Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

He had never expected this bastard to exploit a loophole in the law! He had tried to steal a chicken, only to lose the rice used as bait.

Among the onlookers, some cultivators had once harbored the same thoughts as the Yi Family member, and they now couldn’t help but feel secretly relieved. They were fortunate not to have acted, otherwise they would be the ones facing humiliation now!

Not far from them, a glint of murderous intent flashed in a woman’s eyes.

"However, if you want a fight, I can give you that chance. Of course, you’ll have to wait for three—"

Before Ning Xuan could finish, the Yi Family member’s eyes lit up with an unprecedented gleam. He cut in, "Three months is too long! I’ll give you one month at most!"

"One month? There’s no need, I—"

The man interrupted him again. "A month and a half! That’s my bottom line!"

"Do you think I’m as stupid as you?!" Ning Xuan roared. "I said three *days*! If I don’t tear your sorry hide to pieces in three days, then my name isn’t Ning Xuan!"

This time, Ning Xuan was cursing him out directly, but the Yi Family member didn’t retort. He was completely stunned.

"Sisters, I need a favor. Please give her a proper burial," Ning Xuan said, ignoring the stunned man and addressing the other two women he had met previously at the Drunken Moon House.

The two women nodded immediately. They stepped forward without delay, cradling the dead woman’s body and wrapping it up securely. As they left, the look they gave Ning Xuan was as tender as water.

In the crowd, two cultivators seethed with jealous rage, grinding their teeth.

"Three days? You said it yourself! Everyone here is a witness!" the Yi Family member shouted, snapping back to reality and conveniently ignoring Ning Xuan’s insults.

In just three days, I’ll be second to only one person, standing above millions! Why bother arguing with a dead man?!

This time, Ning Xuan didn’t even give him a second glance. He simply turned and walked away.

In fact, he had the means to obliterate this bastard right here and now. However, he had offended far too many cultivators in the square earlier. Many of them were stronger than this beast and were still watching him like tigers stalking their prey. He needed to focus on breaking through to the next realm first. Only by entering the Holy Realm could he act with true freedom.

「Judgment Court.」

"You really know how to cause trouble," Zhou Nian said with a wry smile the moment Ning Xuan appeared. He was a well-informed man, a fact that didn’t surprise Ning Xuan.

Ning Xuan was in no mood for small talk. He got straight to the point. "Where is Trial Mountain? I want to undergo the trial."

"Follow me," Zhou Nian said, personally leading the way.

After they left, the other three Law Enforcement Officers couldn’t help but start discussing the matter.

"Why does the Judge treat him so differently?"

"I’m wondering the same thing. He’s still just a Martial Artist!"

"This isn’t our concern. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be on my way."

Only the officer who made an excuse to leave understood the situation perfectly, his mind as clear as a mirror.

The Judge is cultivating his own direct lineage. Although the young man is merely at the Venerable Realm, if he can truly step into the Holy Realm within three days, his talent is absolutely heaven-defying! I have to seize this opportunity and build a connection with him early on.

And so, after taking a few detours, he also headed toward Trial Mountain.

「Meanwhile.」

Zhou Nian brought Ning Xuan to his personal residence and pressed a specific spot on a wall in his study. Behind a large chair, space began to twist and distort, soon forming a shimmering portal. Through the gateway, one could see a blue sky with white clouds and mountains that pierced the heavens. More terrifyingly, giant beasts could be seen locked in combat.

"Go on. That’s Trial Mountain."

Without a trace of surprise or fear, Ning Xuan nodded and stepped through the portal.

Once everything returned to normal, Zhou Nian murmured to himself, "Three days. If you can truly enter the Holy Realm in three days, then what would it matter if this Judge were to abdicate and pass the position to you!"

It was a pity Ning Xuan couldn’t hear his words. Otherwise, who knows if he might have reconsidered entering Trial Mountain.

「Inside Trial Mountain.」

The moment Ning Xuan set foot on the mountain, he was momentarily stunned by the sheer purity of the Element Qi in the air. But before he could even make a move, a shriek sharp enough to pierce gold and shatter stone exploded from above. A set of sharp claws instantly appeared before his face, moving with blinding speed. Any other Martial Artist would have been instantly torn into a bloody mist.

Yet Ning Xuan merely snorted coldly, and his body vanished. He wasn’t lacking in combat skills. What he needed was to raise his cultivation realm. Therefore, fighting the beasts here was a waste of time. Ning Xuan’s plan was to find an absolutely safe location and devour the pure Element Qi.

His sudden disappearance left the other Law Enforcement Officer, who had followed him in, completely baffled.

What’s going on? Why is there no sound of a fight? Could I have been wrong? The Judge doesn’t intend to groom him, but rather... No, that shouldn’t be possible! But then why aren’t the beasts within rampaging?!

He stood on a high vantage point, peering into the depths of the mountain.

Did he go deep into Trial Mountain? That can’t be right. How Trial Mountain came to be and how vast it is remains a mystery to this day. Not even the Judge could penetrate so deep in such a short amount of time!

The Law Enforcement Officer muttered to himself for a long while but came up with nothing. He finally decided to leave. He wasn’t here for a trial, after all. Since he couldn’t find the person he was looking for, there was no reason to stay.

What he didn’t know was that shortly after he departed, a disturbance began deep within Trial Mountain.

In a valley shrouded in mist, Ning Xuan sat cross-legged. This place had originally been the lair of an extremely terrifying beast, but when Ning Xuan unleashed his formidable Dragon Might, the creature had immediately prostrated itself, trembling in fear. After Ning Xuan had spoken a single word, it had fled for its life, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

It wasn’t just that beast. All beasts within a hundred-mile radius of the valley eventually retreated. None dared to approach.

Once he was certain the area was secure, Ning Xuan began to circulate the Chaos Ancestral Dragon Scripture.

BOOM!

The instant he began, the surrounding Element Qi converged above his head with an indescribable force. The pure Element Qi within the entire vast valley was drained dry in a heartbeat. Just as quickly, the gathered energy vanished, completely devoured by Ning Xuan.

「Meanwhile.」

While Ning Xuan cultivated deep within Trial Mountain, the Dali Realm was suddenly wracked with lightning and thunder as extraordinary phenomena appeared one after another. Countless experts were jolted from their practice, all of them completely shocked.

"What’s happening? Is someone about to become a True Saint?!"

"A shift in the heavens and the earth! These are the omens of a new Saint’s emergence!"

"Why can’t I divine the source? Who in the world possesses the ability to conceal their destiny from the heavens before even becoming a True Saint?!"

Countless old monsters were so alarmed that they emerged from their seclusion.

The one responsible for all this, however, was completely oblivious.

At that moment, Ning Xuan was frowning. He had discovered that he had actually hit a bottleneck.

This was utterly inconceivable. He had never known what a bottleneck was since the day he began his cultivation. For one to appear now, just as he was about to transcend mortality and enter sainthood, was simply outrageous.