Chapter 616 - 615 Landmark, Master Jiu’s Arrival

In the blink of an eye, six days had passed.

Deep in the rift space, a fiery red land came into view, with Nalan Que leading a group of six people by Sky Control.

Gazing at the red land, the six of them hovered simultaneously.

"Emperor Nalan, is the marker stone located ahead?"

A man with a ferocious-looking face and a scar turned his head to ask.

The others also turned their heads.

Under everyone’s scrutiny, Nalan Que began to speak.

"If it weren’t for that little jerk Beiming distracting me, this should be where the marker stone is. But at least the unlocking technique she gave me worked. My descendants of the Nalan lineage have entered in advance. Perhaps they have found the marker stone. Everyone, hold on for a moment while I send a signal to confirm our position."

Having said that, he quickly changed signs with both hands and swung a palm outward.

"Whoosh!"

Solar True Fire spurted out of his palm, shooting into the sky and forming a cloud of fire.

Sending out the signal, Nalan Que scanned his surroundings.

The others also followed suit.

Quickly.

A cloud of fire, also formed by Solar True Fire, rose and spread in the far north of the fiery red land.

The only enchanting woman among the six raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Worthy of being a descendant of the Heavenly Emperor, even in such a backward place as the Immortal Realm, he can cultivate Solar True Fire to this extent. If he were in the ancient Fairyland of the past, this guy would definitely have been able to make a name for himself."

The others couldn’t stand her sycophantic attitude.

However, on this journey.

Nalan Que was not only the one with the highest cultivation level in the past, but also the one in the best condition now.

More importantly.

He learned some unknown secrets through his dealings with the former Emperor Beiming.

This journey was led by him.

It’s not wrong.

She’s brown-nosing him.

That’s not wrong either.

Although the four of them were reluctant, they all complimented him.

This round of flattery made Nalan Que very pleased.

He wasn’t entirely indifferent to how his descendants were doing.

However, at the moment.

He enjoyed the feeling of being fawned over by everyone.

When had he ever not been treated this way wherever he went?

Yet that little jerk Beiming deceived him. What was agreed upon in the deal was completely different, forcing him to lose his physical body and become a remnant soul living in sleep.

He didn’t even know how long it had been since then.

After cursing the First Beiming Emperor, Nalan Que was full of energy.

"Everyone, let’s go."

With that, he took the lead in moving forward.

The others followed suit as they saw this.

...

After a while.

The group of six arrives at the place where the fire clouds started to rise.

At this time, all the members of the Nalan clan were waiting on the ground.

It’s worth mentioning that.

The Night City Lord and his entourage were also present.

Seeing the arrival of the six, the Night City Lord raised an eyebrow, clasped his hands together, and spoke.

"Ning Youlong of Nightly City, greetings to all the seniors."

Except for Nalan Que, the five people who landed frowned upon his greeting and turned their heads to look at him.

However, Nalan Que himself greeted him with a smile.

"Lord Ning, I have heard much about you."

This courtesy caught Ning Youlong by surprise.

This man.

He was the Emperor of Heaven who dominated the Ancient Fairyland in the past.

A figure like this greeting him back was more than enough face for him.

Just as he was about to speak, a hint of mockery flashed in Nalan Que’s eyes as he waved his hand. A torrent of Solar True Fire was then released.

Ning Youlong and his group had no time to react, and in a blink of an eye, they were swallowed by the Solar True Fire.

Along with them, the offspring of the Nalan family were also consumed.

The Solar True Fire came fast and left just as quickly.

In a blink of an eye, it extinguished.

Everyone from the Nalan family was unscathed, even their cultivation levels improved significantly.

Meanwhile, Ning Youlong and his group from Night City were obliterated, not even ashes remained.

After this episode, the people of the Nalan family looked at Nalan Que with fervent eyes.

The members of the Nalan family, who had been exploited and repressed in various ways by Night City, how could they care about the fate of the instigator Ning Youlong?

They wish him dead.

Seeing as they have just received the nurturing of Nalan Que’s pure Solar True Fire, leading to an increase in everyone’s cultivation levels, how could they not worship their ancestor, Nalan Que, like a god?

That.

It was Ning Youlong, the Night City Lord!

A near-emperor who owned an independent world.

As long as he took that one step to perfect his independent world, he would soon become an emperor and a powerful player in Zhong Shen Zhou.

However, in front of Nalan Que.

He was wiped out in the blink of an eye.

No trace of him remained.

Seeing that Nalan Que killed Ning Youlong and his entourage without batting an eye, the other five who accompanied Nalan Que all revealed looks of understanding.

It turned out that this batch of unrelated people were to be killed by Nalan Que.

No wonder they appeared here even though they were not in the plan.

Nalan Que himself was refreshed after killing Ning Youlong and his followers.

He had only woken up a short while ago.

However, through Nalan Longao, he had a clear understanding of the Nalan lineage’s grievous life in Night City and the reasons for their downfall.

Ning Youlong.

He was a man he was determined to kill.

His appearance here was essentially a bit of his design.

Turning his gaze to the Nalan family leader, Nalan Que spoke.

"Have you found the marker stone?"

Meeting his question, the Nalan family leader respectfully replied.

"Reporting to the Ancestor, we have found the marker stone. However, this marker stone seems to contain an unpredictable power. Our cultivation levels are too low to approach it, and there is an invisible force field around it that prevents us from closely observing it by Sky Control."

Learning that the marker stone has been found, Nalan Que showed joy on his face and nodded.

"The awe of the Boundary Stone Pillar far exceeds your comprehension, whelps. It would be quite odd if y’all could approach it."

With these words, he waved his hand broadly.

"Lead the way. Once I, your ancestor, have obtained the Boundary Stone Pillar, I will lead the Nalan family back to its former glory."

Hearing Nalan Que’s words, everyone in the Nalan family was filled with enthusiasm. No one paid attention to why Nalan Longao hadn’t returned with them.

With the orders from their revered ancestor.

Nalan Longao his father.

This meant that the current family head present didn’t dare neglect his duty, and made a gesture with his side body to lead the way.

"Ancestors, distinguished elders, please follow me."

Seeing this, Nalan Que took the lead in proceeding.

The other five people exchanged glances silently, then followed close behind.

...

About a quarter of an hour later.

They arrived on foot at a deeper part of the fiery red land, an area whose very soil appeared crimson.

On reaching the crimson area, the Nalan family head came to a halt.

"Ancestor, the Boundary Stone Pillar is up ahead."

As he said this, he pointed towards a small, solitary stone pillar standing on the ground not far inside the crimson area.

Having set eyes on the stone pillar, Nalan Que’s eyes shone brightly as he took a big step forward into the crimson land.

With that.

He felt a sudden heaviness around him.

As if subjected to some kind of invisible heavy force.

This pressure was tremendously horrifying.

Even though Nalan Que had regained his physical body and was in excellent condition, he still found it very difficult to move, and he could only take one slow step at a time.

The five people who accompanied him closely followed him forward.

Setting foot on the crimson land.

The five of them immediately felt the same sensation.

The woman who had previously been fawning over Nalan Que was clearly the one in the worst state of the group. After just a few steps, she was soaked in cold sweat, lagging behind the other four.

Nalan Que and the other four, noting that the woman was unable to keep up, each glanced back but paid her no heed.

Whether in today’s Immortal Realm or the Ancient Fairyland of old.

Weakness.

Is always a sin.

Even if it’s just a temporary state of unwellness.

How can someone who can’t even withstand the pressure on the edge of the Boundary Stone Pillar be worthy of walking with them, let alone share in the spoils?

Seeing the five people abandon her, the woman’s face turned pale. A burning resentment flashed in her eyes.

But there was nothing she could do.

Taking three more steps forward, she had no choice but to turn back.

There was no other way.

Her condition was too poor.

In the Ancient Fairyland, where there are no laws, there’s no way she could recover her strength.

This also applies to environmental conditions.

The lack of laws does not just mean that no one in the Immortal Realm can be promoted to the Return to Origin Realm.

The true impact of this extends far and wide.

What the Immortal Realm truly lost was not just the rules, but also the conditions for the generation of Spiritual Qi necessary for the Return to Origin.

This.

Is what truly lies at the heart of the matter when it comes to the lack of laws.

Without the corresponding conditions for Spiritual Qi.

Even if you have the ability to move mountains, you won’t be able to take that step forward.

The reason why so many people in the Immortal Realm are looking for a way out, but not even a single Half-step Return to Origin Realm practitioner exists, lies precisely here.

To be precise.

Setting aside Li Jing’s exceptional case.

For those in today’s Immortal Realm, like Shi Zixuan, barely seeing a way forward, making significant strides justified calling them extraordinary beings.

Even in the Ancient Fairyland of the past.

Such existences were undoubtedly the cream of the crop amongst all.

To speak frankly.

The people of the later Immortal Realm are not weaker than those of the Ancient Fairyland; it is merely that the resources and environment have limited their development and potential.

If this weren’t the case.

Today, many years later, there’s no reason to assume that the people of the Immortal Realm would be inferior to those from the Ancient Fairyland who have been dormant within the Realm.

Those beings either slept or were sealed.

All of them were in a terrible state.

The main reason for this is the lack of Spiritual Qi, due to the absence of laws.

To put it simply.

The current Spiritual Qi environment of the Immortal Realm cannot provide the preconditions for the Return to Origin, nor can it meet the daily consumption needs of the Return to Origin Realm.

A brief stay won’t cause any trouble.

The Spiritual Qi stored within the Return to Origin practitioners.

As long as they don’t rashly consume Spiritual Qi in battles, this should be enough to sustain them for thousands or tens of thousands of years in an environment devoid of Spiritual Qi.

But if it lasts longer than that...

They will finally die out because their spiritual energy is exhausted and they are unable to effectively replenish it.

The predicament the woman is experiencing now is.

Her condition had severely deteriorated during her dormant period, to the point where she couldn’t even keep up with Nalan Que and the others. All she could do was retreat knowing the difficulties.

Going any further.

The pressure emanating from the Boundary Stone Pillar might not kill her.

But, if she got stuck in a dilemma where she couldn’t advance or retreat, she might end up dying here.

Considering the way Nalan Que and the others didn’t turn back, it was easy to see that they wouldn’t waste any effort to save her.

After all, in the Immortal Realm.

The more power they use, the worse their condition would become.

To maintain a relatively good state, they need to know how to restrain themselves.

Even when fighting, it would be better to remain at a level where the Immortal Realm’s Spiritual Qi can replenish them, to prevent their power from gradually diminishing.

Quietly retreating to the outskirts of the crimson land, the woman’s enchanting face was clouded.

But, she quickly took pleasure in discovering something.

Apart from Nalan Que, the other four were starting to slow down.

The closer they got to the Boundary Stone Pillar, the slower they walked.

In comparison, Nalan Que.

Even though he had lost his independent world and no longer had the capital of a powerful party, his condition was surprisingly good because he revived accidentally and somehow got a brand-new body.

The group behind him was slowing down, but he was getting faster.

This sneak.

He had been hiding his abilities beforehand.

But this is not entirely unexpected.

Nalan Que was in a good state, but he had lost his independent world after all.

The condition of these five, including the woman, wasn’t great, yet their independent worlds were still intact.

If it came down to a desperate fight...

Nalan Que absolutely couldn’t handle any of them.

Of course...

No one could say for certain whether that cunning Nalan Que was hiding any other tricks.

Unless absolutely necessary...

No one in the group was willing to confront him openly.

Seeing the four people behind her looking like they wouldn’t possibly make it to the boundary monument, the woman let out a sigh of relief.

The situation remained unchanged as long as Nalan Que was the only one close to the boundary monument.

They would just continue to follow Nalan Que.

Otherwise, she might not even have the chance to flatter the feet of the four men.

Over there...

The four men that struggled along behind Nalan Que gradually fell behind, some choosing to retreat.

At this point, Nalan Que had already reached the boundary monument.

The woman and those related to Nalan all craned their necks for a better look.

They were curious.

What was the purpose of this boundary monument?

Just as everyone was engrossed, a trace of anticipation quietly appeared in the air.

?

Everyone was surprised.

Immediately after...

They could feel a slight unease stemming from the rising tension in the air.

???

Everyone was filled with confusion.

Such a rising tension...

This...

This should exist only when someone is about to cross a tribulation.

Amongst them...

No one was crossing the tribulation, right?

Just as everyone was puzzled, the sky suddenly darkened.

???

Instinctively, everyone looked up.

What they saw...

A thick layer of dark clouds spreading across the sky relentlessly.

This...

Could it be the tribulation cloud?!

Impossible, right?

There was no one crossing a tribulation, how could there be a tribulation cloud?

Everyone was filled with doubt.

At this very moment...

"Boom!" A thunderous sound resounded in the high sky above, a tremendously frightening bolt of lightning tearing through the sky and striking the head of the Nalan family.

That was so unexpected!

Nalan’s patriarch, who was caught off guard, turned into a charred figure, spitting out a mouthful of black smoke. He fell to the ground, straight up, without a sound.

!!!

The members of the Nalan family...

!!!

The woman and the four people who had already retreated...

Shit!

It’s a tribulation cloud!

A genuine one!

Without thinking further, they looked around, trying to locate the core of the heavenly tribulation.

If they were hit by the heavenly tribulation in their current state, the losses would be much greater than a fight with people.

After all, the heavenly tribulation came not according to who crossed the tribulation, but was related to the cultivator’s realm who got hit.

Their actual realms...

They were indeed in the Return to Origin Realm.

At the moment, not only were their conditions poor, but they also could only exhibit half of their Return to Origin power.

If they were hit by the Heavenly Tribulation of ’Return to Origin’, the consequences would be unbearable...

Most importantly...

Even at their peak conditions, they did not have the capability to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation to reach the next level in the Return to Origin Realm.

If they did have that capability...

They would’ve crossed the tribulation long ago and ascended to the Upper Three Realms. Why would they stay in the Ancient Fairyland?

To ascend to the Upper Three Realms...

Return to Origin was just a threshold.

But after Returning to Origin, you would be no different from a passerby.

Therefore, those who usually chose to ascend to the Upper Three Realms from the Ancient Fairyland, were generally in the late stages of Return to Origin, or had broken through already.

Right now, it was undoubtedly most reliable to break this heavenly tribulation, which they didn’t know who it belonged to.

To break through the heavenly tribulation...

You have to find the core of the tribulation.

Typically...

The core was located right above the person crossing the tribulation.

The problem was, they didn’t know who was crossing the tribulation right now.

The four men searched anxiously.

Nalan Que, who was already near the boundary monument and bearing immense pressure, appeared more distressed than a man mourning his dead mother.

This damn...

Just when he was about to get his hands on the boundary monument...

Which idiot’s tribulation interrupted his plan?!

In the distant sky, a bolt of lightning brighter than anything they’d seen before exploded, brightening the sky, then vanishing into thin air.

!!!

All of them, including Nalan Que...

This lightning bolt...

Even from this distance, it struck despair into their hearts.

Even Nalan Que and his men couldn’t dare to say that they could withstand it face-to-face.

Exploded...

Who was it?

...

The person who arrived now was naturally Li Jing.

Only his level of Heavenly Tribulation would be a notch higher than normal.

He had not yet achieved Return to Origin.

However, his Heavenly Tribulation was at a level beyond Return to Origin, even stronger than those who were about to advance to Return to Origin in general.

Because he needed to take care of Chen Yuran who was experiencing tribulation, he couldn’t travel through the sky too quickly, therefore Li Jing was always unable to catch up with Nalan Que’s group.

But with a tracking mark in place, following them was not a problem.

Finally, when Nalan Que no longer traveled through the sky, he increased his speed slightly under permissible conditions, striving to catch up with them sooner.

Now from a distance, he could see Nalan’s group at the core location of the red land, his eyes brightening.

And at the very moment his eyes brightened.

"Boom Boom" rumors echoed, two shocking lightning strikes descended.

Two unfortunate souls from the Nalan family who were in the crowd and looking in this their direction didn’t even have a chance to groan, as their bodies turned into two charred corpses on the spot.

Li Jing saw this, furrowed his brows, and hovered in the air.

These two ...

Are they that weak?

Did they really need to die that cleanly?

It feels as if he is committing a sin ...

Looking up at Chen Yuran who had been meditating deeply for three days, enjoying the process of her body being tempered by the tribulation, Li Jing hesitated for a moment and then decided to head back to the position where the Nalan Que and others, who were not covered by the tribulation cloud, were located to set her down.

"Guard her, no matter who approaches, kill without mercy."

Whispering an order, Li Jing turned and took a step.

At the same time.

Qingfeng, Linglong, No Name, Snow Sound and Smoke Eye all appeared, protecting the surroundings.

With such a luxurious lineup for protection, Chen Yuran would undoubtedly be safe.

These five are all Spirit Weapons.

They are safe under the tribulation clouds, and won’t trigger Heavenly Tribulation.

On the other side.

Li Jing directly traversed through the space, appearing in front of Nalan Que.

This move.

Left everyone on the scene dumbfounded.

Where the boundary monument was situated, even they could not control the sky.

Yet, he directly tore space to arrive!

This ...

It must be a lie, right?!

Looking carefully again.

Nalan Que and his accompanies were beyond shocked.

Is this not the protector from the spatial rift entrance during tribulation!?

What is he doing here?

Relating him back to the "controled" tribulation clouds not far away, they were somewhat flustered.

Could it be ...

Could it be that he carried the person undergoing tribulation.

Followed us all the way here?

When Li Jing arrived, he frowned, sensing something was off.

This location.

Why is there gravity?’

He felt a slight pressure against his ability to teleport and levitate ...

If he can feel this pressure, how heavy would it be for others?

But at this moment.

He did not detect any disturbance in the law of gravity.

Besides.

Just now when he tore the space, he vaguely sensed that there was a force trying to prevent him from tearing space but was unsuccessful.

Naturally.

Li Jing’s gaze fell on the short stone tablet standing nearby.

The status of the boundary stone is difficult to see from the surface, it looks very ordinary in its entirety, but there is only one such stone tablet in this area, so he could not help but take notice.

Seeing Li Jing focusing on the boundary stone, Nalan Que’s heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, he wanted to raise his hand.

The boundary stone is right in front of him.

No matter who it was, they couldn’t let his efforts go to waste!

No matter who it is!

"If you want to die, give it a try."

The pleasant and familiar female voice suddenly sounded, causing Nalan Que who wanted to act instantly to become stiff, his complexion stark.

He looked up.

In front of him was no longer Li Jing, but the fascinating Master Jiu.

Facing that enchanting face, Nalan Que moved his lips, almost unable to keep himself from breaking into tears.

What was that saying again?

The collapse of adults often happens in an instant.

At this moment, looking at Li Jing, Nalan Que only had one thought.

Why ...

Why does it have to be this woman ?!

Upon encountering Master Jiu, Nalan Que naturally dared not to move.

Just now, no matter who ...

Needs to be withdrawn.

No hope.

The power and influence of the person in front of him was far beyond his imagination, and her style of occasionally severely disgusting people made him lose his temper ...

Silently retracted his hand, Nalan Que gave a wry smile.

"Master Jiu ... Master Jiu, so it was you who was protecting someone at the entrance of the spatial rift earlier?"

"Are you surprised?"

Once again transforming into a woman, Li Jing smiled charmingly.

At this moment, everyone present was entranced.

Including the women of the Nalan family and the woman who accompanied Nalan Que.

However, Nalan Que himself was an exception.

He didn’t dare to be entranced ...

Enchanting everyone present, Li Jing slightly frowned, glanced at the five people who stood still.

These five.

They can’t even bear this bit of enchantment.

Isn’t it a bit weak ...

Are these also players in this game?

Without thinking too much and shaking his head, Li Jing walked forward and pressed his palm on the boundary stone located close by, then turned back and gave a friendly smile.

"What’s special about this stone tablet?"