Chapter 492: A Monster Among Men, Even Great Cultivators Are Wary
Chapter 492: A Monster Among Men, Even Great Cultivators Are Wary
"Chu Ning has advanced to the mid-Nascent Soul stage?" In Taihe Court, the Yu brothers exchanged a glance.
"With Fellow Daoist Chu's previously displayed abilities, this advancement will likely put him on par with the two of us, or perhaps even Fellow Daoist Qin," they mused.
The Yu brothers were full of emotion, and the rest of the Yunxiao Alliance was equally shocked by this sudden news.
Gu Yuexian, who had been deeply grateful to Chu Ning for his help in the past, was the first to send a congratulatory message.
Qi Yichen, Wu Jingdong, Shen Ping, and other mid-Nascent Soul cultivators were astounded by the news, especially when they recalled their own breakthroughs to the same stage.
"This cultivation speed is truly monstrous!" they exclaimed.
...
Zhenwu Alliance, Tianxin Sect.
A black-haired elder with a commanding presence, dressed in plain clothes, turned to Huang Zongkun beside him.
"Huang, that young cultivator named Chu Ning has reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Does he truly possess such extraordinary abilities?"
"Senior Brother, when he was at the early Nascent Soul stage, his abilities far surpassed mine. Back in the Ghost Mist Forest over twenty years ago, when we encountered the thousand-year-old corpse transformed from the remains of Xuan Turtle Elder, we were all helpless. Only he was able to defeat it," Huang Zongkun recalled with lingering emotion.
"Not only does he possess astounding cultivation and abilities, but he also wields ancient treasures. I even suspect that he didn't use his full strength back then. Moreover, he is extremely skilled in breaking formations, and his understanding of arrays is likely profound," the black-haired elder said, his eyes flickering slightly.
"The Jiuhua Sect was also renowned thousands of years ago, especially for their unique insights into pill refining and artifact crafting. However, I haven't heard that they excel in formations, and this Chu Ning was said to be proficient in both pill and artifact crafting even before he formed his Golden Core. Could there truly be such a genius who can master multiple paths and excel in each? Moreover, his cultivation and abilities far surpass those of the same stage, which is simply too outrageous," the black-haired elder continued, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
It was clear that Chu Ning's talents exceeded his understanding and comprehension.
"I'm not sure about his proficiency in pill refining, but he does seem to have a deep understanding of artifact crafting," Huang Zongkun added.
"I made some inquiries later, and it seems that when he fights, he commands a set of treasures that are long like nails and resemble the fingernails on that corpse. They must have been refined from the fingernails of the corpse. Without a profound understanding of artifact crafting, such a feat would be impossible," the black-haired elder nodded slightly.
"It seems the Yunxiao Alliance has truly produced an unparalleled genius. If he truly possesses such abilities, now that he's at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, he might even have the strength to fight late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. With their existing number of Nascent Soul cultivators, if they truly have someone who can contend with late-stage Nascent Soul masters, along with Qin Changkong and the Yu brothers from Taihe Court, the Yunxiao Alliance's strength will surge!" Huang Zongkun smiled at this thought.
"Senior Brother, our Zhenwu Alliance doesn't have much to do with the Yunxiao Alliance. It's the Demon Path Alliance and the Tianji Alliance that should be worried," Huang Zongkun remarked.
The black-haired elder nodded, then shook his head. "While that's true, if this person is truly such a monster, it would be best if we could prevent him from advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage. Otherwise, if he continues to grow and reaches that level, he might surpass all of us late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators on the Western Alliance Continent."
At these words, Huang Zongkun looked up in surprise. "Senior Brother, are you considering taking action against Fellow Daoist Chu?"
The black-haired elder smiled and shook his head. "If the opportunity arises, I might test him out, but I won't go out of my way to deal with him specifically."
As he spoke, the black-haired elder looked into the distance. "I wonder if those old demons from the Demon Path Alliance will make a move. After all, he did kill quite a few of their Nascent Soul cultivators."
Hearing this, Huang Zongkun's mind involuntarily flashed an image of Chu Ning's youthful face. "Perhaps only a young genius like Chu Ning could attract the wariness of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators like Senior Brother at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Compared to him, we mid-Nascent Soul cultivators are truly insignificant."
...
Tianji Alliance, Moyun Sect.
Within a small but lofty mountain at the back of the sect, two cultivators sat facing each other.
One of them was short in stature, with white hair, and exuded an extraordinary aura despite his contained spiritual energy. This could only be the late-stage Nascent Soul elder, Yan Qichang, of the Moyun Sect.
Seated across from him was a young man with a youthful appearance, but his spiritual energy was significantly weaker, and it even seemed unstable.
Elder Yan Qichang glanced at the young man before him and slowly spoke, "Fellow Daoist Cheng, has your Nascent Soul injury improved?"
"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Yan. I'm much better now," the young man replied, his voice clear and youthful, yet carrying an air of age.
A hint of hatred flashed in his eyes as he continued, "My physical body was destroyed, and my Nascent Soul was severely damaged by Qin Changkong and Chu Ning. It took me over twenty years to heal my Nascent Soul initially, and then I had to find a new body, which is why I'm only able to meet you now."
"Friend Yan, now that the Tianji Alliance has fallen to such a state, with many sects destroyed and countless fellow cultivators left homeless and forced to wander as loose cultivators, will you truly turn a blind eye and let the Tianji Alliance disappear just like that?"
Cheng Qingmao's eyes held a trace of confusion as he looked at Yan Qichang.
Yan Qichang glanced at him and calmly replied, "Friend Cheng, you should know that the Tianji Alliance exists in name only.
For over twenty years, hardly anyone has mentioned this name.
Not to mention that Yan has always been focused on the Great Dao and has no interest in worldly affairs, but even if I wanted to gather these people together, do you think the other alliances would remain idle?"
As he spoke, Yan Qichang let out a soft sigh.
"Back then, when you rashly invaded the several great alliances, I was at a critical juncture in my cultivation and couldn't leave my seclusion. Otherwise, I would have tried to dissuade you.
As for those foreign demons, how could they be so easily trusted?
In the end, advancing to the Nascent Divinity Stage still depends on one's own cultivation.
We human cultivators, relying on the power of those foreign demons, will never achieve our wishes."
Seeing the extremely unpleasant look on Cheng Qingmao's face, Yan Qichang shook his head and said, "However, what's done is done, and there's no use in talking about it further.
All Yan wishes for in this lifetime is to make progress in my cultivation. I no longer have the energy to involve myself in these matters."
A trace of disappointment flashed in Cheng Qingmao's eyes at Yan Qichang's words.
Of course, he wasn't particularly surprised by this.
Back then, among the three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators of the Tianji Alliance, Yan Qichang had been the one with the highest cultivation.
However, unlike himself and Xu Zhanyuan, Yan Qichang was solely focused on cultivation and rarely concerned himself with the alliance's affairs.
If Yan Qichang hadn't stepped forward even when the Tianji Alliance was in such dire straits, it was impossible to expect him to get involved now that the alliance was essentially non-existent.
After a brief silence, Cheng Qingmao lifted his head and looked at Yan Qichang once more.
"Since Friend Yan doesn't want to stir up trouble, I won't force you.
However, our predecessors passed down the Tianji Alliance to us, and now it has come to this.
Xu and I should shoulder the responsibility, so I ask Friend Yan to make one last effort, to comfort the spirits of our fallen allies."
Yan Qichang was about to say something, but Cheng Qingmao quickly continued, "Don't forget, Friend Yan, that when the Moyun Sect was not yet powerful, you appeared and the various sects of the Tianji Alliance provided no small amount of support for your cultivation resources."
Hearing this, Yan Qichang sighed softly.
"Friend Cheng, if there's something you want me to do, just say it."
A gleam of joy appeared on Cheng Qingmao's face as he heard this, and he said, "The reason our alliance suffered defeat back then was mainly because of three people. Aside from Qin Changkong and Situ Yuanlian, who were late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, there was also Chu Ning of the Jiuhua Sect!"
As he spoke Chu Ning's name, Cheng Qingmao's voice turned cold.
"It was because he killed so many mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators and later entangled my magic treasure that my physical body was destroyed by Qin Changkong. Moreover, he also joined hands with Qin Changkong to severely injure my Nascent Soul as I fled."
"You want me to take action against this Chu Ning?" Yan Qichang seemed to be catching on.
Cheng Qingmao nodded immediately and said, "Indeed. Although that Chu Ning has gained the reputation of being the strongest below the late-stage Nascent Soul, he is ultimately only at the early-stage Nascent Soul. Back then, he only dared to harass me from the sidelines.
With your abilities, Friend Yan, taking action against him would be a sure kill!"
Yan Qichang fell into deep thought.
"Killing a cultivator at the early-stage Nascent Soul is naturally not difficult, even if he has the reputation of being the strongest below the late-stage Nascent Soul. However, there is a huge gap between early-stage and late-stage that is difficult to surmount.
But how do we go about killing him when he's currently in the Jiuhua Sect?"
Seeing that Yan Qichang wasn't refusing to take action, a gleam of joy appeared in Cheng Qingmao's eyes.
He quickly said, "I will accompany you to the vicinity of the Jiuhua Sect. At that time, Friend Yan, you don't need to show yourself. I will make a brief appearance.
When a strange Nascent Soul cultivator appears, they will definitely come out to investigate.
Then, I will lure them towards your location.
Whether it's the two of us joining forces or you fighting alone, we can easily kill him!"
As he spoke, a murderous intent flashed in Cheng Qingmao's eyes.
"If we really kill him, with no one to bear witness, even if Qin Changkong arrives afterward, there's nothing he can do."
After hearing this, Yan Qichang fell silent for a moment before finally letting out a soft sigh. "In that case, I will accompany you on this journey.
However, Yan will only make this one move. Afterward, I will seclude myself and cultivate. Friend Cheng, don't involve me in any more troubles."
Cheng Qingmao immediately assured him, "Good, after this, Cheng will no longer disturb your peaceful cultivation."
With that, the two of them flew away from Moyun Peak.
The movement of two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators would not attract any attention.
If they had communicated with the Moyun Sect cultivators and inquired about Chu Ning's advancement, they might have learned of it.
However, as things stood, they had no way of knowing.
(End of Chapter)
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