Chapter 11 Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh

Looking down from atop the clouds, one could faintly see some immortal dwellings among the rolling mountain ranges. Occasionally, figures flying on magical treasures could be spotted, presumably Yinglong Guards.

Just as Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, and the many other cultivators were curiously observing, suddenly—

The clouds dove straight downward.

"That is..." Ji Ning saw at a glance that on a distant mountain peak below stood a huge, complex tower-shaped formation.

Boom.

The clouds descended, and Ji Ning and the group of cultivators all gazed at that tower-shaped formation. The entire formation before them emitted a hazy gray light, about eight hundred zhang tall! The base diameter was about a hundred zhang, and the base itself was shaped like a Nine Palaces diagram. The skeleton of the entire tower formation seemed to be made of rare refined metal, covered with a dense array of talisman inscriptions... covering this eight-hundred-zhang tower formation.

The tower formation was enveloped in a hazy gray light, only the tip faintly glowed white.

Beside this formation, ten elderly men in simple clothes were guarding and maintaining it.

"Is this the teleportation formation?" Mu Zishuo's eyes lit up.

"It should be," Ji Ning said, also filled with curiosity.

He had long heard of the fame of teleportation formations but had never used one. In Anchan Commandery, only the Yinglong Guard and a very few members of the Marquis of Anchan had the right to use the teleportation formation, and they could bring spirit beasts and servants along. Ji Ning and the others were about to join the Yinglong Guard... and were granted this exceptional opportunity to ride it once.

"Teleportation formation?"

"An eight-hundred-zhang teleportation formation? There's one in the garrison city in my hometown, but it's only a hundred zhang tall. Much smaller than this."

"I've never seen one before."

Though these cultivators were well-traveled, seeing such a tall teleportation formation, they were all amazed.

The ten elderly men in simple clothes respectfully bowed to the silver-haired, black-robed old man.

"Prepare it," the silver-haired, black-robed old man directly ordered. "These hundred cultivators will go directly to Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh!"

"Yes." The ten elderly men immediately entered the formation and began making some minor adjustments.

The silver-haired, black-robed old man glanced at Ji Ning and the other hundred people, his voice sonorous: "This teleportation formation is of the highest tier. It can even teleport to the capital of the Grand Xia Dynasty! Any commandery in this vast land can be reached instantly through this formation."

"Although Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh is two million li away, you'll be there soon," the silver-haired, black-robed old man said.

"Hmm?" The silver-haired, black-robed old man's expression suddenly changed slightly.

Swoosh!

He vanished from where he stood.

Ji Ning and the others who were listening were somewhat taken aback.

"Why did he suddenly disappear?"

"Probably something important came up."

"Immortals are truly extraordinary, vanishing in an instant. I wonder what escape technique that is." The cultivators began to murmur among themselves.

The ten elderly men maintaining the formation were also puzzled. Why did he leave? Adjusting the formation to set the teleportation destination was simple and quick.

"Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning," Mu Zishuo said in a low voice, "I've long known about Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh, but I don't know exactly how dangerous it is."

"Its reputation precedes it... It's one of the most famous dangerous places in Anchan Commandery. I've heard that in many places there, space is shattered, even directly connecting to some broken other spaces. Many demons lurk there, and there are even rumors of Fiendgods hiding within," Ji Ning said.

The endless lands ruled by the Grand Xia Dynasty were too vast. Besides relatively safe places like Yan Mountain, there were also mysterious places, special places, and dangerous places!

On Earth in his past life, there were many mysterious places on a land of ten thousand li. Let alone this vast world ruled by the Grand Xia Dynasty... Within Anchan Commandery, there were many strange and eerie places. Even some battlefields from the Fiendgod Era that had become bizarre still existed, along with immortal mansions, relics of great powers, and so on.

Among the top ten dangerous places in Anchan Commandery was Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh! And these dangerous places also held endless opportunities.

"I've also heard about Fiendgods," suddenly a handsome man in white robes approached.

Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo looked over.

"Daoist Ji Ning, Daoist Mu Zishuo," the handsome man in white robes said with a smile, "I am Donghe Feiyun, my Dao name is Feiyun."

"My Dao name is Shuangmu," Mu Zishuo said bluntly, then glanced at Ji Ning before adding, "My senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, Dao name Beiming! By the way, you mentioned Fiendgods... Are there really Fiendgods in Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh?"

The handsome man in white robes quickly said, "Haven't you two heard the legend about 'Prison Mountain'?"

"The legend of Prison Mountain?" Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo exchanged glances and shook their heads.

"Legend has it that in the distant past, just after the Fiendgod Era ended," Dongfang Feiyun said slowly, "a group of powerful immortals who founded the Grand Xia Dynasty used a powerful treasure to suppress a group of Fiendgods. That powerful treasure was 'Prison Mountain.' Killing those Fiendgods was difficult; even immortals would have died. So the immortals let Prison Mountain suppress them. Suppressed by Prison Mountain, completely isolated from the outside world and unable to absorb external power, the Fiendgods would only grow weaker. After a million years, they would become extremely feeble."

Ji Ning and the others nodded as they listened.

Whether cultivators or Fiendgods, once they reached a certain level, they could go without food or drink, but they needed to absorb external power. For Qi Refiners, it was absorbing natural energy... For Fiendgods and Fiendgod Body Refiners, they absorbed other powers, such as the Five Elements power, star power, lunar power, solar power, and so on.

If they couldn't absorb external power, they would naturally grow weaker.

"But later..."

"One of the suppressed Fiendgods, extremely powerful, actually broke through Prison Mountain and escaped the suppression! A frenzied battle ensued, a war between immortals and Fiendgods, shattering that region of heaven and earth. Though the outcome of that battle is unknown, Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh became what it is today," Donghe Feiyun said.

Ji Ning smiled: "As expected of the Donghe clan, to know such secrets."

"I only read about this in some books recording legends; it's hard to say whether it's true or false," Donghe Feiyun said with a smile.

"I've heard that in the Fiendgod Era, Fiendgods ruled this land," Ji Ning said. "Now it is our human race that rules this endless land. The demon race is slightly inferior... Fiendgods are almost nowhere to be seen."

Mu Zishuo's eyes also lit up: "I'm also very curious about the Fiendgod Era."

"The stronger we become, the more we will know," Donghe Feiyun said with a smile.

...

"This matter must be investigated thoroughly!" In midair, the silver-haired, black-robed old man said coldly.

Beside him, a black-furred three-eyed dog stood on clouds and spoke: "Yes! If the Marquis of Anchan, Beishan clan, obstructs..."

"Kill them all!" the silver-haired, black-robed old man said coldly. "Do not act under the identity of Yinglong Guard. Kill any who obstruct; we must get to the bottom of this."

"Yes." The black-furred three-eyed dog replied respectfully.

"These feudal lords have been ruling their fiefs like kings for too long, and they're getting restless. They need to be knocked down a peg from time to time," the silver-haired, black-robed old man said coldly. "It seems the Marquis of Anchan, Beishan clan, will have to lose another batch of people. Go!"

"Yes."

The black-furred three-eyed dog moved, and with a flash, it disappeared.

The silver-haired, black-robed old man then rode the clouds and flew leisurely downward... Soon he arrived at the peak where the teleportation formation stood. Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, and the other hundred cultivators had been waiting for a long time.

Whoosh!

The silver-haired, black-robed old man descended, and immediately the surroundings fell silent. The ten elderly men also looked over respectfully.

"Listen carefully," the silver-haired, black-robed old man said. "Your batch, about to join the Yinglong Guard, will have your assessment in Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh! Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh... is one of the most famous dangerous places in Anchan Commandery. Your task is to survive for three months in Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh and bring back the head of a Wanxiang-level demon."

"Those who survive three months and bring back the head of a Wanxiang-level demon may enter the Yinglong Guard."

"Those who die in Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh, or return without a Wanxiang-level demon head, or have a head but haven't stayed the full three months, all count as failures."

"Do you understand?"

The silver-haired, black-robed old man swept his gaze across them.

The hundred cultivators all nodded without hesitation. There were many assessments to enter the Yinglong Guard, and the one they faced was quite normal. Since they dared to come, they all believed they had some confidence.

"Good," the silver-haired, black-robed old man nodded. "Then set off. I hope to see you return with demon heads in three months. Remember... don't underestimate those great demons. You want to kill them, and they want to kill you too. With hatred accumulated over endless years, they will show you no mercy."

The hundred cultivators all understood.

Even Mu Zishuo, the youngest among them, had determination in his eyes.

"All of you, come in."

"Don't step outside the base of the formation."

The ten elderly men began to arrange things.

Ji Ning and the others walked into the teleportation formation. The formation was so large that it could teleport thousands of people at once.

"Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, my master instructed me... when we go to Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh, we must not only be careful of demons but also of other cultivators," Mu Zishuo transmitted. "They all know we're from the Black-White College now. Our Black-White College disciples are extremely few in number, and each of us carries valuable treasures. So ambushes against Black-White College disciples happen from time to time. We're not yet Yinglong Guards, so mutual killing is not prohibited."

Ji Ning smiled and glanced at Mu Zishuo.

The human heart is unpredictable. Having lived in an era of information explosion in his past life... the information he had been exposed to was far more than what people in this relatively information-isolated Manghuang world received.

Even so, Ji Ning said, "I know. Junior apprentice-brother, you must also be careful."

"Mm, we brothers will join forces. Hmph, if one comes, we'll kill one; if ten come, we'll kill ten," Mu Zishuo transmitted.

Suddenly—

The entire teleportation formation lit up. The hazy gray light on the surface of the tower formation brightened, enveloping the entire formation. From the outside, Ji Ning and the other hundred cultivators inside could no longer be seen.

Whoosh!

The white light at the tip of the tower suddenly surged in brightness a thousand or ten thousand times, dazzling like the Golden Crow in the sky.

When the white light dimmed and the hazy gray light returned to normal, Ji Ning and the other hundred cultivators inside the formation had vanished. At that moment, they had already arrived at Prison Mountain Great Wasteland Marsh.