https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-317-Black-and-White-Twin-Demons-of-Bilian-Peak/12550007/
Chapter 318: Poison of the Earth Fire
Chapter 318: Poison of the Earth Fire
Feng Yanzhang also noticed the subtle change in Chu Ning's expression, and his heart skipped a beat.
Clearly, Chu Ning's interest wasn't in the treasures of the ancient cultivator's cave.
It was the Cold Marrow Pearl.
As expected, the next moment he heard Chu Ning speak up, "You mentioned an ancient cultivator's cave in Ice Crown Mountain. How can you be sure there's a Cold Marrow Pearl there?"
Feng Yanzhang looked at Chu Ning's calm face and hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Ice Crown Mountain is known for its production of cold jade, and that cave is located in the most frigid part of the mountain. There should be cold jade inside.
As for the cave, I believe it's at least ten thousand years old, and I speculate that there might be a Cold Marrow Pearl within.
However, if it can produce Cold Marrow Pearls, there might not just be one. If Senior is willing to help break the formation, we can each take one."
Chu Ning understood the underlying meaning in Feng Yanzhang's words and smiled meaningfully, "What if there's only one? After all, the Cold Marrow Pearl is extremely rare even among cold jade."
Hearing this, Feng Yanzhang let out a bitter laugh, "If there's truly only one, and Senior needs it, I wouldn't dare compete with you for it.
But I beg Senior to be accommodating and lend it to me for a month. After helping my wife neutralize the poison in her body, I'll return it immediately."
Chu Ning looked at Feng Yanzhang and smiled with profound meaning, "If I don't agree, you probably wouldn't have brought me here, would you?"
Feng Yanzhang didn't hesitate at this moment and nodded directly, "Please don't blame me, Senior. I've been traveling for decades just to find a way to cure my wife of her poison."
Chu Ning believed him to some extent, as the White and Black Demons of Biling had said something similar earlier.
He couldn't help but ask curiously, "May I ask what kind of poison your wife is afflicted with? You've spent so much time and effort, yet you still haven't been able to cure her."
Feng Yanzhang sighed at this moment and didn't answer directly. Perhaps to convince Chu Ning, he said, "Senior, my wife is in Han Yan City. If you have any doubts, you can go and see for yourself."
Chu Ning thought for a moment; he wasn't in a hurry to go to Shenyin Valley.
If the place Feng Yanzhang mentioned truly had a Cold Marrow Pearl, it was worth a try.
So he agreed.
The two of them returned to Han Yan City, and along the way, Feng Yanzhang asked Chu Ning about some news.
Chu Ning only introduced himself as Li Qun, a cultivator from overseas, without elaborating further.
Their escape technique was swift, and they soon returned to Han Yan City.
Upon entering the city, Feng Yanzhang led Chu Ning directly to a gracefully decorated courtyard in the southwestern part of the city.
As soon as they entered, Feng Yanzhang called out, "Jingwen, I've brought a senior to see you."
Accompanying Feng Yanzhang's words, a woman walked out from inside the house.
Judging from her facial features and bone structure, she must have been a beautiful woman before.
And her cultivation seemed to be at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
But at this moment, her face was sallow, with a subtle abnormal redness, and even her hair was withered.
Chu Ning was slightly startled by her appearance.
Normally, cultivators nourished their bodies with spiritual energy from the heavens and the earth. Even the most ordinary Qi Refining cultivator wouldn't usually look like this.
Moreover, this woman was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Feng Yanzhang began to introduce them, "Senior, this is my wife, Zeng Jingwen."
Then he turned to the woman and said, "Jingwen, this is Senior Li Qun."
"Nice to meet you, Senior," the woman glanced at Chu Ning and bowed slightly.
However, there was a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Based on her perception, Chu Ning was also a Golden Core cultivator.
She didn't understand why her husband addressed Chu Ning as Senior.
Feng Yanzhang understood the expression on Zeng Jingwen's face and explained, "Jingwen, Senior Li is a Nascent Soul cultivator."
At this moment, Chu Ning didn't bother to explain. Firstly, he knew that even if he explained, she might not believe him.
Secondly, if he could display such formidable power with a mid-Golden Core cultivation base, it would only attract more attention.
When Zeng Jingwen heard that Chu Ning was a Nascent Soul cultivator, the confusion on her face turned into astonishment.
Then she looked at Feng Yanzhang and asked, "You invited Senior Li here for what purpose?"
Feng Yanzhang nodded, "That's right, Jingwen. I invited Senior Li to come with us to Ice Crown Mountain.
If we can obtain a Cold Marrow Pearl there, we can neutralize the Poison of Earth Fire in your body."
"Poison of Earth Fire?" Hearing Feng Yanzhang's words, Chu Ning's expression revealed a hint of realization.
No wonder Zeng Jingwen had looked like that earlier; she was afflicted with the Poison of Earth Fire.
Several decades ago, we accidentally stumbled into a place with strong earth veins, which is how Jingwen ended up afflicted with the Poison of Earth Fire. These past decades have been filled with torment for her."
"Husband, don't say that," Zeng Jingwen said as she held Feng Yanzhang's hand. "You've been tirelessly searching for a cure for me all these years."
The couple exchanged understanding glances.
Chu Ning couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "What a devoted couple. Your love for each other is truly admirable."
After a moment, Chu Ning continued, "Fellow daoists, may I examine the Poison of Earth Fire within Fellow Daoist Zeng's body?"
Hearing Chu Ning's request, the couple exchanged a glance.
Feng Yanzhang then spoke up, "Senior Li, we would be most grateful for your help. My wife and I have been longing for a solution for a long time.
To be honest, over the years, I've sought help from many friends. One of them even helped me contact a Nascent Soul stage senior who cultivates an ice-attribute technique, but my wife's Poison of Earth Fire was too overpowering, and even that senior couldn't neutralize it."
As Feng Yanzhang spoke, Zeng Jingwen extended her hand towards Chu Ning without hesitation.
Chu Ning placed his hand on Zeng Jingwen's wrist and channeled his spiritual energy into her body to investigate. He might not be skilled in medicine, but since it was the Poison of Earth Fire, he wanted to take a look, especially since he had refined the Earth Vein Essence Fire and knew a thing or two about it.
Zeng Jingwen felt Chu Ning's spiritual energy probing her body and glanced at Feng Yanzhang, who gave her a reassuring look. She relaxed and allowed the examination to continue.
Chu Ning's spiritual energy soon detected the violent fire-attribute energy within Zeng Jingwen's body. Although she seemed to be suppressing it with some kind of treasure, the poison was still damaging her.
Chu Ning thought for a moment and attached a strand of the refined Earth Vein Essence Fire to his spiritual energy.
Soon, he felt the fire poison within Zeng Jingwen as if it had found its home, latching onto his spiritual energy. It then followed the energy back into Chu Ning's body.
Chu Ning was slightly startled but quickly reacted by using the Earth Vein Essence Fire to envelop the strand of fire poison.
In just an instant, the fire poison dissipated and merged with his Earth Vein Essence Fire.
"As expected, it works!" Chu Ning thought to himself.
No matter how strong the fire poison was, it stood no chance against the Earth Vein Essence Fire that had been refined over countless millennia.
If he continued with this method and drew out all the fire poison into his body to neutralize it, he believed that he could rid Zeng Jingwen of her affliction in no time.
However, Chu Ning didn't act immediately. He retracted his spiritual energy and his hand, feigning a thoughtful expression.
Feng Yanzhang and his wife remained composed, having experienced the stubbornness of the poison over the decades. They hadn't held much hope when Chu Ning offered to examine it earlier.
At that moment, Chu Ning suddenly spoke up, "Fellow Daoist Zeng's Poison of Earth Fire... it might not be entirely necessary to neutralize it."
Feng Yanzhang and Zeng Jingwen were taken aback by Chu Ning's words. The next moment, Feng Yanzhang asked eagerly, "Senior, did you just say that Jingwen's Poison of Earth Fire can be cured?"
Zeng Jingwen's eyes also lit up with a glimmer of hope.
It was no wonder that the couple was so excited. The Poison of Earth Fire had plagued them for far too long.
Feng Yanzhang had spent years searching for a cure and had only recently learned that the Cold Marrow Pearl might be able to help, but even then, it was just a possibility.
As for the Cold Marrow Pearl itself, he could only speculate that it might be found in the ancient cultivator's cave on Ice Crown Mountain. He didn't have any certainty.
But now, to hear that there might be a way to cure the poison filled them with elation.
Chu Ning nodded slightly and said, "There is indeed a chance to neutralize it, but it will require some effort. Fellow Daoist Feng, when shall we depart for Ice Crown Mountain?"
Feng Yanzhang, being a shrewd person, immediately understood Chu Ning's implication. He was proposing a condition.
Although Zeng Jingwen didn't know how Feng Yanzhang had persuaded Chu Ning or what had transpired between them, she could guess that their trip to Ice Crown Mountain was likely a condition set by Chu Ning for helping her with the detoxification.
However, she didn't show any other expression and only bowed gracefully to Chu Ning. "Thank you, Senior!"
At that moment, Chu Ning didn't say much more and turned to leave.
Feng Yanzhang patted Zeng Jingwen's hand and quickly followed.
Seeing Feng Yanzhang's decisiveness, Chu Ning asked, "Aren't you afraid that the White and Black Demons of Biling will trouble your wife?"
Feng Yanzhang shook his head. "Of course, I'm worried about that. But those demons were badly injured by Senior, so they probably won't be back anytime soon. As for their uncle, he seems to have been in seclusion for a long time. Even if he comes out, the Han Yan City is jointly controlled by the five major sects. He's just a lone cultivator, and he wouldn't dare to cause trouble in the city. As long as Jingwen stays within the city, she should be safe for now."
Feng Yanzhang smiled and added, "Moreover, with Senior's help, our trip to Ice Crown Mountain shouldn't take more than a few days, and we'll be back soon."
The two set off from Han Yan City, flying towards the direction of Ice Crown Mountain.
After traveling about a hundred miles outside the city, Chu Ning transmitted his voice to Feng Yanzhang, "Now, Fellow Daoist Feng, can you give me some details about that ancient cultivator's cave?"
Without hesitation, Feng Yanzhang replied through his spiritual sense, "Of course, I should report this to Senior. To be honest, I was mistaken earlier when I said it was a cave. It feels more like a tomb that an ancient cultivator built for himself before his death. Perhaps he was afraid of being disturbed by cultivators, so he set up an array formation outside to restrict access."
"A tomb?" Chu Ning's eyebrows furrowed slightly at this revelation.
"In that case, how can you be sure that it belongs to a Nascent Soul cultivator, and how do you speculate that there's Cold Jade inside?"
"Intuition!" Feng Yanzhang replied directly.
Chu Ning's eyebrows knit together at these words, and he stopped to look at Feng Yanzhang, his voice cold. "Fellow Daoist Feng, are you making fun of me?"
Feng Yanzhang was anxious at seeing Chu Ning's obvious displeasure. "Please don't be angry, Senior. I wouldn't dare to joke with you. What I said is the truth. To be honest, I've also explored places like this in the past, and although it's just a speculation, I do have some confidence in my assessment."
Hearing this, and recalling the treasure Feng Yanzhang had used earlier, Chu Ning had a pretty good idea of what he was dealing with.
"Have you been grave-robbing before?" Chu Ning asked bluntly.
Feng Yanzhang gave an embarrassed smile. "To be honest, Senior, my family has been in this business for generations. By chance, I obtained a cultivation method, and coupled with my spiritual root talent, I was able to embark on the path of cultivation. I continued the family trade, but I mostly search for caves and burial sites left behind by cultivators. It's a waste to leave such treasures buried underground."
Chu Ning didn't respond to this. He wasn't particularly interested in Feng Yanzhang's background. In this world of cultivators, where they constantly struggled against heaven and earth and against humans and demons, few were truly virtuous.
Although Chu Ning himself hadn't deliberately engaged in grave-robbing, he had benefited from the knowledge and treasures passed down by his senior cultivators.
As long as Feng Yanzhang's speculation was somewhat accurate and the place did contain a Cold Marrow Pearl, that was all that mattered.
The two men couldn't be considered close acquaintances, and they didn't have much interaction during the journey.
Ice Crown Mountain was located in a very remote area of Han Yan Continent. It took them several days of flying from Han Yan City to reach the heart of Ice Crown Mountain.
The icy chill in this place was no less intense than what Chu Ning had experienced in the depths of the Snow Mist Valley. However, without the enhancement of spatial energy, there were no raging blizzards here.
With his Ice-Fire Silk Armor and his strong cultivation, Chu Ning was unaffected by the cold.
What surprised Chu Ning slightly was that Feng Yanzhang, who was flying beside him, also seemed to be coping well with the freezing environment, indicating that he, too, possessed valuable treasures.
"Senior, we've arrived!"
As they approached a snow-capped peak, Feng Yanzhang pointed ahead and announced their arrival.
(End of Chapter)
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