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Chapter 385: Such Unscrupulous Individuals Exist
Chapter 385: Such Unscrupulous Individuals Exist
Just before Chu Ning wielded the Fire Spirit Sword, there was nothing in front of him.
But as the Fire Spirit Sword descended—
"Ding!"
A crisp sound rang out.
In the next moment, the spiritual powers of fire and water clashed and exploded!
Chu Ning's sword had somehow struck the brush-like treasure that Jiang Cheng had attacked with.
Although Jiang Cheng's treasure was not weak, under Chu Ning's Fire Spirit Sword strike, the water-attributed spiritual power on it instantly scattered.
Even the spiritual charm seemed to dim slightly.
This brush-like treasure had been nurtured and cultivated by Jiang Cheng for many years.
However, Chu Ning's Fire Spirit Sword was refined using a special method, incorporating rare and powerful materials like Black Xuan Gold and Xuanling Earth Crystal.
The power of the treasure itself was already superior.
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng's expression changed slightly, and he quickly made a hand seal.
The brush-like treasure whirled in the air before returning to his hand.
At the same time, Jiang Cheng's figure flickered, and he disappeared from his original spot once again.
When he reappeared, the brush-like treasure was no longer in his hand.
At this moment, Chu Ning remained calm and collected.
The Fire Spirit Sword flew out again, slashing directly to the right.
In the originally empty air, as the Fire Spirit Sword slashed down, a brush-like treasure shimmering with water-attributed spiritual energy suddenly appeared.
After the previous clash, Jiang Cheng dared not let the two treasures collide so directly again. He intended to use his spiritual sense to maneuver his treasure out of the way.
However, before he could act—
The Fire Spirit Sword, controlled by Chu Ning, suddenly accelerated and, in the blink of an eye, slashed onto the brush-like treasure once more.
The two spiritual powers collided and exploded, and although the brush-like treasure didn't shatter like Zong Daoping's jade ruler, its spiritual charm was visibly weakened after two consecutive strikes.
Jiang Cheng's face darkened, and he quickly retrieved his natal treasure, no longer daring to use it for direct attacks.
But Chu Ning was relentless. He made a hand seal with his fingers and pointed at Jiang Cheng, sending the Fire Spirit Sword after him.
Jiang Cheng was forced to continuously fly and dodge.
Relying on his strong spiritual sense, he barely managed to avoid each attack.
However, this caused the many cultivators watching the battle to click their tongues in astonishment.
"This Chu Ning has actually forced Jiang Cheng, the number one Golden Core cultivator of the Yunxiao Alliance, into a disadvantageous position!
Just how powerful is he?"
"Indeed, whether it's the power of his spells or the might of his treasure, he seems to surpass Jiang Cheng. It's truly unbelievable.
If Jiang Cheng wants to win, he'll either have to drag it out and deplete Chu Ning's spiritual power, or he'll have to rely on his spiritual sense or some other secret technique.
Being known as the number one Golden Core cultivator of the Yunxiao Alliance, Jiang Cheng must have some hidden tricks up his sleeve."
As the spectators discussed the battle, Jiang Cheng, after being continuously pressured by Chu Ning, finally made his move.
"It seems that Chu Ning mainly relies on the power of his spells and the might of his treasure, without any other stronger means of attack."
Jiang Cheng thought to himself.
"His spiritual sense is not weak either. From how he perceives my location and controls his treasure, his spiritual sense is probably not inferior to mine.
However, it definitely can't withstand my secret technique's attack."
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Jiang Cheng tapped his brush-like treasure a few times, triggering another wave of white waves toward Chu Ning's Fire Spirit Sword.
This slightly slowed down the Fire Spirit Sword's offensive.
Seizing this opportunity, Jiang Cheng stabilized his figure and began chanting obscure incantations, his brush tip moving swiftly to inscribe several profound and mysterious talismans in the air.
After completing these talismans, Jiang Cheng seemed to have weakened a little, but his eyes shone even brighter.
Just as Chu Ning's Fire Spirit Sword broke through his wave technique, Jiang Cheng pointed, and the talismans rushed toward Chu Ning.
At the same time, he flickered out of sight.
Among the cultivators watching from the sidelines, especially those like Yuan Xiaolu from Jinghua Valley who had fought Jiang Cheng before, their faces grew solemn.
On the viewing platform of the Guiyuan Sect, He Feng's eyes also flickered with a strange light.
"This Chu fellow is quite impressive. He's actually forced Jiang Cheng to use his spiritual sense secret technique."
"No wonder Chu wanted to compete for first place. Aside from Jiang Cheng, I'm afraid no one else can handle him." Jia Yumin sighed.
On the battlefield, a strange light also flashed in Chu Ning's eyes.
"A spiritual sense talisman attack?"
Chu Ning had seen some treasures in the Northern Cold Land that could attack with both spiritual power and spiritual sense.
However, most of them relied on the power of the treasure itself and often produced various sounds.
He had never seen a talisman attack like this one, which was condensed using a treasure.
"These talismans are similar to my God-Slaying Art; they can directly lock onto qi and their attack speed is much faster than a cultivator's escape technique.
So, under normal circumstances, there's no way to dodge them using an escape technique."
Since evading was not an option, Chu Ning decided not to bother trying.
Even without using his Secret God-Prohibiting Art, his current spiritual sense strength meant that Jiang Cheng's talismans couldn't inflict much damage on his spiritual sense.
And if he chose to use the Secret God-Prohibiting Art to reflect the attack, he could even inflict some spiritual damage on Jiang Cheng.
However, Chu Ning didn't plan to do that at the moment.
After all, this wasn't a life-or-death battle, and displaying a fraction of the Secret God-Prohibiting Art's power was already sufficient.
Thus, as the talismans rushed towards him, Chu Ning once again summoned the Fire Spirit Sword and sent it hurtling towards Jiang Cheng.
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng's eyes flickered, and he waved his brush-like treasure, unleashing several spells to counter the incoming sword.
"After being struck by the talisman attack, his spiritual sense will be damaged, and there's no way he can continue controlling that flying sword."
Jiang Cheng was certain that this exchange would decide the victor.
But the next moment, to his utter astonishment, the talismans did hit Chu Ning, yet he showed no reaction whatsoever.
The speed of the Fire Spirit Sword remained unaffected as it continued its relentless descent towards him!
"Did the talisman attack fail to affect his spiritual sense?"
Jiang Cheng's face finally betrayed a look of extreme shock.
As he watched, the crimson flying sword sliced through his spells and arrived before him in the blink of an eye.
At this point, Jiang Cheng didn't have time to ponder the reason.
He could only grit his teeth and wave his brush-like treasure to meet the sword.
However, the ensuing scene caused Jiang Cheng physical pain.
As the two treasures collided, the spiritual essence of his natal treasure faded away.
Although it wasn't damaged to the point of being unusable, it would take at least several years of nurturing and cultivation to restore its full power.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Suddenly, a gigantic flame spirit bird flew out from Chu Ning's sword, which had been held back just a moment ago, and charged straight at Jiang Cheng.
They were too close, and by the time Jiang Cheng sensed it, it was too late to dodge.
"Not good! I completely forgot about that move of his!"
Jiang Cheng inwardly cursed himself.
However, his reaction was swift. His spiritual power surged, and he immediately formed a powerful white defensive shield around his body.
This water-attributed shield should have been highly effective against fire-attributed spells.
But to Jiang Cheng's further astonishment, the shield offered almost no resistance.
With a single touch from the Blazing Sun Spirit Bird, it disintegrated instantly!
It couldn't even withstand a single breath's worth of time.
The next moment, an extremely scorching aura assailed him, as if it wanted to incinerate him entirely.
Jiang Cheng's expression changed in fear.
Then, he heaved a sigh of relief.
The spirit bird had stopped in mid-air and didn't pounce on him as he had expected.
Jiang Cheng knew that Chu Ning had intentionally held back, and his face twisted with complex emotions as he said, "Fellow Daoist Chu, your abilities are formidable. I concede defeat!"
Hearing this concession from Jiang Cheng, Chu Ning, who was still standing in his original spot, smiled faintly and made a hand seal.
The Blazing Sun Spirit Bird in the air swiftly dissipated and condensed into a thumb-sized flame that landed on the Fire Spirit Sword.
With this attack, Chu Ning had only used a wisp of earth vein essence fire, yet its power had increased by a whole level.
Jiang Cheng's defensive spell was completely ineffective against it.
Subsequently, Chu Ning waved his hand, and the Fire Spirit Sword flew back to him and disappeared from view.
His calm and collected demeanor caused everyone present to turn and look at him with astonishment.
"This Chu Ning has such extraordinary abilities. He's just entered the late Golden Core stage, yet he forced the late Golden Core pinnacle cultivator, Jiang Cheng, to admit defeat!"
"The talismans Jiang Cheng used earlier seemed to be some sort of spiritual sense secret technique, but they had no effect on Chu Ning at all.
Chu Ning's abilities are truly beyond our expectations."
"Starting today, the title of the number one Golden Core cultivator in the Yunxiao Alliance will have to change hands!"
The crowd of cultivators discussed the battle animatedly, and even on the viewing platform of the Great Law Sect, Du Xianming's face turned solemn.
"Daoist Ping losing is not unjust. I never expected that after Yu Changle, the Nine Brilliance Sect would produce another such powerful Golden Core cultivator."
At this moment, Ao Xuan's expression was dazed, as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just witnessed.
With this level of strength, the only ones in the Great Law Sect who could pose a threat to Chu Ning were the two Nascent Soul cultivators.
A hint of loneliness flashed in Jiang Cheng's eyes, but it quickly faded as he cupped his hands toward Chu Ning and said, "Chu, your talents and achievements have surpassed mine, and I wholeheartedly acknowledge your victory."
Chu Ning responded with a slight bow. "Thank you, Jiang, for your gracious concession."
Chu Ning didn't indulge in excessive pleasantries, as he wasn't one for sentimental displays. Moreover, he had only displayed a fraction of his true abilities, so he felt he had earned this victory.
Nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for Jiang Cheng. Especially that secret technique using the talismans, its offensive power was truly remarkable, and if it weren't for Chu Ning's unique circumstances, even a late-stage Golden Core cultivator at their peak might not have been able to withstand it.
Jiang Cheng cupped his hands once more and took his leave without another word, flying away from the high platform.
It was only then that Lu Yuezhang, the Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator from Guiyuan Sect, flew up to the platform. After giving Chu Ning a meaningful glance, he announced the results: "The winner of this competition and the first-place holder is Chu Ning from Jiuhua Sect!
"According to the rules, Chu, you may bring one cultivator with you to enter the forbidden area and consume the Universal Tree's spirit fruit. However, please remember that this cultivator must be a member of the Yunxiao Alliance."
Chu Ning promptly replied, "The person I intend to bring is an Elder from my sect."
"That is perfectly acceptable," Lu Yuezhang nodded.
"All cultivators who have earned a spot, please gather here again tomorrow morning. A Nascent Soul cultivator from our alliance will lead you to the site."
"Thank you, Senior!" Chu Ning bowed in gratitude.
Just as he was about to fly away from the platform, a voice abruptly rang out.
"Hold on!"
The crowd turned to look at the viewing platform of the Daluo Sect, from where the voice had originated.
It was none other than Du Xianming who had spoken up.
"Lu Daoist, I believe Jiuhua Sect's approach is inappropriate. Their so-called Elder is someone who joined the sect just a year ago. How can we be sure of their identity? What if they are sent by another alliance to take advantage of our resources? In that case, wouldn't we be giving away the Universal Fruit to outsiders?"
As Du Xianming spoke, he pointed at Cen Ziqin, who was standing on the Jiuhua Sect's viewing platform.
He continued, "Moreover, if we set this precedent, in the future, other sects might recruit a powerful Golden Core cultivator right before the competition. If that happens, the Universal Fruit, a heavenly treasure unique to our Yunxiao Alliance, will no longer be exclusively ours."
Upon hearing Du Xianming's words, the various cultivators in the audience began to discuss the matter animatedly.
While everyone understood his intentions, stemming from the conflict between the two sects, no one openly voiced their agreement.
However, it was evident that many cultivators in the crowd did find his argument persuasive.
On the high platform, Lu Yuezhang didn't immediately respond. Instead, he fell into a thoughtful silence, appearing to carefully consider Du Xianming's words.
Seeing this, a glint flashed in Du Xianming's eyes.
With Chu Ning claiming the top spot, it was the Guiyuan Sect that stood to lose, so surely they wouldn't continue to favor him.
"I never expected that there would be such unscrupulous individuals within the Yunxiao Alliance."
At that moment, a calm voice suddenly rang out from the high platform, causing a stir among the crowd.
A chilling glint flashed in Du Xianming's eyes, and he leaped into the air, making his way toward the platform.
Tang Xuan, from another viewing platform, was equally swift in his response, flying toward them as well.
However, what surprised many was that Tang Xuan didn't stand by Chu Ning's side but instead positioned himself next to him.
It seemed that he was ready to act at the first sign of any aggression from Du Xianming, but he didn't directly aid Chu Ning in withstanding the pressure.
A flicker of curiosity crossed Lu Yuezhang's eyes as he watched this unfold.
He remained passive, as if he would only intervene if the situation escalated beyond a certain point.
Du Xianming exuded a formidable aura, the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator bearing down on Chu Ning.
His tone was icy as he asked, "What did you just say?"
Yet, despite the oppressive aura, Chu Ning remained unperturbed, his voice as calm as ever as he replied, "I said, the Daluo Sect is despicable!"
(End of Chapter)
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