Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 184 Man and Sword United 1

Han Wei's anxious voice still echoed in his ears from the communication jade talisman, and Zhou Ning had already rushed out of the mountain gate of Lanruo Temple.

The sky over the North was more gloomy than usual.

Dark clouds hung low, as if pressing down on the mountaintop, making it hard to breathe.

A faint stench of decay permeated the air, identical to that of the Heavenly Demon, but even stronger than before.

Zhou Ning unleashed the full power of the Dao Integration Realm, achieving astonishing speed. A long rainbow streaked through the sky, his figure like a purple-gold lightning bolt, falling across the heavens.

From Qingyun Mountain to Qingfeng City, it's a distance of a thousand miles.

Zhou Ning arrived at Qingfeng City in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

The city was even more desolate than when he left.

The streets were deserted, most shops were closed, and you couldn't even hear a dog barking.

The faces of the people were filled with fear and unease. Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and yellowed talismans pasted on the doorways trembled in the wind.

The stench in the air was even stronger than before; every breath made my throat itch and my chest feel tight.

Han Wei was waiting at the city gate when he saw Zhou Ning and hurriedly went to greet him.

His face was pale and his eyes were sunken, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well for a long time.

"Young Master Zhou, you've finally arrived. Immortal Yan is waiting for you at the seal in the north of the city."

Zhou Ning nodded and followed Han Wei toward the north of the city.

On the wasteland north of the city, although the huge crack had disappeared, a huge black light shield had appeared at the location of the seal.

The light shield was covered with fine cracks, from which black mist constantly seeped out, carrying with it a bone-chilling cold.

Around the light shield, countless dark shadows writhe and utter low growls. They are more densely packed and more frantic than before, as if waiting for something.

The land on the wasteland had turned completely black, barren of all vegetation, and dark red lava could even be seen slowly flowing in the cracks.

Yan Chixia sat cross-legged in front of the seal, his hands forming a hand seal, pouring his true essence into the seal.

His face was as pale as paper, beads of sweat the size of soybeans seeped from his forehead, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating that he had exhausted himself.

Upon seeing Zhou Ning, he nodded slightly but remained silent, clearly focused on maintaining the seal.

Zhou Ning sat down cross-legged beside him, placed his hands on the seal, and poured his Dao-merging power into it.

The purple-gold light intertwined with the golden light, and the cracks on the seal began to slowly heal.

Under the golden light, the black mist over the wasteland gradually dissipated, and the writhing black shadows emitted sharp hisses before turning into black smoke and vanishing.

"Master, why did the seal suddenly loosen?" Zhou Ning asked, his hands continuing their work.

Yan Chixia said, "The Heavenly Demon is attacking the seal. Its power is stronger than before."

"I suspect it has recovered most of its strength."

He paused, his voice becoming even lower.

"Moreover, it has found the weak point in the seal and is concentrating its power to attack that spot."

Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat: "What should we do then?"

Yan Chixia said, "Reinforce the seal. At the same time, use your Heavenly Fox Sword to infuse the power of the Heavenly Fox Soul into the seal. The Heavenly Fox Soul has a natural restraining effect on the Heavenly Demon, which may be able to suppress it temporarily."

Zhou Ning nodded, took out the Heavenly Fox Sword from his bag, and infused it with the power of Dao Integration.

The runes on the sword shone with a dazzling blue light, and the white fox in the blue gem on the hilt opened its eyes and let out a low roar.

Zhou Ning inserted the Heavenly Fox Sword into the core of the seal, channeling the power of the Heavenly Fox's soul into the seal.

Blue light intertwined with purple-gold and gold light, accelerating the healing of the cracks in the seal.

The black mist on the light shield dissipated rapidly under the blue light, like snow being splashed with boiling water.

The shadowy figures on the wasteland let out desperate howls, turning into black smoke and disappearing into the air.

The seal has been temporarily stabilized.

Zhou Ning withdrew his hands and exhaled a long breath.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Nearly half of the Dao Integration Power within him had been consumed, but a sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

The Heavenly Fox Sword remained silently inserted into the core of the seal. The blue light on the sword gradually dimmed, but the powerful force contained within it could still be felt.

Yan Chixia also withdrew his hands, stood up, and patted the dust off his robes.

His face was still pale, but it was a little better than before.

"The situation is temporarily stable. But the Heavenly Demon will not give up easily. Sooner or later, it will attempt to break through the seal again."

He turned around, looked at Zhou Ning, and his gaze was deep.

"Zhou Ning, your Heavenly Fox Sword is the nemesis of the Heavenly Demon. But to completely eliminate the Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Fox Sword alone is not enough."

"You need to fuse the power of the Heavenly Fox Sword with your Dao-merging power to achieve the state of oneness between man and sword."

Zhou Ning asked, "Master, how does one achieve the state of perfect harmony between man and sword?"

Yan Chixia said, "It takes time, it requires enlightenment, and it requires establishing a deeper spiritual connection with the soul of the Heavenly Fox. This process depends on your comprehension; if your comprehension is insufficient, it may take even longer."

He took out a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ning, saying, "This is the cultivation method of 'Man and Sword as One.' Take it back and study it. Only when you master this method will we have a chance to completely eliminate the Heavenly Demon."

Zhou Ning accepted the jade slip and solemnly said, "Thank you, Master."

He drew the Heavenly Fox Sword and put it away.

The blue light on the sword flickered slightly, as if in response to him.

The two returned to Qingfeng City.

Han Wei arranged a banquet to entertain them.

During the meal, Han Wei inquired about the Heavenly Demon.

"Immortal Yan, just how powerful is the Heavenly Demon? Can we really destroy it?"

Yan Chixia remained silent for a moment, then said, "The Heavenly Demon's strength far exceeds your imagination. However, the laws of Heaven suppress it, preventing it from unleashing its full power. As long as we maintain the seal and prevent it from descending to the mortal realm, we will have a chance."

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, Zhou Ning's Heavenly Fox Sword is the nemesis of the Heavenly Demon. As long as he reaches the state of perfect harmony between man and sword, he may be able to fight the Heavenly Demon."

Han Wei looked at Zhou Ning, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Young Master Zhou, I'm begging you."

Zhou Ning nodded: "Don't worry, Lord Han, I will do my best."

He stayed in Qingfeng City for a few days, helping Yan Chixia reinforce the seal and drawing some talismans for the people in the city to paste on their doors to prevent evil spirits from invading.

Then, he bid farewell to Yan Chixia and Han Wei and returned to Lanruo Temple.

After returning to the temple, Zhou Ning began to cultivate the "Man and Sword as One" technique in seclusion.

He placed the Heavenly Fox Sword horizontally in front of his knees, closed his eyes, and focused his divine sense into the sword.

In the blue void within the sword, the white fox is fast asleep.

Zhou Ning used his divine sense to call out softly, and the white fox slowly opened its eyes, looking at him with its amber eyes.

"Human, you've come again."

The white fox's voice was soft and ethereal.

"You want to build a deeper spiritual connection with me?"

Zhou Ning nodded: "Yes. I want to achieve the state of oneness with the sword and completely eliminate the Heavenly Demon."

The white fox was silent for a moment, then said, "The unity of man and sword requires your complete trust in me, and my complete trust in you. This takes time and requires adjustment. We can't rush it."

Zhou Ning said, "I understand. Senior, let's take it slow."

The white fox nodded and closed its eyes.

In the days that followed, Zhou Ning communicated with the white fox in the Heavenly Fox Sword every day, sharing his Dao heart, sword intent, and insights with it.

The white fox gradually opened its heart to him, telling him many stories of the Celestial Fox Clan and its understanding of the Dao of Heaven.

Through their daily interactions, the human and the fox developed a deep trust.