The black-robed elder was no longer arrogant; only fear, boundless fear, remained.
He was a Venerable, not some ordinary cultivator. Even in this world, he was a being of high standing, able to look down on all beings and disdain everything.
Yet now, he, a Venerable, had been defeated by an unknown youth, to the extent that his soul was captured.
As a Venerable, he naturally had no face to beg for mercy, nor could he utter the words. Ning Beichen, however, had no intention of sparing him. He didn't even bother to question why the elder had done what he did, and with a simple clench of his fist, he crushed the elder's soul.
Questioning him?
Ning Beichen had no interest, nor did he care who the elder was or what forces were behind him.
He was not from this time period and would leave at any moment. So, who the black-robed elder was, what his purpose was, and what relation he had to Ning Beichen were irrelevant.
After dealing with the black-robed elder, Ning Beichen released the effect of "Wan Jing Ren Zong Mie," and those who had been frozen began to revive, including Li Jing'er.
They had no idea what had just happened, nor did they know that the black-robed elder had died at Ning Beichen's hands.
At this moment, Ning Beichen walked up to the flower and thrust his sword directly into its face.
The flower let out a piercing scream, and after a violent struggle, it slumped down limply.
As Ning Beichen was about to leave, his gaze suddenly fell upon something. He took his sword and began to cut at the flower's face.
Before long, a green fruit appeared in his hand.
Ning Beichen could feel the astonishing energy contained within the fruit, and his face lit up with joy. He was planning to advance to the Venerable realm, and if he relied solely on his own cultivation, it would likely take a very long time.
With this fruit, wouldn't he be able to achieve it very soon...
Ning Beichen clenched his finger, and the fruit was placed into his storage artifact. He then looked at the flower, whose heart had been dug out.
It seemed that the fruit was the black-robed man's true objective. He had set a trap, luring so many cultivators to be devoured by this flower. His purpose was likely to obtain this fruit, but in the end, it had benefited Ning Beichen.
But what did this have to do with Ning Beichen? It was all just a coincidence.
Ning Beichen silently claimed the fruit as his own and then, with a straight face, spoke to the surviving cultivators.
"There aren't that many rare treasures in this world. As you've heard, this was a scheme set up by that black-robed elder. Those of you who survived are lucky to have kept your lives. Remember not to be so easily deceived in the future."
"Yes, thank you for your teachings, Young Master, and thank you for saving our lives."
The group of surviving cultivators bowed in unison to Ning Beichen, their gazes no longer daring to underestimate him.
"By the way, may I ask, Young Master, where is that black-robed elder?"
Since they had been frozen at the time, they were unaware of the events outside and had no idea that the black-robed elder had died at Ning Beichen's hands, his soul unable to escape.
"That black-robed elder has already fled. You should be wary of him in the future."
Ning Beichen also told a lie, as he didn't want anyone to know that he had killed the black-robed elder.
Although these things might not be able to be hidden from everyone, hiding it from some was better than none. Any trouble avoided was good.
Finally, after receiving their thanks, Ning Beichen left with Li Jing'er.
With the flower dead, the previously sealed entrance and exit were now open, allowing Ning Beichen to leave with Li Jing'er.
Having experienced this danger, Li Jing'er and Ning Beichen decided not to wander around anymore. Ning Beichen also needed to go into seclusion, so they returned to Li Jing'er's home.
Upon hearing that Ning Beichen intended to enter seclusion, they quickly cleaned out a cave dwelling in the back mountain and offered it to him.
Ning Beichen accepted without courtesy and immediately entered the cave dwelling to begin his seclusion and advance to the Venerable realm.
Although Ning Beichen had no prior experience in advancing to the Venerable realm, his master had already imparted the knowledge and experience of such an advancement to him. Therefore, all Ning Beichen now lacked was time.
Ning Beichen took out the green fruit in his hand. Instead of eating it whole, he cut off a third of it with a knife.
He ate the one-third portion and immediately felt his body erupt like a volcano. Startled, he quickly began to cultivate.
Fortunately, he hadn't swallowed the entire fruit at once, or the energy would have simply overwhelmed him.
Ning Beichen returned once again to the Heavenly Cycle Path. The path he was treading was different from his master's; he was forging a path no one had ever walked before.
Chen Xingyun had told him that the Three Thousand Great Daos were also forged by those who came before, not existing from the beginning. Who could deny that Ning Beichen was not forging another Great Dao outside of the Three Thousand?
With each advancement, Ning Beichen's Heavenly Cycle Path would lengthen and become more perilous.
Now, Ning Beichen stood at a certain point on the Heavenly Cycle Path, with the unknown stretching out before him.
This was the farthest point he had been able to reach previously.
This time, Ning Beichen intended to press onward.
However, as he took a step forward, lightning and thunder began to flash around him. Where there had been no path before, a suspended staircase now stretched forward.
Ning Beichen took a deep breath and stepped onto the floating stairs.
Below the stairs was a dark abyss. No one knew what would happen if one fell, and Ning Beichen dared not test it. Therefore, he could only obediently place his feet on the stairs, moving forward step by step.
He had tried some shortcuts before, such as flying on his sword, but they had nearly cost him his life. After that, Ning Beichen dared not act recklessly again.
According to his master, there were no shortcuts in the path of cultivation; one could only advance step by step, or retreat.
However, as Ning Beichen took his second step, a biting cold wind suddenly swept over him. Even with his cultivation, he shivered uncontrollably, almost unable to stand.
Ning Beichen immediately mobilized his power to resist the biting cold wind, then painstakingly moved forward, step by step. With each step, the biting cold wind intensified, making his progress even more difficult.
Moreover, the power within his body was being consumed like flowing water. After only a few steps, he felt his strength depleting.
Fortunately, at this moment, the effects of the one-third of the fruit he had eaten began to manifest, providing him with an endless supply of power.
Only then was Ning Beichen able to continue forward.
But as Ning Beichen pressed on, the biting cold wind almost froze him. The path ahead seemed like a forbidden zone for life, where anyone who entered would surely die.
Yet, this was Ning Beichen's only path to advancement, and he had no choice but to tread it.
Soon, the power from the one-third of the fruit was depleted, and the suspended stone steps leading to the unknown still showed no sign of an end.