Chapter 160: Scheming for Escape at the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage (Part 1)

Chapter 160: Scheming for Escape at the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage (Part 1)



Within the thousand islands and lakes, Luoxia Island was a relatively well-known island inhabited by second-rank demonic beasts.

As such, the island was teeming with demonic beasts, but it also boasted an abundance of spiritual herbs. From time to time, cultivators would venture to this place.

Half a year had passed since Chu Ning set foot on Luoxia Island, marking the beginning of his journey into pill concoction.

"The success rate of the Greenwood Primordial Yang Pill has already surpassed ninety percent. In about seven days, the Twin Flame-Wood Fruits should be ripe and ready for use."

Next, I'll need to prepare for the concoction of the Xuanling Baodan (Mystic Spirit Treasure Pill).

But this white lingzhi herb has such a short preservation time. Even with jade boxes, it can only last for half a month at most."

As Chu Ning walked towards the center of the island, he shook his head slightly, feeling a bit helpless.

In the past six months, despite sacrificing a significant amount of cultivation time, Chu Ning's pill concoction skills had improved at a remarkable speed.

In fact, nowadays, Chu Ning spent much less time on cultivation compared to before.

This was naturally due to reaching bottlenecks in various aspects of his training.

After achieving perfection in the first layer of the Yanhuo Shenmu Gong (Blazing Divine Wood Art), his progress had slowed down.

Chu Ning's spiritual power, cultivated through the Yanhuo Shenmu Gong, had already reached a relatively saturated state.

As a result, improving his proficiency in this art became extremely slow, and his cultivation could only serve to further refine his spiritual power.

His body tempering progress had stalled at the very last bottleneck, and he had been unable to make any progress for a long time.

Fortunately, his Divine Spirit Tempering technique still allowed him to gain one point of proficiency with each day of cultivation.

This turn of events gave Chu Ning ample time to focus on pill concoction.

Coupled with the steady supply of raw materials from Cen Zikin, his progress accelerated.

Following the significant increase in the success rate of the Gathering Origin Pill, he ventured to experiment with the Spirit Origin Pill, Jade Dew Pill, and Greenwood Primordial Yang Pill.

Almost every month, Chu Ning mastered the art of refining a new type of pill.

Once he became highly confident in refining the Azure Wood Origin Yang Pill, Chu Ning began to contemplate the Mysterious Spirit Treasure Pill, a pill he had always wanted to concoct.

The primary ingredient of this pill was, of course, the Flame Tree Twin Fruit, and a substantial quantity was required.

Approximately five Scarlet Wood Twin Fruits would be needed to create a single pill.

According to the records in the Yanhuo Shenmu Gong, one would need to continuously consume the liquefied form of the Xuanling Baodan for at least a month, and even longer if one's spiritual power was inherently dense.

Chu Ning had prepared himself for a two-month regimen.

This meant he required a total of sixty Mysterious Spirit Elixir Pills, which would consume three hundred Flame Wood Twin Fruits.

Taking into account some losses during the process, he would need to prepare even more.

Chu Ning currently possessed about one hundred and eighty fruits, and the rest would have to come from the remaining fruits ripening.

Additionally, there were quite a few other auxiliary medicinal ingredients required for this pill, and Chu Ning had spent the last two years collecting some of them from various islands.

However, some of the medicines had extremely short efficacy periods, making it unsuitable to prepare them too far in advance.

Thus, he entrusted Cen Zikin to help procure the remaining ingredients.

In the past six months, Cen Workshop had not only prospered from the talisman business but also witnessed a boom in pill sales.

Not only did many cultivators come to purchase pills, but there were also numerous wandering cultivators who took the opportunity to sell medicinal ingredients.

This turn of events helped Chu Ning procure most of the auxiliary medicines he needed.

The only exception was the white lingzhi herb, which remained elusive.

This spiritual herb had an extremely short shelf life; even when stored in jade boxes after being picked, it would only last for half a month before its efficacy diminished significantly.

As a result, few people bothered to harvest this herb.

Previously, Chu Ning had obtained detailed information about the various islands from He Mingjin's jade slip, and he recalled that Luoxia Island was one of the places where the white lingzhi herb could be found.

So, he had asked Cen Zikin to post a task in the marketplace.

However, the short efficacy period of the white lingzhi herb, coupled with Chu Ning's stringent time requirements, and the abundance of demonic beasts on Luoxia Island (with rumors of a second-rank beast guarding the herb's habitat), meant that despite offering a generous price, no one had accepted the task.

Left with no other choice, Chu Ning had no option but to take matters into his own hands.

"This Luoxia Island doesn't seem to have any spirit-restricting formations like Pinghu Island, but the number of demonic beasts here is indeed excessive.

No Foundation Establishment cultivator would willingly expend so much effort to clear them out."

Chu Ning casually killed a first-rank advanced demonic beast and muttered to himself.

Then, he continued on his way.

In addition to the reasons mentioned above, Chu Ning was also aware that the thousand lakes and islands were home to countless cultivators.

Many of them had a similar demand for medicinal ingredients used in artifact refining and pill concoction.

As a result, it was necessary to preserve some islands in their original state, allowing demonic beasts and spiritual herbs and plants to thrive naturally.

Along the way, Chu Ning had slain six or seven first-rank advanced demonic beasts, and he made sure to avoid areas where second-rank beasts were likely to appear.

However, after traveling about fifty miles, he finally came to a halt.

Staring at the Kuang Gu beast before him, he reached out and grabbed the Fire Phoenix Feather Spear that was strapped to his back.

The Kuang Gu beast, its body reduced to little more than skin and bones, glared at the intruder in its territory. The fur clinging tightly to its bones stood on end.

In the next moment, a white beam of light shot towards Chu Ning, and the beast, resembling a lion and measuring about two zhang in size, pounced towards him.

Chu Ning didn't use the spear directly. Instead, he raised his left hand, and two flame-winged birds made of fire appeared, one flying towards the beam of light and the other towards the Kuang Gu beast.

Upon contact, the flame-winged bird and the beam of light dissipated simultaneously.

The other flame-winged bird, which had flown towards the Kuang Gu beast, also vanished after the beast spat out another white beam.

"It seems that these flame-winged birds are quite powerful."

Chu Ning observed that although the Kuang Gu beast had managed to dispel the flame-winged birds he created with the Liehuo Yanyan Jue (Fierce Fire Flame Art), its charging momentum had been halted.

With another wave of his left hand, a fire snake the size of a cup flew out from Chu Ning's hand.

The emaciated-looking Kuang Gu beast, just about to launch another attack, paused as its gray eyes, nestled deep within its skeletal frame, glinted with a sinister light.

In the next moment, several beams of white light shot out, converging in the air into a gray beam that hurtled towards the fire snake.

However, upon contacting the fire snake, the gray beam was instantly engulfed and drowned out.

Undeterred, the fire snake continued its forward trajectory, speeding towards the Kuang Gu beast.

Yet, Chu Ning could clearly sense the changes occurring within the fire snake.

His expression shifted, and with a flicker, he used the Divine Wind Escape technique to vacate his original position.

"Bang!"

Simultaneously, a gray light within the fire snake burst forth violently.

The fire snake itself was also blasted apart, transforming into streaks of fire.

Among them, several flames veered sharply, hurtling towards the very spot where Chu Ning had been standing.

Reacting swiftly, Chu Ning, who had already flown away, drew his arms back and unleashed a dual attack.

A fire snake appeared in his left hand, while his right hand brandished the Fire Phoenix Feather Spear, sending a wave of flames directly at the Kuang Gu beast.

After executing these maneuvers, Chu Ning once again summoned a fire snake with his left hand.

This time, however, the fire snake didn't fly out immediately.

Chu Ning tossed the Fire Phoenix Feather Spear half a meter in front of him, pinched a technique with his right hand, and simultaneously waved his left hand, sending the fire snake coiling around the top-grade artifact spear.

Only then did Chu Ning quickly grasp the spear in his hand.

He pointed the spear forward, and the fire snake wrapped around it shot out, its flame-clad body turning a deeper crimson and growing thicker.

The Kuang Gu beast, which had just withstood two of Chu Ning's attacks, stared at the fire snake with a hint of fear in its gray eyes.

In the next moment, a white barrier appeared in front of the beast.

However, the fire snake, empowered by Chu Ning's Midday Fire Spirit Body and the top-grade artifact Fire Phoenix Feather Spear, was formidable.

It tore through the white barrier in just a single breath, engulfing the Kuang Gu beast, which had tried to dodge, in the process.

"Roar!"

The Kuang Gu beast let out a mournful howl.

Its skeletal body rolled on the ground, but the flames engulfing it didn't dissipate.

Instead, they intensified as Chu Ning performed a technique and pointed with his hand.

In just a few breaths, the beast's vitality was devoured by the raging inferno, leaving nothing but a pile of white bones.

As the flames finally died down, Chu Ning sheathed his Fire Phoenix Feather Spear and approached the remains, shaking his head slightly.

"The Blazing Inferno Technique is indeed powerful, but it's better to keep these flames contained within the spear.

Otherwise, even a second-rank beast could end up having large parts of its body burned away, which would be a waste."

Muttering to himself, Chu Ning's expression shifted once more as he quickly reached out and stored the Kuang Gu beast's skeleton in his storage bag.

His figure then flickered several times, disappearing behind a mound of earth and into a concealed spot.

No sooner had Chu Ning hidden himself than a fiery red escape light appeared in the area.

As the light faded, a figure emerged—a red-faced man in his fifties, short in stature but exuding an imposing aura, standing there like a fiery torch.

Recognizing the newcomer, Chu Ning, hidden behind the mound, wore a surprised expression.

The man was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, likely in the middle stage, who cultivated a fire-attribute technique. Chu Ning wondered what technique he practiced to have such a strong fire-attribute aura emanating from his body.

As Chu Ning marveled, the red-faced man scanned their surroundings with a puzzled look.

"There was clearly a battle here just now, and I sensed strong traces of fire-attribute spells.

How come there's no one here now?" the red-faced elder muttered to himself as he released his spiritual sense to sweep the area.

Chu Ning, anticipating this, had already used the Spirit Concealment Technique, and the elder found nothing after searching for a while.

Mumbling to himself, the elder looked around before taking to the skies.

Even after the red-faced elder seemed to depart, Chu Ning remained still, hidden behind the mound.

Less than half an incense stick's worth of time later, the elder's figure reappeared, still looking perplexed as he examined the area.

Finding nothing, he eventually left once more.

Chu Ning stayed hidden for over an incense stick's worth of time before emerging.

By then, he had altered his aura, resembling a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and while his wood-attribute cultivation technique's aura wasn't overflowing, it also wasn't concealed.

This way, even if a higher-stage cultivator investigated, they would assume he was merely cultivating a wood-attribute technique.

At this point, Chu Ning continued on his way, heading towards a place called the Crescent Moon Cave on the island, where he believed he might find the white lingzhi herb.

After walking for about five li, Chu Ning's heart stirred slightly.

However, he didn't hesitate or slow his pace, continuing forward.

He walked for about a hundred zhang in this manner before a figure suddenly appeared beside him.

Startled, Chu Ning quickly retreated a few zhang, his gaze alert as he studied the newcomer.

Recognizing the red-faced, black-haired figure, Chu Ning hastily bowed and greeted him.

"Greetings, Senior.

"I'm a cultivator from Maple Cliff Island, here to gather some spirit herbs," Chu Ning replied casually, inventing an identity.

Over the past two years, he had visited numerous islands in search of spirit herbs, including Maple Cliff Island.

The island was ranked within the top thirty for its attributes, boasting a second-rank spirit vein, and was home to quite a few Ninth Layer cultivators.

However, its ranking was neither too high nor too low, giving it a low profile among the thousands of lakes and islands.

By claiming to be from this island, he naturally attracted even less attention.

"Maple Cliff Island?"

As expected, the red-faced elder frowned upon hearing Chu Ning's answer.

Then, he asked, "On your way here, did you come across any other Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

"Foundation Establishment cultivators?" Chu Ning shook his head.

"After entering this island, I haven't encountered any other cultivators."

Hearing this, the red-faced elder frowned again and waved his hand dismissively.

"You may go."

As Chu Ning prepared to fly away, the red-faced elder suddenly spoke up once more.

"How is Island Master Li doing? Has he been on the island recently?"

"Island Master Li?" Chu Ning furrowed his brows, looking at the red-faced elder in confusion.

"The island master of our Maple Cliff Island is Elder Zhou Xinquan. I've never heard of an island master with the surname Li."

Upon hearing this, the red-faced elder waved his hand again.

Only then did Chu Ning quickly take his leave.

As he watched Chu Ning's retreating figure, the red-faced elder's brows furrowed slightly.

"Is this kid lying to me?" he muttered to himself.

"I already probed him thoroughly with my spiritual sense earlier, so he shouldn't be able to hide anything from me.

But then, who was that person I fought with earlier? Could there be another Foundation Establishment cultivator on the island?"

With these thoughts, the red-faced elder's gaze turned uncertain.

"I'm not sure if that place is it, but if there's any movement and it's sensed by other Foundation Establishment cultivators, it could cause unnecessary trouble."

The red-faced elder muttered softly to himself, his mind filled with complaints.

"It's all that useless He Mingjin's fault! If he had managed to steal that fragmented map three years ago and piece it together, I would have found the exact location by now.

These past three years, whenever I had the time, I would search for places with the word 'cave' in their names, scouring almost every cave in these thousands of lakes and islands.

But it's all been for nothing."

...

At that moment, Chu Ning, who had put some distance between them, quickened his pace, heading straight for the Crescent Moon Cave.

With a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the mid-stage on the island, he naturally didn't want to linger.

After about a quarter of an hour, Chu Ning finally located the Crescent Moon Cave.

The Crescent Moon Cave was nestled within a large valley.

Deep within this valley was a moon-shaped cave, hence its name.

And the white lingzhi herb he sought grew inside this moon-shaped cave.

Chu Ning hovered above the valley, his gaze fixed on the distant moon-shaped cave, his eyes flashing slightly.

"Rumor has it that there's a second-rank demonic beast, a Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon, residing within this cave. It's best to lure it out first.

The white lingzhi herb grows in the depths of the cave and is usually food for this rabbit demon, so it might be difficult to obtain if I go in directly."

With this thought, Chu Ning tried to extend his spiritual sense but sensed nothing.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end