Free Web NovelChapter 260: Chapter 256: Confronting Madman Tu
A pillar of light shot into the sky, startling everyone in the Profound Celestial Ancient Land.
"It’s the seventh day. The Profound Celestial Ancient Hall is opening."
"If we can get inside and obtain a Divine Spirit Flower, we’ll have a chance to break through to the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm."
"The Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm... that’s the Realm those monsters from the Six Eastern Provinces are in. Even though I’m considered a young prodigy, there’s still a huge gap between me and them. This is my chance!"
Throughout the Profound Celestial Ancient Land, the eyes of countless young prodigies burned with ambition.
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH—
Figure after figure rushed toward the pillar of light at the center. This was the greatest opportunity in the entire Profound Celestial Ancient Land, and no one wanted to miss it.
In an instant, the situation grew turbulent.
"All the Iron-Bone Birds have disappeared. We can Fly in the Sky now."
Meanwhile, Ning Jiang, Liu Bingxue, and Li Kuangba led the three sects, also heading toward the center of the Profound Celestial Ancient Land.
The moment the Profound Celestial Ancient Hall opened, an invisible wave spread out in all directions, causing all the Iron-Bone Birds to obediently go into hiding.
When the Ancient Hall opens, the vast sky is clear.
Now, anyone could Fly in the Sky.
In less than half an hour, they crossed hundreds of miles.
After landing, they saw a massive lake ahead. To their astonishment, the lake was like a giant sphere, suspended in mid-air.
"This kind of power... it must be the power of the Heaven-Reaching Realm, right?" Liu Bingxue said in surprise.
"You’re right. This is indeed something only those at the Heaven-Reaching Realm can do—distort a Force Field to make a lake float," Ning Jiang nodded.
Earth Martial Realm powerhouses master Domain Power.
Those in the Heaven-Reaching Realm go a step further than the Domain.
They can distort Force Fields and manipulate them at will, for instance, making a great mountain lose its gravity and float in the air.
"The Profound Celestial Ancient Hall is at the center of the lake."
At this moment, their gazes turned toward the center of the lake, where they could vaguely make out a massive ancient hall, exuding a vast, ancient aura.
The pillar of light emanated from the Ancient Hall, forming a Protective Shield that prevented anyone from entering.
As they spoke, people continuously arrived, and experts from the major sects appeared one after another.
"All the major sects have arrived."
In everyone’s line of sight, the masters from Lei Province’s Earth Gate, Beast Taming Sect, and Withered Blade Sect arrived in succession. The Evil Spirit Sect, in particular, had been the earliest to arrive.
Over the next several hours, more sects continued to arrive.
However, every sect had clearly suffered losses, their numbers diminished compared to when they first entered.
"The Star Sword Sect and the Fire Cloud Sect are here too."
"Tsk, tsk. The Star Sword Sect and Fire Cloud Sect don’t look too happy. It seems like they’ve lost a third of their experts."
"It’s a good thing we have the Ninth Elder. Otherwise, we’d probably be in worse shape than the Star Sword Sect," the Yanyue Sect disciples said, feeling fortunate.
The Floating Snow Hall and the War Elephant Sect also felt they had benefited. Since meeting up with Ning Jiang, they hadn’t lost a single person. Moreover, they had gained quite a few benefits during their exploration over the past few days.
Three hours later, no more sects arrived.
A commotion gradually began to stir among the cultivators from Lei Province.
"Strange, why can’t I see anyone from the Five Poison Sect?"
"Don’t tell me they were all wiped out?"
"Don’t talk nonsense, watch your mouth. Haven’t you noticed that Hu Hao, one of the Evil Spirit Sect’s three prodigies, hasn’t arrived either?"
The crowd broke into a flurry of discussion.
"Calm down and wait a little longer. With Hu Hao’s strength, plus the dozen or so first-tier experts he’s leading, nothing should have happened to them."
Among the Evil Spirit Sect, Madman Tu sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. The moment he spoke, everyone else fell silent, demonstrating his undeniable authority.
After another two hours, still no one had appeared.
"So much time has passed. It seems there really was an accident."
"Heh heh, I just wonder if this accident was caused by the Profound Celestial Ancient Land... or by someone."
A sense of unease rippled through the crowd.
The Profound Celestial Ancient Land was fraught with danger. Every time it opened, many would die from various accidents.
But never before had an entire sect been completely annihilated.
The Five Poison Sect being wiped out was one thing, but the group led by the Evil Spirit Sect’s Hu Hao was powerful enough to rival an Upper Grade Sect.
Few believed this was an accident caused by the Profound Celestial Ancient Land itself. But if it was man-made, who possessed the strength to accomplish such a feat?
Madman Tu could definitely do it, but he wouldn’t be so deranged as to kill his own people, would he?
All eyes turned toward the Evil Spirit Sect. How would they handle this?
At the very front of the crowd, Madman Tu, dressed in a robe the shade of blood with gold trim, slowly opened his eyes. He then stood up, and in that instant, everyone around him felt a suffocating pressure.
"Before entering the Profound Celestial Ancient Land, all sects from my Lei Province made a pact not to kill each other within the Ancient Land. And none of you would have the guts to kill people from my Evil Spirit Sect."
Madman Tu’s voice was indifferent. Right away, he dismissed the major sects of Lei Province as suspects.
Then, his gaze shifted, sweeping over the cultivators from Qing Province.
A sharp killing intent erupted from him, making everyone feel uneasy.
His eyes first swept over the Star Sword Sect. Aside from Jian Xinghe, who could meet his gaze, everyone else felt uncomfortable.
After a moment, his gaze moved on, passing over the Fire Cloud Sect.
’What an intimidating gaze.’
Yuwen Chi met Madman Tu’s gaze and found he could barely withstand it, shocking him inwardly.
Fortunately, Madman Tu didn’t look for long before turning his attention to the Yanyue Sect, War Elephant Sect, and Floating Snow Hall.
"Found you."
Three breaths later, the corner of Madman Tu’s mouth curled into a grin. His eyes were fixed on a disciple from the Floating Snow Hall. The disciple’s expression was normal, revealing no clues.
But with Madman Tu’s sharp perception, he still detected the trepidation and panic in the disciple’s eyes.
"I love killing more than anything in my life. When I kill, I enjoy observing people’s eyes. Given my knowledge of them, it’s far too naive of you to think you can fool me!"
As he spoke, Madman Tu slowly began to smile, looking at Ning Jiang. "I’ve observed that several of them keep glancing at you from time to time. Hu Hao and his group... you killed them, didn’t you?"
In an instant, every eye in the entire area was fixed on Ning Jiang.
"He’s not going to admit it, is he?"
"As long as there’s no proof, everything can be denied."
No one thought Ning Jiang would admit to such a thing. The wrath of the Evil Spirit Sect was not something just anyone could endure.
"That’s right. I killed them."
However, Ning Jiang’s words plunged the entire crowd into silence.
’This Madman Tu is no simpleton, to be able to figure things out just by observing people. Since he’s already guessed, it’s better to just admit it. I stand by what I’ve done. What is there to fear? With my strength, why should I fear Madman Tu?’
"Is this kid insane?"
"Admitting to something like that takes courage, but it’s also incredibly foolish. Does he really think he can stand against Madman Tu?"
One by one, they stared at Ning Jiang with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"In this situation, denying it is useless. With Madman Tu’s temperament, he would have attacked even without proof," said Duan Lengya of the Withered Blade Sect.
"Interesting. They all say Jian Xinghe is Qing Province’s number one expert, but I don’t think so. I think you’re even more unfathomable. To be able to kill Hu Hao and his group, your strength must be immense."
"So let me see just how much strength you possess to dare kill people from my Evil Spirit Sect!"
Madman Tu looked like a frail Scholar on the outside, but at this moment, his eyes turned razor-sharp, and an astonishing killing intent billowed from him without end.
In an instant, he seemed to transform into an Asura, his bloodlust soaring to the heavens.
"If you’re looking to die, I don’t mind sending you on your way."
A sharp aura burst forth from Ning Jiang. His entire demeanor changed abruptly, like a Divine Sword being unsheathed, ready to annihilate everything in its path.
Tit for tat!
"They’re going to fight."
Excitement showed on the faces of everyone around.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the lake shook violently. The pillar of light rising from the Ancient Hall began to contract.
"The Profound Celestial Ancient Hall is fully open! We can go in!"
Instantly, some Sect Disciples leaped up and plunged into the lake.
"Go, go, go! Don’t let others get there first!"
The other major sects rushed forward, no longer caring about watching the show. This was the greatest opportunity since entering the Profound Celestial Ancient Land.
If they were late and someone else snatched the treasures, wouldn’t they regret it for the rest of their lives?
"You’re lucky. You’ve escaped death for now."
Madman Tu said faintly, then turned and left with the people from the Evil Spirit Sect.
Avenging Hu Hao could wait. The Profound Celestial Ancient Hall was the top priority, and he had no intention of letting others reap the rewards while he fought Ning Jiang.
"That man is terrifying."
The other Yanyue Sect disciples broke out in a cold sweat. Even Liu Bingxue and Li Kuangba breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let’s go."
The calmest person there was, naturally, Ning Jiang.
Madman Tu was indeed formidable, but with his own strength, Ning Jiang had no need to fear him. It could be said that below the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm, he feared no one.
SPLASH. SPLASH. SPLASH.
The group moved as one, leaping into the lake.
The lake was suspended in the air, perfectly round like a sphere. The distorted Force Field within created a sense of chaos.
"The pressure is immense."
The moment they entered, they were hit by enormous water pressure, so great it could warp steel.
Everyone hurriedly activated their Protective Spiritual Qi, enveloping their entire bodies.
The deeper they went, the greater the pressure became. An ordinary Spirit Realm Powerhouse would likely have their body explode and die in this place.
Fortunately, the weakest among them were at least second-tier experts.
BOOM!
Suddenly, an incredibly intense fluctuation came from up ahead.
"Huh? Is there a fight up ahead? But we haven’t reached the Profound Celestial Ancient Hall yet. What’s the point of fighting now?" Liu Bingxue and the others were stunned.
"Careful."
Suddenly, Ning Jiang let out a low shout and threw a punch.
Purple Thunder erupted, viciously striking a strange snake.
The strange snake was over three feet long, covered in dark green scales. It actually had a pair of wings on its body, which it flapped furiously like a bird’s to fly at extreme speeds.
