"Gentlemen, I must take my leave now!"
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Chapter 17 The Desolate Ancient Domain (10.4k)
This is a primeval forest filled with an ancient atmosphere, with giant trees hundreds of feet tall everywhere, like giants supporting the sky.
The trees cast long shadows, blocking out the sun, and a chilling darkness permeated the depths of the forest.
Deep within the shade of the forest, the occasional roars of ferocious beasts echoed, sending chills down one's spine.
This is the Desolate Ancient Domain, located in the northeast of Zhongzhou.
Even Dou Zun realm experts who enter it never return; it is a world-renowned forbidden zone for humans, a place that everyone on the Dou Qi Continent fears.
Standing beneath this towering tree, hundreds of feet tall, Xiao Ning felt a profound sense of insignificance—an insignificance born of ancient times. This region was known as the oldest place on the Dou Qi Continent, without exception.
Compared to these giant trees that have grown for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, Xiao Ning, who has lived for less than a hundred years across several lifetimes, is really nothing. He doesn't even have a fraction of their lifespan.
After he deliberately revealed his cultivation level, not only the Xiao family was in an uproar, but the entire Jia Ma Empire was also in an uproar.
Every day, a steady stream of guests came to visit, including sect leaders and patriarchs from various factions, members of large families from all over the empire, and high-ranking officials of the empire, which annoyed Xiao Ning to no end.
After staying in Wutan Town for a few days and leaving behind some resources, he returned to Xiaojia Village, made some arrangements, and left before the visitors arrived.
He embarked on a journey to travel the world.
As for the Xiao family, Xiao Ning wasn't worried. With the old Dragon Emperor Zhukun in charge, it could be considered the safest place in the world.
Zhu Kun spent five days seeing his daughter Zi Yan and dealing with a bunch of miscellaneous matters before rushing over from Dragon Island.
Xiao Ning made a promise to him that as long as Zhu Kun protected the Xiao family for a hundred years, he would be set free. Zhu Kun naturally agreed with great excitement.
Nonsense, what can you do if you don't agree? Can you resist?
After settling matters with the Xiao family, Xiao Ning left the Jia Ma Empire alone. With nothing to worry about, he wandered around and enjoyed himself immensely.
He traveled to all parts of the world, stood on the top of high mountains to look out at the sky and earth, watched the changes of the world, and calmly watched the clouds roll and unroll. His whole soul seemed to be purified.
After crossing mountain after mountain, Xiao Ning's mind was more expansive than ever before. He seemed to have forgotten all his troubles, and his mind wandered between heaven and earth.
There was no loneliness, only the freedom of the soul. No matter how treacherous the mountain peak, it could not stop his steps; no matter how tall the mountain, he crossed it.
It includes not only high mountains, but also great rivers, swamps, and dangerous places.
In the blink of an eye, more than a year has passed.
During his year of travel, Xiao Ning's soul underwent a great transformation. Having witnessed the boundlessness of rivers and mountains, the imposing grandeur of towering peaks, and the endless expanse of landscapes, he had experienced a complete metamorphosis.
If Xiao Ning was once sharp and ambitious when he first broke through to the Profound Realm, then today, after years of experience, he has returned to his true self.
He possessed an inexplicable aura that made people feel approachable and at ease.
The immense magical power within his body had become perfectly smooth and flawless, pure and genuine, and he was not far from breaking through to the next realm.
On this day, as Xiao Ning wandered around, he unknowingly arrived at the desolate ancient domain of Zhongzhou.
After recalling the original work, it seems there's something good in it!
Xiao Ning's lips curled up into a smile as he stepped into the depths of the forest.
The next instant, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed, and the smell of decaying leaves permeated from all directions.
rustle!
Walking slowly through the dense forest, I looked around and saw unfamiliar tree species, but the dangers mentioned in the original book did not appear.
But strangely, he didn't see any life.
Yes, it's life, not even a single ant.
This is very abnormal.
Perhaps, great danger lurks in the darkness.
After advancing more than twenty miles, the situation remained as calm as when they entered. Occasionally, they encountered one or two ferocious beasts exuding a menacing aura, but they ignored Xiao Ning as if they did not see him at all.
This is because the serene and natural aura emanating from Xiao Ning deceived these low-level ferocious beasts, making them think he was a tree or a flower in the forest, and naturally they would not attack him.
Unlike the cautious approach of others entering the desolate ancient domain, Xiao Ning strolled around leisurely, as if no one else was around, just like a young master from a noble family going on a spring outing.
I don't know how long I walked, but it seemed like a thick fog had rolled in ahead, making my already blurry vision even darker, to the point that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face.
Moreover, the fog is toxic.
The surrounding poisonous fog grew thicker and thicker, and screams could be heard from time to time, indicating that some unfortunate soul had died from the poisonous fog.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan channeled his magic power, creating a protective shield that enveloped him within a three-foot radius, leaving no gaps.
They continued deeper into the area without stopping, only to find that the poisonous fog was becoming increasingly thick, and the screams of those about to die echoed from all around, extremely shrill.
"The name 'forbidden zone' is truly well-deserved; the toxicity and corrosiveness of this fog are incredibly strong!"
Looking at the remains that appeared in front of him, Xiao Ning could barely recognize that it was a wolf-like ferocious beast at the Dou Zun realm, but in the blink of an eye it turned into a skeleton, with no flesh or blood left.
"Wait, something's not right. There's something strange about the poisonous miasma here. A Dou Zun expert can use Dou Qi to completely cover their body, so ordinary poisonous gas can't do anything to them, not even ferocious beasts."
Xiao Ning looked thoughtful and muttered to himself.