https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-548-There-Are-Always-Greater-Heavens-and-Mightier-Men/12628371/
Chapter 549: Treasure Drive
Chapter 549: Treasure Drive
Ziguang Island sat amidst the seas of the Tianmu Continent. Despite its small size and remote location, it had gained some renown throughout the continent.
Occasionally, wandering cultivators would stumble upon the island, only to be politely turned away by its inhabitants. Attempts to forcibly enter the island were rare, and those who tried were invariably turned back by the intricate formations guarding it.
The cultivators of Ziguang Island were not aggressive, merely protective of their privacy. Any cultivator trapped by their defenses would find themselves gently expelled from the island, an experience that only added to the air of mystery surrounding the place.
Over time, however, the infrequent visits from curious cultivators dwindled, as the inability to explore the island deterred all but the most persistent.
At this moment, Ziguang Island was a bustling place, with buildings of various sizes and styles scattered across its landscape. At the island's center loomed a majestic peak, offering a panoramic view of the island's beauty from its summit.
Four figures were seated atop this mountain, their gazes shifting intermittently between the island and the sky, as if awaiting something or someone.
Two of them were Shi Hansong and his wife, while the other two were an older man and a younger boy.
"Senior Brother, do you think that Chu Daoist will come?" The middle-aged cultivator, whose cultivation had reached the mid-Yuan Ying stage, spoke with a hint of anticipation.
His question drew the attention of the elder, whose age resembled that of Shi Hansong.
Shi Hansong's face betrayed a hint of worry as he replied, "He should. Aside from his connection to our sect, the method for refining the spatial treasure should also be enticing."
The middle-aged cultivator nodded in agreement. "Indeed. While the method for refining the spatial treasure may not be of much use to us, it is still a secret that any cultivator would be eager to hear. If this Chu Daoist is as young as they say, he might even be inspired to strive for the Nascent Soul stage."
Shi Hansong's brow furrowed slightly. "My true concern isn't that Chu Daoist will stand us up, but rather that he might get into a conflict with other forces. Star Feather Peak has been increasingly active in the seas around us lately, and I suspect they've noticed something amiss with our sect's activities. If it weren't for the fact that our lower-ranked disciples are unaware of this island's connection to our sect, they might have already paid us a visit."
As Shi Hansong spoke, his worry was evident. Over the past two months, the scattered members of the Xuanling Sect had gradually gathered in Beichuan, and their activities had not gone unnoticed by Star Feather Peak.
In fact, it was likely that Star Feather Peak had already identified many of the Xuanling Sect's cultivators but had refrained from taking action, hoping to capture higher-ranked members of the sect instead.
Thanks to the Xuanling Sect's experience in operating clandestinely, only their core members knew of Ziguang Island's existence, keeping it safe from Star Feather Peak's prying eyes.
"Senior Brother, rest assured," the middle-aged cultivator said, "This place is not in Beichuan, and with the Sea God Palace nearby, Star Feather Peak won't dare to act too rashly. Our sect has hidden here in Ziguang Island for many years; they won't find us so easily."
Shi Hansong nodded. "I'm not overly concerned about Star Feather Peak finding us immediately, but I do hope that Chu Daoist doesn't encounter them and get entangled in unnecessary troubles. We still have five days until the appointed date. Let's wait a little longer."
With that, Shi Hansong ceased speaking of Chu Ning.
Seated atop the mountain, he sent out a series of instructions, ensuring that the cultivators on the island were prepared for their imminent departure.
Two days passed, and the four Yuan Ying cultivators of the Xuanling Sect remained on the mountain peak, joined by Xie Cheng, Shi Hansong's chief disciple and the one in charge of their concrete affairs.
"Master, all the disciples who could make it are now gathered on Ziguang Island," Xie Cheng reported. "The spirit herbs, materials, and books have been sorted and packed, awaiting only your activation of the treasure."
Shi Hansong nodded in response. "And what is the mood among the disciples?"
Shi Hansong directed his question to Xie Cheng, but his gaze remained fixed on the distant sky.
"The disciples are mostly eager for a decisive battle with Star Feather Peak, believing that we are gathering our forces to confront them," Xie Cheng replied. "There doesn't seem to be any noticeable anxiety among them."
"That's good," Shi Hansong said, and then fell silent.
Xie Cheng opened his mouth as if to say something more but ultimately remained quiet. The group continued to wait in silence.
Suddenly, Shi Hansong, the most powerful cultivator among them, sensed a spiritual consciousness sweeping over the island from above. It paused as if searching for something.
Shi Hansong's heart stirred, and he extended his own spiritual sense to investigate.
After a while, a familiar figure entered the range of his spiritual sense. Shi Hansong was momentarily surprised by the fact that Chu Ning's spiritual sense was far more powerful than his own.
A smile broke out on his face, and he stood up. "Chu Daoist has arrived!"
Shi Hansong's announcement brought a collective sigh of relief from the other Xuanling Sect cultivators, and they, too, rose to their feet, their eyes following Shi Hansong's gaze.
Soon enough, they spotted a beam of light speeding toward the island from the distance.
"Let's go and greet Chu Daoist," Shi Hansong said, and immediately flew out from the formation, the others following close behind.
The approaching figure was indeed Chu Ning, who had been flying toward them at top speed. He had sent out his spiritual sense ahead of time to notify Shi Hansong of his arrival.
With the arrival of the four cultivators, Chu Ning flew towards Shi Hansong and stopped about a yard away.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, you're right on time. Senior Brother and the others have been waiting for you for quite some time now, fearing that you might be delayed by other matters." Shi Hansong said politely with a smile.
Chu Ning returned the courtesy with a bow. "Fellow Daoist Shi, I arrived as promised. I hope I haven't inconvenienced your sect."
"Not at all! Not at all!" Shi Hansong quickly waved his hand. "Our disciples just finished their preparations as well."
As he spoke, Shi Hansong introduced the two Yuan Ying cultivators beside him to Chu Ning.
The middle-aged cultivator was named Liao, and the elderly one was named Huang, both from the Xuanling Sect.
Their cultivation bases were also at the mid-Yuan Ying level.
As they spoke, the group entered the formation together.
Shi Hansong didn't stand on ceremony with Chu Ning at this moment. He got straight to the point and said, "Fellow Daoist Chu, you've come a long way. Normally, we should entertain you first.
However, according to our sect's investigation, the Star Feather Peak cultivators have been constantly searching this sea area recently. We fear that any delay might cause trouble, so we have to trouble you to act immediately."
Chu Ning was more than happy to oblige. "Of course, that's quite alright with me."
"Good, Fellow Daoist Chu, you're very straightforward!" Shi Hansong said with a pleased smile.
He then immediately ordered Xie Cheng to gather all the disciples in the dojo.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, while we wait, let me impart to you the method of driving the Spirit Key and the technique for refining the spatial treasure." Shi Hansong said.
After saying this, he took out two jade slips.
Chu Ning took the first jade slip and scanned its contents. He saw that it recorded various refining materials and techniques, some of which were extremely profound, even to his experienced eyes as a refiner.
"This is the method for refining spatial treasures. Aside from the refining materials, just these techniques alone may be difficult for even a late-stage Yuan Ying cultivator to fully grasp."
Chu Ning only read the first few sections before retracting his spiritual sense from the jade slip.
While it was prudent to be cautious, Chu Ning trusted that Shi Hansong wouldn't tamper with the refining techniques. If they didn't want to share the knowledge, they could have simply offered other enticing conditions earlier.
Moreover, the refining techniques within were definitely not something that ordinary cultivators could come up with.
Knowing that they were in a hurry to leave, Chu Ning turned his spiritual sense to the other jade slip.
Compared to the spatial treasure refining techniques, the Spirit Key driving method was much simpler.
It contained some skill in manipulating spiritual power, which was quite unique.
However, with Chu Ning's cultivation, he was able to fully memorize it in a short time.
The actual driving method also involved a bit of spatial power manipulation.
But for Chu Ning, who had already mastered several spatial mystic arts, it wasn't a problem at all. After careful pondering, he understood it completely.
However, Chu Ning was aware of the importance of this matter to the Xuanling Sect.
To reassure Shi Hansong and the others, Chu Ning deliberately spent more time reviewing the jade slip multiple times to demonstrate his understanding.
Then he said to Shi Hansong, "Fellow Daoist Shi, I have a basic grasp of the driving method. How about I explain my understanding to you?"
Shi Hansong was delighted to hear this.
In his opinion, the Spirit Key driving method was also quite profound.
Especially with the integration of spatial power, it was only at the late Yuan Ying stage that he was able to comprehend it better.
Then, he shared his insights on the driving method with the other two mid-Yuan Ying cultivators of the sect.
This ensured that all three mid-Yuan Ying cultivators of the Xuanling Sect mastered the driving method.
Of course, this had happened a long time ago.
In fact, they had been preparing for this for a while, but they hadn't obtained the complete Spirit Key until now.
At this moment, as they listened to Chu Ning explain the contents of the jade slip and watched him form various hand seals, Shi Hansong became more and more astonished.
If it weren't for the fact that he knew that the driving method of the Spirit Key had never been passed down before, he would have suspected that Chu Ning had already mastered it beforehand.
Nevertheless, he was very pleased.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, you are truly talented. You even have a certain level of mastery over spatial power. It seems you have completely grasped the Spirit Key driving method." Shi Hansong said with admiration.
After saying this, Shi Hansong led Chu Ning to the dojo.
At this moment, there were already thousands of people standing in the dojo.
These cultivators, who had originally been on Ziguang Island or scattered throughout Beichuan, were now members of the Xuanling Sect, and they curiously gazed at Chu Ning.
Shi Hansong didn't waste any time and took out two black jade keys from his storage bag.
"Fellow Daoists, let's begin!" Shi Hansong said to the two sect members and Chu Ning.
Chu Ning nodded and then patted his spirit beast bag. Without taking on a physical form, Bailing appeared and jumped onto Chu Ning's shoulder.
Sensing the aura of an eighth-rank demon beast emanating from Bailing, Shi Hansong's eyes narrowed slightly.
However, he didn't say anything further, assuming that Chu Ning had brought the spirit beast as a safeguard.
Shi Hansong took the lead and began to form a series of intricate hand seals.
Seeing this, Chu Ning and the other two cultivators followed suit, manipulating the treasure with their spiritual power.
(End of Chapter)
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