Chapter 144 Taiyin Healing, Wanqing's Whereabouts Vanish

The icy Taiyin Power, like countless fine needles, pierced into Nightmare's severely damaged Physical Body, bringing a bone-chilling cold, yet it temporarily suppressed the rampant cold poison and corrosive energy in his left shoulder, allowing him to catch his breath.

Nightmare sank to the bottom of the pool, as if in hibernation, fully circulating a secret technique from the Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture focused on healing and consolidating his foundation. He laboriously guided the pure grand yin qi, repairing his almost shattered Meridians and internal organs. The rule fragment was dim and lifeless, and the Nirvana Star Evil was depleted. All he could rely on at this moment was his powerful Physical Body, tempered many times, and his unyielding will.

Time quietly flowed at the bottom of this silent, cold pool.

After an unknown period, Nightmare slowly opened his eyes. His gaze still held an undisguised weakness, but he had at least temporarily stabilized his injuries, preventing them from worsening.

He moved his body with difficulty, floated to the surface, and vigilantly observed his surroundings.

The valley was serene, and the moonlight was like water. Besides this deep pool emanating cold Qi, some shade-loving Spiritual Plants and Spiritual Herbs grew around. The air was filled with pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and rich Taiyin moonlight.

“What a splendid Taiyin Spiritual Land!” Nightmare was slightly surprised. A Spiritual Land of this quality was rare even in the Northern Region, but he didn't know its specific location.

He recalled Su Wanqing, whom he had seen before losing consciousness, and the powerful, palace-dressed beautiful woman who had taken her away.

“The Supreme Art of Forgetting Emotion…” Nightmare frowned deeply. He had heard of this Cultivation Technique; it was an extremely profound yet perilous emotionless Dao method. Cultivators needed to sever all emotions and desires, eradicating their seven emotions and six desires. The process was incredibly painful, but once it reached Major Achievement, its power was terrifying. Wan Qing falling into her hands meant her fate was unpredictable.

He must recover his strength as soon as possible and find her!

Nightmare took a deep breath, suppressing the anxiety in his heart, and sank back into the bottom of the pool. The most pressing matter was to recover his strength.

He took out the Storage Pouch he had obtained from Liu Jin and extended his Divine Sense into it.

As an Elder of the Star Raft Sea branch, Liu Jin had a substantial fortune, including many Medicinal Pills and Spirit Stones of good quality, which perfectly solved Nightmare's urgent needs. He swallowed the healing Medicinal Pills without hesitation, while holding Spirit Stones and frantically absorbing Spiritual Qi.

With the aid of Medicinal Pills and Spirit Stones, coupled with the special environment of this Taiyin cold pool, Nightmare's recovery speed greatly accelerated.

The Demonic Essence in his body began to re-condense, his damaged Meridians were nourished and repaired by the grand yin qi, and the rule fragment, like dry land encountering sweet rain, slowly absorbed energy, re-emitting a faint glimmer.

The most troublesome injury was still on his left shoulder. The cold poison and corrosive energy left by the dark blue scimitar were extremely stubborn. They seemed to originate from the same source as the grand yin qi but were even more sinister, entrenched deep in the wound, constantly counteracting the healing effects.

Nightmare tried to mobilize a trace of the just-recovered Nirvana Star Evil to expel it, but the effect was minimal. That energy level was extremely high, seemingly containing a trace of unique Law power.

“System, analyze the components of the anomalous energy in my left shoulder and deduce a removal plan,” Nightmare thought to himself. Although the System was running slowly due to energy depletion, its basic analysis functions were still active.

【Analyzing… Energy properties: Extreme Yin cold poison (primary), unknown corrosive energy (secondary)… Energy level: Mid-stage Dao Replenishing… Contains faint 'Emotionless' rule fragment… Attempting reverse Analysis…】

【Removal Plan One: Neutralize and devour with a higher-level extreme Yin power (requires finding supreme Yin treasures or cultivating extreme Yin Cultivation Techniques). Plan Two: forcibly refine with extreme Yang-strong power (high risk, may cause energy conflict). Plan Three: slowly grind away with rule fragment power (time-consuming, requires sufficient energy support).】

“Emotionless rule fragment?” Nightmare's eyes narrowed. Sure enough, there was someone behind Liu Jin! And it was a powerful expert who cultivated the emotionless Dao, at least at the Mid-stage Dao Replenishing! That scimitar must have been bestowed upon Liu Jin by that person!

He could not completely eradicate this injury for now, so he could only forcibly suppress and Seal it, to deal with it later.

A few days later, Nightmare's injuries had recovered by three to four tenths, and his cultivation had barely stabilized at the Early Spirit Transformation Stage level, finally giving him some self-preservation ability. He left the Taiyin cold pool, deciding to first investigate the situation of this valley and the outside world.

The valley was not large; apart from this cold pool, there was nothing else special about it. It seemed to be an undiscovered Secret Realm. The exit was concealed by a natural illusion array, making it quite hidden.

Nightmare silently passed through the illusion array, and his vision suddenly opened up.

Below, clouds surged, and distant mountains undulated. Spiritual Qi was abundant, far surpassing the Black Fiend Wasteland. Further away, the outline of a massive city was faintly visible, brilliantly lit and magnificent. Cultivator's escape lights occasionally flew through the air, most of them quite powerful; Golden Core and Nascent Soul Cultivators were everywhere, and occasionally, one could even sense the Aura of a Deity Transformation Cultivator sweeping across the sky.

“What a prosperous cultivation domain… This place is definitely not the edge of the Northern Region!” Nightmare was secretly alarmed. The edge of the Northern Region would never have such rich Spiritual Qi and flourishing cultivation civilization.

He restrained all his Aura, like a ghost, and stealthily moved towards the giant city.

The closer he got, the more he felt the city's grandeur. The city walls towered into the clouds, inscribed with powerful defensive array patterns. At the city gate, carriages and horses bustled, and Cultivators came and went like weaving threads. Above the city gate, two ancient Seal characters were carved with flowing, powerful strokes—**Heavenly Derivation**!

Tianyan City?

Nightmare searched his memory but had not heard of such a famous city in the Northern Region. He blended into the crowd entering the city, paid the Spirit Stones, and easily entered the city.

Inside the city was even more prosperous. Streets were wide, shops lined both sides, and various cultivation resources were dazzlingly displayed. Its scale and level were far beyond what any sea market could compare to. Occasionally, he even saw Cultivators dressed in Central Plains-style clothing walking by.

Nightmare grew more and more puzzled. He stopped a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator who seemed friendly, handed over a few Spirit Stones, and politely asked, “Fellow Daoist, I am new here. May I ask where this place is? How far is it from Liuhuo Prefecture in the Northern Region?”

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator took the Spirit Stones and smiled, but upon hearing Nightmare's question, he paused and gave him a strange look: “Fellow Daoist, have you been in seclusion for a long time? This is Tianyan Commandery in the Northern Territory of the Central Plains! The Northern Region? That’s hundreds of millions of miles away, separated by the endless Void Realm Sea and the Heaven's Ridge Mountain Range!”

Central Plains?!

Nightmare's heart violently shook!

He had actually traversed an endless distance directly from the ancient battlefield in the Northern Region's Void Realm Sea to the center of the cultivation world—the Central Plains?!

That spatial vortex… had actually teleported him so far!

No wonder the Spiritual Qi here was so abundant and the cultivation civilization so prosperous!

After the shock, Nightmare quickly calmed down. Since he was here, he would make the best of it. The Central Plains had far more resources than the Northern Region, which would be more beneficial for him to recover his strength and gather information. Moreover, the Xuntian Alliance Headquarters was in the Central Plains; as the saying goes, the most dangerous place is also the safest.

He thanked the Cultivator and strolled through Tianyan City, carefully gathering information.

Soon, he had a general understanding of the current situation.

This was indeed Tianyan Commandery in the Northern Territory of the Central Plains. The Commandery Governor was a Late-Stage Transformation Spirit mighty figure. Tianyan City was its administrative seat, with developed commerce and well-informed news.

News about the Northern Region had also trickled in here. His deeds of causing chaos in the Sky Patrol Alliance's Northern Region branch and killing Patrol Envoy Ouyang Shuo had spread, and he was regarded by Central Plains Cultivators as an audacious madman. The Sky Patrol Alliance Headquarters was furious about this, and the bounty amount was terrifyingly high. However, because he had vanished without a trace, the fervor had gradually subsided somewhat.

However, he had not found any clues about Su Wanqing and the palace-dressed beautiful woman who took her away. The Central Plains was vast and rich in resources, with numerous Sects. There might be more than one force cultivating the Supreme Art of Forgetting Emotion, making the search like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Nightmare sat down in a teahouse, ordered a pot of spiritual tea, and pondered his next plan.

First, he must quickly and completely recover from his injuries and cultivation, and resolve the hidden danger in his left shoulder. This would require specific Medicinal Pills or treasures.

Second, he needed to inquire about the Supreme Art of Forgetting Emotion and search for Su Wanqing's whereabouts.

Finally, he needed to find a way to obtain a detailed map of the Central Plains and more information about the Star Palace. That star chart leading to a higher world might yield more clues in the Central Plains.

And all of this would require Spirit Stones and resources.

Nightmare's gaze swept across the bustling crowd on the street, finally resting on a magnificent building in the distance, adorned with a plaque that read “Myriad Treasures Tower.”

It was the largest chain commercial guild in the Central Plains, rumored to have the backing of top Central Plains Sects, possessing numerous treasures and extensive information.

Perhaps, he could start here.

He drained the spiritual tea in his cup, left a few Spirit Stones, and rose to walk towards the Myriad Treasures Tower.

It was time for the Central Plains to witness “Nightmare's” methods. This time, however, he needed to be more cautious.

As he reached the entrance of the Myriad Treasures Tower, just about to enter, a frivolous and arrogant voice suddenly came from beside him:

“Oh? Isn't this Nightmare, who stirred up trouble in the Northern Region and was chased like a stray dog by the Sky Patrol Alliance? What? Hiding in the Central Plains now?”