Chapter Ninety-Two: Reentering Jianzhou

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Seeing Ye Sansi bow respectfully, Zhang Wei quickly stood up and waved his hand, saying, “No need, no need. It’s just a small matter. If I can help you, of course, that’s good. By the way, may I ask, what business brings you to this island?”

“This Inch Immortal Island is where I was accepted into my sect. Today, unfortunately, a strange wind swept me here. My master and friends are all waiting for me to return, so I’m anxious.”

Zhang Wei nodded and smiled, “It’s almost nightfall now. Resting for one night before you leave won’t waste much time. If you want to find nearby towns, I’m familiar with the routes. If the village chief doesn’t know this island well, you can ask in the city—there might be merchants headed that way.”

“Uh… no, not really.”

“How about Jianzhou City?”

Hearing the city’s name, Zhang Wei was momentarily stunned, then said, “Jianzhou I know of, but I’m not sure if it’s the same big city you mentioned. I only recall there’s a royal mansion in that city…”

Upon hearing this, Ye Sansi realized and hurriedly asked, “Big Brother Zhang, do you know where Lingzhou City is?”

“Lingzhou City? Never heard of it.”

“How about Qingyang City?”

“Now? Are you crazy? It’s so dark tonight, you can’t see the road clearly, and there are plenty of wolves, tigers, and leopards around. It’s very dangerous for you to go alone.”

Ye Sansi shook his hand, took down his sword Tiannu, held it in his hands, and smiled, “Big Brother Zhang, you don’t need to worry about me. I can ride my sword through the sky; these beasts won’t harm me.”

Zhang Wei laughed, “This world is truly magical—monsters and gods really exist, and martial arts and spells are real. Since you say so, I won’t force you to stay. Just be sure to be safe on the road.”

Hearing this, Ye Sansi suddenly stood up and said, “Yes, yes, yes, what you mentioned is Jianzhou City. Do you know its general direction?”

Zhang Wei thought carefully for a moment and said, “That city lies to the west. After leaving the village, head toward the setting sun and walk for three or four hours. You’ll see a main road. Follow that road straight ahead for several months, and you’ll see a huge city with ‘Jianzhou City’ written in large characters above the gate.”

Ye Sansi bowed again and said, “Thank you very much, Big Brother Zhang. Sansi won’t disturb you and Sister Meng any longer. I’ll set off now.”

After passing about the time it takes to burn an incense stick in the air, the moon grew bright and clear, no longer making Ye Sansi feel lonely. Having mastered the Eight Treasures Technique, he could see the lower realm clearly. Soon, he spotted the main road Zhang Wei mentioned—it appeared to be a trade route.

Looking out, the trade route ran north to south and was very broad.

But judging by its appearance, Ye Sansi was troubled; he didn’t know whether to go south or north, and Zhang Wei hadn’t specified. Guessing a direction was surely unwise.

Ye Sansi nodded, thanked him once more, and stepped outside.

Seeing that night had fallen, with only darkness visible, he was glad he remembered the direction of sunset and left the village that way.

Ye Sansi threw out Tiannu; the sword hovered, and Sansi leapt onto it perfectly. Their tacit understanding was improving—the sword fully understood his thoughts, rising, lowering, turning left or right. As soon as Ye Sansi tilted slightly, Tiannu responded immediately.

The village was built beside the trade route, so the villagers should know the roads well. It was getting late; farmers rise early, and in just over an hour, they would start working. Waiting a bit wouldn’t hurt.

As the sun rose, gradually illuminating the land, Ye Sansi hadn’t slept all night. The villagers began to stir and prepare for work. Ye Sansi quickly stood and approached an old man.

Unexpectedly, the old man was telling a story:

Ye Sansi rode Tiannu, circling about ten miles around. Fortunately, this place had a trade route and many villages had migrated here. Seeing a brightly lit area, he descended on his sword.

Landing about a hundred steps outside the village, he walked in. Though it was nighttime, the village’s lights were still burning. In the surrounding darkness, this place was unusually bright.

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Ye Sansi tread quietly into the village. It seemed the villagers had all gone to bed, but he didn’t understand why the candles were still lit. If they had gone to sleep, disturbing them would be improper. So he found a corner beside a house wall to rest, planning to ask the villagers about the way to Jianzhou City in the morning.

The night in the Great Wilderness was boundless and dark—a blackness like a monstrous beast devouring everything.

Suddenly, the sky brightened drastically. Brilliant red light illuminated the contours of the Great Wilderness, which from the void looked like a giant ancient turtle lying low. The dazzling glow made the wilderness seem even lonelier and more mysterious.

The radiant light came from the Ninth Heaven!

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The Great Wilderness—a remote and desolate land.

Heroes—those brave and selfless, worthy of respect.

The red light transformed into rootless fire, burning wildly!

Red meteorites streaked through the crimson void!

Hundreds and thousands of meteors roared and howled, falling onto the Great Wilderness. A cataclysm had come for all living beings within.

Hundreds and thousands of meteors, wrapped in red light, crashed into the wilderness. Upon impact, a tremendous explosion echoed, forming a crater thousands of feet across and deep.

The meteors refused to calm. Red flames rose, scorching waves surged, and the sparse vegetation within a thousand miles instantly turned to ash.

Beasts that barely survived the meteor hail were unable to escape the burning fate. Amid unwilling howls, these powerful creatures, capable of roaming the Great Wilderness, fell in their thousands and tens of thousands, turning to ashes!

In a mountain valley, rainwater accumulated over centuries, its depth unknown.

The valley split into northern and southern banks. The northern bank was engulfed in flames, the soil charred black. The southern bank’s red glow was faint, dispelling the darkness.

Beside the shore stood a stone tablet over three feet tall. By the firelight, the characters “Redwater Gorge” could be faintly seen, each as small as a curled-up child.

At the edge of the crimson land lay a mountain gorge, bottomless and stretching tens of thousands of miles. A suspension bridge made of iron chains spanned the two banks. About a thousand feet long, it hung in midair, swaying in the fierce wind.

Not far from the gorge was a dilapidated village, hidden deep in darkness, unremarkable.

The raging firestorm swept the Great Wilderness. The peaceful village amidst it all was an eerie sight, enough to send chills through anyone!

The giant stone was naturally formed but had abnormal qi missing because it was engraved with the words “Immortal Emperor.” For centuries, within ten yards around the stone, not a blade of grass grew.

The next morning, the boundless Great Wilderness still blazed with fierce flames on every inch of land and in every fragment of the void.

In the village on the southern bank of Redwater Gorge, dozens stood in orderly formation. At their head was a tall middle-aged man, neatly dressed, with flowing black hair.

The northern cliff face was molten red like flowing iron. Flames that should have spread to the southern bank seeped through the rock into the deep gorge below.

The village was small, and the houses so low that an adult man had to bow his head and bend his knees to step outside.

At the village entrance lay a giant stone, nearly three feet high and ten feet long, inscribed with ancient, distorted characters.

The old man spread his palms; in his once empty hand suddenly appeared a token. The token’s ancient patterns were naturally formed, imbued with faint Daoist intent.

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The old man spoke again, patient and gentle: “Three years from now, the Ancient Battlefield will reopen. Each sacred land may send ten people. For this, the Holy Son has gone into seclusion with the Holy Lord, waiting to shine gloriously in the Ancient Battlefield and compete against the divine and saintly bodies of the other world! To enter the Ancient Battlefield, one needs a token as a key. There are three levels within the battlefield. The Holy Lords of each sacred land naturally go to the third level. Those at the second level possess strength similar to this old man’s, while the third level is where the younger generation contends. I still hold a token allowing one young person to enter the battlefield. Passing by here today, I suddenly thought of that girl Jia. She must be seven by now. In three years, she will barely be able to enter the battlefield. Then I will entrust the Holy Son to look after her, and Jia Ding will find great opportunities in the Ancient Battlefield!”

Suddenly, a girl jumped out from the crowd, cheerfully calling, “Grandpa Elder!”

In the middle of the group were mostly children; at the rear, mostly elderly men and women, with few young adults.

In front stood an elderly man with white beard, white hair, and a white robe, exuding an immortal aura, his feet floating above the ground, demeanor extraordinary!

“North of Redwater Gorge, flames rage, sand and stone melt, beasts vanish. The entire Great Wilderness, it seems, only a few villages on the edges escaped this catastrophe!” The elder spoke calmly, hovering an inch above the ground.

Beside the vegetable garden, a woman was busy. Occasionally looking up, she saw the white-robed elder and the girl called Jia. She immediately stood, her face radiant with a warm smile.

The woman was about fifty but looked young, with jet-black hair rivaling that of a young maiden.

Jia, dressed plainly, bounced twice, stopping before the woman. “Grandma!”

As a sacred land elder, the old man crouched down and replied in a drawn-out, affectionate tone, “Little girl!”

The villagers dispersed to their homes. The elder, dressed all in white, held Jia’s small hand as they entered a small yard built from stacked stones.

The courtyard was small, with a modest vegetable garden and moss-covered, flattened soil.

Through a shabby, narrow wooden door, the dark interior looked like a cave. Suddenly, a small figure darted out like a nimble monkey.

The child was about five or six years old, naked and dusty, with a dark, dirty face and tangled hair resembling a bird’s nest.

Jia stood with hands on her hips, feigning anger. “You don’t wear clothes again, and you must have gone fishing in the west ravine. The village chief couldn’t find you and was so angry he wanted to punish you with a thorny branch!”

The woman nodded lightly and sincerely invited the white-robed elder inside: “Elder Bai, please come in.”

Elder Bai waved off the formality with a smile, “We’re all family here. No need for such restraint.”

The nearly age-wise woman called out into the rather small house, “Yang, Elder Bai is here. Come out quickly.”

Yang scratched his head, opened his mouth wide, and smiled naively, “No meat to eat.”

The woman, who had been selecting vegetables moments ago, hurried to the corner where the clothes-beating pestle stood.

Before Yang could close his mouth, he suddenly screamed and dashed back inside, wailing.

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Ye Sansi listened with rapt attention...