Journey to the head

He stared blankly at the Nascent Soul cultivator, almost unable to believe his eyes.

The companions around him, who were desperate and thought they were going to die, were saved by this Nascent Soul. They were so excited that they knelt down and kept calling him "Senior" and "Spirit Lord" and hoped that he would take them away and completely save them from their suffering. They didn't even respond to his questions.

The nascent soul shook its head and moved to leave.

Pan Qin quickly exclaimed, "Senior, the nautical chart is in my heart; I can guide you!"

The companions then realized what was happening and cursed Pan Qin for being cunning. They also shouted that they remembered everything clearly and would definitely be able to bring their senior to Beimu Island.

At this moment, the noisy roars rang out again, various spiritual energy pillars flashed, and several Nascent Soul spiritual pressures rose up. It was because the sea creatures on the island had discovered the situation here and were about to surround them!

The Nascent Soul cultivator frowned, having no time to discern who was telling the truth and who was lying. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed his spiritual power and grabbed all of them.

Pan Qin hurriedly said, "Senior, don't fly! We're surrounded!"

He felt a jolt throughout his body, and an unprecedented sense of pressure came from above, below, left, and right, making him feel suffocated, as if he had been stuffed into a narrow pipe.

what is this?
Before he could react, everything went blurry, and the broken walls, ruins, and piles of bones all vanished, replaced by a clear blue sky and sea!
The smell of blood had faded considerably, and the long-awaited fresh air filled my lungs. Even the seawater had turned blue again, no longer covered by layers of corpses.

They had been brought to the outer seas, and looking into the distance, the original island was already a hundred miles away!
Teleportation!

The group was so shocked that they were speechless. Even though their cultivation was low and their knowledge was limited, they knew that spatial teleportation was a skill that only True Monarchs of the Void Refinement Realm possessed!
Faint glints of light still rose from the island. The Nascent Soul Spirit Lord cursed, grabbed the others, and teleported away again. They paused every hundred miles, repeating this several times until the island was completely out of sight.

They escaped from that deadly place!

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators were both crying and laughing, tears streaming down their faces. But Pan Qin was clutching his tattered clothes, staring at the Nascent Soul cultivator's profile.

There's no mistake, even if he looks a bit more mature and his skin is a bit darker, it is definitely him.

Ning Songzhi, formerly a disciple of the Xuanguang Sect in Chongming County.

I never imagined that, 170 years later, I would meet someone from Chongming County in this foreign land.

After the Xuan Guang Sect was destroyed by the Yun Shan Sect, he also came to the Immortal Meteor Islands.
The last time I saw him, Yunshan Sect was just a subordinate sect of Xuanguang Sect, and was ordered by Xuanguang Sect to attack Lingsha City.

At that time, I never thought I would break my oath and run away. Ning Songzhi certainly never thought that one day the Xuanguang Sect would be destroyed by Yunshan.

But we were both displaced and homeless. One hundred and seventy years later, I could only eke out a living and wait for death, while he had become a high-ranking and universally revered Nascent Soul Spirit Lord.

In just 170 years, what incredible luck and fortune he must have had, and what extraordinary adventures he must have had!
In that instant, shock, annoyance, frustration, jealousy, joy and other emotions flashed through his mind, leaving him with a lump in his throat, unable to utter a single word despite having a thousand words in his heart.

"What, is there something on my face?" Ning Songzhi's spiritual energy was quite depleted. He took a couple of deep breaths and glared at the audacious Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Previously, Pan Qin was merely a guest retainer employed by the Yunshan Sect, and he paid no attention to him. Moreover, Pan Qin had long since aged and changed beyond recognition; although he still had several decades to live, he already looked old and frail, so naturally, he was unrecognizable.

"Please forgive me, senior." Pan Qin quickly lowered his head, his various thoughts preventing him from revealing his identity. "Your supernatural powers are unparalleled. You were able to teleport us through the void. Such profound skills are unheard of, and we were stunned."

Although Ning Songzhi's Xuanguang Sect was destroyed by the Yunshan Sect, he should also consider the Yunshan Sect his enemy. However, perhaps he has become a powerful figure and doesn't want his past identity to be recognized? Besides, he was said to have been very straightforward and unrestrained in the past, but no one knows what his personality is like now, so let's not create any unnecessary complications.

The other Foundation Establishment cultivators also fawned over him, but Ning Songzhi simply waved his hand and said, "Alright, where is Mother Shell Island? Take me there."

So the group quickly looked up, observed the direction of the sunlight, and considered the sea breeze and ocean currents. After some deliberation, they all pointed in unison.

Ning Songzhi knew they would want to escape even more than he did, and would never dare to deceive him. So he set up his magic weapon, bound the group behind him, and headed towards Beimu Island.

Not far after flying, Pan Qin realized that Ning Songzhi was also a familiar face at sea. He flew close to the surface of the sea, hiding behind the waves, while keeping his divine sense open to minimize the probability of becoming a target, and immediately avoiding any detection.

In addition to his Nascent Soul cultivation and his miraculous teleportation ability, as long as he doesn't run into a powerful enemy by sheer bad luck, he should be able to protect himself for the time being.

It seems that he can indeed reach the island of Beimu and then take the "mustard seed boat" of Taiyi Paradise to leave this hell on earth!

After Ning Songzhi dispersed a gust of wind, killed the blind beasts that had gathered around, and bypassed some patrolling sea monsters, the Foundation Establishment cultivators realized that he was quite approachable and caring towards them, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They relaxed somewhat and initially praised Ning Songzhi's wisdom and prowess, showering him with endless words of gratitude and flattery. However, Ning Songzhi ignored them, treating them as if they were invisible.

So the group started talking about the Immortal Fall, which had become a purgatory, recounting the horrors they had experienced in the past few days, and their fantasies about going to the Jade Balance Continent in the future.

Some even muttered that the Yuheng Continent was nothing special in the rumors, and that the Tianji and Tianquan Continents were very powerful and had always been on good terms with the Xianyun Islands. If possible, it would be better to go to those two places.

It's a pity that we don't know where these two continents will accept fallen immortal cultivators.
"Stop thinking about it. Tianji and Tianquan didn't even come." Ning Songzhi interrupted their daydream without turning his head. "Or rather, none of the four continents of Tianshu, Yaoguang, Tianji, and Tianquan got involved."

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators stared wide-eyed. Ning Songzhi was too lazy to explain much to them.

"In short, only the Tianxuan and Yuheng continents have made a move so far. However, they have no intention of confronting the Dragon Clan head-on. Instead, they have secretly dispatched forces into the Immortal Fall Islands to assist the island cultivators in their evacuation."

“I haven’t heard where the Tianxuan Continent accepts cultivators yet. For you, being able to survive and go to Yuheng is already a great blessing. Don’t ask for too much.”

Perhaps in the future, Tian Shu, Yao Guang, Tian Ji, and Tian Quan will support the resistance forces in the Immortal Fall Islands in various ways, but they will not intervene in this war.

What I need to do now is to do everything I can to complete the mission and make contact with Taiyi Paradise on the Yuheng Continent.

If successful, perhaps the Jade Pavilion Sect, one of the Six Pillars of Immortal Demise, could survive, and I could repay the kindness of the previous sect leader.

They pressed on with their heads down, checking their course several times, and finally arrived at the waters near Beimu Island as the sun was setting.

The setting sun cast a crimson glow on the sea, but all was silent.

Ning Songzhi left the group on the island.

"I'm going to take matters into my own hands from now on. You'd better watch yourselves."

Before the Foundation Establishment cultivators could even plead, he vanished in a flash.

Pan Qin lowered his hand, which he had just extended halfway.

After all, he is a high and mighty Nascent Soul Spirit Lord. We are already extremely fortunate that he was able to bring us here. How could we ask for more?
After a few sighs, the group had no choice but to cautiously slip into the island.

But the further we went in, the more alarmed we became.

The familiar stench returned, staining the entire beach red with blood, and piles of severed limbs, bones, and internal organs.

What makes Beimu Island different from other fallen islands?
Several people, trembling with fear, scrambled to leave the sticky, slippery sand. Suddenly, they heard the waves surging behind them, and a large contingent of sea creature soldiers marched out in formation!

They had no choice but to run forward in a panic, passing through a patch of coral branches burned by the dragon's breath, leaving only charred and twisted remnants. Finally, the collapsed, blood-stained archway of the Shell Market came into view. The once radiant glazed roof was now just broken fragments, and the once bustling market was now deathly silent. Occasionally, a charred pillar would collapse, the cracking sound sending a shiver down their spines.

Pan Qin cautiously peeked out from beside a huge, fallen snail shell, and the sight before him took his breath away.

Corpses hung from the relatively intact coral walls on both sides of the street and under the eaves of buildings that had not yet completely collapsed.

Those were barbed animal tendons, piercing through the ankles of the dead, suspending them like dried salted fish, densely filling the streets.

The corpses, regardless of gender, were mostly naked. The clothes and gorgeous ornaments that were once cherished and symbolized the free and open culture of the Immortal Fallen had long been brutally torn off and were soaked in blood.

The corpses were covered in gruesome wounds: huge gashes torn open by claws, skulls shattered by heavy objects, and mutilated limbs that had been gnawed on... Blood flowed down the walls and gathered into dark red streams in the cratered ground.

Beneath these corpses, Pan Qin also saw many bonfires of various sizes, still smoking.

These were the sirens who had come ashore and wanted to try some cooked food. And what was charred black above the campfire were several human legs, arms, and half a rib.

Pan Qin felt a violent spasm in his stomach. His already weak body could no longer hold back, and he suddenly bent over and vomited violently.

Boundless fear enveloped him once again, and he suddenly realized something.

Where is the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? Where is the Mustard Seed Boat? Where is the Path to Survival?
This is a scam!

boom!
A deafening roar erupted, sending a massive shockwave through the city center. Then, Pan Qin heard the howls and whistles of countless sea monsters.

The shockwave sent a Nascent Soul cultivator flying – it was Ning Songzhi!
One of his arms was severed at the shoulder!

Just as Pan Qin was about to shout, Ning Songzhi activated his supernatural power and disappeared without a trace in a flash.

Then, in the next instant, a golden light pierced through, shattering his afterimage. A dragon clan Xuanjun, clad in golden armor and sporting curved horns, pursued him, only to find himself missing.

He snorted angrily, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he saw several people fleeing in panic on the ground.

Only Pan Qin stood there, frozen in place, having given up all hope of escaping.

If I had called out Ning Songzhi's name earlier, would he have saved me?

If I hadn't broken my oath as a guest elder, hadn't run away from Lingsha City, and had saved Lu Qian's senior brother and master, what kind of life would I have led?

What if I hadn't accepted Liangxiang County's invitation to sabotage Shuangyefang in the first place, and hadn't been captured by Lu Qian?
if--

The Dragon Lord flicked his finger.

boo.

A soft sound.

Pan Qin's entire body was shattered, and his head fell into the pile of corpses, splattering a few drops of blood.

……

Several days later, Ning Songzhi, having hastily bandaged himself up, finally shook off his pursuers and evaded their notice, arriving at a reef.

Inside this reef lies a hidden world.

When the utterly exhausted Ning Songzhi finally entered, he was met with another piece of bad news.

The Jade Pavilion Sect is completely finished.

“Guest Ning, while you were away, the current sect leader ultimately failed to survive. In the struggle for the sect leader position, the remaining disciples were not convinced of each other's authority and fought each other again.”

A Golden Core cultivator with a sorrowful expression said, "We were able to break through the encirclement, but now only a few disciples remain. Some are dead, some have fled, and in this last stronghold, only the old, weak, sick, and disabled are left."

"Even the sect's legacy was fought over and lost in the chaos. The sect leader's token was also lost. The Jade Pavilion Sect has been destroyed."

Ning Songzhi stood there blankly for a long time, then let out a long sigh.

Another Golden Core cultivator approached: "Guest Elder Ning, have you found the Taiyi Paradise?"

Ning Songzhi smiled weakly: "That news is fake. What Beimu Island and Beimu Market? That's just a smokescreen released by Taiyi Paradise."

"They spread a lot of false information to attract island cultivators from all over the world, while also drawing away the attention of a large number of dragons and sea creatures, in order to cover up their true purpose."

“I should have thought of that earlier. Can information that even ordinary cultivators know be reliable? Taiyi Paradise is not accepting those with mediocre strength.”

"Using these fake locations and misinformation as cover, they may have already picked up the real target."

"The Tianxuan Continent must be the same. Since the Jade Pavilion Sect has not been contacted, there is no hope."

Upon hearing this, the Golden Core cultivator gave a bitter laugh: "Ha, so be it, so be it. What about the Jade Pavilion Sect, what about the Twelve-Story Grotto-Heaven? They're all gone! Nine thousand years of heritage have vanished into thin air. Let's all go and make a living!"

"No, Lord Ning, the Jade Pavilion Sect has been destroyed, and you are now free. With your supernatural powers, you may have a chance to escape the Star Sea. Please hurry."

Ning Songzhi pondered for a long time, then shook his head.

"Now that we are surrounded by the Dragon Clan and the Sea Clan, and the sea is teeming with wild beasts, I am already extremely lucky to have returned here. I am afraid that I would not be able to cross the million-mile Star Sea rashly."

“I am seriously injured, so I should stay here to recover. The same goes for you. Going out on your own is suicide. This place is very well hidden, and the enemy will have a hard time finding us in a short time. Let’s hide here for now.”

"The dragons' massacre won't last long; they will eventually need humans to govern the archipelago. And the six continents can't really abandon the archipelago; they will inevitably secretly support the human forces on the islands to resist the dragons' rule. At that time, our opportunity will come."

Only a few dozen people remained, and only a handful of those at the Golden Core stage, all of them as bewildered as stray dogs. Now, after hearing Ning Songzhi's analysis, they found it quite reasonable.

Suddenly, a Golden Core cultivator said, "Lord Duxu, you have the highest cultivation level, and you are both brave and resourceful, so you should be our leader!"

Everyone else agreed, but Ning Songzhi shook his head.

“I am self-aware. I can give advice and help people fight, but as a leader, I do not have the determination and courage to bear the lives and future of everyone.”

"From now on, the Immortal Fall Islands will be ruled by the Dragon Clan. I want to lead everyone to survive, and with the support of the mainland, strengthen our power. We will gradually accumulate strength, unite all resistance forces to fight against the Dragon Clan, and win the dawn for the human race on the islands."

"Such a leader must be a person of great wisdom and courage, unwavering perseverance, sound judgment, maturity, and composure!" (End of Chapter)