Chapter 342: The Droplet, Ambushing the Nascent Soul

Chapter 342: The Droplet, Ambushing the Nascent Soul

With no option to use Fireball, Chu Ning decided to ignore it for now.

He took the storage bags from the three cultivators and continued upward.

The pressure from the Origin Power grew more intense.

After ascending another thousand feet, even Chu Ning felt an immense pressure bearing down on him.

"Why is the oppressive force of this Origin Power so strong?"

Chu Ning was genuinely surprised.

On Wu Ling Island, within the forbidden Beast Mountain, the pressure had also been overwhelming.

However, the pressure there had come from spatial power, and upon entering the valley, it had been filled with Origin Power, but it hadn't felt as oppressive as this.

Now, with a stronger physical body than before, Chu Ning still felt this immense pressure.

This truly astonished him.

Chu Ning decided to activate his Undying Golden Body's protection, and only then did he feel a slight reduction in the burden of the oppressive force.

After continuing upward for about a hundred feet, just as Chu Ning felt that the oppressive force had reached its peak, he passed through a passage, and his surroundings suddenly opened up.

Before him lay a massive cave, much larger than the one where he had obtained his first Origin Stone.

There were cave openings above and below, and he had emerged from the lower one.

On the other side of the cave, there was another opening, and behind it seemed to be another passage.

As soon as Chu Ning stepped into the cave, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to a corner.

There was a deep well-like structure, only about five feet in size, and at the well's mouth was a visible vortex.

Tendrils of Origin Power surged out from the vortex.

They filled the entire cave and then poured downward into the lower passage.

"So, this is the source of the pressure!"

Chu Ning curiously sized up the vortex but hesitated to approach it.

The pressure near the vortex was immense, and Chu Ning felt that even his physical body might not be able to withstand it.

"Hmm? There seems to be something within that vortex..."

As Chu Ning stared directly at the vortex, a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

Within the vortex, something seemed to be jumping along with it, but it couldn't seem to escape the well's mouth.

After some hesitation, Chu Ning cautiously moved closer to the vortex.

Indeed, as he drew nearer, the oppressive force of the Origin Power intensified.

When he was about ten feet away from the vortex of Origin Power, the weight on his body became crushing, and Chu Ning felt as if his body would be flattened.

"What kind of incredible effects would cultivating the Nine Transforming Body Refining Art have in a place like this?"

Chu Ning wondered to himself.

Unconsciously, he began to practice the Nine Transforming Body Refining Art, even though he couldn't use his spiritual power.

But just going through the motions of the art, Chu Ning could feel his physical body strengthening.

The tempering effect of this Origin Power was far superior to that of thunder power.

After practicing the Nine Transforming Body Refining Art once, Chu Ning immediately felt the oppressive force around him lessen significantly.

He cautiously stepped forward, and without realizing it, he had moved one step closer to the vortex.

At this moment, Chu Ning felt that the oppressive force had once again exceeded the limit of what his body could bear.

So, he stopped and practiced the Nine Transforming Body Refining Art again.

Sure enough, he felt the pressure lessen, and he took another step forward.

He repeated this process, and at first, after practicing the Nine Transforming Body Refining Art once, he could take a full step closer.

But later, he could only manage half a step.

After practicing the art over ten times, Chu Ning finally reached the vortex.

"The Origin Power here is incredibly strong."

Chu Ning marveled inwardly, his gaze falling on the center of the Origin Power vortex.

Within it, he saw a huge, transparent droplet!

The droplet danced within the vortex, like a sprite in a storm, full of vitality and grace.

It seemed as if the massive vortex were dancing just for this droplet.

It gave Chu Ning a subtle feeling.

It seemed as if every tendril of Origin Power erupting from the vortex had a strand seeping into the droplet.

"What is this? Could it be that the Tai Xu Sect has also researched and mastered Origin Power, and they're collecting it like they do with the Myriad Year Spirit Milk?

Or is the Origin Power here so abundant that it condensed into this droplet?"

Various thoughts flashed through Chu Ning's mind, and after a moment's hesitation, he reached out his hand and cautiously extended it into the vortex.

As soon as he made contact with the vortex, Chu Ning felt a tremendous pulling force on his arm, as if it would be twisted to pieces.

Fortunately, his Undying Golden Body endured the force, and his hand involuntarily moved deeper into the vortex.

What surprised Chu Ning was that when he truly extended his hand into the vortex, he didn't feel any pressure at all.

The periphery of the vortex was incredibly violent, but its center was calm.

Chu Ning carefully moved his hand closer to the droplet and then gently touched it with his finger.

A wondrous sensation, difficult to describe, came from his fingertip.

But there was no discomfort.

Without hesitation, Chu Ning grabbed the droplet.

The next moment, Chu Ning was astonished to find that the droplet-like object had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

And he vaguely felt something drilling into his body.

"This thing entered my body?"

Chu Ning was taken aback and carefully sensed his body.

Indeed, he felt a subtle energy moving within him.

Aside from that, however, he felt no discomfort.

Chu Ning breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Yet, a tinge of worry lingered in his heart.

Although he didn't know the exact name of the droplet, it was evidently formed from Origin Power.

For now, it didn't seem to have any impact on his body.

But what if his spiritual power recovered after he left this place? Or what if, due to the suppression of this thing, his spiritual power would become unusable once he left this area?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Chu Ning's brows furrowed slightly.

He glanced at the vortex again, but it showed no signs of change after the droplet-like object had vanished.

On the contrary, Chu Ning felt that its oppressive force had diminished somewhat.

It was as if, after absorbing that object into his body, his ability to withstand the oppressive force of the Origin Power had also improved.

He looked at the vortex once more, its depths shrouded in darkness, revealing nothing.

Chu Ning turned and retraced his steps out of the vortex.

Then, he surveyed the cave, and in the dim light, he spotted five or six Origin Stones.

In terms of size, none of them were smaller than the first one he had obtained at the bottom of the lower cave.

One of them was even as big as three clenched fists.

Given the abundance of Origin Power in this place, Chu Ning wasn't surprised by this discovery.

He could even sense that every stone in this cave seemed to contain a trace of Origin Power.

However, the concentration wasn't high enough for them to form Origin Stones.

But with the continuous permeation of Origin Power, it was highly possible that they would eventually transform into Origin Stones.

After collecting the Origin Stones, Chu Ning made his way to another cave entrance in the same cave.

As soon as he stepped into the passage, he felt the oppressive force of the Origin Power lessen significantly.

However, it still lingered, and his spiritual power remained unusable.

As he continued forward, the Origin Power grew increasingly sparse, and the oppressive force gradually weakened.

Chu Ning also noticed that the probability of finding Origin Stones decreased.

After walking for nearly two thousand feet, he had only found two small Origin Stones.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, as Chu Ning turned a bend in the passage, his heart stirred with a sudden realization.

The Origin Power had disappeared! His spiritual sense and spiritual power instantly returned to his perception, causing him to pause in his tracks.

He turned back to look at the bend, then took a step back, and as he entered the bend again, he indeed felt the presence of Origin Power, and his spiritual power and spiritual sense once again vanished.

"This place is truly mysterious. The boundary between Origin Power and celestial spiritual energy is so clearly defined."

Chu Ning was filled with curiosity and confusion. He tried to examine the stone walls at the bend but found nothing unusual.

However, he did discover a tiny Origin Stone, no larger than a fingernail.

After studying it for a while without gaining any new insights, Chu Ning decided to stop lingering and continued along the passage.

"Little one, where did you just come from? I suddenly couldn't sense the presence of celestial spiritual energy, and even sending you a spiritual message seemed impossible."

At that moment, the giant tortoise's voice echoed in his mind, laced with confusion.

Chu Ning's heart stirred as he replied using spiritual transmission, "Senior Turtle, I just entered a place after exiting the inner hall of the Tai Xu Temple, and I suddenly encountered some kind of suppressive force that rendered my spiritual power and spiritual sense unusable."

Chu Ning didn't immediately mention Origin Power because he wasn't sure if the giant tortoise was aware of it.

"Oh, you mean that place?"

The giant tortoise's voice sounded, and the confusion in its tone vanished.

"I've heard cultivators mention it before. There's a place like that in the Tai Xu Abyss.

It seems the Tai Xu Sect spent quite some effort researching that power in the past, but they didn't gain much from it."

As Chu Ning listened to the giant tortoise's words, his heart stirred, and he asked, "Senior Turtle, then what exactly is that power?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know either," the giant tortoise replied casually.

"I've been to quite a few places, but that was many years ago.

After that, I was trapped in the Tai Xu Abyss, so I might not know much more about the outside world than you do."

Upon hearing the giant tortoise's words, Chu Ning didn't continue the conversation.

He could be certain that Origin Power hadn't appeared later on.

After all, on Wu Ling Island, Jiu Yan had already come into contact with it.

And he was one of the first batch of cultivators who had ascended tens of thousands of years ago.

As for the giant tortoise not knowing about it, perhaps he truly hadn't encountered it before.

Chu Ning traveled another thousand feet and finally exited through a cave opening.

The view before him opened up, but his face betrayed his surprise.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but swirling snow, and a chilling force swept over him.

Even Chu Ning couldn't help but feel momentarily overwhelmed.

What truly astonished him, however, was the faint sense of familiarity he felt with this place.

"Could this be the Snow Mist Valley?"

Chu Ning pondered, feeling more and more convinced that it was a strong possibility.

The arched passage he had just walked through corresponded to the passage of Origin Power, and the cave he had reached earlier was filled with Origin Power.

Moreover, he had explored several caves in the depths of Snow Mist Valley before.

Could it be that the other passages led to places similar to the space power and fire spirit power he had encountered before?

Furthermore, there was no blizzard inside the cave, but outside, it raged fiercely.

Additionally, when he was on Yun Yin Island, Di Yan had mentioned that he had once found an Origin Stone in a cave deep within the Snow Mist Valley.

The howling wind and snow obscured spiritual sense, so he didn't have to worry too much about that. What truly concerned him was what awaited beyond the blizzard.

This kind of blizzard had barely affected Chu Ning thirty years ago, and now that his cultivation had progressed even further, he could handle it with ease.

Using the Wind Escape technique, it didn't take long for Chu Ning to escape the blizzard's reach.

"As expected, it's Snow Mist Valley."

As he lifted his eyes, a vaguely familiar scene came into view, and Chu Ning no longer hesitated, quickly flying towards the valley entrance.

After flying for several dozen miles, Chu Ning's expression changed slightly.

Behind him, two beams of escaping light were rapidly approaching. Moreover, their escape technique was far superior to his.

"Nascent Soul cultivators!"

Chu Ning hardly needed to think to know that the incoming cultivators were probably Nascent Soul cultivators who had also exited the Tai Xu Abyss.

There was no way he could outrun them with his escape technique.

Chu Ning didn't delude himself into thinking that because he had taken advantage of the oppressive force of the Origin Power to kill three Nascent Soul cultivators in that mountain cave, he now had the confidence to face them head-on.

As for the giant tortoise's promise to lend a hand, it was best to save that for a more critical moment, especially since he didn't know what other situations lay ahead as they neared the valley entrance.

Hide!

Taking advantage of the fact that his Soul Hiding Technique hadn't been detected yet, Chu Ning quickly landed on the ground and then directly used the Earth Shadow Escape Technique to burrow underground.

Soon enough, Chu Ning sensed two formidable auras passing overhead.

Sounds of fighting intermittently reached his ears.

Faintly, he also heard two voices.

"Qiu Qi, hand over the treasure. Do you really think you can escape the pursuit of the Long Kong Temple?"

"Lu Xue Dao, has your Long Kong Temple become so brazen? Even if I, Qiu Qi, didn't obtain any treasures, you would still rob me just because you didn't get any yourself?"

"Could it be Lu Xue Dao and Qiu Qi?"

Chu Ning's heart skipped a beat as he hid underground, his expression unreadable.

He knew that either of these two would definitely try to kill him if they saw him.

Lu Xue Dao would definitely interrogate him.

As for Qiu Qi, who had suddenly attacked him before they entered the inner hall, Chu Ning certainly hadn't forgotten about him.

Chu Ning stayed hidden underground for the time it took to drink a cup of tea before finally resurfacing.

He then continued flying towards the valley entrance.

Along the way, Chu Ning occasionally sensed the presence of Nascent Soul cultivators.

With the mindset of hiding whenever possible, he would immediately burrow underground whenever he detected them.

Combined with his Yin Wood Spirit Body and Soul Hiding Technique, he managed to evade detection, even impressing the giant tortoise in his beast bag.

"Little one, your stealth skills are quite impressive.

My Turtle Breath Technique can only achieve what you've done, and I can even hide from Nascent Soul cultivators."

Chu Ning's heart stirred as he heard the giant tortoise's praise, and he asked, "Senior Turtle, can you sense me too?"

"Being inside your beast bag, I'm naturally aware of your presence. I only vaguely sensed you after carefully probing with my spiritual sense.

If not for that, I might not have been able to find you at all. Hmm, what kind of technique is this?"

"It's an ancient secret technique that I obtained by chance," Chu Ning replied casually.

Then he looked forward. In less than a hundred miles, he would reach the valley entrance.

However, thinking of the numerous Nascent Soul cultivators who had already gone ahead, Chu Ning didn't dare to release his spiritual sense to probe, unsure of what awaited him.

Just as Chu Ning was thinking this, his gaze flickered, and at that moment, a beam of escaping light was flying towards him.

"Why is someone coming in from the outside?"

Chu Ning was puzzled and was about to hide again when the giant tortoise's spiritual sense transmission suddenly sounded in his ear.

"Little one, the person flying towards us seems to be that fellow who attacked you in the inner hall.

Also, it seems he encountered some trouble, as only his Nascent Soul is escaping."

Hearing the giant tortoise's words, Chu Ning paused for a moment.

"Qiu Qi? His physical body was destroyed, and only his Nascent Soul escaped?

Senior Turtle, are there any other Nascent Soul cultivators behind him?"

After the giant tortoise replied that there weren't, Chu Ning used his spiritual sense to scan the area.

Then a complex expression appeared on his face.

Using his spiritual sense, Chu Ning indeed saw Qiu Qi's Nascent Soul riding a trigrams flying wheel, heading in his direction.

Unexpectedly, this mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator still had his treasure despite his physical body being destroyed.

If Qiu Qi were in his normal state, Chu Ning wouldn't even consider hiding and would just flee immediately.

After all, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was far beyond what he could handle.

But since his opponent was only a Nascent Soul, even with a treasure in hand, the amount of power he could exert was limited.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Chu Ning used the Phantom Escape technique, vanishing into a cloud with the ancient treasure dagger in hand, his Yin Wood Spirit Body and Soul Hiding Technique continuing to conceal his aura.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end