Chapter 267: Slapped To Death With One Palm
Chu Xiaotian had imagined many scenarios of what might happen after encountering Ning Qi, but he had never imagined it would be this kind of situation.
He was quite confident in his own strength, after all, before entering the Profound True Secret Realm, he had once paid respects to Zhou Tianzi, the Integration Realm magnate who presided over the Northern Profound Upper Sect.
That magnate had said that Nascent Soul Realm cultivators mainly focused on the Primordial Spirit, which was very helpful for stepping into the Void Dao Realm that grasped the Power of Rules.
And their Northern Profound Upper Sect’s Void God Refining True Method was the strongest method for cultivating Primordial Spirit Power in the North and South Regions.
Chu Xiaotian’s Primordial Spirit had already been cultivated to the limit, making him invincible among peers in the North and South Regions.
Chu Xiaotian had been stuck at the Nascent Soul Realm limit for a hundred years, refining his Primordial Spirit to near-substantial form, and he hadn’t even needed to use a Spiritual Treasure for a long time.
But now…
Ten Nascent Soul Slash Blades shattered, causing Chu Xiaotian’s Primordial Spirit to tremble. Although he had sent them out to slash at Ning Qi, it now felt as if his own Primordial Spirit had been slashed ten times!
“How could this be?”
Chu Xiaotian had no time to think further, because Ning Qi, enveloped in five-colored rainbow light, struck with one palm.
At the same time, Chu Xiaotian also saw Ning Qi muttering under his breath: “Two breaths!”
Forcibly operating the Void God Refining True Method, the pain in his Primordial Spirit was suppressed, and Chu Xiaotian finally took out the Spiritual Treasure he hadn’t used in a long time.
It was a one-foot-long God Breaking Needle, floating in front of Chu Xiaotian, covered in colorful hues, faintly giving the impression that it did not exist in reality.
The surrounding onlookers gazed at that God Breaking Needle. Some whose Primordial Spirit Power was not stable enough felt a stinging sensation in their Primordial Spirit Power just from looking at the needle.
Whoosh!
Chu Xiaotian’s Primordial Spirit unleashed once more, merging into the God Breaking Needle. In an instant, it unleashed thousands of needle shadows, stabbing toward the approaching Ning Qi.
Ning Qi reacted even faster. A Heaven and Earth Grindstone instantly formed in front of him, extremely solid and lifelike. As the grindstone rotated, it ground all those thousands of illusory shadows to dispersion!
As the illusory shadows shattered, there was unexpectedly no sign of the main body of Chu Xiaotian’s controlled God Breaking Needle in front of Ning Qi.
Shouts of surprise came from behind. The eight True Disciples of Boundless Sword Sect saw that Chu Xiaotian’s God Breaking Needle had pierced through the void and appeared behind Ning Qi.
The God Breaking Needle shimmered with five-colored brilliance, flashing with terrifying sharpness as it stabbed toward the back of Ning Qi’s head!
However, Ning Qi seemed to have anticipated it long ago.
Snap!
A hair-thin, half-virtual half-real fish line had appeared in the void at some unknown time.
It lightly swept through the void, brushing past the back of Ning Qi’s head, flashing like a whip shadow and precisely knocking the God Breaking Needle flying.
Immediately after, a fishing hook formed at the front of the fish line, and with another whoosh, it shot forth like a divine dragon soaring through clouds, catching up to the God Breaking Needle and hooking it!
The onlookers present saw this divine Primordial Spirit technique, and many opened their mouths wide enough to swallow a whole egg!
Without a doubt, that half-virtual half-real fish line was formed by Ning Qi’s Primordial Spirit augmented with mana.
Everyone had some idea of Chu Xiaotian’s Primordial Spirit Power from the Nascent Soul Slash Blades he had previously showcased.
Besides Ning Qi, none of the onlookers present were a match for him.
Even using low-grade or mid-grade Spiritual Treasures, or even an incomplete mid-grade Spiritual Treasure, they could not resist.
Because Primordial Spirit Power was indeterminate between virtual and real—real when solid, virtual when ethereal—making it impossible to fully defend against.
Earlier, when Ning Qi had shattered Chu Xiaotian’s Nascent Soul Slash Blade with a beam of five-colored rainbow light, everyone felt that perhaps Ning Qi’s Primordial Spirit Power surpassed Chu Xiaotian’s.
But his Primordial Spirit technique seemed specialized in defense rather than attack.
Chu Xiaotian had infused his Primordial Spirit into the incomplete mid-grade Spiritual Treasure God Breaking Needle, making his Primordial Spirit attack power already extraordinarily powerful, and now with the God Breaking Needle’s protection outside.
Unless Ning Qi could shatter the God Breaking Needle just like he had the Nascent Soul Slash Blade, it would be impossible for him to injure Chu Xiaotian’s Primordial Spirit like before.
But now, Ning Qi’s divine technique completely changed everyone’s thoughts.
Ning Qi’s skill in Primordial Spirit techniques was not only astonishingly defensive, but also ingeniously agile to a masterful degree.
Chu Xiaotian’s Primordial Spirit Power combined with the God Breaking Needle was sharp and extraordinarily powerful.
The onlookers present asked themselves—if Chu Xiaotian used this move, he could probably kill all of them.
However, Ning Qi’s Primordial Spirit Power was even more terrifying; he had seen through all the movements of Chu Xiaotian’s Primordial Spirit Power.
Chu Xiaotian, who excelled in Primordial Spirit attacks, should have been unstoppable, but Ning Qi’s manifested Primordial Spirit fish line was faster and more precise than Chu Xiaotian’s!
Whether knocking the God Breaking Needle flying or subsequently catching up to hook it, it showcased Ning Qi’s profound attainment in the Primordial Spirit Dao.
Chu Xiaotian’s Primordial Spirit in front of Ning Qi was like wielding a saber in front of Guan Yu—he had a sharp weapon, but the opponent’s level was unimaginably higher.
No matter how sharp your weapon, it would still be firmly gripped by the opponent!
In the void, the Primordial Spirit fish line hooked the God Breaking Needle, truly like fishing, letting the God Breaking Needle struggle left and right, yet unable to break the fish line or escape its control.
Suddenly, the fish line tensed sharply, borrowing the turning force from the God Breaking Needle’s struggle. Instantly, the God Breaking Needle was yanked out like a fish pulled from the water.
Whoosh!
The crowd only saw the God Breaking Needle turn into a streak of light shooting toward Chu Xiaotian, swift as lightning.
Chu Xiaotian had no time to react before the God Breaking Needle pierced through his head in an instant.
The powerful aura on Chu Xiaotian’s body vanished instantly. The God Breaking Needle flying out from the back of his head suddenly seemed to lose all power and was pulled back by the fish line.
His body smashed toward the ground, and the spiritual energy in his body rapidly dissipated.
On the face of the falling corpse, his eyes were wide open, as if gathering the last of his Primordial Spirit Power.
Suddenly, heaven and earth changed color. The Power of Rules in this area seemed to be triggered, converging toward Chu Xiaotian.
Countless strands of Power of Rules draped down from above, chaotic and motley.
Each thread was like a comet crashing down, making everyone below feel an aura of world-ending destruction.
“Not good, Chu Xiaotian’s remaining Primordial Spirit Power is triggering the rules. He wants to borrow the last of his power to break through to the Void Dao Realm here!”
“What? The reason the Profound True Secret Realm only allows us Nascent Soul Realm True Disciples to enter is because great powers above Void Dao Realm entering would trigger the chaotic Power of Rules here.
He’s now triggering the Power of Rules to break through—isn’t that plotting to kill all of us?”
“Let’s hurry into the Golden Heavenly Tomb. This Golden Heavenly Tomb is the core of the Profound True Secret Realm; perhaps we can escape this calamity!”
Instantly, the onlookers rushed toward the entrance of the Golden Heavenly Tomb.
But to their surprise, everyone was bounced back. The Golden Heavenly Tomb was also covered in Power of Rules, which was now triggered and surged toward Chu Xiaotian.
“It’s over, we’re done for!”
In an instant, everyone’s expressions changed. They couldn’t enter the Golden Heavenly Tomb and were within the Profound True Secret Realm, where the Power of Rules was now rioting—nowhere to escape, only death awaited!
Chu Xiaotian’s falling body suddenly halted, and his entire aura surged upward. One foot had already stepped into the Void Dao Realm.
“I’m not dead, I’ve come back to life!”
Chu Xiaotian laughed maniacally. A large hole remained on his forehead, looking extremely eerie.
His expression now showed a hint of madness as he stared at Ning Qi, his head somewhat askew.
“Ning Qi, I will surely destroy you!”
“Noise!”
Ning Qi’s calm voice swept through like a spring breeze cutting winter chill, drawing the attention of all in panic.
He struck out with another palm. Between heaven and earth, a five-colored divine palm pressed down toward Chu Xiaotian like a mountain.
Facing this heaven-shaking giant palm, Chu Xiaotian laughed loudly:
“I’ve already half-entered the Void Dao Realm, and you’re still using this move against me—you’re seeking death!”
Gale winds swirled around him as he charged toward the massive five-colored divine palm.
However, the five-colored divine palm showed no sign of stopping, pressing Chu Xiaotian down below and smashing him hard into the ground!
Rumble!
The wind and clouds changed color. The Power of Rules draping down from the sky suddenly halted, restoring balance once more and returning to the firmament.
“Huh, the riot of the Power of Rules has stopped?”
“We’re saved!”
Many looked toward Ning Qi and found him staring at the massive pit created by the five-colored divine palm.
From within the pit, a residual sound emerged, uttering the final words of life’s sinking:
“I… unwilling, endured a hundred years… yet to enter Void Dao, never to enter… this gate…”
Then, the residual sound dissipated.
Ning Qi hovered in the air and said indifferently: “Five breaths!”
The crowd, having survived the calamity, felt their moods brighten like flowers after the willows. At this moment, Ning Qi in their eyes was radiant with divine light, shining like the sun!
This battle of Heavenly Prides today was destined to be etched in their minds forever, unforgettable for life.
Recalling Chu Xiaotian’s challenge some time ago, and how Ning Qi and the others from Boundless Sword Sect had not appeared for a long time.
Everyone thought Boundless Sword Sect feared battling Chu Xiaotian.
But now that the battle had ended, they realized it wasn’t that Ning Qi feared battle—he simply didn’t care to bother.
Chu Xiaotian was also quite unfortunate. With his Primordial Spirit Power cultivated to the extreme, he arrived first at the Golden Heavenly Tomb but didn’t enter, insisting on fighting Ning Qi outside the tomb.
In the end, he even triggered the Power of Rules, attempting to break through to the Void Dao Realm, nearly causing everyone to perish together.
Even more tragic was that Ning Qi had said he would defeat him in ten breaths, yet Chu Xiaotian only lasted five breaths, and two of those were blank periods.
It wasn’t that Chu Xiaotian wasn’t strong, but Ning Qi was excessively prodigious. The crowd now knew that describing Ning Qi with the term Immortal Seed was well-deserved.
Their gazes swept over the other True Disciples of Boundless Sword Sect, whose auras were also extraordinarily powerful.
Everyone in their hearts understood that Boundless Sword Sect’s future was brilliantly bright; it was about to rise.
However, before that, they had to get through the final difficulty—the retaliation from Northern Profound Upper Sect.
With the battle now over, some cheered for Ning Qi, while more shifted their attention to the Golden Heavenly Tomb.
Someone walked back toward the entrance of the Golden Heavenly Tomb, and his figure instantly vanished.
“The entrance to the Golden Heavenly Tomb has opened again.”
“Fortunately, we still have a chance. We almost thought we really couldn’t get in!”
“Ning Heavenly Pride, we’ll go in first.”
The eight from Boundless Sword Sect came before Ning Qi.
Jiang Qingxue said: “Congratulations, Senior Brother Ning, for slaying a great enemy for our Boundless Sword Sect!”
Wang Ye glanced at the few remaining onlookers on site and said in a low voice: “Senior Brother Ning, should we silence these people?”
Ning Qi shook his head.
“Forget it, there are too many, and some have already entered the Golden Heavenly Tomb. The news can’t be contained.”
What he was thinking was that once this trip to the Profound True Secret Realm ended, his main body would immediately step into the Rule Realm.
At that time, his main body’s peak combat power would be invincible in the Integration Realm. Even if Northern Profound Upper Sect’s magnates came out, he would have no fear.
Moreover, even if Northern Profound Upper Sect didn’t come looking for trouble, Ning Qi would seek them out to settle accounts.
On the way to the Profound True Secret Realm, they had actually sent six late Void Dao Realm great powers to intercept and kill him—this grudge must be repaid!
Ning Qi searched out Chu Xiaotian’s relics.
He toyed with the God Breaking Needle in his hand, half-virtual half-real. This exotic treasure specialized in attacking the Primordial Spirit and was quite useful.
With his abilities to wield it, it would absolutely be stronger than Chu Xiaotian’s.
Additionally, he obtained the Void God Refining True Method that Chu Xiaotian had used, a true method specialized in cultivating the Primordial Spirit, which was not bad.
Besides that, on Chu Xiaotian’s body were twenty Void Dao Purple Gold Pills, nine Rule Jades, three low-grade Spiritual Treasures, several magic treasures, a few other cultivation methods, and heavenly materials and earthly treasures, spirit stones, and so on.
This was probably all the gains collected by talents from their Northern Profound Upper Sect during this period, now held by Chu Xiaotian and cheaply benefiting Ning Qi.
Ning Qi felt extremely pleased. This kind of treasure-hoarding lad had voluntarily let him harvest, simply the fastest way to earn wealth in the Profound True Secret Realm.
Much easier than searching tomb after tomb and facing the dangers within.
Ning Qi wouldn’t mind if there were more such people.
He looked toward the Golden Heavenly Tomb, gazing at the two collapsed mountains on the ground ahead.
From afar before, he had seen the divine mountain split in the middle and topple to both sides. Now up close, he realized this Golden Heavenly Tomb was different from the Bronze Tomb and Silver Great Tomb he had encountered before.
Before him was only an illusory shadow formed by golden light, like a mirage.
The golden light formed a golden cavern entrance for people to enter, and who knew what the situation inside was like.
“Let’s go, we’ll enter too.”
Ning Qi led the way, followed by the eight, stepping one by one into the entrance of the Golden Heavenly Tomb.
The crowd’s vision went black, and once again they felt the sensation of plummeting into an abyss like when entering the Profound True Secret Realm.
When light reappeared, they had entered a new territory.
Fortunately, this time the crowd was not scattered.
The crowd gazed at the space before them, where spiritual energy was dense like mist, drifting on the ground. In the distance, a great river of spiritual energy flowed.
Numerous spiritual medicines and immortal flowers grew in clusters on the ground, spirit stones piled like mountains, and heavenly materials and earthly treasures shimmered with brilliant light in the mountains.
“Could this be the Immortal Realm?” Jiang Qingxue couldn’t help exclaiming.
The True Disciples of Boundless Sword Sect had indeed never seen such a scene, not even in the Immortal Realms of their dreams, which were not this luxurious.
At a glance, nearly a hundred people were collecting spiritual items in various places on the ground.
But it was not all smooth sailing; this place was not entirely peaceful. Many powerful exotic beasts blocked the ground, and battles had erupted between them, with casualties on both sides.
Ning Qi’s gaze went straight to the sky.
A hazy heavenly palace hovered in the Nine Heavens, gleaming brilliantly, with numerous streaks of light flying toward it.
Before the heavenly palace, spirit stone steps stretched a thousand zhang wide, extending all the way down to the ground.
The true core of this territory was obviously that massive heavenly palace!
Some True Disciples who entered first had died on the spiritual steps—some pierced by massive divine spears, some beheaded by blades and swords, some torn apart by unknown things. Fresh red blood flowed down the spiritual steps, a shocking sight.
With heavy treasures at hand, this Golden Heavenly Tomb was seen by all as the greatest opportunity of their lives.
At this moment, the cruelty of life and death within was also revealed.
“Senior Brother Ning, let’s go up!” Jiang Qingxue said.
Ning Qi looked back at the eight from Boundless Sword Sect; each face was filled with longing. None lingered on the gains below the heavenly palace; all wanted to explore the palace to make the trip worthwhile.
“Alright, follow me!”
Ning Qi led the way, the eight close behind.
The time since they had seen the Golden Heavenly Tomb emerge was only half a day. Thanks to Ning Qi displaying extreme speed and carrying them along, they arrived in such a short time.
Otherwise, from their original position, it would have taken a full day.
If they arrived a day later, who knows how many heavy treasures would have been taken.
Though they weren’t the first to enter, arriving a bit late had its benefits.
As they stepped onto the spiritual steps now, they did not encounter the fates of those dead fellows on the steps; presumably, those who entered first had cleared the original obstacles.
Ning Qi and the others ascended the spiritual steps, feeling an additional layer of pressure with each level climbed.
The spiritual steps totaled 999 steps; likely not many could make it to the top.
Soon, the nine finally reached the summit and arrived before the heavenly palace.
The top five True Disciples of Boundless Sword Sect showed no change in expression, while the latter four had sweat streaming down their faces, but fortunately all had made it here.
The heavenly palace was built overall on a foundation of white spiritual jade, indistinct from below, but up close, it was clear it contained countless palace halls.
Before the heavenly gate, there had originally been two guardian stone sculptures, one left and one right, now broken and lying on the ground.
Ning Qi and the eight passed through the heavenly gate.
Behind the heavenly gate, a dense cluster of palace halls unfolded, of various styles, some ornate and some simple.
From many palace pavilions came the sounds of spiritual weapons clashing.
Looking toward the end, there was also a vast Golden Treasure Hall perched on the cloud top.
The group tried flying, but above the palace pavilions were formations and boundless Power of Rules suppressing them.
Even Ning Qi could fly at most ten meters before being pressed down.
Seeing this, the nine immediately realized that even those ahead of them, who arrived half a day earlier, would have to pass through the palace cluster ahead to reach there.
The true heavy treasures had likely yet to be claimed by anyone.
Ning Qi and the others felt relieved and quickly passed through the forward palace pavilions, advancing toward the limit area they could reach.
Along the way, they saw many people sweeping through the roadside palace pavilions.
Their cultivation only allowed them to linger here; going further ahead, their cultivation was insufficient to even break the restrictions.
And the true experts naturally wouldn’t waste time on the outermost palace pavilions, thus maintaining a balance for obtaining treasures.
Ning Qi led the eight, advancing unimpeded. In just over an hour, they traversed all the palace pavilions in the front and central parts of the heavenly palace, arriving at the rear palace cluster.
Suddenly, a fluctuation came from ahead.
Sounds of ox roars and tiger howls rang out successively, somewhat familiar.
Ning Qi and the others passed through corridors and halls, stopping before a great hall with its doors wide open.
Above the hall plaque were the three large characters “Hundred Demon Palace.”
The appearance of Ning Qi and the others naturally drew the attention of those inside. A burly white tiger stood upright, looking toward them with threat evident in its tiger eyes.
“This treasure hall is claimed by our Ox Demon Upper Sect—intruders halt!”
Its gaze fell on Ning Qi, flashing with a hint of surprise, then it immediately turned and ran into the hall.
Soon after, an even burlier black ox walked out—it was Niu Man, the first True Disciple of Ox Demon Upper Sect.
Upon seeing Ning Qi, Niu Man’s ox face showed joy, and he hurried toward them.
“So it’s Brother Ning who has arrived. Brother Ning, can you help old Niu out?”
Ning Qi turned his head to look ahead along the main path, where many palace halls stood in the distance, some with True Disciples breaking formations.
Seeing Ning Qi seemingly drawn to deeper palace halls, Niu Man wasn’t stupid and knew Ning Qi feared wasting his own time.
Niu Man hurriedly said:
“Brother Ning, help me this time, and I’m willing to offer an incomplete mid-grade Spiritual Treasure and three Rule Jades as reward. Once we break this damned place.”
Seeing Ning Qi seemingly swayed, he quickly added:
“If there’s a palace hall ahead that Brother Ning values, I’ll help you break it too, without taking a single share.”
Seeing Niu Man so forthright, it seemed the items in this Hundred Demon Palace were extremely important to their Ox Demon Upper Sect.
Ning Qi slightly sensed the fluctuations inside; the barrier was crude, merely mid Void Dao level.
“Alright!”
Niu Man was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately invited Ning Qi and the eight inside.
After entering the Hundred Demon Palace, the sub-halls on both sides had all been breached, leaving only the central main hall at the rear with an unbreakable barrier.
Ox Demon Upper Sect, including Niu Man, actually had six demons here.
Besides the White Tiger seen earlier, there were ox, sheep, lion, leopard, and snake—indeed worthy of being a top-tier upper sect in the Southern True Domain.
The other five demons saw Ning Qi and the others and were shocked to discover that all nine from Boundless Sword Sect had arrived.
These great Nascent Soul demons, each with extremely powerful bodies, rightfully made it here.
Boundless Sword Sect was merely an ordinary upper sect in the Northern Xuan Region, yet after so many days in the Profound True Secret Realm, they had no losses and even all reached the rear of the heavenly palace—how could they not be surprised?
Niu Man took the initiative to introduce this Hundred Demon Palace to Ning Qi and the others.
“Brother Ning, fellow Sword Sect members, there are several Integration Realm great demon Spiritual Bloods inside the main hall of this Hundred Demon Palace, extremely important to our Ox Demon Upper Sect.”
“As long as you help us break the restriction here, our Ox Demon Upper Sect will be deeply grateful. If you encounter trouble in the future, just call out, and we few demons will surely come to assist.”
Ning Qi nodded slightly.
As for Jiang Qingxue and the eight, they naturally deferred to Ning Qi, awaiting his decision.
Ning Qi looked inside the hall, where various demonic beast Spiritual Bloods had transformed into small versions of their living forms, treating the great hall as heaven and earth—some cultivating, some running, some playing, some fighting within. Truly bizarre.
Meanwhile, the Ox Demon Upper Sect demons beside them stared at those Spiritual Bloods inside, nearly drooling.
Helplessly, an invisible restriction covered the entire main hall, allowing them only to gaze from afar, hearts itching unbearably.
“Alright, let’s all strike together first and test it!”
Thus, the six demons and nine people stood in a row and struck together—some with brute force, some with spells—hitting the invisible restriction.
The great hall’s doors were wide, and the invisible restriction dented under the strikes, forming various shapes.
The combined strike didn’t work; instead, an immensely powerful counter-shock force rebounded from the restriction.
Many were bounced back by the counter-shock, crashing into the rear palace walls.
In place, Ox Demon Upper Sect had only Niu Man and the White Tiger left, while Boundless Sword Sect had Ning Qi, Qin Minghao, Wang Ye, and Jiang Qingxue remaining.
Seeing this, the Ox Demon Upper Sect demons were even more shocked.
Good grief, in this comparison, Boundless Sword Sect seemed like the top-tier upper sect!
What surprised them more was that Ning Qi’s attack wasn’t repelled, as a five-colored giant hand pressed on the front restriction, still delving deeper without time to rebound.
Niu Man had seen Ning Qi’s extraordinary nature back when they befriended each other in Ningyu City, but he hadn’t expected Ning Qi to be so terrifyingly powerful.
On one hand, he was thrilled with his choice, fortunate to have built the relationship early to gain Ning Qi’s help.
On the other, he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of disappointment—turns out he, Niu Man, wasn’t the strongest!
Seeing Ning Qi’s five-colored giant hand stretching the restriction to an exaggerated degree, but Ning Qi slowly withdrew it, allowing the restriction to restore to original.
Niu Man thought Ning Qi was pulling back strength and said:
“With Brother Ning here, breaking the Hundred Demon Palace main hall restriction is hopeful. Brother Ning, rest a bit; next time we strike again, coordinating well, we’ll surely succeed!”
The Ox Demon Upper Sect demons all showed smiles on their faces—finally, hope was in sight.
Ning Qi suddenly looked toward Niu Man.
Niu Man felt creeped out by the stare and hurriedly asked: “Why is Brother Ning looking at me like that?”
Ning Qi said: “Brother Niu, have you been using brute force to break the formation all along?”
Upon hearing this, not only Niu Man, but all the Ox Demon Upper Sect demons blushed with embarrassment.
Their demon race mostly relied on strong physiques, naturally inferior to humans in formation breaking.
Before Ning Qi arrived, Niu Man had sought help from Wu Dao, who had unparalleled formation talent, but Wu Dao had demanded fifty percent!
After some haggling, Wu Dao dropped to thirty percent, but Niu Man still couldn’t accept, so they had been brute-forcing the restriction.
Now that Ning Qi asked, Niu Man disclosed the matter, quietly hoping—did Ning Qi also know formations?
Ning Qi smiled faintly and said:
“You all step back; let me try alone first.”
Niu Man and the White Tiger scratched their heads and retreated. Even some from Boundless Sword Sect showed surprise.
Their Senior Brother Ning, whose cultivation progressed incredibly fast, also had talent in formations?
Niu Man stood at the rear, gazing at Ning Qi’s back, muttering inwardly.
Wu Dao had once said that breaking this Hundred Demon Palace main hall great formation would take him half a quarter-hour; how long would Brother Ning take?
With their assistance from the side, if Ning Qi could break it within half an hour, it would mean he also had considerable talent in the Formation Way.
Ning Qi paced back and forth once before the main hall doors and suddenly stopped.
Everyone’s attention was drawn, knowing Ning Qi was about to act.
Around Ning Qi, twelve low-grade spiritual weapons suddenly appeared out of thin air, each brimming with powerful mana.
The twelve low-grade spiritual weapons positioned themselves in various spots in the void, their auras seemingly connected invisibly, giving the crowd a sense of perfect unity.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The twelve spiritual weapons suddenly flew out together, revealing sharpness, activating attributes, stabbing toward twelve different positions on the great hall.
Some sharp-eyed ones discerned Ning Qi’s formation-breaking method.
The twelve spiritual weapons each had different attributes, and the positions and forces they stabbed toward were not identical.
Under this combined assault, a sound like a mirror shattering rang out inside the main hall.
Crack crack!
The crowd saw the entire restriction covering the main hall shatter with a boom and vanish without trace.
“???”
The Boundless Sword Sect group had their lips slightly agape; even though they were long familiar with Ning Qi’s various terrors, they couldn’t help being surprised again.
The Ox Demon Upper Sect demons nearly dropped their jaws to the ground.
They had discussed with Wu Dao and knew it would take him half a quarter-hour to undo the restriction, yet how long had Ning Qi taken?
No more than a few breaths front to back!
Niu Man’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard with difficulty. Closing his mouth, his strong sharp ox teeth nearly bit his own tongue.
“Are we dreaming?” The White Tiger shook its massive tiger head, feeling everything unreal.
Wu Dao said it would take half a quarter-hour, hailed as unparalleled in formations across the North and South Regions—what should the Ning Qi before them be called?
With Ning Qi here, did Wu Dao even qualify as unparalleled in formations?
For a moment, the demons wondered if Wu Dao was all talk or Ning Qi was too heaven-defying.
They stared blankly ahead. Now that the main hall restriction was broken, the Spiritual Bloods inside seemed to perceive it, rising with bursts of light like living beings with wisdom, desperately rushing outward.
“Not good, the Spiritual Bloods are escaping!”
Niu Man exclaimed and was about to step forward to capture them.
But his words had just fallen, and his ox hoof had only taken one step.
Ning Qi’s twelve low-grade spiritual weapons instantly formed a new formation curtain, replacing the main hall formation and enveloping all the Spiritual Bloods.
The small creatures formed by the Spiritual Bloods collided one by one with the twelve-weapon formation, puff puff, bouncing back.
Falling to the ground, each puzzled—what happened?
Hadn’t the formation been released? How was there another?
The twelve spiritual weapons slowly closed in, wrapping all the Spiritual Bloods and moving them before Niu Man.
“Brother Niu, aren’t you going to collect them?”
Ning Qi saw Niu Man standing dumbfounded and reminded him.
Niu Man hurriedly took out the sect-issued storage item and collected all the Spiritual Bloods one by one.
After collecting them, Niu Man deeply clasped his fists toward Ning Qi.
“Brother Ning, many thanks!”
“Didn’t we agree on this earlier? Why thank me?”
Niu Man said: “Brother Ning may not know, Wu Dao demanding fifty percent was because he calculated that once the formation opened, some Spiritual Bloods would escape.”
“We don’t know formations and can only brute-force it, destined to not collect all the Spiritual Bloods.”
“Now Brother Ning helped us get them all, and it was your sole effort—we can’t thank you enough.”
With that, he and the other demons all bowed deeply to Ning Qi.
The Boundless Sword Sect True Disciples saw this and couldn’t help feeling immensely proud.
In the North and South Regions, which True Disciple could receive such gratitude from the True Disciples of a top-tier upper sect?
And the Ox Demon Upper Sect demons did this willingly.
Because with all the Spiritual Bloods harvested, upon returning to the sect, they would absolutely receive great rewards.
In their Ox Demon Upper Sect’s history of entering the Profound True Secret Realm, there had never been such a rich haul!
Ning Qi led the crowd out of the Hundred Demon Palace.
Niu Man followed at the side and hurriedly said:
“Brother Ning, you’ve given us such a great gift; afterward, we’re willing to go with you to jointly explore this Golden Heavenly Tomb.”
Ning Qi said indifferently:
“It was just convenient; no need to follow me. Go find palace halls that interest you and seek your own gains.”
“Hey, how can that be? Old Niu can’t owe favors; the sect often teaches us that when receiving kindness, repay with a gushing spring.”
Hearing Niu Man spouting literary phrases from behind, the crowd nearly burst out laughing.
Did you want to repay with a gushing spring, or ride the easy boat?
Jiang Qingxue lightly covered her red lips, exchanging a glance with Xie Chaolu; both women’s eyes held smiles.
Wang Ye and the others’ faces flushed red with suppressed laughter; they hadn’t expected this fellow to have such thick skin.
Seeing everyone’s expressions, Niu Man didn’t mind his bold straightforwardness and said again:
“Brother Ning, with us following you, if anyone troubles you, we’re willing to fight.”
“For example, that Chu Xiaotian—he always wanted to force a battle with you. Their Northern Profound Upper Sect probably wants to heavily injure you in the Profound True Secret Realm, preventing your sect from threatening them. Rest assured, with old Niu here, I’ll definitely help you deal with them to the end!”
Wang Ye finally couldn’t hold back and spoke:
“Brother Niu, really no need, because Chu Xiaotian already fought Senior Brother Ning at the Golden Heavenly Tomb entrance.”
“What?” Niu Man and the others were shocked.
“What was the result?”
Wang Ye touched his nose. “Chu Xiaotian was already slapped to death by Senior Brother Ning.”
“Ah?”
Niu Man and the others halted simultaneously, seemingly unable to believe it.
Chu Xiaotian had stayed at Nascent Soul Realm limit for a hundred years, excelling in Primordial Spirit Power attacks. Their demon race was weak in the Primordial Spirit Dao; even Niu Man might lose if facing him.
Yet now Wang Ye said Chu Xiaotian had died at Ning Qi’s hands!
It was truly hard for them to believe.
But such a matter couldn’t be fabricated, so Niu Man and the others had no choice but to believe.
The demons’ steps resumed, Niu Man’s mind turning as he vaguely made a decision.
He walked beside Ning Qi again and said:
“Brother Ning, I didn’t expect that Chu Xiaotian had already fallen to your hand. Old Niu is utterly impressed.”
He paused, then continued:
“That being the case, we few should stick even closer to you. Your Boundless Sword Sect is already suppressed by Northern Profound Upper Sect. Old Niu I luckily hail from Ox Demon Upper Sect; my few brothers here have sway in the sect. You’ve helped us obtain so many benefits this time; when we return and report, we’ll surely stand with your Boundless Sword Sect.”
Ning Qi glanced at Niu Man.
“Do you really have that much influence to convince Ox Demon Upper Sect to help Boundless Sword Sect against Northern Profound Upper Sect? You do know it’s across domains.”
Niu Man gazed at Ning Qi with utmost sincerity.
His ox eyes like copper bells, he noticed something strange.
When Ning Qi said this, there was no trace of worry.
As if slaying Northern Profound Upper Sect’s first True Disciple Chu Xiaotian hadn’t stirred any waves in his heart.
Niu Man couldn’t fathom where Ning Qi’s confidence came from. Chu Xiaotian was inferior in skill and killed, fine—but the Northern Profound Upper Sect behind him had Integration Realm magnates presiding.
While Ning Qi’s Boundless Sword Sect’s highest was merely Void Dao Realm limit—did Ning Qi not fear Northern Profound Upper Sect?
Niu Man couldn’t figure it out and stopped thinking.
He waved his ox palm: “What problem is that? We few demons can even swear on the Demon God to, upon returning to the sect, surely convince our Ox Demon Upper Sect.”
The Demon God was the demon race’s strongest existence. If their demon race swore on the Demon God and failed to uphold it, they would suffer backlash.
With that, Niu Man and the other demons immediately swore the oath.
Instantly, Ning Qi sensed a vast power from the void traversing the Golden Heavenly Tomb, descending to envelop the few demons.
It seemed their words were true.
“Alright, since Brother Niu is so straightforward, we’ll continue together.”
Though he already had plans to counter Northern Profound Upper Sect, if Ox Demon Upper Sect’s great demons were willing to help Boundless Sword Sect, he was happy to accept.
Of course, though Niu Man and the demons had sworn the Demon God oath, Ning Qi didn’t fully believe.
Whether they could convince the entire Ox Demon Upper Sect, especially their sect’s Integration Realm existence, remained unknown.
Ning Qi would not pin his future on others’ hands.
