Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 291: Forbidden Land? I’ll go have a chat with it when the time comes!

WHOOSH!

While speaking and flicking her hair, Lingji made her move against Ning Xuan. Hair-thin silver needles shot through the air, arriving before him in an instant. It wasn't just one. Like a storm of pear blossoms, they enveloped his entire body.

But Lingji's expression changed drastically. She tried to flee, but her body instantly stiffened.

"Do you know where the person who last used silver needles on me is now?" Ning Xuan's voice sounded right beside her ear. It wasn't a telepathic message; he was truly whispering to her.

Lingji felt a chill run down her spine. This is terrifying! Ning Xuan's speed was beyond her comprehension.

Moving away from her, Ning Xuan asked again, "Where is Zhongli Ruoruo?"

"The Sect Master has imprisoned her in the Forbidden Area. I cannot set foot in there," Lingji answered without hesitation. She was a smart woman. She knew Ning Xuan was beyond her ability to handle, so she gave up all resistance.

"How do I get to the Forbidden Area?"

After Lingji gave him directions, Ning Xuan headed straight there, leaving Lingji stunned.

As his figure was about to vanish, she jogged after him and shouted, "Aren't you afraid I'm deliberately luring you into the Forbidden Area?" She was just too curious. This guy never played by the book. He didn't pretend to faint before, and he didn't hesitate now. Is this confidence or arrogance?

"I'm not afraid. I know you're telling the truth," Ning Xuan replied, not slowing his pace in the slightest. He vanished from Lingji's sight before his words even faded.

Lingji was left standing there, staring blankly into space until a voice called out her name. "Lingji! Lingji!"

Someone had appeared. "Where are they? Don't tell me you failed!" The newcomer was a sinister-looking youth who frowned as he scanned the area.

Lingji admitted freely, "I did fail. Not only that, but I also told Ning Xuan where Ruoruo is being held."

The youth's face changed dramatically. "Aren't you afraid..." The mere thought of the punishment made him turn pale.

Lingji remained calm. "If I hadn't told him, I would be dead."

"How did he escape from 'Spiritual Intoxication'?!" the young man asked, taking a deep breath. Lingji was beautiful, and he had coveted her for a long time. Even though his power far surpassed hers, he never dared to make a move. 'Spiritual Intoxication' was what he feared most. If I could find out how Ning Xuan escaped, then I...

"That's the most terrifying part," Lingji said with a wry smile. "Even now, I still can't figure out how he did it."

The youth's pupils constricted. Then, he smiled again. "It doesn't matter. If he dares to trespass into the Forbidden Area, he has no chance of survival! The Yin Yang Sect's Forbidden Area is a place even its own upper echelons don't dare to enter lightly. An outsider who dares to step inside is guaranteed not to make it past five steps!"

However, if that youth could see the Forbidden Area right now, he would surely slap himself twice. Not only had Ning Xuan taken more than five steps, but he was also strolling about as casually as if it were his own backyard.

The only problem was the environment, which was hardly pleasant. Black sand and bleached bones stretched out before him. Ning Xuan had only taken a dozen or so steps into the Forbidden Area, but skulls were already scattered across the ground—some human, some from strange beasts.

A black scorpion, camouflaged in the black sand, crept toward Ning Xuan, who seemed completely unaware. But just as the scorpion reached his feet and prepared to strike, it froze. A second later, it fled for its life, faster than a rabbit.

As Ning Xuan ventured deeper, similar incidents occurred repeatedly. The various venomous insects and strange creatures in the Forbidden Area, which could easily kill a person, didn't dare to approach him at all.

At some point, several powerful experts rushed to the entrance of the Forbidden Area. With their keen eyesight, they could just barely make out Ning Xuan's retreating figure.

"Am I... am I seeing things?"

"Damn it, someone actually entered the Forbidden Area!"

"How... How is he unharmed?!"

After a single glance, they completely lost their composure.

"We're screwed! Should we tell the Sect Master?!"

"What a stupid question! This is a matter of great importance! Go report it now!"

At once, two of them scrambled away. The ones who remained could only stare at the increasingly blurry figure, helpless. Chase after him? The thought didn't even cross their minds. That's the Forbidden Area! If we dared to step foot inside, we'd become corpses in an instant!

"How... How on earth did he do it?" they murmured in unison as Ning Xuan's back finally vanished from sight. It took them a long time to snap out of their daze.

「Inside the Forbidden Area.」

Ning Xuan suddenly stopped. A fork in the road had unexpectedly appeared before him, leaving him stumped. Lingji hadn't told him which path to take.

If Lingji were here, she would have been just as clueless. She had never entered the Forbidden Area, so she had no idea there was a fork in the path inside.

"Whatever, I'll just pick one at random." After studying the fork for a moment and finding no clues, Ning Xuan took the path on the left. There are only two paths, left and right. If I choose wrong, I'll just come back and take the other one.

What Ning Xuan didn't know was that shortly after he stepped onto this path, the road behind him vanished. Ahead, the black sand grew thicker, and a nauseating, decaying stench filled the air.

Ning Xuan frowned and immediately turned around. This place is fraught with danger, but there must be opportunities as well. In this direction, however, I sense nothing but annihilation and death. The chances of Zhongli Ruoruo being held captive in a place like this are incredibly slim.

Shortly after Ning Xuan turned back, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared in the black sand. It stared intently in the direction he had left, its gaze filled with disbelief. It was baffled by his actions. What kind of person does that? The moment things seem wrong, he just turns and leaves? That's completely unbecoming of an expert! Shouldn't he push forward with all his might and explore resolutely? To be so blatantly afraid of death... what kind of behavior is that?!

Soon, Ning Xuan returned to the fork. He wasn't surprised at all to find that the path he had taken had vanished. He then headed straight to where the right path should have been.

"There was no road in this world to begin with," he muttered to himself. "Roads are made by people walking them. It doesn't matter if there's no path. I'll just forge one myself."

RUMBLE...

The earth suddenly trembled.

A slight smile touched Ning Xuan's lips. At last, my guess is confirmed. This so-called Forbidden Area has life! If I'm not mistaken, it's a giant tree that has existed for who knows how many eons. It decayed for some reason, but amid the ruin and rot, it awakened its Spiritual Intelligence.

Ning Xuan's eyes gleamed with anticipation. An ancient tree like this must know many forgotten stories. I'll have to have a chat with it later. I might get an unexpected reward!