Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 181 Ancient Spirit Beasts

Qingqiu Mountain remains as beautiful as ever, with lush forests and mist swirling around it, making it seem like a fairyland.

In the peach grove, the peach blossoms have already faded, and the branches are laden with unripe little peaches.

The air was filled with a faint, pleasant aroma of fruit.

Zhou Ning climbed up the mountain path for about an hour and arrived at the stone gate of the Qingqiu Fox Clan.

Xin Shisi Niang was waiting at the door. When she saw him, she smiled slightly.

"Young Master Zhou, congratulations on breaking through to the Dao Integration stage."

Zhou Ning cupped his hands in greeting: "Miss Xin, you're too kind. Is the elder here?"

Xin Shisi Niang nodded: "The elder is waiting for you at the entrance of the secret realm. Come with me."

She led Zhou Ning through the peach grove to a cave in the back mountain.

Deep inside the cave, the massive stone door still stands, covered with intricate runes that emit a faint golden light.

In front of the stone gate, the elder of the Qingqiu Fox Clan was sitting cross-legged, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

His face looked older than before, and his breathing was weaker.

"Elder, Young Master Zhou has arrived," Xin Shisi Niang said softly.

The elder opened his eyes, saw Zhou Ning, and a hint of relief flashed in his eyes.

"Young Master Zhou, congratulations! I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Zhou Ning sat down opposite him and asked with concern, "Elder, your health..."

The elder waved his hand: "I'm old and useless now. But I can still hold on for a while."

He pointed to the stone gate and said, "The entrance to the secret realm is not easy to enter. Recently, for some reason, I feel more and more that the strange thing seems to be heading into the secret realm."

"If even Young Master Zhou's righteous spirit cannot enter, then the treasures in this secret realm may be swallowed up by some strange creature."

"According to the ancient records of my Qingqiu Fox Clan, in ancient times, the culprit of the chaos in the Three Realms, the extraterrestrial demon, was sealed away by a certain cultivator with righteous spirit, who used my Qingqiu Fox Clan's secret treasure. For the sake of peace in the Three Realms, I would like to invite Young Master Zhou to enter the secret realm, retrieve that ancient magic treasure, rid the people of this scourge, and also to contribute my share to the Three Realms as a Qingqiu Fox Clan."

Zhou Ning asked, "Elder, rest assured, I will certainly not fail in my mission."

The elder nodded.

"But remember, the secret realm is filled with restrictions and trials, as well as guardian beasts. Only those with unwavering faith and profound cultivation can pass through."

He took out a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ning: "This is a map of the secret realm. Keep it safe, and if possible, try to avoid any strange or unusual objects."

Zhou Ning nodded, took the jade slip, and probed it with his divine sense. A detailed map unfolded in his mind.

The secret realm is divided into three levels, each with different restrictions and challenges.

The deepest part is where that ancient magical artifact is located.

"Young Master Zhou, are you ready?" the elder asked.

Zhou Ning took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "Ready."

He walked to the stone gate, placed his hands on it, and poured his Dao-merging power into it.

A purple-gold light enveloped the stone gate, and the runes on the gate shone with a dazzling golden light, resonating with his Dao-merging power.

The stone gate slowly opened.

An ancient and vast aura emanated from within the door, carrying the unique charm of ancient times.

Zhou Ning stepped through the stone gate, and the scene before him made him pause slightly.

On one side of the entrance passage, a dark mist churned and writhed, forming a seal that imprisoned the strange creature.

Upon entering the secret realm, a vast expanse of land and sky comes into view.

The sky is purple, the clouds are golden, the earth is blue, and the river is silver.

The air was filled with a rich spiritual energy; taking a breath made one feel refreshed and invigorated.

In the distance, there is a majestic mountain peak, on which stands a palace. The palace roof is inlaid with golden glazed tiles, which gleam under the purple sky.

"So beautiful," Zhou Ning murmured.

He walked along a cobblestone path toward the mountain peak.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a stone tablet appeared ahead.

Several large characters are engraved on the stone tablet.

"The Celestial Fox Secret Realm: Unauthorized Entry Will Be Punished."

Zhou Ning ignored him and continued walking forward.

They hadn't gone far when a dazzling blue light suddenly appeared on the ground.

Countless water arrows shot out from the ground and flew towards him.

Zhou Ning was prepared and dodged the water arrow with a swift movement.

At the same time, he drew his Qingfeng sword and slashed out.

The purple-gold sword energy shattered the water arrow, turning it into a sky full of water mist.

"The first test is the water restriction," Zhou Ning thought to himself.

He continued walking forward.

You will encounter different restrictions every time you travel a certain distance.

Fire restrictions, wind restrictions, lightning restrictions, earth restrictions...

Each restriction requires the corresponding elemental power to break.

Zhou Ning's "Innate Qi" cultivates righteous energy, which is purely yang in nature, but it does not exclude other attributes.

With his profound cultivation and quick wit, he broke through the restrictions one by one.

After walking for about an hour, he arrived at the foot of the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, a huge mythical beast was sleeping.

The spirit beast resembled a fox, its body covered in golden fur, its eyes tightly closed, and its breathing even.

It exuded a suffocating pressure, the aura of an ancient spirit beast.

"Guardian spirit beast." Zhou Ning gripped the Qingfeng sword tightly.

He approached stealthily, trying to bypass the spirit beast.

But after taking only a few steps, the spirit beast suddenly opened its eyes, its golden eyes staring at him, and let out a low roar.

"Human, you have trespassed into the Celestial Fox's Secret Realm. What is your punishment?"

The spirit beast's voice was deep and majestic.

Zhou Ning cupped his hands and said, "I am Zhou Ning. I have been entrusted by the elders of the Qingqiu Fox Clan to retrieve an ancient magic treasure. Please grant me this favor, senior."

The spirit beast snorted coldly: "Convenient? Do you think the treasures of the Heavenly Fox Secret Realm can be taken by just anyone? If you want the treasures, you'll have to get past me first."

It stood up, opened its mouth, and spewed out a ball of golden flame, rushing towards Zhou Ning.

Zhou Ning was prepared and dodged the flames with a swift movement.

At the same time, he slashed out with his sword, the purple-gold sword energy heading straight for the spirit beast's waist.

The sword energy struck the spirit beast, but it was like throwing an egg against a rock, having no effect whatsoever.

Clearly, this ancient spirit beast possesses formidable defensive capabilities, comparable to even the Heavenly Demon's clone.

Zhou Ning concentrated all his Dao-merging power at the tip of his sword and unleashed the ultimate move of the "Demon-Slaying Technique".

A dazzling purple-gold light shone on the Qingfeng Sword.

The light grew stronger and brighter, like a small sun, dispelling all the surrounding darkness.

"cut!"

A massive purple-gold sword aura shot out from the sword tip, heading straight for the ancient spirit beast.

The ancient spirit beast opened its mouth and spewed out a burst of spiritual light, which directly neutralized the sword energy.

"Righteous Qi? It really is Righteous Qi. I thought I was seeing things. I never imagined that after thousands of years, someone would still cultivate such pure Righteous Qi."

Zhou Ning took a few steps back to steady himself and asked, "Senior, do you recognize this energy?"

The ancient spirit beast concealed its aura and said, "The person I have guarded for thousands of years has finally appeared. Go in. I have fulfilled my promise to the Heavenly Fox Ancestor."

Zhou Ning sheathed his sword and said apologetically, "Thank you, senior."

The ancient spirit beast shook its head and said, "I was just fulfilling my promise, no need to thank me."

Before Zhou Ning could continue, the ancient spirit beast transformed into a patch of starlight. The starlight did not disappear but slowly rose into the sky, like a golden snowflake, falling onto Zhou Ning's shoulders and hair.

Each fragment contained extremely rich spiritual energy, melting the moment it touched his skin, turning into a warm current that flowed into his body.

Zhou Ning could feel that his power of merging with the Dao had become even purer, and the resonance between his primordial spirit and the laws of heaven and earth had become more stable.

"This ancient spirit beast was actually formed from condensed spiritual energy," Zhou Ning thought to himself.

He sheathed his sword and continued walking up the mountain.

The mountain road was winding, and both sides were planted with exotic flowers and plants, some of which he couldn't even name.

A faint, pleasant fragrance filled the air, refreshing and delightful.