In the dark space, a figure swiftly darted through.
Stopping before a cave embedded with glowing fluorite, the figure gazed at the entrance of the cave. Within the fluorite’s radiance at the entrance, faint traces of spiritual light could be seen. The man’s cold and handsome face showed a barely perceptible hint of surprise, which quickly gave way to caution.
“Woo~~”
Beside the man, a black-furred, leopard-like beast emitted a soft whining sound, as though urging him to hurry inside.
Ning Zhezhou glanced down at the urging Nether Leopard by his side. In this cold and dark space, the Nether Leopard almost blended perfectly with its surroundings, save for its glowing eyes in the darkness. Those eyes held a power from the netherworld, reminding one that this beast was different from ordinary creatures, as if a moment’s carelessness would drag one into the netherworld itself.
He reached out and patted the Nether Leopard’s head, speaking softly, “No rush.”
The Nether Leopard, though impatient, saw his caution and could only scrape its four claws against the ground in frustration, suppressing its eagerness.
After testing for a while to ensure there was no danger in the cave, Ning Zhezhou finally entered with the Nether Leopard.
The cave was extremely deep, rising dozens of feet high. Fluorite embedded high on the rock walls emitted a cold, faint blue light, illuminating the entire cave. It also revealed the massive ferocious beast lying curled up deep inside. Its eyes were closed, as though in slumber.
At the sight of such a colossal being, Ning Zhezhou’s expression stiffened slightly, and he instinctively grew vigilant. Fortunately, he could sense that the beast no longer carried any signs of life. Even so, the powerful aura lingering around the corpse of this high-level beast was enough to instill deep fear, making it almost unbearable to share the same space with it.
To maintain such a terrifying aura even in death testified to its immense strength in life.
This was the corpse of at least a King-level beast that had already reached the stage of transformation—equivalent to a cultivator at the Yuan Emperor Stage or higher.
Though its time of death was uncertain, the body was well-preserved. Its fur remained sharp as needles, without a hint of decay, and its bones, condensed with its accumulated cultivation, were incredibly tough.
The Nether Leopard whined again, its gaze on the beast’s corpse filled with both longing and apprehension.
Ning Zhezhou reassured it softly, “No rush, it’s yours.”
With that, he stepped forward and collected the beast’s corpse. Even in death, a beast of such a level was invaluable, its body a treasure trove. Particularly with a high-level beast that had already reached the stage of transformation.
Just as he stored it in his storage bag, Ning Zhezhou turned swiftly, sword drawn before him, shouting, “Who’s there?”
The Nether Leopard reacted instantly, its shadow vanishing into the darkness like a ghost, seemingly everywhere yet nowhere, locking on to the intruder outside the cave.
A figure appeared at the cave’s entrance.
It was a strikingly handsome man in a light blue brocade robe. His arched brows and sharp features exuded elegance, his hair bound by a jade crown. Across his forehead rested a green jade ornament, and at his waist hung a jade flute. His demeanor was extraordinary. His expression was cold, his gaze on Ning Zhezhou carrying a mix of scrutiny and indifference. There was an air of authority about him, a presence cultivated over years in a position of power, clearly not someone from a small, insignificant place.
Ning Zhezhou’s eyes narrowed slightly, instantly realizing that this man was not a cultivator from Dongling Kingdom.
He was familiar with the younger generation of cultivators in Dongling Kingdom, but he had never seen this person before. Coupled with recent incidents in the Lintai Hunting Valley where several Dongling Kingdom cultivators had been killed, he had already sensed that this opening of the Lintai Hunting Valley had drawn in many outsiders.
These foreign cultivators possessed high cultivation levels, and their motives were unclear. They had come to the Lintai Hunting Valley neither to train nor to search for treasures, as some even disdained the valley’s resources. Combined with the deaths of several cultivators at their hands, it was suspected that their true purpose was simply to kill for amusement.
As a member of the Dongling royal clan, Ning Zhezhou bore the responsibility of protecting the cultivators of Dongling Kingdom. By chance, he had encountered conflicts between these outsiders and local cultivators and was ready to intervene. However, a newly emerged cave dwelling had drawn everyone’s attention to this place, preventing him from interrogating the outsiders about their intentions.
The newcomer examined him briefly, then spoke with utmost certainty, “Ning Zhezhou of the Ning Clan of Dongling.”
Ning Zhezhou calmly looked at him and asked, “Senior, may I ask who you are?”
“Sacred Martial Hall, Yin Xingheng.”
Ning Zhezhou’s expression flickered slightly, though his heart churned with waves of shock. He managed to keep his face steady without revealing any trace of his inner turmoil.
Yin Xingheng’s face showed a faint smile as he said, “I believe you’ve heard of the name Sacred Martial Hall. This time, we, the Sons of Saint Martial, have come to Dongling in search of the Chosen One.”
Ning Zhezhou was no fool and immediately grasped his meaning. He asked, “Am I a candidate for the Chosen One?”
“Precisely.”
Ning Zhezhou’s expression grew uncertain as he looked at him, remaining silent for a long time.
—
The wind swept across the ground, carrying a faint, lingering hum that hovered by his ears.
“Your Highness… Your Highness…”
Ning Yuzhou slowly opened his eyes. Pain surged over him along with the return of consciousness, overwhelming him with the sensation that nearly every bone in his body had been shattered. Yet beyond the agony, there was another, unfamiliar sensation.
He could finally feel the omnipresent Yuan Spiritual Qi in the air.
Qian Shou, seeing him awake, breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took out a few spiritual pills to feed him, among them a Bone Reformation Pill.
Having fallen from a height of tens of thousands of feet, Ning Yuzhou, as a mortal without cultivation, was fortunate to have only broken his bones. The worst-case scenario would have been instant death.
Enduring the excruciating pain of his bones regenerating and reforming, akin to thousands of ants gnawing at his marrow, Ning Yuzhou hoarsely asked, “Did you see Ah Chuo?”
Qian Shou paused and said nothing.
A sense of foreboding rose in Ning Yuzhou’s heart, and his voice grew sharper, “Where is Ah Chuo?”
Qian Shou glanced at him and, with difficulty, said, “The madam… is dead.”
“Impossible!” Ning Yuzhou exclaimed, but in the next moment, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His already pale face turned ashen.
Qian Shou, alarmed, quickly fed him more spiritual pills. Choosing his words carefully, he said, “Your Highness, I would not deceive you. When I found you, you still had a faint breath of life, but the madam… due to her severe injuries and the fall, her body could not withstand it and had already… lost all signs of life.”
At this point, Qian Shou could not bear to look at his expression.
Lying on the ground, Ning Yuzhou stared blankly at the impenetrable darkness of the ceiling above him.
Qian Shou looked at him worriedly. A few days ago, after they had entered the Light Gate, they hadn’t expected the teleportation array behind it to be random, scattering everyone. They had wandered the maze for a long time without finding an exit. Then, for some unknown reason, the maze suddenly collapsed, revealing a vast, dark space below. Everyone fell from the maze into the abyss.
Fortunately, they were all cultivators. Although falling from such a great height had left them battered and injured, none had sustained fatal wounds.
After regrouping, the Qianlin Guards had followed the contractual bond to search for Ning Yuzhou. When they found him, however, they saw that one was dead, and the other was severely injured.
As for Wen Qiao, the new madam, Qian Shou had only interacted with her for the past half-month. His impression of her was that of a frail, quiet young lady who rarely spoke. She seemed delicate and in need of protection. Though he didn’t understand why his master would bring someone so lacking in combat ability and reliant on others into the Lintai Hunting Valley, he could tell that his master cared deeply for her—going so far as to help her recuperate her body, plan her cultivation, and revolve his actions around her. Even entering the Lintai Hunting Valley this time was for her sake.
Qian Shou had never seen his master care so much for anyone, and it was clear that his master liked this wife, who had been betrothed to him since childhood.
But now, the madam was dead.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Ning Yuzhou hoarsely asked, “Where is her body?”
Qian Shou snapped back to attention and quickly replied, “It was taken by a beast that looked like a rabbit.”
Ning Yuzhou turned his head to look at him. His gaze was calm and distant, yet it sent chills down Qian Shou’s spine. Forcing himself to continue, Qian Shou said, “I was incompetent. I don’t know where that beast came from. Its speed was astonishing, and its strength was beyond comprehension. While I was rescuing you, it seized the madam’s body and dragged it away. I’ve already sent other Qianlin Guards to search for it.”
Ning Yuzhou said nothing. He remained lying on the ground, his clothes tattered and soaked in blood—both his own and Wen Qiao’s.
Qian Shou stayed by his side. Seeing his silence, he dared not speak without permission.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the low moan of the wind, like sobs, and the faint sound of flowing water in the distance.
This was an underground space, vast and expansive. It not only housed an underground river but also numerous caves, some inhabited by beasts, as well as rare and high-grade spiritual herbs, the kind seldom seen on the surface.
Clearly, this was the area beneath the mysterious cave dwelling. Judging by the environment, Qian Shou surmised that this was where the cave’s owner had lived and operated. He speculated that the owner must have been a transformed beast cultivator and that the maze above had been a trap to deceive intruders. This place was the true cave dwelling of the beast cultivator. However, as to why the cave dwelling had suddenly emerged with such great commotion, he could not determine from the limited information available.
While Qian Shou analyzed the underground space, he suddenly felt the Yuan Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth surge wildly, rushing toward this location.
Startled, he turned to look at the motionless person lying on the ground.
At some point, Ning Yuzhou had closed his eyes, allowing the torrential Yuan Spiritual Qi to pour into his body. His aura was changing.
With a sound like a barrier shattering, Ning Yuzhou transitioned from being a mortal incapable of cultivation to a cultivator at the Entry Yuan Stage.
Shortly afterward, Ning Yuzhou opened his eyes and slowly sat up.
Despite his severe injuries, the moment he became a cultivator, the Yuan Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth began to transform his flesh and bones, nourishing his damaged organs and shattered skeleton. His wounds healed at an astonishing rate.
Qian Shou stared at him in shock. “Your Highness…”
Ning Yuzhou replied calmly, “The seal within me has been broken. I can now cultivate.”
His tone was serene, as if stating an ordinary fact, devoid of any excitement or elation.
“How is this possible?” Qian Shou stammered, unsure whether this development was good or bad. He added worriedly, “Wasn’t it said that the seal wouldn’t break until after you came of age?”
There was still a year left—why had the seal broken prematurely? Was it due to the severity of his injuries, or was there something within this cave dwelling capable of breaking the seal?
“No,” Ning Yuzhou said softly. He placed a hand over his chest, his expression complicated. “It was Ah Chuo’s blood.”
Qian Shou gasped in confusion, staring at him in disbelief. He suspected he had misheard.