I changed the world.

But today... let's take a break from work occasionally...

Zhang Jing lifted the covers, lay down, and embraced An Huiling's delicate body from behind. He inhaled the scent of her hair and felt her curvaceous figure, feeling an unusual sense of peace in his heart.

An Huiling's body went limp as she was hugged from behind, as if she could barely open her eyes. She was completely dazed when she heard a voice in her ear: "Junior sister, don't go back tonight, sleep here."

"Hmm..." Without thinking, her mind almost blank, she softly agreed, completely unaware that the poor maid was still waiting anxiously...

* * *

Falling...slowly, but steadily falling...

The fourth and sixth sections of the Zhouba were murky and obscure, filled with an inexplicable martial spirit, like the chaotic waters of a deep sea, with the lower five directions being a bottomless abyss, mysteriously profound...

Hmm...where am I?

Zhang Jing awoke from his daze to find himself in a deep, dark space, like the deep sea. He heard a murmured, eerie whisper, seemingly composed of some kind of information stream, as if it were conveying some deep secret.

Zhang Jing subconsciously cut off the whispers in his ear. He looked around and saw a floating island-like place. It was not large, and the edges could be seen as far as the eye could see.

Zhang Jing noticed that fragments were constantly breaking off from around the floating island and falling into the deeper abyss below, meaning that the floating island was still in a state of continuous collapse...

The floating islands are covered in ruins, revealing that they were once exquisite buildings, but now they have all been reduced to dilapidated wasteland.

The entire land here is dark red, and the air is filled with a smell that seems to carry rust and blood. The ground is faintly cracked, and there is exposed lava flowing between the soil.

There is not a trace of life here.

For some reason, Zhang Jing felt an aura of decay permeating the surroundings, as if an old man on his deathbed was about to breathe his last.

Zhang Jing walked among these ruins, carefully avoiding the lava on the ground. It was an architectural style he was not familiar with, yet he could still see the exquisite construction that had once been there.

At the center of the floating island, on a high platform, stands a huge building that reminds him of the ancient Greek Parthenon in his previous life. The same ruins remain, only the ancient remains seem to have been sleeping for endless years.

Zhang Jing looked around again. Beyond the floating island, everything was chaotic and dark, like a deep sea. Even if he stared at it for a little longer, he would feel uncomfortable, as if it were some kind of illness called "deep sea claustrophobia". However, Zhang Jing knew that with his cultivation level, he should not have such a feeling.

He noticed that around the entire floating island, there seemed to be some chain-like objects extending outwards, their ends disappearing into the chaos, and he didn't know where they ultimately led.

These chain-like objects were extremely thin and sparse compared to the entire floating island, making them easy to overlook. Zhang Jing didn't know what these chains meant, but it seemed that they were pulling the floating island to prevent it from falling. However, probably because the floating island itself was too heavy, these seemingly insignificant chains had no effect at all, and the entire floating island was still slowly falling.

Below lay an abyss of darkness. Zhang Jing glanced down twice and felt a chill run down his spine. It was a nameless, instinctive fear, as if telling him that something terrible was about to happen if he went any further down…

Zhang Jing frowned, looking around at the scene. He was somewhat confused, unsure of where he was. However, he had a vague feeling that something about that temple-like building was attracting him...

With a thought, Zhang Jing appeared on the steps below the building in the next moment. He was a little surprised because he knew that he had not used any supernatural power. He had simply had the idea and then moved on.

Looking up, Zhang Jing realized he wasn't far from the building, so he climbed the steps. He had to admit, the building was even more massive up close than it had appeared from afar. Huge stone pillars supported the stone dome above, making it look like a giant's palace. Even in its ruins, it remained incredibly magnificent.

Zhang Jing quickly entered the huge hall. A stone pillar in one corner of the hall had collapsed, and most of the dome above was also damaged. The ground was extremely rough, pitted and uneven, and had a dark red color.

Throughout the hall, one can see all kinds of sculptures, which are lifelike but depict extremely cruel themes.

Above the stone pillar, there are carvings of human figures with their wrists bound and hanging up, their faces showing pain and wailing.

On the dome, there are carvings depicting scenes of killing and execution:

Someone was raising a whip and lashing some people kneeling on the ground;

Someone beheaded others;

Some people feed humans to wild beasts to be torn apart;

Some people even strung babies on the tips of guns and held them high in the air...

..............................

………………

Zhang Jing frowned as he looked at everything. He realized that this must be a temple, because in addition to the carvings of killing and execution, he saw kneeling figures offering sacrifices to a giant human figure in other carvings. The killings and punishments seemed to be the methods of sacrifice.

PS: Chapter 681 has been released after review. Those who haven't seen it before can go and take a look.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 692 A Strange Dream

After scanning the area, Zhang Jing's gaze finally settled on a massive throne on one side of the hall. It was a blood-red throne, clearly not meant for ordinary people. The back of the throne was carved with countless twisted, wailing faces, interspersed with numerous weapons and thorny patterns. The moment Zhang Jing saw the throne, he instinctively felt a surge of heat, his eyes turning bloodshot, and an almost uncontrollable rage and bloodlust welled up within him…

"Glory to Leonis!"

A tyrannical and greedy prince,

He is watching.

He watches over in eternity.

His crown was made of thorns and blood.

He is the master of all people.

Carrying the stern whip.

Ah, the prince of princes…

A faint chanting seemed to rise in my ears… This chanting was ethereal and ancient, as if countless people were singing loudly during a ritual…

"Get out!" However, with Zhang Jing's low shout, the chanting in his ears came to an abrupt halt.

Looking at all the carvings in the dilapidated hall before him, Zhang Jing felt a strong dislike, followed by disgust. He didn't like any of them!

As this thought arose, he heard the sound of chains snapping one after another, and Zhang Jing subconsciously looked in the direction from which the sound came.

But then he saw the chains extending from the floating islands snap one after another. At the same time, the huge halls around him began to shake. The massive stone pillars began to break and collapse, and the dome, having lost the support of the pillars, also began to crumble...

"boom!!!"

Finally, this massive, already severely damaged building collapsed entirely...

..........................................

Zhang Jing suddenly opened his eyes; it was just a dream...

Looking up, the light inside the room indicated that it was still dark.

However, the vividness of the dream made him feel that it wasn't a dream at all.

unusual……

Having cultivated to the level of Zhang Jing, all his dreams were premonitions, and he didn't have nightmares randomly. Therefore, he didn't believe that such a real situation was just a completely illusory dream.

So... what does that mean?

The falling floating island...

Ruins... bloody carvings... a gigantic chair...

The collapsed palace...

A broken chain...

Suddenly, a guess formed in Zhang Jing's mind...

This matter is likely related to the Heavenly Punishment Sword...

If that's the case, then we need to speed up our plans!

He heard soft, gentle breathing beside him. Lost in thought, Qi Zhangjing couldn't help but reach out and pull the person beside him into his arms.

"Ah... Senior Brother..." the person in my arms murmured, lazily twisting her body, clearly not yet fully awake.

"Don't move, let me hold you for a while..."

The girl in his arms gave a soft "hmm" and obediently stopped moving. The two stayed close together, enjoying the wonderful feeling.

As his emotions gradually calmed down, Zhang Jing began to think about his next plan...

......................................................

承和三十七年 2016年4月3日03:18 临州云山坊1603号安宅

While Zhang Jing and An Huiling were enjoying their tender moment, Mei'er was still not resting at the An residence not far away.

She had already sent the other maids in the mansion to rest, but she herself had no choice but to continue guarding the place.

But she stood alone in the courtyard, staring blankly in the direction of the gate. The moonlight shone on her, making her look like a pale, waiting-for-husband stone.

"She hasn't come back yet... What should we do... The young lady still hasn't returned..." Mei'er was on the verge of tears, muttering to herself in the courtyard, her mind filled with images of the young lady's unexpected pregnancy, the family finding out, and the punishment she would face...

* * *

承和三十七年 2016年4月2日08:40 定海云霄山云霄观

“Junior Brother Jingyuan, I wish to resign from my position as abbot of Yunxiao Temple.”

"Senior Brother Sect Leader, how could you have such a thought? You must not!" In the quiet room, Zhou Jingyuan, who was then the abbot of Yunxiao Temple on Yunxiao Mountain in Dinghai, was shocked to hear his senior brother Li Jingxin's words and hurriedly advised him.

Zhou Jingyuan was Li Jingxin's junior brother. He had always served by Xiao Daoguang's side. After Xiao Daoguang's death, Li Jingxin, the original abbot, took over the position of abbot, and Zhou Jingyuan became the new abbot.

As Xiao Daoguang's eldest disciple, Li Jingxin's appointment as abbot was impeccable in terms of legitimacy. Moreover, Xiao Daoguang was already quite old and no longer personally attended to the affairs of the temple, leaving everything to Li Jingxin. Therefore, this appointment was expected and did not cause any stir.

After assuming the throne, Li Jingxin's actions exceeded the best expectations of his fellow disciples. Especially after he returned from the capital and was granted the title of "Protector of the Nation, Master of Profound Knowledge and Virtue," it was clear to everyone that the imperial family trusted him greatly. His Majesty, in particular, repeatedly sent people to visit him and bestowed numerous gifts, demonstrating the growing favor he enjoyed.

As a result, the status of the Yunxiao Mountain lineage has visibly increased in this subtle atmosphere, and it even seems to be surpassing the Celestial Master's Mansion of Danding Mountain.

Even now, within the Yunxiao Mountain lineage and other branches of the Xuanmen, it's widely believed that the old master Xiao Daoguang truly possessed cultivation skills! His attainment of enlightenment and ascension to immortality are undeniable facts, as evidenced by photographs…

Within the Yunxiao lineage, the one who truly inherited the mantle of the old master was his eldest disciple, Master Li Jingxin. Master Li's trip to the capital was shrouded in mystery and legend in some circles, even evolving into multiple versions. It is said that even the current emperor holds Master Li in extremely high regard!

In this atmosphere, Li Jingxin's influence within the Yunxiao lineage, and even within the Xuanmen (Taoist sect), has greatly increased. Now, in the Yunxiao Palace, if there is any matter that cannot be decided, Abbot Li can make a decision with a single decree, and no one dares to object.