Chapter 408: Confrontation with a Mid-Nascent Soul Cultivator
Chapter 408: Confrontation with a Mid-Nascent Soul Cultivator
Deep within the Yunxia Mountain Range lay a small spiritual mountain called Yunqi Mountain, spanning only a few hundred miles in size and unconnected to any larger spiritual mountains.
Consequently, no major sects were based here, but several clans of loose cultivators had made it their home. From time to time, cultivators could be seen entering and exiting the mountain from various directions.
On this day, in the backyard of one such clan's compound, a black-haired elder with a keen sense of perception, honed from his days as a hunter, abruptly opened his eyes, a hint of confusion clouding his features.
"Why do I get the feeling that someone was just spying on me?" he muttered to himself.
The elder, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, probed his surroundings with his spiritual sense once more, but to no avail. The truth was that his spiritual sense was simply not strong enough to detect the presence of a higher-level cultivator's scan.
Unbeknownst to him, his intuition had been correct. Just then, a sense of unease crept over him, and instead of relaxing, his expression grew grave.
"This is the second time I've felt this way recently. If there truly was a cultivator spying on me with their spiritual sense, and I was unable to detect it, then they must be at the Golden Core stage or above. What business could a Golden Core cultivator possibly have in a small place like Yunqi Mountain?" he wondered aloud.
Without another moment's hesitation, the elder ended his cultivation session and stepped out into the courtyard, issuing a command to his clan.
"Inform everyone in the clan to return home immediately and refrain from going out!"
The black-haired elder didn't believe that a Golden Core cultivator would come to their mountain to cause them trouble. However, the repeated appearances of high-level cultivators made him wary, sensing that something amiss was afoot.
The clan members found the order strange, but the elder was the only late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in the clan and held great authority. So, without question, they hurried back.
As the elder stood in the courtyard, watching his clan members return, his expression softened.
Just then, a young man of seventeen or eighteen rushed into the courtyard, a hint of displeasure in his tone as he spoke. "Grandfather, I was just about to head into the mountains. Why did you call everyone back?"
"Don't be foolish," the elder replied sternly. "There may be a Golden Core cultivator in Yunqi Mountain. If you go out and somehow offend them, the consequences could be dire."
"A Golden Core cultivator?" The young man paused, a look of surprise on his face. "How could a Golden Core cultivator come to our Yunqi Mountain? By the way, the You clan hasn't been seen for a couple of days. Could this have something to do with them?"
"What did you say? You haven't seen the You clan for a couple of days?" The black-haired elder's expression shifted slightly as he was about to speak.
At that moment, he sensed several beams of light flying toward them from the distance. The beams passed by high above, but the powerful auras emanating from them caused the elder's face to pale.
"Golden Core cultivators... and not just one, but two of them! No, wait... the two in front seem even stronger. Could they be... Nascent Soul cultivators?" he whispered to himself, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Just then, a voice rang out, calm yet commanding. "Old man, we're just passing through. Don't panic, and don't tell anyone else about us."
The black-haired elder's face drained of color as he heard the voice. He had been whispering so softly that even his grandson standing closest to him hadn't heard him. Yet, the cultivators up in the clouds had.
"Nascent Soul cultivators," the elder thought, astonished. He couldn't fathom why such powerful cultivators would suddenly appear in Yunqi Mountain. Moreover, it seemed they were heading to the deepest part of the mountain.
But that area had already been thoroughly searched by his clan, and aside from various miasmas, there was nothing of note. The elder was perplexed.
Unbeknownst to the black-haired elder, in the very same deep mountain forest that he believed held nothing but miasma, a figure sat atop a tree branch—none other than Chu Ning, who had resumed his original appearance.
Chu Ning was aware of the presence of the cultivator clans in Yunqi Mountain. However, as Wu Changdong was intended to be a secret weapon of the Yunxia Alliance, he wouldn't be parading around in these clans' territories.
While Qin Changkong hadn't provided the exact location of Wu Changdong, it wasn't a difficult task for Chu Ning.
Upon reaching the mountain's center, Chu Ning released his spiritual sense. Even though he only displayed the strength of a typical cultivator, it was far more powerful than that of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, covering a radius of nearly 150 miles.
Scanning the entire Yunqi Mountain from its center was a simple task.
After just a few breaths, Chu Ning detected another powerful spiritual sense. He didn't try to hide, and soon, the other party detected his presence.
Almost immediately, Chu Ning sensed several figures rapidly flying toward him from the northeast direction of the mountain.
In a short while, six figures appeared within Chu Ning's line of sight—two Nascent Soul cultivators and four Golden Core cultivators.
The leading Nascent Soul cultivator had white hair and a stern, square-shaped face. His eyes carried an innate dignity, and his cultivation was indeed at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Moreover, his aura was even more formidable than that of the mid-Nascent Soul cultivators Chu Ning had encountered in Yunxia City, surpassing them by a good margin.
"This person matches the description Qin Changkong gave me. He must be Wu Changdong of Yunling Zong. His aura seems to be on the verge of breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage," Chu Ning thought.
"Hmph, so you're the one pretending to be a cultivator of our Yunxia Alliance. We've been lying in wait for many days just to catch you, a demon spawn of the demonic path. Prepare to die!" Wu Changdong exclaimed as he abruptly raised his hands, summoning several beams of lightning that streaked towards Chu Ning.
Simultaneously, the other middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator who had been silent until now also waved his hands, shooting a beam of yellow light at Chu Ning.
Seeing their sudden attack, the four Golden Core cultivators immediately fled into the distance.
Chu Ning was taken aback. He had come to deliver a message, yet they launched an assault without even trying to understand the situation.
Frowning slightly, Chu Ning's figure flickered and he vanished from his original spot.
Both Wu Changdong's lightning technique and the other middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator's earth-attribute spell missed their target.
"No wonder you dared to sweep the area with your spiritual sense so boldly. You do have some skills," Wu Changdong sneered, his palms moving again.
Chu Ning had just reappeared when a pillar of lightning as thick as an infant's arm descended upon him.
"It seems that the Phantom Escape technique does have its limitations, especially when facing cultivators with strong spiritual senses. However, I wonder why they are so quick to attack me. There must be some misunderstanding," Chu Ning thought, his brows furrowed in concentration.
Once again, he employed his escape technique, but this time it was not the Phantom Escape—it was the Void Escape.
Even Wu Changdong, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, was unable to detect Chu Ning's whereabouts for a moment, causing him to pause in surprise.
At that moment, Chu Ning's voice rang out again.
"Fellow Daoists, I am indeed Chu Ning of the Jiuhua Zong. I was sent here by the Alliance Master to deliver a message," he said, reappearing ten feet away.
Hearing Chu Ning's words, the middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator's expression turned pensive, and his attack paused momentarily.
However, Wu Changdong scoffed, "What nonsense is this about being Chu Ning of the Jiuhua Zong? I've never heard of you. If you're going to lie, at least make up a name I know, demon spawn."
As he spoke, Wu Changdong transformed into a fleeing light and rushed towards Chu Ning.
As he flew, the faint sound of thunder could be heard, indicating that he was using a rare Thunder Escape technique.
Chu Ning's expression changed slightly, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.
He opened his mouth and spat out the Five Elements Spirit Sword, but instead of using the Void Escape to dodge, he swung the sword directly at Wu Changdong.
He wanted to see how his Five Elements Spirit Sword fared against a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
The Five Elements Spirit Sword shimmered with a five-colored radiance as Chu Ning slashed at Wu Changdong when he was just two feet away.
"Oh?"
Wu Changdong exclaimed in surprise, feeling the power of the sword.
Even as a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he did not dare to ignore such an attack.
He raised his hands, and a lightning ball appeared between them, intercepting the Five Elements Spirit Sword in mid-air.
In the next moment, the giant sword struck the lightning ball.
The five-colored radiance of the sword intertwined with the silver arcs, and under the onslaught of the silver arcs, the radiance of the Five Elements Spirit Sword gradually faded.
At the same time, as the silver arcs dissipated, the lightning ball in Wu Changdong's hands visibly shrank.
Within a few breaths, the radiance on Chu Ning's Five Elements Spirit Sword dissipated completely, and the lightning ball in Wu Changdong's hands disappeared.
Chu Ning dared not be careless and immediately recalled his sword.
Wu Changdong did not rush to close the distance again but instead used his Thunder Escape technique to quickly retreat.
The two men faced each other, their expressions grave.
"Brother Wu, Fellow Daoist Chu, stop! This must be a misunderstanding!" the middle-aged cultivator shouted.
Then, he quickly flew forward and stood beside Wu Changdong.
"Brother Wu, this is indeed Fellow Daoist Chu Ning, the newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator of Jiuhua Zong. I haven't met him, but I've heard of how he used this giant sword to cut off the hand of a Demon from Beyond in the Yunxia forbidden area," the middle-aged cultivator explained.
Wu Changdong was taken aback by these words.
"He's really from our Yunxia Alliance? Wait, did you say he's a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator?" Wu Changdong asked, pointing at Chu Ning.
"Could someone who can launch such an attack be a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stages?" he added, his eyes filled with doubt as he glanced at Chu Ning.
The middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator nodded, "It's unlikely to be a mistake. I've heard that the Five Elements Spirit Sword is a rare treasure in the Jiuhua Zong. Fellow Daoist Chu, am I right?"
Hearing this, Chu Ning's previously solemn expression softened slightly.
"Indeed, I am Chu Ning of the Jiuhua Zong, and this sword is the Five Elements Spirit Sword. Fellow Daoist Fu, what just happened?" he asked.
Before coming here, Qin Changkong had mentioned to Chu Ning that besides Wu Changdong, there was another Nascent Soul cultivator present—Fu Jing'an of the White Crane Sect.
This middle-aged cultivator must be Fu Jing'an.
Hearing Chu Ning address him, Fu Jing'an's tense expression relaxed.
(End of Chapter)
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