Chapter 265: Devouring the Golden Elixir, White Mist on the Mountain Peak

Chapter 265: Devouring the Golden Elixir, White Mist on the Mountain Peak

The elder of the He family, with his furrowed brows, had his face turn ashen. He was about to command his flying wheel to engage in battle.

But at this moment, the tiny green sword in the air split into two.

A green light shot out from it, its speed increasing by more than twice its original velocity.

The green light left an afterimage in the air and, in the blink of an eye, appeared before the elder with the furrowed brows.

Under normal circumstances, the elder might have been able to defend himself by using his flying wheel, a magical treasure and his lifeline.

But at this moment, he was severely injured and his guard was down.

Moreover, the tiny green sword was incredibly fast.

By the time he reacted, the Ghost Shadow Sword had already reached above his head and pierced through it.

"Damn!"

At this moment, the He family elder didn't die immediately. Instead, he let out a loud shout.

He was about to use the power of his Golden Core.

But at this moment, a black light flew towards him.

The black light struck his head, instantly restraining his divine sense and slowing down the Nascent Soul he was about to mobilize.

And at this moment, the other Ghost Shadow Sword that had split in two also arrived.

It pierced through his dantian!

After suffering several fatal attacks, the He family elder could no longer hold on. His eyes widened as he fell to the ground.

Chu Ning casually summoned the magical treasures and storage bags of the two men into his hands.

At the same time, he muttered to himself:

"The power of the Ghost Shadow Sword is still not as good as my own magical treasure. This strike hit the sea of consciousness, but it didn't kill him instantly.

These guys are really something. They're always ready to self-destruct their Golden Pills."

Chu Ning casually condensed two fireballs and hit the Tianji Alliance Qiu clan cultivator and the He family elder, turning their bodies into ashes.

Then, Chu Ning turned into a ray of light and disappeared into the air.

...

At this moment, about two hundred miles away.

Two cultivators were flying one after the other.

They had obviously just been through a fierce battle.

The cultivator in front was wearing a yellow sect robe and had the cultivation of a mid-stage Golden Core. At this moment, his spiritual power was fluctuating, indicating that he had suffered a serious injury.

The cultivator behind him was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a black robe, and had a look of arrogance and cruelty on his face.

The distance between the two was getting closer, and the cultivator in the yellow robe shouted,

"Don't go too far! Do you really want to fight to the death? If you push me to the limit, do you think you'll get away unscathed?"

As the yellow-robed cultivator shouted, the black-robed youth behind him remained silent, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

He increased his speed and took out a magic flag.

The yellow-robed cultivator had been paying attention to the movements behind him, and seeing this, he gritted his teeth. Without waiting for the other party to activate the magical flag, he spat out his Golden Core and smashed it towards his opponent.

"Hehe! So you finally used your Golden Core!"

At this moment, a piercing sound came from the black-robed man.

In the next moment, a black shadow suddenly appeared.

At first glance, this black shadow looked human, but upon closer inspection, its features and body proportions were vastly different from a normal person's.

It caused a sense of extreme discomfort to anyone who looked at it.

Especially the black shadow's stomach, from which grew something similar to an arm.

It looked extremely bizarre.

"What is that?"

The yellow-robed cultivator was taken aback as he looked at the black shadow blocking the black-robed youth's path, and his eyes widened the next moment.

He saw that as his Golden Core flew towards the black-robed youth, the long arm growing from the black shadow's stomach suddenly raised and reached for the Golden Core.

Before the yellow-robed cultivator could react, the Golden Core had already fallen into the black shadow's grasp.

The yellow-robed cultivator's face changed slightly, and just as he was about to activate his Golden Core, he was horrified to discover that he had lost connection with it.

"What's going on?"

The yellow-robed cultivator's face turned ashen.

And the next moment, what made his eyes widen in shock was seeing the black shadow's arm, which had caught the Golden Elixir Pill, retract.

At the same time, its big mouth opened, and it directly devoured the Golden Core.

"Crunch! Crunch!"

As the sound of the Golden Elixir being consumed echoed out, the yellow-robed cultivator's face turned deathly pale, and he felt a chill run through his body.

"What kind of monster are you!"

The yellow-robed cultivator shouted powerlessly, and the response he got was a black light that penetrated his body.

"Hehe! Good, this Golden Elixir is indeed delicious. This is the fifth one!

Let's go, continue, hehe!!!"

............

"What kind of mountain is this? It's completely shrouded in mist, and I can't see clearly."

Standing in front of a three-hundred-foot-tall mountain peak, Chu Ning's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Ever since he left the place where he encountered the He family elder from the Great Luo Sect and the middle-aged man from the Tianji Alliance, who were fighting the sixth-stage Demon Ant, Chu Ning had been flying in the direction of dense spiritual energy. Along the way, he tried to avoid other cultivators as much as possible.

Except for occasionally stopping to harvest spiritual herbs when he was certain there was no danger, Chu Ning focused on traveling.

After flying like this for most of the day, he finally arrived at this mountain.

However, looking at the mountain peak veiled in white mist, he didn't dare to proceed lightly.

"Since entering this spiritual realm, I haven't come across anything special.

Now, this mountain range stretches for an unknown distance, and I can't see the end. Moreover, the peak is shrouded in white mist, and it feels a bit off."

Thinking this, Chu Ning asked Ling Xiaobai to come out and sense the area, but the little guy didn't sense anything amiss either.

After thinking for a while, Chu Ning began to fly along the mountain range in one direction.

He tried to bypass the mountain peak, but after flying for more than ten miles, Chu Ning had to stop again.

"This peak seems to be circular, as if dividing this piece of heaven and earth into two separate areas.

With this thought in mind, Chu Ning decided to wait and observe.

If his speculation was correct, any cultivator approaching from any direction would encounter the same issue.

He wanted to see if there would be other cultivators arriving.

After concealing himself, Chu Ning waited for about the time it takes to brew a pot of tea. Soon enough, a figure flew into view.

The newcomer was a tall man in his thirties with an unusual short haircut.

His aura hinted at the peak of the mid-Golden Core stage, but he had not yet reached the late Golden Core level.

This man probably had the same idea as Chu Ning and had flown in from the other side of the mountain range.

Now, he too had come to a halt at the foot of the mountain.

"It looks like he's from the Tianji Alliance," Chu Ning mused to himself as he observed the hesitant cultivator.

Then, he saw the man cast a spell towards the peak, hidden under the white mist. Chu Ning shook his head inwardly.

He had tried something similar himself.

But as soon as the spell entered the white mist, it was like it had sunk into the deep sea, with no response at all.

Now, the Tianji Alliance cultivator was experiencing the same thing, with his spell having no effect.

Next, the short-haired man took out a spirit bird from his spirit beast bag.

This spirit bird was no ordinary creature; it seemed to be a third-rank demon beast comparable to a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The man urged the bird forward, and it flew directly into the white mist shrouding the peak.

Soon enough, the bird reappeared, returning to its master.

The cultivator then seemed to communicate with the bird.

A smile appeared on the short-haired man's face, and he took to the skies.

It seemed he intended to follow the bird through the mist and over the mountain, which surprised Chu Ning.

"Could there be nothing wrong with the white mist?" Chu Ning wondered.

As he pondered, his gaze shifted to the other side.

Although he wasn't actively using his spiritual sense, he could perceive a figure rapidly approaching.

The short-haired man seemed to notice this as well and paused, waiting for the other person to arrive.

"Fellow Daoist Yu!" the newcomer called out from a distance.

The short-haired man smiled at the new arrival.

"Fellow Daoist Liao, I didn't expect you to arrive so early as well," he greeted.

The newcomer was now clearly visible—a forty-year-old woman with a fair bit of allure.

Fellow Daoist Liao eyed the short-haired man curiously and asked, "Why, Fellow Daoist Yu, are you planning to fly directly over this mountain range? Isn't that a bit too risky?"

Fellow Daoist Yu, the short-haired man, smiled and replied, "Fellow Daoist Liao, it seems you're also puzzled by the layer of white mist above. Initially, I also wanted to see if I could bypass this mountain.

But after circling for a while, I realized that no matter which direction I took, this mountain would always be an obstacle.

So, just now, I specifically sent out a spirit bird. This bird flew three hundred zhang into the mist.

According to the bird, the peak has denser spiritual energy than here, and there doesn't seem to be anything unusual."

"Fellow Daoist Yu used a spirit bird to scout the way?" Fellow Daoist Liao asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.

"Fellow Daoist Yu's sect, the Beast Taming Sect, is renowned for their skill in controlling spirit beasts. If a spirit bird has checked the path, it should be accurate.

I must admit, I lingered outside this mountain range for quite some time, trying a few times to cross but never daring to do so," Fellow Daoist Liao admitted.

Upon hearing this, Fellow Daoist Yu laughed heartily and said, "That's only natural."

As he spoke, a gleam flashed in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Liao, I suspect many others share our thoughts.

Therefore, it's likely that not many have crossed this mountain range yet.

If we hurry now, we might still be among the first..."

Fellow Daoist Liao's eyes sparkled at the prospect, and without further ado, the two of them flew towards the mountain peak.

Chu Ning, observing all this, didn't hesitate to release his spiritual sense to probe their situation.

"Having two people show the way is good. If there really is no danger, we should get going sooner rather than later," he muttered to himself.

At that moment, the Tianji Alliance cultivators, a man and a woman, had reached the outer edge of the white mist shrouding the peak.

It was clear that Fellow Daoist Liao, despite following Fellow Daoist Yu's suggestion, was still hesitant. So, she hung back a little, maintaining a distance of about one body length.

Fellow Daoist Yu noticed this and turned to smile at Fellow Daoist Liao before taking the lead and flying into the white mist.

Fellow Daoist Liao hesitated for a moment, then followed suit.

But just then—

"Ah!"

A heart-wrenching scream pierced through the white mist, which not even spiritual sense could penetrate.

Chu Ning, listening intently from the foot of the mountain, recognized the voice as belonging to Fellow Daoist Yu.

"Fellow Daoist Yu..."

Fellow Daoist Liao's voice trailed off in shock.

The next moment, a disheveled figure burst out of the white mist—Fellow Daoist Liao.

What startled Chu Ning was the sight of Fellow Daoist Liao's right hand, dripping with blood.

Her forearm below the elbow was completely gone, severed cleanly by something incredibly sharp.

In just a single breath, two mid-stage Golden Core cultivators had met their fate, one dead and one injured.

Chu Ning vaguely guessed a possible reason for this.

The next moment, the woman named Liao had already landed at the foot of the mountain, her face filled with terror as she stared at the mountain peak.

"A spatial rift! There's a spatial rift within that white mist!

Yu Tao, you've deceived me!"

Hearing this, Chu Ning sighed softly.

"As expected, there really is a spatial rift. Only something like that could so easily take the life of a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator and injure another. I suspected as much."

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Chu Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear. It was fortunate that he hadn't rashly ventured into the mist.

Otherwise, he might not have even known how he died.

Soon after, Chu Ning's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Based on what had just transpired, it seemed likely that there were spatial rifts within the white mist, but they were probably randomly distributed.

That was why the Beast Taming Sect's Yu, with his short hair, hadn't encountered any issues when he sent his spirit bird ahead.

However, as soon as the two of them entered, they immediately fell victim to it.

The question now was whether these spatial rifts would move or remain stationary.

Regardless, Chu Ning had no intention of testing his luck again.

"For now, it seems the best course of action is to wait for more people to arrive and see if they can come up with another solution."

As Chu Ning pondered this, he continued to conceal himself.

After some thought, he decided to change his appearance back to his original face and took off the outer garment he had been wearing since entering this spiritual realm.

Now that most of the cultivators would be gathering in this area, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to maintain a disguise that no one recognized.

He planned to wait for more cultivators to arrive and then try to join up with members of the Cloudsoaring Alliance or even the Nineflower Sect.

It would be better to brainstorm ideas together.

If he continued with a disguise that no one knew, he might end up being rejected by all three factions, which would be counterproductive.

As Chu Ning expected, time passed, and soon, two more people approached from different directions.

Interestingly, both of them were from the Tianji Alliance.

Upon seeing the injured Liao, they immediately used spiritual sense transmission to inquire about the situation, their faces reflecting their shock.

At that moment, another cultivator flew in from another direction.

He was from the Demon Path Alliance and seemed to be a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Although he couldn't get any information from the Tianji Alliance cultivators, the injured woman and their hesitant behavior told him that something was amiss on the mountain.

He coldly huffed and stood apart from them.

This late-stage Golden Core cultivator from the Demon Path Alliance stood alone, but his presence was formidable.

On the Tianji Alliance's side, one of their mid-stage Golden Core cultivators was injured, and the other was only at the early-stage Golden Core level. Naturally, they wouldn't dare to provoke the late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

So, the two groups waited at the foot of the mountain.

As a result, more cultivators who had been circling the mountain range began to gather.

In less than half an hour, ten cultivators had assembled.

Six were from the Tianji Alliance, and four were from the Demon Path Alliance.

Chu Ning, hidden from view, couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he observed this.

He wondered why no one from the Cloudsoaring Alliance had shown up yet.

Just as he was thinking this, three more groups approached from different directions.

Two of them were solo cultivators, while the third group consisted of three people.

When Chu Ning saw this trio, a smile of relief appeared on his face.

The three cultivators were all from the Cloudsoaring Alliance, and to Chu Ning's delight, he recognized two of them.

One was the Second Elder of the Nineflower Sect, Yuan Zhuo, the only late-stage Golden Core cultivator from their sect to enter this realm.

The other two were the Jia Clan's Jia Yumin, whom Chu Ning had noticed outside the spiritual realm, and the young, beautiful woman in a light purple dress.

Previously, Yuan Zhuo had told him that the woman's name was Shi Xue'er, and she was a early-stage Golden Core cultivator.

She was also the closed-door disciple of the Cloudsoaring Alliance leader, Qin Changkong, who was also the Grand Elder of the Returning Origin Sect.

Taking advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was on Yuan Zhuo's group, Chu Ning quietly deactivated the Wind Concealment Array on his robe and the Spirit Restraining Technique, and then he approached them from another direction.

Chu Ning's appearance naturally drew the attention of the other cultivators.

However, since several groups had arrived simultaneously, no one questioned why they hadn't noticed him earlier.

Yuan Zhuo was relieved to see Chu Ning unharmed.

Before entering this place, Tang Xuan had specifically instructed him to ensure Chu Ning's safety.

Now that he saw Chu Ning safe and sound, a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

"Elder Yuan, Jia Daoist, and Shi Daoist!"

Chu Ning greeted the three with a bow. Yuan Zhuo and Jia Yumin were familiar acquaintances, so he simply exchanged greetings with them.

Shi Xue'er, the young woman in the light purple dress, looked at Chu Ning, smiled gently, and then said with poise, "Chu Daoist, your reputation precedes you. I've heard about your impressive deeds from Jia Daoist."

"You flatter me, Daoist Shi," Chu Ning replied with a slight smile, not elaborating further.

Shi Xue'er seemed surprised by Chu Ning's subdued reaction.

At that moment, Yuan Zhuo casually set up a barrier to block out eavesdroppers.

Jia Yumin spoke up first, "The white mist on this mountain range is peculiar. The cultivators from the other two alliances are gathered here, but they haven't made a move.

I suspect they've discovered something."

Chu Ning nodded, "Indeed. The Tianji Alliance has found out that there are spatial rifts within the white mist!"

"Spatial rifts?"

Shi Xue'er, Yuan Zhuo, and Jia Yumin's faces all reflected their surprise at Chu Ning's revelation.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end