The spread-out divine consciousness did not find any trace of Ning Xiu.
Ning Buwei discreetly let out a sigh of relief.
He thought to himself, Zhongzhou and Yijian Peak of the Wushi Sect were tens of thousands of miles apart. How could Ning Xiu’s small frame possibly cross so many teleportation arrays to reach Leyuan? It must have been his imagination.
The great demon tried to numb himself, unwilling to give up the desire to continue fighting.
“Da!” Another soft, childlike shout rang out.
Ning Buwei took a deep breath, resigned himself to dismantling the array, and with an illusion technique, instantly vanished from everyone’s sight.
“Where did he go?”
“After him!”
“He must be scared…”
Ning Buwei’s spiritual consciousness sank into his sea of consciousness. Sure enough, he saw his son’s small consciousness floating there. Upon seeing him appear, it swam over to him using both hands and feet, angrily shouting. “Ah!? Aya!”
Father, where did you go!?
Ning Buwei poked his face, “How did you come here by yourself? Where’s your mother?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Chu Jun’s consciousness walk out from behind a broken wall.
Ning Buwei: “!”
Chu Jun looked at him calmly, “He missed you.”
“Ah~” Ning Xiu moved freely within the sea of consciousness, following his thoughts, and burrowed into Ning Buwei’s large black sleeve.
The sleeve suddenly sank, and when Ning Buwei shook it, Ning Xiu’s laughter came from inside.
“I… left a note,” Ning Buwei cleared his throat, “I’ll be back in a few days.”
“Mm.” Chu Jun responded indifferently.
“Are you still at Yijian Peak?” Ning Buwei felt somewhat uncomfortable as he saw Chu Jun just staring at him without speaking.
“Mm.” Chu Jun saw Ning Xiu rummaging around in his sleeve unable to find the exit, and used a bit of spiritual power to try and guide their son out.
Ning Xiu’s fluffy little head poked out from Ning Buwei’s sleeve, smiling happily at Chu Jun. “Da!”
“His body is weak now, not suitable for entering teleportation arrays,” Chu Jun reached out to hold Ning Xiu, and said to Ning Buwei. “The same goes for you.”
Ning Buwei was poking his son’s little belly, and upon hearing this, let out a scornful laugh. “I’m perfectly fine—”
Before he could finish, his wrist was grabbed.
Ning Buwei’s entire spiritual consciousness froze. His wrist was enveloped by a gentle warmth, making him want to shake it off, yet afraid that too much force would hurt the other party. He could only stare at him stiffly, “What are you doing?”
“Your meridians and spiritual power are obstructed,” Chu Jun glanced at him calmly, “That array of yours shouldn’t be used too often.”
Ning Buwei’s Soul-Devouring Array was fierce and sharp, excellent for eradicating problems completely, but because of its grand and sweeping nature, it also consumed a lot of spiritual power and was very taxing on the mind. Just now, he had wanted to use the Soul-Devouring Array to consume those people’s souls to nourish the Suzaku Broken Knife, but was interrupted by Ning Xiu.
The fight didn’t happen, and he was caught red-handed by his son and this surnamed Chu. The great demon’s mood wasn’t very good now. Hearing Chu Jun speak like this, he stared at him with a half-smile and said, “Then why doesn’t the Venerable lend me some spiritual power to use?”
Chu Jun asked. “How much do you need?”
Ning Buwei hadn’t expected him to agree so readily, and looked at him suspiciously, “You’ll really lend it?”
With a thought from Chu Jun, the next moment all three of them were in his sea of consciousness.
“Where’s your spoon?” Chu Jun asked Ning Buwei, seeing him standing motionless.
Previously, Ning Buwei had been exhausted from feeding rice porridge to his son, and Chu Jun’s sea of consciousness was full of spiritual power transformed into clear water, so he had subconsciously chosen a spoon as his tool. He didn’t expect Chu Jun to remember so clearly.
However, he felt that something was off about Chu Jun.
But no matter how he looked, the other still maintained that otherworldly, cold demeanor. Ning Buwei thought for a moment that he was overthinking it.
Ning Buwei estimated the spiritual power he needed to use, not at all polite with Chu Jun. As he prepared to leave the sea of consciousness, he nodded to him, “Thanks.”
Chu Jun handed Ning Xiu to him, “He’s been sleeping a bit late these past few days.”
Ning Buwei paused as he was about to leave, instinctively taking his son, “Then I’ll lull him to sleep before I go.”
Chu Jun nodded.
Ning Xiu wriggled out of Ning Buwei’s arms, excitedly circling around him. Ning Buwei simply used Chu Jun’s spiritual power to create a rattle for him, amusing him as he floated back and forth several times. Soon, he grew tired and drowsy, hugging the rattle and nodding off.
Ning Buwei efficiently placed the sleeping little consciousness in Chu Jun’s arms, “I’m off.”
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his sea of consciousness.
Chu Jun looked down at the soundly sleeping Ning Xiu, his expression indecipherable.
****
This secret realm in Yumian Mountain was said to have been accidentally discovered by a junior disciple of the Wang family while on a training journey. It had only been a month since its discovery, and most areas had not yet been developed. This place was too far from the Wang family, but coincidentally close to the Hidden Sea Tower, so the two families negotiated to send disciples in together.
The secret realms of the seventeen states were varied, but most fell into two categories. One type was a rare gathering of heaven and earth treasures, forming a small world of natural spiritual energy. The other was the purple mansion left behind by ancient powerful cultivators who had ascended or perished. The former often contained rare and precious spiritual treasures, while the latter usually held ancient magical artifacts and mental techniques. Either type was enough to make countless cultivators flock to them.
This Yumian Mountain secret realm belonged to the latter category, a purple mansion secret realm left behind by some great power tens of thousands of years ago.
As his consciousness returned, Ning Buwei began to carefully examine the landing spot he had chosen earlier.
The terrain here was treacherous, overgrown with thorns. Under the low-hanging night sky, fireflies glowed dimly, exuding an incongruous vitality.
Ning Buwei had explored countless secret realms, and he almost immediately sensed the aura of magical treasures – this place had good things.
He had always been extravagant. At Xingluo Cliff, he had used up all the magical treasures and spiritual objects he had accumulated just to save his life, and even the Suzaku knife had been shattered. After Ning Xiu appeared, he couldn’t bring a milk-drinking baby into dangerous secret realms, so now he was practically empty-handed.
Although the fight hadn’t happened, it wouldn’t be bad to get a couple of handy magical treasures to use for now.
The blood-colored treasure-seeking talisman flashed with a crimson light in the darkness. After indicating a direction, it floated forward leisurely. Ning Buwei followed closely behind. After about a quarter of an hour, he stopped in front of a pitch-black cave entrance.
A wave of dense, mixed spiritual power hit him, even causing a feeling of suffocation due to its intensity.
This thing was at least heaven-grade.
Ning Buwei suppressed the restless Suzaku Broken Knife and stepped into the narrow, pitch-black cave. The passage inside was winding and tortuous, yet interconnected in all directions. Ning Buwei followed the treasure-seeking talisman forward, sensing at least three auras belonging to different magical artifacts, the worst being top-grade. But he didn’t stop, heading straight for the spiritual treasure with the strongest aura.
As the treasure-seeking talisman was about to exhaust its spiritual power, glowing spots finally appeared ahead. The moment he stepped into the barrier, the narrow cave seemed to suddenly disappear. Ning Buwei suddenly heard the crashing of waves and roaring billows. The pressure of a powerful cultivator suddenly descended, and even though the person was no longer here, it still silently warned intruders.
Ning Buwei was almost forced back by the residual pressure, but his eyes flashed with excitement. If just the residual pressure had such power, this magical treasure must be no ordinary object.
With just his Golden Core stage spiritual power, he might not have been able to suppress this barrier. Fortunately, he had taken quite a bit from Chu Jun’s sea of consciousness earlier. Not only could Chu Jun help take care of the child, but he also provided spiritual power. Putting aside past matters, Chu Jun could be considered a good person.
Ning Buwei halfheartedly thanked the Venerable Jinghe, thousands of miles away. The Suzaku Narrow Knife immediately flew out, striking the barrier with tremendous force. The cave shook, and rocks fell. He didn’t stop, pouring most of his spiritual power into the Suzaku Knife for another strike.
After three consecutive strikes, the seemingly impenetrable barrier finally showed a few cracks.
The sound of waves grew louder. Ning Buwei was about to gather power for another strike when suddenly several sword lights appeared around him. One sword came straight for his head, while the others took advantage of the cracks he had made earlier to blast the barrier open.
Ning Buwei blocked the fierce incoming sword. The wielder was a woman wearing light blue clothes, with fair skin and black hair in a cloud-like bun. She had a fan-shaped flower mark between her eyebrows, willow-like eyebrows, and apricot-shaped eyes, quite beautiful.
“Who are you? How dare you trespass into the Wang family’s secret realm to steal treasures!?” the woman scolded angrily.
Ning Buwei sneered, “Since ancient times, magical treasures in secret realms go to the capable. When did they become your Wang family’s property?”
“Yirong, stop wasting words with him! Just kill him and be done with it!” A male cultivator was trying to retrieve the magical treasure but was slammed against the stone wall by its pressure.
Wang Yirong’s attacks became more fierce, “Hurry up and get the treasure!”
Ning Buwei had just been regretting having no fight, when coincidentally these blind fools came to intercept him. His eyes gleamed with even more interest. The Suzaku Narrow Knife flew through the air, cutting off a strand of Wang Yirong’s long hair and pinning the male cultivator who had just gotten up to the rock.
“Ah—” With his shoulder blade pierced, the man let out a painful cry.
Wang Yirong’s expression turned solemn as she summoned her natal magical treasure, the Soul-Locking Whip. This whip was made from the spine of an ancient divine beast and carried an inherent frost poison. Even if it just grazed the skin, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would instantly die.
The whip wind was sharp, aiming straight for Ning Buwei’s chest. Ning Buwei stepped on the stone wall and flipped over, nimbly dodging Wang Yirong’s whip. He struck her back shoulder with his palm, and the sound of breaking bones immediately rang out. Wang Yirong stumbled forward a step, then turned to lash out with another whip strike.
Red light flared from Ning Buwei’s palm as the Suzaku Narrow Knife returned, tangling with the Soul-Locking Whip. It made a grating sound that set one’s teeth on edge. The magical treasure in the cave seemed to sense the massive spiritual power fluctuation and began to wail.
The other two cultivators approaching the magical treasure were trying to subdue it. One of them exclaimed in surprise, “It’s the Heavenly Wave Ruler, lost for ten thousand years!”
Wang Yirong’s eyes lit up, and she suddenly increased the force of her Soul-Locking Whip. The Suzaku Narrow Knife, already forcibly held together by spiritual power, seemed on the verge of shattering again. Seeing this, Ning Buwei swiftly withdrew the knife, which immediately reverted to fragments. A flash of triumph crossed Wang Yirong’s face, but the next moment she felt an icy chill at her neck.
Ning Buwei retrieved the bloodstained knife fragments. Wang Yirong fell to the ground, her lifeless apricot eyes staring in disbelief as her vitality instantly dissipated.
Ning Buwei kicked up the Soul-Locking Whip. With its owner dead, the recognition imprint naturally disappeared. Although he didn’t particularly like using whips, it was better than nothing. This Soul-Locking Whip could rank in the top fifty on the Divine Weapon List. He disposed of the remaining people with a few lashes, then looked at the corpses strewn about and smirked.
Daring to snatch things from his hands, they clearly didn’t know their own capabilities.
The Wang family was wealthy and powerful, and these disciples were of decent rank. Their possessions were barely worth considering. Ning Buwei picked out a few top-grade magical tools, planning to refine them later as materials to repair his knife. He even got two bottles of premium Yangyuan Pills, which would make good candy for Ning Xiu…
After picking through everything and plucking them clean like geese, Ning Buwei tossed all the spirit stones into his storage ring before turning his attention to the now-visible Heavenly Wave Ruler.
This Heavenly Wave Ruler was an ancient divine artifact, far surpassing heaven-grade in quality. Compared to the newly acquired Soul-Locking Whip, it was like heaven and earth. Ning Buwei, using his Soul Array, spiritual talismans, and the Suzaku Broken Knife, barely managed to match the residual pressure. At the critical moment, he used all the spiritual power he had obtained from Chu Jun to completely erase the remaining recognition marks.
Ning Buwei didn’t even give the Heavenly Wave Ruler a chance to develop a bond, directly subduing it tyrannically and decisively forcing a blood recognition.
The dark green jade ruler flew into his hand.
This Heavenly Wave Ruler was about a foot long and three fingers wide, with a lustrous and translucent texture. The entire jade ruler emitted a faint warmth. After the recognition, the ruler slowly revealed the nine-petal lotus family crest unique to the Ning family.
Ning Buwei weighed the Heavenly Wave Ruler in his hand, and the magical heart technique immediately appeared in his mind.
Based on the Heavenly Wave Ruler’s aura, he had thought it might be a defensive or storage-type magical treasure. Unexpectedly, this ruler could both attack and defend. It could split waves, move mountains, and shake the earth when advancing, and could instantly escape by entering its own space when retreating. It was truly perfect.
Such a supreme treasure, hidden in a small secret realm like Yumian Mountain. Ning Buwei satisfactorily tapped the ruler against his palm, thinking that when Ning Xiu grew up and misbehaved, he could use it to spank him – truly killing three birds with one stone.
Just as the “fully loaded” great demon was preparing to leave, an extremely powerful divine consciousness pressure suddenly came from outside the cave, instantly enveloping the entire cavern.
Ning Buwei’s gaze sharpened. He immediately used a concealment technique, leapt onto a protruding rock on the cave wall, and activated the Heavenly Wave Ruler to hide his form, but didn’t immediately flee.
He saw several cultivators dressed similarly to Wang Yirong enter first. Upon seeing the corpses strewn about, their faces changed dramatically, and they all knelt on the ground.
“Young Master, Yirong’s soul lamp just went out,” an old man with a long beard walked into the cave and sighed.
“Rotten wood cannot be carved,” a blue-robed youth strolled in, his gaze sweeping over the corpses. “You couldn’t protect either the Zhenlong Chess or the Heavenly Wave Ruler. What use is it for the Wang family to raise you?”
Those kneeling didn’t dare speak.
This youth had delicate features, but the whites showing below his eyes gave his brow a gloomy and ruthless air, making him seem quite unapproachable. His cultivation level was extremely high, judging by the divine consciousness pressure, he was likely at the Fusion stage.
Ning Buwei looked down at him from above, feeling he looked somewhat familiar, when he unexpectedly met the youth’s gaze.
“Who’s there!?” The youth suddenly attacked, striking towards Ning Buwei’s hiding place.
