The Third Forbidden Zone

Ji Ning’s body blurred as he transformed, manifesting three heads and six arms. In his hands he held the Thousand Bulls Sword, the Plowshare Sword, and four other Immortal-ranked top-grade flying swords.

He did not dare be careless in the face of the third forbidden zone. Once he was fully prepared, he took a single step forward. In an instant, the distance between him and the Fiendgod corpse shrank to less than ten zhang, and he officially entered the range of the ‘third forbidden zone.’

“Boom~~”

“Ning’er, eat more.”

Within that achingly familiar hall, child-arm-thick candles were burning with a soft chi chi sound. The child Ji Ning was sitting before a low table; on it were a water pitcher and a basin filled with flatbread.

“This…” The child Ji Ning stared toward the other side.

Seated across from him was a woman whose gaze was filled with maternal love as she looked at him. “What are you staring at? Eat.”

Ji Ning turned his head to look at the seat of honor.

Sure enough, the handsome, youthful man ‘Ji Yichuan’ was seated there. He frowned at Ji Ning and said coldly, “What are you looking at? Don’t get distracted while you eat.”

“Yes, Father.” The child Ji Ning suddenly let out tears. He lowered his head, grabbed a piece of flatbread, and bit into it with big, fierce mouthfuls.

In the valley.

A black-robed youth was sitting cross-legged in a crevice on the mountainside, watching from afar as the intruder entered within ten zhang of the Fiendgod corpse. He shook his head. “This third forbidden zone is not easily breached. It tests the softest, most vulnerable part of the heart. No matter how strong your body, how powerful your divine energy, how high your sword-art… none of that matters.”

The days of the child Ji Ning with his parents were happy.

Day after day passed. The child Ji Ning learned footwork and sword-art.

One night.

The child Ji Ning arrived at the door of his parents’ room. Outside, a maidservant was dozing. When she saw the child Ji Ning approach, she was startled but did not block him. He knocked on the door.

Creak. The door opened.

Ji Yichuan, wearing animal hide clothing, opened the door. When he saw his son, he frowned coldly. “Why aren’t you asleep at this late hour? What are you doing here?” At this moment, his mother Yuchi Snow also rose and walked over. She smiled and ruffled the child Ji Ning’s hair. “Go to sleep, it’s already late.”

“Father. Mother.” The child Ji Ning suddenly spoke.

“Mm?” Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow both looked at their son.

“I want to hug you both,” the child Ji Ning said.

Ji Yichuan was puzzled, but Yuchi Snow laughed. “You silly child.” She immediately picked Ji Ning up.

Held in his mother’s arms, Ji Ning reached out and hugged her back, then stretched his other arm to hug his father.

“Father.” The child Ji Ning looked at his father.

“You really are…” Ji Yichuan gently shook his head but still moved closer, allowing Ji Ning to embrace him.

With one arm holding his father and one arm holding his mother, Ji Ning nestled against them, breathing in their scent. He closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face, and whispered, “I really wish this could go on forever. But my memories are already growing fainter.”

“Ning’er?” Yuchi Snow looked at Ji Ning. Ji Yichuan looked at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning raised his head, tears blurring his vision as he gazed at his parents.

“Wake up.”

“Wake up!” A furious roar of unwillingness echoed across the entire illusion world, shattering it. The illusory world began to fragment and fade, everything vanishing.

Illusion world after illusion world—greed, attachment, obsession, demons… each one stirred the deepest, softest places in a person’s heart.

“How is this possible?” In the crevice of the valley, the black-robed youth stared in shock at the scene before him. When Ji Ning first stepped into the third forbidden zone, he had been frozen in place for over half an hour. But now, each subsequent step took less than the time for an incense stick to burn, one illusion at a time, until finally, all illusions dissolved.

The black-robed youth smiled and let out a soft sigh. “So it was him.” Then, he vanished without a trace.

Ji Ning walked up to the Fiendgod corpse and fully woke up.

He looked at the enormous, ancient Fiendgod corpse before him, at the damaged armor it still wore, at the black greatbow whose string had snapped, and at the two scattered arrows.

“Master… thank you.”

Ji Ning’s gaze drifted, and he murmured softly. “Though the time in that illusion world was brief, it was the happiest I’ve been since leaving Mount Yan. That alone is more precious to me than any treasure left behind by this Fiendgod.”

Ji Ning understood clearly.

These three forbidden zones had been left behind by Patriarch Subhuti. When the original Primordial Pangu World had shattered, its fragments had been moved by Subhuti into his own Tristar Crescent World. These seals had naturally been set by Subhuti himself. Which disciple could obtain the treasures left behind by the ancient world… that was a matter of fate.

“Little fellow.” Suddenly, the figure of a black-robed youth appeared above the black greatbow, saying smugly, “Didn’t expect that, did you?”

“You are…” Ji Ning was surprised. “An artifact spirit?”

“Of course! I said earlier that I was a Celestial Immortal, but I was just teasing you. I never expected you to actually pass the third forbidden zone. As Patriarch Subhuti said long ago, one who can pass this third forbidden zone surely possesses an extraordinary Dao-heart.” The black-robed youth sighed emotionally. “Though you haven’t yet transcended the tribulation to become a Celestial Immortal, you’re really not bad.”

Ji Ning smiled faintly.

“You don’t seem very excited?” The black-robed youth sat cross-legged on top of the black greatbow, startled. “Do you know who I am? Let me tell you—I am one of the top ten divine bows of the Primordial Pangu World! A top-grade innate spirit treasure.”

“An innate spirit treasure? Impressive.” Ji Ning smiled and praised.

“But I don’t feel any excitement from you,” the black-robed youth said, frowning.

“Because I’ve already received something even more precious,” Ji Ning said with a smile. “Why don’t you introduce yourself to me, and also tell me about this ancient Fiendgod.”

The black-robed youth nodded. “In the Primordial Pangu World, the mighty ones slew an extremely terrifying existence named ‘Luohu.’ Then, using parts of Luohu’s corpse and countless precious materials, they refined a top-grade Pure Yang spirit treasure, which is me. It was named the ‘Luohu Bow.’ After being refined, as endless ages passed, my spiritual nature grew stronger, and I gradually evolved into an innate spirit treasure. Upon breaking through, I became a top-grade innate spirit treasure.”

“Oh.” Ji Ning nodded.

“Oh? What do you mean, ‘oh’? I am one of the ten great divine bows of the ancient world! Only the ‘Houyi Bow,’ which is number one, is absolutely at the top. The other bows—the Qiankun Bow, the Xuanming Bow—all are equals alongside me.” The black-robed youth said proudly. “And in that great calamity back then, my master’s Pure Yang treasures were all damaged, their artifact spirits destroyed. I was the only one whose spiritual nature remained.”

Ji Ning said with a smile, “But your bowstring is broken.”

“If the string is broken, you can get me a new one, can’t you?” The black-robed youth shook his head. “You have to understand that for a spirit bow like myself, the bow body is the most important part. The body can hold many enchantments. Of course, the bowstring is also important. I’ll teach you later what kind of bowstring to choose and how to forge it.”

“Mm.” Ji Ning asked, “Then how do I refine you?”

“Just refine me with your Yuan power; I’ll help you along,” the black-robed youth said. “I’ve been trapped here for endless ages and grown bored to death.”

“Good.”

Ji Ning immediately began the refinement process.

Normally, treasures graded at the Mortal, Earth, Heaven, Immortal, or Pure Yang level had requirements for Yuan power. For example, an Immortal-ranked treasure required at least the Void Realm to refine, and a Pure Yang treasure required at least a Celestial Immortal.

But an innate spirit treasure, which seizes the very creation of heaven and earth, is mysterious beyond measure. If an innate spirit treasure is willing, even an ordinary mortal can use it.

If it is unwilling… even a Celestial Immortal cannot refine it. A Pure Yang True Immortal might be able to ‘force the refinement,’ but if the innate spirit treasure resists, the process becomes extremely difficult. It must be completed in one uninterrupted flow; stopping midway means it all has to start over from the beginning.

Thus, refining an ‘innate spirit treasure’ is quite troublesome. Fortunately, the ‘Luohu Bow’ had a favorable impression of Ji Ning. The fact that he had broken through the three forbidden zones had won its acknowledgment.

In a short while, the refinement was complete.

Holding the Luohu Bow, Ji Ning felt an endless, profound power surging within it—a power that was both sinister and strangely fluid, deep and overwhelmingly mighty.

“Store.” Ji Ning waved his hand, and the nearby Fiendgod corpse was instantly put away.

Immediately, the ancient formation seals that had existed throughout the Quya Mountain range began to dissipate on their own. Places that had been impenetrable to divine sense were now open for exploration.

Ji Ning swept out with his divine sense and soon discovered the Golden-Furred Bear King and the Wuyou Celestial Immortal outside the valley.

“Time to go back.” Ji Ning immediately shot into the sky. Once he was high in the air, he performed a spatial teleportation, and ripples of space carried him away, leaving him vanished.

“Divine sense?”

The Golden-Furred Bear King and Wuyou Celestial Immortal were both stunned. Within this treasure ground, divine sense had been impossible to use—but they had just sensed it.

“The restrictions are gone.”

“The lightning forbidden zone is gone too.” They soon noticed the changes. They even realized that the terrifying, heart-palpitating fluctuations they had felt earlier had completely faded. By the time they charged into the valley, it was already completely empty.

The entire Quya Mountain range had become an ordinary mountain range. Though it still had some strange qualities, it was no longer anything special.

“The treasure… has been obtained by Senior Apprentice-Brother Northmont.” Wuyou Ancestor understood.

Ji Ning returned to Mount Innerheart.

He rested for a day, then went into the forests of Mount Innerheart. In his hand, a violet greatbow appeared—a Heaven-ranked magic treasure.

“The trial for the Houyi Archery Art won’t be easy.”

Just thinking about the trial content recorded in the abridged Houyi Archery manual gave Ji Ning a headache.

It was too difficult.

It was the hardest trial among all the techniques in the Three Realms Palace.

“Little Junior Apprentice-Brother.” A voice suddenly called out.

Ji Ning turned his head and saw a swarthy, straw-hat-wearing, straw-sandal-shod man carrying an axe on his shoulder walking by in the distance. He greeted Ji Ning with a smile.

“Big Senior Apprentice-Brother.” Ji Ning quickly responded. Mount Innerheart was vast; the reason he had come this far to practice archery was the need for space. It was rare to run into his senior apprentice-brother outside the Tristar Crescent Abode.

“What brings you here?” the woodcutter called out.

“I wish to practice archery,” Ji Ning replied.

“Oh?” The woodcutter looked at the greatbow in Ji Ning’s hand and asked, “The Houyi Archery Art?”

“Yes,” Ji Ning nodded. “Just the trial of the Houyi Archery Art.”

“That won’t be easy. Practice well.” The woodcutter smiled and nodded, then carried his axe as he sauntered away.