Free Web NovelChapter 253: Chapter 249: Evil Spirit Sect, Madman Tu
A white rainbow pierced the heavens and the earth, as massive as a mountain range—a truly spectacular sight.
Within the white rainbow, a massive Light Gate could be faintly seen, though it was currently closed and showed no signs of opening.
"The white rainbow has appeared. The Profound Celestial Ancient Land will open in no more than three days," Yue Wenfu said, glancing around the rainbow. "It seems all the major sects from Qing Province have arrived. Let’s go down as well."
The group descended and landed near the white rainbow.
It was calm and peaceful around the rainbow, with no signs of widespread sandstorms or dangerous Wind Blades.
Ning Jiang’s gaze swept across the area. A large number of people were gathered, their different styles of dress indicating they were from various sects.
’The Star Sword Sect, the War Elephant Sect, the Floating Snow Hall, the Fire Cloud Sect... they’re all familiar faces. The others must be the sects from Lei Province.’
Ning Jiang sized them up one by one. As his gaze passed over the Star Sword Sect, he felt several sharp stares directed at him.
It was Jian Xinghe and the Twin Sword Sons.
A strong will to fight could be seen in their eyes. Clearly, they had not gotten over their defeat at the Qing Province Grand Assembly.
Ning Jiang’s gaze swept past them without lingering.
He knew what they were thinking. They just wanted to improve their strength and then come find him to avenge their previous humiliation. But that would never happen.
’My rate of progress will only ever be faster than others.’
’A hundred thousand years ago, countless geniuses I defeated tried desperately to catch up to me, only to find the gap between us growing ever wider until we were in completely different worlds.’
Neither Jian Xinghe nor the Twin Sword Sons were qualified to be his opponents.
"The people from the Yanyue Sect have arrived. Let’s go say hello."
Members of the Floating Snow Hall and the War Elephant Sect walked over to the Yanyue Sect together.
"This junior, Liu Bingxue, greets Sect Leader Yue."
"This junior, Li Kuangba, greets Sect Leader Yue."
The two of them cupped their fists and bowed to Yue Wenfu.
"Not bad. You are both outstanding individuals with boundless futures."
Yue Wenfu nodded in praise. The two were indeed impressive. If not for Ning Jiang, his Yanyue Sect would have no one who could compare to them.
"Sect Leader Yue, you flatter us. We’ve come over this time hoping to become friends with the Yanyue Sect inside the Profound Celestial Ancient Land. We hope we can help each other at critical moments."
Just like his Fist Technique, Li Kuangba was direct and didn’t beat around the bush.
"The Floating Snow Hall feels the same way," Liu Bingxue added.
"An alliance is a good thing. After all, the competition inside the Profound Celestial Ancient Land is fierce. However, the person leading the Yanyue Sect into the Ancient Land this time is the Ninth Elder. You should ask his opinion," Yue Wenfu said, passing the matter to Ning Jiang.
Seeing this, Li Kuangba and Liu Bingxue were slightly startled.
Yue Wenfu was the dignified leader of a sect, a man of high status and power, yet he deferred the decision to Ning Jiang. This showed just how extraordinary Ning Jiang’s position was.
In an instant, the young man’s importance in their minds rose significantly.
"Young Master Ning, what are your thoughts?" Li Kuangba asked.
He was also a young man, yet Ning Jiang was even younger and his strength surpassed his by more than a single level.
"An alliance?"
Ning Jiang’s eyes flickered. He glanced around the field and saw that the members of the Star Sword Sect and the Fire Cloud Sect were staying together. The two major sects had clearly already joined forces.
Furthermore, the smaller sects with newly-ascended Young Giants were also all grouped together. As the weakest factions, it seemed they had also banded together for protection.
"Young Master Ning, I know you’re powerful and might not care about this, but the most dangerous people in the Profound Celestial Ancient Land are actually the major sects from Lei Province. In the past, whenever the Profound Celestial Ancient Land opened, our Qing Province never gained any significant advantages. The lion’s share was always taken by Lei Province. I hope Young Master Ning will reconsider."
Seeing Ning Jiang remain silent, Liu Bingxue thought he was going to refuse and hurriedly spoke.
"You’re overthinking it. I can agree to this alliance," Ning Jiang replied.
He truly didn’t care about these things when he was alone, but this time he had brought people from the Yanyue Sect with him. If he wanted to protect everyone, the best way was to form an alliance.
’When you’re away from home, more friends mean more options.’
"Then it’s settled." Smiles appeared on both their faces. Winning over a powerful ally like Ning Jiang was a great thing for them.
"How much do you know about the sects from Lei Province?" Ning Jiang asked.
The people from Qing Province and Lei Province stood on opposite sides, a clear divide between them.
Everyone from Lei Province was a top-tier expert. Among them were over twenty auras belonging to Young Giants, a few of which were no weaker than Jian Xinghe’s.
Lei Province was truly teeming with masters!
No wonder the War Elephant Sect and the Floating Snow Hall were so eager to form an alliance. Faced with such a lineup, even the Star Sword Sect would feel unnerved.
"I happen to know a little about the sects from Lei Province. You should know that among the Six Eastern Provinces, our Qing Province has always been the weakest. For this opening of the Profound Celestial Ancient Land, there are three hundred spots in total, but our Qing Province only gets fifty. Lei Province gets two hundred and fifty," Liu Bingxue explained. The purpose of the Qing Province Grand Assembly had been to divide up those fifty spots.
"This time, the weakest sect to arrive from Lei Province is a Middle Grade Sect. There are three Upper Grade Sects, and even one Top Grade Sect."
Her voice grew heavy as she spoke of these matters.
Qing Province being the weakest of the Six Provinces wasn’t just an empty saying.
The difference was obvious with a simple comparison. Lei Province had over a dozen Middle Grade Sects, three Upper Grade Sects, and even a Top Grade Sect. And Qing Province? It only had the solitary Star Sword Sect as an Upper Grade Sect.
The overall difference in strength was simply too vast. They weren’t on the same level at all.
"As you can see, each of these Middle Grade Sects is helmed by a Young Giant. Their strength is no less than ours."
Liu Bingxue introduced them one by one before getting to the main point. "The Middle Grade Sects probably don’t pose a threat to you, but you must be especially careful of the three Upper Grade Sects."
"Oh? Tell me about them."
Her gaze fell on a group of people to the southeast. "Those people in the dark yellow robes are from the Upper Grade Sect, Earth Gate. The people from this sect specialize in Earth Attribute attacks. Their lead disciple is named Du Bing. It’s said that his strength is enough to contend with an expert at the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm."
’Another expert on the level of Jian Xinghe,’ Ning Jiang judged internally.
Liu Bingxue’s gaze shifted as she introduced the second sect to Ning Jiang. "Those are the people from the Withered Blade Sect. Everyone in this sect is obsessed with the blade; they’re a bunch of blade fanatics and quite warlike. Their lead disciple is named Duan Lengya. I’ve heard that, like Jian Xinghe, he may have comprehended Half-Step Sword Intent. He’s a very difficult person to deal with."
Ning Jiang spotted Duan Lengya in the Withered Blade Sect’s crowd with a single glance. It wasn’t because Duan Lengya stood out; on the contrary, he had a very ordinary face and a plain appearance, the kind of person who would be forgotten if lost in a crowd.
However, Ning Jiang could keenly sense a sharp aura from him. This aura was extremely restrained and did not spread out. Only someone like him, who had comprehended Sword Intent, could perceive it.
SWISH.
Duan Lengya seemed to sense his gaze. His eyes shifted and he looked back at him.
Their gazes met in midair, clashing for an instant before pulling away.
"Senior Brother Duan, what is it? You look a little excited."
"I’ve found a good opponent." Duan Lengya was a man of few words. He closed his eyes after speaking.
"What do you think?" Liu Bingxue had also noticed their gazes meeting.
"He has indeed comprehended Half-Step Sword Intent," Ning Jiang said faintly.
"Swords have Sword Intent, and blades have Sword Intent. The three thousand Great Daos all lead to the same destination."
"It seems I’ll have to be careful if I run into him, then." Liu Bingxue didn’t doubt Ning Jiang’s words.
She began to introduce the third Upper Grade Sect to Ning Jiang.
The people from the third Upper Grade Sect were very conspicuous, not because of their high cultivation, but because they were accompanied by many ferocious and terrifying Demon Beasts.
Some of the Demon Beasts even had strength on par with a Young Giant.
"Those are from the Beast Taming Sect. This sect doesn’t have many people, but they’re very hard to deal with because they specialize in controlling Demon Beasts. A single disciple often commands several Demon Beasts at once."
Liu Bingxue continued, "Their lead disciple is named Yao Yingkuang. I’ve heard that his Beast Taming Technique is approaching that of the Beast Taming Sect’s founder, allowing him to control a full five Demon Beasts."
"I understand."
Ning Jiang nodded. The lead disciples of these three major sects were all no weaker than Jian Xinghe.
After introducing the three major sects, Liu Bingxue’s expression grew solemn. "If the three sects I just mentioned require caution, then this final sect requires the utmost vigilance. In fact, if you see their members, it’s best to stay far away and avoid all contact!"
Liu Bingxue took a deep breath and looked toward a group of people dressed in blood-red robes.
"That is Lei Province’s Top Grade Sect, the Evil Spirit Sect!"
Following her gaze, he saw the members of the Evil Spirit Sect standing in a central area. All the other sects kept their distance from them, and the occasional glances sent their way were filled with apprehension.
"That man in the blood-red robes with gold trim... I don’t know his name, but everyone calls him Madman Tu. This person slaughters people like flies. Someone once asked him what his greatest interest was, and he answered that it was killing."
"And he never needs a reason to kill. He kills whenever he wants. Sometimes it might be because he doesn’t like the look of you, other times it might be because he’s happy. In short, the man is capricious and kills without batting an eye. He is the most dangerous person here!"
At the mention of this Madman Tu, Liu Bingxue’s pretty face became a little unnatural. She was clearly terrified of him.
The man’s face was very pale. He looked clean and tidy, and he actually gave off the air of a frail scholar. Most people would be deceived by his appearance.
But Ning Jiang could keenly sense that the man exuded an evil, murderous aura, like a venomous snake, that sent a chill down one’s spine.
"Very strong."
After a moment, Ning Jiang offered two words.
As if he had been staring for too long, Madman Tu’s gaze suddenly turned toward them. He grinned, and with his pearly white teeth and handsome face, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
But Liu Bingxue and Li Kuangba, as if struck by lightning, let out a muffled groan.
