Chapter 207 - Nine Underworld Palaces
The sight before Qin Nan transformed instantly. The initially sunny and lively mountain range turned incredibly dull and lifeless and became covered in an eerie atmosphere, as if he were now in hell.
Even Qin Nan was shocked seeing the previous sight transforming into a vision of hell in just a single breath’s time.
“Able to change the scenery instantly, this Hidden Tenth Word Treasure is indeed unusual…”
Qin Nan calmed his thoughts as he instinctively exclaimed.
Following this, he continued to advance forward under the guidance of his eyes.
Not long after, two hideous laughs could be heard beside him, as if the sound was produced from two bones rubbing against each other—incredibly spooky. If he were some ordinary cultivator, he would be scared to death, with his hair standing on end.
As Qin Nan possessed a firm Martial Heart, he was not influenced by it, and then coldly glanced in the direction of the sound.
Following a gust of chilly wind, two blurry human figures could be seen floating toward him, and the sounds of laughter became louder.
“Piss off!”
The seven ancient sabers on Qin Nan’s back began to vibrate vigorously as he uttered a yell, as if an emperor had become enraged.
The blurry human figures uttered ear-piercing shrieks as if they had suffered a great impact, before they were shattered.
After these two blurry human figures were shattered, countless blurry figures appeared in front of him, piling up into an ocean.
“It’s interesting to see that these things have the guts to trouble me.” Qin Nan let out a hollow laugh, as he walked forward emitting a murderous aura into the air.
Cries of agony were heard coming from wherever he passed, causing the figures to back off.
These blurry human figures were ghosts formed by a type of demonic Qi, and since they did not possess any cultivation, they could only frighten ordinary people.
If one’s murderous aura was strong enough, or if one possessed awe-inspiring righteousness, these ghosts would automatically back off, not daring to approach.
However, Qin Nan was even more confused now. What is the reason behind this rare sight, that so many ghosts appeared in just a day’s time?
Led by the Eyes of the Divine Battle Spirit, Qin Nan proceeded a hundred miles forward, and arrived on top of a mountain.
His expression utterly changed as he looked downward from the peak of the mountain.
The original mountains were replaced by an endless pitch-black mist and nine pitch-black palaces—each with a width of one hundred and eighty feet—which appeared out of nowhere as if they had drilled out from the ground, enveloped within a sense of mystery.
“Nine Underworld Palaces, each palace serves as a challenge!”
All of a sudden, an ancient voice appeared in Qin Nan’s mind, giving him a huge shock.
“Where did that come from? What does this mean? Could it be that each of these nine palaces contains a trial?”
Qin Nan’s mind was instantly filled with countless doubts.
What relationship do these Nine Underworld Palaces share with the Divine Battle Spirit? Is this where the Hidden Tenth Word Treasure is located which the Four Great Clans mentioned? Is the rare phenomenon of the cries of dragons and tigers related to these palaces too?
“I have literally no clue at all…”
Qin Nan shook his head and stared at the nine huge palaces before him. Not long after, he made up his mind.
Either way, despite the fact that these Nine Underworld Palaces might not be linked to the Hidden Tenth Word Treasure, since the Eyes of the Divine Battle Spirit had brought him here, there was no reason for him not to explore them.
It did not matter even if it would bring grave danger to him, as he was never afraid of danger!
Without hesitation, he leapt down from the peak and controlled his Qi to form a pair of wings, and soared across for a brief moment before landing on the ground. He then executed the Mystical Eight Steps and moved rapidly between the mountains.
Not long after, he arrived at the bottom of the mountain, at the entrance to the first pitch-black palace.
The entrance of the palace was tightly shut. Ten pillars could be seen close to the entrance, with each pillar giving him an intimidating feeling, as if it contained terrifying power. Furthermore, the most eye-catching part was the palace’s plaque that displayed a single word.
Lin!
The word ‘Lin’ was not written with ink, but rather assembled with a type of pitch-black rune paper, giving him an eerie feeling.
“I don’t care how eerie it is, my Eyes of the Divine Battle Spirit can surely peek through it!”
Qin Nan did not move, but executed his Eyes of the Divine Battle Spirit, and was about to peek at the word ‘Lin’.
At that instant, a loud explosion could be heard coming from the inside of the palace, as if a mountain had just exploded, causing Qin Nan’s ears to ring due to the shock, and his thoughts to turn blank.
When Qin Nan collected his thoughts, the entrance of the Lin palace suddenly opened, as a tiny figure, was sent flying out from the palace as if it received a powerful impact, and landed heavily onto the ground.
“Err…”
Qin Nan was astounded, Isn’t this Princess Miao Miao?
Unlike her usual appearance, her long shiny dress was now torn and tattered, revealing her pale skin underneath. A line of purple blood could be seen close to her lips, and her hair was disheveled. Extreme anger could be seen from her attractive eyes.
“What the hell?”
“How could I, Princess Miao Miao, be bullied by you!”
“If it weren’t because the Princess’s current cultivation is still weak, I would beat the shit out of you assholes…”
Her cursing came to a stop as she discovered the presence of Qin Nan standing beside her. She quickly covered her mouth and exclaimed, “Oh, my god, Qin Nan, why are you here?”
Following this, she then remembered something, and swiftly rose from the ground. With a sparkle, the initially torn dress was gone, replaced by another long glowing dress emitting a mystical aura. Her untidy hair was tied up into a bun, showing no sign of her previous miserable state.
“Huh? The Princess is asking you a question; why are you here?”
Princess Miao Miao raised her head, regaining her usual prideful expression.
Qin Nan found this hilarious, and then calmly said, “I was about to ask you the same thing. Why are you here? How did you know about the Nine Underworld Palaces? I assume that you’ve never been to the Longhu Mountain Range before, right? And what exactly is inside these Nine Underworld Palaces?”
His words served like a rapid thunderstorm, resulting in Princess Miao Miao having a stunned expression, who could not react in time.
“Huh?”
Princess Miao Miao’s expression turned dull, emitting an imperious aura, “Is this how you talk to your master? And where is my Stone of the Abyss and Nine Variation Flower?”
“I found them,” Qin Nan’s expression remained the same as he calmly said, “But before that, I have a request. I want you to tell me everything you know, without concealing the slightest detail. Otherwise, I’m more than happy claim their ownership!”
“You!”
Princess Miao Miao turned furious.
Unacceptable! Unacceptable!
This Qin Nan dares to negotiate terms with her!
“Well, since you did help my clan set up the formation, it’s reasonable for me to repay your kindness. Why would I threaten you with these two materials? I’m just making fun of you.” Qin Nan uttered a laugh and felt pleasant after seeing her going mad, and then handed over the Nine Variation Flower and the Stone of the Abyss.
Qin Nan was a man who stayed true to his words. However, since Princess Miao Miao always bullied him, he could not help but play a joke on her after witnessing her miserable state.
“What?”
Princess Miao Miao let out a scream.
This Qin Nan is extremely ballsy today, daring to go against her.
“I’ll be going first.”
Qin Nan had no intention of staying after seeing her rising rage.
Even Princess Miao Miao was sent flying by this Lin palace, isn’t it suicide for him to enter the palace with his mere strength?
However, at that instant, the enraged Princess Miao Miao seemingly came to a realization, and blurted out.
“Stop it right there!”