novelapdf Chapter 178 Western Sandbar
Chapter 178 Western Sandbar
After the matter of Donghai Fishing Village was settled, Zhou Ning embarked on his journey back to Lanruo Temple.
He traveled along the coastline for two days, then turned west, crossed a hilly area, and entered the heart of the Central Plains.
It was early summer, and the crops in the fields were lush and green, with a gentle breeze creating waves of green.
Farmers were working in the fields, and children were chasing and playing on the ridges, creating a peaceful and tranquil scene.
Looking at all this, Zhou Ning felt a surge of satisfaction.
This is what he has always wanted to protect.
Ordinary yet precious moments of everyday life.
After walking for three days, he arrived at a small town called "Qinghe Town".
The town is small, with only a few dozen households, but it is located on a major transportation route, and merchants and travelers come and go in an endless stream.
Zhou Ning found an inn in the town and stayed there, planning to rest for the night before continuing his journey.
The innkeeper was a middle-aged man in his forties, surnamed Liu, with a kind face and a gentle manner.
Zhou Ning ordered a room and a pot of tea, and sat down in a corner.
I had just taken a sip of tea when the inn's door was pushed open.
A young woman dressed in a white Taoist robe walked in.
She had delicate features and exquisite eyebrows. Holding a whisk in her hand, she had a somewhat otherworldly and ethereal appearance.
Behind her followed a burly, dark-skinned middle-aged man with a curved sword hanging at his waist; he was clearly not from the Central Plains.
"Miss Xuanjing?" Zhou Ning stood up, somewhat surprised.
Xuanjing was also taken aback when she saw him.
"Young Master Zhou? What are you doing here?"
Zhou Ning said, "Just passing by. Miss Xuanjing, what brings you here?"
Xuan Jing led the middle-aged man to sit down opposite Zhou Ning, and sighed, saying:
"This is a cultivator from the Western Regions named Tuoba Lie. His town was attacked by a group of demons, resulting in countless deaths and injuries among the people."
"He traveled a long way to the Central Plains seeking help and found Qingfeng Temple. My senior brother asked me to accompany him to find reinforcements."
Zhou Ning looked at Tuoba Lie, cupped his hands, and said, "I am Zhou Ning. Brother Tuoba, what has happened in the Western Regions?"
Tuoba Lie stood up, bowed deeply to him, and said in broken Central Plains dialect:
"Young Master Zhou, I have long admired your name. Recently, a demonic lair has appeared deep in the deserts of the Western Regions. Evil spirits are constantly pouring out of the lair and attacking nearby towns."
"Our cultivators from the Western Regions are fighting desperately, but there are too many demons and monsters, and we can't hold on much longer."
"I have heard that there is a sword immortal named Zhou Ning in the Central Plains, whose Taoist magic is profound, so I have come to ask for his help."
Zhou Ning asked, "A demon's lair? What kind of demon's lair?"
Tuoba Lie said earnestly:
"It was a huge cave, with black mist constantly billowing from its entrance. Countless dark figures were writhing within the mist. These figures had no fixed shape; some resembled humans, some beasts, and some a wisp of smoke."
"They are extremely aggressive, and ordinary cultivators are no match for them. Dozens of our Western Region cultivators have already died."
Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine.
Black mist, writhing shadows...
Aren't these the retinue of the Heavenly Demon?
Could it be that a rift has also appeared in the Western Regions?
"Brother Tuoba, how long has that demonic cave been around?"
Tuoba Lie said, "It's been three months. It started out very small, but it's gotten bigger and bigger. We tried to seal it, but our cultivation level wasn't high enough, so we couldn't seal it at all."
Zhou Ning was silent for a moment, then said, "Brother Tuoba, I'll go with you to the Western Regions."
Tuoba Lie was overjoyed and was about to bow down again.
Zhou Ning quickly helped him up: "Brother Tuoba, there's no need to be so polite. Slaying demons and eliminating evil is simply our duty."
Xuan Jing said, "Young Master Zhou, I'll go with you too."
Zhou Ning thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay. It'll be good to have someone to look after us on the way."
The three of them stayed at the inn for one night and left Qinghe Town the next morning, heading towards the Western Regions.
The distance from Qinghe Town to the Western Regions is several thousand miles.
The three traveled day and night, heading straight for the Western Regions.
Zhou Ning was extremely fast, while Xuan Jing and Tuoba Lie, whose cultivation levels were lower, were slower, but they did not fall behind.
Zhou Ning would stop from time to time to wait for them, and take the opportunity to meditate and regulate his breathing to restore his true energy.
Five days later, they finally arrived in the Western Regions.
The scenery of the Western Regions is completely different from that of the Central Plains.
There are no green mountains and clear waters here, only an endless desert.
Yellow sand filled the sky, the sun blazed overhead, and waves of heat rolled in.
Occasionally, a few poplar trees stand alone on the sand dunes, their branches and leaves withered and yellow, as if they might fall at any moment.
The air was dry, and even a single breath made my throat feel parched.
Tuoba Lie led them to a town called "Shazhou".
The town is small, with only a few hundred households, but its walls are high and its defenses are tight.
On the city wall stood several armored guards, holding spears in their hands, their eyes warily fixed on the distance.
Upon seeing Tuoba Lie, they all bowed in greeting.
"Lord Tuoba, you're back!"
Tuoba Lie nodded and led Zhou Ning and Xuan Jing into the city.
The scene in the city was even more desolate than Zhou Ning had expected.
The streets were nearly deserted, and most shops were closed.
A faint stench of decay permeated the air, exactly like the aura of the Heavenly Demon.
The faces of the people were filled with fear and unease, as if a great disaster was about to befall them at any moment.
Tuoba Lie led them to a large mansion in the city, which was his residence.
He invited Zhou Ning and Xuan Jing to sit down and had tea and refreshments served.
"Young Master Zhou, the Demon Cave is located in the desert fifty miles north of the city. I sent men to scout it out, but there are many dark shadows around it, making it impossible to get close. We tried several times, but all our attempts failed."
Zhou Ning said, "Brother Tuoba, I'll go take a look tonight."
Tuoba Lie quickly said, "Young Master Zhou, it's too dangerous for you to go alone. I'll go with you."
Zhou Ning shook his head: "No need. Too many people would only make us more exposed. It's easier for me to move around alone."
Xuan Jing said, "Young Master Zhou, I'll go with you. My invisibility talisman can help you."
Zhou Ning thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright. Miss Xuanjing, come with me. Brother Tuoba, you stay in the city and protect the people."
Although Tuoba Lie was unwilling, he still nodded.
Night falls.
The moon was obscured by thick clouds, and the world was pitch black.
Zhou Ning and Xuan Jing left Shazhou City and headed north towards the desert.
Both of them had invisibility talismans attached to their bodies, making them almost invisible in the night.
In the desert, the sandstorms are so strong that it's impossible to open your eyes.
Zhou Ning poured his true essence into his eyes, activating his spiritual eyes, and barely managed to see the road ahead.
His divine sense had already spread out, covering an area of hundreds of thousands of feet in radius, vigilantly sensing everything around him.
After walking for about an hour, a huge cave appeared ahead.
The cave entrance was about a hundred feet in diameter, pitch black, and bottomless.
Black mist continuously billowed out from the edge of the cave entrance, carrying with it a bone-chilling cold.
In the mist, countless dark figures writhe and utter low growls.
They have no fixed shape; some look like people, some like beasts, and some like a wisp of smoke, wandering around the cave entrance.
"This is it."
Zhou Ning prepared his Green Edge Sword.
He told Xuanjing to stay where she was, and then quietly approached the cave entrance.
The shadowy figures seemed to sense his presence and rushed towards him.
Zhou Ning was prepared and unleashed a clean and swift sword strike.
A purplish-gold sword aura shot out from the sword tip, like a giant purplish-gold dragon, heading straight for the group of black shadows.
Wherever the sword energy passed, the dark figures screamed in agony and vanished into black smoke.
Zhou Ning unleashed sword strike after sword strike, the purple-gold sword energy weaving into a net in the air, slaying the approaching shadows one by one.