https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-401-Refining-the-Mysterious-Icy-Flame-Blazing-Inferno-Scorches-the-Heavens/12550239/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-403-Striking-First-to-Avoid-a-Protracted-Fight/12550241/
Chapter 402: Stirring of Troubled Times
Chapter 402: Stirring of Troubled Times
Chu Ning quickly escorted Cen Zijin to the discussion hall, and soon after, the rest of the Golden Core elders arrived as well.
Yu Changge wore a solemn expression as he slowly addressed the group.
"We just received news from within the alliance. Yesterday, the Celestial Extreme Alliance attacked the White Heron Sect. When cultivators from Yunxiao City arrived, almost the entire sect had been wiped out, with only one late-stage Golden Core cultivator and a handful of others managing to escape."
Hearing this, everyone's faces turned grim.
The White Heron Sect was only considered mediocre in terms of strength within the Yunxiao Alliance, yet they had several Golden Core cultivators. Who would have thought that they would be destroyed in a single night?
"Why has the Celestial Extreme Alliance suddenly taken action against our Yunxiao Alliance? Don't they fear pushing us into an alliance with the Demon Path Alliance?"
Ge Liuyang was the first to voice his concern.
"We don't know for sure yet, but we can't rule out another possibility," Yu Changge said gravely.
"Although it's unlikely that these two major alliances would collaborate, we must consider the possibility that they may have reached some sort of tacit understanding."
"Do they intend to divide the Yunxiao Alliance between them?" Gong Yuyuan interjected.
Yu Changge nodded, and the atmosphere in the hall turned even heavier.
The Celestial Extreme Alliance and the Demon Path Alliance ranked first and third, respectively, among the Ten Great Alliances. If both of them were to take action against the Yunxiao Alliance, the situation would be dire indeed.
"Currently, there hasn't been any movement from the Demon Path Alliance, but we must prepare for all eventualities," Yu Changge continued.
"I have just received an order from the Alliance Leader. Each sect is required to send cultivators to Yunxiao City to stand guard.
Our sect needs to dispatch one Nascent Soul cultivator, three Golden Core cultivators, and a number of Foundation Establishment cultivators."
Yunxiao City was located on the southeast side of the Yunxiao Mountain Range and served as the main entrance to the mountain range.
Not far to the east lay the territory of the Celestial Extreme Alliance, and to the northwest was the domain of the Demon Path Alliance.
The White Heron Sect was situated on the eastern side, closest to the influence of the Celestial Extreme Alliance.
Yunxiao City was always guarded by Nascent Soul cultivators along with other cultivators from the various sects, who took turns maintaining order.
The sudden request for all sects to send cultivators was undoubtedly due to the escalating tension in the region.
"Then I shall go, of course!"
At this moment, Tang Xuan chuckled.
"If the Celestial Extreme Alliance dares to invade our alliance, I'll make sure to take a few of them down with me. It won't be a loss even if I, an old bag of bones, end up as cannon fodder."
Yu Changge fell into a brief silence before turning to Chu Ning.
"Chu Ning, this conflict may not be resolved quickly. You haven't been to Yunxiao City before.
I'd like to ask you to accompany Tang Xuan and get acquainted with the situation there. In the future, we may have to take turns stationed in the city.
What do you think?"
Upon hearing Yu Changge's words, Chu Ning immediately nodded in agreement.
"I have no objections. Tang Xuan, you can show me the way this time, and I can get to know some fellow cultivators as well. After all, I've only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul stage."
"Chu Ning is going too?" Tang Xuan frowned slightly upon hearing this.
However, his brow soon smoothed out again.
"Well, the conflict has just begun, and the Celestial Extreme Alliance won't be able to launch a large-scale attack on Yunxiao City right away.
Letting Chu Ning go there first won't be a problem."
The matter was quickly settled, and Tang Xuan and Chu Ning prepared to depart for Yunxiao City.
As for the Golden Core cultivators, Gong Yuyuan, Fu Lihong, and Qi Guangshou would be accompanying them.
Cen Zijin had wanted to join them, but both Yu Changge and Tang Xuan disagreed.
In Yu Changge's words, Cen Zijin and the others had only recently joined the sect, and it wouldn't be right to put them in harm's way.
Chu Ning also advised Cen Zijin to focus on cultivating and improving her cultivation level while they were away.
After all, they weren't sure what awaited them in Yunxiao City.
As for the Foundation Establishment cultivators, Chu Ning left the selection to the sect and didn't involve himself further.
On Tianlan Peak, Cen Zijin watched as Chu Ning collected the spirit liquid that had just been condensed by the Snow Crystal Formation. She cautioned, "Be extra careful in Yunxiao City. Although you've advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, you'll still be facing other Nascent Soul cultivators."
And since you've only recently formed your Nascent Soul, you might attract even more attention and become a target."
Chu Ning smiled at her and said, "Don't worry. Although I've been cultivating for a shorter time than most cultivators, my experiences are no less than theirs.
You know me; I always prioritize survival.
If things get too tough, I'll just run away."
Hearing Chu Ning's words, which were hardly befitting of a Nascent Soul cultivator, Cen Zijin couldn't help but laugh.
Her worries lessened a little as she knew that Chu Ning was more rational and cautious than her when it came to dealing with matters of life and death.
Chu Ning then took out a handful of talismans from his storage bag and handed them to Cen Zijin.
"The spirit liquid of the Frostbite Crystal is beneficial to both of our cultivations. These are some talismans I drew up, and they have the same effect as the Mysterious Youthful Spring Technique."
I'll be taking Bai Ling with me, as she might come in handy in emergencies. You can use these talismans daily to speed up the condensation of your spirit liquid."
"Alright!" Cen Zijing took the talismans and then reached into her storage bag, retrieving the shell of the Primordial Mystical Turtle.
"You should keep this with you. I won't have any use for it here in the sect."
Chu Ning had originally intended to leave the shell with Cen Zijing for protection, but he knew that she wouldn't be at ease unless he took it. So, he accepted it and kept it with him.
The Jiuhua Star Battleship, a precious treasure, would not be deployed at this time. Instead, the flying ship they were using was just an ordinary flying magical treasure.
Although it lacked strong offensive and defensive capabilities, its flying speed was not slow.
The flying ship was piloted by Gong Yuyuan, while Tang Xuan took this opportunity to inform Chu Ning about some renowned Nascent Soul cultivators within their alliance, as well as those he knew from the Celestial Extreme Alliance.
Previously, although Chu Ning had displayed the ability to withstand a Nascent Soul cultivator's attack, he was still a Golden Core cultivator back then.
Most of his interactions during that time were also with cultivators at the same stage.
Now that he had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, he would be dealing with Nascent Soul cultivators from now on.
Needless to say, he was curious about the Nascent Soul cultivators within the Celestial Extreme Alliance, especially given the current situation, where both sides were likely to clash.
While the cultivators of the Yunxiao Alliance presented a united front externally, there were internal discord and factions within.
For instance, the Great Luo Sect held a grudge against the Jiuhua Sect.
And although other sects might not have as deep-rooted a history as these two, there were still varying degrees of closeness and distance among them.
"Within our Yunxiao Alliance, the strongest is undoubtedly our Alliance Leader, Qin Changkong. He entered the Nascent Soul stage hundreds of years ago and has since reached the late Nascent Soul stage. Aside from him, we have eight Nascent Soul cultivators at the mid-stage, with two from the Guiyuan Sect..."
With Tang Xuan's introduction, Chu Ning gained a general understanding of the Nascent Soul cultivators within the Yunxiao Alliance.
At this point, Chu Ning asked, "Elder Tang, how many ancient treasures are there within our Top Ten Alliances?"
"Not many!" Tang Xuan quickly shook his head.
"The knowledge and materials required to forge ancient treasures with significant power have long been lost in the Western Alliance Continent. While various sects have passed down some ancient treasures, years of consumption and damage have left us with very few."
Tang Xuan paused before continuing, "Excluding those that the sects might be hiding for future use, there are no more than ten known ancient treasures within our Yunxiao Alliance."
"Ten?" Chu Ning was slightly surprised by this number.
Misinterpreting Chu Ning's expression as one of disbelief, Tang Xuan quickly explained, "While there have been changes within the sects of the Yunxiao Alliance, they have nonetheless been around for many years. Take our Jiuhua Sect, for example. Despite our decline, we still possess one complete and one incomplete ancient treasure. As for the Great Luo Sect, who has been eyeing our sect, they may very well have designs on our ancient treasures."
Hearing Tang Xuan's words, Chu Ning realized that the elder might have misunderstood his intention. However, he didn't bother to clarify and instead felt even more assured.
The number Tang Xuan provided was, of course, inaccurate. Each sect likely had a few hidden treasures, but even if one were to double the count, the dozens of sects within the Yunxiao Alliance would collectively possess around twenty ancient treasures.
And Chu Ning, by himself, possessed two.
With this thought, he felt that he was relatively well-equipped for self-preservation, even among Nascent Soul cultivators.
Chu Ning inquired further and learned about several well-known ancient treasures within the Yunxiao Alliance and the Celestial Extreme Alliance.
As they chatted, time passed by swiftly.
Several days later, the spirit ship had reached a point just a thousand miles away from Yunxiao City.
"We'll arrive at Yunxiao City after traveling a bit further. The arrays and formations within the city were also constructed with significant contributions from our Jiuhua Sect during its heyday."
There was a hint of pride in Tang Xuan's voice as he spoke.
Chu Ning nodded, about to respond, when his gaze suddenly shifted to the west.
"What's wrong?" Tang Xuan asked, his spiritual sense not as keen as Chu Ning's.
However, he soon sensed something and furrowed his brows, a grave expression on his face.
"Be cautious, Chu Ning. We're about to pass by the Ling Beast Valley."
Ling Beast Valley.
Chu Ning wasn't very familiar with the sects of the Yunxiao Alliance, so he hadn't recognized it at first. But upon hearing Tang Xuan's warning, he understood the reason for the elder's expression.
The Ling Beast Valley didn't have any exceptionally young and talented Golden Core cultivators, which was why they hadn't sent anyone to participate in the Guiyuan Sect's competition. As a result, Chu Ning hadn't interacted with anyone from this sect.
However, the sect did have two Nascent Soul cultivators, both of whom were quite famous within the Yunxiao Alliance.
One of them, in particular, was among the eight mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators of the alliance.
Of course, if that were all there was to it, Tang Xuan wouldn't have looked so concerned.
The more critical issue was that the Ling Beast Valley had been on friendly terms with the Great Luo Sect for the past few hundred years. It was one of the sects within the Yunxiao Alliance that didn't get along well with the Jiuhua Sect.
Just as this thought crossed Chu Ning's mind, the cultivators from the Ling Beast Valley drew closer.
Soon, a voice called out, "Are you friends from the Jiuhua Sect up ahead?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
