https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-449-Master-Xuankui-Ghost-Mist-Forest-Two-in-One-/12550361/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-451-Blue-Lotus-Heart-Top-Tier-Prohibitive-Talisman/12550367/
Chapter 450: A Small Display of Skill
Chapter 450: A Small Display of Skill
Shi Jing led the way, flying deeper into the forest.
As they approached the Ghost Mist Forest, Chu Ning could sense a strong presence of yin energy.
"Fellow cultivators, the evil spirits and ghosts here may not necessarily be able to harm us Nascent Soul cultivators.
But as we venture deeper, there might be some powerful ghosts that could pose a threat if we don't stop them in their tracks.
Just to be safe, let's activate a layer of defensive shields."
As Shi Jing spoke, he took the lead and activated his protective spiritual light.
The others dared not be careless, and they promptly followed suit.
The most eye-catching among them was Huang Zongkun, whose shield was clearly metallic in nature.
However, compared to ordinary metal shields, his protective spiritual light was much more dazzling and brilliant.
His entire body was bathed in a golden glow, and the shield that enveloped him seemed to radiate light in all directions.
Everyone else couldn't help but turn their heads to look.
At that moment, Huang Zongkun's gaze landed on Chu Ning.
He glanced at the faint golden shield around Chu Ning before looking away, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
Although the brightness of the protective spiritual light didn't always correlate directly with its power, in most cases, the stronger the light, the more formidable the ability.
The pale golden shield around Chu Ning at that moment was far less impressive than the dazzling aura surrounding Huang Zongkun.
Chu Ning, naturally aware of Huang Zongkun's gaze, couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
He had activated the Undying Golden Body shield, which was far more effective against evil spirits, ghosts, and demonic powers than ordinary protective spiritual lights.
Of course, he didn't feel the need to explain this to Huang Zongkun.
Using his spiritual sense to scan their surroundings, Chu Ning noticed that the tall trees around them were now inhabited by shadows of evil spirits.
However, these spirits didn't seem to be of a high level, and they appeared to sense the power emanating from the group, as they didn't dare to approach.
Chu Ning's eyes shifted to his spirit beast bag.
Over the past few months, he had made significant progress in refining the Five Elements Spirit Sword, and his spirit beasts had also advanced in their cultivation.
Bai Ling had officially broken through to the seventh stage, equivalent to the late Golden Core stage.
But the most remarkable progress was that of the two Golden Thunder Eagles.
Before, Xiao Jin had devoured countless evil spirits and ghosts outside Tianyu Pavilion, and upon returning to Jiuhua Sect, he had shared half of them with Da Jin.
After spending a few months refining them, the cultivation of the two Golden Thunder Eagles had skyrocketed.
They had reached the middle to late stages of the sixth stage for magical beasts, and their progress seemed even faster than that of Bai Ling.
"If I release the two Golden Thunder Eagles and let them devour these evil spirits and ghosts, their cultivation might increase even further," Chu Ning thought to himself.
However, he decided to suppress this idea for the time being, as he was unsure of what awaited them deeper within the Ghost Mist Forest.
For now, it was best not to draw too much attention by releasing the Golden Thunder Eagles.
If all went well, he could always release them on their way out and let them feast then.
The group continued their journey, and the sinister and venomous aura became increasingly dense.
The evil spirits and fierce ghosts also grew more numerous, and these ghosts seemed to be of a higher level than those on the outskirts.
Some even dared to charge at the group.
However, the cultivators were all at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, so they were able to either block the ghosts with their protective spiritual lights or easily deal with them before they could get too close.
Their progress was largely unaffected.
Seeing that Shi Jing was still leading them deeper into the mountain, Chu Ning's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "Fellow Daoist Shi, where exactly is the cave mansion of Elder Xuan Turtle?
With Elder Xuan Turtle's cultivation base, he shouldn't have set up his cave mansion on the Yin Absolute Vein, right?"
Shi Jing turned and smiled, "You're right, Fellow Daoist Chu. Elder Xuan Turtle's cave mansion is indeed located on the Yin Absolute Vein.
I even suspect that the reason why the Yin Absolute Vein hadn't been detected before is related to the restrictions set up by Elder Xuan Turtle's cave mansion, trapping the venomous aura within.
After all, the sects in this mountain range were only established a few thousand years ago.
Given that the cultivators who founded those sects were only at the early Nascent Soul stage back then, it's not surprising that they didn't discover Elder Xuan Turtle's cave mansion."
"That doesn't make sense either," Wu Changdong interjected.
"After the Youming Sect was destroyed, a late Nascent Soul cultivator from the Tianji Alliance should have passed through this place.
Shouldn't he have investigated this Yin Absolute Vein and discovered Elder Xuan Turtle's cave mansion?"
"Brother Wu, there's something you don't know," Shi Jing said with a smile.
"Elder Xuan Turtle's cave mansion isn't that easy to find."
The dense Yin Sha energy filled the valley, causing even Chu Ning and the others to narrow their eyes.
The Nascent Soul cultivators' faces turned serious as they proceeded with caution.
A hint of surprise flashed across Shentuping's face as he spoke, "The Yin Sha energy here is much stronger than it was a few decades ago when we last visited."
"Brother Shentu is right," Shi Jing agreed. "We must also be cautious of the fierce ghosts that lurk here."
"Hmph!" Huang Zongkun snorted coldly as he sensed a shadow rushing towards them.
Without hesitation, he threw a punch, his fist glowing with golden light as it collided with the incoming shadow.
A fierce ghost, with bared fangs and claws, had targeted Huang Zongkun, perhaps because his golden aura was the most eye-catching.
The golden fist struck the ghost, sending it flying backward. But to everyone's surprise, the ghost rushed back undeterred, seemingly unhurt by the attack.
Huang Zongkun's expression shifted as he punched again, forcing the ghost back. But in less than a breath, it lunged at him once more.
Though taken aback by the ghost's resilience, the group refrained from intervening as they noticed that Huang Zongkun was handling the attacks without sustaining any injuries.
Huang Zongkun, clearly proud and confident, frowned as his consecutive punches seemed to have little effect on the ghost.
His eyes flashed with golden light, and the aura around him intensified. He formed several intricate seals with his hands, channeling two beams of golden light that struck the black silhouette of the ghost.
"Yaaah!" The ghost finally let out a piercing shriek and retreated, its sinister aura diminishing.
Huang Zongkun's secret technique had evidently wounded the ghost. He gave a satisfied hum and continued casting seals, causing the ghost's Yin Sha energy to dissipate rapidly.
Realizing its disadvantage, the ghost let out one last shriek before fleeing into the distance.
Huang Zongkun's expression softened, but Shi Jing's face grew grave. "The fierce ghosts here seem to be getting stronger at an alarming rate. When I visited this area three months ago, the ghosts weren't nearly as formidable."
His words sent a chill through the rest of the group.
Luoyuqiao spoke up, her face etched with concern, "Friend Shi, do you think something has changed?"
Shi Jing shook his head. "It's unlikely. While the ghosts are appearing earlier, they don't seem particularly unusual. Our conventional spells and treasures just aren't as effective against them. The last time I came here, I didn't encounter any exceptionally powerful ghosts, even at the deepest point. Perhaps my presence stirred them up, making them more active."
Luoyuqiao nodded, accepting his explanation.
Huang Zongkun, eager to press on, spoke with determination, "Let's continue, fellow cultivators. These ghosts may be troublesome, but with our cultivation, we have nothing to fear. Since we've come this far, we should explore further."
With that, he strode forward, the rest of the group following close behind.
After walking about ten miles, they encountered several more fierce ghosts. Huang Zongkun and Shi Jing, at the forefront, bore the brunt of the attacks, with Huang Zongkun handling most of them.
He had drawn his life-bound treasure, a golden ruler, which proved to be incredibly powerful as he swung it, repelling the ghosts much faster than before.
Chu Ning was more than happy to let someone else take the lead. He occasionally glanced back at Wu Changdong and Shentuping, sensing that they shared his relief at not being in the front line.
As they walked, Chu Ning's heart stirred, and at that very moment, Shi Jing's voice rang out.
Three of them lunged at Huang Zongkun and Shi Jing at the front, while the rest divided their assault towards Chu Ning and the others.
In an instant, the group unleashed various spells and magical treasures.
A dazzling display of multicolored lights filled the air momentarily.
Among them, Chu Ning remained the calmest. Although he drew the Five Elements Spirit Sword, he didn't rush to attack.
Instead, he allowed the fierce ghosts to charge towards him.
"Yaaah!"
A piercing, anguished scream echoed as the ghost collided with the Undying Golden Body shield surrounding Chu Ning.
The ghost's Yin Sha energy weakened.
Seeming to sense that something was amiss, the ghost immediately tried to flee.
Chu Ning snapped his spirit beast bag open, and a Golden Thunder Eagle soared out.
"Guuu!"
The Golden Thunder Eagle let out a cheerful cry.
A golden arc of light flashed from its head, striking the ghost directly.
The ghost had already lost a significant amount of its Yin Sha energy due to Chu Ning's Undying Golden Body.
Now, struck by the golden thunder, its form faded even more.
The Golden Thunder Eagle flapped its wings and soared, opening its mouth to suck the ghost directly into its belly.
"Guuu!"
The Golden Thunder Eagle let out a satisfied sound and scanned the surroundings with its eyes.
Seeing the numerous fierce ghosts still lurking, its eyes sparkled with excitement.
However, these ghosts were still infused with Yin Sha energy, and without Chu Ning's command, it dared not act rashly.
Chu Ning beckoned, and the Golden Thunder Eagle obediently returned to his spirit beast bag.
The other Nascent Soul cultivators witnessed this entire scene.
They were astonished to see how effortlessly Chu Ning had dispatched a fierce ghost.
While it was true that with their mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, they could eventually overcome these troublesome ghosts, it would take time and effort.
But what Chu Ning had just displayed was far from ordinary.
The group was clear about the purpose of their journey and didn't want to waste any more time in this place.
Seeing that Chu Ning wasn't offering help, Shentu Ping took the initiative to speak up:
"Fellow Daoist Chu, please lend me a hand!"
Since Shentu Ping had made the request, Chu Ning didn't refuse. He flashed to Shentu Ping's side and unleashed a punch at the ghost, his fist enveloped in the Undying Golden Body's light.
The Undying Golden Body was incredibly effective against these yin ghosts.
The ghost, shrouded in yin energy, almost disintegrated from Chu Ning's punch.
Without waiting for it to fly back, Chu Ning snapped his spirit beast bag, and another Golden Thunder Eagle flew out, swallowing the ghost instantly.
With Shentu Ping taking the lead, Wu Changdong also called for assistance without hesitation.
As Chu Ning coordinated with the Golden Thunder Eagles, the ghost attacking Wu Changdong met the same fate.
Luo Yuqiao had been fending off her ghost, but her attacks hadn't diminished its power significantly, and it lunged at her again.
Seeing how easily Chu Ning had helped Wu Changdong and Shentu Ping, she quickly spoke up:
"Fellow Daoist Chu, this fierce ghost is giving me trouble as well. Please lend me your strength."
Chu Ning repeated the same strategy, first weakening the ghost with his Undying Golden Body and then finishing it off with the Golden Thunder Eagles.
In the blink of an eye, four fierce ghosts had been eliminated. Shi Jing's eyes widened in surprise.
He exclaimed, "Fellow Daoist Chu, quickly, take care of those three ghosts in front as well!"
Hearing Shi Jing's words, Chu Ning flashed forward and took care of the remaining three ghosts with ease.
Huang Zongkun, on the other hand, frowned slightly.
His golden ruler-shaped treasure swung continuously, sending out bursts of golden light that struck one of the ghosts.
Finally, as Chu Ning eliminated the last two ghosts, the ghost attacking Huang Zongkun was also destroyed.
The eerie wails that had filled their ears suddenly ceased.
Chu Ning beckoned, and the two Golden Thunder Eagles returned to his side.
Witnessing Chu Ning's effortless display and the power of his Golden Thunder Eagles, Shentu Ping and Wu Changdong were impressed but not surprised, as they had already seen Chu Ning's abilities before.
However, Shi Jing and Luo Yuqiao wore expressions of astonishment, and even more complex emotions filled Huang Zongkun's eyes as he compared the faint golden light surrounding Chu Ning to his own dazzling aura.
Chu Ning's casual display had evidently startled these mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
(End of Chapter)
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