Chapter 284: Unknowingly Delivering the Snow Crystal Herb, The Might of the Void Finger

Chapter 284: Unknowingly Delivering the Snow Crystal Herb, The Might of the Void Finger

"They're actually both Golden Core cultivators. Could they have left Snow Mist Valley ahead of time?"

Sensing the aura from the two fleeing figures, Chu Ning's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Not wanting to attract unnecessary trouble, he immediately changed direction and flew towards a small island three hundred zhang away to his side.

He had just used the Divine Concealment Art, and the two pursuers probably hadn't noticed him.

Their speed was incredibly fast, and they seemed to be flying towards the distance.

Chu Ning landed on the island and used his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings. Finding nothing amiss, he didn't venture further into the island but instead concealed himself, relying on the concealing effect of his robe. He reactivated the Divine Concealment Art, hoping that the two pursuers wouldn't discover him.

Because at that moment, Chu Ning realized that the leading pursuer was a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, while the other was already at the late-stage Golden Core realm.

However, compared to a truly late-stage cultivator, he was still a bit lacking.

In terms of aura and state, he was probably slightly stronger than Ao Langtian.

The one who landed first was an elderly man with a slender build, narrow eyes, and a short beard. His face exuded a crafty air.

He landed about fifty zhang away from Chu Ning and quickly took out a pill to consume.

Only then did Chu Ning understand why the pursuer had stopped flying—he seemed to have expended a significant amount of energy.

The elderly man's narrow eyes shifted uneasily as he gazed at the pursuer descending from the sky.

The second pursuer, a middle-aged man with a tall and sturdy build, landed on the island, standing about five zhang away from the elderly man with the narrow eyes and short beard.

The newcomer had a long face, deep-set facial muscles, and a hint of fierceness in his eyes.

As soon as he landed, the elderly man with the short beard sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Gu, I've already told you that I don't have it on me. Why are you still relentlessly pursuing me?"

"Yun Qianshan, there's no need for more useless words," the middle-aged cultivator named Gu coldly interrupted.

"Hand over the Snow Crystal Herb, and I'll let you leave."

"Snow Crystal Herb?"

Chu Ning, hiding in the shadows, was slightly startled upon hearing this.

The thousand-year-old Snow Crystal Herb was the most coveted treasure in this Snow Mist Valley. Could it be that it had fallen into the hands of this unimpressive-looking elderly man with narrow eyes and a short beard? Considering his cultivation base, he was only at the mid-stage Golden Core realm.

At this moment, the man named Yun Qianshan, with his narrow eyes and short beard, bitterly smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Gu, you've made a mistake. I, Yun Qianshan, am merely a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator wandering on my own.

Your sect, the Illusion Spirit Sect, is a major sect that entered the valley. How could I, a lone cultivator, have any chance with the thousand-year Snow Crystal Herb?

Besides, everyone in Snow Mist Valley knows that the thousand-year Snow Crystal Herb was obtained by a cultivator from the Great Thunder Sect. How could it possibly be with me?"

Hearing this, Fellow Daoist Gu from the Illusion Spirit Sect coldly smiled and said, "While it's true that the thousand-year Snow Crystal Herb was obtained by a cultivator from the Great Thunder Sect, there's another herb that's even older, and it fell into your hands.

Do you think I'm unaware of this?"

Yun Qianshan's bitter smile turned even more forced upon hearing this, and he seemed to want to say something more.

But at this moment, Fellow Daoist Gu continued, "Don't bother denying it. Although you're only a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, your Earth Evasion Art is exceptional. While the Snow Crystal Herb has already gained sentience and can use earth evasion, it might not be able to escape you.

Moreover, I know that three years ago, you obtained an Ice Crystal Worm. Although this worm is low-grade, it has a special connection with the Snow Crystal Herb."

As Fellow Daoist Gu spoke, Yun Qianshan's narrow eyes began to shift uneasily.

Fellow Daoist Gu coldly snorted, "So, ever since you entered the valley, my sect has had people keeping an eye on you.

But you're quite cunning. If I hadn't set up an ambush ten li outside the valley and waited there in advance, you might have escaped."

As Fellow Daoist Gu finished speaking, Yun Qianshan's face underwent several changes.

Then, he cursed, "You despicable Fellow Daoist Gu! So, you've been watching me all this time. Since that's the case, there's nothing more to say.

If you want the Snow Crystal Herb, come and take it yourself."

As his words fell, Yun Qianshan's body suddenly sank, and he disappeared into the ground.

Fellow Daoist Gu's face turned cold, and with a flip of his hand, a small black hammer appeared in his palm.

The hammer struck down, and a faint light burst forth from it, transforming into an illusion that landed on the ground about ten zhang away.

In the next moment, a figure flew out from the ground—it was Yun Qianshan, who had just sunk into the earth.

In his hand was a cane adorned with a yellow gemstone.

The two men wielded their magical treasures and clashed.

Chu Ning, hiding not far away, watched this scene unfold with surprise.

"I never expected that within Snow Mist Valley, aside from the thousand-year Snow Crystal Herb that has gained sentience, there would be another herb that's even older.

And it fell into the hands of a lone cultivator.

However, although Yun Qianshan managed to obtain this treasure through deception, he's probably just helping someone else acquire it."

With Chu Ning's current discernment, he could tell that although Yun Qianshan's Earth Evasion Art was quite mysterious and allowed him to repeatedly dodge Fellow Daoist Gu's attacks, there was still a gap between them in terms of cultivation realm. Moreover, Fellow Daoist Gu's spiritual sense far surpassed Yun Qianshan's.

No matter how Yun Qianshan tried to escape and evade, he couldn't shake off his pursuer.

After a brief but intense battle, Yun Qianshan was already at his limit.

"Alright, alright! I concede. Here, take the Snow Crystal Herb!"

As he spoke, Yun Qianshan retreated a dozen zhang away and produced a jade box, which clearly contained something extraordinary.

Gu Feng ceased his attacks upon seeing this and coldly smiled at his opponent.

"If you knew you would give it to me in the end, why put up such a fight earlier?"

Gu Feng stretched out his hand and demanded, "Hand it over."

Yun Qianshan shook his head vigorously like a rattle drum.

"I'll give it to you, but not just like that. What if you go back on your word and attack me after I hand it over? I'll have lost both the treasure and my life."

At this, Gu Feng's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Then what do you suggest? At most, I can swear upon my heart demon that as long as you give me the treasure, I'll let you go."

Yun Qianshan's small eyes darted about craftily, and he stroked the short beard on his chin. He pretended to reluctantly agree and lifted the jade box in his hand, saying, "Alright, Mr. Gu. You swear upon your heart demon that if I give you the contents of this box, you must let me leave. If you do that, I'll give it to you right now."

Hearing this, Gu Feng nodded slightly and raised his hand.

"I, Gu Feng, swear upon my heart demon. If Yun Daoist gives me the treasure inside this box but is still harmed afterward, may I be struck down by heavenly tribulation!"

"Tsk, tsk!" Chu Ning, hidden in the shadows, couldn't help but exclaim in his mind.

"They're both old foxes!"

Yun Qianshan, upon hearing Gu Feng's oath, didn't hesitate. A pleased expression flashed across his face, and he immediately threw the jade box toward Gu Feng.

Then, his figure flashed, and he once again disappeared into the ground.

Gu Feng caught the jade box.

He quickly removed the talisman on it and opened the box, only to have his expression drastically change.

"Yun Qianshan, you tricked me!"

As Gu Feng roared, he flashed and flew toward the center of the island.

As he flew, he waved his black hammer, sending out faint lights that struck the ground.

Soon enough, a figure was forced out of hiding and flew up—it was Yun Qianshan.

However, he had appeared behind Gu Feng.

The two, who had been heading toward the center of the island, suddenly changed course and flew back.

Chu Ning, who had been about to leave, had to hide once more and remain still.

From a distance, he could already hear Yun Qianshan's shouting.

"Mr. Gu, you swore upon your heart demon that if I gave you the treasure in the jade box, you would let me go.

I've given you the Snow Lotus Spirit Herb, a rare treasure. Don't you fear retribution from your heart demon?"

Hearing this, Gu Feng coldly laughed, "Yun Qianshan, do you really think I'd be so foolish as to trust you completely? Didn't you listen carefully to my oath?"

Yun Qianshan's expression froze for a moment as he realized something.

The next moment, he exploded in a fit of curses.

"You... Mr. Gu!"

However, before he could finish, Gu Feng's attack landed on the earthen yellow shield protecting his body.

Having already exhausted a significant amount of energy in their previous exchange, Yun Qianshan's shield was now far less effective.

Under Gu Feng's relentless assault, the shield shattered instantly.

Gu Feng showed no mercy and continued his barrage of attacks.

Yun Qianshan retreated, blocking with his cane, but the yellow glow surrounding it grew weaker and weaker.

Eventually, he could no longer defend against the attacks, and a faint light struck him directly.

As another beam of light shot toward him, Yun Qianshan's expression changed drastically, and he bit the bullet. He reached into his storage bag and took out a jade box.

It seemed like he intended to take something out of it.

But Gu Feng didn't give him the chance.

Gu Feng opened his mouth and spat out a blood-red beam of light that shot faster than the faint light and directly into Yun Qianshan's head.

In an instant, Yun Qianshan's body stiffened, and he fell from the sky, along with the jade box, landing on the ground.

Gu Feng was overjoyed and immediately flew toward the fallen box.

However, his expression quickly turned from joy to shock.

His face darkened as he saw the figure in blue holding the jade box within his line of sight.

"Who are you? How did you end up here?"

Chu Ning held the jade box and wore an expression of helplessness.

"Fellow Daoist, if I say I just happened to be here, would you believe me?"

Gu Feng coldly huffed, his expression clearly answering Chu Ning's question.

Chu Ning sighed inwardly.

Initially, he hadn't intended to get involved in their fight.

But the place where Yun Qianshan had fallen was too coincidental—right where he was hiding.

Chu Ning had no choice but to show himself.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, I'm just a wandering cultivator. I have no intention of making an enemy of the Illusion Spirit Sect.

As for today's events..."

"Enough nonsense. Die!"

Before Chu Ning could finish speaking, Gu Feng interrupted with a cold snort, and his iron hammer swung down, sending a powerful beam of faint light toward Chu Ning.

Gu Feng's eyes narrowed as he noticed Chu Ning storing the box, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

"How bold! A mere early-stage Golden Core cultivator dares to take something from me, Gu Feng!"

Gu Feng shouted angrily, his figure darting towards Chu Ning.

Just then, Gu Feng saw Chu Ning pointing at him from a distance.

Gu Feng's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and although he didn't sense any fluctuations of spiritual energy, he cautiously shifted his body to dodge.

However, as soon as he moved, he suddenly felt an incredibly powerful force appear without warning at his side.

Gu Feng's expression changed slightly, and he immediately swung the black hammer in his hand.

Instantly, streams of dim light formed a defensive shield around his body.

But before he could fully establish the shield, the powerful force reached him.

Gu Feng felt a strong pulling force acting on his body.

The last bit of his defensive shield failed to materialize.

"!!!"

In the next moment, in a silent pulse, the spiritual energy around his body seemed to suddenly disappear.

Vaguely, Gu Feng felt an energy exploding around him! At the same time, both his spiritual power and divine sense seemed to have a slight hindrance.

And his body was covered in bloody wounds.

In just that one attack, he had unknowingly suffered serious injuries.

This shocked Gu Feng to his core.

"What kind of magic is this?"

Gu Feng was truly astonished. He couldn't believe that an early-stage Golden Core cultivator could injure him without using any magical treasures.

And the power of this attack was so unfamiliar to him, an experienced late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

"Spatial force! It's like the spatial force from that spatial rift!"

At this moment, Gu Feng seemed to finally remember something.

But this realization only made him more horrified.

How could an early-stage Golden Core cultivator possibly master the use of spatial force?

And in the next moment, Chu Ning once again demonstrated the answer with his actions.

Chu Ning's right finger pointed out again.

The spatial force around Gu Feng's body began to fluctuate once more.

This time, Gu Feng was prepared. He wielded his iron hammer more vigorously, quickly forming a defensive barrier.

However, under the tearing force of the spatial power, this defense instantly crumbled.

Before Gu Feng could react, a fiery red sword struck him, aiming directly for his neck.

Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be an ancient spirit bird on the sword, ready to devour its prey!

Gu Feng's face changed, and he quickly backed away, spitting out a pill.

The pill collided with Chu Ning's Fire Spirit Sword.

Under Chu Ning's relentless attacks, the late-stage Golden Core cultivator couldn't even counter-attack. He had no choice but to use his Golden Core!

The Golden Core and the Fire Spirit Sword collided, releasing astonishing power!

In the next moment, the red flames on the Fire Spirit Sword disappeared.

But instead of relief, Gu Feng's face turned deathly pale! This was partly due to the impact on his Golden Core, and partly because he saw Chu Ning pointing at him once more.

And this time, Chu Ning wasn't pointing at him, but at his Golden Core, which was flying back through the air!

Gu Feng immediately realized something was wrong and tried to control his Golden Core to change direction.

But it was too late!

A powerful spatial force suddenly appeared around the Golden Core!

"Bang!"

Under this immense force, the Golden Core, which had already been heavily struck by the Fire Spirit Sword, suddenly exploded!

"Puh!"

Gu Feng spat out a mouthful of blood, and his long face turned a pale golden color.

"You can't kill me! I'm from the Illusion Spirit Sect..."

Gu Feng seemed to have vaguely realized something, and he shouted out in fear.

"I gave you a chance just now!"

Along with Chu Ning's indifferent voice, the Fire Spirit Sword followed closely.

Although it wasn't wrapped in red flames like before, it was still exceptionally sharp.

It lightly turned at Gu Feng's neck.

The head of the late-stage Golden Core cultivator was cleanly separated from his body and fell from the sky.

Seeing this, Chu Ning waved his hand, and the Fire Spirit Sword flew back into his grasp.

His figure flashed, and he appeared before Gu Feng's corpse. Chu Ning's expression was calm, and he was pleased with the growth of his strength.

In the spiritual domain of the Golden Spirit Plant, he had faced off against Ao Langtian and was forced to use three flying swords to fight him.

Additionally, he had used a disposable artifact, the Ice Soul Pearl, and a thousand-year-old Spirit Milk to restore his spiritual power to defeat his opponent.

But now, against Gu Feng, whose strength was even slightly superior to Ao Langtian's, he had achieved victory without much effort.

This was partly due to his Void Finger catching Gu Feng off guard.

But regardless, his strength had indeed increased significantly over the past eight years of cultivation.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Chu Ning quickly took the spatial pouches of Gu Feng and Yun Qianshan and searched their bodies.

Then, he threw out two fireballs, burning the corpses to ashes.

Chu Ning looked up and pondered the direction for a moment.

Instead of flying directly towards Ice Immortal City, he changed course and flew in another direction.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end