"Stop!" Jiu You saw Xiao Man walking rapidly forward and quickly called out a warning.
Xiao Man's footsteps halted. That strange feeling had been lingering in her heart, urging her forward as if someone was waiting for her ahead.
Only when she calmed down did she sense a faint, almost imperceptible pressure in the air. This feeling bore down on her, making her hair stand on end. There was something more dangerous ahead than Feng Mo Ran!
"Zhu Qing, go take a look," Xiao Man summoned Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing transformed into a small snake and slithered away. Xiao Man waited in place. When the situation was unclear, she absolutely could not advance rashly. She had embarked on this path to survive, but if she lost her life due to rash action, it would be counterproductive.
After waiting for a long time, Zhu Qing did not return, nor could she sense Zhu Qing's presence. It was as if something had severed her connection with Zhu Qing. The calling voice echoed in her mind again.
Xiao Man looked at Jiu You. "Jiu You, did you hear someone speaking?"
"No, not only did no one speak, but besides our voices, there were no other sounds. It was eerily quiet."
"You haven't been here before?"
"No, I can't go this far," Jiu You replied. "Moreover, I am just a spark of fire, and a weak one at that. I cannot leave the vicinity of the Cold Pond by more than a thousand meters. Who knows how far we are from there." Su Dan Novel Network
"Then what do you sense ahead?"
"To have such pressure, it must be either a mythical beast-level demonic beast or a powerful human," Jiu You analyzed calmly. "This pressure is comparable to that of a mighty figure in the Nascent Soul stage."
"It is said that the Cang Xuan Continent once had four mighty figures in the Nascent Soul stage," Xiao Man said slowly. "One was the Qin family's old ancestor, who refined himself into an artifact. Then, there was one Nascent Soul stage mighty figure in each of the three great sects."
"That's not right. Why the three great sects? Shouldn't it be the four great sects?" Jiu You asked in surprise. "Ten thousand years ago, my master was suppressed, and I was severely injured but managed to escape. I healed at the bottom of the Cold Pond. Have the four great sects become three?"
Xiao Man's expression was quite puzzled. "Four great sects?"
"Yes, four great sects. The Heavenly Sword Sect master attacks, skilled in swordplay, and their disciples are all belligerent. The Heavenly Spirit Sect master heals, mainly for auxiliary attack. The Heavenly Profound Sect master deduces, skilled in utilizing timing and advantageous terrain. Finally, there is the Heavenly Shield Sect, specializing in defense. The Heavenly Shield Sect disciples cultivate differently from the other three sects; they are body cultivators. The four great sects worked together seamlessly, leaving no gaps. That's why my master lost back then."
"Your master is Yu Ju?" Xiao Man said unhurriedly.
"Yes. Everyone says my master is a great devil, an utterly wicked villain, but I know he is not."
"Then why was he besieged and suppressed?" Xiao Man's tone was very plain, as if she were merely asking about a trivial matter. Her tone conveyed no emotion, no disdain, just casualness.
"Because my master discovered something he shouldn't have known," Jiu You said after a moment of silence. "My master discovered the secret of the gods."
"The secret of the gods?" Xiao Man was a little curious. "The secret of the gods? Is it possible that a god is an ugly monster?"
Jiu You flickered. "What strange things are you thinking about? Walk slower. With such powerful pressure, if you rush forward, aren't you afraid of encountering danger?"
"Zhu Qing has been gone for a long time, and I'm worried." Xiao Man quickened her pace towards the direction where the light was coming from. However, the closer she got, the more terrifying the pressure became, and the stronger the feeling welling up from the depths of her heart became. Something was summoning her!
Xiao Man's quick steps turned into a step-by-step movement. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. Her steps slowed, and she had to pause for a moment after each step before taking the next.
"How strange, this aura, it's somewhat familiar," Jiu You said, somewhat bewildered.
"Familiar?" Xiao Man was adapting to such powerful pressure and dared not walk too fast. Otherwise, she would be pinned to the ground by the suddenly increased pressure and unable to get up.
"Yes, it seems I've encountered it somewhere before, but time has passed too long, and I can't recall it immediately."
"Could it be that your master is actually suppressed here?" Xiao Man joked, but inwardly she was certain it was impossible. Even though they had traveled a great distance, they could not have reached the Land of No Return. Moreover, she had been to the Land of No Return before. The air there made one feel uncomfortable, but it certainly didn't have such terrifying pressure.
"I remember it! This is not pressure, it's resentment!" Jiu You exclaimed in confusion. "To generate such powerful resentment, many people must have died."
"Could this be an ancient battlefield?" Xiao Man had slowly adapted to the powerful pressure. Because Jiu You was with her, she didn't have to worry about the faint resentment in the air eroding her soul.
After an unknown amount of time, the path finally reached its end. The end was a ruin of broken walls and crumbling buildings. A statue ten zhang tall stood at the forefront. The statue's head had rolled onto the ground and was covered in moss.
"A fierce battle took place here," Xiao Man surveyed the surroundings. This must have been a very prosperous place in the past. The damaged carved railings and jade walls alone indicated its former glory.
Jiu You floated in the air, looking at the headless statue. It was a person, a very majestic person. Jiu You circled the statue once and finally landed on the moss-covered head.
Jiu You's fire ignited, burning all the moss into ash, revealing the statue's face.
"Hiss." Jiu You gasped. "This is a statue of the Heavenly Shield Sect Master!"
"Could this be the ruins of the Heavenly Shield Sect from the Four Great Sects ten thousand years ago?" Xiao Man inquired.
"I don't know. Let's go in and see," Jiu You suggested. The Heavenly Shield Sect, once ranked second among the Four Great Sects, appearing here, and this intense resentment, suggested that the entire sect had been annihilated.
Xiao Man looked around but found no trace of Zhu Qing. She immediately lifted her leg and walked in. Jiu You followed beside her. "Strange. The defense of the Heavenly Shield Sect was unparalleled. To destroy the Heavenly Shield Sect, unless the other three sects joined forces, it would be absolutely impossible to annihilate them."
"Perhaps your original master did it."
"How could that be? When my master was suppressed, the Heavenly Shield Sect was still intact!"
Xiao Man nodded in understanding. "Meaning, after your master was suppressed, something happened that led to the annihilation of the entire Heavenly Shield Sect, and this incident crossed the bottom line of the other three sects, prompting them to join forces and destroy the Heavenly Shield Sect?"
"The so-called righteous sects of the martial world are truly despicable!" Jiu You's tone was sarcastic. "On one hand, they uphold justice, and on the other, they commit the most inhumane acts."
"We don't know who was responsible for the destruction of the Heavenly Shield Sect. All of this is just our speculation. Even if the three great sects joined forces to destroy the Heavenly Shield Sect, there's nothing we can do."