327: Chapter 327 Awe and Fear

Two days later.

Under a sky thick with dark clouds, a streak of light cut through the heavens, soaring toward the distance.

Nie Ning looked down at the hazy, grey land below.

The Dark Swamp—this place truly lived up to its name. The surrounding area was covered by vast stretches of jungle and marshland, with countless poisonous insects and fierce beasts.

"I wonder if I'm heading in the right direction."

Nie Ning murmured softly, his flickering gaze seemingly searching for something.

After questioning Belen and confirming that the Bone Soul King had departed, he had left Blood Rainbow City alone.

His goal this time, besides searching for soul-system fusion materials, included the potential idea of killing a few people to craft Mirror Pupils.

Although he still lacked materials, if the Artificial Spirits proved useless, he would ultimately need to use souls.

This was the point of Nie Ning's internal conflict.

Obliterating souls was not something an upright person should do...

...

...

After flying for another two hours, a quaint little town appeared before Nie Ning's eyes.

Seeing this, Nie Ning decided to head down to rest and reorganize.

He was now close to the Dark Swamp's sphere of influence, and he needed to enter the town to gather some intelligence first.

As Nie Ning descended from the sky, the guards on the city walls showed looks of apprehension, even unconsciously tightening their grips on the longswords at their waists.

This place was different from Yishi Mansion's sphere of influence.

While poisonous insects and fierce beasts were dangerous, the greatest threat came from outside Transcendents.

"May I ask what business brings your lordship here?"

At that moment, an old man stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Nie Ning.

Nie Ning sensed the other's strength; he was actually a Second Ring Wizard.

'No wonder those Transcendents clamor about returning to a primitive society; it truly does provide a sense of accomplishment.'

Noticing the old man's fearful and reverent gaze, Nie Ning couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

However, he felt a strong aversion to this.

Because upon closer reflection, one would realize that the heavens were truly unfair; a hundred times the effort of others couldn't match a fraction of a talented individual's gift.

In this Transcendent World, ordinary people were born a head shorter than those with extraordinary talent, with no chance of ever rising to prominence.

"Don't be afraid. I'm just staying for one night and will leave tomorrow."

Nie Ning waved his hand, signaling the guards to relax.

"I see. We have a special place for your lordship to rest. I shall lead you there now."

The old man took a step forward and made an inviting gesture with his hand.

Seeing this, Nie Ning frowned slightly but said nothing more.

Since these people didn't want him wandering around the town, he wouldn't. It was just a small town, after all; there was no need to pressure them.

...

Under the old man's lead, the two arrived at a luxurious villa.

Compared to the vintage style outside, the difference here was like heaven and earth. The style was almost identical to Blood Rainbow City, filled with a sense of modernity.

"Does your lordship have any requirements?"

The old man asked, still bowing respectfully.

"Are the Transcendents who come here usually difficult to talk to?"

Nie Ning asked nonchalantly while examining the interior decorations of the hall.

"Your lordship worries too much. It is simply that our place is different from the outside; we are only afraid your lordship might not be used to staying here."

The old man responded calmly on the surface, but secretly, he was lamenting in his heart.

Compared to the Transcendents of the Dark Swamp, what they feared most were outsiders like Nie Ning.

After all, what decent person would jump into a fire pit?

Knowing full well this was no pleasant place yet coming here anyway made one's motives worth scrutinizing.

Most were people who had caused trouble outside and wanted to hide in this chaotic land; such people were often the most ruthless.

Perhaps on the surface, they looked as harmless as Nie Ning...

Hearing this, Nie Ning nodded thoughtfully and did not pursue the topic further.

"Are there any local specialties or rare materials here? Help me collect some."

With that, Nie Ning took out two mid-grade magic crystals from his spatial bag.

"There is no need for this, your lordship. If you need anything, I shall simply give it to you."

The old man said hurriedly, looking frightened.

"Take it when I tell you to. If I wanted to harm you, a flick of my finger would suffice, so there's no need to be so stiff."

Nie Ning felt helpless and simply tossed the magic crystals to the old man.

He didn't like owing favors or receiving charity from others.

Even regarding Belen's teaching, Nie Ning kept it in his heart, intending to repay him when the opportunity was right.

"Then if your lordship has no other business, I shall go collect the materials for you. I should return before long."

When the old man finished, Nie Ning waved his hand, indicating he could leave.

The old man bowed slightly and then withdrew from the villa.

...

As the old man left, Nie Ning found a clean room and lay down.

At that moment, Xiao Guang poked her head out from Nie Ning's collar, stretching her neck to look around with drowsy eyes as if she hadn't quite woken up.

Nie Ning looked at the little fellow, feeling rather disgruntled.

When he first caught Xiao Guang, it was so she could serve as his mount.

But he had only experienced that for a short while; after arriving at Blood Rainbow City, he had barely used her.

Now that he had refined the Heavenly Universe Holy Wings, which were a notch faster than Xiao Guang, he had to fly himself to make the trip as quick as possible.

Moreover, perhaps because she had stayed in Blood Rainbow City for too long, or perhaps because the environment was too safe, Xiao Guang had lost her former wildness and vigilance.

Nie Ning felt he was close to raising this rare Jade-Colored Light-Treading Fox into a useless pet.

Fortunately, it was almost time...

Xiao Guang was about to advance...

He just didn't know what form Xiao Guang would evolve into.

A fox-eared girl?

Or a fox-headed girl?

Given Xiao Guang's appearance, her evolution shouldn't be too bad.

Xiao Guang crawled out of his clothes, leaned forward, and stretched: "Are we there yet?"

"Not yet. When do you plan to advance?"

Nie Ning changed the subject, a hint of excitement showing in his eyes.

Her beastly instincts allowed Xiao Guang to sense danger, and she couldn't help but turn her head to look at Nie Ning warily.

Lately, Nie Ning had been bringing up this topic more and more frequently, which was clearly not a good sign.

Especially when they were in the 'Transcendent World,' she had heard terms like 'monster-fetishist' more than once; some people always had... unique ideas.

Xiao Guang licked her fox paw: "Taking human form would deplete my bloodline power. I plan to advance according to the original bloodline purification method."

Hearing this, the reclining Nie Ning immediately sat up.

"How can you do that? Think about your hard work during this time, studying rune knowledge tirelessly."

"If you give up now, won't all your efforts go to waste? Why don't we reconsider carefully?"

Seeing Nie Ning so agitated, Xiao Guang gave him a sidelong glance, her suspicions basically confirmed.

'Bronk is a human with strange fetishes!'

...