Chapter 430: Fellow Cultivators, You're Too Late
Chapter 430: Fellow Cultivators, You're Too Late
In the sky above, the bloody rain dissipated, leaving only chaotic spiritual energy fluctuations that hinted at the intense battle that had just taken place.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the depths of the earth in the distance. Dressed in a white robe, it was Chu Ning, who had been blown away by the self-detonation of the Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator earlier.
Using his flying escape technique, Chu Ning returned to the site of the battle, his face slightly pale.
"The self-detonation of a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator's Nascent Soul is truly terrifying. Even with my Undying Golden Body protection and the defense of this white robe, I was still unable to withstand the impact."
If it weren't for the fact that the opponent was in the midst of performing the Blood Moon Secret Art at that time, and his Nascent Soul was tainted with blood and demonic qi, and my Undying Golden Body defense still held up when he self-detonated, I might not have made it out alive," Chu Ning thought to himself.
"It was only because I also activated the Five Elements Chaos Formula to protect my body, and my physical strength had reached a certain level due to my cultivation of the Nine Derivative Body Refining Formula, that I was able to withstand the explosion."
"Otherwise, I might have truly died there." Even so, my injuries are not light," he added, his expression grim.
Chu Ning took a deep breath and summoned the Five Elements Spirit Sword back into his hand with a wave of his hand. He inspected the treasure, relieved to find that although it had lost some of its spiritual essence due to the impact, it was not damaged. It would just need to be nurtured and cultivated for a while.
He then turned his attention to the storage bag of the Demon Path Alliance cultivator, which had also been damaged in the explosion, causing most of its contents to be lost. His expression turned even more displeased as he realized the extent of the damage.
Using his spiritual sense to scan the area, Chu Ning descended to the ground and reached out to grab a blood-red, oddly-shaped crystal and a piece of silver metal material, adding them to his possessions.
After ensuring he had everything, Chu Ning flashed and flew away, traveling a full ten miles before finally landing on a mountain peak.
His first order of business was to release Bai Ling from her spirit beast bag. Seeing Chu Ning's pale face, Bai Ling was immediately alarmed.
"Master, are you alright?" she asked, concern etched on her features.
Chu Ning shook his head and casually took out a set of array formation tools from his storage bag, handing them to Bai Ling. "Set up a simple array here. I need a day or two to recover from my injuries."
"Yes, master," Bai Ling replied, taking the tools and quickly setting up the array on the mountain peak.
Taking advantage of this moment, Chu Ning turned his attention inward, assessing the damage to his body. His face paled slightly as he took in the extent of his injuries. Without delay, he took out a large Tian Yuan Dan and consumed it, beginning the process of recuperation and healing.
The Tian Yuan Dan came in three grades: small, medium, and large. Chu Ning had obtained the formula for its refinement when he first entered the remains of the Lei Huo Sect. At that time, he could only refine the small Tian Yuan Dan.
Later, after obtaining the Tian Yuan Cao in the Jin Ling Zhong Spirit Realm and reaching the late Golden Core stage in the Northern Cold Region, he was able to refine the large Tian Yuan Dan.
He had prepared a furnace of these large pills, carrying them with him in case of emergencies. And indeed, they had proven their worth as life-saving pills.
Just now, he had considered returning to the Jiuhua Zong to heal his injuries, but as soon as he used his escape technique, he immediately sensed that something was amiss.
For now, he could only focus on healing his injuries before deciding on his next course of action. Thankfully, the besieging cultivators had been defeated, and there was no longer any turmoil within the sect.
Soon, Bai Ling finished setting up the array and joined Chu Ning, practicing the Xuan Ming Formula together to aid in his recovery.
Chu Ning's injuries were severe, but fortunately, they were not life-threatening. With the effects of the large Tian Yuan Dan and Bai Ling's assistance in cultivating the Xuan Ming Formula, his wounds healed significantly over the next two days.
During this time, the array concealed their presence, and no unexpected incidents occurred.
Chu Ning let out a soft breath and stood up, his face returning to its usual calm. There was no longer any sign of injury in his aura or demeanor.
Bai Ling, standing by his side, heaved a sigh of relief, her eyes reflecting a mix of curiosity and concern. "Master, what kind of attack caused such serious injuries? Was it a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator?"
In Bai Ling's memory, Chu Ning had not suffered such severe injuries since he formed his Golden Core.
"It wasn't a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, but the self-detonation of a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator's Nascent Soul," Chu Ning explained, a hint of lingering fear in his voice. "In terms of power, it was indeed comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator."
"If it weren't for the fact that he was reluctant to use such a desperate measure, and that I was performing the Blood Moon Secret Art outside Jiuhua Zong, it might have been difficult for me to escape even with my means."
However, as he thought about it, a wry smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Most cultivators valued their own lives highly, especially those from the Demon Path Alliance. Unless they were pushed to the absolute limit, they wouldn't resort to such costly secret techniques.
As long as their Nascent Soul remained intact, they would cling to the hope of survival. Only a select few would be resolute enough to self-detonate their Nascent Souls.
"It's just a little regrettable that we didn't find out from him why they came to Jiuhua Zong. There must be something within the sect that caught the attention of those Outer Realm Demon Experts. And if there truly is something they desire, why don't they come to take it themselves?"
As Chu Ning set off to return to the sect, eight Nascent Soul cultivators were approaching from a hundred li away from Jiuhua Zong.
Leading them was a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator from the Tianyin Pavilion, someone Chu Ning had met a few times—Qu Yichen.
Beside him was another Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, the only female cultivator among the four deputy alliance leaders of the Yunxiao Alliance, He Yuxian, a senior elder of the Zilin Sect.
Accompanying them were six Early-Nascent Soul cultivators. The group of eight rode on a flying boat, looking weary from their journey.
"Brother Qu, can you sense the situation at Jiuhua Zong?" He Yuxian asked.
Hearing her question, Qu Yichen nodded slightly, visibly relieved. "It seems fine. The protective formation around Jiuhua Zong is intact, and cultivators are coming and going as usual. It looks like the Demon Path Alliance and the Daluo Sect didn't show up after all. We might not be too late."
The other Early-Nascent Soul cultivators heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. If they had stayed in Yunxiao City while their alliance's heartland was attacked, it would have been quite embarrassing.
Without further delay, the group of eight continued their flight toward Jiuhua Zong.
Not bothering to conceal their approach, they were soon sensed by Yu Changge, who promptly led several Gold Core elders to greet them.
"Alliance Leader Qu, Alliance Leader He, and fellow cultivators, have you come because of the attack by the Demon Path Alliance and the Daluo Sect?" Yu Changge asked as he greeted the cultivators and led them toward the inner sect.
"Indeed!" Qu Yichen nodded. His eyes swept over Yu Changge's worried face, and he quickly added, "Fellow Daoist Yu, there's no need to worry. In addition to us, there's another group of Gold Core cultivators on their way. It's unlikely that the Demon Path Alliance can gather enough cultivators to overwhelm us so quickly. With our combined forces, they won't gain any advantage."
"You've come a bit late, fellow cultivators," Yu Changge said, causing the Nascent Soul cultivators who had rushed to provide support to frown.
"They've already come and gone?" He Yuxian asked, surprised. "Did they sense something? And how many of them were there?"
"There was Sang Pingnan from the Daluo Sect and five Demon Path Alliance cultivators, including one Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator," Yu Changge replied, recounting the details of the attack.
"There were also over twenty Gold Core cultivators and three hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators."
Upon hearing that such a large force had attacked, Qu Yichen and He Yuxian's faces turned solemn. Soon, their expressions shifted to confusion.
He Yuxian asked directly, "Why did they suddenly retreat? With so many Nascent Soul cultivators, the Demon Path Alliance is truly bold. Fellow Daoist Yu, did you use your formation techniques to drive them away?"
Qu Yichen, who had a good relationship with Jiuhua Zong, spoke up, "Fellow Daoist Yu, is it that your sect's formations are so powerful? We've long heard of the prowess of Jiuhua Zong's formations."
Yu Changge shook his head. "Our sect's formations are indeed not weak, but over the years, high-grade spirit stones have become scarce in the cultivation world, and our formations' power has diminished compared to the past."
Yu Changge hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth. "The story is a long one..."
He proceeded to give a rough account of what had transpired, as it was impossible to hide the fact that so many cultivators had been present.
Moreover, there didn't seem to be a pressing need to conceal anything. It was a good thing for Jiuhua Zong to have such a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator as Chu Ning.
However, Yu Changge only briefly mentioned the details of the battle and the fact that Chu Ning possessed three ancient treasures.
His words left the Nascent Soul cultivators from the Yunxiao Alliance stunned, their mouths agape.
"Fellow Daoist Yu, are you saying that Fellow Daoist Chu arrived before you and single-handedly defeated several Nascent Soul cultivators? And now he's chasing after a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator from the Demon Path Alliance?" He Yuxian asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
When Yu Changge nodded in confirmation, the expressions on the faces of the Yunxiao Alliance cultivators became incredibly complex.
Qu Yichen sighed and said, "A few days ago, when Fu Jing'an brought news of the Tianyu Pavilion, the cultivators in our alliance thought he might have exaggerated a little. Now it seems that not only did Fu not exaggerate, but he might have even downplayed the situation."
Yu Changge was curious and immediately asked about the situation at Tianyu Pavilion.
As Qu Yichen briefly recounted the events, Yu Changge and the others exchanged glances, realizing that they had only now learned of Chu Ning's exploits at Tianyu Pavilion before he returned to the sect.
"Fellow Daoist Chu is back!" Qu Yichen and He Yuxian exclaimed almost simultaneously as they turned their heads toward the sky behind them.
(End of Chapter)
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