Chapter 414: Astonishing Abilities

Chapter 414: Astonishing Abilities

Chu Ning waved his hand, summoning the storage bag of the elderly man in the green robe into his grasp.

He then flew towards his two spiritual swords, which were entangled by the blood-red silk threads, and began to examine them curiously.

Although the elderly man in the green robe was dead, the blood-red silk threads still clung to him.

Chu Ning carefully inspected them and found that they were actually several thin red silk threads.

It was unclear what material these red silk threads were refined from, but under their restraint, they could isolate most spiritual senses and magical powers.

Only then did Chu Ning understand why his spiritual swords were unable to function for a moment earlier.

Picking up one of the silk threads, Chu Ning cautiously gauged its strength.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief, as the thread had indeed caught him off guard earlier.

However, with this level of strength, it could only bind a single spiritual sword of his.

If his five elemental spiritual swords combined into one...

Then these blood-red silk threads would be shredded just like the ancient treasure dagger he encountered earlier.

Nonetheless, Chu Ning still considered it a valuable item.

Without hesitation, he removed the threads from his spiritual swords and stored them away in his bag.

After examining his swords and finding no damage to their spiritual essence, he concluded that the blood-red silk threads only served to entangle and did not cause any harm to spiritual treasures.

As Chu Ning finished his inspection, Bai Ling and the Golden Thunder Eagle returned.

"Master, we have eliminated all ten Foundation Establishment cultivators," they reported.

Chu Ning nodded slightly, aware that Bai Ling and the Golden Thunder Eagle possessed abilities and strengths comparable to Core Formation cultivators, placing them above their peers.

Especially Bai Ling, who had already advanced to the sixth level, akin to a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, and possessed a spiritual treasure like the Communing Spirit Treasure.

Even a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator would find it challenging to deal with her.

Dealing with a few Foundation Establishment cultivators was naturally effortless for them.

Bai Ling had already retrieved all the storage bags and returned them to Chu Ning.

Chu Ning waved his hand, sending out balls of fire that turned the corpses of the Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators into ashes.

He then used his spiritual sense to ensure that nothing was left behind before flying towards Fu Jing'an, who was located in the direction of the residence.

"You two can stay hidden in the spirit beast bag for now. Bai Ling, you don't need to act; just let Little Jin handle it," Chu Ning instructed.

Hearing this, Bai Ling and the Golden Thunder Eagle immediately retreated into the spirit beast bag.

Chu Ning then activated the God-Concealment Technique and flew towards Fu Jing'an, who was a hundred miles away.

A hundred miles away, Fu Jing'an was locked in a fierce battle with a cultivator from the Demon Path Alliance.

Although this cultivator was only in the early Nascent Soul stage, Fu Jing'an found it difficult to gain the upper hand. However, the fight wasn't overly strenuous for him.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the two Core Formation cultivators from the White Crane Sect, who were facing off against two Core Formation cultivators from the Demon Path Alliance—one at the mid-stage and the other at the late-stage.

While the White Crane Sect cultivators were both at the mid-stage Core Formation, the difference in their opponent's cultivation levels put them at a slight disadvantage.

To make matters worse, ten Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Demon Path Alliance, most of whom were at the late stage, with a few even reaching the pseudo-core stage, continuously harassed the two Core Formation cultivators from the White Crane Sect.

Even under normal circumstances, facing a ten-person siege would be challenging for two Core Formation cultivators.

Moreover, both of them already had their hands full with their respective opponents.

One of the White Crane Sect cultivators, who had been battling the late-stage Core Formation cultivator from the Demon Path Alliance, barely managed to deflect their attacks several times.

However, he was struck by the spells of the pseudo-core cultivators, leaving him bleeding from several wounds, his face pale.

The other mid-stage Core Formation cultivator from the White Crane Sect wasn't faring much better, bearing a few injuries himself.

Their gazes kept shifting towards Fu Jing'an, hoping for some relief.

However, they saw that Fu Jing'an's battle with the Nascent Soul cultivator wasn't going well, and he seemed to be falling into a disadvantage, causing their hearts to sink.

Fu Jing'an himself was feeling anxious and worried.

His battle with the Nascent Soul cultivator from the Demon Path Alliance was already a close call.

But with his two Core Formation disciples injured, he found it hard to focus solely on his opponent.

He wanted to send out spells to support them, but the cold-faced Nascent Soul cultivator seized the opportunity, pushing him into a disadvantageous position.

"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have agreed to this proposal," Fu Jing'an lamented inwardly.

If it were just him, he could have easily fled the scene.

But with his disciples in danger, he felt responsible for their safety.

However, when he tried to sense the presence of Wu Changdong and Chu Ning, he couldn't detect any signs of their approaching, which only added to his anxiety.

"Ah!"

Just then, a mournful cry of pain pierced the air, causing Fu Jing'an's heart to lurch.

He saw his injured disciple, drenched in blood, struck by two spells, one of which hit dangerously close to his dantian.

The late-stage Core Formation cultivator from the Demon Path Alliance showed no signs of stopping, as he unleashed a fork-shaped treasure that shot towards the disciple.

Fu Jing'an's figure flickered, and he disappeared from his original position, rushing to rescue his disciple.

However, his opponent, the cold-faced Nascent Soul cultivator, was equally swift in reaction, sending out a barrage of spells to intercept him.

The fork-shaped treasure also slammed down, blocking his path of escape.

Fu Jing'an dared not take the attack head-on and could only halt his rescue attempt, retreating instead.

He watched helplessly as his disciple spat out his golden core, a determined look on his face, seemingly ready to use his golden core to withstand the incoming attack.

The treasure suddenly halted in mid-air.

Immediately after, a surge of flames erupted beneath the late-stage Core Formation cultivator from the Demon Path Alliance, engulfing him completely.

"Ah!"

The cultivator let out a miserable scream before vanishing without a trace.

"A Nascent Soul cultivator!"

Everyone present reacted to the sudden appearance of the Nascent Soul cultivator.

Their gazes fell upon the figure who had just manifested in the air.

"Fellow Daoist Chu!" Fu Jing'an exclaimed, his face lighting up with joy.

The cold-faced cultivator from the Demon Path Alliance, on the other hand, paled in fear.

He recognized the young Nascent Soul cultivator as the same person who had attacked the elderly man in the green robe earlier, the one he had sensed with his spiritual sense.

How could this person arrive here so quickly? Could it be that the battle on the other side had already ended?

The thought crossed the cold-faced cultivator's mind, and he began to curse inwardly: "That old freak, Luo Laoguai, actually ran away after being attacked by a single Nascent Soul cultivator. What a disgrace!"

As he cursed, the cold-faced cultivator transformed into a streak of light and fled into the distance.

He was self-aware enough to know that while he could hold his ground against a single Nascent Soul cultivator, he stood no chance against two of them.

Not only did he have no chance of victory, but he also risked losing his opportunity to escape if he stayed any longer.

"Where do you think you're going!" Fu Jing'an shouted, realizing the cultivator's intention to flee. He unleashed a series of attacks to stop him.

However, having been at a disadvantage earlier, his spells were unable to reach the cold-faced cultivator, who had already flown out of range.

Just as Fu Jing'an was about to give chase, a faint voice rang out.

"Fellow Daoist Fu, leave this one to me. You take care of the remaining scum from the Demon Path Alliance."

As the voice fell, Fu Jing'an saw that Chu Ning had disappeared from his side.

In just a few flashes, Chu Ning had closed the distance between himself and the cold-faced cultivator.

With a series of rapid finger movements, ten columns of water appeared out of thin air, transforming into ten chains that trapped the cold-faced cultivator within.

Fu Jing'an was about to take a closer look when his expression turned cold. He flashed towards another Demon Path Alliance cultivator, a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, who was attempting to take advantage of the situation to escape.

"You almost let a Nascent Soul cultivator get away, and now you, a mere Core Formation cultivator, dare to try the same?" Fu Jing'an sneered and swiftly took action.

Although it was not as easy for him to deal with this cultivator as it had been for Chu Ning, he was still a Nascent Soul cultivator, and casting spells against his opponent was effortless.

As for the two Core Formation cultivators from the White Crane Sect, they had been fending off the attacks of the Foundation Establishment cultivators earlier, but now they finally seized the opportunity to pursue and kill the fleeing cultivators.

Two of the escaping cultivators were faster than the rest, and the White Crane Sect cultivators prepared to put in some extra effort to capture them.

At that moment, a golden eagle with dark golden feathers suddenly burst out of the sky.

It was the Golden Thunder Eagle that Chu Ning had left not far away.

Before the two Demon Path Alliance cultivators could react, a golden lightning bolt struck one of them, causing him to fall from the sky.

The other cultivator was engulfed by fierce winds, and in the next moment, the Golden Thunder Eagle's sharp claws pierced through his head.

"That's Fellow Daoist Chu's spirit beast..." Fu Jing'an watched from a distance, astonished.

Then, he turned his spiritual sense towards the distant battle between Chu Ning and the cold-faced Nascent Soul cultivator.

Chu Ning unleashed the Green Wood Whirlpool Technique, trapping the cold-faced cultivator, who had been caught off guard.

However, his opponent was quick to react. Without hesitation, he waved a flag in his hand, causing a few rays of yellow mist to emerge and shatter the ten water chains.

Before the cold-faced cultivator could make his next move, a giant sword appeared and slashed through the air!

The might of this attack far surpassed that of the previous ten water pillars.

The cold-faced cultivator's expression changed, and he threw the flag in his hand while quickly forming a series of hand seals that landed on the flag.

Immediately, countless rays of light surged out from the flag, converging in the air to form a massive yellow flood dragon that charged towards Chu Ning's Five Elements Spirit Sword.

Chu Ning also formed a hand seal, causing the Five Elements Spirit Sword to shine with vibrant, multicolored light. He slashed the sword towards the flood dragon!

"Roar!"

The yellow flood dragon in the sky suddenly let out a dragon-like roar.

Then, it opened its mouth and swallowed the Five Elements Spirit Sword whole.

"Hmm? It actually merged with a demonic beast's soul?" Chu Ning was surprised to sense the demonic beast's soul emanating from the yellow flood dragon.

The soul's aura was not something that an eighth-rank demonic beast could possess.

"This flag actually contains the refined soul of a ninth-rank demonic beast."

This discovery surprised Chu Ning.

However, he remained calm and unfazed. The power of a ninth-rank soul was not enough to restrain his Five Elements Spirit Sword!

With a quick hand seal, the Five Elements Spirit Sword split into five swords within the flood dragon's belly, forming the Five Elements Sword Array.

Under the might of the five elements complementing each other, the flood dragon's earth-attribute power was rapidly consumed and absorbed by the Five Elements Sword Array.

"Not good!"

Upon witnessing this, the cold-faced cultivator's expression shifted slightly, and he immediately waved the flag in his hand again.

In an instant, earthen spiritual energy from the sky swiftly gathered towards the fading yellow flood dragon.

The dragon was barely stabilized and temporarily held in place.

The cold-faced Nascent Soul cultivator breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, the next moment, he paused again, his eyes widening in surprise.

He looked towards the spot where Chu Ning had been standing, only to find that his figure had vanished without a trace.

A sense of dread filled his heart.

His body flickered as he prepared to flee.

But just then, a figure appeared before him, and it was none other than Chu Ning.

Seeing Chu Ning close in on him, the cold-faced cultivator was taken aback. His first instinct was to activate several defensive barriers.

However, as he observed Chu Ning's actions, he was surprised once more.

Chu Ning was wielding a fist and punching straight at him, without any signs of spiritual energy or magic.

"A body cultivator?"

The cold-faced cultivator's eyes narrowed, a glint of cold light flashing within them.

He brandished the flag in his hand, ready to launch a counterattack.

He refused to believe that Chu Ning's physical punch could inflict any significant harm on him.

But soon, he realized how wrong he was.

Chu Ning's fist slammed into the earthy yellow defensive barrier, and although it didn't shatter, a powerful destructive force penetrated the barrier and struck his body directly.

The cold-faced cultivator felt his sea of consciousness and dantian tremble, and his physical body seemed on the verge of shattering under that single blow.

The destructive force continued to ravage his insides.

Startled, the cold-faced cultivator retreated in mid-air, simultaneously channeling his spiritual power to resist the overwhelming force.

At that moment, he caught a glimpse of Chu Ning raising his hand and pointing it slightly in his direction.

Although he couldn't discern the secret art Chu Ning was employing, a chill rose from the depths of his soul.

His instincts as a Nascent Soul cultivator told him that the might of this incoming attack was no less than that of Chu Ning's previous punch.

Indeed, as soon as that thought crossed his mind—

A spatial fluctuation emerged before him, and under its influence, his external defensive barriers instantly disintegrated.

The fluctuation persisted and struck the cold-faced cultivator directly.

Void Finger!

Through his comprehension of the Void Escape, Chu Ning's understanding of spatial power had greatly increased.

The might of this Void Finger was now far beyond what it used to be!

The cold-faced cultivator, who had just been resisting the force of Chu Ning's punch, was now utterly incapable of withstanding the power of the Void Finger.

"Bang!"

The left leg that had been struck by the Void Finger exploded, disintegrating into nothingness in mid-air!

"Ah!"

This sudden turn of events left the cold-faced cultivator both shocked and furious.

From a distance, Fu Jing'an, who had been watching the battle, was equally stunned.

He had known that Chu Ning was powerful ever since he witnessed him taking a hit from Wu Changdong in Yunqi Mountain.

But he never expected Chu Ning to be this formidable.

In just three moves, he had crippled the leg of this Nascent Soul cultivator from the Demon Path Alliance.

"This Fellow Daoist Chu seems to be a body cultivator as well. What kind of divine ability did he use just now?

Against a Nascent Soul cultivator, he seems even more relaxed than I am against a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator."

Fu Jing'an glanced at the mid-stage Golden Core cultivator who was still resisting nearby and unleashed a powerful spell.

The Demon Path Alliance Golden Core cultivator couldn't withstand the attack and was about to self-destruct by detonating his golden core.

Unfortunately for him, he was up against a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Fu Jing'an coldly huffed, reaching out with his hand and effortlessly seizing the golden core, severing the cultivator's connection to it.

In the next moment, the Demon Path Alliance cultivator, now devoid of his golden core, was instantly killed by another spell from Fu Jing'an.

On the other side, the cold-faced Nascent Soul cultivator wasn't faring any better.

Chu Ning's Void Finger had struck true, and he relentlessly pressed his advantage.

With a quick succession of finger taps, Chu Ning summoned the power of space, enhancing the destructive force within the cultivator's body.

"Bang!"

The cultivator's entire body exploded into pieces.

From a distance, Fu Jing'an watched this unfold, his face reflecting his astonishment.

"Fellow Daoist Chu's abilities are truly astonishing!"

Fu Jing'an even suspected that if Wu Changdong were here, he might not have been able to defeat this Demon Path Alliance cultivator so effortlessly.

"Hmm?"

At this moment, Chu Ning, who had just landed a successful hit, let out a surprised exclamation.

As he was about to extinguish the cultivator's Nascent Soul with a burst of Xuan Bing Yan, he noticed that there was no sign of it in the air.

"Could it be that the power of the Void Finger caused this Nascent Soul cultivator to be obliterated, body and soul?"

Chu Ning's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he soon felt that something was amiss. With his current understanding of spatial power, the Void Finger shouldn't have had such an effect.

Instantly, Chu Ning unleashed his spiritual sense to its fullest extent.

"Where do you think you're going?"

In the next moment, a gleam flashed in Chu Ning's eyes, and he swiftly flew downwards.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end