Chapter 554: Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain (Part 2)

Chapter 554: Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain (Part 2)



A thousand miles away, Chu Ning, who had altered his appearance using Illusionary Transformation, continued to fly forward, employing the Divine Suppression Technique.

But at this moment, he no longer used Ethereal Dodging; instead, he utilized the Thunder Dodging Technique.

"Fortunately, I've spent the past few months on Purple Light Island, figuring out how to manipulate spatial power with Essence Energy.

Otherwise, I might not have been able to escape so easily today."

Chu Ning couldn't help but mutter to himself as he sensed that the two Late-stage Essence Incarnation Cultivators from Starfeather Sect were not pursuing him.

He could still use Teleportation, but his Essence Energy was almost depleted.

Luckily, during his time on Purple Light Island, he had been constantly practicing the art of Essence Energy manipulation.

Not only had his teleportation range increased to forty zhang, but his Essence Energy consumption had also significantly decreased.

This allowed him to repeatedly create distance between himself and the two powerful Cultivators by using Ethereal Dodging.

Finally, he managed to completely shake them off by skillfully using cloud cover and the Divine Suppression Technique.

"I didn't expect Starfeather Sect to have two Late-stage Essence Incarnation Cultivators in this sea area.

From today onwards, I've truly made a formidable enemy of Starfeather Sect."

A cold glint flashed in Chu Ning's eyes.

Since advancing to the Essence Incarnation stage, he had rarely found himself in such a slightly embarrassing situation.

However, as he was alone, he didn't have much to worry about.

If he encountered Starfeather Sect Cultivators in the future, he wouldn't hesitate to kill them!

As he pondered, Chu Ning swiftly flew forward using the Thunder Dodging Technique.

Along the way, he even consumed a drop of ten-thousand-year-old Spiritual Milk.

After flying for several days, he was certain that the two Late-stage Essence Incarnation Cultivators from Starfeather Sect couldn't catch up.

Only then did Chu Ning find an uninhabited mountain and begin to recover his cultivation.

He had ten-thousand-year Spiritual Milk to restore his cultivation, but to replenish his Essence Energy, he had to rely on the simultaneous cultivation of the Five Elements Chaos Art and the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art.

Now that he had experienced the wonders of Essence Energy, he naturally wanted to maintain a full state of Essence Energy for any unexpected needs.

After fully recovering, Chu Ning flew off again, heading towards the direction of Jian Family.

Several days later, he arrived at a mountain villa built against a mountain.

Although it was called a villa, in Chu Ning's eyes, it resembled a small city.

People came and went, bustling with activity, creating a lively atmosphere.

"It seems that Jian Daoyou has indeed expanded his family, with numerous descendants," Chu Ning thought to himself as he noticed that many people had similar facial features, which left him feeling secretly amazed.

Then, he directly descended in front of the main gate of the courtyard.

The gatekeeper had already spotted Chu Ning as he flew towards the courtyard.

At this moment, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator walked forward, took a look at Chu Ning, and immediately bowed, saying, "Is this Chu Xiansheng?"

Chu Ning had already restored his original appearance, knowing that Jian Qingshan must have informed them beforehand.

He nodded and said, "It's me. Is Jian Daoyou here?"

"Chu Daoyou, I'm sorry for not coming out to greet you earlier. Please forgive my rudeness!"

Just as Chu Ning finished speaking, a voice grew louder as it approached from inside the courtyard.

By the time the last word was spoken, a figure had appeared before Chu Ning—it was Jian Qingshan.

Chu Ning smiled and bowed to him.

"Chu Daoyou, you're right on time. Please come in!"

Jian Qingshan returned the bow and gestured for Chu Ning to enter.

The two of them walked side by side into the courtyard, heading straight for the inner courtyard.

The Cultivators who had been coming and going earlier now revealed expressions of astonishment.

"Who is this senior? He looks so young, yet he's being personally welcomed by the patriarch," they wondered.

"The patriarch addressed him as 'Daoyou.' Could he be an Essence Incarnation Cultivator?"

"Such a young Essence Incarnation Cultivator..."

The young people at the entrance began to discuss among themselves, but the middle-aged Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had been guarding the gate immediately scolded them.

"Show some respect!"

Upon hearing this, the young people immediately fell silent.

Jian Qingshan, who was leading Chu Ning inside, smiled bitterly at him.

"Please forgive the rudeness of the younger generation in my family, Daoyou."

With their spiritual senses, the two of them could clearly hear the whispers outside.

"It's fine," Chu Ning smiled.

"I'm envious of Jian Daoyou's family. The younger generation here has the opportunity to interact with Essence Incarnation level Cultivators.

When I was their age, I thought Foundation Establishment Cultivators were already unattainable."

Jian Qingshan laughed heartily.

"Chu Daoyou, you're quite the joker. With your exceptional talent, your sect's elders must be extraordinary."

Chu Ning smiled but didn't respond.

His starting point and experiences were unknown to most people, except for Cen Zijin. Even if he told others, they probably wouldn't believe it.

Who would have thought that when he first entered the cultivation world, he was just a miscellaneous disciple from a small sect?

The two of them chatted and laughed as they entered a hall in the rear courtyard, where three Cultivators were already present.

Two men and one woman, the men looked older, appearing to be in their sixties.

One of them was at the Core Formation Mid-stage, while the other was at the Core Formation Late-stage.

Chu Ning's gaze unconsciously swept over the Core Formation Late-stage elder, vaguely guessing that this might be the Jian Family Cultivator who had a chance to break through to the Essence Incarnation stage, as mentioned by Wuchenzi.

As for the young woman, she looked to be only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and in terms of appearance, she was quite similar to Chu Ning.

However, she was a Core Formation Mid-stage cultivator.

This young woman had a rather captivating appearance, and even among the many female cultivators Chu Ning had seen before, she could rank among the top.

At this moment, Jian Qingshan smiled and introduced her to Chu Ning, "Friend Chu, these are some of the more talented juniors in our clan who might catch your eye.

The others have lower cultivation bases, so I didn't ask them to come out."

As he spoke, he also introduced their names to Chu Ning.

Chu Ning met them one by one, but he didn't pay much attention.

At the Mid-stage Nascent Soul level, he didn't have much interest in ordinary Core Formation cultivators.

Jian Qingshan understood Chu Ning's intention and after some small talk, he turned to the young woman, "Man'e, bring out the materials we prepared and let Friend Chu take a look."

The young woman named Jian Man'e immediately took out three boxes from her Spirit Bag and placed them on a tray.

Then, she opened them one by one and said to Chu Ning, "Senior Chu, these are the materials that the Clan Leader instructed us to find. Please take a look to see if they meet your requirements."

As Jian Man'e took out the items, Chu Ning immediately looked at them.

On the tray were three items: a vine as translucent as jade, a deep yellow stone, and a silver-white metallic material.

Chu Ning was very familiar with the materials he needed to collect and recognized them at a glance.

Then, he reached out and took each of the three materials from the tray in Jian Man'e's hand.

Jian Qingshan immediately smiled and said, "It seems we didn't make a mistake, and we didn't disappoint you."

"Thank you for your efforts, Friend Jian. I'm very pleased with these materials," Chu Ning said without any hesitation.

He was very satisfied with the materials provided by Jian Qingshan, not just because they had provided the three materials as promised.

But because these three materials were all the ingredients needed to refine the Mystic Turtle Shield.

With these, along with the various materials he had accumulated before, he only needed one last ingredient, the Ash Gale Stone, to refine the Mystic Turtle Shield.

At this moment, Chu Ning put away the three materials one by one and stored them in his Spirit Bag. He then directly asked Jian Qingshan, "Friend Jian, I still need a material called Ash Gale Stone. Do you have any connections to obtain it?"

"Ash Gale Stone?" Jian Qingshan turned to Jian Man'e after hearing this and asked, "Man'e, do you know where to find it?"

After saying this, he noticed Chu Ning's slightly puzzled expression and smiled, explaining, "Friend Chu, Jian Man'e is in charge of communicating with various merchant groups on behalf of our clan.

She also manages many of the clan's businesses.

So, if there's anything rare in the outside world, she knows more about it than I do."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning's gaze shifted slightly, showing a hint of surprise, and landed on Jian Man'e, who stood not far from him.

Jian Man'e was so young yet already at the Core Formation Mid-stage. Chu Ning had assumed she would be one of those who devoted herself to cultivation within the clan.

He hadn't expected that she would also be managing the clan's businesses.

Noticing Chu Ning's gaze, Jian Man'e smiled and said, "Senior Chu, after the Clan Leader gave me the materials you needed, I inquired everywhere, and all the materials I could obtain are here.

I haven't heard of any place that has the Ash Gale Stone.

However, in a month, the Heaven's First Sect will organize a large trading fair, and many treasures may be offered during that time.

If you need some refining materials, you might want to try your luck at this trading fair."

"Heaven's First Sect!" Chu Ning's eyes flashed slightly at the mention of this name.

Among the top nine powers on the Skylid Continent, there were four sects, three schools, and two palaces.

Among them, the most powerful were considered to be the Heaven's First Sect of the righteous path and the Ten Thousand Demon Sect of the demonic path.

Since it was a trading fair organized by the Heaven's First Sect, the chances of various treasures appearing were indeed higher.

So Chu Ning immediately asked, "May I ask how to participate in the Heaven's First Sect's trading fair? Are there any restrictions?"

"There are no restrictions!" Jian Man'e smiled at this point.

"At that time, as long as you pay a certain amount of spirit stones to the Heaven's First Sect, you can enter the venue and participate in the trading.

Of course, the number of spirit stones paid varies depending on the cultivator's cultivation base, and the entry times are also different.

Cultivators below the Core Formation stage pay 10,000 spirit stones, Core Formation cultivators pay 30,000 spirit stones, and Nascent Soul cultivators pay 50,000 spirit stones."

Hearing this, Chu Ning shook his head inwardly.

The so-called 'no restrictions' were actually a significant threshold for entry.

For cultivators below the Core Formation stage to be able to pay 10,000 spirit stones for entry, they either had a high cultivation base or were exceptionally wealthy.

This already filtered out a large portion of cultivators.

As for Nascent Soul cultivators paying 50,000 spirit stones, Chu Ning didn't consider it much of a threshold.

However, with this entry fee, the number of cultivators attending could bring in an astonishing amount of spirit stones for the Heaven's First Sect.

Jian Qingshan saw Chu Ning's expression and burst into laughter, "Haha, Daoist Chu, the entry fee for this trading event indeed requires quite a number of Spirit Stones. But every time, there will be many valuable items on offer, some of which are from Heaven's First Sect themselves."

"Many of the items are actually from other sects and powers, entrusted to Heaven's First Sect for this event. So, it's rare for any cultivator who attends to return empty-handed."

"In fact, Heaven's First Sect collects these Spirit Stones to distribute them to the other sects as well."

"Otherwise, even with Heaven's First Sect's outstanding strength, the other major powers wouldn't allow them to monopolize everything."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning finally understood.

He had thought that the other sects on the Skylid Continent were also so dominant, and wondered how Heaven's First Sect could be like this.

Jian Qingshan continued with a smile, "Daoist Chu, if you're willing, why not stay a little longer at our residence?"

"I'll also be going to take a look. It'll be more fun if we go together."

Hearing this, Chu Ning gave it a moment's thought and lightly shook his head, "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I do want to go and take a look, but I have an urgent matter to attend to, and I'm not sure if I can make it in time."

Chu Ning was naturally very interested in Heaven's First Sect's trading event.

However, he also knew that such a large-scale event would likely attract numerous sects.

It was possible that even the Starfeather Sect and the Sky Vault Palace would be present.

If he appeared, these two sects would undoubtedly keep a close eye on him.

So, if he wanted to attend, it would be best to disguise himself.

Therefore, traveling with Jian Qingshan would not be convenient.

Hearing Chu Ning's words, Jian Qingshan was visibly surprised.

In his mind, Chu Ning would almost certainly attend.

However, their relationship had not yet reached the point where they could discuss everything, so Jian Qingshan didn't ask further.

At this moment, Jian Man took out a jade slip from her Spirit Bag and presented it to Chu Ning.

"Senior Chu, you've been living overseas for a long time. Have you ever seen this kind of material before?"

Primordial Stone!

As soon as Chu Ning saw the contents of the jade slip in Jian Man's hand, his heart stirred slightly.

However, his expression remained calm.

He had seen this type of Primordial Stone in the North Cold Region and the Western Alliance Continent. Given the vastness of the Skylid Continent, it wasn't surprising to find such a stone here.

What surprised Chu Ning was that a place like the Jian Family would casually have a Primordial Stone to offer.

Maintaining a poker face, Chu Ning continued to stare at the Primordial Stone in Jian Man's hand, "I seem to have seen it in the hands of a fellow cultivator before, but it's been so long that I can't quite remember the details.

Moreover, I've never known the name of this crystal, so I didn't pay much attention to it."

Jian Man's eyes lit up at these words.

"Senior Chu, have you really seen the Primordial Stone overseas? Do you remember where exactly?"

Seeing Jian Man's expression, Chu Ning's heart stirred again, and he vaguely guessed that there might be some secret behind this.

He feigned a thoughtful expression.

"Oh, is this thing called a Primordial Stone? It has been a long time indeed. I saw it at a small market back then."

Chu Ning paused slightly and casually asked Jian Man, "Daoist Jian, is there something special about this Primordial Stone that has caught your attention?"

Jian Man's face showed a hint of hesitation upon hearing this, and Chu Ning smiled faintly, "I'm just curious. If it's inconvenient, you don't have to tell me."

"Daoist Chu, what are you saying?" Jian Qingshan smiled and took over the conversation at this point.

Then, he turned to Jian Man and said, "Man'e, just tell Daoist Chu the truth."

"Yes, Master Jian!" Jian Man responded to Jian Qingshan.

Then, she turned to Chu Ning and said, "Senior Chu, we also heard some rumors. It is said that the Nine Transformations Venerable, the first cultivator from this realm to enter the Spirit Transformation Stage and ascend to the Upper Realm, his cave mansion, the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain, will appear in this world within the next year or two.

If we obtain this Primordial Stone and combine it with a map of the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain, we can enter the mountain."

"The Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain!"

Chu Ning's face immediately showed a hint of surprise.

He was indeed astonished.

The reason he had come to the Skylid Continent was to find several cultivation techniques.

Among them, he was most eager to find the third volume of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art and the subsequent cultivation techniques of the Refinement of the Divine Sense.

After advancing to the Mid-stage Nascent Soul, cultivating the Five Elements Chaos Art would still provide some growth in his cultivation.

However, the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art and the Refinement of the Divine Sense would not significantly enhance his physical body or divine sense.

Now that he had obtained the True Spirit Art and started cultivating, hearing the news about the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain, Chu Ning was naturally very interested.

According to his speculation, the third volume of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art was most likely to be found in the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain.

Chu Ning's change in expression didn't surprise Jian Qingshan and the others too much.

The name of the Nine Transformations Venerable was known to most high-level cultivators.

The existence of such an ancient cave mansion would naturally attract attention.

"Daoist Jian, can you tell me more about this?"

Chu Ning immediately asked for more details.

With Jian Qingshan's permission, Jian Man revealed all she knew about the Jian family's knowledge.

According to her, the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain would appear once every thousand years.

Most of the time, it would be in the surrounding seas of the Skylid Continent.

During this time, anyone holding a map of the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain could sense its location.

And possessing the Primordial Stone was the key to entering this Spirit Mountain.

Although the timing of its appearance wasn't always precise, it was usually off by a year or two at most.

If one calculated based on this timing, the Spirit Mountain should appear within the next year or two.

Naturally, the cultivators holding the map wouldn't let any information slip.

However, the Primordial Stone was still being traded at a high price among various factions on the Skylid Continent.

When Chu Ning inquired further about the Spirit Mountain, Jian Man couldn't provide more specific details.

"Chu Daoist, perhaps the ancient sects might have more detailed information about the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain.

Our Jian family only learned of it from Jian's hands, and we don't have any further details."

Jian Qingshan spoke with a hint of regret.

After a brief pause, he added, "However, it's said that the map of the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain might appear at the Heaven's First Sect's trading event."

Chu Ning was slightly startled upon hearing this.

"Would Heaven's First Sect really trade such a treasure?"

Jian Qingshan heaved a soft sigh after hearing this.

"In fact, among the major sects of the Skylid Continent, there must be more than one map of the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain.

For them, as long as they can locate the Spirit Mountain, having one more or one less map doesn't make much difference."

After saying this, Jian Qingshan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Moreover, even if we were to obtain the map, how likely is it for us wandering cultivators to secure treasures within?"

"Actually, we're seeking the Primordial Stone because some sects have been after it recently.

And the Jian family has its eyes on a treasure that they're willing to exchange only for the Primordial Stone."

At this point, Chu Ning couldn't determine the truth of Jian Qingshan's words.

However, even if the other party was telling the truth, Chu Ning didn't plan to reveal his Primordial Stone.

Firstly, he had already mentioned it earlier, and taking it out now would be contradictory.

Secondly, since the Primordial Stone had such remarkable uses, revealing it would inevitably leak information.

When that happened, he would likely face constant disturbances.

After all, Chu Ning couldn't claim to fully trust the Jian family.

So, at this moment, Chu Ning could only smile wryly, "Your words are reasonable, Daoist. As wandering cultivators, we should not covet such a Spirit Mountain."

As he spoke, Chu Ning returned the jade slip to Jian Man.

"Daoist Jian, if I recall correctly, I saw this item in the hands of a wandering cultivator at the Donglai Island trading market a hundred years ago.

After so many years, it's likely that no clues can be found."

Donglai Island was the largest island for wandering cultivators in the eastern seas, and Chu Ning's casual excuse sounded flawless.

Indeed, upon hearing this, both Jian Man and Jian Qingshan's faces showed a hint of disappointment.

Chu Ning's information was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Jian Man retreated to her original position, while Jian Qingshan chatted casually with Chu Ning.

It wasn't until this moment that his other two juniors occasionally chimed in with a word or two.

After spending half a day at the Jian family's estate, Chu Ning stood up to take his leave.

Although Jian Qingshan tried to persuade him to stay, seeing Chu Ning's determination to leave, he had no choice but to escort Chu Ning out.

Only after Chu Ning had left and disappeared into the distance did Jian Qingshan return to the main hall with several juniors.

"Family Head, is this Chu Daoist truly so formidable?

Even the secret of the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain, he shares without reservation?"

Jian Man asked, puzzled.

At this moment, Jian Qingshan's face was unusually calm.

"I asked you to test him earlier because I was thinking that since he's been abroad for many years, he might have news about the Primordial Stone.

But now that we've opened this topic, there's no need to hide anything.

After all, this information isn't a big secret. If he attends the Heaven's First Sect's trading event, he can easily learn about it.

Moreover..."

Jian Qingshan paused briefly, then spoke solemnly, "Moreover, this person's cultivation and abilities are extraordinary. When he fought with Yuan Lang Ascendant in front of us, he wasn't at a disadvantage.

After we left, the two of them likely fought again, and then Yuan Lang Ascendant immediately went into seclusion.

This suggests that even without underestimating Yuan Lang Ascendant, he probably didn't gain an absolute advantage.

Remember, we can't afford to offend such a person.

With someone like this, if we can't deepen our friendship, we should at least avoid antagonizing them."

Jian Qingshan turned and sternly warned the others.

"Yes, Family Head!"

The Jian family juniors immediately acknowledged.

Jian Man looked up at Chu Ning's previous seat, and a hint of strangeness flashed in her clear eyes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end