https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-573-The-Main-Array-Breaking-the-Nine-Transformations-Palace-s-Barrier/12938176/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-575-Spirit-Sealing-Nine-Intentions/12938178/
Chapter 574: Primordial Energy Breakthrough
Chapter 574: Primordial Energy Breakthrough
Meng Xinghe, Huang Kui, and the others were all Late-stage Essence Incarnation Cultivators, and their divine sense was naturally not weak.
They had also witnessed Chu Ning obtaining the clear crystal earlier.
However, their perception of Primordial Energy was far less sensitive than Chu Ning's.
Chu Ning had to hold the clear crystal in his hand to sense the Primordial Energy.
The others scanned with their divine sense, but naturally, they couldn't detect anything.
Only Meng Xinghe's gaze briefly swept across Chu Ning's spirit bag.
"This object does resemble the legendary Primordial Crystal.
But even if it is a Primordial Crystal, it would be useless to hold it in one's hand.
Instead, this hammer-shaped magical treasure..."
Meng Xinghe's gaze fell upon the floating magical treasure in the air, but it was blocked by a barrier.
The others did the same, and Huang Kui's eyes fixed on the hammer-shaped treasure in the air, a scorching aura flashing in his eyes.
"Could this be the Annihilation Hammer used by the Ninth Derivative Ascendant in the past?"
"Annihilation Hammer!"
Upon hearing this name, a trace of eagerness flashed in the eyes of the cultivators.
The Ninth Derivative Ascendant was the first-ranked Divine Transformation cultivator to ascend in this realm, and the Annihilation Hammer was renowned.
It was said that this hammer was not refined by the Ninth Derivative Ascendant himself but was obtained by chance.
The specific origins were unknown.
However, the power of this hammer was extraordinary and surpassed several renowned spiritual treasures in this realm.
There were various speculations about why the Annihilation Hammer remained in this realm.
Some claimed that the Ninth Derivative Ascendant could find more powerful treasures after ascending.
Another theory was that the Ninth Derivative Ascendant sensed that the hammer couldn't accompany him during his ascension, so he left it in the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain.
Most cultivators tended to agree with the latter explanation.
As cultivators, they understood that there was no reason to leave behind a powerful magical treasure if they could ascend.
After all, no one knew what the higher realm was like.
"Since this hammer appeared in the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain, it must be the Annihilation Hammer without a doubt."
Seeing Huang Kui reveal the origin of the hammer, Meng Xinghe no longer remained silent.
"I never expected that this hammer remained undiscovered by cultivators for so many years, and now it has appeared!"
Meng Xinghe's tone was filled with surprise.
At this moment, Lu Xuedao spoke up, "Could it be that this barrier is extremely difficult to break, so the previous cultivators couldn't take it away?"
He didn't find this too strange, as he had encountered a similar situation in the Void Abyss's Grand Harmony Hall.
Due to the barrier, they could only retrieve a small number of treasures each time, and even decades ago when he and other cultivators entered, they were still able to obtain treasures.
However, after Lu Xuedao spoke, neither Meng Xinghe nor Huang Kui said a word.
Although they were entering the Nine Transformations Spirit Mountain for the first time, their sects had a ten-thousand-year-old heritage, and other cultivators had entered before.
But there were no records of such an event.
Chu Ning's eyes flickered slightly at this moment.
He carefully examined the altar and the Annihilation Hammer upon it.
His heart was filled with great astonishment.
Chu Ning didn't agree with Lu Xuedao's words.
If it were just this magical treasure, it might be somewhat plausible.
But what about the clear crystal filled with abundant Primordial Energy that he had just obtained? If it were that easy to take, why wasn't it taken by other cultivators in the tens of thousands of years before?
Both Heaven's First Sect and Demon Vortex Sect knew that the Eight Trigrams Void-Breaking Formation could break the barrier of the Nine Transformation Palace.
It was likely that cultivators from both sects had entered this place before.
Lu Xuedao noticed that no one responded, realizing that his guess was probably incorrect.
He didn't say anything further.
Instead, another cultivator from the Demon Vortex Sect spoke up, "There's another possibility. This treasure might have been blocked by a powerful barrier before.
Previous cultivators who entered didn't discover it.
But after a long time, the blocking barrier weakened, and now the treasure has appeared."
As he finished speaking, everyone nodded slightly.
This scenario seemed more reasonable.
Chu Ning also generally agreed with this person's words, as the clear crystal he had just obtained didn't have any trace of a barrier.
However, Chu Ning didn't rush to a conclusion.
He extended his divine sense, carefully sensing the barrier surrounding the Annihilation Hammer.
He had already obtained the crystal filled with Primordial Energy, and at this moment, he didn't feel the urgent need to obtain the Annihilation Hammer.
But he couldn't help feeling a bit curious.
Without completely resolving the doubts in his heart, he felt somewhat uneasy.
As he probed with his divine sense, Chu Ning's heart immediately started to ponder.
"This barrier contains Primordial Energy within, and it's another Primordial Energy barrier.
But it might not be possible to break it using the Eight Trigrams Void-Breaking Formation.
However, he always had a vague feeling that with the help of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, he might be able to break through this restriction.
A strange feeling arose in Chu Ning's mind, but naturally, he didn't speak at this moment.
Instead, he took a step back.
It was as if he was saying, "I've already claimed my reward, so if you want what's inside, feel free to try for yourselves."
Seeing this, Meng Xinghe didn't hesitate either. He slowly approached the Annihilation Hammer.
Then, he channeled his magical power into his hand and reached out towards the hammer.
When his hand was about a foot away from the hammer, a restriction fluctuation emerged, preventing Meng Xinghe's hand from advancing any further.
Meng Xinghe obviously wasn't willing to give up. He channeled more magical power, causing his entire palm to become crystal clear.
However, this action had no effect on the restriction.
Blocked by the restriction, Meng Xinghe's palm still couldn't move forward.
Seeing that force wasn't working, Meng Xinghe retracted his palm. He formed hand seals with both hands, and a series of incantation seals gathered in front of him.
Chu Ning stared intently at Meng Xinghe's hands.
With the heritage of Heaven's First Sect, they naturally had more knowledge and secret techniques related to essence energy.
As Chu Ning watched Meng Xinghe's ban removal techniques, he found them profoundly mysterious. Among all the ban removal techniques he had studied before, none could match Meng Xinghe's.
"No wonder it's a sect that has produced Divine Transformation stage cultivators in the past. These secret techniques are far beyond what ordinary cultivators can achieve.
Even in terms of the profoundness of ban removal techniques, I am inferior to him."
Chu Ning's expression was solemn.
He had obtained the inheritance of multiple sects, including the Nineflower Sect, the Thunderfire Sect, and many ban removal secret techniques from the Divine Dream Elder.
However, at this moment, Chu Ning still felt that there was a discrepancy between these techniques and the ones Meng Xinghe was using.
"Judging by a small part, this person, if he insists on being stubborn, might be a difficult opponent."
Chu Ning couldn't help but glance at Meng Xinghe.
Previously, he had used the Primordial Fire Lotus to force Meng Xinghe back, and he had also endured the essence energy suppression on the stone steps better than his opponent.
So, he had subconsciously equated Meng Xinghe with Tong Zhanghong and Dan Tianqi in terms of strength.
But at this moment, Chu Ning's heart trembled slightly.
He felt that he might have underestimated his opponent before.
Of course, at this moment, Chu Ning didn't show any expression.
He stood at a distance, quietly observing Meng Xinghe's ban removal attempts, appearing unconcerned.
Meng Xinghe, on the other hand, tried various ban removal techniques one after another.
Each technique was extraordinarily profound, astonishing the onlookers.
Fan Zeixian and Lu Xuedao's faces turned pale.
It was the first time they truly witnessed the strength of Heaven's First Sect's Grand Elder, and they were amazed.
What surprised everyone even more was that despite Meng Xinghe's use of numerous obviously profound and powerful ban removal techniques,
The restriction surrounding the Annihilation Hammer remained unmoved.
After a while, Meng Xinghe realized that he couldn't do anything about the restriction and finally stopped.
He furrowed his brows tightly.
In the end, he had no choice but to step back and yield his position.
"Since Elder Meng has finished his attempts, it's time for me, Huang, to give it a try."
Upon seeing Meng Xinghe retreat, Huang Kui immediately spoke up and quickly stepped forward to the restriction surrounding the Annihilation Hammer.
Chu Ning secretly shook his head.
"This restriction formed by essence energy is either like the one surrounding the Nine Transformations Palace, with weak points that can be broken by the Eight Trigrams Void-Breaking Formation.
Or, it can probably only be broken through essence energy!"
Chu Ning didn't have high hopes for Huang Kui's attempt, and indeed, it was futile.
Although Huang Kui tried, the result was the same—no effect.
The Grand Elders of Heaven's First Sect and Demon Vortex Sect had both failed, so the disciples of the two sects naturally wouldn't try again.
However, Fan Zeixian and Lu Xuedao were persistent. They both stepped forward and tried as well.
Of course, the result was the same.
After Lu Xuedao retreated, all eyes turned to Chu Ning.
Chu Ning initially wanted to decline, but after some thought, he felt that refusing would be like admitting he had no silver.
So, he stepped forward and tried using the restriction removal techniques he had learned from the Nineflower Sect and the Thunderfire Sect.
As for the numerous ban removal techniques he had learned from the Divine Dream Elder, Chu Ning didn't use them at this moment.
The Mystic Spirit Sect had some reputation on the Skylid Continent, and Chu Ning wasn't sure if using those techniques would reveal his connection to the sect.
He was worried that if Meng Xinghe and Huang Kui recognized the Mystic Spirit Sect's techniques, it might create unnecessary complications.
Chu Ning's attempt, of course, also ended in failure.
Everyone looked at each other, having spent so much time, they naturally wouldn't leave empty-handed just because of this Annihilation Hammer.
Meng Xinghe and Huang Kui each gave a signal to the cultivators on their side, and then they proceeded towards the depths of the hall from different directions.
After both groups had left, Chu Ning stood there for several breaths.
He glanced at the Annihilation Hammer once more, shaking his head with reluctance.
Only then did he head deeper into the hall.
Once inside, Chu Ning put the matter of the Annihilation Hammer behind him.
He began to examine the surroundings carefully.
There were multiple passages inside the hall, but beyond them, it was like a maze.
In just this one corridor, Chu Ning saw several branching paths, and each path led to rooms, some with just a few, while others had dozens.
Chu Ning randomly chose a few rooms, finding that some were wide open, allowing easy entry.
Naturally, these rooms were empty.
Some rooms, however, were heavily guarded by barriers.
The barriers here, although not as difficult as the ones on the Annihilation Hammer, still took Chu Ning a long time to break through. He eventually managed to break one of the room's barriers.
"Quintessence Soil!"
"Spirit Dew Bodhi!"
Upon entering the room, Chu Ning immediately obtained a long-lost artifact refinement material.
The Spirit Dew Bodhi was also a legendary spirit herb.
It was said that even late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators who consumed this herb could enhance their divine sense and spirit infant.
In terms of medicinal effects, it was even more miraculous than the Infant Deity Wood.
"It seems that during ancient times, with fewer cultivators and abundant heavenly materials, this was indeed the case."
If not for the current situation being inappropriate, Chu Ning would have wanted to try the herb's effects right away.
Putting away the two treasures, Chu Ning continued wandering through the various branching paths in this passage, hoping to break through the barriers and find more treasures.
However, to Chu Ning's slight surprise, the barriers in the next few rooms were so strong that even he couldn't break them.
And some, even if broken, were empty.
After exploring all the branching paths in this passage, Chu Ning reached the end of one such path.
At this moment, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Did Elder Nine Transformations set up such a complex arrangement in the Nine Transformations Palace just to leave these treasures for later generations?
If that's the case, it doesn't seem necessary to have so many branching paths."
As he thought this, Chu Ning looked up at the barriers on the walls again.
Previously, he had almost always turned back at the end of each branching path, not paying much attention to the barriers.
Now, as he examined them carefully, he noticed something different.
"Hmm? These barriers seem somewhat similar to the ones on the Annihilation Hammer, but their strength appears weaker."
With this in mind, Chu Ning tried a few common barrier removal techniques.
But he returned empty-handed.
"Even with weaker barriers, they still can't be broken by ordinary means."
Chu Ning thought, already circulating the third volume of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art.
He had just felt a hint of a connection between this art and the barriers.
As he circulated the art, Chu Ning once again felt the essence energy flowing within him.
However, the third volume of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art was incomplete.
Initially, Elder Nine Transformations had only researched it to absorb and merge spirit energy and primordial power.
He had only discovered the circulation method, but not the incantations to control it.
Chu Ning could clearly sense the essence energy flowing within him, but he couldn't unleash it.
This near-miss feeling made him extremely uncomfortable.
Instinctively, Chu Ning punched forward towards the barrier.
Perhaps due to the influence of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, he subconsciously used the Thunderbolt Step and Heaven's Pole Fist.
At that moment, Chu Ning felt the essence energy surging from his fist.
With the Heaven's Pole Fist, it burst forth from his fist!
The following scene also surprised Chu Ning.
As he punched, the barrier in front of him trembled and shook rapidly, as if it might break at any moment.
"The third volume of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, when combined with the Heaven's Pole Fist, can actually manipulate essence energy!
Indeed, although the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art is not complete, it is still a continuation of the first two volumes!
Moreover, Elder Nine Transformations, when he perfected the first two volumes, had already incorporated the cultivation methods of the third volume."
With this in mind, Chu Ning no longer hesitated. He followed the third volume's instructions, circulating essence energy within his body.
Using the Thunderbolt Step and Heaven's Pole Fist, he struck out!
"Boom!"
A barrier shattered.
Before Chu Ning, the wall of the branching path disappeared, revealing a gateway.
(End of Chapter)
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