Ning Cheng nodded and said, “I do want to exchange a Wind-thunder Apricot Tree branch with Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix. Of course, if Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix still feels unwilling, we can just forget this conversation. Besides, I also want to ask you about a few other things. Well, more precisely, about how you escaped from the Ancient Shadow Temple. And your willingness to exchange for that talisman.”
Calling Yi Jiufeng as ‘Senior Apprentice Sister’, Ning Cheng indicated his intent to form a friendship with Yi Jiufeng. In any case, he could tell that Yi Jiufeng and Chuan Xinlou weren’t close enough to wear a pair of pants.
Yi Jiufeng sighed and said, “I no longer have the Wind-thunder Apricot Tree. However, I do have a branch that I managed to save.”
Ning Cheng looked at Yi Jiufeng doubtfully. He couldn’t understand Yi Jiufeng’s meaning.
Seeing the puzzled look on Ning Cheng’s face, Yi Jiufeng gave a simple explanation. “My Wind-thunder Apricot Tree and that talisman both now are in Chuan Xinlou’s hands. Not only me, but even Zhangkang Tianji and Qiao Jierui had to surrender a few things to Chuan Xinlou.”
Ning Cheng then asked in a deep voice, “Are you implying that Chuan Xinlou helped you escape the Ancient Shadow Temple?”
Yi Jiufeng nodded. “He did. If I’m not wrong, Zhangkang Tianji and Qiao Jierui should have already returned to their respective Demon and Devil Domains.”
“So Chuan Xinlou didn’t confirm his Dao in Levelled Heart Emperor Mountain, but in the Ancient Shadow Temple?” Ning Cheng asked again. If Chuan Xinlou hadn’t reached Dao Confirming Realm, how could he have taken everyone out of that place?
Yi Jiufeng shook her head. “It shouldn’t be. If I guessed it right, Chuan Xinlou had left the Ancient Shadow Temple and returned to Levelled Heart Emperor Mountain. He should have reached the Dao Confirming Realm at the safety of his residence. In any case, based on the situation at that time, we simply couldn’t have escaped from that place. I don’t know what had happened, but we all heard an angry roar somewhere in the distance and then power binding us suddenly decreased. Chuan Xinlou used that opportunity to take out a talisman. He said that his talisman could break open the void in that place to let everyone escape. Of course, he put forth some conditions.”
Ning Cheng immediately understood something. He suspected that Chuan Xinlou and others would escape eventually. But it looks like his actions sped up the process. He had attracted the attention of the strong presence behind the First Futility Bridge, giving Chuan Xinlou and others a chance to escape.
“So, both the Life and the Death gates led to the same place? Did Striking Order and others also come out?” Ning Cheng continued to probe.
“Yes. Although the Life and the Death gate both had different levels of danger, they both lead to the same place where we got trapped. In other words, if not for Chuan Xinlou’s talisman, we all would have fallen regardless of which gate we chose. I didn’t see Striking Order, but Mu Hao and Xun Zhihe should have also escaped.”
Sitting beside Ning Cheng, Ning Ruoqing spoke up in disdain, “And just like that, he reached Dao Sculpting Realm?”
“Ruoqing, what do you mean by Dao Sculpting? Is it not Dao Confirming? Is there a higher realm after Dao Sculpting?” After Ning Cheng learned about the Eternal Realm from Cang Wei’s mouth, he already suspected about the existence of higher and more powerful realms. However, he had never thought about it until now, and he also didn’t know what those realms were.
Yi Jiufeng heard Ning Cheng’s words and immediately started paying attention. She knew that confirming one’s Dao was the next step after the Eternal Realm. However, even she didn’t know about it very well.
When asked by Ning Cheng, Ning Ruoqing immediately frowned and seemed to want to grab at her hair again.
Seeing that, Ning Cheng quickly spoke up. “Ruoqing, if you can’t remember, don’t think about it too much. It’s not very important to me.”
Ning Ruoqing just made an ‘en’ sound. Sure enough, she didn’t think about it anymore and gave a reply. “When I saw that man named Chuan Xinlou attack, a cultivation level naturally appeared in my mind. But he seemed much below this level. I can’t remember the specific situation why, and decided to retaliate with an equal force.”
Ning Cheng worried that Ning Ruoqing would continue to pull at her hair and immediately stopped asking.
Yi Jiufeng took out a branch and handed it to Ning Cheng with a few words. “I had already planned to trade with Sect Master Ning, but I never had the chance. So, when Chuan Xinlou took my Wind-thunder Apricot Tree, I managed to hide a branch from him.”
Ning Cheng quickly took the branch. As soon as it reached his hand, he could immediately feel the wind and thunder auras from it. Sensing that, Ning Cheng understood that Yi Jiufeng had truly given him a branch of the Wind-thunder Apricot Tree.
Carefully putting away the branch, Ning Cheng took out a drop of First Glimmers of Dawn Ice Essence and handed it to Yi Jiufeng with some words. “I know that Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix needs the First Glimmers of Dawn Ice Essence. If you want something else, then please say so. If I have it, I will share it with Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix.”
Yi Jiufeng took the jade bottle from Ning Cheng’s hand and showed a slight smile. “I just need a drop of First Glimmers of Dawn Ice Essence, and…”
But seeing Ning Cheng’s worried look, Yi Jiufeng giggled. It was the first time, since leaving the Ancient Shadow Temple, did she feel at ease. “And I would like to invite Sect Master Ning to help me once.”
Ning Cheng breathed in a sigh of relief and said with affirmation. “I can help Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix; you don’t need to worry about it. But I don’t know what Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix wants my help with?”
“I don’t know it yet. In the future, if I need Senior Apprentice Brother Ning’s help, and ask Senior Apprentice Brother Ning’s help, please don’t refuse it.” Yi Jiufeng turned even more relaxed on hearing Ning Cheng agree. Moreover, she also wanted to form a friendship with Ning Cheng, so Yi Jiufeng also changed her form of address.
Having promised it to Yi Jiufeng, Ning Cheng wouldn’t go back on it now. “As long as Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix can deliver the request to me in time, I will come to help you once.”
Yi Jiufeng nodded, took out a jade card and a ring, and handed it to Ning Cheng. “Senior Apprentice Brother Ning, this jade card is my Spiritual Sense Jade Card, but without any tracking ability. Only when I send a message through it will this jade card disintegrate and show you my position.”
“That’s no problem, but this ring….” Ning Cheng took the jade card but looked at the ring in Yi Jiufeng’s hand with doubt.
Yi Jiufeng put the ring in Ning Cheng’s hand. “I know that Senior Apprentice Brother Ning has only recently established your sect and might lack some cultivation resources. I just hope that these cultivation resources can support Senior Apprentice Brother Ning.”
“Starry Sky Spiritual Veins?” Ning Cheng finally took Yi Jiufeng’s ring. But when he saw the inside, he immediately felt moved.
Yi Jiufeng had given him two Starry Sky Spiritual Veins in the ring, and both were of very high-quality. The purity of celestial essence and spiritual qi in the two veins, although not as good as Permanent Essence Pills, definitely made up for it in quantity. Two complete high-ranked Starry Sky Veins was more than a generous gift. It also indicated that the thing Yi Jiufeng wanted his help with wasn’t something easy.
Yi Jiufeng stood up, “Senior Apprentice Brother Ning; the truth is, the matter I want your help with isn’t too complicated. It’s just a precautionary measure against people who want to make a move against me. I hope you would help me out at that moment.”
Even if Yi Jiufeng hadn’t clarified it, Ning Cheng already understood what Yi Jiufeng meant while looking at her behaviour. Except for Chuan Xinlou, who would move against Yi Jiufeng, or even dare plot against Yi Jiufeng?
He and Chuan Xinlou already hated each other. But even if this hate didn’t exist, he would help out Yi Jiufeng just because of Yi Jiufeng’s two Starry Sky Spiritual Veins.
“Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix, please rest assured. Since I accepted Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix’s offer, I will help out.” Ning Cheng said without hesitation. He felt sure that Chuan Xinlou wouldn’t dare to mess around for now. In any case, this fellow most likely would focus on stabilising his cultivation, considering how quickly he left after that confrontation.
“Then, let me thank Senior Apprentice Brother Ning in advance. I will return to my Spirit Heaven Grand Starry Sky now.” Yi Jiufeng said with a happy tone.
Ning Cheng quickly asked, “I have one more thing to ask about Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix. Can you tell me what’s behind the Ancient Shadow Temple’s Life and Death gates?”
Hearing Ning Cheng’s words, Yi Jiufeng’s expression changed slightly. It showed that the impact of whatever was behind those Life and Death gates left some significant after-effects. She pondered over it for a while before replying. “I haven’t discussed what happened behind those Life and Death gates with anyone. Besides, I only entered the Gate of Life. However, it gave me the feeling of entering hell, or at least a Yin world. However, I have never heard of any Yin worlds like that place. It was far worse than anything I knew.”
What could make Yi Jiufeng, a peak-level Eternal Heavenly Emperor, have such an unnatural expression? How could it be an ordinary Yin world? Yin worlds only contained ghosts and some Spiritual Souls. But Yi Jiufeng was an Eternal-level expert, and a peak one at that, so even if the place held a billion Yin Spirits, it wouldn’t affect her at all.
Ning Cheng suspected that the place beneath the Ancient Shadow Temple wasn’t a Yin world. Instead, it resembled more like an entrance to the real Yin world, but under the control of a powerhouse.
Seeing that Yi Jiufeng also didn’t know too much, Ning Cheng thanked her, “Many thanks, Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix. I’m sure that Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix must be feeling very worried about Spirit Heaven Grand Starry Sky. So, I will not occupy Senior Apprentice Sister Nine Phoenix’s time anymore.”
Yi Jiufeng already wanted to return to Spirit Heaven Grand Starry Sky. So, hearing Ning Cheng’s words, she promptly left.
“What is this Ancient Shadow Temple? Is it more dangerous than that big hole in the heart of the Lost Mountain Range?” After Yi Jiufeng left, Ning Ruoqing immediately asked.
Ning Cheng replied with a solemn look. “Yes, it most likely is. I plan to go there when I get stronger.”
Ning Ruoqing spoke up without hesitation, “Then let me come with you.”
“For now, just pick one of the abodes here and cultivate. Maybe you could remember something when you slowly recover your cultivation.”
After finishing, Ning Cheng took out one of the two Spiritual Veins given by Yi Jiufeng and handed the ring with the remaining Starry Sky Spiritual Vein to Ning Ruoqing. “You can use this Starry Sky Spiritual Vein for cultivation. As for the other, I’m going to plant it under the Mysterious Yellow Sect.”
With two Starry Sky Spiritual Veins, an ordinary cultivator could quickly advance from the middle-level Life and Death Realm to the peak of the Life and Death Realm. But Ning Cheng knew that if he wanted to push himself to the full-circle of Life and Death Realm, then these two Spiritual Veins wouldn’t help him much. Since he couldn’t use it to advance, then he might as well use it for more practical things.
Ning Ruoqing also didn’t refuse and put away the ring given to her by Ning Cheng and picked out a cultivation cave, just as Ning Cheng asked.
Ning Cheng quickly implanted the other Starry Sky Spiritual Vein under Covered Snow City. And almost instantly, everyone in Covered Snow City could feel the rapid increase in the concentration of Starry Sky Spiritual Qi. Covered Snow City already had a much higher density of Starry Sky Spirit Qi compared to the average city. But now it rose again, immediately surprising everyone.
……
After Ning Cheng placed the Starry Sky Spiritual Vein under Covered Snow City, he decided to upgrade the Twin Wings of the Heavenly Clouds. But before he could start, he felt Duan Gantai’s position once again.
This fellow came again. I still can’t figure out why he almost begged me to give him some None-to-depend-on Wine. Thinking of this, Ning Cheng gave up the idea of upgrading the Twin Wings of Heavenly Clouds and left Covered Snow City.
Ning Cheng knew it very well that Duan Gantai had some top-grade escape methods. Therefore, even if he called out Ning Ruoqing, he didn’t have 100% confidence in catching him. Once Duan Gantai escaped, he would have to give up on entering the Temple of Time permanently.
Feeling Duan Gantai’s speed in approaching Jiangzhou Star, Ning Cheng couldn’t help but secretly admire this fellow who moved like a loach through a marsh. Moreover, he didn’t use any transmission arrays this time.
