ATPnovel Chapter 113 Fellow Taoist Stays
Chapter 113 Fellow Taoist Stays
Zhou Ning was deep in thought the whole way.
The threat of the extraterrestrial demons is getting closer, and his cultivation level is still far from sufficient.
"Master, I wish to go into seclusion to attempt to break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm," he said.
Yan Chixia glanced at him: "Are you sure?"
Zhou Ning nodded: "This disciple is certain. The extraterrestrial demons could descend at any moment, and this disciple must become stronger."
Yan Chixia was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright. After you return, you will go into seclusion. I will protect you."
Upon returning to Lanruo Temple, Zhou Ning immediately began his seclusion.
He locked himself in a stone chamber in the back mountain, where he spent his days meditating and studying the jade slips containing the Nascent Soul chapter.
He studied Yan Chixia's insights repeatedly and integrated the Golden Elixir and Nascent Soul chapters of "Innate Qi".
Time passed day by day.
Zhou Ning's cultivation level is steadily improving.
The mid-stage Golden Core realm has been completely stabilized, and the bottleneck in the late-stage Golden Core realm has begun to loosen.
He knew that if he had more time, he could break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm.
But he didn't have time.
On this day, he was meditating in the stone chamber when he suddenly felt the communication jade talisman in his bosom become intensely hot.
He took out the jade talisman and infused it with a wisp of true essence.
Xuanzhenzi's voice rang in his mind, tinged with anxiety.
"Young Master Zhou, the rift in the Southern Frontier has reappeared, and this time it is even larger than before. Immortal Master Yan has already gone there, and he wants you to come as soon as possible after you leave seclusion."
Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine, put away the jade talisman, and rushed out of the stone chamber.
He took the Green Edge Sword, the Evil-Repelling Sword, and the Frost Sword, packed the talismans, used his Lightness Technique, and sped off towards the Southern Frontier.
The anxious voice of Xuanzhenzi from the communication jade talisman still echoed in his ears when Zhou Ning had already rushed out of the mountain gate of Lanruo Temple.
Instead of riding a horse, he used a lightness technique, channeling his true energy into his legs, and his body moved like an arrow, speeding along the mountain path.
At the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, the cultivation speed was several times faster than when he was in the Foundation Establishment stage.
The wind whistled in my ears, the trees on both sides rushed past, and the bluestone slabs under my feet creaked under my feet.
Southern Xinjiang, the Flaming Mountains, are thousands of miles away from the Qingyun Mountains.
Zhou Ning traveled day and night, only stopping to rest briefly when he could no longer keep up, eating a few bites of dry rations and drinking a few sips of water before continuing his journey.
He had only one thought in his mind.
Faster, faster.
Master has passed away.
The cracks reappeared, and they were even bigger than before.
Extraterrestrial demons are attempting to descend upon the mortal realm.
He must get there as soon as possible.
After walking for three days, he arrived at a small town called "Qinglin Town".
The town is small, with only a few dozen households, but it is located on a major transportation route, and merchants and travelers come and go in an endless stream.
Zhou Ning intended to go around it, but suddenly heard a cry coming from the town.
He stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.
A crowd had gathered at the town entrance, with a middle-aged Taoist priest in a gray robe standing in the middle, holding a peach wood sword and chanting incantations to a woman kneeling on the ground.
In the woman's arms, she held a pale-faced child with closed eyes and weak breathing.
"Taoist priest, please, save my child!" the woman cried out.
The Taoist priest sighed, "It's not that I don't want to save him, but this child is possessed by an evil spirit, and my cultivation is insufficient to help him."
Zhou Ning frowned, walked over, squatted down, and placed her hand on the child's pulse.
He probed a wisp of his true essence into the child's body and discovered that a faint black mist was moving within the child's meridians.
That was an evil aura, but it wasn't strong; it was just ordinary ghostly possession.
"I'll give it a try," Zhou Ning said.
The woman looked up and saw him, her eyes full of confusion: "You are...?"
Zhou Ning did not answer, but took out a "talisman for exorcising evil spirits" from his bag and stuck it on the child's forehead.
He infused a wisp of true essence into the talisman, and the talisman glowed with a golden light.
The black mist inside the child's body quickly dissipated in the golden light, and the child's complexion gradually returned to its rosy hue.
The child opened his eyes and looked around blankly.
"Mother..." he called out weakly.
Overjoyed, the woman wept, hugged her child tightly, and kowtowed to Zhou Ning, saying, "Thank you so much, my benefactor! Thank you so much, my benefactor!"
Zhou Ning helped her up and said, "No need to thank me. The child was just possessed by a common ghost, and is fine now. Just be careful not to let the child go to places with heavy yin energy in the future."
The woman nodded repeatedly.
Zhou Ning stood up, preparing to leave, when the middle-aged Taoist priest suddenly stopped him.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait."
Zhou Ning looked at him: "Is something the matter?"
The Taoist priest cupped his hands and said, "This humble Taoist is Yu Lingzi from Qingcheng Mountain. May I ask your esteemed name, fellow Taoist?"
Zhou Ning said, "Zhou Ning."
Yu Xuzi's eyes lit up: "You're Zhou Ning? A disciple of Immortal Yan of Qingyun Mountain?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
Yu Lingzi quickly bowed deeply: "I've heard so much about you, Young Master Zhou. I have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it?"
Yu Lingzi said, "I have been ordered by my sect to go to the Southern Frontier to investigate the rift. However, my cultivation is too low, and I am afraid I am not up to the task. If Young Master Zhou is also going to the Southern Frontier, could you please take me with you?"
Zhou Ning thought for a moment and said, "Okay. But you have to listen to me on the way."
Yu Lingzi was overjoyed: "Definitely, definitely."
The two set off together.
Yu Lingzi's cultivation was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, which was a whole realm lower than Zhou Ning's, and his progress was much slower.
Zhou Ning had to slow down and wait for him.
But Yu Lingzi was a talkative person, and along the way she told him a lot about the customs and traditions of the Southern Frontier and the legends of the extraterrestrial demons.
"The extraterrestrial demons are recorded in the ancient texts of our Qingcheng Mountain," Yu Lingzi said.
"In ancient times, they invaded the human world on a massive scale. In that battle, countless immortals and gods perished, and countless civilizations were destroyed. In the end, the human race and the demon race joined forces to repel the Heavenly Demons."
"But after that battle, the spiritual energy in the human world greatly diminished, and the path of cultivation became increasingly difficult."
Zhou Ning asked, "What exactly do the extraterrestrial demons look like?"
Yu Lingzi shook his head: "No one knows. They have no physical form and feed on the negative emotions of living beings. War, killing, hatred, and fear are all their nourishment. The more chaotic the human world becomes, the stronger they grow."
Zhou Ning was silent for a moment, then said, "Therefore, we must stop them from descending."
Yu Lingzi nodded: "Exactly."
After walking for another two days, the two finally arrived at the foot of the Flaming Mountain.
The scenery of the Flaming Mountains is even more terrifying than when I last visited.
The mountain was no longer dark red, but had turned deep black, as if it had been burned by a fire.
The air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur and decay, making people nauseous.
The riverbed at the foot of the mountain was completely dry, and the ground was covered with cracks from which black mist constantly rose.
Xuanzhenzi was waiting at the foot of the mountain. When he saw Zhou Ning, he quickly came to greet him.
"Young Master Zhou, you've finally arrived."
Zhou Ning asked, "Master Xuanzhen, how is the situation?"
Xuanzhenzi's expression was grave: "The crack is several times larger than last time, and it's still widening. Immortal Master Yan is sealing it at the mountaintop, but I'm afraid he won't be able to hold on for long."
Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine and quickly rushed towards the mountaintop.
Yu Lingzi and Xuan Zhenzi followed closely behind.
The scene at the mountaintop was even more terrifying.
The black rift, about ten zhang long and five zhang wide, floated in mid-air, like a giant vertical eye, coldly watching the human world.