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Chapter 356: Wood Spirit Seed
Chapter 356: Wood Spirit Seed
Chu Ning retraced his path, flying back the way he had come.
Soon, he arrived at the spot where he had previously fought the bald man.
He came to a halt.
In his haste to pursue the bald man, he hadn't paid close attention to whether there were any other traces left behind.
However, as he carefully sensed the area now, he discovered something amiss.
At the spot where the bald man's physical body had been destroyed, there was now a ball of greenish light.
This ball of light was brimming with spiritual energy, and the aura it emitted was very familiar to Chu Ning.
"Wood Spirit Seed?"
Chu Ning's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the green light.
With a casual gesture, he captured the green ball of light in his hand.
He examined it closely, a puzzled expression on his face.
The aura emanating from this green ball of light was identical to the woody spiritual essence he had refined before, and it was indeed overflowing with spiritual energy, leaving no doubt that it was a Wood Spirit Seed.
However, to Chu Ning, the aura seemed incomplete.
"Could it be that this Wood Spirit Seed is incomplete because it was refined by that person?"
As Chu Ning was puzzling over this, the green ball of light suddenly drilled into his body.
Having encountered the Gold Spirit Seed before, he wasn't too surprised by this development.
He examined his body's internal state and found that the seed had lodged itself in his dantian, which didn't seem abnormal.
Thus, he didn't find it strange.
The only thing that puzzled him was still the aura of the spirit seed.
His Gold Spirit Seed had also been refined, yet its aura remained intact.
In comparison, the aura of this Wood Spirit Seed gave Chu Ning the distinct impression of being fragmented and incomplete.
Chu Ning couldn't fathom the reason for this, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
After ensuring that there was nothing else unusual about the scene, he left directly and continued his pursuit of the Yaochi Palace group.
...
"Sister Cen, don't worry. Fellow Daoist Chu has vast capabilities, and he will be fine," Cheng Qinghui said reassuringly to Cen Zikin, who kept looking back.
Cen Zikin sighed softly.
"Although he has remarkable abilities, that person is still a Nascent Soul cultivator. It won't be easy for him to shake off a Nascent Soul cultivator, no matter how good his defensive tortoise shell is."
In Cen Zikin's opinion, the tortoise shell was probably Chu Ning's biggest source of confidence.
After all, she had seen Chu Ning use it to withstand the bald man's attack.
Hearing Cen Zikin's words, Cheng Qinghui was at a loss for words.
As a late-stage Golden Core cultivator herself, she was well aware of the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
In the cultivation world, a Nascent Soul cultivator was a formidable existence that could serve as the pillar of a medium-sized sect.
Otherwise, Yaochi Palace wouldn't have suffered such a calamity after losing their Nascent Soul cultivator.
Cen Zikin's gaze shifted to the back, and a hint of calmness appeared in her clear and refreshing eyes.
"Sister Cheng, you're right. He won't be in danger."
"Eighty years ago, we met in Qianhu Qiandao, and neither of us could see our future paths clearly.
Neither of us dared to reveal our true feelings, and we parted ways for eighty years.
Fate has been kind to us, allowing us to reunite during my most perilous moment eighty years later. Surely, it won't be so cruel as to separate us so easily."
The female cultivators of Yaochi Palace looked at Cen Zikin, understanding flashing in their eyes.
They had long guessed that the relationship between Chu Ning and Cen Zikin was extraordinary, but with Cen Zikin's candid admission, there was no need for further speculation.
"Sister Cen, only a talented person like Fellow Daoist Chu is worthy of you," Cheng Qinghui said with emotion.
Cen Zikin shook her head. "I didn't know he had such talent back then.
When we first met in Qianhu Qiandao, I had already formed my Golden Core, while he was still a Qi Refining cultivator."
Hearing this, a female cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage couldn't help but ask curiously, "Senior Sister Cen, what exactly attracted you to this Chu senior?"
Cen Zikin smiled. "It's just... him."
At these words, several female cultivators from Yaochi Palace looked bewildered.
Her words seemed rather incomprehensible to them.
However, Cen Zikin didn't offer any further explanation.
The next moment, she suddenly raised her head, her eyes looking back, a hint of joy flashing across her face.
Cheng Qinghui and Ge Dan also did the same.
Cheng Qinghui even stopped the bone boat.
"Fellow Daoist Chu has caught up!"
At this moment, Chu Ning didn't bother to conceal his presence. As he drew closer, several Golden Core cultivators sensed his approach.
Soon, a dazzling escape light appeared in the distance and quickly approached the bone boat.
It was Chu Ning.
Although he had pursued the bald cultivator earlier, the Eight Trigrams Flying Wheel was extremely fast.
Knowing the direction they were heading, he had chased after them.
Moreover, his spiritual sense was powerful, and although he couldn't match their flight path exactly, he had managed to catch up by relying on his wide-range spiritual sense.
Chu Ning landed on the bone boat and met Cen Zikin's concerned gaze. He smiled at her.
"Don't worry, I've shaken off that guy. He probably went in another direction."
Chu Ning didn't mention in front of everyone that he had killed the bald cultivator.
After all, for a late-stage Golden Core cultivator to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator was truly astonishing and would be hard for them to believe.
He didn't want to reveal all his methods so easily.
"Mhm," Cen Zikin acknowledged softly.
Cheng Qinghui smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Chu, we're glad you're back. Sister Cen was so worried about you that she almost lost her soul."
Feeling the warmth of his hand, Cen Zikin's eyes sparkled with a hint of joy.
Turning to Cheng Qinghui, Chu Ning said, "Fellow Daoist Cheng, although I've led that demon away, the crisis isn't entirely averted. With so many of us riding on this bone boat, we're still too conspicuous. Moreover, since this boat belongs to the Purple Moon Sect, it might attract unwanted attention from other cultivators. Whether we encounter allies or foes of the Purple Moon Sect, it won't bode well for us."
Hearing Chu Ning's words, Cheng Qinghui nodded slightly, acknowledging the validity of his concerns. "Fellow Daoist Chu, what do you suggest we do?"
"I think we should split up," Chu Ning said, revealing the plan he had already formulated. "Fellow Daoist Cheng and Fellow Daoist Ge, each of you can take some cultivators and fly ahead. We're about to enter the Tianyi Mountains, which is a gathering place for righteous sects. As long as you're careful not to intrude on the territory of any sect, you should be safe."
As he spoke, Chu Ning's gaze shifted to Cen Zikin. "Zikin and I can go ahead first and take a look at Qianhu Qiandao. After all, Zikin has been there thirty years ago, but we don't know the current situation. Moreover, we'll need some time to repair the teleportation formation. We'll wait for you at a location outside Qianhu Qiandao."
"I have no objections," Cheng Qinghui readily agreed.
The others naturally had no objections as well, and they quickly jumped off the bone boat.
Chu Ning handed the bone boat over to Cheng Qinghui, just in case she needed it later. He then summoned a golden thunder eagle from his spirit beast bag.
"Fellow Daoist Cheng, Fellow Daoist Ge, Zikin and I will take our leave first," Chu Ning said as he and Cen Zikin mounted the eagle and soared into the distance.
Cen Zikin wanted to say something but hesitated. It wasn't until they had flown about a hundred miles away that she finally spoke up. "Ning, are you worried that by leaving like this, I'll be putting Sister Cheng and the others in danger?"
Cen Zikin nodded, then sighed softly. "But I also know that what you said makes sense, and separating is for the best. I can't always expect you to hold back that Nascent Soul cultivator and put yourself in danger."
Hearing this, Chu Ning couldn't help but laugh. "Rest assured, that guy was a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Yin Demon Sect, and I've already killed him. He won't be coming after us again."
"What did you say?" Cen Zikin's eyes widened in shock.
Even though she had witnessed Chu Ning's prowess when he killed the late-stage Golden Core cultivator, hearing that he had slain a Nascent Soul cultivator still astonished her.
Escaping from a Nascent Soul cultivator was one thing, but killing one was entirely different.
Chu Ning smiled faintly and took out the Yellow Courtyard Seal from his storage bag. "That cultivator had only recently advanced to the early Nascent Soul stage. On the other hand, I possess this ancient treasure, which even Nascent Soul cultivators may not have. Its power is sufficient to rival an ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator."
"An ancient treasure?"
Cen Zikin's eyes fell upon the Yellow Courtyard Seal in Chu Ning's hand, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
Ancient treasures were incredibly rare, and not every Nascent Soul cultivator or major sect possessed them.
Many ancient sect ruins might never be discovered by modern cultivators, and even if they were, the treasures within might not see the light of day.
This was in stark contrast to the North Cold Land's Taixu Abyss, which appeared periodically.
Chu Ning proceeded to tell Cen Zikin about this ancient treasure and how he had discovered the Yin Demon Sect's mine, including his plan to divert their attention elsewhere.
Only then did Cen Zikin understand why Chu Ning was so confident in letting the group from Yaochi Palace go ahead.
"Chu Ning, thank you!" Cen Zikin took his hand in gratitude.
Chu Ning held her hand tightly and smiled. "From now on, we don't need to say such things between us."
Suddenly, he remembered something and turned to Cen Zikin. "By the way, there's something else I haven't told you. I actually came from the Qingxia Sect in the Qingxia Mountains of the East Saint Continent."
Indeed, this was the first time Cen Zikin had heard of this.
"The Qingxia Sect in the Qingxia Mountains? We'll be passing through there soon," Cen Zikin said.
Chu Ning nodded. "I didn't stay there for long, but since we'll be passing by the Qingxia Mountains, I thought I'd mention it."
Chu Ning then briefly recounted some of his experiences at the Qingxia Sect, including the Wood Spirit Seed realm and the reason for his departure. If he hadn't left, he might have ended up like the other cultivators who had absorbed the spiritual essence, handed over to the Yin Demon Sect.
After listening to his story, Cen Zikin suddenly spoke up. "Now that you mention it, I recall an incident from several decades ago that seemed to involve the Qingxia Sect. It caused quite a stir on the East Saint Continent, and even I heard about it in Yaochi Palace."
"Oh?" Chu Ning's eyes lit up with curiosity.
(End of Chapter)
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