Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 155: Ancient Secret Land, Taoist Master Gu Ben!
Outside Dao Xuan City, just as Ning Xuan put away the Flying Boat, Sun Zhu appeared.
"Big Bro, Big Bro! The Wu Family isn’t afraid to die!" Seeing Ning Xuan, Sun Zhu’s face was flushed with excitement.
Ning Xuan asked, "What do you mean?"
"The Wu Family is spreading all sorts of proclamations in the city, saying that no matter what tricks you have, they’ll take them on! They want you to challenge the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces. That Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces thing... I listened for a long time but still couldn’t make sense of it..." Sun Zhu scratched his head, embarrassed.
Ning Xuan nodded and looked at Yun Wangshu beside him. "Sister Wangshu, it seems the plan has to change. There’s no need to trouble you. I’ll go alone."
Yun Wangshu’s voice was grave. "Are you sure?!"
"Fine! I’ll wait for you here. If something happens, just crush this... Never mind, you won’t need it." Yun Wangshu held out a talisman, then took it back.
Ning Xuan blinked. The hand he had reached out simply gave a dismissive wave before he strode forward.
This time, he entered the city openly. The moment he stepped inside, countless pairs of eyes locked onto him. Within the Cloud Summit Heavenly Palace, Ning Xuan was now the most talked-about figure. His portrait had already been circulated throughout all of Dao Xuan City.
"Ning... Ning Xuan? He actually dares to show up!"
"Gutsy kid. That courage alone is beyond any ordinary person!" some people sighed in admiration as they watched Ning Xuan’s retreating back.
"He certainly has guts, but he knows nothing about the Wu Family of Dao Xuan City!"
"Once the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces is activated, no one has ever managed to walk out! If he dares to enter, he’s guaranteed to die without a proper burial!" others sneered coldly.
As Ning Xuan moved forward, a mighty voice suddenly resounded in his mind, "Welcome to Dao Xuan City! Welcome to the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces!"
Instantly, the scenery before him changed dramatically. The bluestone slabs on the ground let out a sharp CRACK, then began to shift and slide like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The ground had transformed into the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces, a Qimen Dunjia formation.
Ning Xuan remained motionless.
He was already inside the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces they had constructed for him. The formation used the entire Dao Xuan City as its base and the Wu Family’s ancestral land as its foundation. It had eight gates, but aside from the single Gate of Life, all the others were dead ends! What was terrifying was that this Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces was constantly in motion. Forget outsiders; even a direct lineage member of the Wu Family could be doomed to eternal damnation with the slightest misstep.
"You don’t have much time. If you remain motionless, you will soon be eradicated!" a voice rang out, reminding Ning Xuan.
It was spoken so placidly it hardly sounded like a threat from an enemy. However, Ning Xuan only grew more vigilant.
They’re certainly confident, aren’t they!
Still not moving, Ning Xuan’s gaze swept around as he asked, "Such a massive formation must require quite a few people to control, right?"
"Yes. This grand formation requires one hundred and eight Dao Xuan Masters to operate in unison. It was originally meant to be activated only when the family faced a crisis of annihilation. Young Master Ning’s methods are simply too heaven-defying, so for safety’s sake, we had no choice but to use it. Our apologies."
Though the voice was apologetic, the grand formation’s operation never ceased.
In the shadows, one hundred and eight Dao Xuan Masters fixed their unblinking gazes on Ning Xuan. If he didn’t move soon, he would be instantly eradicated! If he moved incorrectly, he would also be eradicated! There was only one safe path.
Whether he was worth such a grand mobilization was about to be decided.
Under their watchful gazes, Ning Xuan took a step.
The eyes of all one hundred and eight Dao Xuan Masters bulged in unison. He had found the only correct path!
While they were still reeling from the shock, Ning Xuan’s speed increased, getting faster and faster. Then, he vanished right before their eyes.
What’s going on?!
Ninety-six of them were left completely stunned. The remaining twelve wore expressions as if they had just seen a ghost, because Ning Xuan had suddenly appeared right in front of them.
"You... How did you do that?" a Dao Xuan Master who had regained his senses asked, his voice trembling.
Ning Xuan smiled and lowered his voice. "Actually, I’m a Dao Shen Master."
"What?!"
The twelve of them were stunned. Becoming a Dao Shen Master was the ultimate goal of every Dao Xuan Master. Their own Wu Family’s Young Master was acclaimed as the greatest talent in the history of the Dao Xuan Technique, yet even he hadn’t touched the threshold of becoming a Dao Shen Master. How old is Ning Xuan? How could he possibly be a Dao Shen Master?!
"Meeting like this is fate. Here, I have a book on the theories of the Dao Xuan Technique. This is a one-of-a-kind copy I obtained from an ancient, secret location!" As Ning Xuan spoke, he handed over six copies.
The man across from him took one subconsciously. His mouth twitched. A one-of-a-kind copy, my ass! You bastard, do you take us for blind men? This was obviously written just a short while ago; the ink is barely dry!
Just as he was about to tear it to shreds, a trembling voice rang out from beside him, "Wait!"
Another Dao Xuan Master held the book with trembling hands. So many of the theories recorded here are things I’ve never even heard of!
The other Dao Xuan Masters also noticed something was amiss. Soon, they were huddled in pairs, heads together, their minds completely captivated. Ning Xuan quietly slipped away, completely unnoticed.
The Dao Xuan Masters who had been desperately searching for Ning Xuan’s whereabouts were the first to spot him. "Look! He’s appeared!" They all heaved a collective sigh of relief.
"What is he doing?" someone soon asked in confusion.
That scoundrel was walking and furiously scribbling at the same time, muttering all the while. After straining his ears, one Dao Xuan Master finally made out what he was saying.
"There are so many of them, what I prepared isn’t nearly enough! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have acted so high and mighty earlier. I should have asked her for help, then I wouldn’t have ended up in this mess!"
Hearing this, the Dao Xuan Masters all chuckled.
"Heh, you’re only regretting it now? Too bad, it’s too late!"
"Push the formation to its full power! Huh? Why has one of the palaces stopped moving? Never mind! Missing one palace doesn’t matter!"
Just as Ning Xuan was about to step into a Gate of Death, an excited Dao Xuan Master shouted, "Obliterate him!"
The next moment, Ning Xuan disappeared.
"Is he dead?"
"No... he isn’t! He disappeared again!"
Ning Xuan had, of course, appeared in another palace. He repeated the same trick, but this time, he only took out four copies.
Before coming to the Wu Family, Ning Xuan hadn’t actually figured out what to do. But a single sentence from Yun Wangshu had given him a flash of inspiration: the ultimate goal of every Dao Xuan Master was to become a Dao Shen Master! Once he understood the methods of a Dao Shen Master, Ning Xuan had an idea.
He might not be a Dao Xuan Master, but Yun Wangshu was. Her mastery of the Dao Xuan Technique was profound, so Ning Xuan had her construct a theoretical "castle in the air" for him. Then, he fleshed out this castle with theory.
This was all thanks to his encounter with ancient divine beasts in the mysterious space. That experience had led to the Divine Pattern integrating into his body as the Chaos Ancestral Dragon Scripture. When Ning Xuan used the insights from this to flesh out the theory, Yun Wangshu was dumbfounded when she reviewed it. Even though she had been right there and had personally witnessed its creation, she still found it hard to believe.
She even felt an urge to cultivate using it right then and there.
If even she felt that way, the fact that these Dao Xuan Masters hadn’t started fighting over the books was a testament to their restraint.
And so, Ning Xuan continued on his way, leaving more and more parts of the grand formation paralyzed in his wake.
