Chapter 406: Instantly Killing a Nascent Soul Cultivator
Chapter 406: Instantly Killing a Nascent Soul Cultivator
"Fellow Daoist Chu, this matter is of great significance. As we cannot be certain if it's just Ao Langtian or the entire Da Luo Zong that has connections with the Demon Path Alliance, I hope you will refrain from discussing this with others for the time being." After some contemplation, Qin Changkong spoke to Chu Ning.
Chu Ning readily agreed.
Qin Changkong immediately continued, "However, as a precaution, we should also send other cultivators to the sects near the Demon Path Alliance. We must guard against the Demon Path Alliance taking advantage of our inaction while we focus on the Heavenly Extremity Alliance."
Chu Ning remained silent regarding the alliance's arrangements.
In fact, the reason he hadn't mentioned Ao Langtian's interaction with the Black Cloud Sect cultivator to the others before was that he himself wasn't sure if it was just Ao Langtian's personal pursuit for the Golden Spirit Plant or if the entire Da Luo Zong was colluding with the Demon Path Alliance.
However, during the discussion in the hall earlier, the Da Luo Zong had voiced their opinion in favor of forming an alliance with the Demon Path Alliance. This prompted Chu Ning to decide to inform Qin Changkong and the others about what he knew.
At that moment, Qin Changkong suddenly spoke up, "Fellow Daoist Chu, we would like to invite you to go to Tian Yu Pavilion. What do you think?"
Tian Yu Pavilion was a medium-sized sect within the Yun Xiao Alliance, comparable in strength to the previous Jiu Hua Zong. The sect possessed a Nascent Soul cultivator and several Golden Core cultivators.
Due to its proximity to the Demon Path Alliance's territory, no Nascent Soul cultivator had been dispatched to Yun Xiao City beforehand. This was a precautionary measure taken by the alliance, indicating their wariness of the Demon Path Alliance.
"Tian Yu Pavilion?" Chu Ning nodded in response to Qin Changkong's invitation; he had no objections.
After all, having come to Yun Xiao City, he was prepared to contribute to the alliance's efforts. In fact, he preferred the idea of facing off against the Demon Path Alliance over the Heavenly Extremity Alliance. His Undying Golden Body had a certain degree of effectiveness in countering demonic cultivation techniques.
At this point, Qin Changkong turned to Tang Xuan and said, "Fellow Daoist Tang, in that case, I would like to ask you to stay in the city for a while. We will tell others that Fellow Daoist Chu has returned to the sect first."
"If Fellow Daoist Chu goes alone, won't it be too risky in case the Demon Path Alliance really launches an attack?" Tang Xuan hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
Hearing this, Qin Changkong laughed and reassured him, "Fellow Daoist Tang, rest assured. Wu Changdong and other fellow Daoists from Yun Ling Zong are outside the city. Fellow Daoist Chu will be able to meet up with Wu Daoist."
"Wu Daoist?" Tang Xuan was slightly surprised to hear the name Wu Changdong. "Isn't he the one who has been in seclusion for many years?"
Wu Changdong from Yun Ling Zong was another mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in the Yun Xiao Alliance. In terms of strength, he was slightly superior to the current deputy alliance leaders and was rumored to be very close to the late Nascent Soul stage. However, Wu Changdong preferred solitude and was a reclusive cultivator, hence he didn't hold the title of deputy alliance leader. Moreover, he had been in seclusion and unseen by outsiders for over a hundred years, causing many cultivators in the Yun Xiao Alliance to forget about him.
"Wu Daoist has recently emerged from seclusion. He can be considered one of our alliance's trump cards," Qin Changkong explained briefly.
It seemed that Qin Changkong and the others had already made preparations against the Demon Path Alliance. Chu Ning's information had only made them more vigilant.
Upon hearing that Wu Changdong, a well-known mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, was present, Tang Xuan felt much more relieved.
Qin Changkong then took out a talisman from his storage bag and, after briefly explaining the situation, handed it to Chu Ning. "Fellow Daoist Chu, Wu Changdong and the others are at Yun Qi Mountain, located 5,000 li west of Yun Xiao City. Take this sound transmission talisman and go to them. Wu Daoist will understand what to do next."
"Alright!" Chu Ning took the talisman and stored it in his bag.
After some further discussion, Chu Ning and Tang Xuan left the hall. They first returned to the courtyard where the Jiu Hua Zong cultivators were staying, and after bidding farewell to the other cultivators, Chu Ning flew out of the city.
The cultivators from Jiu Hua Zong were surprised that Chu Ning was the one leaving first instead of Tang Xuan, but since it was a decision made by Nascent Soul cultivators, no one questioned it.
Chu Ning arrived at the city gate, where Sun Zhiyuan from Tian Yin Pavilion was still on duty. Seeing Chu Ning heading out of the city, Sun Zhiyuan was a little taken aback.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, where are you..." Sun Zhiyuan trailed off, unsure.
"I'm returning to the sect," Chu Ning smiled.
"Since Fellow Daoist Tang is staying here, I already know the way, so I'll be heading back to the sect first," he explained.
Upon hearing this, Sun Zhiyuan paused for a moment before realizing, "Oh, so Fellow Daoist Tang is staying in the city. Alright then, safe travels, Fellow Daoist."
Chu Ning cupped his hands in farewell and left through the city gate, immediately flying towards the direction of Jiu Hua Zong.
Since he had announced that he was returning to the sect, Chu Ning had to play his part and couldn't directly fly towards Yun Qi Mountain in the west.
As Chu Ning's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, Sun Zhiyuan shook his head lightly. "Fellow Daoist Tang is protecting this Chu Ning so much. It seems he intends to make a final contribution to the sect. It's a pity that my elder brother doesn't have much time left. If he could stay peacefully, he might have lived a few more years. But if he goes out and exerts himself..."
With these thoughts in mind, Sun Zhiyuan shook his head helplessly.
...
With the recent gathering of numerous Nascent Soul cultivators near Yun Xiao City, Chu Ning was concerned about attracting attention. Thus, he flew another 2,000 li away from Yun Xiao City before finally turning west.
One of them wore a Daoist robe, rode on a flying sword, sported a long beard, and exuded the air of an enlightened sage.
The other had a medium build, dark skin, and a hint of murderous intent in his eyes—a stark contrast to his companion.
Chu Ning was astonished by the odd pairing. He racked his brains but couldn't recall Tang Xuan ever mentioning these two in his previous introductions.
Both of them were at the early Nascent Soul stage, and it seemed they hadn't noticed him yet.
Chu Ning was about to ignore them and continue on his way to Yun Qi Mountain when he overheard their conversation, which caused his expression to change slightly.
"Let's wait here. If we go any further, we'll run into the Golden Core cultivators from the Yun Xiao Alliance. We don't want to be discovered," the bearded Daoist said.
The dark-skinned man nodded in agreement. "Yes, since he's returning to Jiu Hua Zong from Yun Xiao City, this should be his only path. The probability of him flying by here is very high."
They landed on a nearby mountain peak. The Daoist took out a set of table and chairs from his storage bag and leisurely started drinking spiritual tea.
"They're targeting Jiu Hua Zong," Chu Ning frowned as he witnessed this scene.
He racked his brains but couldn't recall Tang Xuan or Yu Changge ever mentioning such adversaries.
"Could this be another scheme orchestrated by Da Luo Zong?" Chu Ning's heart chilled as he considered this possibility.
He decided to hold off on going to Yun Qi Mountain for now and instead investigate the identities of these two first.
Chu Ning activated the Spirit Concealment Art and flew towards the two cultivators.
"Brother Yi, you seem to be quite relaxed," the dark-skinned man, surnamed Chu, remarked with a slight frown.
"Brother Chu, that old man from Jiu Hua Zong has been at the early Nascent Soul stage for a long time, but his lifespan is limited," the Daoist, Yi, replied with a smile.
"At this stage, he will have some reservations during battle. With two of us against him, it won't be a tough fight."
Brother Chu remained silent after hearing this.
Chu Ning's brows furrowed as he listened to their exchange.
"Are they after Brother Tang?" he wondered.
With this thought, Chu Ning cast an illusion spell, transforming himself into Tang Xuan, and continued flying towards the two cultivators.
When he was about a hundred miles away from the mountain peak where they were waiting, Chu Ning slowed down, anticipating that he was about to enter their spiritual sense range.
As expected, the two cultivators, Yi and Chu, extended their spiritual sense towards him.
Chu Ning pretended to have just noticed them and paused in mid-air, before continuing on his way.
Soon, he reached the mountain peak and found the two cultivators blocking his path.
"May I ask why you two are blocking my way?" Chu Ning asked, feigning confusion.
"Are you Tang Xuan from Jiu Hua Zong?" the cultivator surnamed Chu asked.
Chu Ning's face registered surprise. "Yes, I am indeed Tang."
"Then there's no mistake!" Chu's eyes flashed with a ruthless light, and a short spear appeared in his hand. He channeled his spiritual power into it, causing the spear tip to glow with a golden light as he thrust it towards Chu Ning.
At the same time, the Daoist's flying sword shot towards Chu Ning, aiming for the spot where he had been standing just a moment ago, ten feet to his right.
"Hmm?"
Chu Ning was slightly taken aback by this.
He had just used the Phantom Escape technique to dodge Brother Chu's attack, but he didn't expect the Daoist to immediately locate his position after the illusion faded.
"Heh, gotcha!" Daoist Yi thought to himself, pleased.
But his satisfaction was short-lived as he suddenly lost track of his target again.
In the next moment, he saw Chu Ning appear ten feet away, not fleeing but moving closer to them.
Before the two cultivators could react, Chu Ning's figure vanished once more.
When they managed to spot him again, he had closed the distance by another ten feet.
"What kind of escape technique is this?"
The two cultivators were taken aback by Chu Ning's ghost-like movements, which left no trace for them to follow.
Despite their surprise, they reacted swiftly. They increased their distance from Chu Ning and attempted to recall their spiritual tools for another attack.
However, Chu Ning was faster. He waved his hands, and a sea of flames appeared beneath the two cultivators.
Before they could dodge, the sea of flames split in two and engulfed them both.
"Just early Nascent Soul stage, and he dares to take on two of us with his magic arts?
It was no wonder he looked down on Chu Ning's fire-attribute spells; he cultivated water-attribute techniques.
Unlike Master Yi, the man with the surname Chu did not let the flames engulf him.
With another short spear in hand, he slashed with one spear towards the incoming fire while the other blocked the flames.
The two golden lights, one from within and one from without, tore open a gap in the sea of fire.
Although the flames flickered within the gap, their power was partially weakened and soon returned to full strength.
Seizing this opportunity, Chu's body faintly transformed into a golden light, and in that brief moment, he burst out of the sea of fire.
Soon, Chu was grateful for his decision.
Just then, Master Yi was completely trapped within the raging inferno.
Despite his water-attribute shield, the overwhelming flames quickly caused it to fade.
Master Yi's expression changed as he hastily activated several more defensive shields.
Seeing that he couldn't recall his flying sword, Master Yi waved his hands, sending out several water-attribute spells that were no less powerful than his previous attacks, but they couldn't cut through the sea of fire.
Moreover, points of fiery red light soon appeared in the sky.
Countless fire-attribute spirit energies gathered, turning the entire sky crimson.
These fire-attribute energies converged towards the sea of fire below, and the overwhelming offensive seemed intent on burning everything to ashes, causing Master Yi's face to pale.
"Brother Chu!"
Trapped within the sea of fire, Master Yi shouted to warn Chu.
As long as they could attack Chu Ning, they could relieve the pressure on Master Yi.
Chu realized this and flew out, merging his two short spears into one long spear.
He swung the long spear forcefully towards Chu Ning.
Instantly, the golden spear shadow, enveloped in tremendous power, cleaved the air with a golden streak, aiming straight for Chu Ning.
However, Chu Ning remained calm, his right hand raising to reveal a five-colored giant sword.
He pointed forward, and a five-colored sword beam slashed through the air.
The five-colored sword beam collided with the golden spear shadow, and with just a touch, the golden spear shadow dissipated.
The five-colored sword beam only dimmed slightly before continuing to descend on Chu with undiminished might.
Chu's expression changed slightly.
His body flickered, and he dodged to the side by over thirty feet.
But at the same time, a five-colored giant sword slashed down.
Chu Ning had anticipated his evasive maneuver and directed the Five Elements Spirit Sword towards him.
Chu had nowhere to escape and could only meet the sword with his own treasure.
Seeing Chu confront his Five Elements Spirit Sword with his artifact, a hint of a smile appeared on Chu Ning's face.
Since its refinement, few treasures could rival his Five Elements Spirit Sword.
Chu's attempt was akin to using an egg to smash a rock.
"!!"
As expected, when the sword and spear clashed, the golden light on the long spear faded, and it seemed to lose its spiritual essence.
However, to Chu Ning's slight surprise, the spear didn't break.
Even so, Chu's face paled.
But before he could retract his spear, the five-colored giant sword suddenly split into five and shot towards him.
Chu immediately activated his defensive shield, but it was futile.
Under the impact of the Five Elements Spirit Sword, his protective spiritual light shattered.
"No!"
Chu shouted, but to no avail.
In the next moment, the five swords pierced through his body.
His Nascent Soul flew out, attempting to flee.
However, just as it took off, a scarlet and blue ice flower appeared in front of it.
Before it could react, the ice flower collided with the Nascent Soul.
In an instant, an extremely icy aura enveloped it.
The Nascent Soul lost consciousness.
In the air, the fleeing Nascent Soul instantly froze into an ice sculpture.
"Brother Chu!"
Seeing this, Master Yi, still trapped in the sea of fire, exclaimed in shock.
In just two exchanges, Chu's physical body was destroyed, and his Nascent Soul was frozen.
Such terrifying power stunned Master Yi.
However, the next moment caused Master Yi's pupils to constrict.
In the ice sculpture, a scarlet flame suddenly appeared.
The flame spread from within, quickly melting the entire ice sculpture into nothingness.
In the blink of an eye,
A Nascent Soul cultivator, who had been in the early stage for many years, was utterly annihilated!
Master Yi was first filled with disbelief, then his face changed drastically, his eyes filled with fear.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
