Chapter 343: Chapter 339: The Ancient Well
Under the night sky, two figures walked side by side.
"Sister An, you’ve been smiling a lot these past few days."
Ning Jiang said softly, looking at the beauty in purple beside him. A faint smile graced her beautiful, ethereal face, and her lovely eyes were filled with tenderness.
"You’re back, and you’ve become so powerful. Of course I’m happy."
Ning Yu’an said with a smile, proud of Ning Jiang.
During the two years Ning Jiang was away, she had cultivated day and night to distract herself from her longing. She hadn’t smiled even once, especially after the destruction of the Alchemy Alliance and Kunlun.
But now that Ning Jiang had returned, she was free of all worries.
She knew that with Ning Jiang around, she didn’t have to worry about anything or bear any burdens. She could completely relax.
Ning Jiang would shield her from any storm and handle everything.
"Jiang’Er."
Ahead, two figures walked toward them, their faces flushed with excitement.
"Father, Mother."
Ning Jiang called out. It was Ning Yu’an’s birth parents, Ning Changfeng and Li Qingyun. Though they shared no blood, they had raised him since childhood and treated him as their own.
"You’ve grown so much in the two years we haven’t seen you, Jiang’Er."
Li Qingyun took Ning Jiang’s hand and looked him over. Two years had passed, and he seemed a bit taller.
"For the last two years, your mother was always letting her imagination run wild, worrying you’d run into danger out there. I told her she was worrying for nothing, but she’d still argue with me."
Ning Changfeng said with a laugh.
"Oh, please. I wonder who couldn’t sleep at night, secretly muttering Jiang’Er’s name."
Li Qingyun shot Ning Changfeng a look, calling him out.
"You..."
Ning Changfeng’s face reddened. He seemed surprised that Li Qingyun knew his little secrets.
Ning Jiang watched them with a faint smile.
A heartwarming feeling flowed through him. ’This is family. This is what I must protect.’
One hundred thousand years ago, he had been an orphan who never knew the warmth of kinship. He had dedicated himself wholly to the Dao, and though he became a Legendary Venerable, he had never experienced this kind of familial love.
To him, it was a precious feeling he truly cherished.
"Alright, alright. The two of them finally have some time together. We shouldn’t disturb them."
After a little while, Li Qingyun pulled Ning Changfeng away. But after only a few steps, she turned back with a smile and said suggestively, "You two aren’t little kids anymore. If you want to do... adult things... we have no objection."
"Mother!"
Ning Yu’an’s eyes flew open and she cried out, her face instantly turning crimson, as red as an apple.
"Ahem, Qingyun, what are you talking about?"
Ning Changfeng coughed awkwardly and quickly pulled Li Qingyun away.
’Adult things?’
Ning Jiang shook his head with a wry smile. He knew exactly what Li Qingyun meant.
In his view, it wasn’t surprising for Li Qingyun to say something like that. After all, she had once ignored the opposition of the entire Li Family and resolutely married Ning Changfeng, who was from a minor clan. It proved she was the kind of person who dared to love and dared to hate.
"She... she was just spouting nonsense. Don’t get the wrong idea."
Ning Yu’an lowered her head, her heart fluttering wildly. She was completely flustered.
Ning Jiang was much calmer. He gently took Ning Yu’an’s hand. It was delicate and soft, as smooth and flawless as a piece of white jade, making him reluctant to let go.
"Sister An, it’s been a long time since we’ve walked together like this."
The night breeze blew gently.
A bright moon hung high in the sky, its brilliant light scattering across the land like silver sand.
The bright moon rose over the sea, a moment shared across the ends of the earth.
In the pavilion on the mountaintop, Ning Jiang sat down, and Ning Yu’an curled up lazily in his embrace like a kitten.
They spoke of everything—their experiences over the past two years, memories of old times, and amusing stories from their childhood. There was nothing they couldn’t talk about.
The young man and woman quietly savored the beautiful, tranquil moment.
"It must have been so hard for you out there."
Her eyes filled with heartache. When they had spoken of Qing Province earlier, Ning Jiang had downplayed his experiences. She knew he had done so deliberately, not wanting to make her worry.
"It’s all in the past," Ning Jiang said, waving it off before changing the subject. "On another note, Sister An, you’ve begun to grasp the fundamentals of your Purple Qi Creation Technique."
"What is the origin of this Purple Qi Creation Technique? This Cultivation Technique is incredibly profound. I feel like what I’ve learned so far isn’t even a thousandth of what it is," Ning Yu’an asked.
"I can’t say," Ning Jiang said with a smile. "But one day, Sister An, you’ll understand."
The deeper she delved into the Purple Qi Creation Technique, the more Ning Yu’an would naturally come to realize it was the Cultivation Technique of the Purple Moon Venerable. It was too early to speak of such things now.
Seeing that Ning Jiang wasn’t going to tell her, Ning Yu’an didn’t press the issue. She knew he would never harm her.
The night grew deeper.
Lying in Ning Jiang’s embrace, Ning Yu’an drifted into a deep sleep.
Her brow was smooth and a smile graced her lovely face. She looked beautiful and serene in her sleep—this was the most peacefully she had slept in two years.
"Don’t go..."
She murmured in her sleep.
...
「The next morning.」
Inside a cave, deep within the Demon Mist Mountain Range.
Before Ning Jiang left two years ago, he had declared this place a forbidden zone. For two full years, no one had dared to approach it.
"When the Spiritual Qi first erupted in Cyan Cloud Country, this seemed to be the epicenter," Ning Yu’an remarked from beside him.
At the time, it was the only place in Cyan Cloud Country that had any Spiritual Qi. That was precisely why Ning Jiang had told them to move here to cultivate.
But not long after Ning Jiang left, Cyan Cloud underwent a massive change. Immense Spiritual Qi began to surge from beneath the earth.
And it seemed that this very place was the source of it all!
"This place is far from simple!"
At this moment, besides Ning Yu’an, Yue Wenfu and a few others were also present.
Despite being in the God-Seizing Realm, they all felt an intense, heart-pounding dread from the cave before them, as if some great terror lurked within.
"This is terrifying. I’ve never felt anything this intense, not even when facing a Heaven-Reaching Realm expert."
Lin Zhan chimed in. The pressure from a Heaven-Reaching Realm expert was one of overwhelming power due to the difference in Cultivation. But this feeling was different—it was a terrifying fear that bubbled up from the depths of his soul.
"The aura here is more than ten times stronger than it was two years ago." A grave look flashed in Ning Jiang’s eyes.
The thing inside had left a deep impression on him.
"Are you really going to go in?"
Ning Yu’an looked at Ning Jiang worriedly. He squeezed her hand and said, "Don’t worry, Sister An. I’m confident I can handle this."
He took a deep breath and walked inside.
The cave was dimly lit and utterly silent, with an oppressive atmosphere hanging in the air.
Before long, an ancient well appeared up ahead.