https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-109-Stumbling-into-a-Forbidden-Area/12549347/
Chapter 110: The Secret Mission's Location
Chapter 110: The Secret Mission's Location
In the blink of an eye, Chu Ning was enveloped by a white light and transported directly into a restrictive formation. He didn't even have time to react before Ling Xiaobai brought him into the formation.
Caught off guard, Chu Ning's expression changed drastically when he realized he was already standing in a different place.
"The spiritual energy here is so dense. I hope I haven't accidentally trespassed into the inner sect."
Chu Ning thought to himself, glancing down at Ling Xiaobai with a hint of resentment.
"You're trying to get me killed."
However, after looking around, Chu Ning immediately dismissed his assumption.
While he was indeed in a mountain range, the place was lush with trees and showed no signs of habitation by cultivators.
"Could this be one of the sect's forbidden areas?"
As this thought crossed his mind, Chu Ning's expression turned grim.
"Stinky Xiaobai, take me out of here right now."
Chu Ning instructed Ling Xiaobai, as he had no desire to cause trouble by accidentally intruding on some forbidden area of the sect.
"Meow, my abilities haven't recovered yet."
At this moment, Chu Ning sensed Ling Xiaobai's spiritual transmission, and he could only smile bitterly.
It seemed that Ling Xiaobai's ability to envelop him in white light and bring him into the formation was a result of her becoming a first-rank advanced demon beast.
However, using this ability probably came at a cost, as she couldn't recover immediately.
"How long will it take?"
Chu Ning asked Ling Xiaobai.
"One day," she replied.
Hearing this, Chu Ning breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He had planned to leave the sect early in the morning of the market's opening day to return to Yanji Fang, so this timing would still work.
If he went missing in the sect for no reason, it would be challenging to explain.
"Meow!"
Ling Xiaobai called out to Chu Ning at this moment, gesturing for him to follow her.
After confirming with Ling Xiaobai that there were no other cultivators or demon beasts nearby, Chu Ning hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow her.
If they could leave, he would have turned around without a second thought.
But since they couldn't go back, and they had already entered this place, he might as well find out where they were.
As Chu Ning followed Ling Xiaobai, he released his spiritual sense to scan their surroundings.
However, aside from trees and mountains, there seemed to be nothing else.
Aside from the denser spiritual energy, there didn't seem to be any noticeable differences from most of the mountains in the Qingxia Mountain Range.
What Chu Ning found strange was that there seemed to be some kind of rule restricting this forbidden area. While he could use his magic, he couldn't seem to fly, even with the Wind Riding technique or the Chase Wind Shuttle.
He even tried using escape technique talismans, but to no avail.
It seemed that all escape techniques were prohibited here, forcing Chu Ning to travel on foot.
Fortunately, he had undergone the magic washing marrow technique and was a body cultivator, so his walking speed was naturally fast.
As they continued on their way, Chu Ning discovered that the Wind Riding technique wasn't entirely unusable; it just couldn't be used for flying. As long as he stayed close to the ground, it worked fine.
However, this ground-hugging wind-riding technique reduced his speed by about half.
After traveling this way for about half an hour, Chu Ning arrived at a mountain col.
He noticed that the spiritual energy here was even denser than on the path they had taken.
He guessed that this was probably where Ling Xiaobai had gotten her spirit fruit.
Indeed, after taking a few more steps, Chu Ning spotted a bush with thorns bearing four or five red spirit fruits, just like the ones Ling Xiaobai had eaten earlier.
"Help me pick some."
Ling Xiaobai's voice echoed in Chu Ning's mind.
Only then did Chu Ning realize that the little guy had brought him here to help her pluck the spirit fruits.
Guessing at a possible reason for this, Chu Ning asked, "Can you only eat one at a time? Do you want to pick and save the rest?"
"Meow!" Ling Xiaobai nodded vigorously.
Chu Ning took out a jade box from his storage bag and carefully plucked the spirit fruits, placing them inside the box.
"Alright, I've picked the fruits. Where do we go now?"
Chu Ning put the jade box back into his storage bag and asked Ling Xiaobai.
"Meow!"
Ling Xiaobai called out, indicating that she knew where to go, and led Chu Ning forward.
As they walked, Chu Ning sensed that the spiritual energy in this direction was indeed even denser.
After walking for most of another hour, they reached a flat clearing.
Chu Ning stopped, intending to suggest to Ling Xiaobai that they head back.
After all, they couldn't fly here, and if they ventured too far, it would be troublesome to return.
He wanted to leave this place as soon as Ling Xiaobai's abilities recovered.
Just as Chu Ning was thinking this, his expression changed suddenly.
There were people here.
Ling Xiaobai also seemed to sense something and quickly called out to Chu Ning.
Chu Ning reached out and patted his spirit beast bag, recalling Ling Xiaobai into it.
He cast an illusion spell, changing his appearance, and at the same time, he altered the aura of his Yin Wood spirit body to resemble that of a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator.
Just then, several figures appeared within Chu Ning's line of sight.
There were four of them, all wearing the sect's blue robes, but what surprised Chu Ning was that they included both outer sect disciples and menial disciples.
The four of them noticed Chu Ning as well, and one of them, an outer sect disciple with a hooked nose, spoke up, "Oh, you're here early."
As they spoke, they sat down on the ground next to Chu Ning.
"Let's wait a bit longer for the others. They should be here soon," the hooked-nose disciple added.
Chu Ning was astonished. This place was clearly rich in spiritual energy, yet there were so many outer sect and menial disciples here.
Moreover, judging from their cultivation levels, the highest among them was the hooked-nose disciple, who was only at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
Because only Qi Refining cultivators could enter this forbidden area, a large number of them were needed to activate the array, which seemed to be a challenging task. Additionally, there were various dangers and beasts within, resulting in casualties. This explained why Qingxi Zong periodically sent in groups of disciples.
Activating the Five Elements Grand Array seemed to offer some benefits as well, as some of the disciples experienced significant increases in their strength. Those who succeeded in this task were then reassigned to become inner sect disciples.
Although Chu Ning had yet to uncover all the details, he now had a basic understanding of the sect's secret mission.
As for the presence of the Yin Demon Sect members, they were likely informed about this mission and had sent in numerous Qi Refining cultivators to infiltrate the area.
Chu Ning even speculated that the previous attacks by the Yin Demon Sect outside might be related to this matter. By eliminating some of Qingxi Zong's disciples, they would increase the chances of their own infiltrators gaining access.
However, it seemed that Qingxi Zong's higher-ups had long ago uncovered this plot. They had carefully screened everyone's identities before allowing them to enter the forbidden area, leading to the elimination of some Yin Demon Sect disciples.
The group before him, however, had managed to slip through this screening process by using a simple yet effective method—the bamboo tokens.
From their conversation, Chu Ning learned that these Yin Demon Sect disciples had spent a considerable amount of time reaching the location for the array setup. They had also waited for some time before being officially assigned to activate the Five Elements Grand Array.
"And you, what's your name? Why haven't you said anything?"
At that moment, Duan Yuwei's gaze landed on Chu Ning, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
Chu Ning opened his mouth to introduce himself, intending to make up a story as the others had done. However, his heart skipped a beat as he sensed a large group of people rapidly approaching.
The next instant, Duan Yuwei, a Qi Refining cultivator at the ninth layer, seemed to sense something as well. "Not good! We've been discovered!"
With that, he leaped to his feet, and the rest of the group quickly followed suit.
Duan Yuwei's face turned ashen, and he roared.
"Damn it, run!"
As he spoke, Duan Yuwei darted off in one direction, his speed astonishing.
But when he looked up, he saw a figure that was even faster than him.
It was Chu Ning, the one who had been unusually quiet throughout their journey.
"This person must be the problem!" Duan Yuwei instantly concluded.
He now felt even more certain that there was something amiss about Chu Ning.
Not only had he arrived earlier, but he had barely spoken a word during their journey.
Despite appearing to be only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, his reaction speed and escape abilities far surpassed his own, a ninth layer Qi Refining cultivator.
Duan Yuwei's heart sank as he immediately gave chase, his teeth clenched in anger.
Chu Ning was indeed the first to react. As soon as the group appeared, he had bolted, and the subsequent events gave him a good idea of what was happening.
Evidently, even Duan Yuwei's actions today had been anticipated by the people of Qingxi Zong.
And the reason they had gathered everyone together was probably to catch them all in one fell swoop.
If it were any other day, Chu Ning would have applauded their strategy.
But now, the thought of being mistaken for a disciple of the Yin Demon Sect and getting besieged made his blood run cold.
He knew his explanations would fall on deaf ears; his fellow disciples would not listen.
So, Chu Ning had only one thought in mind: escape!
Although he couldn't use escape techniques in this area, he had another secret ability—the Thunderstep!
With two quick strides, he dashed away before the spells could land, heading back the way he had come.
Soon, he had outdistanced everyone, and he didn't think anyone from Qingxi Zong had noticed his departure.
Thinking that his speed was exceptional and that they probably hadn't detected his escape, Chu Ning relaxed a little.
However, when he extended his spiritual sense, he felt a chill.
He vaguely sensed that not far behind him, someone was also moving at a rapid pace, keeping up with him.
This person hadn't entered the range of his spiritual sense, so Chu Ning couldn't identify who it was.
But when he glanced slightly to the side, he saw a black figure trailing him in the distance.
"Someone can keep up with my Thunderstep?"
Chu Ning's face betrayed his surprise.
Although he had used the basic Thunderstep technique after breaking out of the encirclement to conserve his spiritual power, it was still much faster than ordinary escape techniques.
Yet, someone was able to match his speed even in an area where escape techniques were restricted. This shocked him.
At this point, Chu Ning stopped worrying about conserving his spiritual power. He took out a bottle of Recovery Pills from his storage bag and popped one into his mouth.
The next moment, he infused his legs with spiritual power.
With a "whoosh," he dashed forward, combining his Thunderstep with spiritual power to drastically increase his speed and quickly create distance between himself and his pursuer.
However, what slightly baffled Chu Ning was that after a short while, the black figure behind him faintly glowed red and once again closed the gap.
"Could it be Duan Yuwei?"
Chu Ning began to suspect who it might be.
The person was a ninth layer Qi Refining cultivator, and they had probably joined the Yin Demon Sect for some time.
They must have used some kind of demonic secret technique to keep up with him.
But this made things more complicated for Chu Ning.
In a way, it was better that Duan Yuwei thought he was from the Yin Demon Sect, as being pursued by one of their own was preferable to being hunted by the Qingxi Zong disciples.
However, he was supposed to leave the restricted area tomorrow.
If Duan Yuwei followed him, what should he do then?
With these thoughts, the two of them raced on, one in front and the other in pursuit.
During the chase, Chu Ning took another Recovery Pill to maintain his spiritual power at a relatively high level.
As he neared the location where he had entered the restricted area, the figure behind him still showed no signs of giving up.
Chu Ning frowned and suddenly flashed into a nearby bush to hide.
At the same time, he activated the Yin Wood Spirit Body's ability to conceal his aura.
Just as he hid himself, a black figure with a faint bloody aura appeared.
Chu Ning looked up and saw that it was indeed Duan Yuwei.
However, Duan Yuwei didn't rush forward as Chu Ning had expected.
Instead, he took a few steps forward and then stopped, turning to look at Chu Ning's hiding place with cold eyes.
"Come out!" Duan Yuwei commanded.
Seeing this, Chu Ning sighed inwardly.
In fact, he had already realized that it would be difficult to hide from Duan Yuwei.
Since he couldn't fly and had to move on the ground, it was easy to leave traces in the lush vegetation.
That was why Chu Ning didn't dare to continue forward; he didn't want to expose Ling Xiaobai's ability to bring him in and out of the restricted area.
Chu Ning slowly stood up from the bush, deliberately wearing a slightly relaxed expression.
"Brother Duan, it's you. I thought it was someone from Qingxi Zong chasing us, and it scared me."
Duan Yuwei stared at him coldly, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light.
"Who are you? Qingxi Zong sent you to infiltrate us, and you're quite capable. If I hadn't known a secret technique, you would have escaped today.
But since the sect's plan has failed, we can't go back. Hand over your life now!"
As he spoke, Duan Yuwei waved his hand, and a black light shot towards Chu Ning.
(End of Chapter)
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