Chapter 171: A Show of Force, Instantly Killing a Peer Cultivator

Chapter 171: A Show of Force, Instantly Killing a Peer Cultivator

Upon hearing Song Feng's suggestion, Chu Ning didn't immediately agree. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Brother Song, could you first give me a general idea of your intentions? Otherwise, I, Chu, am truly filled with apprehension."

"Haha, you are indeed cautious, Brother Chu," Song Feng laughed heartily.

"You should be aware that our Thousand Island Alliance has also been reaching out to fellow cultivators of notable strength," Song Feng continued. "In just three short years, you've advanced from the ninth layer of Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator at such a young age. You are truly a cultivation genius among the Thousand Lakes and Islands. My visit today is to discuss inviting you to join the Song family."

Hearing Song Feng's proposal, Chu Ning quickly shook his head and said, "I've just recently entered Foundation Establishment, and I wish to focus on cultivating for a period of time, so for now..."

Hearing this, Song Feng quickly waved his hand and said, "Brother Chu, don't be hasty in your refusal. It won't be too late for you to make a decision after we've discussed this further inside your abode."

Chu Ning found it strange that Song Feng was so insistent on entering his cave abode. Nonetheless, after a moment's thought, he stepped aside and said, "Very well!"

Even outside the formation, Chu Ning wasn't afraid of Song Feng, and now the latter wanted to enter his cave abode's formation. Chu Ning had no fear of whatever tricks Song Feng might attempt.

He might as well bring this person into his abode and see what he was really up to.

Of course, Chu Ning wasn't foolish enough to lead the way, exposing his back to Song Feng. Instead, he let Song Feng walk in front of him.

And when Song Feng saw this action, he interpreted it as Chu Ning showing deference, and a hint of satisfaction appeared on his face.

The two of them entered the cave abode, one in front of the other.

"The spiritual energy here is quite dense, Brother Chu. As expected, you do have a second-grade concealed spirit vein here. Your luck is truly remarkable," Song Feng remarked as he stepped into the formation.

Chu Ning saw no need to hide the truth, so he replied, "Indeed, there is a second-grade concealed spirit vein here, but it's rather small. Compared to the Thousand Illusions Island, it's naturally far inferior."

Hearing this, Song Feng gave Chu Ning a meaningful look and said, "I doubt that's the case. For you to have achieved Foundation Establishment in just a few years, the cultivation environment here must be exceptional."

Chu Ning pondered Song Feng's words, realizing that he suspected the reason for his rapid cultivation progress was this concealed spirit vein.

Chu Ning didn't deny it; of course, this was one of the factors. Without the spirit vein, both his cultivation speed and spirit plant cultivation would be affected.

However, the true reason for his rapid progress was not something that an ordinary second-grade spirit vein could explain.

Chu Ning smiled but remained silent, while Song Feng surveyed the area and said, "Brother Chu, your cave abode is indeed well-arranged. May I take a closer look around?"

Without waiting for a reply, Song Feng began walking further into the cave abode.

A cold light flashed in Chu Ning's eyes; this Song Feng was truly impolite to the extreme.

However, aside from Ling Xiaobai, who was currently undergoing a rank advancement, the places he had planted the Yanmu Twin Fruits and the Tiehuan Flower, and a few other rare spirit medicines, there weren't many secrets in his cave abode. Chu Ning decided to let Song Feng do as he pleased and see what he was up to.

Song Feng walked around, inspecting the surroundings and commenting, "Brother Chu, you've set up quite a few restrictions here. And what's this room over here?"

He had stopped outside the room where Ling Xiaobai was currently residing.

Chu Ning replied, "That's a spirit beast room."

"Oh? You also keep spirit beasts? May I ask what kind, and could I take a look?" Song Feng asked with feigned interest.

Chu Ning refused without hesitation, "It's a young spirit beast cub, so it's not convenient to show. But if you're interested, there's an Ironrock Beast right next door that you're welcome to see."

As he spoke, Chu Ning opened the door to the Ironrock Beast's room.

Song Feng leaned in for a closer look and then laughed, "I was just making a casual inquiry. If it's not convenient, then of course, it's fine."

He continued walking forward and soon reached the outer area of the spirit herb garden.

Because Chu Ning had been staying in his cave abode for this period, the restrictions in the spirit herb garden were not fully activated. Aside from the Yanmu Twin Fruits, the Tiehuan Flower, and the three spirit fruits that had been crossbred, there were also one or two spirit medicines that he had brought back from the spirit domain.

The rest, like the Yuan Yang Fruits and other spirit plants, were separated by restrictions, but they could still be seen at a glance.

Song Feng stood and observed for a moment, then pointed to the areas where the Yanmu Twin Fruits and the Tiehuan Flower were planted and asked, "Brother Chu, what are those two plants?"

"Those are spirit plant saplings that I recently planted," Chu Ning replied, his tone now carrying a hint of displeasure. "I've used special restrictions to separate them from the other spirit plants to prevent any interference."

But Song Feng acted as if he hadn't noticed Chu Ning's change in attitude and laughed, "I'm also quite interested in spirit plant cultivation. Could you let me take a closer look?"

Chu Ning looked directly at Song Feng and said, "Brother Song, since you've come to recruit me, why don't you speak frankly? I'm not able to deactivate the restrictions on these spirit plants."

Hearing Chu Ning's firm refusal, the smile on Song Feng's face finally faded, and he turned to look at Chu Ning, his gaze filled with a mix of amusement and challenge.

"One of my purposes in coming here is indeed to recruit you, Brother Chu," Song Feng said. "But another reason is that I want to know the reason for your rapid cultivation progress. To be frank, I've been at the early stage of Foundation Establishment for quite some time now. If I could gain some insight from you, I could offer you even more benefits when you join the Song family."

"There are no secrets here," Chu Ning said calmly. "My breakthrough is simply the result of my own hard work. Please return, Brother Song."

Hearing Chu Ning's refusal, the smile vanished from Song Feng's face, and he stared intently at Chu Ning. "Then, Brother Chu, please open up these restricted areas and show them to me. Don't force me to take action."

After a string of polite remarks, Song Feng finally lost his patience and revealed his true intentions.

Enraged, Chu Ning laughed bitterly, meeting Song Feng's gaze as he asked, "Brother Song, are you here representing the Song clan or yourself? If I were to give you some benefits, what if others from the Song clan found out and demanded the same from me?"

"Rest assured, Brother Chu," Song Feng laughed heartily. "My visit here is unknown to anyone in the clan. Consider it a private transaction between us. Just tell me what you want, and I'll ensure the clan provides the resources. You won't have to worry about anything."

"Oh?" Chu Ning's eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you sure no one knows about your visit? You're not deceiving me, are you?"

"Of course not!" Song Feng asserted confidently. "I can swear upon my Dao heart that no one knows I'm here. As long as I gain something from you, Fellow Daoist Chu, I promise I won't breathe a word of it to anyone."

Hearing this, Chu Ning smiled. "Since you're swearing upon your Dao heart, I naturally believe you. Please follow me, Brother Song. We shouldn't stay here and risk damaging the flowers and plants."

Song Feng's eyes lit up at the prospect. "Of course, are you going to show me the hidden spirit vein?"

He only caught the first half of Chu Ning's sentence and didn't ponder the rest.

As they spoke, Song Feng followed Chu Ning into a stone chamber. The room was empty, but Chu Ning activated a restriction with a jade talisman.

Song Feng's brows furrowed as he realized something was amiss. "What's the meaning of this? Are you playing games with me?"

"Playing games with you?" Chu Ning shook his head. "Not at all. Since you want to see if I have any opportunities or treasures, I should at least demonstrate some of my strength. It's just that I recently broke through, so I was looking for someone to test my abilities on."

Song Feng's expression turned incredulous, and he asked, "Did I hear that right? You want to fight me?"

A cold light flashed in Song Feng's eyes as he said, "It seems like you still hold a grudge against me for what happened a few years ago."

"You're right," Chu Ning nodded. "I'm usually not one to court trouble, but I do hold grudges. If someone wrongs me, I remember it."

"Good! Hahaha!" Song Feng laughed loudly. "For a newly established Foundation cultivator to have such audacity, I'm even more curious about you now. Very well, let's fight until you're convinced of your defeat!"

With that, Song Feng waved his hands, and two golden spells shot towards Chu Ning. He was using a metal-attribute technique known for its offensive prowess.

In response, Chu Ning casually waved his hand, and two bursts of crimson flames appeared—the True Flame Spell formed from the Crimson Flame Talisman. However, unlike during the Qi Refining stage, these flames were much more powerful.

The two flames rushed towards the golden spells in the air, colliding with them and creating a burst of light before both spells dissipated.

Without hesitation, Chu Ning performed another set of hand seals, summoning two Flamewing Birds that resembled white cranes in size. They shot towards Song Feng with incredible pressure.

Sensing the might of the Flamewing Birds, Song Feng snorted and waved his hand, sending forth two golden sword auras to intercept them.

However, the golden sword auras instantly shattered upon contact with the Flamewing Birds, which only paused briefly before continuing their assault on Song Feng.

Song Feng's expression changed, and he quickly activated a defensive artifact. A white barrier enveloped him.

"A top-grade artifact?" Chu Ning muttered, seeing that his Flamewing Birds had been blocked.

Song Feng, however, merely smiled and said, "Go ahead and show me all your attacks. Don't hold back."

As he spoke, Song Feng's eyes narrowed sharply. He had just noticed that Chu Ning had waved his hands again, and two fire pythons were rushing towards him.

These fire pythons were clearly more powerful than the Flamewing Birds, but Song Feng remained confident in his defense. Instead of countering, he produced two golden short swords and sent them flying towards Chu Ning.

However, to his surprise, Chu Ning's figure flickered, and he suddenly vanished from his original spot, dodging the short swords. The next moment, Chu Ning reappeared, charging towards Song Feng.

A hint of confusion flashed in Song Feng's eyes, and he was about to recall the short swords to attack again when one of the fire pythons reached him.

"Boom!"

A powerful force accompanied the sound of an explosion, and Song Feng felt his top-grade defensive artifact wavering under the impact. Although it didn't shatter completely, the light of the barrier had dimmed significantly.

As the second fire python struck, the defensive barrier finally crumbled under the onslaught.

"How is this possible?" Song Feng exclaimed in shock. "Without relying on artifacts, your spells alone have dealt such damage to a top-grade defensive artifact. Only a late-stage Foundation cultivator could achieve this!"

Song Feng was incredibly perplexed, but he didn't have time to think it over.

Just then, Chu Ning used the Thunder Step to close in on him.

Even though Chu Ning was still unarmed, Song Feng didn't dare to be careless after witnessing the power of his spells.

He quickly produced a middle-grade, mid-quality defensive talisman and immediately activated it.

Instantly, a yellowish-brown defensive shield appeared around him.

Clearly, this was an earth-attribute defensive talisman renowned for its sturdy defense.

At the same time, Chu Ning, who had approached Song Feng, threw a punch that landed on the shield!

Heavenly Canopy Fist combined with Essence Gathering Slash!

The shield showed no signs of rippling, but an invisible fist force penetrated through it and struck Song Feng.

Chu Ning's action baffled Song Feng, leaving him perplexed.

After realizing that the shield hadn't reacted at all, Song Feng ignored it and coldly snorted, performing a set of hand seals.

Immediately, the two flying swords turned around and shot back toward Chu Ning at an even faster speed than before.

But at the same time, Song Feng felt a mighty force strike his body.

His body involuntarily flew backward.

Along with this came a surge of destructive power!

"Puh!"

Song Feng felt a sharp pain in his chest, and the next moment, a mouthful of blood spewed out.

"This..."

Song Feng, who had been knocked back by two zhang, barely stabilized his body. However, his spiritual power was sluggish at this moment, and the two short swords fell to the ground.

Knowing that he was severely injured, Song Feng looked up at Chu Ning, about to call for him to stop.

But as he looked, his face paled.

At that moment, two fire pythons were rushing toward him.

Having witnessed the power of these fire pythons, Song Feng shouted loudly:

"I'm from the Song family. You dare..."

"Didn't you swear upon your Dao heart?"

Along with Chu Ning's indifferent voice, the two fire pythons reached Song Feng.

Compared to when Chu Ning was at the peak of Qi Refining, these fire pythons were much thicker now.

They were as thick as a bowl and two zhang long. To be precise, the previous ones could only be considered fire snakes.

But now, they were true fire pythons!

"No!"

Sensing the violent aura that seemed to want to devour him, Song Feng cried out in fear.

However, it was all in vain.

The fire pythons struck the middle-grade, mid-quality defensive talisman shield, causing it to shatter.

The next moment, the other fire python also arrived, hitting Song Feng's body.

The injured Song Feng couldn't muster his spiritual power for defense at this moment.

"Bang!" "Ah!"

With a piercing scream, one of the fire pythons penetrated Song Feng's body.

And on Song Feng's chest, a pitch-black hole appeared.

Then, a crimson flame ignited from that hole.

In the blink of an eye, Song Feng was burned to ashes.

From a distance, Chu Ning watched this scene indifferently, his eyes unperturbed.

The battle between the two seemed long, but in reality, it was over in just a few breaths.

It could be considered an instant kill!

At this moment, Chu Ning nodded slightly, somewhat satisfied.

He had killed Foundation Establishment cultivators before, but a battle like today's was his first.

"Not bad. Without the use of artifacts, I solely relied on my spells to instantly kill a peer cultivator."

In this battle, he hadn't gone all out.

Not only had he not used the Double Fire Rings and the Thunder Pearl, but he also hadn't utilized any talismans or artifacts.

Chu Ning had solely relied on his abundant spiritual power, far surpassing his peers at the same stage, along with the domineering power of the Blazing Flame Technique and his Fire Spirit body.

With these, he had killed Song Feng.

This was completely different from his previous assassination using the black dagger, numerous talismans, and the Fire Phoenix Feather Spear, a top-grade artifact.

"Now, I finally have a clearer understanding of my strength compared to my peers."

Chu Ning thought to himself.

At the initial Foundation Establishment stage, he was undoubtedly an overwhelming force.

Even against a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, with his current strength and some artifacts, he was confident he could defeat someone like Song Ye.

As for the late Foundation Establishment stage, it would depend on the situation. While he had the Double Fire Rings and the Thunder Pearl as trump cards, those at the late Foundation Establishment stage might also have other means to protect themselves.

"In this world of a thousand lakes and islands, my safety is indeed well-guaranteed."

Chu Ning muttered to himself as he reached out and grabbed the storage bag, a small shield-like artifact, and the two golden short swords that had fallen to the ground.

After carefully examining the two golden short swords and the shield-like artifact, Chu Ning discovered that all three were top-grade artifacts.

The Song family's collection was indeed impressive.

He casually tossed them into his storage bag.

At the same time, he opened Song Feng's storage bag and dumped everything inside onto the ground.

Immediately, a piece of animal skin caught Chu Ning's attention.

He picked it up and opened it, and his eyes widened in surprise.

At the top of the map were the four large characters "Reincarnation Ancient Cave," and below them were the smaller characters "Divine Dream Abbot."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end