Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 126 Vortex Passage

Zhou Ning watched him leave, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her.

The threat of the extraterrestrial demons is getting closer, and his cultivation level is still far from sufficient.

"Master, I wish to visit the northern lands," he said.

Yan Chixia glanced at him: "Are you sure?"

Zhou Ning nodded: "This disciple is certain. Rather than waiting here, we should take the initiative to investigate. Perhaps we can find the weakness of the extraterrestrial demons."

Yan Chixia was silent for a moment, then said:

"Alright. Go ahead. But remember, don't venture too deep into the crevice. With your current cultivation level, you're not strong enough to fight against the Heavenly Demon."

He took out a jade talisman from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ning.

"This jade talisman contains a full-force sword aura of mine. In a moment of crisis, it can save your life."

Zhou Ning accepted the jade talisman and solemnly said, "Thank you, Master."

He returned to his lodgings and packed his bags.

He brought along the Qingfeng Sword, the Bixie Sword, and the Hanshuang Sword, as well as a bag full of talismans, several pills to restore true essence, and the Ningying Pill.

With everything prepared, he left Lanruo Temple and headed north.

The sky in the north was more gloomy than in the south.

The gray clouds hung low, as if they might fall at any moment.

A faint stench permeated the air. Unlike the demonic aura of the Black Mountain Demon, this aura was more ancient and carried an indescribable eeriness.

Zhou Ning followed the official road northwards.

He walked for three days and arrived at the outpost that Han Wei had mentioned.

The outpost was built on a small hill and was a simple wooden building surrounded by a wooden fence.

There were only a few guards from the Demon Suppression Division at the outpost, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Zhou Ning.

"Young Master Zhou, you've finally arrived."

A young guard stepped forward, his eyes filled with exhaustion and fear.

"For the past few nights, we've been hearing strange noises coming from underground. It sounds like something is crawling around."

Zhou Ning asked, "Where is the crack?"

The guard pointed to an open area north of the outpost.

"It's over there. A few nights ago, a black crack appeared in the sky, lasted for a few moments, and then disappeared. That fragment was left on the ground."

Zhou Ning walked to the open space, squatted down, and examined it carefully.

There was a thin crack on the ground, from which black mist continuously rose, carrying a bone-chilling cold.

He probed the ground with his divine sense and sensed a faint but extremely evil aura surging deep underground.

"The aura of an extraterrestrial demon." Zhou Ning frowned.

He took out several "evil-suppressing talismans," pasted them around the cracks, and then infused them with his true energy.

The talisman glowed with golden light, and the black mist in the cracks gradually dissipated.

But Zhou Ning knew that this was only temporary.

As long as the demonic aura remains underground, the cracks could open again at any time.

"We must find the source," Zhou Ning decided.

He followed the direction of the crack, heading north.

After walking for about two hours, an abandoned mine came into view.

The mine had long been abandoned, and the entrance to the mine shaft was sealed with wooden planks, but there were new marks on the planks, indicating that it had been tampered with recently.

Black mist kept rising from the mine, exactly the same as the smell coming from the cracks in the outpost.

"This is it." Zhou Ning gripped his Qingfeng sword, pushed aside the wooden planks, and stepped into the mine.

It was pitch black in the mine; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Zhou Ning poured his true essence into the Qingfeng Sword, and the sword emitted a faint golden light, barely illuminating what lay ahead.

The passage was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. The walls were made of rough rock, and pebbles fell from above from time to time, making a dull sound.

The air was filled with a pungent, putrid stench that made people want to vomit.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a huge stone chamber appeared ahead.

Inside the stone chamber, a black vortex floated in mid-air, slowly rotating.

Black mist seeped out from the edge of the vortex, carrying with it a chilling cold and a nauseating stench.

Deep within the vortex, some dark shadows could be vaguely seen writhing and emitting low growls, as if they might burst out of the vortex at any moment.

"A passage to extraterrestrial demons!" Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat.

He could sense that although this vortex was much smaller than the crack in the southern border, its aura was purer and more eerie.

The dark figure in the vortex seemed to sense his presence, and began to surge violently, emitting a sharp shriek.

Zhou Ning gritted his teeth, drew his Qingfeng sword, concentrated his true essence at the tip of the sword, and unleashed the "Demon Slayer Technique".

A massive golden sword aura shot out from the tip of the sword, like a golden dragon, heading straight for the vortex.

"boom!"

The sword energy struck the vortex, producing a deafening explosion.

The stone chamber shook violently, and rubble fell from the cave ceiling.

The vortex trembled violently under the impact of the sword energy, and the black mist at its edges began to dissipate.

But the vortex did not disappear; instead, it spun even more wildly, with more dark shadows emerging from it.

Zhou Ning's expression changed, and he unleashed several more sword strikes.

Golden sword energy struck the vortex one after another. Finally, the vortex began to shrink, eventually turning into a tiny crack and disappearing into the air.

Zhou Ning sheathed his Qingfeng sword, panting heavily, and slumped to the ground.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Nearly half of his internal energy had been depleted, but a sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

"It's temporarily sealed."

He stood up and looked around.

Inside the stone chamber, besides the vortex, there were some scattered black fragments, exactly the same as the one Han Wei brought.

He collected the fragments, wrapped them in talisman paper, and put them in his bag.

"Take it back and show it to Master."

When Zhou Ning emerged from the mine, it was already dark.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the desolate mine ruins, bathing everything in a dark red glow.

His clothes were covered in dust, and there were several cuts on his arms from the pebbles, but he felt an indescribable sense of relief.

That small demonic passage has been temporarily sealed.

When he returned to the outpost, the guards of the Demon Suppression Division were waiting anxiously.

Seeing him return safely, the young guard captain Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly came to greet him.

"Young Master Zhou, are you alright? What's down there... what's down there?"

Zhou Ning briefly explained the situation in the mine, then took out the few black fragments from his bag and handed them to Li Yuan.

"These are fragments from the extraterrestrial demon. Keep them safe and take them back to Lord Han. Tell him that there is more than one rift in the North, and vigilance must be strengthened."

Li Yuan took the fragment, his expression grave: "Young Master Zhou, will the extraterrestrial demons... really descend?"

Zhou Ning was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't know. But we must be prepared."

He stayed at the outpost for one night and left the next morning, returning to Lanruo Temple.

He studied the fragments repeatedly along the way.

The fragments were icy cold to the touch, carrying a chilling aura, just like the demonic energy he had sensed from the Black Mountain Demon, but purer and more ancient.

He could sense that the fragments contained extremely powerful resentment and negative emotions, crystallized from the fear and despair of countless living beings fed by extraterrestrial demons.

"If the extraterrestrial demons were to truly descend, what would become of the human world?"

Zhou Ning couldn't imagine it.

He quickened his pace, traveling day and night, and returned to Lanruo Temple in three days.

Yan Chixia was practicing swordsmanship on the back mountain. When he saw him return, he sheathed his sword and his gaze fell on the black fragment in Yan Chixia's hand.

"Found it?"

Zhou Ning nodded, gave a detailed report on the situation in the mine, and then handed the fragment to his master.