Chapter 7: What the Heart Desires, No Regrets Till Death (Part 1)

  "Jiǔ Qiào Shí!" -> "Nine Orifices Stone!"

  "How did it run into my mind?"

  Covering her mouth with her hand, she was afraid that if she wasn't careful, she would let out a startled cry.

  In this chaotic situation, his actions were surprisingly calm and collected.

  At the moment when the soul boundary collapsed and the strange light vortex collapsed, a pale purple stone with nine orifices suddenly appeared in Ning Feng's mind.

  This stone is all too familiar to him, having been worn in the Soul Realm for over a decade, an inseparable family heirloom that can't be lost no matter what.

  "Could it be..."

  "That's right, it must be so!"

  The last lingering doubt in his mind suddenly cleared up, and the remaining mist in his soul dispersed.

  "Those old guys in the spiritual realm, and the heavenly will they represent, I'm afraid it's not me who wants to stay?"

  "But it's — it!"

  "The Nine Apertures Stone is here, and the Soul Realm exists; The Nine Apertures Stone follows me away, and the Soul Realm no longer exists."

  "No wonder."

  Ning Feng was surrounded by panicked young men at this moment, after all, the high and mighty Sun God Temple's various peak masters were as if they had seen a ghost, it was no wonder that they were like this.

  Seeing them, Ning Feng thought of something again.

  "Right, my experience is completely different from theirs, and it must have something to do with this piece of Jiugongshi."

  "Of course it's different. They went to experience the Soul Boundary trial, I went to seize people's foundation, and took everyone away, can the treatment be the same?"

  Ning Feng endured and endured again, barely restraining himself from letting a smile appear on his face.

  "Just... why me?"

  "Over the years, countless people have entered and exited the Soul Realm, why did they choose me?"

  "And also, what is this piece of Jiukongshi stone?"

  Ning Feng thought of the damned Nine Linked Rings again, feeling that one wave had not yet subsided when another rose up. A cloud of suspicion stretched out a lazy waist and once again shrouded everything.

  "It will all come out eventually."

  Can't think it through, had no choice but to put it down for now, he can't put it down either, a huge storm in the palace!

  "Your humble servant has arrived, greetings to our venerable ancestor!"

  The contemporary Sun God Temple Master, the white-robed elder Shen Bu Yi, rushed to the front statue and performed a kneeling bow ceremony.

  After Shen Bu Yi, the remaining eight mountain masters also paid their respects with great courtesy.

  "Huh?!"

  Ning Feng's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the scene before him.

  Shen Bu Yi and others stood in front of the statues, all of which were several meters high. The entire palace was surrounded by numerous reliefs, some depicting dragons and snakes, while others showed gods and demons, all of which were magnificent and majestic, with a dignified atmosphere.

  Whether it was a statue or a relief, in the instant when the soul realm disappeared and the palace shook violently, "brush" suddenly lit up as if sunlight flowed through it.

  What shines is not only light, but also spirit. In a flash, these things that were originally just decorations suddenly have life and bring out the charm.

  The most eye-catching ones are three tall statues.

  The heads of the three statues shone brightly, as if each had grasped a sun and transformed it into a crown on their head.

  Shen Bu Yi and others, those who paid their respects with great ceremony, were precisely them.

  "Get out of the way!"

  The statue on the left of the three statues opened its mouth, and the palace shook violently. Shen Bu-yi and others hastily retreated.

  "Rustle rustle~~"

  Under the gaze of the crowd, the statue moved.

  It lifted one foot and took a step down, the palace was overwhelmed by it, unable to bear the weight.

  Raise one foot again, follow up, and then...

  "Boom!!"

  A statue of several zhang tall, entirely crimson bronze, weighing over 10,000 jun, it pushed the Golden Mountain, overturned the Jade Pillar - well, actually it was just tripping over its own feet - and crashed to the ground.

  "I'm going..."

  It feels like the whole world is collapsing.

  The existence that the Taoyang God Palace's leader had to kneel down to, fell just like that... fell just like that...

  At this sight, Shen Bu Yi and others reacted quickly, one by one raising their heads to gaze at the sky, as if the top of their heads was not a dry and withered palace roof, but rather a vast expanse of white clouds and majestic blue heavens.

  "Hmmph!"

  A cold snort exploded, the huge bronze statue shattered into four or five pieces, each piece of red copper dissolving and disappearing in mid-air, dispersing into light.

  The next moment, a giant of the same height as several zhangs, entirely condensed from sunlight, took a step forward and stretched out his hand to grab towards the place where the soul boundary disappeared.

  "Awesome!"

  "This is definitely the Sun's Law of Cultivation to a high and profound realm."

  “……”

  The young man's words were like a sharp sword, shocking and admiring, Ning Feng held his breath, his hands involuntarily clenched into fists.

  "Swish swish swish~"

  The Taishang Laojun of the Solar Divine Palace had countless rays of light shuttling back and forth in his palm, weaving a net of light that enveloped everything, not even a speck of dust could escape.

  "Will he find out?"

  Ning Feng was nervous, if the Nine Apertures Stone in his mind was discovered, he would be in big trouble.

  "Zhān jiào zhēn rén, zhū fēng shān zhǔ, hái yǒu cóng lái méi yǒu tīng shuō guò de shén gōng lǎo zǔ……, zhè zhèn zhàng tài dà le, wán quán gāng bù zhù ā."

  Translation:

  "The True Person of the Palm Teachings, the Master of the Various Peaks, and even the never-before-heard-of Ancient Ancestor of the Divine Palace...... This lineup is too grand, completely unbearable!"

  "Soul realm is actually so important..."

  The divine light net of Shen Gong Lao Zu's probe lasted for less than a breath, but Ning Feng felt that it was longer than his entire lifetime.

  It's not easy for Shengu Old Ancestor to stop, Ning Feng's heart is already in his throat, but the old man actually hesitated and didn't speak...

  "You're quite talkative."

  He curled up the corners of his mouth, closed his eyes and didn't look at him, whatever.

  "Soul realm for ten thousand years, disciples of the Divine Palace, all come out of grinding and polishing, yet in this world there is no eternal forever, once gone, then it's really gone."

  It was the same as the previous "get out of the way", it must be Lao Zu's voice.

  "The soul's journey has come to an end."

  Ning Feng still closed his eyes and listened to this conclusion. After letting out a sigh of relief, he muttered to himself: "That's not necessarily true."

  At this time, Shen Bu's voice rang out: "Old Ancestor, after those three years of Soul Realm tempering and the Heavenly Tribulation..."

  "No doubt!"

  Lao Zu's voice turned stern, "You are the current leader of Taiyang Shen Gong."

  "Yes."

  "The world's soul realm is not just one place."

  "Huh?"

  Ning Feng heard this and could no longer hold back, opening his eyes to look over.

  "This sounds like there's more to it."

  It wasn't just him who thought this way. Shen Bu Yi seemed to be deep in thought, and then asked: "Ancestor, if the other party is unwilling to negotiate and can't be persuaded, what should we do?"

  "Take it by force!"

  The old ancestor of Shen Gong waved his hand, as if casually mentioning a trivial matter that was not worth mentioning.

  As soon as he finished speaking, his body, condensed from pure sunlight, suddenly collapsed inward, radiating a million rays of light. A sun rose high in the sky and dissipated into light the next moment.

  As the light breeze passes by, the grand palace seems as warm and gentle as a spring breeze.

  "Do not doubt, respectfully obey the ancestors' instructions."

  "See off the old ancestor."

  Shen Bu Yi's face seemed to be smiling, and the other mountain masters also smiled and bowed.

  The young men in the palace, whether it was Ning Feng's thirty people or the seventy who later came to their senses, were all staring blankly and still immersed in the scene they had just witnessed.

  "Overbearing."

  "The Sun God Temple is really overbearing."

  "Hey, come at me if you can, these four words are understated, the momentum is not ordinary."

  After putting down his worries, Ning Feng began to chat with You Rong, and indeed, his own family had entered an extraordinary sect.

  After seeing off the old ancestor of the Temple of Gods, the sunlight that had been shining brightly throughout the palace also quietly disappeared at some point. Shen Bu Yi and others were whispering to each other about something.

  It wasn't until a while later that they came to their senses. Shen Bu Yi waved his hand at the young men and said, "Take those who have passed the Spiritual Tribulation to the side hall and temporarily settle them in."

  "Those who have not passed are sent out of the outer gate, and both going and staying are convenient."

  Zhang Jiao finished speaking and someone led Ning Feng and others away.

  Not to mention those who have never been through, and are confused until the end, like a funeral, even Ning Feng's people around him, their faces are not very good, taking three steps back, how disappointed and despondent they are.

  Until they left the palace, Shen Bu Yi and others were still talking about something, without noticing the eager eyes of the young men.

  "Hey, the elder in the clan at Shen Gong said that in previous years, wouldn't the true person who held the teachings always separately meet with the disciples who had passed through the baptism of the gods, teach them the key points, and reward them with treasures?"

  "Yes, yes, I've heard that it's not just the head of the sect, but also the masters of various peaks who will offer guidance and bestow rewards on those who are about to enter the inner circle."

  "What bad luck! They must have reached the end of their soul's lifespan... they've lost all motivation..."

  "Bad luck..."

  Out of the palace, without restraint, those who were previously in a state of excitement and anticipation let out sighs of disappointment, their original expectations having fallen flat, not to mention the sense of superiority they once had as leaders of their generation.

  "So it was like this..."

  Ning Feng couldn't help but want to laugh at their sorry state of being defeated by a rooster.

  He didn't lose out; on the surface, he's just a drag on the team.

  They walked to the side hall, and a group of young men entered.

  The side hall had no decorations, with a floor paved with about ten square feet of red copper bricks, and dozens of tatami mats scattered randomly on top.

  The top of the side hall has four sides, with more than a dozen lanterns hanging from it. Each lantern is inlaid with a piece of agate, emitting a light like sunlight that never stops.

  The young men who had lost their sense of superiority were also unwilling to discuss seating arrangements, and everyone sat down casually. At first, they chatted with each other, but later on, they all fell silent, quietly digesting the experiences in the Soul Realm and the shocking scene that had just occurred.

  Ning Feng sat down in a corner without intentionally leaning towards Chen Ximiao, the Nine Orifices Stone in his mind making him anxious and uncertain about fortune or disaster.

  As soon as he sat down on the couch, his two hands turned over and naturally fell into a five-heart-facing-the-sky pose. This was not intentional, but rather the result of three years of external training, which had already formed a habit in his body.

  "What... exactly are you?"

  Ning Feng closed his eyes and kept thinking about the appearance of Jiuyou Stone, asking in his heart.

  He could feel that the Nine Apertures Stone, which was quietly lurking in his mind, had trembled slightly, as if it were responding.

  "Hey, you've been hanging around my neck for over a decade now, and it's actually quite refreshing to be rid of you."

  Ning Feng casually said, and didn't expect Nine Apertures Stone to respond in any way. Unexpectedly, as soon as the words fell, something unexpected appeared.

  His palm facing upwards on his knee suddenly sank down, as if something was pressing it down.

  "Really?!!"

  Ning Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he hastily opened his eyes.

  All he saw was a pale purple circular stone with nine holes on it, quietly lying in his palm.

  "It's all over..."

  His heart almost jumped out of his throat, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "I was just kidding, you don't have to take it so seriously!"

  He felt his neck stiffen like a crick in it, and he lifted it with difficulty.

  Across seven or eight tatami mats, Chen Xiang also happened to look over, their eyes meeting directly.

  Then she raised her chin and turned away.

  Several young men surrounding Chen Ximiao noticed their eye contact and glared at Ning Feng with ill intentions.

  "Hmm..."

  Ning Feng glanced at them, then lowered his head to look at the Palm Heart Nine Aperture Stone, instantly ignoring those people.

  "Look at them, yeah, emotionally stable."

  "So they can't see you, right?"

  The nine orifices of the stone were silent, with only a warm feeling being transmitted through the palm.

  Ning Feng took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused his mind on his palm, concentrating on the Jiugong Stone...