Chapter 387: A Year’s Promise
The moment Jiuchi fully revealed his aura, Su Jingzhen’s heart jolted again.
Because the aura Jiuchi displayed was not that of the Nascent Soul stage, it was clearly the aura of a Soul Formation stage cultivator!
Su Jingzhen had seen the aura of Soul Formation stage cultivators like Feng Xuan and the ancestors of Spirit Sound Valley when he was in Yunmeng City.
Su Jingzhen was certain that Jiuchi had reached that level.
He couldn’t even be sure if Jiuchi had unleashed his full power at this moment.
The water spiritual roots cultivators who had just been awakened, initially dazed and filled with anger, fell silent instantly upon sensing Jiuchi’s aura.
Fear replaced their anger.
“That’s…that’s Jiuchi!”
“Didn’t they say Jiuchi had already left Qingzhou? How could he be here?”
“So Jiuchi wasn’t actually at the Nascent Soul stage all along. No wonder he dared to directly raid the Holy City Bai family and steal their water spirit pearls.”“Forget it, forget it. It’s just some concentrated water elemental energy.
Other places might be weaker, but they’re not without it.
Let’s just give up this time.”
“….”
None of the over a hundred water spiritual roots cultivators dared to show any resentment at this moment.
They looked at Jiuchi with fear in their eyes, then silently retreated.
If anyone dared to defy Jiuchi or say a word against him now,
No one doubted that Jiuchi would dare to kill them publicly.
Sects like Evil Moon Sect, Spirit Sound Valley, and Flowing Wind Sword Sect could still be held accountable for their disciples’ actions.
But Jiuchi was a lone cultivator. Killing him would be like killing a nobody, with no one to seek revenge from.
The cultivators who were approaching on flying instruments from afar also hesitated to get closer.
Seeing that his single voice could have this effect, Jiuchi was quite satisfied.
“Go ahead, girl. Don’t leave them a single drop.”
Jiuchi said to Ning Yao.
Ning Yao glanced at the cultivators who had been driven back a hundred meters, and a smile played on her lips.
Without hesitation, she went to the spot where Yan Xia had been standing.
Her expression instantly turned serious.
Su Jingzhen felt a strange energy emanating from Ning Yao, which blended perfectly with the water elements in the forest.
She sat down cross-legged.
Immediately, Su Jingzhen and the other water spiritual roots cultivators who had retreated a hundred meters saw the concentrated water elemental energy floating in the void slowly gathering towards Ning Yao.
It quickly condensed into an inverted tornado above her head.
“This…this is the water element field left behind by the Water Spirit Saint Body. Although it is easy for us water spirit root cultivators to absorb it, this is too exaggerated, isn’t it?”
“Looking at her expression, she doesn’t want to leave any for us at all.
Isn’t she afraid of exploding from absorbing all this water element? This little girl…”
“….”
The crowd was shocked and confused.
Initially, they had thought that after Jiuchi and Ning Yao left, they could continue to cultivate here.
But seeing their expression, when Jiuchi and Ning Yao left, this place would also become as ordinary as before.
Their hearts grew increasingly resentful.
Over a hundred people stood closer together, obviously discussing something in hushed tones.
Jiuchi, who was now standing in mid-air, glanced at them indifferently.
A sneer played on his lips, but he didn’t pay them much attention.
He had been roaming the Qingzhou lands for so many years, what kind of scene hadn’t he seen?
These strongest water spiritual roots cultivators who were currently practicing here were nothing more than a few Golden Core cultivators.
In his eyes, cultivators of this level didn’t even deserve to be considered.
“Senior Jiuchi, after this, are you going to take Ning Yao away from Qingzhou?”
As Ning Yao sat down cross-legged to stabilize her absorption of the water elements in the void, Su Jingzhen stood on the crown of a giant tree, looking at Jiuchi.
Jiuchi nodded. “Qingzhou is ultimately too small, it doesn’t suit Ning Yao.
The water spirit pearl from the Bai family barely allowed the little girl’s Foundation Establishment root to reach perfection.
But to cultivate a perfect Golden Core, she still needs to go outside.
I can’t waste her talent like this.”
When he said this, Jiuchi’s voice was filled with excitement.
His gaze instinctively turned back to Ning Yao, who was sitting cross-legged in the forest.
Su Jingzhen nodded. “Qingzhou belongs to the Luo River region of the cultivation world. No matter where Senior takes Ning Yao, you will have to pass through the Luo River.
A year later, would Senior be willing to let Ning Yao stay in the region where the Yan Clan of Luo River is located?”
Su Jingzhen looked at Jiuchi with sincerity.
Hearing this, Jiuchi turned back to look at him with a hint of surprise in his expression.
“As far as I know, your Dantian is shattered, and you follow the orthodox path of body cultivation.
Although you seem to be a genius in body cultivation, I have to regretfully tell you that this is not the era of body cultivation.
Even if you are a genius, it will be impossible for you to leave Qingzhou in your lifetime.
How could there be a rendezvous at Luo River?”
When he said this, Jiuchi didn’t carry any mockery.
His tone was calm, as if he was simply stating a trivial reality.
There was even a hint of pity in his voice.
He had investigated Su Jingzhen’s body the day Ning Yao awakened her spiritual roots, and he didn’t have any interest in taking action again.
Besides, he had once invited Su Jingzhen to become his disciple, but Su Jingzhen had refused.
Their fate was already fulfilled.
Hearing his words, Su Jingzhen’s face remained calm, and he bowed to Jiuchi again.
“Considering the connection Ning Yao and the junior have, I hope Senior will bring her to the Yan Clan’s territory in Luo River a year later.
By then, Senior might change his mind.”
Su Jingzhen smiled as he said this.
In his eyes, a year was already too long. By then, he might be able to directly crush Jiuchi before him.
When they met again, his expressions would probably be quite interesting.
Seeing Su Jingzhen still looking sincere, Jiuchi nodded.
“This old man agrees.
Luo River is also a must-pass place for us this time. What if I wait for you there?
But I am advising you to be down-to-earth sometimes and not look too far ahead, otherwise it will only add to your inner pain.”
Having said that, Jiuchi’s gaze turned to Ning Yao again.
He looked extremely disheveled, and most of the time he doesn’t care about many things and is extremely carefree.
But he was ultimately at least a Soul Formation stage cultivator. For someone unrelated to him, being able to offer a kind suggestion was already his utmost benevolence.
As for Su Jingzhen’s persistence, he didn’t care.
Su Jingzhen smiled and stopped talking.
His gaze was also fixed on Ning Yao, who was sitting cross-legged there.
As time passed, Su Jingzhen clearly felt the water element aura permeating this dense forest becoming increasingly thin.
But the strange aura around Ning Yao became more and more intense.
The next moment, Su Jingzhen sensed a fluctuation in Ning Yao’s aura.
While absorbing these water elements, she actually broke through a small realm in a smooth manner.
But the spiritual tornado above her head did not dissipate.
Instead, it became bigger and bigger.
In the dense forest, the water element aura disappeared at an increasingly rapid pace.
The various water spiritual roots cultivators who had been circling a hundred zhang away, unwilling to leave, became increasingly unwilling, but helpless.
“This little girl actually has such great energy, she really absorbed the entire water element field left behind by a Water Spirit Saint Body.
We arrived early and spent two days there, so it was worth the trip.
But for those who arrived today, it’s really a wasted journey.”
“It’s fate. Maybe what’s not meant for us is not meant for us.”
“…”
The many cultivators around sighed in resignation.
Half an hour later.
The water element in this dense forest had become extremely thin, almost back to its original level.
Ning Yao opened her eyes and slowly stopped cultivating.
At this time, she looked even more lively and radiant, her complexion more dewy.
She quickly came before Su Jingzhen and Jiuchi.
“Mr. Su, Master, I’m done absorbing.
I feel like I’ve reached my limit.
My cultivation has naturally broken through to the second layer of Foundation Establishment.”
Ning Yao excitedly reported the situation.
Hearing this, Jiuchi scratched his bird’s nest-like hair.
His face was full of joy and satisfaction.
“Not bad, not bad. Breaking through a small realm is just the beginning. But the water element field left behind by the Water Spirit Saint Body still contains a trace of the saint’s divine power.
Who knows, after you completely absorb and integrate these water elements, you might even awaken some kind of special physique.”
Jiuchi’s voice was filled with anticipation as he spoke.
Hearing this, Su Jingzhen’s heart pounded again.
Could this special physique be awakened after birth?
Or was Ning Yao already a special physique that hadn’t awakened yet?
Otherwise, why would Jiuchi say that?
“Alright, girl, since you’ve finished absorbing, we should probably be on our way.
If there’s anything you need to settle, do it quickly.
And now you can give that thing to him. After all, it will be a bit troublesome to stay here for too long.
After all, the Water Spirit Pearls we took earlier were indeed treasures of the Bai family.”
Jiuchi looked at Ning Yao with a smile.
Ning Yao’s smile faded slightly. She nodded, took a step forward, and reached the crown of the big tree where Su Jingzhen was.
Then, from the storage bracelet on her wrist, she took out a black jade bottle.
The bottle seemed to emanate a kind of violent and eerie power.
Seeing this, Su Jingzhen suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
“Mr. Su, this was found accidentally by Master and me when we snatched the Water Spirit Pearl from the Bai family.
It contains two drops of North Sea Dragon’s blood. Master said this thing is extremely beneficial for cultivators who focus on body cultivation.
Perhaps it might be of some help to you, Mr. Su.”
Su Jingzhen’s heart pounded again.
He hadn’t expected that Ning Yao had always remembered him.
Seeing Su Jingzhen hesitate, Ning Yao added, “Without Mr. Su, Yao wouldn’t have the fate she has today.
Two drops of North Sea Dragon’s blood are far from enough to repay Mr. Su’s kindness.
Please don’t refuse, Mr. Su.
Perhaps this is the only thing Yao can do for you right now.”
Ning Yao’s face was filled with sincerity and anticipation.
Su Jingzhen smiled, not being pretentious, and directly took the black jade bottle.
He couldn’t possibly disappoint Ning Yao’s kindness.
Then, Su Jingzhen told Ning Yao about the one-year agreement he had mentioned to Jiuchi earlier.
“Girl, let’s meet at the Luo River bank in a year.
Perhaps by then, we can go find your mother.”
Hearing Su Jingzhen’s words, Ning Yao’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
“Yao will definitely wait for Mr. Su’s arrival in a year.”
Without lingering any longer, Jiuchi and Ning Yao, having achieved their purpose, left Clear Wind Mountain.
The two of them departed directly.
No one around dared to stop them.
After Jiuchi and Ning Yao left, Clear Wind Mountain once again became an ordinary place.
The many water spiritual roots cultivators returned to the spot where Ning Yao had been sitting.
They found that they couldn’t absorb even a trace of water attribute elements.
“It’s all gone…”
“It’s so infuriating! This could have benefited many water spiritual roots cultivators.
Now it’s just wasted on one person, it’s such a waste.”
“…”
Only after seeing Jiuchi’s large gourd disappear into the distance did the crowd dare to grumble.
At this moment, Su Jingzhen glanced at the crowd and ignored them.
He knew that the matter of the Water Spirit Saint Body at Clear Wind Mountain was almost over.
Instead of returning to Evil Moon Sect, since he was already here, he decided to take this opportunity to visit a certain place.
“It’s time to open the Guanyuan acupoint…”