“Master, we’ve reached Grand Culmination Starry Sky.” Chasing Bull’s voice came from the outside.
Ning Cheng didn’t intend to use up all his celestial essence to try this arrow. Therefore, when Chasing Bull said that they had reached Grand Culmination Starry Sky, he decided to put this matter aside for now.
“Master, you look even mightier and brave, with unmatched spirit techniques. Even Starry Sky Emperors cannot match up to a finger of my master. Would it not be better if this little fellow follows master on the outside and increase your prestige instead of staying inside the ring?” Chasing Bull seemed to be in a good mood. When it saw Ning Cheng coming out, it quickly spoke with its most flattering voice.
Ning Cheng knew that Chasing Bull had a glib tongue, but its strength couldn’t match against the Exploding Golden Wasps. Moreover, there were more than one Exploding Golden Wasps in his True Spirit World, which meant that Chasing Bull most likely did not have a peaceful time inside. Therefore, when Chasing Bull asked to stay outside, he did not mind it all. Even if it leads to exposing the fact that it was a Wind Seeking Heavenly Bull, Chuan Xinlou and others would also realise that he had the Starry Sky Wheel. So what could they do to him?
“This little one can converge its aura now; no one would recognise this little one as the Wind Seeking Heavenly Bull. They’ll only see an ordinary bull.” Chasing Bull, seeing Ning Cheng not talking about its motor mouth, took it as an assurance and pushed on with coaxing.
Ning Cheng gave out a sigh, “Since you don’t want to enter the ring, I will help you with a few restrictions. This way, no one would be able to recognise you as the Wind Seeking Heavenly Bull.”
In any case, Chasing Bull could help him with many things. At the very least, Ning Cheng felt it could help him more than the Exploding Golden Wasps. Therefore, he did not mind providing help to Chasing Bull.
“Many thanks, master.” Chasing Bull quickly thanked him.
Although Ning Cheng did not fear Chuan Xinlou, it would not hurt to avoid detection. Moreover, helping Chasing Bull with a few restrictions also served his own interests. Unless someone forcibly tried to look at it through spiritual consciousness and break the restrictions, no one would be able to make out Chasing Bull’s real body. If someone forcibly tried to uncover Chasing Bull’s real body, it would be equivalent to a provocation. At that moment, they cannot blame him for responding to the provocation in kind.
……
Standing outside the Eternal Heaven Starry Sky City, Ning Cheng felt myriad thoughts going through his mind. He had returned after many years. Back then, Ning Cheng did not have any identity or backing and had to keep his head low. But today he returned as somebody with a straight back, followed by the proud-looking Chasing Bull.
“Excuse me, but have we met before?” A female voice rang out from Ning Cheng’s side.
Those words came from a middle-aged woman, with cultivation in Heaven Seated Realm.
Ning Cheng showed a slight smile, “We naturally are acquainted. I was on the ship under the name ‘Cheng Nianqiong’. You questioned me for some time.”
At that time, this woman had almost seen through his disguise. Thankfully, this woman could not see through him; otherwise, he wouldn’t be standing here.
“It is you!” The woman’s eyebrows pricked up, and her imposing aura immediately rushed out to wrap around Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng didn’t move at all. The moment this woman’s Heaven Seated imposing aura reached Ning Cheng, it disappeared entirely. Sensing that, the middle-aged woman’s expressions immediately changed. Apart from Eternal-level powerhouses, who else could disperse her imposing aura this easily?
Was this person an Eternal-level powerhouse, and had chosen to stay hidden back then due to some injuries? Thinking of this, the middle-aged woman suddenly broke out in cold sweat.
Chasing Bull spoke with disdain, “Little one…..”
Having said that, Chasing Bull stopped and asked, “Master, what is this woman’s cultivation?”
“Heaven Seated Realm.” Ning Cheng knew that Chasing Bull, by now, had grown to the level of a Starry Sky Grade 6 Demonic Beast. However, it still had not reached the level where it could accurately gauge that woman’s cultivation.
“Yes, a little woman in Heaven Seated Realm actually dares to use her imposing aura on my master. Watch this Grandpa Bull stomp you down.” Chasing Bull purposefully took a step forward, raised his head and spoke with an even more disdainful tone.
No wonder it felt proud. Following Ning Cheng allowed it to amass an almost endless quantity of medicinal pills. With the body of the Wind Seeking Heavenly Bull, it would not be long before it advanced to Starry Sky Grade 7. At that time, this old bull would become a powerhouse comparable to those in Heaven Seated Realm. Of course, other people still might consider those stepping into Heaven Seated Realm as ants, but once Chasing Bull reached the Heaven Seated Realm, it would definitely become a powerhouse.
“Greetings senior…..” The middle-aged woman no longer had the same fierce aura from a few moments ago. Instead, she spoke with a meek tone with her head lowered.
Ning Cheng asked with a calm voice, “When you called me over on the ship, what did you want to investigate?”
The middle-aged woman thought that Ning Cheng wanted to investigate the events from back then and became even more frightened, “This junior heard that a strand of Rootless Green Bamboo had appeared on a drifting starland…..”
“So you wanted to know if I had taken the Rootless Green Bamboo.” Ning Cheng’s tone turned a little harsh.
The middle-aged woman quickly spoke up, “Junior doesn’t dare, please show mercy senior.”
“Forgiving you is no big deal. Besides, what other treasures appeared on that starland that year?” Ning Cheng only asked in passing. He felt disinclined to deal with this middle-aged woman. Although this middle-aged woman had acted fiercely towards him back then, she hadn’t really hurt him. He asked about it out of curiosity and due to the Rootless Green Bamboo from that drifting starland.
He just wanted to know if that drifting starland had anything else apart from the Rootless Green Bamboo, to gauge if it was something similar to the Immortal Jade Star.
“It also had a clump of Breath Soil…..”
Before the middle-aged woman could finish, Ning Cheng immediately interrupted her, “What did you say? ‘Breath Soil’? Did Breath Soil really appear on that drifting starland?”
Even Ning Cheng could not contain his inner excitement. He knew that any news relating to Breath Soil would mean an incredible matter.
He knew that Breath Soil was one of the essential materials to complete the crafting process for the weapon he wanted. However, because of the preciousness of Breath Soil, he had temporarily set aside the idea of refining the iron rod into a long spear. But today he actually heard some news regarding Breath Soil. Besides, even if he did not use Breath Soil to construct a long spear, Breath Soil still had many other important uses for him.
No, Ning Cheng felt that the matter was not as simple as when he asked about it. If that place did indeed contain Breath Soil, even a small pinch of it, this middle-aged woman would never reveal it. Even if pressured with his imposing aura, people would not admit such a thing.
Sure enough, the middle-aged woman immediately spoke up, “Senior, please forgive me, this junior did not make it clear. I was a small patch of soil that might have at some point in the past held Breath Soil. Since that patch stored Breath Soil in the past, it carried some of the aura from the Breath Soil.”
When she saw Ning Cheng’s reaction to the news of Breath Soil, it immediately reminded her of her reaction when she heard about it. She had almost gone out by herself to look for it. Besides, no cultivator could ignore the preciousness of the Breath Soil. Therefore, despite Ning Cheng’s show of eagerness, this middle-aged woman still made an effort to say that she had not made it clear.
Ning Cheng gave out a sigh. How could there be such a good thing of receiving news about Breath Soil during a casual talk?
“Where is this patch of soil?” Ning Cheng’s tone once again returned to calmness. He knew that his performance just now was a bit inappropriate. Even if someone presented a clump of Breath Soil to him, he had to remain calm about it. He should not show such eagerness just because this middle-aged woman had lower cultivation.
“Cheerful Wave Chamber of Commerce had initially obtained that soil patch, and we later purchased it from them. We then auctioned it off in the Eternal Heaven Starry Sky City with other stuff.” The middle-aged woman spoke with a respectful tone.
“Who bought it?” Ning Cheng asked with a calm voice, but with an unquestionable attitude.
The middle-aged woman quickly replied, “This junior does not know. We had auctioned all our materials from back then at the Eternal Heaven Merchant Hall.”
Ning Cheng knew that the Eternal Heaven Merchant Hall was the largest merchant house in the Eternal Heaven Starry Sky City. He had also done business with the Eternal Heaven Merchant Hall before when he sold them a Time Stone.
“I see. You can go now.” Ning Cheng nodded.
“Many thanks, senior. This junior will leave now.” The middle-aged woman forced down her panic and slowly backed away.
Ning Cheng did not care about this middle-aged woman. With low cultivation back then, he also had no choice but to stand in front of this middle-aged woman with panic and fear in his heart.
Taking Chasing Bull into the Eternal Heaven Starry Sky City, Ning Cheng once again felt the prosperity running through this place, which indicated that nothing significant had changed since the last time he came here.
Seeing Ning Cheng enter the starry sky city with a demonic bull as a companion beast, no one felt surprised. In any case, many cultivators flitted through the streets with demonic companion beasts, and cattle-like demonic beasts were the most common.
Moreover, the Eternal Starry Sky City had many restrictions everywhere making it almost impossible to scan an area with one’s spiritual consciousness. Because of this, Ning Cheng decided to walk down to the Baichi Artefact-crafting Store on the Celestial Immortal Street. However, the original Baichi Artefact-crafting Store had already ceased to exist, as expected, and a new store had come up in its place.
From the looks of it, the rumours of Zhongli Baichi coming back to fight against a Starry Sky Emperor at the Baichi Artefact-crafting Store and flattening it after the fight had some truth to it.
Ning Cheng then made his way to the new store ‘gifted’ to him by Chuan Xinlou, but found the entrance to the shop tightly closed. It also did not contain the plaque of Baichi Artefact-crafting Store that he had put up back then. Jian Jiao and Junior Apprentice Sister Yan were not there either. Even the restrictions and array formations around it were quite ordinary, apart from the ones he had arranged before leaving, indicating that no one had opened it.
Ning Cheng opened the restrictions on the store entrance and found no one inside. Carefully looking around, Ning Cheng concluded that no one had lived here for a long time, at the very least not during the past year. This also indicated that Jian Jiao still lived here until at least a year ago.
“Excuse me, but are you Ning Cheng?” A shop assistant from the clothing store next door immediately came over and asked after seeing Ning Cheng open the store.
“That’s right. I’m Ning Cheng.” Ning Cheng replied.
The shop assistant quickly spoke up, “Jian Jiao went out adventuring with others in a team. He asked me to bring a message to his Senior Apprentice Brother Ning Cheng once he comes back. He said that he would definitely come back in two years, and if he doesn’t return within two years, then there was no need to wait for him.”
“Do you know where Jian Jiao’s Senior Apprentice Sister Yan went?” From the looks of it, Jian Jiao seemed to have gone out to look for cultivation resources. Ning Cheng felt a little guilty as he thought about it. If something happened to Jian Jiao, he definitely would not be able to forgive himself. After all, Cang Wei had entrusted Jian Jiao to his care.
“Yes, Senior Apprentice Sister Yan’s master had returned sometime back and took her away.” The shop assistant answered quickly.
“Thank you very much.” Ning Cheng thanked the shop assistant and walked into the store. Sure enough, Zhongli Baichi had taken away Cen Yan but ignored Jian Jiao.
He originally planned to hang another plaque with the name ‘Baichi Artefact-crafting Store’, but since Zhongli Baichi only took Junior Apprentice Sister Cen Yan and ignored Jian Jiao, he decided that there was now no need to use that name. In any case, his apprenticeship with Zhongli Baichi was just a temporary one, with practically no apprenticeship ceremony. As for Zhongli Baichi’s acceptance of him, it most likely was to dupe him into participating in the artefact-crafting competition.
As for Ou Zhentian, Ning Cheng guessed that he should not have managed to reach the Culmination Starland this fast. Even if he found that Zhongli Baichi’s Artefact-crafting Store was no more, Ou Zhentian surely could inquire about the location. With his threat to Ou Zhentian, Ou Zhentian would definitely wait for him outside the original site of Zhongli Baichi’s Artefact-crafting Store.
Thinking of this, Ning Cheng then rearranged the array formations and restrictions of this store and renamed the store as ‘Cheng Ruolan Artefact-crafting Store’.
