Chapter 194: Heavenly Sword Ancient Sage
The Mysterious Turtle carried the True Martial Hall on its back.
It was wrapped entirely in White Mist, enigmatic and unfathomable, like an exotic beast that had walked out of ancient history. Everyone held their breath; that intangible sense of oppression made them not dare to act recklessly, especially those who had previously proposed bombing White Mist Island—they were now trembling even more.
The Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint’s gaze fell upon the Giant Turtle, seeming somewhat displeased. Just now, if not for the Giant Turtle suddenly pulling him into the White Mist, the dispute would have ended long ago.
However.
Looking at the Giant Turtle’s faint protective intent toward Ning Qi, he immediately understood something.
“Long time no see.” Cang Sang’s voice rang out. “Your condition seems not too good.”
The Blind Old Man frowned. He could sense that the Giant Turtle’s vitality was not as vigorous and surging as before. This was unreasonable. He thoughtfully glanced at Ning Qi.
The Giant Turtle raised its head slightly:
“Not bad, won’t die.”
Ning Qi fell silent.
With two big shots speaking, the others didn’t dare interject. The Chiyang Martial Saint tried several times to speak but forcibly held back.
The Giant Turtle didn’t even look at him.
This appearance was solely to back Ning Qi up. As long as the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint understood, it was fine. After the Giant Turtle said a few words, its massive pupils gradually closed, about to fall into slumber, its voice low and deep:
“Sleep a bit longer. If there’s an emergency, just call me.”
The White Mist covering its body glowed, and the Immortal Palace spiritual beasts on its back became even more hazy, filled with beauty that made hearts yearn.
Its massive body sank once more, stirring up gigantic waves.
In just a few breaths, its originally enormous body completely vanished from the sea surface. The Black Sand Sea, which had once featured the wondrous sight of White Mist, became ordinary again. The congregation looked on in confusion and finally confirmed that the True Martial Hall had been borne by a massive Giant Turtle.
If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have believed it no matter what.
Gratitude rose in Ning Qi’s heart, but his face remained composed. The Giant Turtle’s look before leaving carried a hint of mischief.
The Chiyang Martial Saint was about to speak.
But the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint spoke first:
“Enough, let the matter end here.”
His words were calm yet forceful, not allowing rebuttal.
Ning Qi slightly bowed. This was respect for a peerless expert.
The Chiyang Martial Saint’s pupils contracted repeatedly, his face alternating between pale and green. Finally, he coldly snorted and glared venomously at Ning Qi:
“Some things—forcibly taking them might break your hand!”
This was an Ancient Saint’s Natal Secret Treasure, containing layers of imprints inside. If an outsider tried to forcibly use it, they might suffer backlash.
Ning Qi ignored him.
The Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint shook his head slightly and stepped away.
The Chiyang Martial Saint snorted coldly and also soared into the sky. The several Heavenly Human Realm Martial Artists carrying the golden chariot hurriedly followed in a flustered manner, fearing that if they were a step too slow, they would be slain by a sword from this young Daoist. Even an Ancient Saint had stumbled; they didn’t dare act recklessly.
One by one, gazes filled with reverence turned toward Ning Qi.
Today’s battle was nothing short of legendary.
Two Ancient Saints clashing, boiling the sea with Fentian—terrifying beyond imagination.
Especially Ning Qi’s identity, which left them in awe. The Heavenly Sword True Person, renowned throughout the world, turned out to be an Ancient Saint, and in the form of a youth at that. This completely overturned everyone’s cognition.
And then, the true form of the True Martial Hall inheritance island was revealed, leaving them even more amazed.
One event after another left everyone thoroughly satisfied.
Ning Qi ignored those gazes.
He landed beside the Dragon Mountain Daoist and said in a low voice:
“Master, this disciple is incompetent and failed to slay that Chiyang fellow. In the future, when the opportunity arises, I will definitely avenge today’s humiliation for Master.”
The Dragon Mountain Daoist just smiled and waved his hand.
If one really pursued it, the Chiyang Martial Saint had suffered far more miserably than him. Trading one for one with an Ancient Saint was no loss!
“Don’t be impulsive. Your future is limitless. Tolerating small things prevents ruining great plans. You’ve already done more than enough; for Master, this is greatly comforting.”
Ning Qi fell silent.
But in his heart, he had already sentenced the Chiyang Martial Saint to death.
Seeing Ning Qi silent, the Dragon Mountain Daoist knew what he was thinking and shook his head helplessly without saying more. Glancing at the reverent gazes around, he knew this was no place to linger.
“Let’s go back.”
Ning Qi nodded. With a wave of his hand, surging Heaven and Earth Power enveloped the congregation, speeding away and vanishing over the Black Sand Sea.
The originally quiet atmosphere finally grew lively.
Excited discussions echoed across the sea area. Some talked about the recent events, sharing their insights; others quietly dove into the sea to search, hoping to find any stray useful items left from the inheritance island.
And as word of everything that happened here spread.
The world shook once more.
This time.
The clash of two Ancient Saints became the focus, though it was basically a one-sided thrashing. The Chiyang Martial Saint became a mere backdrop, while Ning Qi’s fame soared.
Some called him the Heavenly Sword Ancient Saint; others, the White Dragon Ancient Saint.
In any case.
The True Martial Sect’s prestige surged once again. In this era of Ancient Saints returning, the True Martial Sect’s aura had weakened considerably, but now it had produced another Ancient Saint, leaving everyone in awe.
Some also discussed the matter of the True Martial Hall inheritance.
Some thought it was just the ancient Giant Turtle acting on a whim and leaving due to the commotion; others disagreed, believing the inheritance had surely been taken.
Those who observed carefully, combining the Giant Turtle’s faint act of backing Ning Qi, concluded that the True Martial Sect must have obtained the True Martial Hall inheritance.
But there was no evidence.
Numerous theories buzzed, but no one dared verify them.
…
Mingwu Pavilion.
Numerous True Martial Sect core members gathered, their expressions excited. They had heard of Ning Qi’s divine might in brutally thrashing the Chiyang Ancient Saint, and each one was boiling with enthusiasm.
Facing the congregation’s expectant gazes, Ning Qi smiled:
“The True Martial inheritance is obtained.”
At those words.
The congregation erupted in unified cheers.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist laughed heartily while stroking his beard. This was his long-cherished wish and obsession, now finally fulfilled by his own disciple.
Ning Qi waved his hand.
One by one, classics flowed out like water, instantly filling the open space of Mingwu Pavilion.
“This is just a portion. We need to expand the Scripture Depository again, best to categorize by levels,” Ning Qi suggested.
These were the True Martial Sect’s foundation.
With these martial arts classics, the paths for True Martial Disciples would be much broader, with higher ceilings.
Luo Wentian nodded repeatedly.
Ning Qi continued:
“This is the secret technique of the ‘Nine Great Heavenly Human Battle Martial Saints,’ called Nine-Three Return to One. Senior Brothers, you can study it more.”
The congregation sighed with emotion, their gazes somewhat reminiscent.
Once upon a time, this rumor had been the goal of the senior brothers, and now it was truly laid before them.
From the True Martial Nine Stances, passed down to the Three Yuan Secret Record, and finally using the Nine-Three Return to One technique to fuse the power of nine Heavenly Human Perfection experts into one, greatly amplifying it. This secret technique had high requirements: minds in harmony and long-term tacit understanding.
Ning Qi had evaluated it; it could indeed barely match a Martial Saint—not empty words.
In the future, if he refined it further, perhaps he could raise the ceiling and lower the requirements.
Ning Qi took out a few more classics:
“These are Martial Saint Methods. Master and Eighth Senior Brother can familiarize yourselves ahead of time.”
The congregation was shocked once more.
Martial Saint Methods!
Ning Qi had obtained them too.
Ning Qi just smiled lightly.
He temporarily withheld the secret techniques the Ancient Saints had created to weaken Life Poison. It wouldn’t be too late to bring them out when the two reached Heavenly Human Perfection. They couldn’t access them yet anyway. By then, he should have derived a method to filter out Life Poison.
He handed the various classics to Luo Wentian to handle.
Ning Qi now felt unburdened. Among the True Martial inheritance obtained this time, there were many classics and scriptures beneficial to him; he could peruse them slowly later.
After chatting with his senior brothers about the insights from this trial, eliciting waves of amazement, he departed.
He strolled into the Seeker’s Courtyard.
A familiar feeling welled up in his heart.
Rushing about outside could never compare to the comfort of one’s own little nest.
He glanced at the lush Enlightenment Tea Tree and smiled faintly, infusing three Heavenly Human Blood Pills. These came from the Luofu Sword Master and the other two—waste not, want not. They could accelerate the tea tree’s growth.
Ning Qi sat beneath the tea tree, concentrating his mind and qi to adjust his state.
After an incense stick’s time, he slowly opened his eyes.
Now, he had one important matter left to handle.
Great Sun Compass.
Anticipation flickered in his eyes.
Seizing this Great Sun Compass from the Chiyang Martial Saint was first for venting anger, second out of curiosity about the Ancient Saints’ secret treasures. It seemed somewhat similar to the King Yu Bead, yet different.
The White Mountain Old Daoist’s True Xuan Seal, the Baoshu Buddha’s Glazed Buddha Tree, the Chiyang Martial Saint’s Great Sun Compass—each had unique traits, providing spiritual energy to let them exert Martial Saint Realm combat power in this era before Spiritual Energy Revival.
“According to the Martial Saint inheritance obtained this time, the current Ancient Saints can at most exert First Realm Martial Saint level combat power, but from what I’ve seen, three probably exceed that: the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint, the Great Yan Martial Saint, and Senior Mysterious Turtle.”
Ning Qi’s gaze flickered slightly.
He was no longer ignorant of the Martial Saint Realm.
The Martial Saint Realm had five realms, each with significant gaps.
“Martial Saints cultivate Five Elements Qi, gradually bringing mana to Five Elements Perfection, but there’s no fixed cultivation order for Five Elements Qi. For example, some with affinity for Water Qi store mana in their kidneys in the First Realm.”
“The Chiyang Martial Saint, named for Chiyang—unknown what realm he peaked at, but the First Realm he cultivated should be Fire Qi.”
“Now that I think about it, these secret treasures have attribute leanings. If I sensed correctly, the King Yu Bead is water-attributed, the Great Sun Compass fire-attributed. If I can turn the Great Sun Compass to my use, when Spiritual Energy Revival comes and with my solid foundation, perhaps I can break through two realms at once!”
Numerous thoughts turned in Ning Qi’s mind.
He was already laying out plans for Spiritual Energy Revival.
Compared to those Ancient Saints, his foundation was somewhat thinner, so he naturally needed to put in effort. These days, besides researching the Life Poison filtration method with the Blade Demon, he was thinking how to advance triumphantly after stepping into the Martial Saint Realm.
Now, after obtaining the True Martial Hall’s Martial Saint inheritance, the direction was crystal clear.
But everything hinged on whether his guess about the Great Sun Compass before him was correct.
Ning Qi sensed the King Yu Bead.
Releasing its suppressive power, the Great Sun Compass inside immediately shot out like an untethered wild horse, trying to flee into the sky. But Ning Qi was prepared; surging Heaven and Earth Power gathered, forming invisible chains infused with the profound suppression of the Lesser True Martial Seal.
The Great Sun Compass trembled continuously, its range of movement shrinking smaller and smaller.
Ning Qi smiled faintly. Spiritual Power coiled around his fingertip as he slowly grasped the Great Sun Compass.
He looked at the slightly collapsed space inside the King Yu Bead with some emotion.
“Back at Black Sand Sea, suppressing this compass into the King Yu Bead already felt strained. Sure enough, it’s completely different from ordinary items. If not for my preparations, it would have escaped.”
“Let’s see what wonders you hold!”
Ning Qi’s interest grew thicker.
He suppressed the Great Sun Compass with spiritual power, then carefully began exploring.
The compass was crimson, faintly emanating strands of golden intent, like a great sun. It was engraved with various exotic beasts: Golden Crows, fire lions, fire crows, and some patterns somewhat blurred, parts of which faintly surpassed the Golden Crows in strength.
Ning Qi was somewhat startled.
Clearly, the Chiyang Martial Saint’s cultivation hadn’t recovered to its peak; this secret treasure’s power wasn’t fully unleashed yet.
A blazing power was condensing within it.
Compared to the King Yu Bead, this secret treasure had stronger killing power.
He probed deeper, then paused slightly:
“Imprint?”
Ning Qi laughed.
This didn’t stump him.
Divine Intent poured out, carried by spiritual power, carefully exploring its structure. Sparks of spiritual insight flashed in his mind as he began deconstructing the power within.
…
Meanwhile.
Chiyang Sect.
Since the Chiyang Martial Saint’s return, the entire sect had been in a stifling atmosphere. Everyone knew the Martial Saint had suffered humiliation outside and was extremely angry. Martial Artists walked on tiptoe, even subconsciously lightening their breaths to avoid incurring thunderous wrath.
But moments later.
Terrifying great sun radiance still illuminated the entire territory. The uncontainable roar of fury echoed through the heavens, making everyone tremble:
“Heavenly Sword dog thief, you’ve gone too far!!”
The Chiyang Martial Saint’s eyes bulged, blood spilling from his mouth.
Just now.
He had sensed that the spiritual power imprint he left in the Great Sun Compass had been erased by some force!
This meant he had temporarily lost all control over the Great Sun Compass.
Before, he had sneered, thinking Ning Qi overreached in coveting an Ancient Saint’s Natal Secret Treasure. But unexpectedly, in mere moments, he was slapped in the face. Amid his fury, incredulity filled his eyes.
“How is this possible? That imprint isn’t something ordinary people can remove!”
“Could it be the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint, or that old turtle who acted?”
The Chiyang Martial Saint’s face alternated between gloom and uncertainty.
He grew anxious.
Without the Great Sun Compass, though not doomed, it was a heavy loss, affecting his strength recovery after Spiritual Energy Revival.
“Damn it, that kid’s origins are mysterious, and that old turtle backed him up. For now, I can only endure.”
The Chiyang Martial Saint gritted his teeth.
“Wait a bit longer. When little sister Purple Moon returns, we’ll strike together during Spiritual Energy Revival to avenge this! By then, the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint will be undergoing metamorphosis and unable to intervene—that’s the best chance!”
He took deep breaths repeatedly, suppressing his irritable emotions.
He finally decided.
Lay low for this period.
…
Seeker’s Courtyard.
Joy shone in Ning Qi’s eyes.
He toyed with the Great Sun Compass, now shrunk to palm-sized. After removing the imprint, it became utterly docile, allowing Ning Qi to manipulate it freely. Sensing closely, it indeed contained abundant fire-attributed power.
If he wielded it, the erupted power would be no weaker than the Chiyang Martial Saint’s—stronger, even.
“This Chiyang Martial Saint is truly somewhat worthless, living so many years in vain. No wonder his temperament is so poor,” Ning Qi said with some disdain.
But good for him—it was a benefit.
He already had an idea.
He could use this Great Sun Compass as his stepping stone for promotion.
“Pity such opportunities are rare. First, the other Ancient Saints aren’t simple; second, with the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint around, this time without Senior Mysterious Turtle’s face, I might not have kept the Great Sun Compass.” Ning Qi felt somewhat unsatisfied.
He toyed with it a bit longer.
Finally, he stored the compass away.
Thus, his arsenal grew richer, and his endurance greatly improved.
For now, for the future.
Both were great boons.
With this matter settled, Ning Qi exhaled deeply.
Next was to go all out creating the Life Poison filtration method. Having obtained the Ancient Saints’ technique for eliminating Life Poison, the puzzle of locating Life Poison was solved. Using this secret technique as foundation, Ning Qi was confident he could create it before Spiritual Energy Revival.
However.
He had a premonition that this secret technique’s difficulty would be extreme; others besides him might not learn it.
“Rule Poison involves higher-dimensional power. To filter it within my current capabilities, the prerequisites will likely be numerous.”
He planned to head to the back mountain first.
With one step.
Ning Qi’s figure vanished from the spot.
The Blade Demon arrived, eyes filled with expectation:
“Tian Jian Fellow Daoist, how was the harvest?”
Ning Qi smiled:
“I didn’t fail you. Got the Martial Saint inheritance. Fellow Daoist, take a look first.”
The Blade Demon was overjoyed.
Ning Qi waved his hand, and several prepared Martial Saint Methods plus the Life Poison weakening method appeared before the Blade Demon. Without hesitation, the Blade Demon sat cross-legged and hungrily began reading.
Sun set, moon rose; he didn’t stop.
He occasionally let out gasps of amazement, pretending sudden realization.
After a long while, he paused.
“Thanks, Tian Jian Fellow Daoist!” The Blade Demon bowed deeply, thoroughly convinced.
If it were others, obtaining the Martial Saint inheritance, they’d hide it away—how could they share? But Ning Qi held nothing back, filling him with gratitude.
Moreover.
He marveled at Ning Qi’s world-shaking wisdom.
Because the Martial Saint Method he now read matched perfectly with Ning Qi’s prior derivations. The issue was, the former was the wisdom of generations of ancient sages, while Ning Qi was alone.
The Blade Demon clearly knew he was just a cheering bystander. With or without him, Ning Qi could derive it; his role was negligible.
His greatest use lay in testing that Heaven and Earth anomaly substance.
“With this secret method, when Spiritual Energy Revival comes, Fellow Daoist can use it to step into the Martial Saint Realm,” Ning Qi smiled.
The Blade Demon’s eyes lit up, then he shook his head:
“But the matter isn’t finished. Fellow Daoist’s ambitions go beyond this.”
Ning Qi said solemnly:
“To be honest, yes. But the deeper secret methods next may be useless to Fellow Daoist. No need to risk life testing anymore.”
Simply put, even if the Life Poison filtration method was created, the Blade Demon couldn’t learn it. Ning Qi didn’t want to take advantage.
The Blade Demon waved decisively, voice resolute:
“Tian Jian Fellow Daoist underestimates me! These days, how could I not see this secret method’s prowess? Even now, I’m in awe. Once fully formed, it won’t be for me to touch. But precisely so—participating is the fortune of my lifetime!”
His black pupils gleamed with the unyielding resolve of accomplishing a great feat.
Ning Qi fell silent.
Then bowed to the Blade Demon.
This bow was respect for the Blade Demon’s boldness.
Ning Qi said seriously:
“When the secret method succeeds, I’ll try deriving a simplified version.”
The Blade Demon just smiled and nodded.
Whether he could learn it didn’t matter; what mattered was his participation.
Furthermore.
With the Martial Saint Method Ning Qi brought back, he now had a path to promote to Martial Saint—that was immense help. Emotionally and rationally, he should repay Ning Qi.
Ning Qi didn’t stand on ceremony.
“If so, let’s begin.”
With this secret method, he knew how to locate Life Poison. Next was endlessly attempting filtration methods.
Strands of spiritual energy were skillfully synthesized by Ning Qi, then absorbed into the Blade Demon’s body.
The difference was.
This time, Ning Qi could clearly capture the existence of Life Poison—a qualitative breakthrough from before.
His eyes brightened, thoughts racing as he considered various schemes.
“Three Flowers insufficient? Then aid with myriad paths. Perhaps, using Myriad Daos to remove it is viable…”
True Martial back mountain.
No one knew a heaven-shaking secret technique was brewing.
…
Time slowly passed.
The True Martial Hall turmoil continued spreading; the True Martial Sect became the world’s focus once more.
More and more Ancient Saints emerged, taking interest in the True Martial Sect. As they investigated its rise, they were surprised to find this Heavenly Sword Ancient Saint somewhat strange. Linking it to Ning Qi entering the True Martial Hall before, they couldn’t help associating him with that ancient Mysterious Turtle.
Some Ancient Saints thought this was the True Martial Hall’s Mysterious Turtle laying out ahead.
After all, Ancient Saints absolutely couldn’t enter the True Martial Hall inheritance.
For a time.
The Ancient Saints’ attitudes toward the True Martial Sect grew ambiguous. Several invitation letters even arrived at True Martial Mountain, all politely declined by Ning Qi citing closed-door cultivation.
But only the White Mountain Old Daoist knew Ning Qi was purely a prodigy!
Learning Ning Qi had brutally thrashed the Chiyang Martial Saint and robbed the Great Sun Compass left him stunned. Though not the strongest batch, the Chiyang Martial Saint was comparable to the Baoshu Buddha. Yet now suppressed by Ning Qi—even reportedly forced to burn most of his spiritual blood if not for the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint’s intervention.
“This guy has grown even stronger since True Profound Mountain—utterly ridiculous!” He secretly clicked his tongue.
Ning Qi seemed limitless.
Such an existence felt unreasonable.
“Could it be… Ning Qi is that variable? Once, someone proposed cultivating newcomers as backups, but it was rejected. Now it seems our path may be wrong?”
The White Mountain Old Daoist sighed.
The old folks buried spiritual energy to erupt in revival upon present world—not just to endure endless years.
“Perhaps I should visit True Martial Mountain.”
His gaze gradually firmed.
