Chapter 233: Refining Spirit Essences, a Golden Core Cultivator

Chapter 233: Refining Spirit Essences, a Golden Core Cultivator

Shang Xiaohan forcefully shattered the magical mirror and raised her eyes once more, gazing at the two people rushing towards her.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Even if I perish here today, I'll take someone from the Great Ro Sect down with me!"

With that thought, Shang Xiaohan brandished the icy longsword in her hand, ready to fight to the death.

"Junior Sister, there's no need for that!"

Just then, a gentle voice reached her ears.

Shang Xiaohan's body froze.

The next moment, she saw several streaks of green light rushing towards her from the side, targeting the two Great Ro Sect cultivators who were hot on her trail.

"It's someone from the Nine Floret Sect!"

At that moment, the two Great Ro Sect cultivators also realized what was happening.

At the same time, they noticed the multiple streaks of green light attacking them.

On the left, a flying dagger wrapped in green light approached menacingly, its power terrifying.

On the right, three arrows entwined with green silk were speeding towards them.

Upon seeing this, the two cultivators simultaneously waved their yellow flags, preparing to join forces to activate a treasure comparable to a magical artifact.

However, at that moment, a dark divine light overtook the green streaks and leaped forward.

It directly struck the Great Ro Sect cultivator on the right, who was about to wave his yellow flag.

"A spirit sense treasure!"

As this cultivator finally reacted, his face paled in horror.

But it was too late!

The Wheel of Reincarnation's divine light was not something a late Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily withstand.

Moreover, with Chu Ning's current spirit sense strength, the Wheel of Reincarnation's divine light, which he had pre-condensed and stored, was more than twice as powerful as before.

The Great Ro Sect cultivator's body trembled slightly as the Wheel of Reincarnation struck him.

The motion of waving the flag also stalled for a moment!

In that brief moment, the yellow light of the two flags failed to merge.

And with just one flag, the yellow light could only block the three arrows.

The Leaf Blade flew towards the cultivator who had been hit by the Wheel of Reincarnation.

It flashed and disappeared in an instant!

The next moment, it pierced through his skull!

A fatal strike!

Seeing this, the other Great Ro Sect cultivator, who had barely blocked the three arrows with his yellow light, had a flash of horror in his eyes.

He didn't dare to make a move and immediately turned to flee.

But no matter how fast he was, how could he outrun Chu Ning?

Chu Ning, who had just arrived using the Divine Wind Escape, flashed in the air and appeared in front of the fleeing cultivator.

He raised his hands to the left and right.

From his right hand, hundreds of thin green streaks shot out, sweeping towards the Great Ro Sect cultivator in a torrential assault.

Simultaneously, he grabbed with his left hand, and the Leaf Blade returned to his palm.

Infusing it with spiritual power, he shot the Leaf Blade towards his opponent once more.

The Great Ro Sect cultivator was terrified to his core, frantically waving his flag to create a yellow earthen wall in front of him.

However, the wall instantly disintegrated under the penetration of the hundreds of green silk-like streaks.

At that moment, the Leaf Blade also arrived!

Even though the Great Ro Sect cultivator had activated his defensive shield, it was to no avail.

Ordinary defenses couldn't withstand the attack of a treasure, especially when it was wielded by Chu Ning, whose spiritual power was comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator.

"No!"

The Great Ro Sect cultivator let out an incredulous roar as he met the same fate as his companion.

The Leaf Blade pierced through his body, and he became like a withered leaf, instantly losing all vitality.

From Chu Ning's appearance to the demise of the two Great Ro Sect cultivators, it had only taken the blink of an eye.

Shang Xiaohan hadn't even had time to react.

It was only when Chu Ning stood in mid-air, reaching out to retrieve the Leaf Blade, that she finally processed what had happened.

"Senior Brother Li!"

At that moment, Shang Xiaohan finally recognized the person's face, and a surprised cry escaped her lips.

Li Qun was the name Chu Ning had used when he joined this expedition.

Although the other Foundation Establishment cultivators were unfamiliar with this name, they had met him before and remembered it.

Chu Ning looked at his fellow sect member, Shang Xiaohan, who was not far away. Her features were exquisite, but her face was slightly pale.

He nodded gently and asked, "Junior Sister Shang, are you alright?"

"Thank you, Senior Brother. I'm fine," Shang Xiaohan replied with a respectful bow.

Chu Ning nodded and descended to where the two Great Ro Sect cultivators lay. He thoroughly searched their bodies and also took a closer look at their faces, but still found nothing amiss.

"The Great Ro Sect is definitely trying to hide the identities of their infiltrators. But up until now, aside from traveling in pairs, I haven't noticed anything unusual about them," he said.

At that moment, Shang Xiaohan landed beside Chu Ning and noticed the furrowed brow on his face. She asked curiously, "Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

Chu Ning shook his head and, while incinerating the two corpses with a fireball, said solemnly, "I just encountered another pair of Great Ro Sect cultivators, and they could also activate a treasure to attack together. I suspect they used some method to teleport together. If that's the case, the rest of our sect members could be in trouble."

"You encountered another pair of Great Ro Sect cultivators?" Shang Xiaohan's eyes widened in shock as she heard these words.

"Senior Brother Li, what about those two Great Ro Sect cultivators?"

"I killed them," Chu Ning replied nonchalantly.

Hearing this, a mix of surprise and joy flashed in Shang Xiaohan's eyes.

Simultaneously, her heart was in turmoil.

"This Li Qun has killed four late Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Great Ro Sect in such a short time. Where did he come from, and how does he possess such formidable strength? I've seen Chu Ning handle cultivators of the same level with ease, but Senior Brother Li not only looks different, but he also uses different treasures and spells. He's definitely not the same person. I had no idea our sect had so many talented senior brothers hiding in the shadows."

It was no wonder that Shang Xiaohan was so astonished. She was the only disciple of Fu Lihong, the sole female Golden Core cultivator in the Nine Floret Sect. She was familiar with most of the late Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect.

Now, this "Senior Brother Li" was not only a stranger but also exceptionally powerful. Naturally, she assumed he was a hidden expert within the sect.

At this moment, Chu Ning was unaware of the torrent of thoughts running through Shang Xiaohan's mind. He turned to glance at her slightly pale face and casually summoned a flying boat before stepping onto it.

"Junior Sister Shang, we must hurry to find our fellow sect members. Your injuries are not light, so please board the boat and rest."

"Thank you, Senior Brother," Shang Xiaohan replied, naturally accepting the offer and stepping onto the boat. She then took out a pill and consumed it.

Recognizing the pill as one he had refined in the sect, Chu Ning saw no need to offer her additional medicine.

After retrieving his magic mirror, Chu Ning began piloting the flying boat toward the direction indicated by one of the red dots on the mirror, moving closer to his current location.

However, his expression suddenly changed. One of the red dots on the mirror, far away from his position, had disappeared!

Chu Ning was too far away to reach that location, so he could only head toward the nearest red dot. However, as he was piloting the boat with Shang Xiaohan on board, his speed was naturally slower than when he had used the Divine Wind Escape technique.

After traveling about thirty more miles, the two finally met up with another late Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Chu Ning recognized him as He Yanmao, one of the executives in charge of the Pill Refining Pavilion. However, due to his altered appearance, He Yanmao couldn't recognize him.

After a brief reunion, Chu Ning recounted the recent events to He Yanmao, who realized the gravity of the situation.

However, the magic mirror showed no other Nine Floret Sect cultivators in their vicinity. Thus, the three continued flying toward the former site of Wolong Valley at the center of the ruins.

Along the way, they relied on Chu Ning's powerful spirit sense to avoid the lair of a fifth-rank demonic beast. As for the occasional fourth-rank beasts they encountered, Chu Ning effortlessly dispatched them.

Witnessing Chu Ning's casual demeanor in dealing with these beasts, both He Yanmao and Shang Xiaohan were astonished.

Like Shang Xiaohan, He Yanmao was also curious about this Li Qun and where he had come from.

Both of them even had the same thought: "I wonder how Senior Brother Li's abilities compare to those of our sect master."

If there was any other incident along the way, it was the occasional disappearance of the red dots on the mirror that indicated the positions of their sect members.

By the time Chu Ning's group reached a mountain near the core area and caught a glimpse of a sect ruins, there were only fourteen red dots left on the mirror, a decrease of six.

Aside from Shang Xiaohan's mirror, which had shattered, five other people were no longer visible on the mirror. Moreover, those red dots never reappeared.

This development left Chu Ning and the others, who had arrived first, with complicated expressions.

If they hadn't seen the remaining red dots moving swiftly in their direction, Chu Ning would have considered going to meet the others with He Yanmao.

For the time being, the three chose to rest and wait at their current location.

He Yanmao was in slightly better shape, as he hadn't expended much spiritual power.

Shang Xiaohan, on the other hand, needed to continue healing her injuries.

Chu Ning, who had rushed over and used his treasures along the way, had also consumed a significant amount of spiritual power.

More importantly, the Reincarnation Divine Light within his Wheel of Reincarnation had been completely depleted. Now, he needed to recover his spiritual sense to condense the Reincarnation Divine Light again.

Fortunately, Chu Ning possessed a plethora of pills, and the recovery speed of his spiritual power and spiritual sense, enhanced by the Blazing Divine Wood Art and the Refining God Technique, was quite fast.

As some of his abilities were not suitable for others to see, Chu Ning informed He Yanmao, who would be in charge of contacting the incoming sect members.

Then, he activated a talisman, enclosing himself within a barrier.

Inside the barrier, Chu Ning completed the process of condensing the Reincarnation Divine Light in the Wheel of Reincarnation, restoring his spiritual power and spiritual sense.

"Although I'm currently masquerading as Li Qun and using wood-based spells, if I encounter any real danger, I'll resort to fire-based spells, which are far more powerful. Since we have some time, I might as well refine this essence!"

With that thought, Chu Ning executed a series of intricate hand seals, directing them at the essence of the Scarlet Flame Beast.

Simultaneously, he waved his hand, using the Blazing Inferno Technique to conjure another Scarlet Flame Beast, and began the process of refining the newly acquired essence.

Under the influence of Chu Ning's hand seals, the essence of the fifth-rank Scarlet Flame Beast began to squirm violently, as if it still retained a vestige of consciousness, striving to break free.

However, it was futile against Chu Ning's spiritual power, which held it firmly in check.

Chu Ning continued to weave his hand seals, one after the other.

Gradually, the essence stopped struggling and began to truly merge with the Scarlet Flame Beast that Chu Ning had conjured.

This essence was far more potent than that of the Crimson-Eyed Demon Tiger he had encountered before.

But Chu Ning's current cultivation level and mastery over the Blazing Inferno Technique were also far superior.

After about an hour, a smile flashed in Chu Ning's eyes as he stood up.

"Success!"

Gazing at the Scarlet Flame Beast before him, Chu Ning muttered to himself.

The essence had been completely refined and integrated into the Blazing Inferno Technique!

Although he hadn't tested it yet, Chu Ning was confident that the Scarlet Flame Beast, now infused with the essence, would be significantly more powerful, elevating it by an entire level!

At that moment, Chu Ning finally removed the isolation barrier around himself.

Scanning the area, he noticed that fifteen people had now gathered on the peak.

As he had expected, the remaining five never reappeared; three of them were mid-Core Formation cultivators, and two were late-Core Formation cultivators.

As Chu Ning surveyed the group, a middle-aged man among them, also a late-Core Formation cultivator, spoke up:

"It's strange that the other five haven't arrived yet. Our escape techniques aren't slow, and the sect provided appropriate artifacts for those with slower escape methods. Logically, even if they encountered late-Core Formation cultivators, they should have had a chance to escape. Especially those two late-Core Formation cultivators, they shouldn't have perished so easily."

Chu Ning recognized the man as Yi Wenliang, one of the more powerful cultivators among the eleven late-Core Formation cultivators who had entered today. His strength was comparable to He Yanmao's.

Apparently, He Yanmao hadn't shared his suspicions with the group yet.

Chu Ning glanced at the sky and said, "It seems those fellow sect members either encountered a fifth-rank demonic beast or came across cultivators from the Great Ro Sect. I'm afraid they've met their demise."

Yi Wenliang furrowed his brows. "Encountered cultivators from the Great Ro Sect? Unless it was Feng Xianwu and Lu Yingang, who the sect master mentioned, no one else should have been able to prevent us from escaping. But what a coincidence that five of our sect members would run into them. On my way here, I didn't come across a single cultivator from the Great Ro Sect."

Chu Ning shook his head. "It might not have been those two. Any one of us encountering a cultivator from the Great Ro Sect alone would have had little chance of escape."

He then proceeded to recount his own encounter with two cultivators from the Great Ro Sect, how they were capable of slaying a fifth-rank demonic beast, and how he had rescued Shang Xiaohan.

Upon hearing this, Yi Wenliang and the others exclaimed in surprise.

"The Great Ro Sect cultivators are teleporting in pairs?"

"They can join forces to fight and kill a fifth-rank demonic beast?"

Their eyes darted with uncertainty. At that moment, Shang Xiaohan spoke up as well. "Senior Brother Li is telling the truth. If it weren't for him, I would have died at the hands of those two cultivators from the Great Ro Sect."

After their initial astonishment, everyone's gazes turned to Chu Ning once more.

If these powerful cultivators had fallen, what about Chu Ning...?

Meeting their expectant stares, Chu Ning remained calm and said, "There's no point in discussing this further. Now that we've gathered here, the people from the Great Ro Sect have likely assembled as well. Although their combined attacks are formidable, we outnumber them, which gives us the advantage. Next, we need to enter the former site of Wolong Valley within the sect. Fellow sect members, what are your thoughts?"

With Chu Ning's words, all eyes shifted to He Yanmao, the most senior among them.

According to the sect's plan before their entry, He Yanmao was to be in charge of decision-making in such situations.

He Yanmao pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "Since we're already here, we must act quickly. We should enter immediately. As for our search strategy, let's first head to the mountain gate and assess the situation. What do you all think?"

The others agreed that this was a prudent approach, so they descended from the peak and made their way toward the lower reaches of the ruins, which consisted of numerous peaks and structures.

"Hmm, there don't seem to be any restrictions here."

As they approached the area that was clearly the mountain gate of Wolong Valley, one of the cultivators expressed his surprise.

The rest of the group also looked on with astonished expressions.

Yi Wenliang surveyed their surroundings and spoke up, "The restrictions here seem to have been inactive for a long time. That's not surprising, though, considering that Wolong Valley used to be a minor sect, and their sect defenses weren't particularly strong. After the battle between so many high-level cultivators, most of the restrictions would have been destroyed. Plus, a lot of time has passed since then, so it's normal that there are no restrictions left."

He Yanmao and Yi Wenliang briefly discussed their next steps before turning to the group and instructing them, "The cultivators from the Great Ro Sect haven't shown up yet, and we don't know the reason. We must hurry and search as much of the area as we can before they arrive. Since there don't seem to be many restrictions here, let's split up and cover more ground."

He Yanmao paused briefly before continuing, "Previously, we planned to have four people in each group, making five groups in total. But now, with only fifteen of us left, it would be safer to have five people in each group, making three groups. I, Yi Wenliang, and Li Qun will each lead a group. We'll search in the same direction so we can support each other if needed."

Hearing He Yanmao's arrangement, the group had no objections. There were nine late Foundation Establishment cultivators and six mid Foundation Establishment cultivators remaining. This way, each group would have three late Foundation Establishment cultivators and two mid Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Shang Xiaohan, who had been with Chu Ning earlier, was now in his group, along with another mid Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Pill Refining Pavilion. There were also two other late Foundation Establishment cultivators in the group.

The rest of the groups were quickly formed, and the fifteen cultivators spread out in different directions, covering an area of about thirty miles as they searched.

At that moment, on another mountain peak outside the valley, six cultivators from the Great Ro Sect had gathered. Unlike before, when they had their faces covered by black robes, they now revealed their faces, and their black robes billowed in the wind.

Among them was a middle-aged cultivator who seemed to be the leader. He stood at the front, his gaze fixed on the distance, a hint of gloom on his face.

"It seems something really did happen to Zhang Tie and the others," the middle-aged cultivator said, his brow furrowed. "I was initially worried that you, Hu Feng, wouldn't make it, but now it seems it's them who encountered trouble. They were divided into two groups and were carrying secret treasures. Could they have run into a high-ranking demonic beast?"

"Master, do you think they might have come across cultivators from the Nine Floret Sect?" asked a burly man beside him.

"Impossible!" the middle-aged cultivator shook his head. "Even if they encountered ordinary Golden Core cultivators, they should have been able to put up a fight. Moreover, the Nine Floret Sect wouldn't have sent any Golden Core cultivators on this mission, considering..."

His voice trailed off as his eyes flickered, and he looked toward the remains of Wolong Valley below.

"The cultivators from the Nine Floret Sect are already inside," he continued. "We can't afford to wait any longer. If they find any treasures, it will put us at a disadvantage, given our depleted numbers."

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "It looks like we won't be able to set up the Five Elements Array. If the cultivators from the Nine Floret Sect gather together, you five will use the Three Primes Array to engage them. Si Yuan, you'll be in charge of manipulating the treasure, so conserve your spiritual power as much as possible."

The middle-aged cultivator turned to the burly man, who nodded in response. This was probably the Feng Xianwu that Yu Changge had mentioned.

"As long as you can hold them off," the middle-aged cultivator continued, "the rest will be easy pickings for me!"

His words were filled with cold determination and a hint of arrogance.

However, the others showed no signs of disagreement, clearly confident in their leader's strength.

As the conversation concluded, the middle-aged cultivator took the lead, flying down from the peak. The other five cultivators followed closely behind.

Four of them moved in pairs, while Feng Xianwu flew alone.

Soon, they reached the mountain gate of Wolong Valley. After flying a short distance beyond the gate, the six cultivators came to a halt.

The middle-aged cultivator looked ahead, then released his spiritual sense, sweeping it across the area about three thousand feet in front of them. In an instant, he locked onto the group of Nine Floret Sect cultivators who were searching the area.

"Let's go!"

With a wave of his hand, the six cultivators from the Great Ro Sect flew off in the direction of one of the groups.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Chu Ning's expression changed. "How could there be such a powerful spiritual sense in this area? It's almost as strong as mine. This spiritual sense doesn't belong to a demonic beast; it's a cultivator. But an ordinary late Foundation Establishment cultivator shouldn't possess such powerful spiritual sense... unless they're a Golden Core cultivator!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end