Chapter 18: Mission Released, the Ghost Girl in the Coffin!
Name: Ning Ye
Age: Eighteen
Cultivation: Star Gathering Realm, First Stage
Initial Lifespan: 105 years
Bloodline: Reverse Moon - Three Lives Body
Romantic Interest: None (Temporary)
Arch-Nemesis: Luo Jia
Comprehension Ability: 100 points (Divine Rank)
Reverse Moon Forbidden Gates: Ultimate Intent (Activated, can increase combat power by up to twenty times), Heavenly Prohibition (Activated), Immortal Slayer (Not yet activated)
Weapon: Sealed Reverse Moon Heavenly Saber (1/7)
System Storage: Sacrificial Dao Pagoda. (Host can open the first layer of the Sacrificial Dao Pagoda upon reaching Legend Realm)
Heavenly Mandate Essence: 0 (Can be obtained by completing side quests)
System Mall: Not yet activated (Requires 1000 Heavenly Mandate Essence to activate)
Ning Ye rode his small donkey along the official road, muttering to himself as he looked at his character panel.
"The 10,000 Heavenly Mandate Essence I worked so hard to earn is gone again!"
"And the System Mall requires another 1,000 Heavenly Mandate Essence to open!"
"Sigh!"
"So poor!"
"And that supreme Legacy, the Sacrificial Dao Pagoda... I have to reach Legend Realm to enter the first layer!"
"As I am now, I seem to be far from it!"
His thoughts ended there.
Ning Ye shook his head, thinking that he still had a long way to go in the future. As his thoughts churned, he had already arrived before a magnificent ancient city.
This ancient city was named Nanjang City. It was the first city outside the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and the primary gathering place for countless Cultivators who wished to seek Opportunity within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
It was worth noting that Nanjang City was extremely close to the Junlin Dynasty and the nearest city to Tianmen Pass.
When Ning Ye leisurely entered Nanjang City on his small donkey, he found that the city was already bustling with people. All the inns were full, and many Cultivators gathered in them, drinking strong liquor and discussing loudly.
"Did you hear? This time, in the Battle of the Prodigies before Tianmen Pass, the Saints and Saintesses of the Seven Great Cultivation Clans have all emerged!"
"Of course I heard! I wonder, among the Seven Great Cultivation Clans, who do you all think will win first place in this Battle of the Prodigies?"
"Hahahaha! Is that even a question? It's undoubtedly Young Master Wuya of Hidden Sword Manor! Three years ago, Young Master Wuya, wielding the Without Evil Sword, crushed seven high-level Star Gathering Cultivators—that scene is still vivid in my mind. Three years later, he must be even stronger!"
"Not necessarily! I heard that the Evil Sect Young Lord, Luo Zhixie, has cultivated the Evil Sect's supreme Cultivation Technique, the Star Devouring Divine Art, to the eighth layer. Below the Legend Realm, he is already invincible!"
"Luo Zhixie? He's nothing! I heard that three years ago, he broke into the Great Thunder Sound Temple and was caught red-handed by the Buddhist Saint Xuan Zang. As a result, he was severely beaten and even had his head stomped on in the latrine! Tsk, tsk, tsk! How miserable!"
"Really? Is that true?"
"Of course it's true. My second uncle's neighbor's little widow is a devotee of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, and that's what she told me!"
"No, no... In my opinion, this time, the Misty Peak Saintess, Wu Yao, is the truly formidable one. Think about it, if she doesn't win first place this time, she'll have to get married! This is a fight with her back against the wall; she has no choice but to win!"
"Makes sense! Makes sense!"
"Makes sense, my foot! Which of the Saints and Saintesses from the Ten Thousand Poisons Mansion, Red Robe Cult, and the Old Day Star factions isn't a formidable character now? Are they really weaker than Wu Yao?"
...
Ning Ye sat in a window-side corner of the inn, watching with great interest as the Cultivators and patrons in the inn argued heatedly, a smile playing on his lips.
Ye Wuya, Luo Zhixie, Xuan Zang, Wu Yao, or the Saints and Saintesses of the other three Great Cultivation Clans were all very strong.
However, in the Against the Nine Heavens timeline, it was the Child of Destiny, Xiao Tu, who ultimately claimed the first position on the Prodigy List.
But now, that might not be the case. After all, he had stolen Xiao Tu's Opportunity and had... crippled him by more than half. So this time, the person he favored was someone else!
And this person was not one of the Seven Great Cultivation Clans, but rather she who served under Jun Qianyue!
'Shadow!'
'Also known as Qianye!'
'Jun Qianyue's personal maid!'
'Her Cultivation has reached Legend Realm, Third Stage!'
'If she wins first place, it would be interesting!'
'Qianye will become... Wu Yao's husband. Tsk, tsk, tsk... if it comes to their wedding night, the scene would be simply too beautiful!'
Ning Ye raised his cup and drank a clear wine, the playful look in his eyes growing even more intense.
However, compared to this matter, he was more interested in "That Woman" lying in the Three Lives Bronze Coffin on the first layer of the Sacrificial Dao Pagoda!
One must know, "That Woman" was a prominent figure in the Nine Heavens World, and in the original plot, she was Xiao Tu's first Master!
Therefore, he greatly anticipated the moment he would meet "That Woman" lying in the ice coffin on the first layer of the Sacrificial Dao Pagoda!
Just then, Ning Ye suddenly frowned. The boisterous sounds from the various inns on the long street also slowly quieted down.
Everyone was looking with apprehension at the large procession on the long street, a group of people dressed in black, escorting a coffin.
"Evil Sect!"
"Evil Sect Elder!"
"Not just Evil Sect Elder, the one leading them is Luo Yang, the younger brother of the Evil Sect Young Lord Luo Zhixie!"
"Why are they here instead of going to Tianmen Pass at this time?"
"And who is in that coffin they are escorting...?"
...
Listening to the whispers around him.
Ning Ye looked at the young man riding a white steed at the head of the procession.
'Evil Sect!'
'Luo Yang!'
'Coffin!'
'Finally, it's here!'
Ning Ye's brows relaxed, and the smile on his face gradually deepened.
In the original plotline of Against the Nine Heavens, the Child of Destiny, Xiao Tu, would encounter a procession escorted by Luo Zhixie's younger brother after arriving in Nanjang City. In the coffin lay a woman named Su Baizhou, Xiao Tu's first benefactor and one of his strongest future allies!
Su Baizhou possessed the Royal Bloodline of the Ghost Spirit Clan. The Blood of the Ghost Spirit Clan was known as a supreme treasure for Cultivation and healing, and the life force contained within the Ghost Spirit Royal Bloodline was astonishingly powerful.
Legend had it that if one possessed a Ghost Spirit Royal Clan member with a mature Bloodline, not only could their Cultivation speed increase tenfold and heal all wounds, but their Lifespan could even be extended by tens of thousands of years!
Precisely because of this, the Ghost Spirit Clan became the best prey in the eyes of the Myriad Clans of the Nine Heavens ten thousand years ago. All the Myriad Clans of the Nine Heavens slaughtered and hunted the Ghost Spirit Clan.
Some races imprisoned Ghost Spirit Clan members, treating them as Blood Gu, taking some of their True Blood periodically for Cultivation and extending Lifespan. Some races directly consumed their flesh and blood. Even more, some even refined Ghost Spirit Clan members into human pills alive... That was the darkest era for the Ghost Spirit Clan!
Finally, the Ghost Spirit Royal Clan was forced to lead their entire clan to commit suicide. From then on, the Ghost Spirit Clan was annihilated.
However, one person from the Ghost Spirit Royal Clan remained: the little princess Su Baizhou. She was Sealed by the Ghost Spirit King in the Mystic Ice of Tianshan for ten thousand years. Now, with the changes in Tianshan, the ice coffin was shaken out and found by Luo Yang of the Evil Sect!
Now, he was taking Su Baizhou to Tianmen Pass to present her to Luo Zhixie!
In the original plot, Xiao Tu would rescue the Girl in the coffin... and the Girl would reciprocate, helping him win first place in the Battle of the Prodigies at Tianmen Pass!
Not only that, Ning Ye also remembered that a single drop of Su Baizhou's True Blood was the antidote to awaken "That Woman" lying in the ice coffin on the first layer of the Sacrificial Dao Pagoda!
'If... I rescue Su Baizhou, would that count as plundering the protagonist's Opportunity again?'
Ning Ye pondered very seriously.
Just then, a crisp System notification sounded in his ears.
"Ding! Based on the situation, a System mission has been issued."
"Mission: Ghost Spirit Girl."
"Mission Description: Rescue the Ghost Spirit Girl, Su Baizhou."
"Mission Reward: 4000 Heavenly Mandate Essence."
"Mission Duration: 24 hours."
'It really does count!'
'But only 4000 Heavenly Mandate Essence?'
'Oh well, it's a bit little, but it's still not bad!'
Ning Ye put down his wine glass, took out a few copper coins from his storage ring, placed them on the table, then stood up and disappeared from the inn.