Immortal Sword Master

The Ancient Forbidden Land.

This place was exceedingly strange. It had retained the appearance of the Ancient Times, and its vast expanse was comparable in size to the entirety of Qing Province.

Towering mountains shot up from the ground everywhere within the Ancient Forbidden Land. Colossal, ancient trees that reached for the clouds were a common sight, their dense canopies blotting out the sun.

This was a place in the Six Eastern Provinces that inspired deep awe. Even Celestial Martial Realm Kings were wary of it and dared not enter lightly.

But at the same time, this was also a place brimming with Magic Power.

In this world, danger and opportunity had always coexisted.

Although this land was fraught with crises, it was also filled with countless opportunities and fortunes: precious Ancient Spirit Medicines, strange Magical Treasures, and even the inheritances left behind by powerful experts after their deaths.

There was no shortage of lucky individuals in the past who had obtained a great opportunity here and risen to prominence. Such examples were numerous.

It was precisely because of these precedents that, despite knowing the extreme danger, a steady stream of Martial Artists still entered this place to seek their fortunes.

At that moment, several figures appeared in a dense forest.

”Be careful. We’ve reached the inner area of the Ancient Forbidden Land. We can’t let our guard down for a second.”

”That’s right. The inner area is too dangerous. Even many Earth Martial Realm experts have fallen here. We must not be careless.”

The Ancient Forbidden Land was divided into three areas.

They were the core area, the inner area, and the outer area. If the entire Ancient Forbidden Land were a circle, the core area would naturally be at the very center, with the inner area situated between the core and outer areas.

The outer area was the safest, but correspondingly, it held the fewest opportunities and Treasures. Those who weren’t strong enough could only roam the outer area.

Generally, those in the outer area were all below the Earth Martial Realm.

The inner area was dominated by those at the Earth Martial Realm and Heaven-Reaching Realm.

As for the core area, even Celestial Martial Realm Kings were wary of it. Under normal circumstances, very few Heaven-Reaching Realm experts dared to venture inside.

The men here all had Earth Martial Realm Cultivation, which was by no means weak. Out in the world, any one of them could be a Sect Master, capable of founding an Upper Grade Sect and enjoying a life of glory.

But in this place, they were more cautious than ever, their faces etched with deep solemnity.

The slightest sound would make them turn their heads, their bodies tense with nervousness.

Every moment, their nerves were stretched taut. They didn’t dare to relax for even an instant.

”There’s a skeleton here.”

A short while later, they made a discovery.

”Judging by the fluctuations on these bones, this was an Earth Martial Realm expert, no doubt. But I wonder how they died?”

The men exchanged glances, a shared look of fear in their eyes.

The unknown was often the most terrifying. Many times in the Ancient Forbidden Land, you wouldn’t even know what killed you.

”Let’s keep moving.”

The group continued deeper inside.

”Huh?”

Suddenly, they all sensed that something was wrong.

In their perception, the vast mountain range beneath their feet suddenly felt like an ancient Fierce Beast about to awaken. A series of deep, low rumbles echoed from within the mountains. Accompanied by these thunderous sounds was a boundless wave of Energy that swept over everything.

”What is that?”

Soon, a patch of thick, gray fog appeared in their line of sight. It rushed toward them like a tidal wave.

”ROAR!”

The fog billowed rapidly. Eventually, it even began to make a sound like the crashing of ocean waves.

”This is bad! We have to fall back, now!”

One of them suddenly cried out, his voice filled with terror. He didn’t need to say another word; the others had already begun to retreat at top speed.

As the gray fog surged forward, the trees and plants it engulfed began to wither at a visible rate, turning to ash.

’It’s so fast!’

The men’s pupils contracted violently. They were retreating quickly, but the fog was even faster.

”AARGH!”

A blood-curdling scream rang out. The slowest of the Earth Martial Realm experts had been caught by the fog. The moment it touched his arm, the flesh corroded and dissolved into a pool of blood.

”Everyone, our lives are on the line! Use whatever you’ve got!”

One man shouted, and as he spoke, his entire body became wreathed in Flame, causing his speed to increase dramatically.

This was an Escape Technique. Once used, it would cause severe damage to his body afterward, but he had no other choice.

The others also used their own methods, whether it was a speed-enhancing Escape Technique or some precious, life-saving Magical Treasure they had been holding in reserve.

Driven by such a powerful will to survive, they quickly put some distance between themselves and the fog.

”Aargh! Help me!”

”What is this?! Somebody, save me!”

”No! I don’t want to die!”

However, screams echoed incessantly from all around. As Earth Martial Realm experts, they had the means to escape, but some of the weaker individuals were not so lucky. They were swallowed by the fog, melting into pools of blood, with not even their bones left behind.

The sight made the men’s blood run cold.

They didn’t dare to stop, flying outward for over a thousand li before they finally escaped with their lives.

”My heavens, what’s happening in the Ancient Forbidden Land? Nothing like this has ever happened before, has it?”

”Thank goodness we ran fast enough. Otherwise, none of us would’ve made it out alive.”

”Look, a True Monarch of the Heaven-Reaching Realm is coming out! Let’s go ask what’s going on.”

”With the True Monarch’s power, he might know the reason for all this.”

With that, the men walked over.

”We pay our respects, True Monarch. If we may be so bold as to ask, what is the situation with this gray fog? What shocking event has occurred in the Ancient Forbidden Land?”

”I do not know, either.” The Heaven-Reaching Realm expert’s expression was grave as he shook his head. ”I imagine the events here will soon cause a stir throughout the Six Eastern Provinces.”

Just as he predicted, in the span of a single day, the shocking developments in the inner area of the Ancient Forbidden Land sent shockwaves through all of the Six Eastern Provinces.

Immediately, experts from the various Major Sects rushed to the scene.

In the eyes of many, this was perhaps a sign that some great Treasure was about to emerge.

Among these Sects, the ones that drew the most attention were, of course, the high and mighty Seven Great Super Sects. Even Extraordinary beings such as them were drawn over by the commotion.

...

”Did you hear? A shocking event took place in the Ancient Forbidden Land. A sudden fog appeared and devoured an area hundreds of li in radius. Thousands of Martial Artists exploring inside didn’t make it out.”

”Of course I know about it. After all, even the Seven Great Super Sects have mobilized. I heard they’ve already sealed off the area and are not allowing anyone else to enter.”

”If there’s really something world-shaking in there, the Seven Great Super Sects naturally wouldn’t let anyone else get their hands on it.”

As time passed, the incident in the Ancient Forbidden Land became a topic of heated discussion.

However, the cause of this shocking event remained a mystery.

「Seven days later.」

Qing Province Myriad Swords Sect.

An old Daoist, whom Ning Jiang had not expected in the slightest, came to pay a visit.