Chapter 418: Divine Ability Concealment
One day earlier.
Ning Jiufan sped through the air, the verdant green mountains below slowly retreating behind him.
“Senior, according to the map, we’re almost at Jade Steel Mountain,” Han Zhou said, sitting beside Ning Jiufan.
The two of them sat upon a massive flying block of ice.
The cold wind felt intimate and comforting to Han Zhou, as he was born in the northern lands. Consequently, he also felt an affinity toward Ning Jiufan, the master of this flying block of ice.
“Indeed, Jade Steel Mountain is already faintly visible,” Ning Jiufan said. His vision far surpassed Han Zhou’s—for he was a Golden Core cultivator.
He could already see a faint shadow of Jade Steel Mountain on the distant horizon.
Yet, just as he allowed himself a moment’s relaxation, heaven and earth suddenly changed color.
A grand formation abruptly unfolded, enveloping Ning Jiufan and Han Zhou in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the world returned to normal again, as if everything that had just happened was nothing but an illusion. Ning Jiufan and Han Zhou had completely vanished.
Ning Jiufan landed within the formation, both shocked and furious.
All around him, heaven and earth turned dim yellow, the hazy light forming a sphere that enclosed them on all sides.
Three indistinct figures stood spaced apart, forming a distant circle around Ning Jiufan and Han Zhou.
“Who dares trap me?” Ning Jiufan shouted harshly. “I am Ning Jiufan, Golden Core Ancestor of the Ning Family on Mount Huoshi! Have the three Daoist friends mistaken your target?”
One of the three shadowy figures spoke. “Ning Jiufan, we’ve been waiting for you. You’re the one we came to eliminate!”
Han Zhou was horrified, instantly tensing up. He hadn’t expected that following a Golden Core cultivator on the road would land him in a life-and-death crisis.
Ning Jiufan’s heart sank. Since the enemy had come specifically for him, their background was surely formidable.
He thought for a moment and immediately drew out his official seal. “Do not be misled by others! I am a covert officer of the Southern Dou Country. Cease your attack now, and I promise you, I will not pursue the matter.”
“Otherwise, if anything should happen to me here, the entire Southern Dou Country will hunt you down!”
The enemy only burst into laughter. “Ning Jiufan, you’re exactly the corrupt official we came to kill!”
Ning Jiufan’s face changed again.
Since the enemy knew his identity and still dared to kill him, it could only mean one thing—they were from the Meng Family.
After all, the Ning Family had migrated to Huoshi Immortal City, and the only powerful external enemy remaining was the Meng Family.
Aside from them, there were the enemies from North Wind Country, but their threat was far less significant.
Han Zhou transmitted his voice: “Ancestor Ning, all three of them have Golden Core auras. Why not release Granny Yuan and break the formation with brute force?”
Ning Jiufan shook his head inwardly. He had no desire to do that.
If this ambush was truly the work of the Meng Family, how could they not have anticipated his Nascent Soul–level spirit beast?
If he truly released Granny Yuan, it might fall into their trap.
Keeping that in mind, Ning Jiufan snorted coldly, both as a response to Han Zhou and to his enemies. “Since that’s the case, let me show you the battle prowess of a man from the northern lands!”
“Take this!”
The moment Ning Jiufan’s voice fell, he struck.
At once, the north wind howled, heavy snow whirled through the air, and bone-chilling cold filled the surroundings.
One of the Golden Core cultivators revealed himself and cast a spell to counter the raging snowstorm.
When Ning Jiufan’s snowstorm was suppressed, he drew out a talisman and activated it.
The talisman floated into the air, bursting with brilliant light, and condensed rapidly into a giant made of snow and ice.
The ice giant stood upon snow clouds, wielding a massive ice-carved long blade in both hands as it charged toward another of the Golden Core enemies.
That cultivator, seeing the ice giant approach, hastily unleashed spell after spell to slow its advance.
Ning Jiufan split his focus three ways, firing a magic-treasure-grade ice spike at the third enemy.
The Golden Core cultivator, seeing the deadly spike streaking toward him, realized ordinary spells would not suffice and instantly produced a great cauldron.
The cauldron flew forward and collided with the ice spike, producing a resounding clang. Though shaken, it managed to block the strike temporarily.
Ning Jiufan laughed heartily, his voice brimming with unrestrained pride. “So this is all the three of you can do? Show me whatever other tricks you have!”
Han Zhou watched in awe, astonished that this ancestor of the Ning Family could fight three Golden Core cultivators head-on and still hold such dominance.
But soon, he thought of Ning Zhuo.
“As the grandson, so the grandfather. From Young Master Ning Zhuo alone, one can already glimpse the Ning Family’s excellence and strength.”
“With the Ning Family’s Golden Core Ancestor displaying such might, this outcome was already foreshadowed.”
Han Zhou then remembered they still had the powerful trump card of Granny Yuan, a Nascent Soul–level being. His heart gradually calmed, the fear fading away.
Yet he had no idea that Ning Jiufan, despite his confident appearance, was deeply anxious inside. Having fallen into the formation, he had already lost the advantage of terrain. Since these three Golden Core cultivators had been chosen by the Meng Family, they surely had some extraordinary means.
“This place is close to Jade Steel Mountain… if only reinforcements could arrive.”
The guardian stationed at Jade Steel Mountain was no longer Meng Zizhong, but a Golden Core sent by the Zhu royal family.
Before coming here, Ning Jiufan had already sent a message bird ahead, and the two sides had exchanged communications once.
But then Ning Jiufan reconsidered. “Since the enemy chose this place for an ambush, how could they not account for Jade Steel Mountain’s stationed Golden Core?”
“In that case, any disturbance within this formation likely cannot escape its confines.”
“No… if any message does get through, it would be even worse. It must be intentional—they want the stationed Golden Core to rush over for support so they can eliminate us all at once!”
Han Zhou did not grasp the true situation, for his understanding of Golden Core cultivators was limited.
But Ning Jiufan’s reasoning too had its limits.
Even the three Golden Core cultivators lying in ambush had no idea that their plan was already exposed.
High above the clouds, Zhu Xuanji and Shen Lingshu stood side by side, gazing down at the battlefield below.
Although the battle was enclosed by a formation, Zhu Xuanji used his Celestial Golden Eyes in tandem with a spell to pierce through the illusion and perceive what lay within.
Through spiritual sense communication, he relayed the real-time battle to Shen Lingshu.
Zhu Xuanji said, “Senior Shen, just as you predicted, Ning Jiufan has indeed fallen into an ambush.”
“You also predicted he would face danger yet come out unscathed.”
“Heh, with us here, of course he’ll come out unscathed.”
After forming several hand seals, Shen Lingshu said, “I have divined the formation—it’s the Nine-Tailed Illusion Demon Formation.”
“The formation lines and runes are all woven from the fur of a Nine-Tailed Fox.”
“There are eight formation nodes and one formation core. The core is hidden within one of the nodes, indistinguishable from the rest—making it nearly impossible to pinpoint.”
“Currently, one of the three Golden Core cultivators occupies the core, while the other two guard the nodes. Among the remaining nodes, three are burning Soul-Bewildering Incense, one holds a Demon-Slaying Platform, another has Demon-Binding Ropes, and the last one contains a Mystic Qi-Absorbing Pouch.”
Zhu Xuanji sighed in admiration. “The opponents came well-prepared.”
“The Nine-Tailed Celestial Demon possesses the power to bewilder all creatures. To use its fur in a formation… what a grand gesture.”
“The Soul-Bewildering Incense and Illusion Demon Formation—once Granny Yuan is released, she’ll fall under confusion and might even turn against her master.”
“Then, in that dazed state, she’ll walk herself onto the Demon-Slaying Platform, where the execution blade will sever her head.”
“At the brink of life and death, Granny Yuan might awaken her survival instinct and regain a fleeting moment of clarity. That’s why they’ve also prepared Demon-Binding Ropes, to choke off her last trace of vitality.”
“And that Mystic Qi-Absorbing Pouch—what kind of treasure is that?”
Shen Lingshu replied, “It’s a magic artifact that specifically targets fate and fortune. It can absorb the qi fortune of others, causing their destiny to wane.”
“With this treasure in play, they can prevent unexpected turns. Many people with strong fortune, at the moment of life and death, often have their fate burst forth to save them.”
“Even an ordinary mortal, if their fortune is great enough, might survive falling off a cliff and later prosper.”
“I see,” Zhu Xuanji nodded, then asked the most crucial question. “Senior Shen, can you divine whether these three Golden Core cultivators have any connection to the Meng Family—any proof at all?”
Shen Lingshu shook his head. “No. It’s likely Meng Kui’s handiwork was far too meticulous. The arrangement was crafted from the start to resist divination.”
“Aren’t you skilled in the Trace Back Art? Can’t you trace their link to the Meng Family?”
Zhu Xuanji smiled bitterly. “All I can see is that the three of them accepted this mission one after another at the Shadow Thorn Pavilion.”
The Shadow Thorn Pavilion was a renowned assassination organization, extremely secretive, with branches in nearly every cultivation nation large or small.
With such a vast scale and longevity, it naturally possessed great foundations.
That Zhu Xuanji could recognize at first glance that the three Golden Core cultivators were all members of the Shadow Thorn Pavilion was proof enough of his renown as a divine detective.
Shen Lingshu smiled faintly, unsurprised. “It seems the Meng Family’s strike this time is retaliation for the Jade Steel Mountain affair.”
“We removed Meng Zizhong, and now the Meng Family has set this ambush here—to eliminate Ning Jiufan as a warning.”
“If both Ning Jiufan and Granny Yuan perish, the power balance in Huoshi Immortal City will tip toward Meng Kui’s side, leaving the Zhou Family unable to stand alone.”
“And in the court, the deaths of these two will deeply shake the hearts of the people, greatly diminishing the royal family’s prestige.”
Zhu Xuanji said, “It seems the Ning Family’s fortune—and that of Ning Zhuo—is truly at its peak.”
“Our plan was to come to Mist-Hidden Mountain to investigate the Fox God; by sheer accident we struck true. We would not stand idly by while Ning Jiufan died in battle.”
Shen Lingshu wore a grave expression. “It appears this was a coincidence.”
“But we cannot rule out that it was the Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread art, or even a royal command.”
“Ning Jiufan’s rescue was certain, but it would do no harm to watch the fight for a moment—to let his fortune be siphoned.”
Shen Lingshu then revealed his plan. “If Ning Zhuo controlled the Divine Ability Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread and planted it on Ning Jiufan, that was highly likely.”
“In that case, their fortunes would be linked. If Ning Jiufan’s fortune declined, it would inevitably affect Ning Zhuo as well.”
“If Ning Zhuo had also planted Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread on others, their fortunes would languish; lightly they would grow muddled in mind, gravely they would suffer calamity—signs would appear.”
“This is a fine opportunity to verify that.”
Zhu Xuanji recalled many secrets he had learned in the capital. “Years ago, the Supreme Empress nearly suffered utter ruin because of this very flaw in Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread—almost costing the nation and her life.”
In the world, nothing was perfect.
Strengths brought weaknesses.
Where there was advantage, there was inevitably a flaw.
Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread linked fortunes; when the Supreme Empress’s luck fell, others shared the burden. Thus the substitute king had borne the consequences.
But since it was not truly a royal decree, once everyone faced overwhelming disaster or some people’s fortunes declined too drastically, the Supreme Empress would also be unlucky in turn.
That year, it was precisely for this reason that the Southern Dou Supreme Empress encountered calamity and barely survived.
“Wait a moment.” A flash lit Zhu Xuanji’s mind. He asked, “If the Buddha-Heart-Demon-Seal truly had the power to suppress fortune?”
Shen Lingshu pondered deeply. “That depended on how great the seal’s suppression was. Could it only protect its bearer, or could its blessing extend to others?”
“Even if the treasure seal were mighty, Ning Zhuo is only at Foundation Establishment now; he could not possibly unleash its true power, right?”
“Back then, didn’t the old Supreme Empress also possess a treasure that could suppress her own fortune?”
“In any case, it would do no harm to try.”
Zhu Xuanji slightly nodded. “Very well—so be it.”
Wanli Dragon sped through the void.
Silver threads flashed in and out beneath the black curtain from time to time.
The lower half of Wanli Dragon’s body shimmered with blood-red lights—an effect of the Blood-Shadow Cave Lord’s handiwork.
Suddenly the sky cleared, and in the next moment Wanli Dragon burst from the void into the mortal realm.
Sun Lingtong dared not relax in the slightest; he continued to steer Wanli Dragon into the dense forest.
They had darted and shifted for most of a day before finally coming to a stop.
“That was close—what a thrill!” Sun Lingtong licked his lips and gradually slowed his pounding heart.
He glanced down at his hands.
Half a palm had already turned to stone skin, resembling the surface of the stone orb at the bottom of the cave.
Sun Lingtong gritted his teeth and continued to suppress it with his mana, then used the Mechanical Puppet to probe Ning Zhuo’s condition remotely.
Seeing Ning Zhuo lying unconscious on the ground but still breathing, Sun Lingtong’s eyes reddened; he longed to strike his own face twice.
“I alone sought danger for a thrill—that could be forgiven.”
“This time I’d dragged Ning Zhuo into it… ah, how foolish I was. I should be beaten!”
Sun Lingtong felt deep remorse, but in that state he dared not recklessly approach Ning Zhuo.
Fortunately, Sun Lingtong had considerable skill with mechanisms. He took out a Mechanical Puppet, controlled it with his spirit, and indirectly contacted Ning Zhuo to help him awaken quickly.
When Ning Zhuo woke and learned he had escaped with his life, he breathed a sigh of relief and felt cold fear in his heart.
Sun Lingtong sighed. “Ning Zhuo, I dragged you into this and almost cost you your life.”
Ning Zhuo shook his head. “Brother, I worried over your injuries and I privately sought revenge against the Six Caves Sect, so I didn’t stop you from taking risks. I was also at fault!”
“How are your wounds now?”
Sun Lingtong told Ning Zhuo the truth.
He shrugged and ground his teeth. “I intended to follow the trail and uncover the information about that old cave monster. I did not expect it could see through Wanli Dragon!”
He was so angry he almost slapped his own head.
Looking back now, what had happened?
His craving for excitement and pursuit of thrills was his nature, but beforehand he had been too careless.
“Perhaps I grew lax from living in Huoshi Immortal City for so long and enjoying easy days?”
“Alas—if something had happened to me, that would be one thing, but to involve Ning Zhuo…”
“He had immortal talent and a broad future; he had toiled for over a decade. His fortunes were just improving—family, friends, even attracting female cultivators. I was alone; if I died here because of him…”
Sun Lingtong was filled with self-reproach and silently vowed never to recklessly endanger Ning Zhuo again.
This escape had deeply affected him.
Throughout the ordeal, Ning Zhuo had indeed been burdened by Sun Lingtong’s actions. Had Ning Zhuo been in the Dragon Head Cabin and discovered the stone orb at the cave bottom, he surely would not have been so eager to mine it like Sun Lingtong was.
However, Ning Zhuo was used to such things.
In Huoshi Immortal City he had many times pulled Sun Lingtong out of prison.
Their deep bond meant that at life-and-death moments they could entrust each other’s back without hesitation. Even deeper—if one erred, the other would easily forgive and even make amends.
Ning Zhuo comforted him. “Although Nascent Soul cultivators can traverse the void, they can do so only by relying on the Nascent Soul itself. Taking the flesh along is difficult.”
“Therefore, it is hard to completely slay a Nascent Soul cultivator. If their body is destroyed, their Nascent Soul can leave, flee into the void, seek a new host, and return for revenge.”
“Wanli Dragon, however, could carry us through the void together. Even if those Nascent Soul cultivators tried to pursue, they were unlikely to risk exposing their Nascent Souls, abandoning their bodies to chase us.”
A cultivator’s Nascent Soul was the fruit of their whole practice and the key to their future path; they would not recklessly take it out unless forced.
“Precisely because of that, we dared to infiltrate the Six Caves Sect, didn’t we?”
“Our successful escape this time proved that.”
“If the Demon-Heart Cave Lord had truly abandoned his body and used his Nascent Soul to chase us, the other two cave lords would likely have acted against his body.”
“Boss.”
“We gained many things this time.”
“For example, I saw the mechanical carriage my mother rode years ago and learned that Lin You would get it. I must recover that carriage!”
“If not for this adventure, how would I have known such vital news?”
Sun Lingtong shook his head and, through the puppet, said aloud, “Ning Zhuo, don’t comfort me.”
“We suffered considerable losses this time.”
“Wanli Dragon’s rear half was about thirty percent damaged and needed repairs.”
“The back half of the mechanical dragon body had been corroded by the Blood-Shadow. This must be the Blood-Shadow Cave Lord’s tracking method; if we could not remove it, the Blood-Shadow Cave Lord would detect us whenever we neared Thousand Peaks Forest.”
Ning Zhuo shook his head and slowly sat up. “None of that matters, Boss.”
“The immediate priority is to heal your wounds.”
“Ning Zhuo…” Though Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo had lived together for over a decade, a warm current stirred in their hearts at that moment.
Sun Lingtong said, “But now Wanli Dragon could no longer approach Thousand Peaks Forest. If we acted alone, relying on our cultivation and combat strength, we likely couldn’t penetrate into the depths of Thousand Peaks Forest. After all, a great war was about to erupt; Thousand Peaks Forest would be on high alert. Faces like ours would stand out.”
Ning Zhuo smiled. “Don’t worry, Boss. I already have a plan.”