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Chapter 314: Split in Two
Chapter 314: Split in Two
"Something's not right, it doesn't seem to be a complete ancient artifact. Its power isn't as immense as I expected." Chu Ning observed the black dagger that was currently absorbing Stu Yan's magic. Its power didn't seem as formidable as the Yellow Courtyard Seal he had activated earlier. Instead, it resembled the small white dagger that Ge Liuyang had used back then.
"A fragmented ancient artifact?" Chu Ning's eyes narrowed as a sudden realization dawned on him. Even though the artifact's power didn't seem as overwhelming as a complete one, it was still an ancient artifact nonetheless.
If his Five Elements Spirit Sword had been fully refined, he might have been able to put up a fight against this fragmented artifact. But as things stood now, it would be too risky. If the Spirit Swords he had just refined were damaged, the loss would be irreparable.
Fortunately, Chu Ning had other options. He still had the Yellow Courtyard Seal, and while he preferred to avoid using this ancient artifact if possible, he was prepared to do what was necessary.
"It's your own doing that forces me to resort to this treasure! Chu Ning, I will crush you to dust!" Stu Yan's voice echoed, devoid of any trace of kindness from earlier. It was filled with venomous malice.
"You have no idea how much it costs me to use this artifact each time," Stu Yan glared at Chu Ning, his eyes filled with hatred. The purple mist of demonic energy that shrouded his aged face made him look like a demon from the Nine Hells.
From the start, he hadn't expected his encounter with Chu Ning to be smooth sailing in his quest for the Spirit Illuminating Fruit. However, due to his forced use of secret techniques to slow down his consumption, each battle took a tremendous toll on his essence and longevity.
That was why he had initially hoped to obtain the fruit from Chu Ning without a fight. He planned to wait until he formed his infant soul before seeking his revenge.
But contrary to Stu Yan's expectations, Chu Ning had led him on a wild goose chase, ultimately forcing them into a confrontation. And now, despite his confidence in his treasure, magic, and ghostly agility, he found himself on the run from Chu Ning, pushed to the point of having to unleash this ancient artifact from the depths of his collection.
This would deplete a significant portion of his remaining longevity, reducing it by at least another three percent.
"However, it's all worth it for the Spirit Illuminating Fruit! Once I form my infant soul, these troubles will be a thing of the past!" Stu Yan's eyes gleamed with a sinister light as he completed the infusion of his magic into the artifact. With a casual flick of his wrist, the black dagger erupted with a torrent of black light, shooting toward Chu Ning.
In response, Chu Ning unleashed the giant sword formed by the fusion of the Four Spirit Swords, propelling it forward. However, instead of meeting the onslaught of black light head-on, the sword soared upward, arcing over the black light and slicing down toward Stu Yan.
Stu Yan's eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected move. The old demon quickly activated several talismans for protection before continuing to wield the ancient dagger to direct the black light toward Chu Ning.
Given their current speed, Stu Yan was confident that the black light dagger would strike Chu Ning before the giant sword could land its blow. Even though the artifact in his hand wasn't displaying its full power, it was still far beyond what a Golden Core cultivator could withstand. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would struggle to defend against it.
By the time the uncontrolled giant sword reached him, it would be unable to inflict any harm. Activating several high-quality defensive talismans was simply a precaution born of his extensive battle experience.
At this moment, the black dagger, enveloped in a cascade of black light, had closed in on Chu Ning, approaching within thirty feet.
What happened next left Stu Yan stunned.
Chu Ning raised his right hand, and five icy blue sword beams shot forth!
In an instant, the space in front of Chu Ning was filled with icy blue light. Even from a distance, Stu Yan could feel the bone-chilling cold emanating from those beams. And each of these sword beams possessed enough power to make a Golden Core cultivator's heart skip a beat.
"Nascent Soul cultivator!" Stu Yan exclaimed in shock as he beheld the five sword beams. This was unmistakably the work of a Nascent Soul cultivator, a powerful technique far beyond the capabilities of a Golden Core cultivator.
Just moments ago, he hadn't seen Chu Ning use any artifacts, talismans, or spells. Yet now, with a simple wave of his hand, Chu Ning had unleashed such devastating power.
This could only be the doing of a Nascent Soul cultivator. As this realization sank in, Stu Yan's heart trembled, and his first instinct was to turn and flee.
But it was too late.
The five icy blue sword beams had already intersected with the torrent of black light emanating from the black dagger.
In an instant, the icy blue sword beams overwhelmed and suppressed the black light.
The first beam was deflected upon contact.
Then the second, the third...
Finally, when the fifth sword beam hit its mark, the black dagger's power was exhausted, and it lost its inky black light.
Like the talisman that Stu Yan had used earlier, it fell to the ground, deactivated.
"Slash!"
At the same time, Chu Ning's flying sword treasure arrived above Stu Yan's head.
With a light hum from Chu Ning, the sword, imbued with limitless might, chopped down! Stu Yan, at this moment, wanted to use the remnants of his spiritual power to cast a spell and escape.
But at this moment, he found himself completely locked on by the approaching giant sword, his five elemental energies restrained, with no chance of escape!
"Senior, spare me!"
Stu Yan shouted in surprise.
He was afraid of death, despite having killed countless people.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have practiced that secret technique 300 years ago to extend his lifespan, willingly becoming a tortoise hiding in its shell.
Stu Yan was also very certain that the person he was facing was a Nascent Soul cultivator who had hidden his true cultivation.
Otherwise, everything that had happened before him was inexplicable.
Stu Yan regretted his actions; he truly regretted targeting a Nascent Soul cultivator.
And this Nascent Soul cultivator seemed to possess many more secrets.
"Senior?"
Hearing Stu Yan's plea, Chu Ning smiled inwardly.
However, he had no intention of showing mercy just because of his opponent's begging.
The giant sword mercilessly chopped down.
It struck the defensive shield that Stu Yan had desperately activated! This externally triggered defensive shield possessed some power.
However, against Chu Ning's giant sword, which far surpassed ordinary treasures, it stood no chance.
The giant sword easily sliced through the talismanic defensive shield as if it were cutting through tofu.
In a last-ditch effort, Stu Yan's remaining spiritual power erupted, summoning a dense purple-black demonic aura that transformed into a purple shield above his head.
But it was all in vain!
The giant sword obliterated the purple shield, and then, with a swift motion, it chopped down from above!
"Ah!!!"
Stu Yan let out an unwilling roar, and as a final resort, he spat out a pitch-black Golden Core.
In response, Chu Ning took out an Ice Shadow Sword Talisman, intending to activate it.
However, to his surprise, the old demon's Golden Core seemed far weaker than those of ordinary cultivators in the late Golden Core stage.
When the Golden Core met the giant sword, it instantly shattered, offering little resistance.
It seemed as if the core didn't contain sufficient "Elixir Energy" (or "Elixir Power").
Evidently, the secret technique that the Black Demon Elder practiced to extend his lifespan came at a great cost to his dan power.
With his Golden Core destroyed, Stu Yan's last resort had been broken.
Staring at the descending giant sword, Stu Yan's eyes, now truly cloudy and dull, reflected his unwillingness to accept his fate.
Then, he saw the giant sword chopping down on his head.
In an instant, the infamous Black Demon Elder of the Northern Cold Land was cleaved into two halves!
As this happened, Chu Ning, who had been about to activate the Ice Shadow Sword Talisman, waved his hand, and the talisman turned into a beam of white light that merged into the ring that had just been emptied of its talismans.
The Ice Shadow Sword Talisman was so powerful that it couldn't be wasted carelessly.
The heart-pounding battle suddenly came to an end, and the small island fell silent.
However, a playful laugh soon echoed.
Bai Ling flew out from Chu Ning's sleeve and transformed into her human form.
With a smile, she said to Chu Ning, "Young Master, you've become a Nascent Soul senior."
Chu Ning smiled faintly. With the power of the talisman ring, he could casually unleash attacks comparable to those of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
To outsiders, he was, for all intents and purposes, a Nascent Soul cultivator.
At this moment, Chu Ning looked at Bai Ling, and an idea came to mind. He suddenly asked, "Hey, Bai Ling, now that you can take on a human form, will others mistake you for a tenth-stage spirit beast? But your aura still seems too weak."
Hearing Chu Ning's words, Bai Ling paused slightly, a thoughtful look appearing in her eyes.
"I feel like there's a similar cultivation method in my head that can simulate a more powerful aura."
Chu Ning's eyes lit up at her words.
He watched Bai Ling as she sank into thought, not wanting to disturb her.
If Bai Ling could truly simulate an aura similar to that of a transformed demonic beast, it would be quite intimidating.
The Black Demon Elder had accumulated wealth over hundreds of years, and there was certainly more to discover.
The first items that caught Chu Ning's attention were the two black daggers that Stu Yan had used in their earlier exchange.
Holding them in his hands, Chu Ning could immediately sense their distinct qualities.
The first dagger that Stu Yan had attacked with indeed carried the aura of a magical artifact, and it was still heavily imbued with Stu Yan's lifeforce.
If Chu Ning wanted to use it himself, he would need to spend some time erasing the residual aura.
The other black dagger, however, bore no trace of Stu Yan's presence.
Its design was ancient, with intricate and mysterious patterns adorning both the blade and the hilt, unlike anything Chu Ning had seen before.
The entire dagger was pitch-black, and just a glance seemed to draw one's soul into its depths.
Chu Ning could now guess that the magical artifact that Stu Yan had crafted was likely modeled after this ancient treasure.
What surprised Chu Ning was that when Stu Yan had used this ancient dagger earlier, it hadn't seemed particularly powerful.
But now, as he held it in his hand, the ancient aura and power it exuded were no less than that of his Yellow Courtyard Seal.
Could it be that Stu Yan hadn't been able to fully unleash the dagger's potential? Chu Ning wondered, carefully examining the weapon.
"Hmm, there's also something like a blood groove in the middle."
Chu Ning observed the deep groove on the blade.
Although he had no knowledge of ancient treasure forging techniques, based on his understanding of the Way of Artifact Refinement, he surmised that if there was such a blood groove, infusing it with one's blood would enhance the artifact's power.
Yet, when Stu Yan had used the dagger earlier, he hadn't infused it with his blood.
No wonder its power hadn't seemed overwhelming.
"This ancient dagger has been in Stu Yan's possession for who knows how long, and logically, he shouldn't have been unable to understand it fully."
A hint of confusion flashed in Chu Ning's eyes as he compared it to Stu Yan's self-crafted magical artifact.
Sure enough, there was a similar blood groove on it as well.
"In that case..."
Chu Ning's thoughts turned to how Stu Yan's golden core had seemed inadequate earlier, and he soon arrived at a possible explanation.
"It seems that the secret technique this Black Demon Elder used to prolong his life indeed came at a cost.
Both the dan power within his golden core and his own vital essence are severely lacking.
No wonder he was able to escape from a Nascent Soul cultivator three hundred years ago, but in these three hundred years, he rarely showed himself."
Now it seemed that in those three hundred years, he had likely relied on this ancient dagger to hold his own against Nascent Soul cultivators without suffering defeat.
But now, it had fallen into Chu Ning's hands.
Chu Ning smiled and channeled his spiritual power into the ancient dagger.
In just an instant, he felt like his spiritual power had been drained by ninety percent.
Considering that he had already expended some spiritual power during the battle, the amount required by the ancient dagger was comparable to that of the Yellow Courtyard Seal.
However, Chu Ning could also sense that its power was slightly inferior to the Yellow Courtyard Seal when fully activated.
With that in mind, Chu Ning opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which landed on the dagger.
The essence blood quickly gathered in the blood groove.
The dagger's power surged instantly, and its might was now comparable to that of the Yellow Courtyard Seal that Chu Ning had activated earlier.
"Young Master, what is this?"
At that moment, Bai Ling, who had been startled by the power Chu Ning had unleashed from the ancient dagger, flew over to him.
Chu Ning then shared with her his recent discovery.
Hearing this, Bai Ling smiled and said, "Then congratulations, Young Master, on acquiring another ancient treasure."
Chu Ning nodded with a smile.
Although technically, this ancient dagger seemed to be of a lower grade than the Yellow Courtyard Seal, the Seal didn't require essence blood to unleash its full power.
Moreover, the Seal offered more versatile applications and was more adaptable.
Nonetheless, the ancient dagger's power was still impressive, and it was well-suited for Chu Ning's current needs.
After all, he had obtained the Yellow Courtyard Seal from Dan Tai Song, and given the influence of the Illusion Spirit Sect, he felt some hesitance in using it freely.
But with this ancient dagger, he had no such reservations, effectively adding another offensive option to his arsenal.
Instead of activating it, Chu Ning chose to dissipate its power.
"Hmm!"
As Chu Ning's gaze fell back on the ancient dagger, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
(End of Chapter)
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