Chapter 153: Images Deep Within The White Ape Bloodline
After discussing the Dao with the Blade Demon, Ning Qi’s life returned once again to its previous tranquility.
This discussion of the Dao brought Ning Qi immense gains, giving him a deeper understanding of breaking through to the Martial Saint Realm, with the initial form now emerging.
Of course, the Blade Demon’s gains were equally tremendous.
Ning Qi held nothing back from him, and the Blade Demon gained numerous ideas and directions. Afterward, he hurriedly entered closed-door cultivation, but he did not forget his pact with Ning Qi. If anyone truly came to attack, he would naturally emerge from seclusion to suppress them.
In this way.
True Martial Sect became even safer.
Ning Qi breathed a sigh of relief. What he had worried about most was that when he went down the mountain, the Demonic Sect and Southern Border would seize the opportunity to attack True Martial Mountain. But now with the Blade Demon guarding the place, plus the True Martial Sword Stele and the many martial artists comprehending the Dao here, if those two forces dared to attack, they would likely suffer a setback.
“This way, I can go down the mountain to investigate the secret of the Martial Saint from Southern Border and the Demonic Sect. If I can find the location of their secret lands, I can strike first and strong, nipping this crisis in the cradle.”
Ning Qi’s eyes flashed.
He had not forgotten the two swords hanging over his head. Although his strength was now very great, if a true Martial Saint came to kill him, he might not be able to fully protect True Martial Sect.
“Senior Brother, has the Imperial Court found any clues?” Ning Qi asked.
Luo Wentian shook his head somewhat helplessly:
“In these days, the Imperial Court has been fighting fiercely with the Demonic Sect and Southern Border forces. They have been investigating along the clues of Exotic Beast Inner Cores and Blood King Gu, but they are very cautious and careful, often setting traps with these. The Imperial Court has lost quite a few experts, only learning that Southern Border needs to refine Blood Emperor Gu, while the Demonic Sect is refining a treasure called Saint Pill. But more specific information is unavailable.”
“I suspect they have already shifted their positions, deliberately muddying the waters.”
Ning Qi frowned slightly:
“Shifted positions?”
“Beyond Hundred Thousand Mountains and Great Yan?”
Luo Wentian nodded:
“Exactly. The Imperial Court is guessing the same now, but Hundred Thousand Mountains is Southern Border’s main base, filled with exotic beasts and no shortage of miasma and poisonous mists. The Imperial Court can’t intervene there. Beyond Great Yan, the place with the most population is the Northern Barbarian Grasslands. Though not even one-eleventh of Great Yan, it can still easily sustain Blood King Gu.”
“With the relationship between the Imperial Court and the Northern Barbarians, they are equally out of reach. Even Divine Feather Great General suspects that the Demonic Sect and Southern Border may have already formed an alliance with the Northern Barbarians. If that’s true, it becomes even more troublesome.”
Ning Qi exhaled softly.
The Demonic Sect and Southern Border were already hard to deal with, and adding the Northern Barbarians would make it even more problematic.
“Truly, everyone wants to tear a piece of flesh from Great Yan.”
If possible, Ning Qi wished he could stay out of it entirely. Unfortunately, True Martial Sect was already embroiled, forced to stand with Great Yan, and even now he did not know if that Great Yan Martial Saint was friend or foe.
The situation was somewhat intricate and complex.
Ning Qi resolved in his heart that he needed to strike first and strong, but he absolutely could not expose his identity and strength to the Imperial Court, lest he draw the gaze of a Martial Saint, which might be even more dangerous than the current state.
“Senior Brother, I plan to go down the mountain.” Ning Qi said.
Luo Wentian was startled:
“Little Nine, you mean…”
Ning Qi nodded:
“Exactly. Rather than waiting for others to come knocking, better to strike first and strong. But you don’t need to tell the Imperial Court about this. Help me gather as much intelligence as possible on Blood King Gu.”
The Demonic Sect’s Martial Saint Secret Treasure was only known to be called Saint Pill, with no specific details, at most knowing it required Exotic Beast Inner Cores.
But Ning Qi had personally encountered Southern Border’s Blood King Gu once before. To avoid risk, he had used it up right at the base of the mountain, preventing Southern Border people from sensing its location.
Now, he could do the opposite. If he could obtain a Blood King Gu, and research the mutual sensing method between Blood King Gus, he might be able to wipe out all of Southern Border’s Blood King Gus in one fell swoop.
Therefore, he planned to start with Blood King Gu.
Luo Wentian’s expression showed some guilt. His own ninth junior brother was only eleven years old, yet had to bear so much.
But he did not persuade more, because he knew this was indeed the best choice.
He said solemnly:
“Little Nine, the Year End is approaching. Stay a few more days. Wait until I organize the intelligence from the Imperial Court, then you can go down the mountain.”
Ning Qi nodded lightly. It was not urgent for these few days anyway. This year’s Year End Grand Competition would surely be extremely lively. The three hundred seedlings, after this period of cultivation, had already achieved some results. It was a good chance to test their cultivation outcomes, and perhaps some outstanding ones would be promoted to True Disciples.
Feeling the worry and concern in Luo Wentian’s eyes, Ning Qi smiled:
“Senior Brother need not worry. With my current strength, even if I find nothing, there won’t be any danger.”
Luo Wentian smiled bitterly:
“Senior Brother only hates that his own strength is too weak.”
Ning Qi comforted him a few words.
This was really not their fault. After all, under normal development, True Martial Sect should gradually rise to revival through generations of effort. But Ning Qi’s sudden emergence had undoubtedly shortened that time by far too much, making everyone else seem unable to keep up.
This was normal, after all, not everyone had Ning Qi’s powerful comprehension.
But it was not a big problem. In time, as these foundations were slowly digested, they would gradually transform into true hard strength.
Dragon Mountain Daoist was like this now. After Ning Qi passed him the many Heavenly Human Realm secret techniques he created, he began advancing by leaps and bounds. He was fully in closed-door cultivation to elevate his strength, so as not to need Ning Qi to handle every issue that arose.
…
Time passed slowly.
In the twelfth lunar month, the harsh winter brought heavy snow.
Yet True Martial Sect’s atmosphere remained as heated as ever. During this time, the True Martial Sword Stele and Myriad Dao Tower were packed with people. Large numbers of martial artists came flocking, comprehending in an orderly manner. Many gained considerably, further elevating the fame of the True Martial Sword Stele and Myriad Dao Tower.
Ning Qi was naturally pleased to see this.
Now, his Sword Dao was naturally first, belonging to a powerful level even among the Ultimate Realms, but his many other artistic conceptions had also stepped into the Ultimate Realm.
Master one method, master all methods. The many martial artists in Myriad Dao Tower left their own Martial Ways, adding bricks and tiles to Ning Qi’s cultivation.
This complemented his reading of the Daoist Scripture and comprehending celestial phenomena, making his progress even faster.
And besides his daily routine of going to the High Heavens to draw Heavenly Thunder for cultivation, the matter Ning Qi now devoted the most energy to was researching the White Ape and Zhuang Chen.
Yesterday.
The White Ape finally succeeded in cultivating the Resonance Secret Technique Ning Qi taught him.
At this moment in Seeker’s Courtyard, the White Ape activated the secret technique. His bloodline throughout his body was in an excited state. With a violent roar, the White Ape could not control the excited bloodline, and his body began rapidly expanding. In an instant, a sixteen-feet giant ape appeared in the courtyard, like a mountain peak, and that pair of eyes glowing with golden divine intent was utterly extraordinary. Anyone who saw it would know the White Ape’s bloodline was no simple thing.
“Teacher.” The White Ape scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. It was not that he deliberately wanted to show off, but rather he could not control it himself.
Ning Qi waved his hand slightly.
He had already used Heaven and Earth Power to shield the surroundings from the commotion.
Anticipation rose in his eyes.
Vast Heaven and Earth Power immediately gathered, enveloping him and the White Ape. Then it began vibrating at a frequency opposite to that within the White Ape’s body.
This was a secret technique Ning Qi created from studying the principles of the Two Forms of Yin and Yang, mutually attracting to bring the White Ape’s bloodline even further into revealing its secrets.
In that instant.
An extreme tingling numbness spread from the White Ape’s limbs and throughout his body. That sensation was like his whole body was about to fall apart. Cold sweat broke out all over the White Ape’s body, his heart twitching, but he endured it with effort. He never refused Teacher’s requests, and he knew Teacher researching his bloodline was for his own good.
Ning Qi nodded inwardly. The White Ape, following him in cultivation and pursuing the Dao these years, had a Dao Heart firm beyond most so-called prodigies.
He wasted no time.
While maintaining the Heaven and Earth Power resonance frequency, his vast Gang Qi turned gentle, then surged into the giant ape’s body. Ning Qi began to sense carefully.
Previously, in researching the White Ape’s body, he created the Ape King True Body secret technique.
After teaching it to the White Ape, it had faintly combined with the bloodline in the White Ape’s body, undergoing a miraculous change, becoming something like an innate talent ability. But this time, he wanted to go even further, exploring the deeper secrets of the White Ape’s bloodline.
Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eye.
This was the truly powerful ability belonging to Yuan Tiansheng.
According to Yuan Tiansheng himself, his current Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eye even had some effect on Heavenly Human Realm experts, able to see through the weak points in their resonance with Heaven and Earth Power. Now, even Luo Wentian, who controlled a Fake Core, might not be his opponent.
This naturally made Ning Qi somewhat expectant. If he could deconstruct the secret of the White Ape’s bloodline, perhaps he could replicate the Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eye. This would absolutely be a peerless secret technique, usable even against Martial Saints.
Now, Ning Qi’s opponents were already at the unknown Martial Saint level. As for the Heavenly Human Realm, no one would be his match; it was merely a matter of a few moves’ gap.
He closed his eyes to sense.
Divine Intent carefully merged with the bloodline in the White Ape’s body.
Strands of special fluctuations spread out.
Ning Qi’s body shook.
In that instant.
His spirit seemed to be placed in a vast expanse of ground. While he was somewhat shocked and uncertain, a heaven-shaking roar capable of toppling sun and moon resounded through the mountains and wilds. Ning Qi shockingly saw a Silver Giant Ape roaring at the moon. Its body was as tall as a mountain peak. Yuan Tiansheng’s sixteen-feet body already had immense oppressive presence, but before this Silver Giant Ape, it was like an ant.
“Heavenly Beast!”
Ning Qi thought instinctively.
This giant ape roared at the moon, the sound of it pounding its chest shaking the skies. Rings of visible ripples spread outward. Such aura was absolutely not something the Heavenly Human Realm could compare to. He saw streams of Heaven and Earth Power actively drilling into its body, and in the moonlight, wondrous power was also entering through its mouth and nose.
“Rumors say Heavenly Beasts are darlings of Heaven and Earth, innately able to control Heaven and Earth Power. This is indeed true!” Ning Qi’s breathing quickened somewhat.
The Human Race exhausted every effort to step into the Martial Saint Realm, able to refine Heaven and Earth Power, yet that was merely reaching their starting point. This gap left him speechless. He was utterly certain this Silver Giant Ape was absolutely a Martial Saint level existence, and not even among the weak ones.
Ning Qi continued watching.
Though he could only see the giant ape’s side profile, that sense of oppression still impacted his spirit, making him feel immense pressure.
The Silver Giant Ape continuously devoured moonlight, absorbing Heaven and Earth Power, but for some reason, Ning Qi could sense the giant ape’s emotions growing increasingly irritable, manifesting outwardly as its behavior turning violent.
The giant ape raged, shattering a mountain peak with one fist, severing a river with one foot. Even the aftershocks from pounding its chest plowed out terrifying gashes.
Ning Qi held his breath.
Suddenly.
The giant ape seemed to notice something. It abruptly turned, a pair of brilliant, dazzling golden pupils staring straight over, freezing Ning Qi’s mind in this inexplicable time-space.
In that instant.
All the scenes shattered, like webs of cracks spreading, carrying bone-chilling cold.
He vaguely saw that the giant ape’s roar seemed to carry a trace of fear.
Ning Qi’s body shook, recovering from the previous state of Divine Intent communicating with the bloodline. His face was slightly pale, with lingering fear in his heart.
That one glance.
Was too terrifying.
It even felt like it pierced through time-space to see Ning Qi. He felt seen through. This was the first time he had this feeling, making him extremely uneasy.
At this time, the White Ape had unknowingly fainted. Ning Qi was startled and hurriedly went forward to check. Only after discovering it was mere exhaustion did he relax.
He began recalling the previous scenes.
“To actually see the legendary Heavenly Beast, this bloodline inheritance is truly miraculous.” Ning Qi exclaimed in amazement.
This was his first time so closely contacting an existence of this level. He could feel how far he still was from that giant ape. If truly facing it, he might not even be able to escape with his life.
“It seems this is Tian Sheng’s bloodline origin? If Tian Sheng develops the bloodline all the way, perhaps one day he could also become such a powerful existence.” Ning Qi thought to himself.
“However, that one glance was probably not at me.”
Ning Qi recalled the giant ape’s golden pupils. That feeling of seeing through everything was still fresh in his memory. Compared to it, Yuan Tiansheng’s golden pupils were truly like a toddler’s first steps. At first he thought the giant ape had discovered him, but on second thought, it should be impossible. Across endless ages, how could the giant ape have such ability? If it could do that, even immortal gods would be no more.
“The reason the later scenes couldn’t be seen is that my Divine Intent is not strong enough, not because the giant ape was ‘gazing at me.’ If I felt correctly, it seems some change happened afterward, and the giant ape’s roar carried a trace of fear.”
Ning Qi’s heart itched like a cat’s claws.
His intuition told him this might be linked to the severed Martial Saint inheritance.
He took several deep breaths in a row before gradually suppressing this anxiety.
Being hasty would not help. Anyway, the White Ape was right here. As long as he waited until his Divine Intent was strong enough, he would naturally be able to see it. With his current cultivation speed, the Three Flowers advanced at a thousand li per day. Reaching Three Flowers Perfection and unlocking this secret was only a matter of time.
“Now, though I can only see this much, it doesn’t affect me deconstructing the Illusion-Breaking Golden Eye. A few more studies and it will surely succeed.”
Ning Qi smiled.
This time was not without gains entirely.
However, each time communicating with the White Ape’s bloodline via Divine Intent placed some burden on the White Ape. This could not be rushed; he had to wait until the White Ape recovered before continuing. But where there were drawbacks, there were benefits. The White Ape undergoing such training frequently was of immense help to developing his bloodline power.
Ning Qi thought again, wondering if there were similar scenes within Zhuang Chen’s Sword Bone.
In a few more days, Zhuang Chen’s Resonance Secret Technique should also succeed.
