Chapter 629 - 624: Drastic Change in the Profound Celestial Ancient Land

Chapter 629: Chapter 624: Drastic Change in the Profound Celestial Ancient Land

November in the Six Eastern Provinces of the Eastern Domain was a time of blizzards. No matter where one went, the sky was filled with falling goose-feather snow.

Yet, one place was an exception.

"It’s been a year. I’ve returned."

A hint of nostalgia involuntarily surfaced in Ning Jiang’s eyes.

WHOOSH!

Before him stretched a desert, with yellow sand swirling to the heavens.

While the world outside was frozen and buried in snow, this place was as scorching as a furnace. This was the desert straddling the border between Qing Province and Lei Province.

Long ago, two Celestial Martial Realm Kings had clashed here, causing a drastic transformation of the land. Who could have imagined that this place, once a beautiful and prosperous land of green mountains and clear waters, had now become a treacherous desert?

"Little Celestial King."

Ning Jiang murmured. He’d heard rumors that this place was the result of a great battle fought by a figure known as the Little Celestial King.

Judging from the conditions here, that Little Celestial King’s power was undoubtedly astonishing, at least that of a Six-Stars King.

Ning Jiang, however, had come this time for one reason only: the Secret Realm hidden within this desert—the Profound Celestial Ancient Land!

He shared a deep connection with the Profound Celestial Ancient Land. It was there that he had achieved a breakthrough years ago and clashed with members of the Evil Spirit Sect.

It was also inside that he had found a wisp of Golden Cicada’s remnant soul.

Later came his feud with the Seven Great Sects. Before tearing all pretenses away with the Seven Great Kings, he had moved everyone from his Myriad Swords Sect into the Profound Celestial Ancient Land.

’It’s been a year. I wonder how Sister An is?’

A look of anticipation flashed in Ning Jiang’s eyes as he stepped into the swirling yellow sands. In the past, this place had been a treacherous environment, with sharp Wind Blades occasionally tearing through the air. But now, Ning Jiang’s Cultivation was far beyond what it once was; he no longer had to care about such things.

He transformed into a streak of sword light and shot toward the location of the Profound Celestial Ancient Land.

’I’ve arrived.’

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he arrived at his destination.

The Profound Celestial Ancient Land was a spatial Secret Realm, one that only opened at specific times.

But things were different for Ning Jiang. He was now the master of the Profound Celestial Ancient Land, and he could faintly sense the Secret Realm hidden within the void.

"Open."

Ning Jiang produced a Jade Talisman and infused it with his Cultivation. At once, the talisman flared with a brilliant light, as radiant as a miniature sun.

Simultaneously, the void before him began to ripple like the surface of water. A few breaths later, a fissure tore open in front of Ning Jiang, revealing the scene within.

SWOOSH.

With a flicker of movement, Ning Jiang entered the fissure. As soon as he passed through, it sealed behind him, vanishing without a trace.

"Huh?"

The moment he entered the Profound Celestial Ancient Land, Ning Jiang froze. The entire space was shrouded in a murky gray, a stark contrast to how it was a year ago. As far as he could see, all the vegetation had withered, and a deathly stillness hung over the land.

Evidently, the Profound Celestial Ancient Land had undergone some unforeseen, cataclysmic change in the year he was away.

’What is this...’

Ning Jiang made a grasping motion with his hand, pulling a cloud of the gray gas toward him. This substance was not miasma, nor was it Spiritual Qi or Demonic Qi. The Energy it contained was utterly bizarre.

’Corpse Qi!’

As a Legendary Venerable from a hundred thousand years ago, Ning Jiang possessed an unimaginable breadth of knowledge. In a mere moment, he identified the gray gas: Corpse Qi!

SCREECH!

At that moment, a shrill cry pierced the air as a great bird emerged from the void.

This strange bird’s body seemed to be made of steel sinew and bone. It had no feathers, only skin and membranes. It was an Iron-Bone Bird, an Ancient Exotic Species. Ning Jiang had encountered this type of Demon Beast during his first visit to the Profound Celestial Ancient Land.

This particular Iron-Bone Bird, however, had lost the light in its eyes. They were now a hollow, grayish-white.

’After long-term exposure to the Corpse Qi, it has been zombified.’

Ning Jiang’s eyes narrowed. A Demon Beast zombified in this way was no longer alive; it had become a walking corpse, known as a Corpse Puppet.

’It takes at least a month to turn a Demon Beast into a Corpse Puppet. That means this Corpse Qi has been present for a month already!’

At this thought, Ning Jiang’s heart sank.

’In the past month, could Ning Yu’an and the others have run into danger?’

"Begone."

Ning Jiang let out a cold shout, his voice like a crack of thunder. The immense Power of the sound wave instantly shattered the Iron-Bone Bird flying toward him.

’Sister An, you must not be harmed!’

At this moment, a rare sense of anxiety and agitation flared within Ning Jiang. If anything were to happen to Ning Yu’an, he couldn’t begin to imagine the fury that would consume him.

SWOOSH.

He flew at full speed, transforming back into a streak of sword light and rocketing toward the Profound Celestial Ancient Hall at the center of the land.

...

「The Profound Celestial Ancient Hall」

It was a magnificent, ancient hall that had weathered the ages, its history stretching back countless years.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

At this moment, a series of thunderous crashes echoed through the air. In the void outside, head after head of Corpse Puppet Demon Beasts relentlessly smashed against a barrier of light. Though the barrier’s power violently repelled them each time, the creatures felt no pain and continued to slam against it with desperate ferocity.

"This Array won’t last much longer."

Within the barrier, a group of figures huddled together, their expressions grim, as if facing a formidable foe. They were familiar faces: the core members of the Myriad Swords Sect, including Yue Wenfu, Fang Xue, and Lin Zhan.

The three of them had once been the Sect Leaders of the Yanyue Sect, the War Elephant Sect, and the Floating Snow Hall, respectively. Later, they had pledged their allegiance to Ning Jiang, joining the Myriad Swords Sect and becoming its Vice Sect Leaders.

After Ning Jiang’s departure, they had been the ones handling all the affairs of the Myriad Swords Sect, keeping everything running in an orderly fashion.

But while they were core figures in the Myriad Swords Sect, there was one person who stood above them, a person whose status surpassed their own.

At this moment, a woman in purple stood before the three of them. She was tall and slender, with skin like ice and bones of jade. Her eyes were as dark and brilliant as stars. Both her figure and her face were of peerless, nation-toppling beauty. A faint purple aura shrouded her, adding an air of mystery and nobility to her presence.

As the three of them looked upon her, an expression of deep respect surfaced in their eyes.

Ning Yu’an, Ning Jiang’s older sister!

When Ning Yu’an had first arrived at the Myriad Swords Sect, Yue Wenfu and the other two had respected her solely because of her relationship with Ning Jiang.

But now, in less than a year, Ning Yu’an—who had possessed a mere Spirit Realm Cultivation—had advanced by leaps and bounds. She had long ago stepped into the Earth Martial Realm, even reaching the Late Stage. With her current strength, she was now the number one expert in the Myriad Swords Sect.

Now, their respect for Ning Yu’an was genuine and came from the heart.

In the end, strength was the most important thing in this world.

"Myriad Swords Sect! When that little bastard Ning Jiang injured me back then, did any of you imagine this day would come? Today is the day your Myriad Swords Sect will be annihilated!"

Outside the barrier of light, a figure that was neither human nor ghost roared with laughter.