Chapter 139: Fleeing from the Enemy

Chapter 139: Fleeing from the Enemy

"It should be about another hour."

Chu Ning had been cultivating the Yan Huo Shen Mu Gong in his room, but as time drew near, even with his good concentration, he could no longer focus on his training.

He got up and left the cultivation room to check the sky outside.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Just then, the sound of a giant bell reverberated throughout the Qingxi Sect.

It rang a full ten times before it stopped.

Chu Ning's expression changed slightly. Ten bells signaled a powerful enemy at the sect's door.

Chu Ning's original plan was to explore the nearby areas just before nightfall.

Then, when dusk fell and it wasn't too conspicuous, he would use Ling Xiaobai's breakthrough restriction ability to slip through the sect's restrictions and escape.

"Why would a powerful enemy suddenly show up?"

As this thought flashed through Chu Ning's mind, a solemn voice rang out across the entire sect.

"All disciples of the Qingxi Sect, quickly assemble at your respective training grounds."

Chu Ning recognized the voice as belonging to the stern-faced Elder Zhu.

"Why is it Elder Zhu gathering everyone instead of Sect Master Xin Wuyao, when the sect is facing a powerful enemy?"

A hint of confusion flashed in Chu Ning's eyes, but his face remained grim.

When the sect faced a powerful enemy, not only would the defensive formations be strengthened, but any disciple who didn't go to the training grounds would be specifically sought out.

"Can't worry about that now, better to run first."

Chu Ning grit his teeth and decided not to wait any longer.

He headed out of his cave abode, unsure if there would be any enemies outside the grand formation protecting the sect.

But at this moment, he could only go and see for himself; at worst, he could send Ling Xiaobai to scout ahead.

"Chu Ning!"

Just as Chu Ning opened the door and stepped out, a figure appeared before him—it was He Litiao, a disciple of Xin Wuyao.

"Master He," Chu Ning said.

Seeing He Litiao, Chu Ning's heart sank, and he had a bad feeling about this.

Sure enough, the next moment, he heard He Litiao's calm voice:

"My master has ordered that, in the face of a powerful enemy, your cultivation is still too weak. Go and hide in his cave abode for now."

Chu Ning's heart sank, and he cursed inwardly, but he put on a righteous facade and said, "Master He, there's no need for that, is there? Isn't there an enemy at our door? I also want to contribute to the sect."

"With your cultivation, one more of you doesn't make a difference, and one less of you won't matter either," He Litiao said, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Let's go, no more wasting time. There are others waiting," he added.

Hearing He Litiao's insistence, Chu Ning sighed inwardly, lamenting his bad luck.

At this moment, he could only obediently follow He Litiao toward Xin Wuyao's cave abode.

At the same time, he pondered how to deal with the situation.

He wondered who this so-called enemy was. Could it be the Yin Demon Sect again?

He had heard that the sect's defensive formation almost couldn't withstand their previous attack. He hoped that this time, they would be able to hold out.

If not, countless low-level disciples would perish.

Everyone in the sect was in danger, and even hiding in Xin Wuyao's cave abode might not be safe.

Thinking of this, Chu Ning's eyebrows knitted together in worry.

The two of them rode the wind and quickly flew toward Xin Wuyao's cave abode. Just as they were about to arrive, the sky suddenly darkened as if something was blocking the sun.

Chu Ning looked up instinctively, and his face turned ashen.

Above the sect, a gigantic bird-like demon beast had appeared, its body entirely black without a hint of other colors. Only its eyes, as large as buckets, shone with a blood-red light.

On its broad back, several figures could be seen standing.

"Black Fire Vulture-Winged Crow!"

He Litiao, standing next to Chu Ning, exclaimed softly.

Chu Ning's expression turned grave as he heard He Litiao's recognition of the beast.

The Black Fire Vulture-Winged Crow was a sixth-grade demon beast comparable to a mid-Golden Core cultivator, and it was commonly found in the Biyu Mountain Range.

That left little doubt as to the identity of their unwelcome visitors.

"Listen up, people of the Qingxi Sect!"

Just as Chu Ning was thinking this, a loud shout rang out from the sky.

"Hand over the disciples who have obtained the Spirit Harmony Qi, or face the destruction of your sect!"

Hearing this, Chu Ning's face paled.

"So, they're here for me and the others."

"Let's go!" He Litiao's face grew solemn, and he quickly ushered Chu Ning into Xin Wuyao's cave abode.

In the distance, Chu Ning could make out the figures of the stern-faced Elder Zhu, the silver-haired Elder Mu, and the red-robed Elder Gui rising into the air.

"Yin Demon Sect, you're going too far! We gave you the Spirit Seed last time, and it was your own incompetence that lost it.

Now you dare to show up again. Do you truly think there's no one in the Qingxia Mountain Range who can stand against you?"

Elder Mu, the silver-haired woman, shouted sternly.

The next moment, the Yin Demon Sect cultivator's voice rang out again.

"Enough talk! Your Sect Master Xin is already being held captive. With just the three of you Golden Core cultivators, resistance is futile.

Hand over the disciples who possess the Spirit Harmony Qi, or the Qingxi Sect will be stricken from the records of the cultivation world."

...

After that, Chu Ning couldn't hear any more.

Some kind of restriction within Xin Wuyao's cave abode blocked out all sounds from the outside.

Chu Ning entered the main hall of the cave abode and was surprised to find that he wasn't the only one there. Six other disciples were already present.

Three of them had cultivation bases at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, while the other three had reached the peak of Qi Refining.

When they saw He Litiao enter, they all bowed in greeting.

One of the Qi Refining peak disciples immediately asked, "Master He, what's happening outside?"

"These matters are for the sect's Golden Core cultivators and your senior martial brothers to worry about. All of you, stay here and put your minds at ease."

He Litiao did not directly answer the question. Instead, he turned to Chu Ning, having recalled that Chu Ning had entered later and might have seen what happened outside.

"Chu Ning, come with me." He Litiao then led Chu Ning to a separate stone room at the back of the cave abode.

"Just stay here. Don't think too much about what you saw earlier. When Sect Master Xin returns, he will naturally explain everything to you." Without another word, He Litiao left.

"Plans often fail to keep up with changes." Chu Ning's expression was uncertain as he sat alone in the stone room.

Xin Wuyao's cave abode was located in the core area of the sect, quite a distance from the protective grand formation.

At the moment, He Litiao was outside, and Chu Ning had no way of leaving.

Moreover, he had no idea how the battle outside was going.

Previously, even if Chu Ning felt that he might not have an opportunity to leave today, he would have been content to wait a few more days.

But now, upon learning that the Yin Demon Sect had come specifically for him and the others who had obtained the Spirit Harmony Qi, his desire to leave became more urgent.

He was well aware that if the sect truly couldn't hold off the attackers, the Qingxi Sect would most likely send them away.

After all, no matter how important the Spirit Seed was, it wouldn't be more important than the survival of the sect.

The last time the Yin Demon Sect's Nascent Soul cultivator appeared, Xin Wuyao had let go of the Spirit Seed to preserve the sect.

Not to mention, they were just a few Qi Refining disciples.

Furthermore, after their previous failure, the Yin Demon Sect had surely come more prepared this time.

Given these circumstances, Chu Ning was not optimistic about the Qingxi Sect's ability to resist the Yin Demon Sect's assault.

His thoughts raced, but he couldn't come up with any solutions, causing his brows to furrow in worry.

Suddenly, Chu Ning's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the floor. Then, he quickly took Ling Xiaobai out of his spirit beast bag.

"Meow!"

As soon as it appeared, Ling Xiaobai meowed inquisitively at Chu Ning, seemingly confused as to why they weren't leaving as planned.

Chu Ning ignored it and asked, "Can you sense if there are any restrictions beneath the floor of this cave abode?"

"Meow!"

Ling Xiaobai nodded, then communicated with Chu Ning through divine sense.

Hearing Ling Xiaobai's response, Chu Ning sighed softly.

"In that case, it won't work. You can only help me pass through the restriction once. Even if we break through the restriction of this cave abode, we won't be able to get past the sect's grand formation."

At that moment, Ling Xiaobai's voice suddenly sounded in his mind through divine sense.

"I can use my divine ability twice."

"What?" Chu Ning was so surprised that he almost exclaimed out loud.

However, he managed to restrain himself and continued to communicate with Ling Xiaobai through divine sense.

After their exchange, Chu Ning had a general understanding of the situation.

It turned out that when he had been refining the Spirit Harmony Qi previously, his ability to draw in spiritual energy from the heavens and the earth had been too strong.

Every time Ling Xiaobai absorbed spiritual energy with him, its strength had also increased slightly.

Although it had not yet crossed the threshold from a first-stage demon beast to a second-stage demon beast, the increase in its internal spiritual energy meant that it could now support using its innate divine ability twice in a short period.

Upon hearing this news, Chu Ning was greatly encouraged.

"Little White, is there any difference between the restriction here and the protective grand formation of the sect? Can you use your divine ability once to help me leave this cave abode, and then I'll use Earth Escape Technique to get to the edge of the grand formation, where you can use your divine ability again to help me break through it?"

Hearing Chu Ning's words, Ling Xiaobai blinked its eyes, seemingly overwhelmed by the amount of information Chu Ning had just conveyed.

After a short while, Ling Xiaobai responded through divine sense.

Although the little guy couldn't express its full meaning, Chu Ning was able to understand the general idea.

After hearing it out, Chu Ning's eyes narrowed slightly.

Ling Xiaobai told him that it had sensed before that at the edge of the grand formation, there was also a restriction extending downward into the ground, just like the one above their heads.

That kind of restriction extended vertically downward, all the way into the depths of the earth, and was the same as the protective grand formation above.

So, there would be no problem breaking through from underground.

Chu Ning wasn't surprised by this; the protective grand formation was meant to defend against all directions.

If people could tunnel their way in from underground, then the formation would be useless.

However, the restriction within the cave abode was different; instead of the outer restriction extending downward, there was a separate layer of restriction that enveloped the entire abode.

The restriction beneath the ground only extended about six or seven feet deep, so one could easily reach the edge of the restriction by digging down from the surface.

Hearing this, a plan immediately formed in Chu Ning's mind.

He would first escape from the underground restriction, then use the Earth Escape Technique to reach the edge of the grand formation, where Ling Xiaobai would use its divine ability once more to help him break through.

If it were an ordinary day, this plan would be unfeasible, as there were too many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the inner sect.

Using Earth Escape Technique from underground would easily be noticed by the cultivators above.

However, now that the Foundation Establishment cultivators were occupied with the Yin Demon Sect's attack, as long as he stayed far enough away and they weren't specifically looking for him, he should be able to escape undetected.

With this in mind, Chu Ning felt that the plan was worth a try.

Chu Ning held onto one of the talismans and communicated with Ling Xiao through divine sense, "Little White, I'm going to use the Earth Escape Talisman to get us to the restriction. As soon as we're there, you'll take me away from this cave abode. During the escape, keep an eye out and let me know if there are any restrictions underground so we can avoid them."

Chu Ning had to be cautious; after all, some of the caves in the inner sect might also have restrictions. Although these restrictions might not extend too deep underground, he still needed to be careful not to trigger them accidentally.

At the moment, Chu Ning's only concern was whether He Litiao would sense his escape using the Earth Escape Talisman. However, he had no other choice but to take the risk. After all, he also had the Concealment Art, and since He Litiao was only a mid-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, he shouldn't be able to sense his presence.

After careful consideration and confident that he hadn't overlooked anything, Chu Ning prepared to execute his plan.

The next moment, he quickly put Ling Xiao away into his spirit beast bag. Then, he sat down again, looking bored and indifferent.

Just as he finished these preparations, He Litiao's figure appeared outside the stone room. He glanced at Chu Ning and then turned to leave.

After a while, sensing that He Litiao should be far enough away, Chu Ning no longer hesitated. He quickly activated the Concealment Art and channeled his spiritual power to activate one of the Earth Escape Talismans.

Immediately, a yellowish light enveloped Chu Ning, and in the next moment, he and Ling Xiao disappeared beneath the stone room, tunneling downward.

After descending about 20 feet, Ling Xiao's voice sounded in Chu Ning's mind, "We're here!"

Chu Ning immediately dispersed the light shield from the talisman and, at the same time, a white light shone from above Ling Xiao's head, enveloping them both.

In the next moment, Ling Xiao, along with the white light, drilled down into the ground.

"Have we passed through the restriction?" Chu Ning asked.

As the white light dissipated, he felt that they had indeed passed through the restriction. Without hesitation, he activated another Earth Escape Talisman and started tunneling in the direction he had memorized earlier.

Chu Ning still chose to head east because the Yin Demon Sect had come from the northwest, and the inner sect's training grounds were also located to the west. So, at the moment, the eastern direction should be clear of people.

"There are so many cave abodes and restrictions in the inner sect," Chu Ning muttered to himself as he navigated through the underground.

The caves of the inner sect disciples not only numbered many, but each one also had its own array formations and restrictions.

Some, like Master Xin's, had restrictions that didn't extend too deep underground, which was fortunate. However, others had array formations that reached down to unknown depths, and Chu Ning had to take the time to detour around them.

Chu Ning began to understand that cultivators like Master Xin probably didn't need to cultivate spirit plants or spirit herbs. On the other hand, those with deeper restrictions likely cultivated something and set the restrictions to avoid affecting the spirit plants or to prevent the plants' root systems from triggering the restrictions. That was why the bottom of the restrictions was set so deep.

However, this caused great trouble for Chu Ning's underground escape. As he had to constantly detour and change directions, he soon lost track of his original heading.

Moreover, at the moment, he couldn't return to the surface to check his direction, so he could only continue tunneling in one general direction, using the Earth Escape Talismans.

Vaguely, Chu Ning could sense vibrations from above. If he wasn't mistaken, the two sects must be engaged in battle.

This made him even more anxious. The Earth Escape Talismans were only lower-intermediate grade, so they couldn't cover great distances with each use, and the speed wasn't fast either.

As long as he didn't have to go far, Chu Ning had enough talismans, but the slow speed was a problem.

Chu Ning didn't know how many talismans he had used or how far he had tunneled. Finally, Ling Xiao let out a soft "whine."

"Another restriction?" Chu Ning muttered, quickly realizing what it meant. With a hint of excitement, he asked, "Have we reached the edge of the sect's grand formation?"

"Whine!" Ling Xiao replied.

Hearing this, Chu Ning didn't rush out immediately. Instead, he communicated with Ling Xiao through divine sense, "Little White, go out and check if there's anyone around. Be careful and try not to expose yourself. If there's anyone, come back immediately."

"Whine!" Ling Xiao whined once and then rushed forward.

Chu Ning saw a slight disturbance in the grand formation, but it quickly returned to normal.

Anxious, Chu Ning waited. Soon, Ling Xiao's white figure reappeared.

"I don't know which direction this is, but there's no one around," Ling Xiao communicated.

Hearing this, Chu Ning's eyes flickered, but he gritted his teeth and said, "Little White, take me out!"

Deep in the Qingxia Mountain Range, there might be dangers like magical beasts. But since he had just left the sect's boundaries, he shouldn't be too far into dangerous territory, and he had some tricks up his sleeve anyway.

However, if he stayed in the sect, he wouldn't be able to use any of his tricks at all.

"Whine!"

At Chu Ning's command, Ling Xiao whined softly and then emitted a white light from above his head as soon as Chu Ning put away the Earth Escape Talisman. The light enveloped Chu Ning, and in the next moment, the two of them disappeared from within the Qingxi Sect's grand protective formation.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end