SWDnovel Chapter 144 Void Rift
Chapter 144 Void Rift
The next morning, Zhou Ning bid farewell to Han Wei and Xuan Zhenzi and returned to Lanruo Temple.
Three days later, he returned to the temple. Yan Chixia was practicing his sword on the back mountain. When he saw him return, he sheathed his sword.
"What's the situation in the north?"
Zhou Ning reported the situation in the north in detail—the shadowy clones north of Qingfeng City, the cracks in Cangmang Mountain closing on their own, the sacrifice of Xuanzhenzi's disciples, Han Wei's defense plan...
After listening, Yan Chixia remained silent for a moment before saying, "The extraterrestrial demon's avatar is already able to descend, which means that the constraints of the Heavenly Dao's laws are weakening. We have very little time left; the day the seal is broken is drawing ever closer."
"Zhou Ning, you are a virgin, so your righteous energy is purer than mine, extremely yang and strong, making you the number one enemy of the extraterrestrial demons, and the one that causes the greatest damage to them."
"Although your cultivation has progressed at an unparalleled speed, judging from the current situation, your progress is still too slow and needs to be faster."
"Fortunately, you are exceptionally talented and an outstanding talent for cultivation. Breaking through to the next realm is easier for you than for anyone else. Although this is due to the cultivation techniques I taught you, it is also due to your own strengths."
"But no matter what, you need to remember that the situation is urgent. Although it is somewhat dangerous, there is no time to lose. You should break through to the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible. Only then will you have a chance of winning against the extraterrestrial demons."
Zhou Ning nodded and said, "This disciple will obey Master's orders and will do my utmost."
He returned to his residence, sat cross-legged on the bed, and probed the jade slip containing the "Transformation of the Gods" with his divine sense, studying it carefully.
The content of the Transformation of the Gods chapter is more profound than that of the Nascent Soul chapter.
It tells how to nurture a nascent soul into a primordial spirit, how to allow the primordial spirit to break free from the body, and how to use the primordial spirit to perceive the laws of heaven and earth.
Each step requires extremely deep accumulation and opportunity.
"Although time is of the essence, we cannot rush things." Zhou Ning put away the jade slip.
"First, stabilize your cultivation at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, then consider the Deity Transformation stage."
In the days that followed, Zhou Ning cultivated while waiting for news from the North.
He meditates in the back mountain every day, nurturing his nascent soul and practicing swordsmanship.
The repaired Qingfeng Sword is much more powerful, and his "Demon-Slaying Technique" is even more formidable.
He mastered sword control to a higher level, and all six flying swords could be arranged into complex sword formations in the air under the control of his divine sense, combining offense and defense.
His divine sense could already cover an area of tens of thousands of feet in radius.
He could sense what the people down the mountain were doing, he could sense the birds and beasts flying in the distance, and he could sense the flow of spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
He could even sense that the extremely powerful evil aura in the northern void was slowly increasing.
That was the true form of the extraterrestrial demon.
The rift in the North has been temporarily sealed, but Zhou Ning's heart remains unsettled.
The feeling was strange, as if an invisible thread was pulling his heart northward, northward, and northward forever.
He sat cross-legged on a boulder on the back mountain, closed his eyes and looked inward. The nascent soul in his dantian slowly rotated, emitting a warm purple-gold light.
But his divine sense involuntarily drifted northward, towards the void shrouded in black mist.
He could sense that deep within that void, an extremely powerful evil aura was slowly increasing, like a sleeping giant beast gradually awakening.
"The true form of the extraterrestrial demon." Zhou Ning opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.
Yan Chixia emerged from the pine forest and stood before him with his hands behind his back.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the master's blue robe, casting a long shadow over him.
His expression remained calm, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes.
"You felt it too?" Yan Chixia asked.
Zhou Ning nodded.
"Master, that aura... is much stronger than before."
Yan Chixia remained silent for a moment, then said, "The extraterrestrial demons are accumulating power. They are waiting for the right moment, waiting for the day when the shackles of the Heavenly Dao Laws are completely loosened."
He walked to Zhou Ning's side and looked up at the northern sky.
The clouds there were thicker and darker in color than elsewhere, as if an unseen giant hand was stirring them.
"I plan to go deep into the northern lands to take a look," Zhou Ning suddenly said.
Yan Chixia turned her head and looked at him: "Are you sure?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"This disciple is certain. Rather than waiting here, we should take the initiative to investigate. Perhaps we can find the weakness of the extraterrestrial demons."
Yan Chixia remained silent for a long time.
A mountain breeze blew through the pine forest, causing pine needles to fall softly and swirl in the air.
He finally spoke, his voice lower than usual.
"Deep in the North, near the void rift, the aura of the Heavenly Demons is extremely strong."
"Although your Dao heart is firm, prolonged exposure to the aura of the Heavenly Demon can still erode it. You must remain vigilant at all times and cannot afford to relax in the slightest."
He took out a jade talisman from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ning.
"This is a 'Purifying Talisman,' which can help you resist the corruption of the Heavenly Demon. Once you put it on, the whispers of the Heavenly Demon will not be able to affect your mind."
Zhou Ning accepted the jade talisman and solemnly said, "Thank you, Master."
Yan Chixia added, "If you encounter danger, don't fight head-on. Coming back alive is more important than anything else."
Zhou Ning nodded: "This disciple understands."
The next morning, before dawn, Zhou Ning left Lanruo Temple.
He didn't bring much: the Green Edge Sword, the Evil-Repelling Sword, the Frost Sword, three flying swords, a stack of talismans, a few pills, and the life-saving jade talisman and the mind-clearing talisman given to him by Yan Chixia.
Keep everything simple and travel light.
The sky over the North was more gloomy than usual.
The further north you go, the stronger the stench in the air becomes. The grass and trees wither and turn yellow, and the earth cracks, as if something has sucked away all life.
Occasionally, a few birds would fly overhead, but they seemed to be in a panic, as if they were fleeing something terrible.
Zhou Ning placed the calming talisman on his chest, and a cool sensation flowed into his heart, keeping those negative emotions out.
His divine sense had already spread out, covering an area of tens of thousands of feet in radius, vigilantly sensing everything around him.
After traveling for three days, he arrived at Qingfeng City.
When the people in the city saw Zhou Ning, they all gathered around him.
Their faces were filled with worry and fear, clearly sensing the changes happening in the north.
"Young Master Zhou, has something happened again in the north?" an old man asked in a trembling voice.
Zhou Ning reassured him, "Don't be afraid, old man. I'll go check on him; everything will be alright."
He didn't enter the city; instead, he bypassed Qingfeng City and continued north.
North of Qingfeng City lies a desolate wasteland.
The wasteland was barren, the land was cracked, and black mist constantly rose from the cracks.
Zhou Ning circulated his true essence throughout his body, forming a layer of purple-gold protective qi that isolated him from external erosion.
His steps were firm and steady as he walked northward, step by step.
After walking for about two hours, a huge crack appeared ahead.
That wasn't one of those small cracks we'd seen before; it was a real void rift.
It hovered in mid-air, about a hundred feet long and fifty feet wide, like a giant vertical eye, coldly watching the human world.
Black mist continuously poured out from the edge of the crack, carrying with it a biting chill and a nauseating stench.
Deep within the crack, countless black shadows could be vaguely seen writhing and emitting low growls.
Directly in front of the crack stood a human-shaped dark figure.
It was about two zhang tall, completely black, with no facial features, only a pair of blood-red eyes that gleamed eerily in the darkness.
In its hand, it held a black spear with strange runes engraved on the tip, emitting a faint black light.
It exuded a suffocating pressure, several times stronger than the clone we had encountered before.
"An extraterrestrial demon's avatar, and even more powerful than the previous one."
Zhou Ning gripped the Qingfeng Sword tightly and poured his Nascent Soul power into it.
The sword shone with a dazzling purple-gold light.