Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 89 Another Trouble Arises

Lanruo Temple still stands atop the mountain, its green bricks and gray tiles nestled among the evergreen pines and cypresses.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the temple rooftops, gilding everything with a warm golden hue.

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.

"You're back?"

Zhou Ning nodded and gave a detailed account of his trip to Black Mountain.

When Yan Chixia heard that the Black Mountain Demon had let him go, he frowned.

"He let you go? Why?"

Zhou Ning shook his head: "This disciple doesn't know either. He could have killed me, but he didn't."

Yan Chixia remained silent for a moment, then said, "Perhaps he has other plans."

He stood up and paced back and forth.

"Regardless, it's a miracle you came back alive. Did you hand over that evil artifact to the Demon Suppression Division?"

Zhou Ning nodded: "I've handed it over to Lord Han Wei."

Yan Chixia nodded: "Alright. The Demon Suppression Division has a way to deal with those evil artifacts."

He turned around and looked at Zhou Ning.

"You did well this time. Not only did you break the blood sacrifice, but you also obtained the evil artifact. This shows that your strength and character have both made significant progress."

Zhou Ning lowered his head: "This disciple dares not be complacent. The Black Mountain Demon's strength is still far beyond that of this disciple."

Yan Chixia said, "That's natural. He has been cultivating for over a thousand years, and you've only been cultivating for a short time. Don't rush, take it one step at a time."

He took out a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ning.

"This is the sequel to the 'Golden Core Chapter.' Take a look; although you won't need it right now, it never hurts to learn about it in advance."

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.

The content of the Golden Core chapter is more profound than that of the Foundation Establishment chapter.

It tells how to condense liquid true essence into solid golden elixir, how to open the dantian and purple palace, and how to nurture the golden elixir into a nascent soul.

Each step requires extremely deep accumulation and opportunity.

Ordinary cultivators may not be able to form a golden core even if they spend their entire lives.

"We can't rush this." Zhou Ning closed the jade slip.

"First, stabilize your mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation before considering the Golden Core stage."

In the days that followed, Zhou Ning cultivated in the back mountain every day to stabilize his realm.

He practiced the "Demon-Slaying Slash" and "Sky-Splitting Slash" hundreds of times until each strike could unleash its maximum power.

He picked up the art of manipulating objects again and continued practicing.

After reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his divine sense became much stronger than before. Under the guidance of his divine sense, the Qingfeng Sword could now fly stably in the air for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"With a little more practice, I should be able to use the art of controlling objects to attack," Zhou Ning thought to himself.

One day, he was practicing on the back mountain when he suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from below.

Zhou Ning walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. He saw a fast horse galloping along the mountain road. The rider on the horse was Li Laoshuan, the village head of Baihe Village.

"Brother Zhou! Brother Zhou! Something terrible has happened!"

Zhou Ning hurried down the mountain to meet him.

"Village head, what happened?"

Li Laoshuan dismounted, panting heavily, his face pale.

"The people from Black Mountain are back! They...they've kidnapped several young men from the village, saying they're going to...they're going to take them back as sacrifices!"

Zhou Ning frowned: "How many people?"

"Five or six of them, all dressed in black robes, and they know sorcery!" said Li Laoshuan.

"The Taoist priests hired by the village were all injured by them!"

Zhou Ning thought for a moment and said, "Village head, you go back first and tell the villagers not to panic. I'll go right away."

He returned to his lodgings, retrieved the Qingfeng Sword and the Bixie Sword, packed the talismans, and then followed Li Laoshuan down the mountain.

Baihe Village is not far from Lanruo Temple. Zhou Ning and the village head, Li Laoshuan, rode at full speed and arrived in no time.

The situation at the village entrance was worse than Zhou Ning had anticipated.

A dozen or so men in black robes were standing in the open space at the village entrance. The leader was a burly man with a face full of scars, holding a large black axe with a ferocious ghost head carved on the blade.

Behind him stood a dozen or so men in black robes, holding seven or eight villagers who were bound hand and foot. The villagers were pale-faced, their eyes filled with fear, and several young women were still weeping softly.

On the other side of the village entrance, several rogue Taoist priests dressed in gray robes lay on the ground, groaning incessantly.

They were covered in wounds, clearly having just been attacked by the men in black robes.

One of the older Taoist priests had a deep wound on his chest, from which blood was still seeping out, and he was breathing weakly.

Zhou Ning dismounted and walked over to the group of rogue cultivators, squatting down to check their injuries.

He took out wound medicine and bandages from his bag and gave them a simple bandage. He also gave the seriously injured old Taoist priest a life-extending pill.

"Thank you... thank you, young master..." The old Taoist priest opened his eyes with difficulty, his voice weak.

Zhou Ning shook his head: "Taoist priest, there's no need to be so polite. Are you here to help the villagers exorcise the demon?"

The old Taoist priest nodded, his eyes filled with shame.

"I have cultivated for over thirty years, thinking I could slay demons and monsters, but I never expected... I never expected I couldn't even withstand a single move from these black-robed men. I am ashamed, truly ashamed."

Zhou Ning patted his shoulder, stood up, and walked towards the group of men in black robes.

The burly man in black robes who was in the lead looked him up and down, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes.

"You're Zhou Ning? You don't look like much."

Zhou Ning gripped his Qingfeng sword tightly and said coldly, "Release those villagers."

The burly man in the black robe sneered, "Who do you think you are? How dare you interfere in the affairs of Black Mountain?"

He raised the large black axe in his hand, and an eerie black light shone from the blade.

"Kid, you'd better get lost. Otherwise, grandpa will chop you up with an axe."

Without wasting words, Zhou Ning unleashed a sword strike.

The golden sword energy pierced through the air, heading straight for the chest of the burly man in black robes.

The burly man in black robes changed his expression and quickly raised his great axe to block.

"boom!"

The sword energy struck the great axe, producing a muffled thud.

The burly man in black robes was forced back several steps, his hands went numb, and a deep crack appeared on his axe.

"You...your strength..." His eyes were filled with terror.

Zhou Ning gave him no chance to catch his breath and unleashed another sword strike!

This time, he used 70% of the power of "Demon-Slaying Slash".

The golden sword energy, like a dragon emerging from the sea, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, headed straight for the head of the burly man in black robes.

The burly man in black robes was shocked and quickly dodged to the side.

However, the sword energy was too fast and still grazed his shoulder, leaving a deep wound from which black blood gushed out.

"ah--!"

The burly man in black robes screamed and staggered backward, clutching his shoulder.

Upon seeing this, the men in black robes behind him drew their weapons and surrounded Zhou Ning.

Zhou Ning sneered, pulled out three "evil-repelling talismans" from his waist, and threw them out at the same time.

Three golden beams struck the three men in black robes.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

The three men in black robes screamed, their bodies engulfed in golden flames, rolled a few times on the ground, and then fell silent.

The other men in black robes turned pale with fright and retreated hastily.

The burly man in black gritted his teeth, took out a black pill from his pocket, and stuffed it into his mouth.

As the pill entered his stomach, his body began to swell, his muscles bulged, his veins stood out, and ghostly green flames burned in his eyes.

"Berserk mode again?" Zhou Ning frowned.

After going berserk, the burly man in black robes gained at least 50% more strength.

He brandished his great axe and charged towards Zhou Ning, each strike accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound.