fellow Daoist Chen."

Huang Chu was the first to speak to Chen Shu, her voice low and slightly hoarse: "The Forbidden Land is exceptionally dangerous, and both you and I need to cultivate with focus. Why don't we form a temporary alliance during this time to help each other? That way, if we happen to run into a Seventh Stage again, we won't be in such a sorry state..."

"Happen to run into?"

"What?"

"May I ask how many days Fellow Daoist Huang has been in the Forbidden Land?"

"I came in the moment it opened."

"May I ask how many Seventh Stage beings you have encountered?"

"This is the first one. Bad luck."

"Bad luck..."

Chen Shu's expression was numb; he couldn't understand why he encountered them every single day and was chased all over the place every single day.

The two of them sized each other up.

"I've been in the Forbidden Land for five days and only encountered a Seventh Stage once. Is it good luck, or a talent of the Demon Race? Regardless, I must rub off on that."

"Looking at this Fellow Daoist Chen, his complexion is good and he is unscathed, appearing as if he is handling the Forbidden Land with ease. Could it be that he hasn't encountered a single Seventh Stage until now? Is his luck really that good? Or is it that they, the locals of the Xia Kingdom, know a lot about the Forbidden Land? Do they have intelligence? Do they have a guide? Regardless, I cannot miss out on such a strong and friendly ally."

Both of them were very active in their thoughts.

Just as Chen Shu was about to open his mouth to agree, Huang Chu added another sentence: "It is just to look after one another. If we encounter a life-or-death crisis, everyone should prioritize saving their own lives. Fellow Daoist Chen need not worry that I will drag you down."

"Fine."

Chen Shu agreed.

One human and one demon began their journey as a team.

Outside the Forbidden Land, a place where strange beasts gather.

The danger on the outer edge of the Forbidden Land is not as great as the interior; there are almost no High-Tier beings, mostly Fifth or Sixth Stage Martial Artists or Fifth or Sixth-stage Martial Artists. With numerous Intermediate Stage strange beasts gathered together, taking turns absorbing Divine Power and defending against the attacks of the Resurrected Ones, they have actually constructed a relatively safe environment.

The few people who came here also adopted a strategy similar to Chen Shu's: they focus on cultivation normally, and once finished, they go out to resist the Resurrected Ones alongside the strange beasts, returning only after exhausting their Spirit Power every time, which makes the strange beasts call the humans straightforward.

Dharma Master Tongdeng, Master Xuanzhen, and Yan Keling are all at the peak of the Fifth Stage, with Dharma Master Tongdeng and Master Xuanzhen having stayed at the Fifth Stage the longest—

Originally, their cultivation was about the same as Zhang Suannai's; they had both stayed at the peak of the Fifth Stage for a long time and had been attempting to break through to the Sixth Stage for at least a year.

Back then, Zhang Suannai hadn't stayed at the Beast Ancestral Court in Nanzhou for long before she was already on the verge of advancing; all she lacked was a potion. She wasted her Acceleration Cards severely, to the point that she was caught up to by Chen Shu, who had been far behind her. Now, another year and a half has passed. Although Dharma Master Tongdeng and Master Xuanzhen are still at the peak of the Fifth Stage, the distance to the Sixth Stage is much closer than it was for Zhang Suannai a year and a half ago. Having come to the Imperial Forbidden Land this time, they naturally came prepared, and with the help of Divine Power, advancing to the Sixth Stage is already right before their eyes.

Yan Keling is slightly behind.

This insignificant little bit might require two years to make up for in the outside world.

But here, it is closing rapidly.

The tenth day of entering the Forbidden Land.

Master Xuanzhen drank the potion and was the first to advance to the Sixth Stage.

Master Xuanzhen was relatively cautious, spending five days to stabilize his cultivation before bidding farewell to everyone and entering the Forbidden Land alone.

Three days later, almost immediately following him, Dharma Master Tongdeng also advanced to the Sixth Stage.

After stabilizing, he also entered the Forbidden Land.

Yan Keling is still struggling to catch up.

As a Martial Artist, Jiang Lai's cultivation method is naturally different from theirs.

During these days, he goes out every day to challenge different Resurrected Ones, fighting both Martial Artists and Cultivators. Sometimes he is with others or strange beasts, and sometimes he goes alone. Sometimes he fights one, sometimes two. Regardless, he always returns covered in wounds.

So much so that the strange beasts in the gathering place couldn't bear to watch and came out to stop him, telling him not to work so hard to defend the gathering place.

With such disregard for his own life, the effect was also very obvious—

Under the influence of Divine Power, the meager and low-quality Spirit Power in his body began to undergo a qualitative change; the quantity did not increase, but the quality was constantly improving.

The process of his injuries healing after returning wounded every day also seemed to be influenced by Divine Power.

The healing speed became extremely fast, and even if the injuries were not very serious, he could recover seven or eight-tenths overnight even without taking healing medicine. And after each recovery, he would have a tempering effect far exceeding that of the outside world. This change, which he could clearly perceive, and the feeling of becoming stronger rapidly every day, made him addicted.

Before long, he caught up to Yan Keling, who was restricted by the Spirit Sea Lock, in terms of combat power, and began to surpass her.

This is a feeling that Martial Artists in the outside world can never experience in their entire lives.

No wonder so many Martial Artists in ancient times would resolutely pour into the Forbidden Land even when facing the danger of death.

Gradually, Jiang Lai felt for himself that he might have already crossed the boundary of a Sixth-stage Martial Artist.

And he still remembered the main purpose of his coming to the Forbidden Land.

A few days later.

Another tragic slaughter ended.

The few of them sat together to rest.

Yan Keling took out healing medicine for Jiang Lai, and Meng Chunqiu applied the ointment for Jiang Lai.

That giant beast phantom stood to the side, keeping watch on the surrounding movements while glancing sideways at Jiang Lai.

There were also several Fifth Stage strange beasts nearby.

Jiang Lai sat on the ground, covered in wounds, his clothes stained red with blood, but in the battle just now, he had not retreated a single step, blocking the repeated attacks of a Sixth Stage Martial Cultivator with the body of a Sixth-stage Martial Artist. Otherwise, even if they could win this battle, the two of them and the several strange beasts would likely have been severely injured.

At this moment, however, Jiang Lai only said:

"I want to go inside the Forbidden Land."

"Ah? Why?"

Yan Keling couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"Outside the Forbidden Land, there are only Intermediate Stage strange beasts. I heard there are High-Tier strange beasts inside. I want to go and seek the essence blood of High-Tier strange beasts." Although Jiang Lai's injuries were heavy, his expression remained calm, and his tone was the same as usual; not to mention the faint breath of a severely injured person, one couldn't even hear any fatigue.

"But inside... there are High-level Practitioners."

Yan Keling did not finish her sentence.

A Sixth-stage Martial Artist who is not yet a Cultivator has limited methods, cannot fly, and unlike others, lacks life-saving items; if he were to encounter a High-level Practitioner, he might not even have a chance to flee.

"This opportunity is rare; I cannot miss it."

"..."

Yan Keling frowned, pondered for a long while, and then said to him: "Then you should wait a bit longer. I can feel that I am also about to advance to the Sixth Stage. When that time comes, we will go in together. Even if we get separated, Lord Linjian will be able to find you, and we can look out for each other..."

Jiang Lai thought for a moment before nodding: "Alright, I will also take this time to further improve my strength."

"..."

Brother Meng watched from the side and was once again provoked.