Deadly Land

The night was long and serene, the bright moon illuminating the mountain forest. A gentle breeze rustled the young willows, accompanied by the chirping of insects and the babbling of a stream—a perfect pastoral scene.

Li Jiusheng decided to set off without further hesitation. He took the Little Fox and set out that very night, heading for the South Ridge Mountain Range.

This was his first time leaving the mountain in nearly a hundred years, and he felt a sense of novelty.

It was also the Little Fox's first time leaving its familiar surroundings since its birth, and it too felt a strong sense of novelty.

Man and fox, they stepped into the night, traveling on the wind.

"The last time I left the mountain gate was to buy daily necessities in a distant city on a mountain road. That was seventy or eighty years ago," Li Jiusheng sighed.

"Are you that old?" the Little Fox asked innocently.

"To mortals, I am already decrepit. But on the path of cultivation, I am merely an ascetic climber," Li Jiusheng replied. With his two rebirths, his life had taken a completely different turn, and he no longer worried about his lifespan.

Under the moonlight, Li Jiusheng traveled on the wind. He expanded his Domain, enveloping himself and breaking free from the earth's constraints. He could now fly, moving at incredible speed.

The Little Fox stood on Li Jiusheng's shoulder, its nine tails intertwined like a snow-white scarf around his neck.

Everything was new as soon as they left the mountain gate, even flying.

Within Shangqing Palace, although Li Jiusheng possessed the strength of the late Great Grandmaster stage, he had never flown at full speed before.

Now, he was like a mythical immortal, soaring through the sky, like an arrow loosed from a bow, heading straight for the distance. The strong winds howled past his ears, but they couldn't affect him in the slightest, being automatically parted by Li Jiusheng's Domain as they approached.

Since ancient times, the greatest distinction between those who had achieved cultivation and ordinary mortals was the ability to fly.

The obsession of cultivators with flight was etched into their very bones.

Li Jiusheng was no exception.

He was exhilarated, channeling all his energy to push his speed to the limit, heading straight for the South Ridge Mountain Range, thirty thousand miles away.

After flying for half the night, his excitement gradually subsided. Li Jiusheng maintained his speed, concealing his aura to avoid attracting attention.

He had flown thirty thousand miles throughout the entire night.

As dawn broke the next day, Li Jiusheng arrived at the South Ridge Mountain Range.

Li Qingshan had been right. The South Ridge Mountain Range was extremely lively at this moment. People from various major powers had gathered here, transforming the usually quiet mountain range into a bustling metropolis.

Li Jiusheng landed from a distance and walked on the ground. Along the way, he saw people from various major powers heading towards the depths of the South Ridge Mountain Range.

Li Jiusheng concealed his aura, appearing as an ordinary old man, leading a snow-white fox and following the crowd.

He overheard many discussions along the way.

Someone said, "I never expected the Heavenly Emperor City Ruins to be in the South Ridge Mountain Range. This place used to be a gathering place for demons and monsters, desolate and uninhabited. Now it's so lively. Truly, the world is unpredictable."

Another said, "Indeed. It's said that with the emergence of the Heavenly Emperor City Ruins this time, all the Grandmasters from various sects wanted a piece of the pie. But unfortunately, there's a Restriction in place, which is why we are allowed to explore it. This is also our opportunity."

Everyone nodded, their faces full of longing. Although they would have to compete with some Venerables, it was still better than fighting Grandmasters.

Among the crowd were some rogue cultivators with impressive auras. One said, "The Heavenly Emperor City Ruins appearing in a Deadly Land makes the danger even greater. With the Grandmasters of the major powers unable to participate this time, it's definitely a good thing for us rogue cultivators. Perhaps by seizing this opportunity, we can break through to the Ancestor Realm."

"I heard the Heavenly Emperor City Ruins haven't opened yet, and there's only one person inside right now?" someone asked.

Li Jiusheng's eyebrows twitched, and he listened silently.

"That's right. Currently, there's only one person in that Deadly Land. He's from the Outer Domain and brought a treasure once used by the Heavenly Emperor, which awakened the Heavenly Emperor City Ruins. The commotion was so great that it attracted the Grandmasters of all major powers, who then sealed off the exits of the Deadly Land, intending to capture him for questioning. However, that person accidentally activated the Deadly Land's Defense, making it impossible to enter for a short period. But the Grandmasters are already investigating and should be able to enter soon," a disciple from a prominent sect, dressed in luxurious attire, explained.

"What's the situation with that Deadly Land?" someone asked in surprise.

Li Jiusheng also wanted to know and listened silently among the crowd.

"It's unclear when this Deadly Land was born. It has its own Operating Rules, completely different from the outside world. In the past, although the Deadly Land was dangerous, one could enter with caution. But this time, an accidental activation has caused the Deadly Land to revive. Coupled with the appearance of the Heavenly Emperor City Ruins, the combination makes it impossible to enter," the disciple from the righteous sect explained.

"But please rest assured, everyone. The Grandmaster of my sect is already working tirelessly to repair the Deadly Land. I believe we will be able to enter within a day or two. At that time, both disciples of major sects and skilled rogue cultivators can enter and seek their own opportunities," the disciple from the righteous sect announced loudly, his face full of pride and his words impassioned, causing the surrounding cultivators to applaud.

"As expected of a major Daoist sect, their vision is broad. Fair competition is the way to go."

"Yes, fair competition leads to flourishing. Heavenly Dao Sect's Grandmaster has worked hard."

Li Jiusheng, standing behind the crowd, glanced at the disciple from the major sect who had spoken. He hadn't expected him to be from the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Before he could form any thoughts, a sarcastic voice came from behind him: "Shameless. It was the Grandmasters of all major powers working together to repair the Deadly Land, but he claims it was solely the Heavenly Dao Sect's Grandmaster working tirelessly, completely ignoring the contributions of other Grandmasters and taking all the credit. What a hypocrite."

Li Jiusheng glanced sideways. The speaker was a well-built young man wearing warrior attire, holding a long sword, with his arms crossed. He frowned as he watched the Heavenly Dao Sect disciple boasting.

It was him who had been speaking just now.

The well-built young man noticed Li Jiusheng looking at him, shrugged, said nothing, and strode away, parting the crowd.

Li Jiusheng watched as the Heavenly Dao Sect disciple continued to boast about how hard their Grandmaster was working. He too parted the crowd and headed towards the depths of the South Ridge Mountain Range.

The South Ridge Mountain Range was a vast mountain range stretching from north to south. Its peaks were verdant, its mountains layered, shrouded in mist, presenting a magnificent spectacle, and its Spiritual Energy was abundant.

If not for the Deadly Land within the South Ridge Mountain Range, which made it extremely dangerous, some force would undoubtedly have established its sect here. Instead, it had become an area that no one paid attention to.

Li Jiusheng had read about the might of Deadly Lands in some Daoist texts. Once, an unparalleled expert had built his sect upon a Deadly Land, believing he could suppress it. However, one day, the Deadly Land erupted, unleashing unimaginable power that instantly engulfed the entire sect, turning it into scorched earth. Not a single person escaped.

What is a Deadly Land?

It is a place where you don't know why it appeared, how much energy it contains, or if it can be controlled. Once it erupts, it spells utter destruction.

The Deadly Land in the South Ridge Mountain Range was the same.

Legend had it that long ago, there was no Deadly Land in the South Ridge Mountain Range. It was once the abode of demons. Later, this Deadly Land descended from the heavens, landing in the depths of the South Ridge Mountain Range, instantly annihilating the demons. This shocked the cultivation world of the Central Land at that time.

Back then, various experts came to investigate, but found nothing. Several Grandmasters entered the Deadly Land to explore, and none returned. This scared off other forces, and from then on, there were no more Demon Race in the Central Land, and the South Ridge Mountain Range fell into complete disuse and silence.

Until today, when the Heavenly Emperor City Ruins appeared, and the South Ridge Mountain Range returned to public view.

When Li Jiusheng arrived deep in the South Ridge Mountain Range and stood atop a high peak, gazing into the distance, he saw this Deadly Land.

The crimson soil stretched as far as the eye could see. It was like a volcanic eruption, extremely hot, with fragments of earth and stone everywhere. There were also mountains. As far as the eye could see, the depths seemed to hold broken walls and ruins, like a wasteland.

"This is the Deadly Land?" Li Jiusheng exclaimed. It was his first time seeing it. He had only read about it in books before, and the words couldn't give him a visual. He could only imagine it himself, but Li Jiusheng's experience was too shallow to conjure any images. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, he was greatly shocked.

Between heaven and earth lay this Deadly Land.

Within the Deadly Land, it was like an isolated small world. Within this world, the rules of operation were completely different from the outside.

Li Jiusheng saw energy fluctuations above the Deadly Land, with traces of formations blocking others from entering. However, the formations were faint and intermittent. He looked around, keenly capturing the energy fluctuations, knowing that the various Grandmasters were breaking through the formations of the Deadly Land.

"It seems it's really close. One, two, three, four, five... a total of nine Grandmasters are breaking through the formation of this Deadly Land." Li Jiusheng carefully counted the energy fluctuations. These nine Grandmasters were positioned in different directions, jointly breaking the formation of the Deadly Land.

"Uh, there's actually a small town built in front of the Deadly Land." Li Jiusheng looked to the other side and found that the deep part of the South Ridge Mountain Range, which was usually deserted, had been leveled, the forests destroyed, and a small town built with various ancient trees. There were thousands of cultivators coming and going in the town, and outsiders were continuously arriving.

"These are people waiting to enter the Deadly Land, from various sects and factions. There must be a lot of news." Li Jiusheng descended from the mountain peak, intending to enter the town to gather some information.

Although called a town, it was actually vast. Major forces were leveling mountains and building their camps on a large scale.

As Li Jiusheng approached, he saw a fiery scene. The disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect, who had been boasting loudly on the road, had also arrived here, still promoting the great achievements of their sect's Grandmaster.

The sturdy young man in warrior attire also arrived in the town. Li Jiusheng saw him enter a camp, in front of which hung a plaque with four large characters.

Sword Forging Manor!

"The Manor Lord of the Sword Forging Manor rose in the same era as my sect's Grandmaster. He walked the path of a Sword Cultivator. After reaching the Grandmaster realm, his combat power was extraordinary, and he achieved remarkable results in battles against the Outer Domain. After the war subsided, he founded the Sword Forging Manor. The swords forged by his hand were full of spirituality, and they could easily cut through ordinary magical artifacts when they clashed." Information about the Sword Forging Manor surfaced in Li Jiusheng's mind.

The Sword Forging Manor was highly favored by the various Sword Immortals in the Old Land. They mastered unique sword forging techniques, and every Sword Immortal wanted to go to the Sword Forging Manor to obtain a sword that suited them.

Therefore, the Sword Forging Manor did not decline like Shangqing Palace and has always maintained the demeanor of a major sect.

"But it seems that the people from the Sword Forging Manor and the disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect don't get along." Li Jiusheng muttered. Thinking about it, it was normal. The Sword Forging Manor's members all practiced swordsmanship, and those who practiced swordsmanship valued a clear sword heart and an unwavering spirit. They didn't have so many twists and turns. Right was right, and wrong was wrong. Naturally, they disliked the hypocritical methods of the Heavenly Dao Sect.

With this thought, Li Jiusheng wandered around the town.

Along the way, he noticed many forces establishing themselves here.

Among them was the Hunyuan Dao.

Li Jiusheng paused for a moment in front of the Hunyuan Dao camp and looked carefully.

"The Founding Grandmaster of Hunyuan Dao was named Huntian Old Ancestor. He was a comrade-in-arms with my sect's Grandmaster back then, and their friendship was deep. Although the two sects did not interact much later, just based on what that brat Yu Chaoyang did, the fact that Hunyuan Dao did not kill him or have the older generation suppress him with their Aura/Momentum was already doing more than enough." Li Jiusheng muttered to himself.

"If Yu Chaoyang could pull himself together and pursue the current Saintess of Hunyuan Dao, then it wouldn't be impossible for our Shangqing Palace and Hunyuan Dao to become in-laws and renew our ties." Thinking of this, Li Jiusheng couldn't help but look around, wanting to find that brat Yu Chaoyang.

But unfortunately, Yu Chaoyang did not appear.

The Saintess of Hunyuan Dao also did not appear.

There were only some ordinary disciples in the camp building houses. Li Jiusheng took a couple of glances and lost interest, turning to leave.

The Little Fox had been very well-behaved, sitting quietly on his shoulder, observing the surroundings, and was very curious about everything.

Midway, he wanted to gather some information, but what he heard was only superficial information, no different from what Li Qingshan had told him. Li Jiusheng was therefore unwilling to inquire further.

"Everything will have to wait until the Deadly Land opens and we enter it to explore. Any more talk now is baseless." Li Jiusheng left the town and found a quiet place in the nearby mountains and forests, sat cross-legged, and meditated quietly.

It would take another day or two for the Deadly Land to open, and he didn't want to waste these two days.

Soon, daylight passed, and night fell.

In the South Ridge Mountain Range, under the dark night, night mist swirled. The mountains were lush and green, with the chirping of insects like threads, adding to the desolation and tranquility.

A bright moon hung high in the sky, casting its clear moonlight, covering the entire South Ridge Mountain Range. The gullies and ravines were filled, and as far as the eye could see, the entire mountain range was dyed silver-white.

By the middle of the night, the dew was heavy, and the moonlight poured down. Spiritual Energy steamed from the mountains and fields, bubbling like a thin layer of mist rising. The distant mountains became hazy, like a painting.

Li Jiusheng cultivated in this picturesque scene, with various energies intertwining within his body and various cultivation techniques evolving. The center of his brow glowed, and his Primordial spirit entered dreams, experiencing different lives and tempering his Primordial spirit power.

"As I break through to the late stage of Great Grandmaster, my accumulation has deepened once again. My third rebirth is not far away." Li Jiusheng observed his body, fully aware of his accumulation, and knew what stage his progress was at.

The moment he broke through to Venerable would be the day of his third rebirth.

"I wonder if this Deadly Land and the Heavenly Emperor City Ruins can help me break through to Venerable and complete my third rebirth?" Li Jiusheng gazed at the desolate Deadly Land in the distance, a hint of anticipation in his heart.