Chapter 22: Continuing Downward

Ji Ning's heart was also stirred.

He had made a fundamental breakthrough, and his sword technique had long since comprehended the 'Heartsword Style.' Even if he truly encountered a World God, he might be able to withstand a blow or two. If his 'Divine Sword Violetjade' were fully restored, then with its aid... he might even hope to match World-level powers.

"Could I possibly become one of those legendary anomalies who slay World-level cultivators while still at the Ancestral God or Ancestral Immortal stage?" Ji Ning muttered to himself, then smiled.

The World stage was exceedingly difficult to break through.

Those who reached the World stage were all unparalleled geniuses with many fortuitous encounters.

Thus, to slay a World-level cultivator while at the Ancestral God or Ancestral Immortal stage required even greater talent, more encounters, and deeper insights.

"The Dao of the Sword is supremely suited for battle. I must master the second stance of the Nameless Sword Art as soon as possible... Perhaps I won't become one of those anomalies who slay World-level cultivators at the Ancestral God or Ancestral Immortal stage, but at least I'll strive forward on this path." Ji Ning's eyes burned with desire. Aim high to achieve the middle; aim for the middle to achieve the low.

On this path of cultivation, one could set lofty goals. Even if one fell short, one would still surpass ordinary cultivators.

...

Inside a rocky cave on the cliff face of the endless cavern.

Ji Ning reappeared and waved his hand to put away the cave treasure.

"This mist power is truly wondrous. But it consumes a lot in battle, so I need to stockpile it in advance." Ji Ning waved his hand, and the Skysight Tower appeared beside him. He then entered the tower.

Inside the Skysight Tower.

Ji Ning began to pour his heartforce, divine power, and immortal energy into the blue flower. The blue flower accepted everything without refusal, continuously devouring and transforming, and the mist within the blue flower space grew denser.

After outputting most of his power, Ji Ning slowly recovered.

He drew power from the Chaos to restore his divine power and immortal energy... while heartforce recovered slowly through rest.

Once recovered, he continued pouring!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." Finally, when the mist in the blue flower space reached an extreme density, a vortex formed, sweeping all the mist into it, condensing into a single crystalline droplet.

"A droplet?"

Ji Ning understood with a brief inspection.

The droplet was the highly condensed form of mist power. In battle, he could draw mist power from the droplet.

"It takes nearly all my divine power, immortal energy, and heartforce to condense one droplet," Ji Ning marveled. "Let's continue."

...

The Chaos was boundless.

A cultivator's absorption capacity was limited, as it couldn't exceed the divine body's load. Inside the Skysight Tower, Ji Ning absorbed Chaos power ten times faster than outside. His divine power, immortal energy, and heartforce were constantly depleted and restored, while the 'droplets' in the blue flower space increased—one, two, three...

Each droplet required the conversion of all his divine power, immortal energy, and heartforce.

Finally.

When thirty-six droplets formed a ring in the blue flower space, a balance was achieved, and the pressure told Ji Ning that this was the limit the blue flower space could currently bear.

...

Ji Ning spent some more days pondering in the rocky cave, seeking to understand various aspects of the 'blue flower.' Meanwhile, his true body clone in the 'World Prison' also merged the nine chaos seals and formed the blue flower mark, and droplets condensed in its blue flower space.

But it reached its limit after just three droplets.

"The blue flower space of my true body seems to have greater capacity than that of the clone?" Ji Ning mused.

"Is it due to the divine body? The golden core? Or the soul?" Ji Ning was puzzled.

The true body was a fusion of seventeen clones.

Its divine body was stronger, its golden core rivaled a top-grade Ancestral Immortal's, and its soul was more robust. Thus, its blue flower space was also stronger.

"No need to overthink."

"For now, the only use I've found for the blue flower power is to coat my divine body," Ji Ning thought. He had a feeling the blue flower power was not so simple, but after much deliberation, he only understood this one application.

"Given Nüwa's level of insight, she must have also merged the nine seals and formed a blue flower space. With her realm, she likely delved deeper and discovered other uses," Ji Ning mused. "But... I wonder where Nüwa went. There's no news of her in the Da Mo Domain."

Nüwa had left the Three Realms only half a chaos cycle ago.

If she had come to the Da Mo Domain, given her strength, she would surely have been recorded. After all, even notable Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals had their names spread across the Da Mo Domain. World-level powers were all documented. Yet Ji Ning found no records of 'Nüwa.'

"Or did Nüwa not come to the Da Mo Domain? Did she get lost in the vortex passage? With her strength, her chances of passing through were nearly certain, unless she was extremely unlucky and surrounded by spatial rifts with no escape. But that's very unlikely."

"Or is she hiding her identity within the Da Mo Domain?"

"Well, I'll take it slow."

"Given Nüwa's strength, if she's in the Da Mo Domain, her name will surely spread far and wide in time." Ji Ning was in excellent spirits. Comprehending the 'blue flower space' was a greater gain than anything else. Even if his true body died here, he could slowly recover through his true body clone.

"Senior Shuifengzi, thank you." Ji Ning turned to look at the text on the cave wall.

It was because of the 'Hundred Streams Convergence Diagram' left by Senior Shuifengzi that he had achieved such a leap in realm and merged the nine chaos seals so quickly. In comparison, the improvement in his sword technique was minor.

...

Standing at the edge of the rocky cave, Ji Ning looked up and then down into the bottomless abyss.

"Climb up? Or go down?"

Ji Ning pondered.

Now, with the blue flower power coating his body, he could easily climb up and out of the cavern. But after climbing out, could he leave safely? That was uncertain.

Going down was also unknown.

"Climbing up is no longer difficult," Ji Ning nodded lightly. "No rush. I'll go down first and take a look. Countless cultivators have been swallowed by this so-called 'Backwind' over endless ages. The earlier Prison Sword God had two Dao artifacts... Deep below the Backwind, there might be many treasures."

Though the depths were dangerous, they also held great treasures.

It wasn't impossible to obtain three or five Dao artifacts...

"Let's go."

Ji Ning hesitated no longer.

Cultivators always contended with heaven and earth. To gain fortuitous encounters and treasures, one had to risk one's life!

Ji Ning's arms stretched hundreds of zhang, like a great ape, as he swiftly climbed down the cliff face. With the blue flower mist power coating his body, it was effortless. He could even easily grip some pillars. Before, under the Backwind, his fingers couldn't hold on, but now he could grip them easily.

Swish, swish, swish...

Climbing with six arms, he was incredibly agile and fast, a blur as he descended rapidly.

Ten li, a hundred li, a thousand li...

Ji Ning kept climbing down.

Occasionally, he encountered stuck treasures.

"It's so deep. I've already climbed down over thirty thousand li," Ji Ning marveled. "And the Backwind seems to grow stronger the deeper I go."

The Backwind at his current location was five or six times stronger than at the top.

But Ji Ning's strength had increased so much that he still found it relatively easy.

"Hm?" Ji Ning's eyes lit up.

A blood-red warblade was partially wedged in a rock crevice. The gray gale howled as it passed over the blade, producing a piercing shriek. The blade gleamed dazzlingly, its aura startling Ji Ning.

"A Dao artifact!" Ji Ning grinned. "After climbing thirty thousand li and picking up nearly a hundred chaos treasures, I've finally found a Dao artifact."

Whoosh.

Ji Ning extended an arm hundreds of zhang long, thrust his large hand into the rock crevice, and grabbed the hilt, pulling the warblade free. The blade emanated a free aura, clearly ownerless—its master had likely perished long ago.

"Its aura is even stronger than Divine Sword Violetjade's," Ji Ning mused. "It must be a top-grade Dao artifact."

Ji Ning's guess was correct.

This warblade had been obtained by an Ancestral God in a desperate situation by sheer luck. It was a top-grade Dao artifact! But after obtaining it, the Ancestral God couldn't escape his predicament and fled into the 'Backwind Hundred Streams,' where he died.

"Even for this warblade, I have to get out alive. Dying would be too unfair." Ji Ning quickly stored the warblade. Exploring deadly perilous areas could cost one's life at any moment, but the rewards could be astonishing.

"Keep going down."

"I haven't seen Prison Sword God's two Dao artifacts yet." Ji Ning extended six arms and swiftly climbed down the cliff into the bottomless abyss.