Chapter 505: The Departure of the Mysterious Woman

Chapter 505: The Departure of the Mysterious Woman

Inside the room

Jiang Ning stared in the direction the mysterious woman had just left, his heart unable to calm down.

Her simple words had revealed too much information.

From her, he learned that she was someone who had survived the Cataclysmic Calamity.

The Cataclysmic Calamity she mentioned might be the reason for the drastic changes in the world.

She was a disciple of the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Venerable, a mysterious figure who had lived from ancient times until now.

Although he didn’t know what kind of existence the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Venerable was in ancient times, it was clear that it was no ordinary being.

The Esoteric Art she had imparted to him was extremely profound and extraordinary, named the Spiritual Treasure Rite.

The term "Spiritual Treasure" likely came from the lineage of the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Venerable.

The Weapon Refinement Technique she taught him was similar to the one he had previously mastered, but it was clearly an advanced version.

It not only possessed all the effects of the previous Weapon Refinement Technique but could also refine spiritual treasures and incorporate them into his body.

Most crucially, the Spiritual Treasure Rite allowed a layer of spiritual treasure light to form on his body.

The more spiritual treasures he refined, the more invincible the spiritual treasure light became.

From this, it was clear that this was not just an Esoteric Art but a technique that could grow and strengthen over time.

The more spiritual treasures he refined, the stronger the spiritual treasure light would become.

It could be infinitely stacked and accumulated.

Jiang Ning could imagine how formidable the defense of the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Venerable must have been with this unique Esoteric Art!

The spiritual treasure light was also a hallmark of the spiritual treasure lineage.

However, he realized that he had not yet formed the spiritual treasure light.

The Ice Coffin, though under his control, had not been fully refined.

All 33 Edict Seals needed to be refined to achieve complete refinement.

Through the mysterious woman’s transfer of ownership, he had only managed to initially refine the Ice Coffin and incorporate it into his body.

Inside the room.

With a thought, the Ice Coffin reappeared in his palm.

In the next moment, he vanished from the spot.

The Ice Coffin fell to the ground with a loud thud.

In an instant, the world shifted.

He found himself in a vast hall.

The hall was constructed entirely of dark, massive stones.

It had no doors or windows, a completely sealed structure.

Jiang Ning scanned the surroundings and his gaze landed on the four massive stone pillars.

These pillars stood in the southeast, northeast, northwest, and southwest directions.

They were entirely black.

Each pillar bore an image of a mythical beast: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

Jiang Ning observed for a moment before retracting his gaze.

He focused his attention on the Ice Coffin in the center of the hall.

Approaching the Ice Coffin, he leaned in to look inside.

With the mysterious woman’s departure, the Ice Coffin was now empty.

Jiang Ning examined the interior of the Ice Coffin for a while.

Then, he climbed into the Ice Coffin and lay down.

As he lay down, the world became even more silent.

Apart from the sound of his heartbeat, breathing, and blood flowing, he could hear nothing from the outside world.

Thump— Thump— Thump—

Listening to his heart beat, he felt the isolation from the outside world, just as the mysterious woman had said.

The interior of the Ice Coffin was like its own world.

In this isolated state, he could more clearly feel the changes within his body.

The new blood from the Second Blood Transformation was nourishing his flesh, and countless cells were rapidly dividing and regenerating.

Each division was a cycle, a cycle of birth and death.

With each cycle, his physical strength increased.

After a short while, he got up from the Ice Coffin and with a thought, he disappeared from the hall, returning to the room.

He glanced at the Ice Coffin at his feet, bent down to pick it up.

Then, the Ice Coffin transformed into a beam of light and merged into his body.

After this brief exploration, combined with the information the mysterious woman had revealed, he had a general understanding of the Ice Coffin’s effects.

For him now, the most practical use was for survival.

He could simply hide in a corner, bury the Ice Coffin in the ground, and enter the Ice Coffin’s world.

No matter how powerful the enemy, they would not be able to find him.

As for concealing heavenly secrets, it was not particularly useful to him now.

After all, the current era was different from the ancient times of the mysterious woman.

This era lacked the mystical and supernatural methods of the past.

Great power was centered within individuals, and martial arts were flourishing.

The Martial Sage, who had suppressed the world for over eight hundred years, had also brought peace for that long.

This alone demonstrated that the Martial Sage, the pinnacle of martial arts, was the strongest being in the world.

As for the mysterious woman, based on her behavior:

Even if she had returned from the Endless Abyss and avoided the Cataclysmic Calamity, she could not return to the real world.

She was separated from him by several dimensions.

This made him suddenly think of the Black Lotus Saint Mother and the flesh god he had glimpsed.

He remembered that when he had used a medium to spy on the flesh god, he had seen boundless darkness.

In that darkness, a mysterious being with three heads, six arms, and four legs sat on a lotus throne.

He also recalled the Black Lotus Saint Mother’s conversation with him through her spirit body.

She could not manifest.

At that time, the Black Lotus Saint Mother had been extremely wary of him, mainly because of the Heavenly Eye on his forehead.

"Master of justice", Jiang Ning murmured to himself.

His mind flashed with the information the mysterious woman had revealed.

The reason she could return was because of the Heavenly Eye that had opened on his forehead.

Through the Heavenly Eye, he had glimpsed the Endless Abyss where she was.

And because of his gaze, she seemed to have found a way back.

In an instant, she had escaped the Endless Abyss and returned to this world.

However, even with her mysterious and powerful nature as a disciple of the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Venerable, she could not truly return and was separated from him by several layers of space.

Moreover, her return had caused changes in the sky outside.

Thunder rumbled.

Ordinary people might think it was a sign of an impending rainstorm.

But he knew that it might be a prelude to a heavenly punishment.

From the information he had, the Heavenly Dao had consciousness.

It had developed awareness.

Therefore, it did not allow beings like the mysterious woman to return to this world.

He could imagine that if the mysterious woman had stayed longer, heavenly punishment might have descended, targeting her.

Perhaps this was why she had left in such a hurry.

The consciousness of this world did not permit her to remain.

After much contemplation, he shook his head.

This sudden incident made Jiang Ning realize that the world of extraordinary power was far more complex than it appeared.

The mysterious woman’s abilities were beyond his comprehension.

She existed on a completely different plane.

In the face of the Cataclysmic Calamity, even such a powerful figure could only flee and hide.

Fleeing into the endless Endless Abyss, then retreating into the Ice Coffin.

Seeking that sliver of hope.

If not for his reckless probing, providing a medium for the mysterious woman to return, it was uncertain whether her initial plan would have succeeded.

Such a risky move, just to seek that sliver of hope, made it clear how perilous the Cataclysmic Calamity must be.

Faced with the Cataclysmic Calamity, even a figure of this caliber was powerless to resist. How could the world be so simple?

His thoughts swirled.

The Ice Coffin reappeared in his hand.

He briefly sensed the restrictions inside the Ice Coffin and then shook his head.

Thirty-three Edict Seals.

He had no idea what that meant.

But with the help of the mysterious woman, the Ice Coffin now recognized him as its master and was under his control, yet he had only managed to refine the first seal.

As for the second seal, he tried briefly but gave up. The seal was as immovable as a mountain, impossible to refine.

He didn’t know if it was because his strength or cultivation path was mismatched, making it difficult to refine.

Or if the Ice Coffin was simply too powerful for him, like an ant trying to move a mountain.

It was an almost impossible task.

He returned the Ice Coffin to his body, then pushed open the door and walked out.

In the courtyard, he saw Lvyi hanging clothes to dry.

Not only her own clothes, but also his from yesterday, and the dress Wang Qingtan had worn before.

“Master!”

Seeing Jiang Ning, Lvyi smiled and greeted him.

Her hands didn’t stop, still shaking out the clothes.

“Where’s Wang Qingtan?” Jiang Ning asked.

“Miss Wang is probably still sleeping!” Lvyi replied.

As she spoke, she shook out the wrinkled dress and hung it up to dry.

After hanging it, she smoothed out the wrinkles bit by bit.

Hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded.

The turbulence in his mind had settled, and he was now calm.

He had glimpsed a corner of the vast world, but he knew he was far from reaching the level of the mysterious woman.

Now, he could only take one step at a time, climbing steadily.

Through his own efforts, he would eventually reach that level.

He clenched his fists, his resolve burning.

The existence of the mysterious woman proved that immortality was possible.

Without relying on breaking limits through cultivation techniques, the extraordinary world already had beings who were nearly immortal.

The mysterious woman had lived from ancient times to the present, possessing such mysterious means.

This meant such a path existed.

Since there was a path, he had the confidence to walk it.

With a path, there was hope.

The worst thing for a person was to have no hope.

If immortality was impossible, the longest one could live was a few hundred years.

Even a Martial Sage who dominated the world for over eight hundred years, influencing the rise and fall of generations, would ultimately turn to dust and become a handful of yellow earth.

If it came to that, how could he be content with such a fate, given the opportunities and encounters he had?

Now, things were different.

The existence of the mysterious woman had shown him that there was still hope.

Sighing, he let his thoughts pass, then focused on gaining experience for the Adamantine Indestructible Body.

His path required him to stay grounded.

He shouldn’t be overly ambitious.

One step at a time, he would rise.

Now, the path of martial arts was the most suitable for him and the current era.

As for other aspirations, he would consider them after reaching the pinnacle of martial arts, on par with that Martial Sage.

If there was no path ahead, and no further progress could be made, he would need to plan and try other options.

For now, he needed to take one step at a time, first reaching the pinnacle of martial arts.

【Adamantine Indestructible Body Experience +1】

【Adamantine Indestructible Body Experience +1】

【Adamantine Indestructible Body Experience +1】

【...】

As his thoughts flowed, he began the movements of the Adamantine Indestructible Body, channeling Life Force to refine his skin and break the limits of his body.

Time slowly passed.

The sun rose higher, and the temperature steadily increased.

Drip—

Drip—

Sweat trickled down his face, growing larger, and finally fell from his chin, splashing onto the ground like tiny pearls.

“Master, something’s wrong!”

“Come quickly!”

Lvyi’s voice suddenly came from inside the house.

“Is it Wang Qingtan?” Jiang Ning’s heart raced, and his gaze shifted to Wang Qingtan’s room.

Lvyi’s voice was coming from Wang Qingtan’s room.

In the next moment, he vanished from the spot and appeared in Wang Qingtan’s room.

On the cool bamboo bed, Wang Qingtan lay still under a thin blanket.

Even though Lvyi had made a commotion and called him, and he had entered the room, Wang Qingtan still seemed to be in a deep sleep, showing no signs of waking up.

“Something’s wrong!” Jiang Ning’s eyes widened.

He was certain something was amiss.

A martial artist, even in deep sleep, would still be aware of the slightest movement around them.

The slightest sound or the presence of an unexpected visitor would instantly wake them, no matter how deeply they slept.

But Wang Qingtan showed no signs of waking up.

He approached the bed, looking at her rising and falling chest and feeling the breath from her nostrils, which reassured him slightly.

Her breathing was long and steady, not a sign of any trouble.

“Master!” Lvyi spoke, and Jiang Ning turned to look at her.

“I had Spring Wind Tower send breakfast, and it was getting late, so I came to Miss Wang’s room to wake her up and ask if she wanted to eat,” Lvyi explained, continuing, “But no matter how many times I called her, she didn’t respond, so I came closer and found that I couldn’t wake her up at all.”

Hearing Lvyi’s words, Jiang Ning understood immediately.

He stood by Wang Qingtan’s bed and gently patted her cheek.

Still no response.

Wang Qingtan seemed like a lifeless doll.

Jiang Ning’s heart sank. The fact that she couldn’t be woken up by a pat on the face was a serious issue.

He then extended his thumb to press her philtrum.

With a slight pressure, a moment later, she gasped.

Wang Qingtan’s eyes snapped open, and she sat up, the thin blanket sliding down to her waist.

Her slender shoulders and white, smooth arms were exposed.

Jiang Ning glanced away.

Thankfully, she was wearing a nightgown!

He felt a bit relieved.

“Wang Qingtan, what’s wrong?” Jiang Ning asked.

Wang Qingtan looked up at Jiang Ning, grabbing his sleeve with a hand.

Her eyes still held a trace of fear.

She took a few deep breaths and then shook her head.

“Nothing, just a nightmare!”

“A nightmare?” Jiang Ning was slightly surprised.

Wang Qingtan nodded. “Yes, just a nightmare!”

Then, she forced a smile at Jiang Ning.

“Nothing to worry about, just a nightmare. Don’t worry about me!”

Jiang Ning slowly nodded. (End of Chapter)

Chapter end