txolops Chapter 123 1. Tracking the Path
Chapter 123 1. Tracking the Path
This is a variant of the "Sky-Splitting Slash," and its power is astonishing when unleashed by him at the late Golden Core stage.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Screams rang out one after another as five more men in black robes were struck by sword energy and fell to the ground, unable to get up.
The remaining men in black robes were terrified and scattered in all directions.
Zhou Ning did not give chase. He sheathed his sword, walked over to the bound civilians, and helped them untie their ropes.
"It's alright. You're safe now."
The people knelt down and kowtowed, expressing their deepest gratitude.
An elderly man with white hair walked forward shakily and bowed deeply to Zhou Ning.
"Thank you so much, my benefactor! Thank you so much, my benefactor! If it weren't for you, our Fallen Leaf Town would be finished."
Zhou Ning helped the old man up.
"Sir, you don't need to be so polite. Where did these men in black robes come from?"
The old man sighed:
"They came from the north. They said that although the Black Mountain Demon is dead, they will continue to avenge their master. In the past few days, they have burned down several villages. Our Fallen Leaf Town is the fifth."
Zhou Ning clenched his fists, a surge of anger rising within him.
The Black Mountain Demon is dead, but his remaining forces are still struggling and continuing to harm the people.
They must be completely eradicated as soon as possible.
"Old folks, you should find a safe place to hide first. I'll go after those men in black robes and see where their hideout is."
The old man nodded repeatedly and led the people into a cave in the back mountain.
Zhou Ning followed the direction the man in black robes had fled, pursuing him all the way.
His divine sense had already spread out, covering an area of several thousand feet in radius. The auras of those black-robed men were as clearly visible to him as fireflies in the night.
After chasing for about an hour, a small hill appeared ahead.
On the hill stood a dilapidated temple, surrounded by dozens of men in black robes and a burly demon general.
The demon general was dressed in black armor and held a large black sword in his hand. The sword was engraved with a ferocious ghost head and emitted a faint black light.
"Another demon general."
Zhou Ning sneered, took out an invisibility talisman from his bag, and stuck it to his chest.
His figure gradually blurred and disappeared into the air.
He quietly approached the temple, hid behind a large rock, and observed the situation inside.
Inside the main hall of the temple, the demon general sat on a dilapidated chair, holding a bowl of wine in his hand, drinking it in large gulps.
Several men in black robes stood beside him, talking in hushed tones.
"Brother, when are we going to the next village?" a man in black robes asked.
The demon general put down his wine bowl and wiped his mouth:
"No rush. Let the brothers rest for the night, and we'll go tomorrow. That Zhou Ning guy, I heard, has already gone back south and won't bother with our business."
"But, brother, we've killed so many people, what if righteous cultivators come looking for us..."
The demon general sneered:
"What's there to be afraid of? Righteous cultivators are all a bunch of useless trash. They didn't dare come when the Black Mountain Demon was around, and they dare even less now that he's dead. We can kill as many people as we want, and who can stop us?"
Zhou Ning was enraged and could no longer contain himself. He tore off the invisibility talisman, rushed out from behind the big rock, and slashed at the demon general with his sword.
A golden sword aura shot out from the sky, heading straight for the demon general's chest!
The demon general's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly raised his broadsword to block.
"boom!"
The sword energy struck the broadsword, and the broadsword snapped in two.
The demon was sent flying, crashing into the wall and spitting out a mouthful of black blood.
He struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with terror.
"You...you're Zhou Ning?"
Zhou Ning did not answer, and instead unleashed another sword strike.
This time, he used 50% of the power of the "Demon Slaying Technique".
The golden sword energy, like a giant golden dragon, carried a world-destroying power and headed straight for the demon general's head.
The demon general tried to dodge, but his body had already been injured by the sword strike and he couldn't dodge at all.
"Pfft!"
The sword energy pierced through the demon general's head, and black blood gushed out.
The demon general stared wide-eyed at Zhou Ning in disbelief before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
Upon seeing this, the other men in black robes scattered and fled in terror.
Zhou Ning did not give chase. He sheathed his sword and looked around.
Inside the temple, there were piles of grain, cloth, and gold and silver treasures, all of which the black-robed men had looted from the homes of ordinary people.
In the corner, several young women were locked up, their faces pale and their eyes filled with fear.
Zhou Ning walked over to them and helped them untie the ropes.
"It's alright, you're safe now."
The women wept uncontrollably and knelt down, kowtowing.
Zhou Ning helped them up and led them away from the temple.
By the time we returned to Fallen Leaf Town, it was already dark.
When the villagers emerged from the cave behind the mountain and saw the rescued woman, they surrounded her and wept bitterly.
The white-haired old man walked up to Zhou Ning, took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, and handed it to Zhou Ning.
"My benefactor, this is a small token of our appreciation from Fallen Leaf Town. Please accept it."
Zhou Ning opened the cloth bag, inside was a dried herb, emitting a faint fragrance.
Upon closer inspection, he was startled.
It was a dried "ambergris" plant. Although it wasn't very old, it was still quite rare.
"Grandpa, this..."
The old man said, "This is a family heirloom from our Fallen Leaf Town. It's said to have the power to prolong life. We have no use for it, so please accept it, my benefactor."
Zhou Ning thought for a moment and then carefully put away the dragon's saliva grass.
Although he already had the dragon's saliva fruit, the dragon's saliva grass could also be used as an auxiliary ingredient to refine other elixirs.
"Thank you, sir."
The old man shook his head: "You're too kind, my benefactor. You saved the lives of everyone in our town; what is a mere herb?"
Zhou Ning stayed another night in Luoye Town, helping the people with the aftermath and drawing some talismans to stick at the town entrance and the door of each house to prevent evil spirits from disturbing them.
The next morning, he bid farewell to the people and continued on his journey.
After walking for three days, he finally returned to Lanruo Temple.
Standing at the mountain gate, Zhou Ning looked at the familiar temple and felt a long-lost sense of peace welling up in his heart.
"Master, your disciple has returned."
He entered the main hall.
Yan Chixia was meditating when he heard footsteps and opened his eyes.
His gaze fell on Zhou Ning, and he nodded slightly.
"You're back? You found everything?"
Zhou Ning took out the Earth Spirit Milk, Dragon Saliva Fruit, and Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Lingzhi from his bag and placed them one by one on the incense table.
"Master, I have found all three main ingredients for the Nascent Soul Pill."
Yan Chixia stood up, walked to the incense table, and carefully examined the three medicinal herbs.
He picked up the Earth Spirit Milk and smelled it.
He picked up the ambergris fruit again and looked at it.
Finally, I picked up the ancient Ganoderma lucidum and gently stroked it.
"These are of excellent quality and rare treasures."
He nodded: "Good job, you've worked hard."
Zhou Ning said, "This disciple is not tired. Master, when can this disciple begin refining pills?"
Yan Chixia said, "No rush. Rest for a few days to recover your energy. Refining pills requires a lot of true essence and energy, so we can't be too hasty."
He took out a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ning.
"This is my summary of the Nascent Soul Pill refining experience. Take it back and study it. Once you're ready, I'll teach you how to refine the pill."
Zhou Ning accepted the jade slip and solemnly said, "Thank you, Master."
He left the main hall and returned to his residence.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he probed the jade slip with his divine sense and studied it carefully.
Yan Chixia's insights clearly analyze every step of the Nascent Soul Pill, from the purification and fusion of spiritual herbs to the control of the heat and the infusion of spiritual power, each step is explained in detail.
Zhou Ning was so engrossed in watching that he didn't realize it, and it was already broad daylight.
He rubbed his sore eyes and got up to stretch his muscles.
"Refining pills is much more difficult than refining Foundation Establishment pills."
But he did not back down.
To break through to the Nascent Soul stage, one must learn no matter how difficult it is.