Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 40: The Heavenly Stele Battlefield, Ning Yang Above All!

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: The Heavenly Stele Battlefield, Ning Yang Above All!

The others looked at Ning Xuan with dread. Their gazes toward Shen Bo, however, brimmed with envy.

Shen Bo hesitated for a moment before asking, "Ning... as in the ’ning’ for peace?"

Ning Xuan nodded.

"So it’s Brother Ning in person. I am from Jinhua County..."

"I am from Linlang County..."

"I come from Qingzhu County..."

In an instant, Ning Xuan found himself surrounded, each person more enthusiastic than the last.

Ning Xuan grabbed Shen Bo, who was about to be pushed away, and asked in a low voice, "What’s going on?"

"Six years ago, the Son of the Martial God Temple crossed the Canglan River from here. Before he left, he said one thing: from now on, Dong Yang County will have only one Ning Family!"

Ning Xuan’s expression darkened, a fierce light flashing in his eyes. "Ning Yang! Who does he think he is to represent Dong Yang County!"

With those words, the surroundings fell silent. The crowd that had been so warm to Ning Xuan collectively stepped back.

Someone asked in a heavy tone, "What did you mean by that, brother?"

"Although my surname is Ning, my feud with Ning Yang is one of life and death—it won’t end until one of us is dead!"

At once, the faces of those who had just been so enthusiastic toward him twisted with seething killing intent.

"An enemy of the Son of the Martial God Temple? Who do you think you are!"

"That’s right, what gives you the right!"

"Brothers, let’s kill him! We’ll take his head to the Capital. Even if we can’t enter the Main Hall of the Martial God Temple, we could still get into the Dong Cang Sub-Hall or the Ning Family in the Capital!"

All the youths were tempted by the idea.

Ning Xuan sneered. The youth who had incited the crowd had his throat slit by a single sword strike.

Following that, Ning Xuan unleashed two more swift strikes. Two heads soared into the sky.

"Who else wants to follow Ning Yang? Speak up now," Ning Xuan said, his voice as cold as the weather.

No one dared to move. Those wandering the fringes of Li Ren Crossing at this time were not true prodigies. They were merely seeking a slim chance during this annual opportunity.

"Brother Ning... my family is just in business. We can’t afford to offend the Martial God Temple, I’m sorry. If you need it, I can offer you my residence," Shen Bo said after some hesitation.

Ning Xuan nodded in understanding. "Thank you, but there’s no need to trouble yourself."

After speaking, he and Si Lanyi, who had alighted from her mount, walked side by side, heading deeper into Li Ren Crossing.

"I heard that in the central plaza of Li Ren Crossing stands a Heavenly Stele that records the rankings of prodigies. Shall we go take a look?" Si Lanyi suddenly asked Ning Xuan.

Ning Xuan nodded. "Of course, we should."

The two continued forward, sensing several scrutinizing gazes along the way, a few of which were extremely powerful. They ignored them and went straight to the plaza.

A stone stele, dozens of feet high, stood there, covered in profound and mysterious runes. Even before they drew near, a primordial, boundless aura swept over them.

Si Lanyi approached, her red lips lightly parting as she read:

"Qingzhu County, Mu Qing, age twenty-one, Profound Realm Third Layer Heavens, combat power ranking: thirty!"

"Donghe County, Wei He, age twenty, Profound Realm Fourth Layer Heavens, combat power ranking: twenty-nine."

"..."

"Langya County, Mo Ye, age seventeen, Profound Realm Fifth Layer Heavens, combat power ranking: five."

"..."

"Dong Yang County, Ning Yang, age fifteen, Profound Realm First Layer Heavens, combat power ranking: one!"

Ning Xuan stared at the name high above, his eyes erupting with overwhelming hatred and a surging will to fight.

"Young man, do you wish to enter the Heavenly Stele Battlefield and fight them?"

A voice suddenly rang out beside Ning Xuan. A figure in a hooded cloak and a straw raincoat had appeared.

"The Ferryman!" Si Lanyi whispered to Ning Xuan.

Ning Xuan’s heart lurched. How did he appear without me even sensing him?

However, that was no longer important. He pressed, "The Heavenly Stele Battlefield?"

"That is correct. The Heavenly Stele Battlefield. Anyone who fights within Li Ren Crossing will have their accomplishments recorded by the Heavenly Stele, which also captures a projection of them. If you provide a certain number of Element Crystals, I can open the Battlefield, allowing you to battle against those projections as they were at that time."

A thought struck Ning Xuan, but he then shook his head. "A six-year-old ranking is meaningless."

The Ferryman shook his head as well. "You are mistaken. The Heavenly Stele ranking is updated every year. If someone has remained on it for six years, it only means that for six years, no one has been able to shake his position!"

Ning Xuan’s heart tightened. "Is it necessary to suppress one’s cultivation to enter?"

The Ferryman shook his head. "There is no need. As long as you are not over twenty-five years of age, you are qualified to challenge the Li Ren Heavenly Stele, regardless of your cultivation level."

Hearing this, even Si Lanyi couldn’t help but ask, "Is that Ning Yang really so strong?!"

She had seen Ning Yang once, six years ago. The man was incredibly domineering and overbearing. At the time, however, Si Lanyi had disdained his actions and, rather than fight him, had decisively crippled her own cultivation.

"You can’t cheat in the Heavenly Stele Battlefield," the Ferryman stated flatly.

Si Lanyi immediately asked, "What is the fee?"

Before the Ferryman could answer, the void in front of them tore open, and a young man stepped out. He merely glanced at Ning Xuan and Si Lanyi before turning his attention to the Heavenly Stele.

At that moment, mysterious runes around the Heavenly Stele lit up. The name of Mu Qing, who had been ranked thirtieth, was erased, and the rankings below shifted down. Finally, a brand-new name appeared.

Fuguang County, Song Heng, age eighteen, Profound Realm Fifth Layer Heavens, combat power ranking: eighteen!

"Eighteenth place, not too bad!" Song Heng said, a smile on his face as he promptly began to hit on Si Lanyi. "Miss, are you here to challenge the Heavenly Stele rankings? I suggest you start from the bottom. It’s the cheapest, only one hundred thousand Element Crystals."

Dressed in blue with matching blue hair, Si Lanyi possessed a peerless elegance and an ethereal beauty that stunned all who saw her.

Si Lanyi frowned but did not speak.

"No Element Crystals? No problem, I can lend you some. After all, there are rewards just for getting your name on the Stele. You get ten thousand Element Crystals for every rank you advance. As long as you can make it into the top twenty, you won’t lose out."

Song Heng ignored Ning Xuan, his gaze burning as he stared at Si Lanyi and continued, "I can sense that your cultivation is quite formidable, miss. I assure you, I won’t lose out on this deal."

After speaking, his gaze slyly swept across her chest.

Just as Ning Xuan was about to move, the void in front of them twisted, and Song Heng froze.

The next moment, Si Lanyi took a step back, her hands coming together.

BOOM!

Song Heng’s body exploded in the void. Only a single Storage Ring fell, enshrouded in a strange ripple and delivered into Si Lanyi’s hand.

The plaza was surrounded by small wooden lodges. From the moment Song Heng had emerged, keen eyes from every lodge had been watching. Now, he had been utterly obliterated. In an instant, countless gazes locked onto Si Lanyi.

Even the Ferryman by the Heavenly Stele seemed to give Si Lanyi a surprised look. "Quite the move, miss. His ranking and rewards are now yours. May I have your esteemed name?"

"Si Lanyi."

The Ferryman nodded and added, "If you wish, you may continue to challenge without paying any more Element Crystals."

Si Lanyi looked at Ning Xuan.

Ning Xuan smiled. "You are free to make your own decision. I will respect your choice."

Si Lanyi nodded, then turned back to the Ferryman with a question of her own. "Elder, if I may ask, how long do I have?"

"Until the lone boat crosses the river." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

This ’lone boat crossing the river,’ as he called it, was an event set to happen in three days. Normally, the Canglan River was so vast that even birds struggled to fly across it, and travelers had to pay the Ferryman an exorbitant fee for passage. However, during the period of the Bitter Cold Current when the river froze over, the Ferryman could not ply his boat and took on a different task instead.

"There’s plenty of time, so there’s no rush for now. Elder, that Song fellow should have had a residence, correct? Now that he no longer needs it, could you tell me where it is?"

The Ferryman nodded and pointed to one of the wooden lodges.

As Ning Xuan and Si Lanyi looked over, the air seemed to ripple. Then, Song Heng’s name vanished from the Heavenly Stele, replaced by the name Si Lanyi.