Chapter 195: Tenfold World
The Great Yan World had already become extraordinarily lively.
One after another, Ancient Saints revived, causing the world’s forces to reshuffle. The top-tier sects that originally occupied many resources saw their status plummet, and any force without an Ancient Saint in charge was no longer noteworthy.
According to statistics from those paying attention.
Nearly twenty Ancient Saints had already appeared.
If one also counted those who remained low-key and had not appeared, there would only be more, and moreover, Ancient Saints were continuing to revive one after another.
Martial Artists exclaimed in astonishment one after another; a great era had already arrived.
However.
These Martial Saints seemed numerous, but when spread across tens of thousands of years, it wasn’t that many. The vast majority had already perished in the long river of history; the reason they seemed numerous was simply because they were clustering in the present world.
The True Martial Sect had also been continuously paying attention to the movements of the Ancient Saints.
Regarding the invitation letters sent by several Ancient Saints, Luo Wentian considered his stance and had Dragon Mountain Daoist personally write polite refusals to avoid displeasing them.
This day.
White Mountain Old Daoist quietly visited.
In the Seeker’s Courtyard.
Ning Qi opened his eyes and looked somewhat irritably at the sneaky lecherous old Daoist in the distance:
“Since True Monarch has arrived, why not come in?”
The old Daoist’s tea-picking motion immediately froze, then he chuckled, pretending casually to pinch a tea tip and stuff it into his Daoist Robe.
“Heh heh, I knew I couldn’t fool you, young Ning.”
He leaped onto the recliner next to Ning Qi and comfortably lay down, squinting his eyes.
Ning Qi waved his hand, and White Ape respectfully entered the room. Moments later, he brought out a pot of Enlightenment Tea. Before Ning Qi could speak, White Mountain Old Daoist had already taken it first:
“Good tea! Little White Ape has learned the way of hospitality, truly excellent!”
White Ape couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Ning Qi smiled:
“Try my Enlightenment Tea; if you like it, I’ll give you some to take back.”
White Mountain Old Daoist gulped it down, then gave a thumbs up:
“Generous!”
Though exaggerated in praise, there was astonishment in his eyes. This Enlightenment Tea was much stronger than what he had drunk before. He couldn’t help but turn his head to carefully examine this Enlightenment Tea Tree, the astonishment in his eyes even greater.
Ning Qi shook his head with a wry smile. White Mountain Old Daoist had helped him a great deal; he could afford to part with a bit of Enlightenment Tea.
“Didn’t you say you had matters to handle? How do you have time to come idle here at my place?”
White Mountain Old Daoist shook his head and wagged it:
“The matters are naturally done. Though there were some minor troubles, it went fairly smoothly. Hearing that you, young Ning, did something big in the Black Sand Sea, I specially came to take a look.”
“That old fellow Chi Yang isn’t the top-tier, but he’s no weakling either. Yet you beat him so badly that even the Great Sun Compass was snatched away. Impressive, young Ning! Turns out you didn’t go all out back at True Profound Mountain!”
He winked exaggeratedly.
Ning Qi sipped his tea.
Only when the Mysterious Turtle finally revealed its true form did he realize that the “old turtle” White Mountain Old Daoist had mentioned wasn’t a metaphor, but referred to the source of the True Martial Inheritance being an Old Black Tortoise. He was somewhat speechless toward these riddle-makers.
“Just a bit more progress, that’s all,” he said lightly.
White Mountain Old Daoist was immediately choked.
“Hey, you’re arrogant now, young Ning. Don’t beg me later. This old Daoist came to help you. Don’t think a secret treasure like the Great Sun Compass is easy to take; one slip and it’ll break your teeth!” he huffed.
But in the next instant, he froze.
Unbeknownst at what point, a crimson compass had appeared in Ning Qi’s palm, which he toyed with casually. Ning Qi glanced obliquely at him:
“You mean this one?”
White Mountain Old Daoist rubbed his eyes, then jumped up:
“You removed the Great Sun Compass’s imprint?”
Ning Qi didn’t answer, merely pointing casually. A small fire lion immediately leaped out and performed a dance for White Mountain Old Daoist, leaving him dazed. Moments later, he recovered:
“Awesome!”
A single simple word expressed his current mood.
Whether Ning Qi had someone else do it or did it himself, it was extremely difficult. The former indicated his powerful connections; the latter was even more heaven-defying.
But immediately after, White Mountain Old Daoist revealed a schadenfreude smile:
“That old Chi Yang fellow is truly unlucky to encounter a freak like you. Heavy losses; he’s probably vomiting blood at home from anger.”
“However, this means you’ve formed a blood feud with them. This is an enmity that blocks the path.”
By the end, his smile gradually faded, and he seriously reminded.
Ning Qi said indifferently:
“No matter. When the opportunity is right, I’ll kill him.”
The enmity of insulting his master wouldn’t pass so easily. For now, he was just collecting some interest.
White Mountain Old Daoist felt a chill in his heart.
He didn’t try to dissuade, merely saying:
“You must be careful of one person: Purple Moon Martial Saint!”
“Purple Moon Martial Saint?”
“That’s right. This person’s strength is not beneath mine. She is the sworn sister of Chiyang Martial Saint; the two have deep feelings. If she learns that Chiyang Martial Saint was severely injured by you, she will surely come seeking trouble. You need to be mentally prepared.”
Ning Qi nodded slightly.
This was indeed very important intelligence.
But he was not afraid.
“There’s no need to worry excessively now. You must know about the events of recent times. Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint was enraged, and the Ancient Saints are now very obedient. Even if that Purple Moon Martial Saint has returned, she won’t come right now.”
As he spoke, White Mountain Old Daoist laughed.
Ning Qi also laughed.
After the Ancient Saints emerged, they naturally weren’t so obedient. Some even had old grudges. Four Ancient Saints fought fiercely. Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint arrived and ultimately decided to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, suppressing the four Ancient Saints personally and ordering them not to go out.
Only after that did the Ancient Saints settle down.
“But Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint can’t watch every moment either. On the day of Spiritual Energy Revival, he too must enter closed-door cultivation. There might be conflicts then.”
Ning Qi pondered.
White Mountain Old Daoist said:
“I’ll come assist you.”
Ning Qi felt grateful at heart and smiled:
“Good. Then I’ll treat you to the tenderest Enlightenment Tea.”
By next year.
The Enlightenment Tea Tree would surely advance another level.
White Mountain Old Daoist immediately beamed with joy.
“Easy to say, easy to say.”
Then, he continued:
“Your Enlightenment Tea Tree is truly excellent. My Heavenly Crane Tree now might not match yours. On the day of Spiritual Energy Revival, pay more attention to it; there might be creation.”
Ning Qi was stunned.
“Please advise.”
He had originally thought the day of Spiritual Energy Revival was simply Spiritual Energy fusing with Heaven and Earth Power, after which spiritual energy would recover in essence between heaven and earth. But now it seemed not so simple.
White Mountain Old Daoist chuckled:
“This old Daoist came precisely for this today.”
“Since you went to True Martial Hall, you must now know what that is, right?”
“Life Poison,” Ning Qi said.
Previously, he didn’t know about Life Poison, so White Mountain Old Daoist couldn’t speak clearly, or he would suffer backlash. Now, there was no such worry.
White Mountain Old Daoist sighed lightly:
“Exactly, Life Poison. To resolve this Life Poison, who knows how much heart’s blood of prodigies and monsters was exhausted. Ultimately, a plan was determined. I can’t tell you the specifics yet, but what I can tell you is that it’s related to this Spiritual Energy Revival. Spiritual Energy didn’t suddenly fade; it was artificially hidden, calculated to erupt and revive in the present world.”
“Because of the Pact of the Saints?” Ning Qi asked. Previously, at True Profound Mountain, Baoshu Buddha had mentioned it.
“Yes.”
“Then tell me about Spiritual Energy Revival.”
White Mountain Old Daoist organized his thoughts and said:
“This world wasn’t originally like this. In the past, the world was ten times larger than now.”
The first sentence made Ning Qi’s pupils contract.
“Spiritual Energy hidden, Earth Veins withered, heaven and earth greatly changed, spiritual treasures almost extinct.”
“Naturally, when Spiritual Energy revives, the Earth Veins will expand again. The world will grow tenfold, even surpassing the past. Not only that, under the eruption of Spiritual Energy, some things with potential will undergo anomalies and transform into spiritual treasures. For example, my Heavenly Crane Tree, or your Enlightenment Tea Tree—both are highly possible.”
“Furthermore, there will be scenes that change heaven and earth, accompanied by various anomalies. Even I probably can’t fully predict the specifics. There might even be myriad beasts awakening.”
Ning Qi’s mind shook; this was the first time he heard such a detailed description of Spiritual Energy Revival:
“You mean Heavenly Beasts?”
“Exactly. So-called Heavenly Beasts can also be called Spiritual Beasts. They are born able to control spiritual energy. The powerful ones can directly rival Martial Saints, and even the weak ones surpass Heavenly Humans. But such a heaven-favored race nearly went extinct because of Life Poison!”
His voice held some regret.
Ning Qi fully understood the before and after. Why the Silver Giant Ape was like that back then also had an answer.
“Spiritual beasts absorb spiritual energy by instinct. After Life Poison appeared, they were the first to suffer. There were experts among spiritual beasts; they regressed and hid their bloodlines, no longer able to instinctively absorb spiritual energy. Though it cut off their path of ascent, it at least barely preserved some embers.”
As he spoke, White Mountain Old Daoist turned his gaze to White Ape.
Ning Qi’s heart jumped:
“You mean?”
“Exactly. Little White Ape has pure Spiritual Beast bloodline. When Spiritual Energy was hidden, it didn’t matter, but during the Spiritual Energy eruption, it might fully activate the Spiritual Beast bloodline. Without a response then, it could directly perish under Life Poison!”
White Ape was bewildered.
He couldn’t hear the specific content of their conversation, but their gazes made him uneasy.
Seeing Ning Qi’s grave look, White Mountain Old Daoist waved his hand:
“Of course, no need to be overly nervous. At that time, strive to step into the Martial Saint Realm in time to shield him from the influence of Spiritual Energy Revival. I mentioned this precisely because I’m afraid you didn’t know and might neglect it, causing regret.”
Ning Qi exhaled lightly and asked again:
“If shielded from Spiritual Energy, can the innate Spiritual Beast bloodline no longer be activated?”
“Naturally. In a sense, this is both danger and opportunity. If he can endure it himself, the benefits will be many. If shielded, then no danger but also no opportunity. Best to find a method for him to safely awaken the Spiritual Beast bloodline.”
Ning Qi gradually relaxed.
For him, this might not be impossible.
He thought of Zhuang Chen:
“What about the innate Sword Bone among humans?”
White Mountain Old Daoist glanced sideways:
“Naturally the same as Little White Ape. Tsk, your True Martial Sect is truly blessed with talents and land. Who knows, there might really be treasures born!”
Ning Qi ignored White Mountain Old Daoist’s teasing. He thought about how to plan opportunities for Yuan Tiansheng and Zhuang Chen during Spiritual Energy Revival. Shielding Spiritual Energy was simple, but Ning Qi didn’t want them to miss the opportunity in vain.
“Thank you,” Ning Qi said softly.
White Mountain Old Daoist chuckled and waved his hand.
This time coming to True Martial Mountain was precisely to tell Ning Qi about Spiritual Energy Revival, so he could prepare in advance.
Now that the purpose was achieved, he prepared to leave.
“Prepare well next. The day of Spiritual Energy Revival is approaching fast. Those old fellows will probably start closed-door cultivation. The world should sink into calm again for a time. Young Ning, seize the time and don’t run around everywhere!”
After the admonition, White Mountain Old Daoist dashingly departed.
Of course, before leaving, he didn’t forget to pluck a few more handfuls of tea leaves, despite already having the tea box Ning Qi gave him in his pocket.
Ning Qi shook his head with a wry smile, but felt grateful at heart.
“Got to seize the time. Create the method to filter out Life Poison.”
He vaguely felt some urgency.
According to estimates, there were still a few months until Spiritual Energy Revival, but no one could say for sure if it might erupt early.
If it really erupted early, Ning Qi would have to step into the Martial Saint Realm using the Ancient Saints’ method of weakening Life Poison, which was not his wish. After all, Life Poison was somewhat terrifying and dreadful; Ning Qi didn’t want to incorporate such a thing into his body.
Fortunately.
The derivation was proceeding in an orderly manner, even smoother than before.
Thanks to that weakening Life Poison method, the influence on Blade Demon became smaller, allowing higher frequency experiments.
“Now the direction is clear: fuse Three Flowers with Myriad Daos Artistic Conception. Only thus can it be possible to leverage higher-dimensional power to excise Life Poison. Perhaps looking across the world, only I can achieve this.”
Ning Qi sighed lightly.
This was not self-praise.
It required numerous Martial Dao Artistic Conceptions—like Sword Intent, Saber Intent, Fire Artistic Conception, Wind Artistic Conception, and so on—all reaching the transformation realm. For ordinary people, how was that possible.
Even a genius like Blade Demon exhausted his heart’s blood to bring Saber Intent to transformation realm, let alone accommodating other paths. For others, bringing two or three Martial Way Wills to transformation realm would already be a monster that suppresses an era.
Comprehending Myriad Daos Artistic Conception, only Ning Qi could do it.
Next was how to fuse them.
Time passed.
Success was already very, very close.
But it was destined that, for now, this secret technique could only be learned by Ning Qi alone. Unless in the future his realm was higher and his understanding of Life Poison deeper, allowing derivation of a more universal method.
…
And while Ning Qi was diligently deriving the method.
Chiyang Sect.
A purple-clothed figure as cold as an iceberg stepped in. Her appearance was peerless, making people dare not approach. Before the Chiyang Sect Martial Artists could speak, a one-armed figure rushed out, face full of wild joy:
“Younger sister Purple Moon, you’ve finally revived!”
Seeing Chiyang Martial Saint so agitated, the Chiyang Sect congregation hurriedly lowered their heads one after another, waves surging in their hearts.
The frost on Purple Moon Martial Saint’s face softened slightly with some joy, but immediately sank.
She flashed to Chiyang Martial Saint’s side, her gaze on his severed left arm, and asked gravely:
“Big Brother Chi Yang, what happened?”
She had just revived and followed Chiyang Martial Saint’s aura here, yet unexpectedly found her sworn brother so bedraggled, aura somewhat withered, and his left arm severed!
Anger flashed in Purple Moon Martial Saint’s eyes.
Chiyang Martial Saint sighed deeply:
“It’s this big brother’s incompetence.”
His expression was somewhat desolate.
