Ning Cheng opened the seal and entered the five-sided great hall. The hall looked no different from before. He still saw a big black pit in the middle and a dark public square at the bottom. Except for some gales of nether winds from time to time, Ning Cheng found no other abnormalities.
After waiting and thoroughly checking things, and convinced that nothing had changed, only then did Ning Cheng turn around and seal the entrance once again. Only after that, did he jump down the pit in the middle of the great hall.
His Twin Wings of the Heavenly Clouds had already experienced nirvana[1]; as such, his speed had reached a terrifying level, equalling that of instantaneous teleportation. But since Ning Cheng could already escape from this place back then, he now felt even less worried. Besides, Ning Cheng suspected that the fellow down there couldn’t make it out of the five-sided hall of the Ancient Shadow Temple.
The nether winds raging over the public square were tens of thousands of times more potent than the ones blowing above the pit. But Ning Cheng’s body had already reached the late-stage Starry Sky level. Therefore, the nether winds didn’t affect him in any way. But still, out of precaution, Ning Cheng brought out the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort.
The raging nether winds had already blown open the paper door in the middle of the public square with the words ‘Hell’s Gate’. However, the frame still held in place and kept rattling. Ning Cheng took in a deep breath and slowly walked over to it.
Several waves of nether winds suddenly converged and swept over with a whimper and whining-like sound before attacking Ning Cheng’s Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort. However, the blue thunder fort’s thunder rays overflowed and quickly began dissipating the raging nether winds striking the periphery.
These violent nether winds could easily tear apart an Eternal cultivator to their bones. Yet, in front of Ning Cheng’s Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort, they couldn’t pose even half a point of threat.
Ning Cheng, only at this time, noticed the advantages and realised that his Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort might actually be the nemesis of these nether winds. However, after these winds rolled off the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort, he still felt a little uncomfortable. It felt as if his essence spirit wanted to get out of his body immediately. Fortunately, this feeling was now a lot weaker compared to the last time he came here.
Ning Cheng pushed open the dilapidated paper door and saw the dark Yellow Spring Pool once again.
The Yellow Spring Poll had two doors on the opposite side of the pool with the words ‘Life’ and ‘Death’ over them. Ning Cheng learned from Yi Jiufeng and other’s experiences that entering any of the two doors would lead everyone to the same dead space. Although Ning Cheng believed that he could safely go through it since Chuan Xinlou and the others had gone through it once, he didn’t want to go in now. The primary purpose of coming here was to find Grey Toottoot, and the other was to see where this Ancient Shadow Temple would lead him.
Ning Cheng jumped directly into the Yellow Spring Pool still protected by the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort. The icy chill within the Yellow Spring Pool had a different feel to it compared to the chillness one felt from ice. It was a cold aura that could peel away one’s essence spirit. Fortunately, Ning Cheng had already advanced to the Eternal Realm. As such, his essence spirit was now several times more stable compared to the time in Life and Death Realm. Although this ice-cold aura that could strip away one’s essence spirit had some influence on him, it wasn’t too big to warrant a distraction.
The Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort easily split apart the black and cold water of the Yellow Spring Pool, sinking much faster than the last time.
In just a short time, Ning Cheng fell to the bottom of the Yellow Spring Pool. Fortunately, although the icy-chill that could strip one’s essence spirit compressed the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort, it wasn’t as bad as the last time.
Stepping on the dark-red stone slabs of the Yellow Spring Poll, Ning Cheng immediately heard countless wailing voices around him. These voices, however, felt illusory and ethereal. Even if Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness had grown ten thousand times stronger compared to before, he still couldn’t find the source of these sounds.
Ning Cheng walked to the edge of the blood river at the bottom of the Yellow Spring Pool. The bleak stone arch bridge at the side of the blood river still looked the same as before. Even the blood river rolling under it looked the same.
Ning Cheng even saw the same five characters scribbled on the stone stele at the head of the bridge obscured by a dark-red mist, giving it a mysterious feel. Ning Cheng stopped next to the stone stele that read the First Bridge of Coping[2]. But unlike last time, he didn’t feel Grey Toottoot’s aura here.
Ning Cheng then walked to the middle of the Bridge of Coping. However, he not only did not sense Grey Toottoot’s aura, but he also did not see the black stone man’s debris blocking the path. It seems that after being blasted to smithereens, that ghost soldier had vanished without a trace.
A violent black-coloured nether wind swept over abruptly and rushed straight towards Ning Cheng as if alive.
“Boom” The nether wind blasted over the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort, causing the thunder rays to explode once again. The next moment, the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort’s thunder rays nullified the nether winds into nothingness.
Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness turned a bit cold, but he didn’t feel anything wrong. It made Ning Cheng feel at ease. It also helped Ning Cheng realise that after advancing to the Eternal Realm, his Sea of Consciousness might have already surpassed that of Chuan Xinlou.
After the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort blocked this black-coloured wave of nether wind, seven or eight more waves of violent, dark winds swept over. A whimpering sound suddenly penetrated through the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort, wanting to squeeze into Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness.
Ning Cheng turned furious and brought out the Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear before rushing forward. At the same time, the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort expanded and shot out even larger and thicker bolts of thunder.
Back when he was still in the Life and Death Realm, Ning Cheng could only protect himself against these nether winds. But now he was not a Life and Death cultivator who could only defend himself.
As the thunder rays blew away and neutralised these dark and violent nether winds, the sorrowful whimpering sound grew even tragic. At the same time, Ning Cheng also rolled up waves of powerful spear intent over the Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear. The next moment, he shot them out at the seven or eight incoming waves of nether winds. The dark winds couldn’t withstand the combined onslaught and quickly dissipated into nothingness.
Ning Cheng accelerated even more, and in the blink of an eye reached the opposite end of the stone arch bridge.
A penetrating hollow voice washed over, “Killing my ghost soldiers, grabbing my things; I didn’t come to find you, yet you dare come to my site; die for me……”
When Ning Cheng heard this voice, he understood that this fellow was the one who wanted to hunt him down last time. However, Ning Cheng felt relieved. If this fellow could truly kill him in a few moments, it would have never resorted to so much nonsense.
Holding the Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear tightly, Ning Cheng stepped out of the First Bridge of Coping and snorted, “Don’t pretend to be a ghost in front of me. When you chased after me back then, I said I would come back and repay you ten times what you made me suffer that day. And today, I’m back. Use whatever means you have; otherwise, I’m going to raze this place to the ground.”
After Ning Cheng said those words, he raised his hands and shot out two Time Wheels. The Time Wheels wrapped themselves up in the dao charm of time before sweeping out as a grey-coloured ray of light.
Everything in front of the Time Wheel turned into nothingness. Under the faint grey-coloured light of the Time Wheels, Ning Cheng didn’t even need to use his spiritual consciousness. He could now easily see the scene across the Bridge of Coping. It was a land of rubble, mixed with some uneven black mounds, with pale white bones and dark ash everywhere the eyes could see.
As the Time Wheels swept over this uneven place, it instantly reduced everything in front of it into nothingness, without leaving even a single raised stump.
A skinny man in a black robe appeared within Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness. Despite personally watching Ning Cheng’s Time Wheel sweep by, his shrivelled grey eyes couldn’t even believe it.
While the black-robed man looked at the places swept away by Ning Cheng’s Time Wheel, Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness also landed on the black-robed skeleton somewhere in front of him. Calling it a skeleton would be inaccurate as those bones still had some flesh on it. However, the muscle and skin had almost fused with the bones, showing that it at least was a person, albeit near bones. The black robe over this fellow’s body covered his feet and gave people the impression that this person wasn’t standing on the ground at all. Instead, it looked as if this person floated a few inches above the ground.
The black robe covering this person, most likely, was a top-grade artefact as Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness couldn’t penetrate it at all.
“This is a Laws of Time-related spirit technique……” The black-robed man took in a deep breath before speaking out after a long while and in complete surprise.
The Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear in Ning Cheng’s hand rolled up a Void Breaking Spear Pattern before blasting out. He also replied with a cold voice, “You’re right. Today, I will let you become a true ghost in this place….”
After seeing this black-robed man, Ning Cheng felt sure that this black-robed man was a cultivator, definitely not a ghost or a nether spirit.
Ning Cheng’s Traceless Spear had long since changed from the spear intent he had learned at the beginning. The spear intent he had learned from within the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort felt boundless, and even its imposing manner could tear through a star by itself. After he comprehended the Returning-to-one Dao Laws, this Traceless Spear had long since evolved to a different level.
Although Ning Cheng hasn’t yet touched the Laws of Space, his spear could traverse the space and erase the distance of the attack in the shortest time. Moreover, this spear also contained countless spear patterns. Each of these spear patterns had enough killing power to bind the opponent, and enough spear intent to tear through all obstacles in its path.
After Ning Cheng gained a certain level of comprehension in handling a spear, these spear patterns could even transform into a more powerful spear domain. It even had a capability similar to that of the Five-coloured Star Splitter Arrow that could lock on to the opponent first before launching.
“Stop……” The black-robed man yelled anxiously. At the same time, the black-robe over his body expanded like a balloon filled with air.
“Bang-Bang-Bang……” The Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear’s killing intent and the countless spear pattern all blasted onto the black robe, giving out dull explosive sounds.
Ning Cheng wouldn’t stop. He vaguely felt that this man in black robes had much lower cultivation compared to the past when he had chased after him. But for Ning Cheng, even if the opponent’s cultivation had not changed at all, he wouldn’t stop.
“I came here only for cultivation. I have no grievances or any grudges with you. You even took my things, yet you still behave so aggressively….” The black-robed man saw that Ning Cheng didn’t want to stop, and his tone also overflowed with hatred.
Ning Cheng stopped at this time. His domain and imposing manner entirely covered the black-robed man and spoke with a cold voice, “No grievances and no grudges? You snatched away my companion beast Grey Toottoot, and you dare say that we have no grievances or hatred?”
“Grey Toottoot? That demonic beast with a trace of Spirit Beast[3] All-devourer’s[4] blood, is that yours?” The black-robed man asked in surprise.
Ning Cheng had never heard of Spirit Beast All-devourer, and asked in confusion, “Who is Spirit Beast All-devourer? Is Grey Toottoot a descendant of this All-devourer?”
“Not exactly.” The black-robed man spoke up with. “An All-devourer is not something easy to raise. It’s a legendary top-grade spirit beast, a beast which can devour and imitate all types of law-related spirit techniques. That…… Grey Toottoot only has a trace of All-devourer’s blood. It’s not even close to the most ordinary kind of starry sky beasts containing that bloodline, not to mention becoming a true All-devourer.”
The words of this black-robed man had an indirect implication. ‘Your companion beast isn’t even equivalent to ordinary starry sky beasts, so don’t even mention spirit beasts at all.’ The only valuable thing on it was the trace of All-devourer’s bloodline. However, it’s next-to-impossible to raise an authentic All-devourer, let alone Grey Toottoot, which only contains a thin sliver of its blood.
Only now did Ning Cheng understand why Cang Wei appreciated Grey Toottoot. It was because it contained a trace of a spirit beast’s blood. But he wasn’t in the mood to talk about this All-devourer. What he cared about was Grey Toottoot’s whereabouts.
“Where is Grey Toottoot? Tell me, and if I’m in a better mood, I might just let you go.” As Ning Cheng spoke, he applied more pressure through his domain.
[1] The raws do not tell when Ning Cheng upgraded the Twin Wings of the Heavenly Clouds, so I’m assuming he did it during the three-year stay at the start of this volume.
[2] Changed ‘First Naihe Bridge’ to ‘First Bridge of Coping’.
[3] Beast Rankings: ordinary animals, ordinary beasts, demonic/spiritual beasts, starry sky demonic/spiritual beasts, divine/spirit beast.
[4] The exact characters are Zhu Fang (诸方), which I decided to translate as ‘All-devourer’ based on the described characteristics.
