Chapter 292: A Slight Display of Strength Startles Everyone

Chapter 292: A Slight Display of Strength Startles Everyone

Unbeknownst to Chu Ning and his companions, momentous events were unfolding on the island they had left behind.

The group swiftly flew towards the Central Sea region. Fortunately, although the island where the Golden-Silver Bird cultivated was located in the Outer Sea, it wasn't too far from the Central Sea.

Before long, the five of them had entered the Central Sea region, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Compared to the Outer Sea, the spiritual energy here was chaotic, and there were quite a few demonic beasts. However, eighth-rank and above beasts couldn't enter due to unknown reasons, and even seventh-rank beasts were almost non-existent.

Since all of them were at the mid-Golden Core stage, the lower-ranked beasts posed little threat.

"Shall we take a break on the island where we gathered before?" Chang Ling Shan suggested.

Just now, they had been inadvertently injured by the heavenly tribulation triggered by the formation, and they hadn't had time to recuperate before expending more energy to rush over here. His usually cheerful face now looked pale and haggard.

The others were in a similar state, so they all agreed.

Although Chu Ning hadn't been injured and didn't need to recuperate, he didn't voice any objection.

The four of them immediately flew towards the island where they had previously met Kong Yi Peng.

Since Kong Yi Peng hadn't removed the formation tools when he left, the formation was still active.

After entering the island, Chang Ling Shan led the group to the spot where Kong Yi Peng had set up the formation. He then took out a jade talisman and said, "Originally, Fellow Daoist Kong intended to rest here on his way back to Iceland Immortal City after driving the formation, as he expected to consume a lot of magical power. He also gave me this prohibition talisman to activate the formation. Fellow Daoists, shall we rest and heal inside the formation?"

The others had no objections, and Chu Ning followed along.

To be honest, although the formation they had set up earlier failed to kill the Golden-Silver Bird, it had instead attracted its heavenly tribulation. Nevertheless, Chu Ning acknowledged its power.

He was also quite curious about the formation Kong Yi Peng had set up.

So, Chang Ling Shan held the talisman and broke the prohibition, and everyone entered the formation.

Perhaps because it was only meant for temporary meditation and cultivation, the area covered by the formation wasn't very large, only about twenty or so yards in diameter.

However, the interior was quite messy, with various stones piled up, and there were obvious traces of writing on the ground that had been erased.

"It seems that Kong Yi Peng was experimenting with formations here," Chu Ning mused to himself. From these clues, it was evident that Kong Yi Peng had probably stayed here for some time.

No wonder he had entrusted Chang Ling Shan to handle everything during the gathering of cultivators in Iceland Immortal City.

After entering the formation, the group found their own spots and sat down cross-legged.

Chang Ling Shan, who seemed to have a close relationship with Kong Yi Peng, looked at these remnants with a somber expression, and he couldn't help but sigh, "Fellow Daoist Kong is a genius blessed by the heavens. He cultivated formations to reach the late-Golden Core stage, and his path has always been filled with good fortune. This time, he wanted to go and kill the Golden-Silver Bird, taking another gamble to see if he could find an opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Who would have known..."

Chang Ling Shan trailed off, his voice filled with emotion. "The Dao is unpredictable, and as cultivators, we never know if good fortune or misfortune will come first."

Hearing Chang Ling Shan's words, everyone fell silent.

Among those present, who hadn't walked the edge between life and death to reach the mid-Golden Core stage?

Not to mention the distant past, but just now, they had all narrowly escaped death.

Chang Ling Shan sighed with emotion, but after a short while, he returned to his usual self. "Fellow Daoists, this time, I invited you all to take this risk on behalf of Kong Yi Peng. Although there were unexpected events, all of you did your best. The rewards I promised you earlier will not be diminished."

As he spoke, Chang Ling Shan took out several items from his storage bag—the same rewards that Kong Yi Peng had shown them earlier.

With a wave of Chang Ling Shan's hand, the items flew into the hands of the respective cultivators.

Chu Ning now held the section of the Golden Chalice Wood.

Seeing Chang Ling Shan's actions, everyone's expressions eased a little.

Although there had been twists and turns, they had still obtained the promised benefits.

As for Kong Yi Peng's likely demise, they could only sigh and express their regrets.

Aside from Chang Ling Shan, no one present had a deep relationship with him.

Immediately, everyone put away their rewards and began to consume healing pills to recuperate.

Chu Ning stored the Golden Chalice Wood in his storage bag and smiled faintly.

During the heavenly tribulation, he had managed to obtain one of the Golden-Silver Bird's tail feathers. Now, with the Golden Chalice Wood in his possession, the goal of this trip had been achieved.

Additionally, he had also casually picked a few spiritual plants with Metal-Gold energy on the island, so his harvest was quite substantial.

While the others needed to rest and recover, Chu Ning, of course, had no such need. He simply operated the Five Elements Chaos Technique for a while, fully restoring the magical power he had expended during the formation activation and flight.

At the same time, a question arose in his mind.

"When I was cultivating the Five Elements Chaos Technique earlier, I vaguely felt as if there was a dormant energy within my body. However, this energy doesn't seem to have any effect on the cultivation of the Five Elements Chaos Technique. Could it be..."

At this moment, Chu Ning recalled that after being struck by the thunderbolt, he had faintly sensed a tempering effect.

Chu Ning immediately began to circulate the Nine Transformations Body Refining Technique.

Although it was best to practice the Nine Transformations Body Refining Technique with corresponding movements, he could only circulate his magical power in front of so many people.

As he operated the technique, Chu Ning immediately felt the dormant energy within his body being absorbed and refined.

Vaguely, he sensed that this energy seemed similar to the power of the thunderbolt.

"This thunderbolt energy can actually temper my body? However, there isn't much of it, and I'm not sure what effect it will have," Chu Ning thought in surprise.

【Five Elements Chaos Technique (Middle-grade Celestial Tier), Second Layer (3328/100000)】

【Nine Transforming Body Refining Technique, Second Volume, Second Layer (23797/90000)】

【Refine God Technique, Fourth Layer (57225/64000)】

Just a glance startled Chu Ning immensely.

"From that minuscule amount of thunderbolt energy, my proficiency in the Nine Transforming Body Refining Technique actually increased by 15 points!

Hmm, if I were to do this a few more times, using the thunderbolt energy to enhance my cultivation of the Nine Transforming Body Refining Technique might indeed be a quick way to improve."

Recently, Chu Ning's progress in the Nine Transforming Body Refining Technique had started to slow down.

The reason for this was that the spiritual fruits and elixirs he had brought back from Wuling Island had, over the past decade, been almost entirely consumed, despite his frugal usage.

He intended to save the remaining 20% for future use.

As for the mutated spiritual fruit, the Ziyuanguo, that he had planted in the Spirit Medicine Garden, Chu Ning had planted quite a few with a trial-and-error mindset.

However, even the earliest batch he had planted was not yet fully mature.

Moreover, Chu Ning was unsure if these spiritual fruits had the same body-tempering and physique-strengthening effects as the ones containing primal energies.

Using the thunderbolt energy for body tempering had opened up a whole new avenue for Chu Ning.

"If possible, setting up a lightning-attribute formation and using the thunderbolt energy for body tempering seems like a good option."

Chu Ning pondered this new idea.

Unfortunately, he did not currently possess such a formation.

Kong Yipeng seemed to have one, but he had also perished in the thunder tribulation.

With this thought, Chu Ning opened his eyes and looked around.

He noticed that the other four cultivators were still meditating with their eyes closed, recovering from their injuries, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

Although they had left the Outer Sea region and entered the Central Sea, the powerful demons of the Outer Sea were restricted and typically did not venture into the Central Sea region.

However, given the commotion they had caused in the Outer Sea, Chu Ning felt uneasy about lingering too long in this area.

If possible, returning to Iceland Immortal City or retreating further into the Inner Sea would be the safest option during this delicate period.

With this in mind, Chu Ning spoke up, "Fellow cultivators, it's not wise to stay here for long. Shall we return to the Immortal City or head towards the Inner Sea?"

Hearing Chu Ning's suggestion, the four cultivators who had been meditating and recuperating opened their eyes.

They glanced at Chu Ning, surprised that he had finished healing so quickly.

After exchanging looks, the only middle-aged female cultivator among them, Wu Rongfeng, spoke, "Chu Ning's concern is not unfounded. Our injuries won't heal in a day or two. Let's head back to Iceland Immortal City and recuperate slowly."

Although this woman was not exceptionally beautiful and spoke sparingly, her voice was rather pleasant.

Chu Ning gave her an extra glance upon hearing her suggestion.

If the others had insisted on staying, he had even considered leaving on his own.

Now that someone had taken the initiative, the others readily agreed.

The group stood up, preparing to leave.

At that moment, Chu Ning suddenly lifted his head and gazed beyond the island, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Chu Ning, what's wrong?"

Perhaps because she had been the last to speak, Wu Rongfeng's attention was still on Chu Ning.

Noticing his sudden action, she asked curiously.

Chu Ning, who had just scanned the area within a thirty-mile radius with his spiritual sense, sighed softly and replied, "A large number of demons are approaching from all directions. I'm afraid our departure won't be as smooth as we thought."

"Many demons?"

Hearing Chu Ning's words, the faces of the four cultivators reflected their surprise.

They had all released their spiritual sense, yet none of them had detected the presence of any demons.

Among the group, Chang Ling Shan had the highest cultivation level and had been at the mid-Golden Core stage for the longest time.

A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes, and he was about to ask if Chu Ning had made a mistake when his expression changed again.

Just then, he sensed a demon within his spiritual sense range.

Soon after, another demon entered his perception from a different direction.

These demons were incredibly fast, and before Chang Ling Shan could voice his concern, the others also began to sense them.

Even Wu Rongfeng, who had the weakest spiritual sense among the group, quickly became aware of the demons' presence.

The four cultivators exchanged shocked glances.

They were astonished by the sudden appearance of so many demons and even more so by the fact that Chu Ning, despite being the newest to the mid-Golden Core stage, was the first to detect their presence.

However, their focus quickly shifted from Chu Ning's impressive spiritual sense to the impending threat of the demons.

Just from their initial scans, they detected four fifth-rank demons and three sixth-rank demons.

"What's going on? Why are there so many demons suddenly?"

A hint of anxiety crept into Wu Rongfeng's voice.

Chang Ling Shan and the others wore grim expressions as well.

Their injuries were still fresh, and the prospect of facing so many demons so soon was daunting.

Chang Ling Shan spoke in a low voice, "It's very likely related to what we did in the Outer Sea. It seems our actions there enraged the powerful demons.

Although they can't directly enter the Central Sea region, they've used some secret technique to send these fifth and sixth-rank demons to besiege us."

Chang Ling Shan's speculation aligned with Chu Ning's thoughts.

The others also felt that this was a strong possibility, and no one bothered to question how the demons had managed to locate them.

Instead of asking the same question, Chu Ning began to channel his magical power, preparing to fight the beasts.

With his knowledge of formations, he could tell that this one indeed had some concealment and defensive capabilities.

However, its offensive capabilities were lacking.

If there had been more time, he could have analyzed the formation's source and made some modifications, but now, time was of the essence.

Sure enough, Chang Ling Shan sighed and shook his head. "Fellow cultivators, let's fight together and try to break through."

As they sensed the demonic beasts approaching the island, less than 500 zhang away, everyone's faces turned solemn.

Chu Ning's eyes shone with clarity as he slowly spoke, "I think we should leave the formation and fight the beasts. In case those beasts are too powerful, the formation might provide us with some protection."

Upon hearing this, the others hesitated. They had been hoping to use the formation to weaken the beasts before engaging them.

Seeing their hesitation, Chu Ning sighed softly, "If we don't act quickly, we'll only become more passive. I've sensed three more sixth-rank beasts approaching, and it seems like there are more beasts heading in this direction."

At this news, the four cultivators' faces paled. They could handle the current number of beasts, but if more arrived...

Without further ado, Chu Ning continued, "Fellow cultivators, I have a plan to deal with these beasts. Try to hold off as many as you can, and leave the rest to me. First, I'll take care of that metal-attributed beast flying towards us!"

As he finished speaking, Chu Ning flashed out of the formation and flew towards a sixth-rank purple-gold bat, the first to arrive.

He unleashed the Golden Armor God Shadow Fist, infusing his punches with threads of Metal-Gold energy, and sent a series of powerful fist shadows towards the bat.

Just as the bat was about to dodge, Chu Ning's finger moved, and space itself rippled.

A formless void, created by the power of space, suddenly appeared and pierced the bat's body.

Purple-black beast blood spurted out.

The sixth-rank beast looked up in shock at the cultivator who seemed to be at the same stage as itself.

But what it saw was a flash of green light that vanished in an instant.

Five Elements Spirit Sword – Wood Spirit Sword!

Already injured by the Void Finger, the bat couldn't withstand the blow from Chu Ning's spirit sword and fell from the sky.

However, Chu Ning wasn't going to let it off that easily.

He appeared next to the dying beast and reached out his hand, absorbing threads of Metal-Gold energy and turning them into a faint golden mist that disappeared into his palm.

Chu Ning had become very skilled at absorbing this energy, and he no longer needed to use any incantations to aid the process.

Because of his incredible speed, it only took him a few breaths to defeat the beast, from start to finish.

Just then, the other four cultivators flew out of the formation.

They stared at Chu Ning, their eyes wide, as they witnessed him defeat a sixth-rank beast in just a few moves.

"Is Brother Chu really a mid-Golden Core cultivator?" Wu Rongfeng murmured in disbelief.

Chang Ling Shan and Han Shihong exchanged a glance, their eyes reflecting their shock.

Compared to the others, they had interacted with Chu Ning more, especially Chang Ling Shan, who lived next door.

They knew that just over a year ago, Chu Ning had been at the early-Golden Core stage.

His advancement to the mid-Golden Core stage had been very recent.

Yet, his prowess in defeating the sixth-rank beast showed no signs of him being a newly advanced cultivator.

"Fellow cultivators, let's make this quick!" Chu Ning's voice rang out.

Seeing Chu Ning engage two sixth-rank beasts, the others also activated their spirit treasures and faced the remaining beasts.

Chu Ning was up against two sixth-rank beasts.

As he flew through the air, he unleashed the Golden Armor God Shadow Fist towards a crow-like beast with a red tail, known as the Sixth-Rank Red-Tailed Crow.

Simultaneously, he summoned his spirit sword, which had just returned to him, and sent it towards a one-eyed beast resembling a giant carp, the Sixth-Rank One-Eyed Carp Spirit.

The two beasts roared in anger as they saw Chu Ning attacking them both at once.

The Red-Tailed Crow flapped its wings, its red tail shimmering, as it spewed a stream of crimson-black flames towards Chu Ning.

The One-Eyed Carp Spirit, on the other hand, shot a beam of white light from its solitary eye, aiming for Chu Ning.

Unfazed by the dual attacks, Chu Ning used the Godly Wind Escape, vanishing from his original position.

When he reappeared, he was above the Red-Tailed Crow, surrounded by a layer of rocky armor.

He allowed the attack from the One-Eyed Carp Spirit to land on him, the rocky armor rotating to deflect the blow.

In his hand appeared a red sword, which he pointed downward, slashing viciously at the crow!

The Red-Tailed Crow, its defenses shattered by Chu Ning's previous attacks, tried to dodge the fiery sword, but it was too late. The red light flashed, and the sword pierced its neck!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end