Lingyun Mountain and Sea

The end of the old road.

Nie Chenzhou stopped in his tracks.

A figure in grey stood in the twilight, the hem of which fluttered gently in the evening breeze.

Nie Chenzhou squinted as he observed the slender figure opposite him. There was no flow of spiritual energy or the imposing aura of a powerful being.

He looks like an ordinary person.

but...

How could an ordinary person possibly go to such a remote and desolate place?

How could an ordinary person possibly let the fingerprints on their wrist feel slightly warm?

"interesting..."

As danger loomed, a glint of light appeared in Nie Chenzhou's eyes, and ghostly energy surged around him.

The next moment...

He turned and ran.

Breaking through the clouds, his speed was at its maximum.

The gray-clad man blocked the old road leading north, so Nie Chenzhou fled south, reaching a small hill before turning west...

Half an hour later.

Nie Chenzhou slowed his pace; ahead lay a dry riverbed.

A person stood on the riverbed, and that figure was even more like a ghost than him.

"..."

Nie Chenzhou felt a chill run down his spine.

He was certain that no one was following him during his escape. Even the few times he turned around were impromptu decisions, and he himself was unsure where he would land next.

As a result, it was still blocked.

"Okay, okay."

Nie Chenzhou stopped running away, looked down at his wrist, where the gray-white finger mark was still pressed against his skin. He directly made a knife with his left hand and cleanly slashed his right wrist.

"Click."

His entire right hand was severed at the wrist, falling into the grass and turning into a wisp of pure ghostly energy.

Nie Chenzhou didn't even glance at the severed hand, turned around and fled for more than ten miles.

When the new wrist grew out of the cut, he looked down and wanted to curse. The grayish-white finger marks were still there, growing on the new flesh, exactly the same as before.

At this point, any lingering hope in Nie Chenzhou's heart had completely vanished.

When it becomes clear that the odds are against them today, the hope is dashed, and another mentality called "madness" takes hold.

He slowly raised his head, a hint of excitement lurking beneath his gloomy eyes.

If you can't escape it, then give it a try.

Nie Chenzhou took a step forward, and his natal ghost fire suddenly blazed up. Then he raised his hand and grabbed forward with his five fingers.

Every strike is the strongest one.

The Yin Fire transformed into a gigantic ghostly hand comparable to a mountain, its palm lines filled with tiny ghostly faces, all of which covered the area in front of it.

Before the giant hand even landed, the roadside weeds couldn't withstand the pressure and were flattened outwards before turning into dust.

Shen Gui's black hair danced in the wind, but he didn't move an inch, until the giant hand was only a foot away from him.

He looked up and met Nie Chenzhou's gaze.

In that instant, Nie Chenzhou felt as if someone had squeezed his heart, causing his internal energy to collapse and become chaotic, and the ghostly green flames to surge back and devour him.

"Well!"

Nie Chenzhou felt a tightness in his chest, the ghostly energy within his body was in chaos like a pot of boiling water, and his meridians ached inch by inch. He still wanted to stand, but his right knee gave way first, and he crashed into the old road.

"Thump."

The rubble exploded.

He knelt down on his left knee, his hands supporting him on the ground, his knuckles digging into the mud, unable to even lift his head.

The battle ended in an instant.

Nie Chenzhou knelt on the ground, panting heavily. Just a moment ago, the oppressive feeling had hysterically assaulted his mind, causing him to tremble.

Before he made his move, he was still looking at the moon from the bottom of a well.

Only after making a move did I realize that I was just a speck of dust, and all I could see when I looked up was the blue sky.

"Tap tap tap." The sound of shoes hitting the muddy ground rang out.

The person drew closer.

"Hehe—"

Nie Chenzhou let out a low laugh; he had tried everything but still lost.

He did not beg for mercy, nor did he offer any explanation for what Teruno Mune had done.

A defeat is a defeat, and weakness is weakness.

The strong are respected, and the weak deserve to be bullied. Why should there be so many grievances to be told?

Since death was inevitable anyway, the stronger the gray-clad man was, the happier Nie Chenzhou became.

It's not so bad to die at the hands of such a strong person; it's better than being worn down to death by a bunch of ants when you're old.

Nie Chenzhou's shoulders began to tremble slightly; this was the madness before death, a morbid excitement.

He struggled to lift his head slightly: "You're at the Lingxu Realm?"

Shen Gui looked down from his high vantage point.

Nie Chenzhou's eyes lit up, and he asked again, "Is it the Mountain and Sea Realm?!"

His voice trembled as he said those words.

In this world, there are sects that specialize in collecting news from all four continents and then compiling it into various lists.

The younger generation watches "Legend of Fuyao," while the courts of various countries keep an eye on "The Universe List," and the list of weapons is called "The World's Weapon Catalogue."

There are also some trivial lists made out of boredom, such as the "Light Clouds Obscuring the Moon List," which ranks the beauty of women all over the world.

But what truly matters to the strong throughout history is only one list.

—The Myriad Phenomena of Heaven.

The list only records fifty people, ranked according to their cultivation level.

These fifty people were also hailed as the strongest in the entire world.

Even before he became a ghost, Nie Chenzhou loved to compete with others in terms of cultivation level and was extremely obsessed with strength.

After becoming a ghost and gaining intelligence, he would flip through that list at any time. His biggest thought in life was to one day carve his name on it.

The Myriad Phenomena Soaring to the Heavens Ranking.

Breaking through the clouds to compete for a spot.

Lingxu is in the upper section.

Shanhai Town ranked first.

The Mountain and Sea are beings powerful enough to protect a nation. In the past, when the Ghost Saint sat before the palace, which of the hundred lineages of the Ghost Clan dared to make a move?

As for the Yan Kingdom, since the death of Yan Zu, it has never left the Mountain and Sea Realm, a fact known to all four continents.

This is why the Northern Tripods, the main war clans, dared to venture deeper into the territory of the Yan Kingdom, layer by layer.

But the oppressive aura emanating from the person before him was far beyond that of someone at the Lingxu Realm.

Nie Chenzhou stared at Shen Gui, his breathing becoming heavier.

"The Yan Kingdom doesn't have a Mountain and Sea Realm. Which one of you is on the list?"

"I am neither mountains nor seas."

Shen Gui replied with his first words.

Nie Chenzhou was stunned. Not the Mountain and Sea Realm?

He wanted to ask more, but Shen Gui suddenly raised his hand and pointed his index finger at Nie Chenzhou's brow.

There was no darkness of death, but a chill that seeped into your bones.

Nie Chenzhou felt as if a speck of light had been placed into the deepest part of his soul.

The point of light took root upon landing, forming a fine, restrictive pattern that spread out and firmly encircled the soul core.

Almost the instant his soul was captured, Nie Chenzhou knew what had been placed into his sea of ​​consciousness.

This is... a Soul Forbidden Zone.

From now on, if the other party has even a single thought, no matter how far apart we are, they can make me utterly terrified.

But this also means one thing...

Nie Chenzhou looked up and asked, "You're not going to kill me?"

Shen Gui said, "Help me with some tasks."

"it is good."

Nie Chenzhou answered quickly.

Even Shen Gui frowned slightly at the speed: "You agreed so quickly?"

Nie Chenzhou grinned, showing no shame whatsoever.

"The strong are respected, the weak deserve to die. Those below my level are nothing but ants. You are stronger than my former leader, isn't it normal for me to deal with you?"

This statement sounds problematic at first glance, but upon closer examination, it seems to make some sense.

Shen Gui didn't ask any more questions about the matter and revealed his true purpose.

"I ask you, what happened to Yin Ling's lineage after Bai Xingjian's death?"

Upon hearing the name Bai Xingjian, Nie Chenzhou's eyelids twitched. Was he really addressing the Holy Emperor by his title?

He went through the Mountain and Sea Realm of the "Myriad Phenomena Heavenly Ranking" again, but could not find the corresponding person.

Nie Chenzhou wanted to think further, but the soul restriction in his sea of ​​consciousness suddenly jolted, and intense pain spread throughout his body along all his nerves.

This is a pain that wounds the very soul, one that cannot be endured by willpower alone.

"Ah—" Nie Chenzhou curled up on the ground and it took a while for him to feel better.

Shen Gui said, "Speak."

"Yin Ling's lineage has lost power."

Nie Chenzhou struggled to his feet. "With the Holy Emperor dead, the conservative factions can no longer protect them, and the pro-war faction finds them a hindrance. Now they are practically trapped."

Shen Gui asked, "Who circled it?"

Nie Chenzhou immediately said, "On the surface, they are people from Lingzhuo and Baiqi's factions, but in secret they are under Mr. Bai's command."

"Your surname is Bai?"

"Yes, no one has ever seen his face, at least I haven't."

This time, Nie Chenzhou did not hesitate. "The entire plan for the world is not done in a scattered manner. We are scattered in various countries to test the conditions for the formation of the Sha Realm, and also to test the current reaction speed of the imperial court."

As he said this, he looked up at Shen Gui and said, "I'm in charge of the Yan Kingdom side."

Shen Gui steered the conversation back on track: "Let me tell you more about Yin Ling's lineage."

Nie Chenzhou replied, "They adhere to the old rules of the Holy Emperor, refusing to participate in the southward journey or hand over the old treaty documents. Now they are suffering losses because of this. Those who abide by the rules are most likely to be bitten by the rules first. If I were Clan Chief Yin Ling, I would rather improve my cultivation level and break the deadlock by force."

"Go back."

Shen Gui said.

Nie Chenzhou was taken aback.

After a moment of thought, Shen Gui said, "Just say that the remains were destroyed in Yan Kingdom and your original body was implicated. Go back to Bei Che to apologize, find a way to get close to Yin Ling's lineage, secretly protect them, and at the same time find an opportunity to bring back what happened there."

After saying that, he opened his hand, revealing a star that was so close yet so far in his palm.

"You've returned to the Northern Tripod, let it turn red once more."

"Get close to the Yinling lineage and make it turn red twice."

"If it is discovered or encounters danger, turn it red three times."

"Make a note of Teruno's debt."

After Shen Gui finished speaking, he handed over the "A Thousand Miles in a Short Stroke" device.

"I've got it." Nie Chenzhou accepted the green beans with both hands.

He didn't ask why this thing could send a warning across continents, nor did he ask himself if he had any chance of survival.

The soul-binding spell has already been cast; asking these questions is pointless.

Nie Chenzhou put the green beans into his pocket. His face was pale, but his eyes were very bright.

This is a gaze that shows utmost reverence for the strong, an extreme obsession with realm and strength.

He suddenly asked, "If I do a good job, could I witness your full effort?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a shocking image flashed through his mind.

If I could see it with my own eyes, what would death matter?

Shen Gui did not answer; his gray clothes faded away little by little in the twilight.

Nie Chenzhou then realized that there was still the most important question he hadn't asked.

"Is the senior listed in the 'Myriad Phenomena Ranking'?"

The wind stopped for a moment, but Nie Chenzhou didn't receive a reply.

The gray clothes were completely scattered.

Only one person remained kneeling on the old road, the wild grass bent again by the night wind, as if nothing had ever happened.

Nie Chenzhou touched his brow.

The forbidden mark was hidden in his soul, invisible to others, but he could clearly feel that slight chill.

This is not a chain.

At least not for him.

This is a mark left by the strong themselves.

It is a reward.

Nie Chenzhou stood up, the mud on his knees falling off in a flurry. He looked north, the excitement in his eyes still lingering.

Then, with a flash, he disappeared into the night.

Midway through, Nie Chenzhou saw an intelligent tiger demon. The demon was drinking water, but when it bumped into him, its beastly eyes were filled with fear, and it ran into the forest as fast as it could.

Nie Chenzhou cursed "ant" and continued flying away.

After traveling another hundred miles, a small black bone tablet in his arms suddenly became hot.

On the card, white characters gradually emerged.

[Mr. Bai summons you.]