Chapter 153: A Plethora of Magical Artifacts and Spells, but Plundering Leads to an Early Grave

Chapter 153: A Plethora of Magical Artifacts and Spells, but Plundering Leads to an Early Grave

Within Chu Ning's line of sight were three arrows.

Just one glance gave Chu Ning a very familiar feeling.

The next moment, Chu Ning took out a longbow from his storage bag.

It was the Divine Wood Longbow that he had bought from Yunhai Pavilion.

Placing the two together, Chu Ning easily distinguished that they were made from the same material.

Recalling the words of the female cultivator with the surname Zhang from Yunhai Pavilion, this Divine Wood Longbow was originally a top-grade artifact.

However, because the arrows were lost, it could only condense arrows with spells, which reduced its power, hence it was sold as a high-grade artifact.

Even so, when Chu Ning bought it, it was still much more expensive than ordinary high-grade artifacts.

Chu Ning never expected that he would inadvertently discover the arrows here.

Seeing that the arrows were just placed together with some miscellaneous objects, Chu Ning guessed that the arrows alone would not be usable.

And this cultivator probably realized that these arrows were somewhat special, hence he kept them in his storage bag.

Picking up an arrow, Chu Ning nocked it onto the string of the Divine Wood Longbow.

At the same time, he infused the arrow with the Qingmu Sword Technique.

"As expected, the power of this technique is indeed more than twice as strong as when I used spells to condense arrows before!"

A smile flashed on Chu Ning's face, and then he dispersed the condensed sword technique.

At the same time, he turned his attention to a few other crystal-like objects.

Wood Spirit Crystal!

Having encountered Earth Spirit Crystals and Fire Spirit Crystals before, Chu Ning instantly recognized the origin of the green crystal at a glance.

There were a total of six Wood Spirit Crystals here, and they were all of substantial size, which delighted Chu Ning greatly.

What surprised Chu Ning slightly was that apart from these two items, the cultivator had nothing else of significant value.

There were no artifacts at all, and only one or two low-level talismans.

It seemed that he had consumed quite a few resources during the previous battle.

However, the only jade slip in his storage bag piqued Chu Ning's interest.

After examining its contents, he was surprised to find that it recorded a type of evasion technique.

At this moment, Chu Ning carefully recalled the earlier chase involving the three cultivators.

The cultivator in front, although badly injured and clearly running low on spiritual energy, managed to stay ahead of his pursuers.

"Could it be that he's relying on this evasion technique?"

Chu Ning thought to himself as he carefully studied the evasion technique.

"A wind-based evasion technique that can be used in conjunction with a wood-based cultivation method?"

As Chu Ning finished reading the jade slip, his eyes widened in surprise.

Among evasion techniques, wind and thunder-based techniques were widely acknowledged to be the fastest.

It was difficult to compare which was superior, as it depended on the specific secret arts involved.

However, the jade slip in his hand recorded a technique known as the Divine Wind Evasion.

However, the technique had been modified, as the original technique required one to possess a wind spirit root to be able to use it.

But the modified version recorded on the jade slip could be used by those with a wood spirit root and wood-based cultivation methods.

Although it was three percent slower than the original, its practicality was greatly enhanced.

After all, there were far more cultivators practicing wood-attribute techniques than those with the rare wind spirit root.

As Chu Ning studied the technique, he couldn't help but feel a strong urge to try it out.

After committing the incantation to memory, he flew out of his cave abode and instantly disappeared into the distance.

In the blink of an eye, he reappeared several dozen meters away.

"So fast!"

Although Chu Ning was not yet proficient in the technique, he could still sense its power.

In terms of pure speed, it was just a tad slower than the Thunderstep Technique.

However, it had several advantages over the Thunderstep Technique. Firstly, it allowed him to fly.

The Thunderstep Technique could only be used on the ground and could not be used for aerial movement.

Therefore, if Chu Ning were engaged in aerial combat, this evasion technique would be more useful.

Secondly, this evasion technique consumed very little spiritual energy, which was equally crucial for Chu Ning.

Of course, the Thunderstep Technique also had its advantages.

For short bursts of speed over a short distance, the Thunderstep Technique was undoubtedly faster.

Additionally, the Thunderstep Technique could enhance the power of the Heaven-Shaking Fist, making them a formidable combination.

"Together with the Wind-Chasing Shuttle, which is suitable for long-distance flight, each of these three techniques has its own strengths and weaknesses, but they can complement each other."

Chu Ning returned to his cave abode with a smile on his face.

He had successively slain three Foundation Establishment cultivators today, which was truly beyond his expectations.

However, the spoils of his victories were undoubtedly abundant.

Just the Divine Wood Longbow alone, being a top-grade artifact, was equivalent to gaining two additional high-grade artifacts.

There were also high-grade artifacts, various pills, spirit stones... and this Divine Wind Evasion technique.

"Plundering, eh?"

Chu Ning sighed, no wonder in the cultivation world, there were so many incidents of cultivators killing others for their treasures.

Indeed, this was one of the fastest ways to gain benefits.

However, the risks were also extremely high, and one could easily end up being countered and killed.

Chu Ning usually avoided taking the initiative in such matters, but he often encountered others who did, leaving him with a constant sense of wonder.

At this moment, having finished appraising his newly acquired treasures, Chu Ning couldn't help but consider the potential troubles that this unexpected windfall might bring.

Previously, the square-faced cultivator Pang Dajun had mentioned that the two pursuers were from Yingyue Island and Bitao Island.

And these two islands were among the top twenty islands in the Thousand Lakes and Islands, apart from the main island, Qianhuan Island.

During this period, Chu Ning had gained a more detailed understanding of the various powers in the region.

Yingyue Island had deep connections with the alliance leader's family, the Liu family, while Bitao Island was closely linked to the Song family.

"In other words, if the events of tonight are leaked, I'll immediately face the two most powerful families in the Thousand Islands Alliance."

Thinking of this, Chu Ning felt a headache coming on.

And to make matters worse, he felt rather aggrieved about what had transpired that evening.

At this moment, he could already guess that the three cultivators were most likely after the beast hide scroll that he had obtained later on.

However, in the beginning, the scroll had indeed not been in his possession.

And by the time he got it, it was too late to explain anything.

Shaking his head, Chu Ning could only hope that the three cultivators hadn't left any other clues behind.

He had just used his spiritual sense to carefully examine the area, and found nothing out of the ordinary.

"On the contrary, the items I obtained are quite distinctive, and I'll need to be cautious when using them.

Especially the items I got from the cultivators of those two islands, it would be best not to use them carelessly."

With that thought in mind, Chu Ning began his cultivation for the day.

Worried that something else might happen that night, he didn't even sleep, choosing to cultivate throughout the entire night.

Thankfully, the night passed without incident, which slightly eased his mind.

The next morning, after finishing his cultivation, Chu Ning went straight to tend to his spirit plants and spirit herbs.

He first arrived at the medicinal garden where he cultivated the Flame-Twin Birth Fruit.

After a careful inspection, Chu Ning furrowed his brows slightly.

"It seems that cultivating the Flame-Twin Birth Fruit takes quite some time. In the past six months, I've used Fire Spirit Crystals and the Mysterious Youthful Vitality Art, and even had Ling Xiao Bai help in the maturation process.

Yet, the tree is still growing, with no signs of flowering or fruiting."

As Chu Ning sensed the growth of the spirit tree, he estimated that it would take several years for it to bear fruit similar to the one in his jade box.

"However, I've already been in the peak of the Refining Qi realm for over half a year.

It won't take me years to cultivate to the peak of this realm and reach the threshold of Foundation Establishment."

Chu Ning muttered to himself, then took out two pieces of green crystal stones from his storage bag, which he had obtained from the middle-aged cultivator the day before.

He carefully buried the Wood Spirit Crystals in the soil, positioning them just right.

As he watched the wood-attribute spiritual energy in the small garden gradually become denser, Chu Ning nodded slightly.

From now on, he wouldn't need to specifically help these spirit plants absorb wood-attribute spiritual energy, but could let them absorb both wood and fire-attribute spiritual energy together.

This would make the Mysterious Youthful Vitality Art even more effective.

After all, in the past six months, he had not only been able to instantly emit spiritual energy, but had also mastered the separation of wood and fire-attribute spiritual energy with ease.

This was exactly what the Flame-Twin Birth Fruit needed, and if he could further enhance the intensity of the Mysterious Youthful Vitality Art, he might be able to hasten the maturation of these spirit fruits.

After applying the art, Chu Ning left the garden and made his way to the other medicinal gardens and spirit fields.

The Golden Orchid Fruit had already fully formed and would be ready for harvest in no time, which was within the expected cultivation timeline.

Chu Ning then moved on to the small spirit field next to it, where he cultivated the Primordial Sun Fruit and Iron Stem Orchid.

"Hmm, it's bearing fruit!"

As he examined an Iron Stem Orchid, he noticed that one of the flowers had withered, leaving behind a small, immature fruit.

Delighted, Chu Ning stepped forward to take a closer look.

Based on his previous experience with the Iron Stem Orchid, since these were already mature plants, they should have flowered two months ago if he had applied his full power.

However, the growth of the Primordial Sun Fruit was significantly slower than that of the Golden Prime Fruit he had cultivated before.

In order to synchronize the flowering periods of the two spirit plants, Chu Ning had no choice but to control the frequency of his spellcasting on the Iron Stem Orchid.

This was to prevent the Iron Stem Orchid from flowering too early, which would disrupt the entire pollination and cultivation process.

Over twenty days ago, after careful calculations, Chu Ning finally completed the pollination process.

And now, the Iron Stem Orchid had finally borne fruit.

As he carefully examined the fruit, he noticed that the brown surface had scattered spots of crimson red.

This brought a smile to his face.

He had observed similar golden yellow spots on the Golden Orchid Fruit during its cultivation, which eventually spread across the entire spirit fruit, signifying its completion.

The current appearance of this fruit seemed to mirror that process, giving Chu Ning a glimmer of hope.

Although he hadn't found an effective method to break through his physical cultivation bottleneck, he knew that cultivating a body-tempering spirit fruit would eventually be of use.

After inspecting several other Iron Stem Orchids that had borne fruit, all of which displayed similar characteristics, Chu Ning nodded in satisfaction.

"It seems the cross-pollination was successful, but whether it will be a success and what kind of fruit it will bear, we'll have to wait until it matures to find out."

Chu Ning then applied the Green Wood Spring Vitality Art to the spirit fruits, concluding his tending of the spirit plants and herbs for the morning.

As he moved on to his spell cultivation, he thought to himself, "I should practice the Divine Wind Evasion technique more to maximize its speed while minimizing its spiritual energy consumption.

As for the Blazing Flame Scripture, I've already mastered the fusion of ten fireballs, so I can begin the next stage of cultivation."

With that decision made, Chu Ning first practiced the evasion technique outside his cave abode before returning inside to cultivate the Blazing Flame Scripture.

"According to the Blazing Flame Scripture, after mastering the fireball fusion technique, the next step is to learn how to condense the form of a fire-attribute demon beast known as the Flamewing Bird.

If I can unleash this kind of attack, it will be comparable to a mid-tier, mid-grade spell."

However, Chu Ning was well aware that the power of his condensed form would far surpass that of a regular mid-grade spell.

The fusion fireball technique, if used as described in the scripture,

As these thoughts flashed through Chu Ning's mind, he immediately made a hand seal and began to gather flames, attempting to condense the attack form of the Flamewing Bird.

He practiced this technique for most of the day, only stopping in the afternoon when it was time to once again tend to his spirit plants and herbs with the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art.

However, as he exited the cultivation room, Chu Ning did not head directly to the medicinal garden. Instead, he looked up toward the lake and noticed a beam of light approaching.

Moreover, it seemed to be heading in his direction.

"Could it be that someone has come looking for me?"

Chu Ning's heart filled with vigilance, and his expression turned solemn.

He watched as the beam of light drew closer, and when the person entered the vicinity of Rainbow Island, a hint of surprise appeared on Chu Ning's face.

He actually recognized the visitor—it was none other than Cen Zikin, whom the cultivators of the Thousand Lakes and Islands referred to as Cen Xianzi.

After arriving on the island, she flew directly toward Chu Ning's cave abode.

Soon, she stopped not far from his abode, as if she had sensed something.

The next moment, a pleasant voice rang out.

"Is this the abode of Fellow Daoist Chu?"

Chu Ning thought to himself that since Cen Zikin had personally refined the formation, it was no surprise that she could recognize it at a glance.

His figure flickered a few times before he appeared outside his cave abode.

With a smile, he said, "Indeed, it is I, Fellow Daoist Cen. Please forgive me for not welcoming you sooner."

"Fellow Daoist Chu is too kind. I just happened to be passing by this area and remembered that you reside on Rainbow Island, so I took the liberty to pay you a visit."

Cen Zikin descended right in front of Chu Ning.

Then, as she surveyed the Yan Peak behind him, she smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Chu has chosen a good location for your formation. If it weren't for the fact that I personally refined this formation, I might not have been able to detect it so easily."

"It's mostly because of Fellow Daoist's wonderful formation." Chu Ning said, then invited, "Why don't you come in for a chat, Fellow Daoist Cen, and also point out any flaws in my formation?"

Cen Zikin did not refuse, and the two of them entered the cave abode, one after the other.

Even with her previous proximity to the formation, Cen Zikin had not been able to discern the specifics of Chu Ning's cave abode.

Now that she had entered, her face was filled with surprise.

"No wonder you wanted the Spirit Locking Formation. It turns out that there is a hidden spirit vein of decent quality here."

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Chu Ning.

"This should be a second-grade spirit vein. No wonder I haven't seen you in half a year, and your cultivation has already reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

It seems that you're not far from reaching the peak of Qi Refining, either."

The ninth layer of Qi Refining was the level of cultivation that Chu Ning had chosen to reveal before going out to meet her.

After all, the hidden spirit vein here was a second-grade one, and his own cultivation at the eighth layer of Qi Refining would have been too low.

Chu Ning was also unsure if this Cen Xianzi had any other intentions.

Now, by revealing a cultivation at the ninth layer of Qi Refining and being not far from the peak, along with some of the means he had displayed earlier, as well as their cooperative relationship, Chu Ning felt that she would at least have to think twice.

Of course, Chu Ning still needed to make her even more convinced.

Thus, he shook his head and smiled, "There indeed is a spirit vein here, but it's too small and of little value to a major family like yours, Fellow Daoist Cen."

Chu Ning deliberately refrained from mentioning the grade of the hidden spirit vein.

This hidden spirit vein was extremely unique, and even if Cen Zikin were a Foundation Establishment cultivator, unless she directly touched the spirit vein to examine it, she wouldn't be able to understand its specific grade.

Although Chu Ning's current cave abode was built on top of the spirit vein, he had not yet directly touched the vein himself.

So, while Cen Zikin could sense that it was a second-grade vein, she couldn't discern its precise grade.

Upon hearing Chu Ning's words, Cen Zikin nodded slightly.

"That makes sense. The reason why the several major families of the Thousand Islands Alliance are on Thousand Transformations Island is because the island's spirit vein is not only a second-grade, high-quality vein, but also because the vein is large enough to support all of them."

Indeed, she didn't place too much importance on this second-grade spirit vein. There were a few second-grade spirit veins in the Thousand Lakes and Islands, and her Cen family controlled more than one.

While she was surprised to find one here, it wasn't enough to make her covet it.

She followed Chu Ning to the outermost part of the cave abode, from where she could see the entire lake.

Cen Zikin turned to face Chu Ning and asked, "Fellow Daoist Chu, from here, you can see the outside. Have you noticed anything unusual happening lately, such as battles between Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

Chu Ning's expression remained unchanged as he replied, "Battles between Foundation Establishment cultivators? There shouldn't be any Foundation Establishment cultivators nearby since the spiritual energy in the nearby islands is insufficient.

Forget about Foundation Establishment cultivators, with the formations in this area, I can barely see even ordinary cultivators on the lake's surface."

As he spoke, Chu Ning asked curiously, "Why do you ask, Fellow Daoist Cen?"

"It's nothing," Cen Zikin shook her head slightly.

"It's just that some cultivators from nearby islands reported to the Alliance that there seemed to be Foundation Establishment cultivators battling in the area.

Since our Cen family is currently the rotating leader of the Alliance, I was sent here to investigate."

Hearing this, Chu Ning's heart sank, and he thought to himself, "So that's what it is."

But he replied, "Hmm, I haven't noticed any cultivators passing by this area in the past two days."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end