Chapter 201: Golden Core Destroyed, Nine Floret Mountain

Chapter 201: Golden Core Destroyed, Nine Floret Mountain

As Chu Ning activated the teleportation formation with the jade disc, he also sensed the Golden Core of Xia Kui shooting towards him.

Uncertain if his teleportation would be disrupted by Xia Kui's Golden Core attack, Chu Ning immediately took out the Icy Shadow Sword Talisman and prepared for battle.

Feeling the teleportation array about to transport him away, Chu Ning tried to activate the Icy Shadow Sword Talisman.

And then, it happened.

Even though his physical body had been teleported away, the sword aura emitted by the Icy Shadow Sword Talisman had already been triggered.

Just as Xia Kui's Golden Core attack reached the formation, it accurately struck the core.

The azure sword light and the colorful glow of the Golden Core collided violently.

In the next moment, various lights scattered and exploded.

Surprisingly, the azure sword light and the colorful Golden Core shattered simultaneously!

"No!!!"

"Pfft!!!"

As the Golden Core exploded, Xia Kui, not far away, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

His body fell straight down, crashing to the ground.

At this moment, the face of the Golden Core cultivator turned deathly pale, his breath weak, devoid of the oppressive aura of a Golden Core cultivator.

At the same time, his originally black hair was turning white at a speed visible to the naked eye.

And his previously thin skin became increasingly wrinkled, instantly turning him into a withered old man.

"A shattered Golden Core, how is this possible?"

Xia Kui let out a hysterical, hoarse roar.

"He's just a Foundation Establishment cultivator, how could he destroy my Golden Core!!!"

At this moment, Xia Kui truly regretted and feared.

If the last time Chu Ning had severely injured him with the Thunder Pearl, causing him to lose half of his body, and he already hated Chu Ning to the core.

Now, he feared Chu Ning like a tiger.

Xia Kui's gaze fixed on the teleportation formation, as if afraid that Chu Ning would reappear from it.

He was certain that if such a situation occurred again.

Then there would only be one outcome for him—death.

After waiting for a long time, there was no movement from the teleportation formation.

"Hehe!" Xia Kui finally let out a laugh like a night owl.

But amidst the laughter of having survived a disaster, there was an indescribable desolation.

Suddenly, his laughter stopped.

At this moment, the black mist that had been surrounding him condensed into a ghostly face and pounced towards him.

Realizing that the breakage of his Golden Core had caused a backlash from the evil spirits, Xia Kui's expression changed drastically, and he quickly grabbed the Soul-Summoning Banner in his hand.

He tried to recapture the evil spirit and pull it back into the banner.

But it was too late!

Having already fallen from the Golden Core stage, he couldn't control the banner as effortlessly as before.

Before he could finish casting his spell, the evil spirit transformed into a giant mouth and devoured him whole.

In the next moment, countless evil spirits flew out from the Soul-Summoning Banner.

In the blink of an eye, the area within a few hundred meters was filled with ghostly mist, and the piercing cries of evil spirits echoed all around.

And the figure of the Golden Core Elder of the Yin Demon Sect never left the island again.

...

Of course, Chu Ning had no idea what had happened after he teleported away.

He didn't even know if the Icy Shadow Sword Talisman he had activated would hit the Golden Core, let alone what damage it might inflict.

The extremely long-distance teleportation made him feel like his body was about to be completely torn apart.

Finally, after adjusting to his new surroundings, Chu Ning realized he was in a cave.

The surroundings were pitch-black.

Chu Ning immediately took out the Green Light Pearl to illuminate his environment.

He found himself in a closed cave that could probably accommodate a dozen people standing.

Under his feet were intricate arrays carved into the ground.

Aside from the teleportation formation, there was nothing else in the cave.

For a moment, Chu Ning was unsure of where he had ended up.

He took a moment to assess his physical condition.

Having just engaged in a battle and activated the Icy Shadow Sword Talisman before teleporting, Chu Ning's spiritual energy was only about half-full.

With this in mind, he refrained from recklessly extending his spiritual sense to probe his surroundings.

Instead, he cautiously stepped out of the range of the teleportation formation and used his spiritual sense to envelop the cave.

Then, Chu Ning took out a pill and swallowed it before beginning to meditate and restore his energy.

About a quarter of an hour later, Chu Ning slowly opened his eyes and carefully extended his spiritual sense outwards.

Instantly, the situation outside the cave was clearly reflected in his consciousness.

Chu Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

The cave was located on the slope of a mountain peak.

Surrounded by mountains, the spiritual energy outside didn't seem particularly dense.

It didn't resemble a cultivation sacred ground.

With his spiritual sense extending over a thousand meters, Chu Ning didn't detect the presence of any other cultivators.

Chu Ning immediately patted his storage bag and released Tie Yan Beast.

He then directed the beast to dig a tunnel outwards, and soon, a passage leading to the outside was created.

As Chu Ning exited the cave, all he could see were mountains.

It seemed like he was in the middle of a vast mountain range.

At this moment, Chu Ning asked Ling Xiao Bai, "Xiao Bai, do you sense any restrictions or formations in the surrounding area?"

Ling Xiao Bai shook her little head.

Chu Ning couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"This place truly is as ordinary as it gets. I wonder which ancient cultivator decided to set up a teleportation formation here."

With that thought, Chu Ning took to the skies, swiftly flying towards the mountaintop to survey his surroundings.

Behind him lay an endless stretch of mountains, their spiritual energy noticeably denser.

In front of him stood more peaks, each shorter than the last, and at the very edge of his vision, he could make out what appeared to be a cluster of buildings.

"I wonder if that place is inhabited by cultivators or ordinary mortals."

Chu Ning lightly raised an eyebrow, then turned his gaze to the left.

About twenty miles away stood a barren stone mountain, devoid of much vegetation.

Although his spiritual sense hadn't reached that far yet, his sharp eyes could make out several figures on the peak.

"The most urgent task at hand is to figure out where exactly I've ended up."

With that in mind, Chu Ning quickly flew towards the mountain.

His speed was incredible, and he soon closed the distance to within ten miles.

At this range, he could finally perceive the situation on the mountain with his spiritual sense.

"Four Qi Refining cultivators, one male and three females. The strongest among them seems to be at the seventh layer of Qi Refining. Their cultivations are rather low."

As he pondered, Chu Ning made no attempt to conceal his aura and flew straight towards them.

The group soon noticed his approach, and their expressions changed slightly when they sensed his aura.

Especially when they saw that he had arrived right in front of them, the cultivators quickly bowed and greeted him respectfully.

The leader, a middle-aged man, spoke courteously, "Greetings, Senior. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"Where are we, and where are you all headed?" Chu Ning asked calmly.

The group exchanged glances, seemingly surprised by Chu Ning's question.

However, the middle-aged man answered honestly, "We are at Jiuhua Mountain, a branch of the Yunxiao Mountain Range. We are on our way to gather spirit herbs for Master Xiaodan."

Yunxiao Mountain Range?

Chu Ning was taken aback upon hearing this.

"I've left the East Sacred Continent and arrived at the Western Alliance Continent."

If this had happened half a year ago, Chu Ning wouldn't have had a clue about this place.

But ever since obtaining the two jade slips from the Great Elder of Leihuo Sect's cave abode, he had spent his free time browsing through various information during his cultivation breaks.

As a result, he now knew much more about the Tianyan World.

The landmass of the Tianyan World was surrounded and divided by the Boundless Sea.

East of the East Sacred Continent lay a region of the Boundless Sea, and further west was the Western Alliance Continent.

According to the information on the jade slips, during the era of Leihuo Sect, the Western Alliance Continent was different from the East Sacred Continent, which had numerous scattered sects.

The Western Alliance Continent was dominated by several sect alliances, and these sects divided the continent into various spheres of influence.

Among them, the Yunxiao Mountain Range was a significant cultivation site in the Western Alliance Continent, falling under the jurisdiction of the Shuangyun Alliance during the Leihuo Sect period.

This alliance not only controlled the Yunxiao Mountain Range, which stretched for tens of thousands of miles, but also held influence over the slightly smaller Yunmeng Mountain Range.

However, based on the information he had gathered from Leihuo Sect and Qingxi Sect, Chu Ning knew that the peak of Leihuo Sect was at least tens of thousands of years in the past.

He had no idea if the Western Alliance Continent had maintained the same structure after all this time.

And he wondered if the Yunxiao Mountain Range still belonged to the Shuangyun Alliance.

With these thoughts in mind, Chu Ning asked, "Which sect's territory are we in right now?"

A hint of surprise and confusion flashed in the middle-aged cultivator's eyes, but he quickly replied, "This place belongs to the Yunxiao Alliance's Jiuhua Sect."

Yunxiao Alliance, no longer Shuangyun Alliance.

When Chu Ning inquired further about Jiuhua Sect to gauge their strength, the middle-aged cultivator seemed unsure how to respond.

So Chu Ning asked, "You mentioned Master Xiaodan earlier. What level of alchemist is he, and are you his disciples?"

The middle-aged man hurriedly answered.

From his words, Chu Ning gathered that Master Xiaodan was a wandering cultivator who had gained quite a reputation in the area around Jiuhua Mountain due to his impressive alchemy skills.

It was said that Jiuhua Sect had once tried to recruit him, but he had refused.

And according to the middle-aged cultivator, this Master Xiaodan was actually a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He had only recently broken through to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, and in terms of pill concoction, if he put aside the Refining Spirit process, he could easily refine mid-tier pills. With the help of Refining Spirit, he could even refine high-quality mid-tier pills.

He was even on the cusp of grasping the threshold of refining advanced pills.

When Chu Ning inquired about Xiao Dan Shi's temperament, the middle-aged cultivator stammered and evaded the question.

Chu Ning asked repeatedly, but the man refused to answer.

He immediately suspected that Xiao Dan Shi's temperament might not be the best.

"Is there a market or town nearby? I want to buy some things," Chu Ning asked again.

The middle-aged cultivator shook his head and replied, "No! If we want to trade or buy things, we usually go to Jiuhua City, where the Jiuhua Sect is located. Occasionally, we'll have small transactions with familiar cultivators."

After a brief pause, he added, "Oh, if you want to buy pills, you can look for Xiao Dan Shi directly. He sells pills once every half a month, and you can pay with spirit stones or trade for them. Many fellow cultivators also use this opportunity to exchange items."

Chu Ning nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that this so-called Xiao Dan Shi was indeed well-known in the area.

After inquiring about Xiao Dan Shi's residence, Chu Ning waved his hand, signaling for the group to leave.

The middle-aged cultivator was delighted that Chu Ning didn't cause them any further trouble and let them go so readily.

After they left, Chu Ning thought for a moment and flew toward the northwest.

Given Xiao Dan Shi's reputation and his own cultivation at the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, he should be better informed about the area.

Even if he couldn't meet Xiao Dan Shi in person, going there might allow him to encounter other Golden Core cultivators looking to purchase pills.

As a newcomer, Chu Ning also wanted to find a suitable place to cultivate, and he figured he could look for one in that area.

Cultivators of each level had their own circles, and Chu Ning had just asked the middle-aged cultivator about potential locations.

However, the places mentioned only had first-grade spirit veins, which weren't necessarily what Chu Ning was looking for. At the very least, he wanted a place comparable to the Thousand Lakes and Islands region.

Of course, his goal was to find an even more ideal location.

After all, his next goal was to reach the late Golden Core stage and even strive for the Core Formation realm.

Another reason Chu Ning wanted to visit Xiao Dan Shi's residence was to gauge the pill concocting standards in this area.

According to the middle-aged cultivator, Xiao Dan Shi's pill concocting skills were top-notch in the entire Jiuhua Mountain region, and only one or two Golden Core elders in the Jiuhua Sect could surpass him.

Chu Ning was curious to witness this for himself.

Flying in the northwestern direction for over fifty miles, Chu Ning encountered another cultivator, from whom he inquired about Xiao Dan Shi's exact residence.

After flying another four or five miles, Chu Ning arrived at a cliff.

Looking up, he could vaguely see that there was only a relatively simple formation covering the cliff.

Such a formation would likely only be able to deter Qi Refining cultivators.

As Chu Ning hesitated, wondering whether to visit Xiao Dan Shi directly or wait nearby to see if other cultivators would show up, a voice suddenly rang out from the cliff.

"Since you're already here, why don't you come up? My formation might be of some use, but it probably can't stop a Golden Core cultivator like you."

Chu Ning cupped his hands and said, "Oh, it's Fellow Xiao, right? I apologize for the intrusion."

As he spoke, Chu Ning released his spiritual sense, probing the cliff.

Although Xiao Dan Shi was also at the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, Chu Ning's spiritual sense was far superior to that of an ordinary cultivator at the same stage.

He was confident that as long as he intentionally concealed it, Xiao Dan Shi might not be able to detect his spiritual sense.

Ever since cultivating the third layer of the Spirit Refining Art, Chu Ning had also learned a variety of techniques for utilizing his spiritual sense.

One of them was probing formations and restrictions with his spiritual sense.

Of course, he couldn't probe formations that were too powerful.

For example, he wouldn't be able to probe the ancient sect ruins he had visited before or the formation protecting his own cave abode on Yan Peak.

As for this formation, Chu Ning could tell that it wasn't very strong, so it was unable to withstand his spiritual sense.

After all, not everyone's cave abode could be as well-protected as those of ancient powerhouses, and not everyone could devise formations like Cen Zijin's.

Sure enough, Chu Ning's spiritual sense soon penetrated the formation and, with a little effort, he was able to discern the situation within.

From the information left by Cen Zijin, Chu Ning had learned a lot about breaking formations.

Moreover, when he probed with his spiritual sense earlier, he had also gained a general understanding of this formation.

After entering the formation, Chu Ning calmly executed a few maneuvers. In just a short while, he directly passed through the outer defensive restrictions of the formation.

He arrived at a small platform on the cliff.

This platform was suspended on the precipice, with several pavilions built on it, resembling a hanging temple that Chu Ning had seen in his previous life.

Behind one of the pavilions was a long passage that extended deep into the mountain.

Using his spiritual sense, Chu Ning had already sensed that it led to a place with earth fire, most likely the other party's pill refining chamber.

After a brief inspection, Chu Ning's gaze fell on one of the pavilions.

At that moment, a person stood at the pavilion's railing, looking at him.

This person had a similar build to Chu Ning, wore white clothes, and strangely, had a mask covering their face, making it impossible to see their features.

When Chu Ning probed with his spiritual sense, he couldn't even discern the other party's appearance.

This surprised Chu Ning a little.

After all, his spiritual sense was powerful, far beyond that of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator.

Moreover, he had gained a lot of experience in using his spiritual sense to probe restrictions.

Yet, this mask could still block his scrutiny, indicating that it was indeed a remarkable magical artifact.

As Chu Ning observed the person, he also guessed that this masked individual should be the aforementioned Xiao Dan Shi.

The masked person opened his mouth and said, "Fire-attribute cultivation technique, I sense the aura of a pill master from you.

You must be the one that person arranged to come, but who would have thought that after two hundred years, the master has already passed away, and you are still not giving up."

Hearing the person's words, Chu Ning was slightly stunned.

Then he guessed that the other party must have mistaken him for someone else, so he immediately said, "Fellow Xiao, you've misunderstood."

"Misunderstood? Do you think your polite words will fool me and make me unaware of your greedy intentions?"

Xiao Dan Shi coldly snorted, and in the next moment, he suddenly flew down from the pavilion.

At the same time, his cold voice echoed.

"If you want the ancient pill refining technique, then trade your life for it!"

As he spoke, Xiao Dan Shi waved a fan in his hand, and streams of fiery clouds rushed towards Chu Ning.

Chu Ning frowned slightly and wanted to explain again.

But seeing that the other party was attacking without asking any questions, his anger rose.

He let out a soft hum, and Chu Ning immediately took out the Fire Phoenix Feather Spear.

He didn't even use the Double Fire Rings, and as the spear moved, the condensed Demon Tiger roared out, its attack mixed with blazing flames.

In the next moment, the Demon Tiger devoured the fiery clouds in mid-air.

Then, the Demon Tiger continued forward, rushing towards Xiao Dan Shi.

Xiao Dan Shi, dressed in white, saw the fierce attack of the Demon Tiger, and his eyes narrowed slightly behind the mask.

In the next moment, he waved the fan in his hand again.

More fiery clouds emerged from the fan, forming a wall of fire in front of him.

It temporarily blocked the Demon Tiger.

Seeing the stalemate between the two, Chu Ning spoke again, "Fellow Xiao, you truly have misunderstood. I don't know who you think I am.

But I'm not the person you think I am. I just happened to pass by, and hearing of your remarkable pill refining skills, I wanted to..."

Chu Ning had only spoken up to this point when he suddenly stopped.

At that moment, from behind the wall of fire, several red flying nails shot out from Xiao Dan Shi's fan.

The flying nails pierced through the fire wall and then avoided the Demon Tiger, shooting towards Chu Ning's vital points.

The flying nails were clearly aimed at taking Chu Ning's life.

At the same time, Xiao Dan Shi waved his hand.

He threw a round ball that hit the ground between the two of them, creating a burst of black and red mist.

Then, with a wave of his fan, the black and red mist enveloped Chu Ning.

Seeing Xiao Dan Shi's relentless attacks, Chu Ning's anger ignited.

Guessing that the black and red mist might be poisonous, Chu Ning held his breath and simultaneously activated a defensive shield around his body.

In the next moment, his figure flashed, dodging the flying nails that were about to hit him.

At the same time, he took out the Double Fire Rings from his storage bag.

Chu Ning decided not to hold back anymore and teach the other party a lesson.

Since the other party was so unreasonable, he might as well give them a good beating before trying to explain again.

But just then, Chu Ning's expression changed drastically.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a hindrance in the circulation of his spiritual energy within his body.

Seeing Chu Ning's reaction, a playful look appeared in Xiao Dan Shi's eyes, and he let out a loud, mocking laugh.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end